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The Golden Buddha Year of release: 1966Genre: spyDirector: Lo WeiWriter: Shih WaiStars: Paul Chang, Lo Wei, Jeanette Lin Tsui, Fanny Fan, Chao Sin-Yen, Wu MaNot rated; contains II-level violence and brief nudityVersion reviewed: Celestial VCD |
With the success of Dr. No, movie studios all around the world scrambled to put out something similar in hope of replicating Bond's success, and Shaw Brothers was no exception. The Golden Buddha isn't nearly as good as 007's debut, but it is still a pretty enjoyable '60's spy caper. There's some good action, some hot women, and of course, a cheesy villain.
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Paul Chang might not be as smooth as Sean Connery, but he still gets the job done. |
The movie stars Paul Chang as a businessman who accidentally gets his suitcase swiched during a flight. Upon opening it, he finds a mysterious Golden Buddha with a cryptic message on it. Eventually, he uncovers a treasure, but has to contend with a vicious gang known as the Skeletons (director Lo Wei makes an appearance as the gang's leader, playing a character who makes Mike Meyers' "Goldmember" seem sedate by comparison).
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Ah, the good old days, when you could smoke like a fiend while flying. |
Lo Wei has obviously tried to craft his own take on James Bond, right down to ripping off a scene from Dr. No and using a similar score, but he doesn't totally succeed. The Golden Buddha has most of the ingredients needed for a good spy caper, but never seems to really click. Matters are hampered by a low budget (the part where Paul is on a train and the background repeats Flintstones-style is unintentionally hilarious) and a meandering script that takes about forty-five minutes to really get going, due to several throwaway scenes early on in the movie, such as one where Paul mistakenly goes into a Turkish bath-house with "hilarious" results.
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No wonder Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan thought Lo Wei was a hack. This guy's dressed worse than Liberace on PCP. |
Still, there's a lot to enjoy with The Golden Buddha, especially if you're a fan of old spy movies. Some of the set designs (particularly Lo Wei's lair) are fantastic, there's a good deal of action, and, most of all, it has that great '60's vibe that more modern thrillers such as Bourne Identity just can't capture. Lo Wei has never been one of my favorite directors -- his hackish style ruined Fist of Fury for me -- but I will admit he did a good, if unspectacular, job with The Golden Buddha and created a somewhat campy film that is still enjoyable.
RATING: 6.5
