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BOTTOM LINE: This motion picture has long been considered something of a "lost" film. I have wanted for literally decades to get an opportunity to see this movie, in ANY condition. As an avid fan and collector of B-film science fiction & monster movies, finally obtaining a watchable copy of THE HAND OF DEATH was like finding the Holy Grail! Well... sort of. Now having said that, let me tell you up front that the movie itself is just your typically silly sci-fi nonsense programmer picture, in the grand tradition of such fare. But that doesn't mean it isn't fun! I mean heck, we've got joltin' John Agar as our hero! How can you go wrong? Although in THoD, John becomes his own worst enemy. In most movies of this type Agar is battling the title monstrosities. Here, as in The Brain From Planet Arous, John actually BECOMES the monster. HoD is an entertainingly silly sci-fi quickie, barely clocking in at an hour. Highly, highly recommended for fans of obscure, old school sci-fi. 5 STARS
THE STORY (contains spoilers): The opening scene of this film is very mysterious and grabs you right away. That's a good thing, because the first third of THE HAND OF DEATH's criminally-brief 60 minute run time is wasted on gag-inducing girlfriend histrionics. Ugh! Anyhow, once the mushy love life junk is out of the way we get to the real meat of the movie. Agar is working on nerve gas experiments for the military, so right up front his character loses some major "sci-fi hero" points. He isn't some rogue doctor trying to invent a great whatzit for the benefit of all mankind or some other such noble cause. Nope, he's just a clock-punching lab monkey working for those war-mongers in Washington! But hang on folks... that's really just a side note in this film. In the well-established cinematic tradition of over-eager scientists, Agar, in a rush to obtain viable results before his research is shut down, disregards safety protocols and is accidentally exposed to fumes from one of his own experiments while working into the wee hours. He quickly succumbs to the vapors and passes out on a cot in the lab. In a way-cool dream sequence that follows John experiences hallucinations of floating test tubes, beakers & dancing mice(!), which literally fill the screen. You can't get much cooler than that, kids! Upon awakening the following morning Agar realizes that his skin has absorbed the lethal properties of his latest chemical weapons test gone awry. His very touch can now instantly kill - as his unlucky lab assistant fatally discovers. John panics (and I mean REALLY panics) and heads for his boss's home to seek help in reversing the process. While hiding out there his skin continues to darken and bloat up, eventually giving his complexion the appearance of dry, cracked earth. During an argument with his boss, Agar grabs the old man, unintentionally killing him. He flees the house and the final reel has John racing up the California coast in a stolen taxi in search of his girlfriend, (or best friend, or something. The script is easily the weakest element of this movie). He inadvertently kills more people along the way and in the film's final moments he ends up like most every other lumbering monster in the history of sci-fi cinema.
THOUGHTS: The monster make-up is unique and interesting and certainly MUST have influenced legendary Marvel Comics artist Jack Kirby when he drew the original Ben Grimm/The Thing designs for The Fantastic Four. (THE HAND OF DEATH was released only a few months before the first issue of THE FANTASTIC FOUR hit the news stands.) The similarity is TOO strong to be mere coincidence, right down to the hat & trench coat disguise! The black & white cinematography for THoD is surprisingly well-done for such a short feature. The soundtrack is a little unusual; a sort of jazzy score that helps keep the proceedings off-kilter throughout.
THE DVD: The really good news is that this DVD-r from FOX is nothing short of a miracle! After being considered "lost" for decades, is it a joy to see this rarity finally arrive on home video looking so utterly magnificent, and in it's proper 2.35:1 'scope format, too! The film's focus is impressively sharp & crisp and thankfully there's very little artifacting, pixelation or edge enhancement. I honestly never thought I'd ever get to see this movie, let alone see it looking so terrific! The bad news is that it's a little pricey. That's because THoD is a manufactured on demand (MOD) release thru Twentieth Century Fox's "Cinema Archives" branch. (As such, you MAY experience playback issues if your DVD player is an older unit or is in need of a firmware update. Newer DVD and Blu-ray players should have no such troubles, but YMMV so buyer beware.) In all honesty it's a pretty safe bet that no else is likely to offer up this ultra-rare/obscure sci-fi quickie any time soon. So, if you simply must have this title in your collection, (as I did), then you'll just have to dig a little deeper and pony up the dough. As for me, I'm pleased as punch to finally have John Agar's THE HAND OF DEATH in my treasured B-film library. Thank you 20th Century Fox Cinema Archives for making it possible! :-D
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Launching pad for future action icons Jackie Chan, John Woo and Sammy Hung
Even hardcore martial arts fans will admit that not every film is worth watching. With the sheer amount of product pushed out from Shaw Brothers and Golden Harvest at the height of the kung-fu craze, quite a few lesser efforts slipped through the cracks, many serving as a training ground for new talent on the way up. So even if the final product – like 1976’s Hand of Death - is aggressively average, there’s bound to be some novelty when it comes to the talent involved. Names like John Woo, Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung are sure to attract interest. But put them all in the same film and you’ve got yourself some must-see viewing!Yet another showcase for the mythical shaolin brotherhood, here a monk, Yun Fei, is sent to exact vengeance on a ruthless warlord, Shih Shao-Feng, who’s made a long list of enemies throughout the province. Yun Fei assembles a team of talented fighters to defeat Shao-Feng and his eight deadly bodyguards while escorting a rebel spy to safety.Written and directed by John Woo, who doesn’t show any real affinity for the genre, Hand of Death (aka Countdown in Kung Fu) is a paint-by-numbers hero’s quest whose side characters are much more interesting than its lead. Jackie Chan’s mysterious blacksmith, Yang Wei’s reluctant swordsman and Sammo Hung’s sympathetic henchman all have an edge on the one-note protagonist played by Doran Tan. Fans looking for some auteurist tendencies might pick up on the male bonding aspects of the story (a Woo trademark) but it’s not yet ready for prime-time.Neither are Woo’s fight scenes, which are cut together in undramatic fashion; that is until Jackie Chan gets his moment to shine in the big finale. An early speaking role for the future Hong Kong star, Chan makes the most of his screen time, providing an invigorating boost and (SPOILER) earning himself an honorable death. Sammo Hung is saddled with a ridiculous set of false teeth and too few moments to make an impression. While Hand of Death can’t really stand on its own, as a launching pad for future action icons you’d be hard pressed to find anything else quite like it.Arrow Video’s Blu-ray features one of those 2K restorations that look every bit as good as a 4K Ultra-HD presentation. It’s simply stunning image quality. Extras include a new interview and commentary track, archival featurettes, alternate credits, a collector’s booklet and fold-out poster.
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Lawi73Reviewed in Germany on February 18, 2015
Sehr guter Eastern mit Jackie Chan in einer Nebenrolle...
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