My Life's on the Line

1978 "Some Kill Slow...HE KILLS FAST!"
5.9| 1h32m| NA| en| More Info
Released: 06 December 1978 Released
Producted By: Jin Hsin Film Company
Country: Taiwan
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website:
Info

Minute Fong is a ruthless contract killer who dispatches his victims in precisely sixty seconds. Working exclusively for an organization headed by the Master Chou Jan Tung, Fong begins to take on his assignments with reluctance. Realizing that Fong's days are numbered, Chou hires two new experts to deal with him and his sixty-second technique.

Genre

Action

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Director

Wang Chungkuang

Production Companies

Jin Hsin Film Company

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My Life's on the Line Audience Reviews

Fluentiama Perfect cast and a good story
Executscan Expected more
Gutsycurene Fanciful, disturbing, and wildly original, it announces the arrival of a fresh, bold voice in American cinema.
Numerootno A story that's too fascinating to pass by...
gorthu This is a very dark movie. A man named Minute Fong is an assassin who only kills bad people. He reads their crimes outloud so if they are innocent they can present evidence. By the end of the movie it turns out he was just being tricked by his master (Leung Kar Yan), so therefore he wants revenge on his master. Leung Kar Yan is great as the villain. I don't think I have ever seen him look more evil than this. I would go over how exactly Leung Kar Yan tricks Minute Fong, but I don't want to give away the story because it is actually pretty good.The fighting is magnificent. I was blown away. The first fight against Wong Chi Sang is good, as is his brother Wong Wing Sang's fight, and then Lung Fei turns it up another notch in his scene. There are 4 more fights before the incredible finale. Minute Fong vs. Leung Kar Yan is one of the best fight scenes I have seen in quite a while.Minute Fong is played by Man Lee pang. . The only other movie I have seen him in is Kung Fu on Sale where he plays the villain. Although this guy is a nobody, he is one of the best screen fighters I have ever seen.Most kung fu fans will probably be disappointed by the ending. I won't give it away, but it does correlate with the dark tone that the movie has.
gridoon Hardcore fans of old-school kung fu movies will probable enjoy "My Life's on the Line" more than I did. Most of the typical characteristics of this sub-genre are here: exaggerated sound effects, impossible jumps, annoying "comic" characters, and of course as little plot as necessary to move the film from one fight scene to the other. Speaking of the fight scenes, there are plenty of those here but they are just not my type: they seem too rehearsed, too elaborate - they play more like exhibitions of various kung fu techniques. But no matter what everyone's opinion on the rest of the movie is, most people will at least agree that the ending is incredibly disappointing. I don't want to spoil it in this comment, but it will definitely leave you saying "what?" (*1/2)
sarastro7 My Life's On The Line contains a good deal of fairly good fighting, although almost all the fight sequences have been accelerated, so it's harder to see how skilled the actors actually are, which is a shame.The story does have some strange cuts. Most gratingly, when the main character is fighting some old guy in the middle of the movie, suddenly (without the fight having finished) the scene cuts to a brothel where the main guy is surprised (along with the audience) to find himself in a prostitute's bed. She then begs him to take her away with him, and when he refuses, she takes poison. Next, he befriends the family of the guy he has been sent to kill, ending up causing the death of the young grandson, and, indirectly, the rape and death of the daughter-in-law. This follows the often observed Asian movie tradition of killing off everyone the hero was meant to save, just so he can be angry and anguished enough to take on the bad guy. In this movie, the final fight against Kar Yan Leung is quite good (Kar Yan Leung doing an excellent imitation of Bruce Lee), but it is interrupted by The End before anyone wins or loses. The screen is covered in blood, apparently saying that violence is a vicious circle that never ends. Well. Maybe so, but it's not a very satisfying ending.Add to this a completely useless and really awful stand-alone comedy sequence some time into the movie (I had to fast forward through most of this; it was that unbearable to watch), and this flick cannot be granted anything higher than a 3 out of 10 rating. And that's generous. Definitely NOT one of the better kung fu movies.
greghulme This is quite an interesting independent kung fu film. For many of us who have watched countless numbers of kung fu movies with the same plot ideas, its nice to watch a film that tries to be a little different and play around with he plot. The idea of a hit man who gets payed for killing off criminals, and making sure he does so in under a minute, is an idea i have not seen before or since in a movie. The action is also quite original and entertaining as well. Wang Li Pang uses lots of different styles but his main styles are kick boxing and some of the more contemporary kung fu techniques. There is also a bit of weaponry towards the end but this is mainly an empty hands kung fu movie. The final battle where Wang Li Pang takes on the evil Leung Kar Yan, is vicious and very well executed.One of the problems with the movie is that there are many cuts in the plot. As you think you're warming to a scene or a certain character it cuts to the next fight very abruptly. Also there are random scenes where the picture blacks out and then fades back into light again, mostly during a fight. However whether this is due to poor picture quality or simply bad editing.All in all this a very enjoyable kung fu film. The ending alone is reason enough to watch it.