Kung Fu (1972)
Directed by Jerry Thorpe
Genres - Action, Adventure, Western, Historical Film |
Sub-Genres - Hybrid Western, Martial Arts |
Release Date - Feb 22, 1972 (USA - Unknown) |
Run Time - 75 min. |
Countries - United States |
MPAA Rating - NR
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Synopsis by Hal Erickson
David Carradine first stepped into the sandals of taciturn martial-arts expert Caine in the made-for-TV pilot film Kung Fu. A Chinese/American priest, Caine must flee to the United States after he is forced to kill a royal nephew. He wanders the American West of the 1860s, keeping his cool until it is necessary to display his kung-fu skills full force. Most often, he must meditate and conjure up a flashback dominated by Master Po (Keye Luke) before he is galvanized into action. In the pilot, Caine comes to the rescue of a group of Chinese coolies who are working on the railroad. First telecast February 22, 1972, Kung Fu spawned a long-running series of the 1970s--not to mentioned the "updated" syndicated weekly of the 1990s, which also starred the inscrutable Mr. Carradine.
Characteristics
Keywords
self-defense, chase, criminal, escape, false-accusation, flute, Kung-Fu, martial-arts, monk, one-against-odds