The Boxer's Omen

Cast View all

	Phillip Ko
	Shao-Yen Lin
	Kar-Man Wai	Chan's girl
	Lung Wei Wang	(Guest star)
	Somjai Boomsong
	Chok Chow Cheung	Uncle Qi
	Tien-chu Chin	Bellman
	You-hsing Lai
	Wai Lam
	Hak Shun Leung
	Chih Tai Lin
	Chun Liu
	Han-yuan Ma
	Edmund P. Meneses
	Major Oponpa
	Victor B. Pumicpic
	Gwa-pau Sai
	Rolando San-Juan
	Elvis Tsui
	Bolo Yeung	Mr. Bu-bo - the Thai Boxer
	Hsiang Lin Yin

Crew View all

Director	Chih-hung Kuei
Writer	Chih-hung Kuei, On Szeto
Producer	Mona Fong, Tsu-Hua Lo
Musician	Chin Yung Shing, Chen-Hou Su
Photography	Hsin Yeh Li

Trailer

Edition details

Personal

Notes

My quick rating - 6.8/10. Every now and then, a movie comes along that feels less like a film and more like a panic dream induced by expired shrimp. The Boxer’s Omen is one of those cinematic hallucinations. A genre-defying mix of kung fu, black magic, glowing intestines, and Buddhist enlightenment, all wrapped up in a technicolor Saran Wrap nightmare courtesy of the Shaw Brothers.

It starts off deceptively normal: a gritty revenge setup involving a Hong Kong boxer named Chan Hung (Phillip Ko) seeking payback after his brother gets crippled in a match against a cheating Thai fighter, Bolo Yeung. Mr. Hong Kong flexes his way through the opening fight like it’s another Tuesday. But then, somewhere between the revenge plot and the next roundhouse kick, the movie opens a portal straight into the ninth circle of bonkers.

Chan Hung’s journey to avenge his brother turns into a psychedelic pilgrimage through Buddhist mysticism, black magic, and the world’s most questionable practical effects. We’re talking spiders that look like they escaped from a Temu Halloween sale, flying puppet bats on visible strings, and crocodile skulls that “attack” with all the menace of a malfunctioning wind-up toy. And yet, there’s an undeniable charm in how earnestly it all plays out.

The camera work is surprisingly creative using tight angles, swirling motion, and neon lighting that would make Dario Argento proud. The soundtrack? Pure 80s synth glory. It punctuates every ritual, vomit session, and monk battle like the composer was having the time of his life with a Casio keyboard and no supervision.

Speaking of the rituals, I’ve seen some wild ones in horror, but this film takes the incense-scented cake. We’re treated to a rebirth sequence involving a corpse stuffed inside a gutted crocodile, some very slimy black magic duels, and enough maggots to make David Cronenberg blush. It’s equal parts mesmerizing and revolting, and impossible to look away from.

Despite its insanity (or maybe because of it), The Boxer’s Omen has a kind of hypnotic beauty. The Shaw Brothers’ production gives it slick locations across Bangkok, Kathmandu, and Hong Kong, and there’s a genuine sense of ambition buried beneath the goo, claymation, and vomit.

You don’t watch The Boxer’s Omen for logic. I watched it because my brain occasionally craves chaos, and this movie delivers it in glorious, Saran-Wrapped fashion. It’s gross, it’s goofy, and it’s absolutely unforgettable.

If you think you’ve seen it all in cult cinema, think again. This one doesn’t just think outside the box — it eats the box, regurgitates it, and uses the remains in a black magic ritual. Not for everyone but after reading this, you know if it is for you.

Tags

Links