Just how does a work earn the label of "masterpiece?" Michaelangelo's David, Da Vinci's Mona Lisa, and Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet have all been labeled by historians as being masterpieces, but so rarely is something thought of so highly in our own lifetime. Indeed, it is truly difficult to find even one thing in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries that is agreed upon by most historians to be a masterpiece... until now.

Chinese Kung-Fu Against Godfather is a movie so awe-inspiring, so emotionally stirring, and so physchologically draining that it is easily the pinnacle of film achievement in our modern era. I approached it not knowing quite what to think; it was, in my mind, yet another kung-fu movie along the lines of Jackie Chan's Mr. Nice Guy. Needless to say, I was both surprised and delighted by what I encountered in my viewing of this magnificent film.

Chinese Kung-Fu Against Godfather is the story of one man's struggle to not only survive in a harsh climate inhabited by murderous Dutch people, but also to bring honor to his mother in Hong Kong. Tong-Shan, played by the immaculate Cliff Lok, is full of conflict--and inner turmoil, if you will--throughout the entire course of the movie. His highest priority is to bring honor to his family in Hong Kong by helping his brother with his new business in Holland, and yet he is constantly being swallowed up by the Dutch underground: a wretched, filthy existence marked by the seemingly constant dressing and undressing of any and all females on camera. Oh, the moral indignity! Tong-Shan is incessantly harassed by these women of loose morals, and is almost taken in by their scheming when he remembers his mother's last words: "Do not disgrace our family by wedding a European woman." With these strong words by his side, Tong-Shan narrowly maintains his integrity and avoids the succubus!

Perhaps even more amazing was the dialog which was effortlessly delivered in the most masterful manners; one could even say that by using such amazing writing, director Lee Tso Nam reached into my very essence and stirred my soul. By the end of the movie, I was beside myself with tears, begging for Tong-Shan's emotional turmoil to end at last. And yet, at the same time, a smile crept across my face with every line, as I knew then and there that I was watching something truly special--a masterpiece that I would show to future generations. In one particular scene, in which Tong-Shan is escaping from a rather undesirable group of drug enthusiasts, a tour leader speaks these stirring words: "If you'll look to your right, you will see the small house where the hippies live." Think about that for a minute. Isn't there a small hippie house inside each and every one of us? It only became deeper from there.

Tong-Shan's battles are not only about punching vile Dutch men; no, it is, in fact, much deeper than that. If anything at all, Tong-Shan is battling the evil inside each and every one of us. He's fighting against the darkness of poverty, which I'm told eventually leads to a sort of drug cartel. Tong-Shan, moreover, is battling against the oppressive machine and corporate tyranny, and is pursued by a man known only as "Godfather" until the very end of the movie when he is disposed of in a fairly un-kung-fu-like way.

But despite all of Tong-Shan's misfortunes, he retains his moral integrity and chastity, bringing both his mother and family pride. Well, except for his brother, who was seduced by the power that the Dutch mafia brought forth and met a fateful end. He even brought honor to the Chinese man known only as "Robert," whose brilliant lines like "Chinese Kung-Fu increases the passion... IN BED!" brought a smile of satisfaction to my face. Passion indeed; I salute you, Robert!

The publishers of the DVD, VideoAsia, also made certain that Chinese Kung-Fu Against Godfather was as educational as possible. For instance, many lines of subtitles are abruptly cut off by the ends of the screen due to what would at first appear to be inept formatting techniques; however, it quickly becomes obvious that this is simply one method of learning Chinese, as you must use your knowledge of the language to fill in the holes that have illegible subtitles. Simply genius.

VideoAsia also allowed those of us with weaker hearts to watch the movie without being troubled by the absolutely barbaric fight scenes in the movie. In fact, all of the fight scenes have been edited out of the movie, and are only available to those that are truly brave through an extra feature that is referred to only as "Instaction." Brilliant!

Chinese Kung-Fu Against Godfather is the greatest film ever created, bar none.