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Dirty Ho

Dirty Ho is a 1979 film from Hong Kong, directed by Lau Kar-leung, running 103 minutes. reelscum files it under martial arts.

Poster for Dirty Ho
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Year
1979 · 1970s films
Country
Hong Kong
Runtime
103 min
Updated
10 Aug 2026
Obscurity
cult (51/100)
Also known as
Dirty Ho

Defined in the glossary: Martial arts

A prince and a thief, master and pupil in disguise. Lau Kar-leung's wittiest choreography.

One of Lau Kar-leung's most inventive and playful films, in which a disguised Manchu prince trains a young jewel thief while pretending not to, fighting off assassins in elaborate set pieces staged to look like accidents, wine tastings and antique appraisals. The choreography is as much comedy as combat.

Gordon Liu plays the prince with a light touch, and the fights, especially one conducted entirely through a woman being manipulated like a puppet, are among the cleverest ever staged. Underseen and delightful, it shows kung fu as wit rather than brutality.

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