Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Moderate
- witty
- warm
- nostalgic
- martial arts movie night
- lighthearted weekend viewing
What critics said
Critics broadly found the film entertaining and touching, praising its veteran performers and affectionate salute to classic Hong Kong martial arts while noting its loose construction and occasional juvenile humor.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The story centers on aging martial artists and a former kung-fu school while explicitly saluting Hong Kong martial arts films of the 1960s and 1970s.
Office worker Cheung is mistaken for a former student and trained by Master Law for the tournament that determines the teahouse's fate.
Dragon, Tiger, and Master Law confront redevelopment and physical decline while preserving their martial arts community through Cheung.
The film's martial-arts confrontations and training sequences are structured as both physical spectacle and comedy.
Films like Gallants, and why
Kung Fu Hustle
shared hong kong martial arts comedy, eccentric ensemble, kinetic physical humor, and affectionate genre nostalgia
Shaolin Soccer
shared martial arts action comedy, underdog training arc, stylized fight choreography, and playful tone
The One-Armed Swordsman
shared comeback narrative, aging fighters, friendship, and warm tribute to classic martial arts cinema
Drunken Master
shared old-school kung-fu traditions, comic bravado, training, and generational conflict
Movie Details
- Directors
- Clement Cheng Si-Kit, Derek Kwok Chi-Kin
- Release Date
- 2010-06-04
- Runtime
- 98 min
- Rating
- 6.4 / 10 (51)
Cast
- Wong Yau-Nam
- Chen Kuan-Tai
- Bruce Leung Siu-Lung
- Teddy Robin
- JJ Jia
- Susan Shaw Yam-Yam
- Michael Chan Wai-Man
- Li Haitao
- Lo Meng
- Law Wing-Cheong
Common questions
- What is Gallants about?
- An aimless office worker becomes the unlikely student of aging kung-fu masters defending their village teahouse in a buoyant Hong Kong action comedy.
- What is Gallants like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Gallants as brisk, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Gallants violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Gallants as moderate.
- What did critics think of Gallants?
- Critics broadly found the film entertaining and touching, praising its veteran performers and affectionate salute to classic Hong Kong martial arts while noting its loose construction and occasional juvenile humor.
- Which films are like Gallants?
- Films with a similar feel include Kung Fu Hustle, Shaolin Soccer, The One-Armed Swordsman, and Drunken Master.
- How long is Gallants?
- Gallants runs 98 minutes.
