In the 1970s, Golden Harvest attempted co-productions with Korean film companies in their search for the next Bruce Lee. Their search took them to the nation of taekwondo and turned up various beautiful outdoor locations and historical Korean landmarks, But soon taekwondo was passed of as a Chinese marial art and Korean historical spots as Chinese mythical spaces. Infuriated Koreans became extremely critical. When Taekwondo Strikes is unusual in that its hero is a Korean. Jhoon Rhee, a famous taekwondo master working in the US, plays a hero who fights for the independence of his country. Although Jhoon Anee, a guy in his 40s, could not be equal to Bruce Lee, the action shown in the film is almost faultless, and fills the screen with vitality - especially with the controlled hand movements and the fast kicking. Set in the back alleys of Korea and filled with images of old-style Korean houses, the film is admirable as a realistic representation of Korean space. When compared to other co-productions, this film shows the strongest ′Korean spirit.′ Ironically, it is directed by Huang Feng from Hong Kong. Using acrobatic action performance and unique camera work rather than wirework or special effects shines a bright light on the power of taekwondo. (Cho Young-jung)