You know that feeling when you're watching a movie and you can't decide if it’s the worst thing ever made or a stroke of absolute genius? That is the exact headspace you need to be in for Mighty Peking Man.
Honestly, it’s a trip.
Back in 1977, the legendary Shaw Brothers Studio looked at the hype surrounding Dino De Laurentiis’s big-budget King Kong remake and basically said, "We can do that, but with more leopards and way more trauma." The result was Hsing Hsing Wang (literally "King Orangutan"), released to the Western world as The Mighty Peking Man or Goliathon.
It is 90 minutes of pure, unadulterated Hong Kong exploitation. It’s got a giant ape, a blonde jungle girl in a fur bikini that barely qualifies as clothing, and a finale that makes the Hindenburg look like a birthday candle.
The Plot: A Messy Love Triangle (Sort Of)
The story kicks off with an earthquake in the Himalayas. Naturally, this wakes up a giant ape named Utam. Instead of leaving the poor guy alone, a sleazy businessman named Lu Tien (played by Ku Feng) decides he wants to capture the beast for profit. Enter our hero: Johnnie, played by Danny Lee.
Before Danny Lee became the iconic "inspector" type in John Woo’s The Killer, he was out here wrestling fake tigers in the Indian jungle.
Johnnie is heartbroken because his girlfriend cheated on him with his brother. Yeah, the movie goes there. To clear his head, he leads an expedition to find the ape. Most of the crew gets picked off by tigers or elephants—real animals, by the way, which makes some of these stunts look incredibly sketchy by 2026 standards.
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Eventually, Johnnie gets lost and meets Samantha (Evelyne Kraft). She’s a "wild girl" who was raised by Utam after her parents died in a plane crash. She spends her days frolicking in slow motion with leopards and swinging on vines.
The middle of the movie is basically a long, bizarre music montage. You've got Johnnie and Samantha falling in love while a groovy 70s ballad plays. They run through fields. They swim. It feels more like a shampoo commercial than a monster movie.
Better Than Rick Baker’s Kong?
Okay, hear me out. Mighty Peking Man only had a budget of about 6 million Hong Kong dollars. That was roughly $1 million USD at the time. Compared to the $24 million spent on the 1976 King Kong, it’s a miracle this thing even exists.
But the special effects are surprisingly ambitious.
The Shaw Brothers brought in Japanese talent to handle the "suitmation." Keizo Murase, a legend who worked on Godzilla and Gamera films, designed the Utam suit. It wasn't just some cheap gorilla costume from a Halloween store. It was made of real human hair—reportedly from 300 different donors.
The facial expressions on the Peking Man are weirdly soulful. He doesn't just roar; he looks genuinely depressed when he's being exploited.
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Murase actually performed some of the stunts himself. There’s a scene where the ape is set on fire. The regular stuntman refused to do it because it was too dangerous. Murase, being a total boss, hopped into the suit and let them light him up while he did a falling stunt.
Why the Miniatures Matter
The miniature work is where this movie truly shines. Most 70s monster movies used a few cardboard boxes and called it a day. Here, the Shaw Brothers built a massive, detailed model of Hong Kong. When Utam finally loses his mind and starts stomping through the city, he’s crushing tiny Ferraris and Tonka-style trucks that actually look like they belong in the scene.
The climax happens at the Connaught Centre (now Jardine House), which was the tallest building in Hong Kong at the time. It’s that famous "porthole" building. Seeing a giant ape scale a building with circular windows is a visual you just don’t get anywhere else.
The Most Depressing Ending in Cinema
Most people expect a fun, campy romp. They get that for the first hour. Then, the movie turns into a brutal tragedy.
When the military arrives to take down Utam, they don’t just shoot him with tranquilizers. They use helicopters, tanks, and enough explosives to level a small country. The "hero" Johnnie spends the last ten minutes screaming in agony while everything he loves is literally blown to bits.
It is incredibly mean-spirited.
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While the 1976 King Kong had a bit of pathos, Mighty Peking Man goes for full-on nihilism. Samantha gets caught in the crossfire. Utam is engulfed in flames. The building explodes. It’s a spectacular, fiery mess that leaves you feeling like you just watched a car crash in slow motion.
A Cult Legacy Revived by Tarantino
For a long time, this movie was just a footnote. Then, in the late 90s, Quentin Tarantino’s Rolling Thunder Pictures re-released it in the U.S.
Suddenly, a new generation realized what they’d been missing. It’s now widely considered a cult masterpiece of the "Kong-sploitation" subgenre. It’s better than King Kong Lives. It’s weirder than APE. It’s more heart-wrenching than Queen Kong.
Actionable Takeaways for Movie Buffs
If you’re planning to track this down, keep these things in mind:
- Look for the 88 Films or Arrow Video Blu-rays. The restoration work makes the jungle scenes pop in a way that old VHS tapes never could.
- Pay attention to the music. The score is a wild mix of library music and original 70s funk that shouldn't work, but somehow does.
- Watch the stunts closely. Knowing that many of the animal interactions were unsimulated adds a layer of "how did they not die?" to the experience.
- Don't skip the "Infra-Man" connection. Many of the same crew members worked on The Super Inframan, another Shaw Brothers tokusatsu classic.
This isn't just a "so bad it's good" movie. It’s a testament to the sheer ambition of the Hong Kong film industry in the 70s. They took a Western blockbuster template, infused it with local melodrama and Japanese special effects, and created something that still feels completely unique fifty years later.
To truly appreciate the artistry, you have to look past the rubber suit. Watch the way the miniatures are lit. Notice the genuine chemistry between Danny Lee and Evelyne Kraft. It's a bizarre, beautiful, and ultimately devastating piece of film history.
Next time you're in the mood for a monster movie, skip the CGI-heavy modern stuff for one night. Give Utam a chance. Just make sure you have some tissues ready for that finale. It’s a lot.