Golden Swallow (1968)

Director: Chang Cheh

Notable Cast: Cheng Pei-Pei, Jimmy Wang Yu, Lo Lieh, Wu Ma, Ku Feng, Lau Kar Leung, Cliff Lok, Lau Kar Wing, Yuen Woo Ping, David Chiang

Despite being a film that had a duel lead character focus, Come Drink with Me saw a massive boost from the success of the character Golden Swallow. Which, of course, deemed her worthy for a sequel…and one with the character name as the title. Thusly we are treated to Golden Swallow, the continued adventures of our deadly female enforcer from Come Drink with Me. Don’t be fooled by the title though as, once again, Golden Swallow essentially plays second fiddle to not only one protagonist, but also shares most of her screen time with her side kick. The execution of the film is solid enough and showcases some unique elements for director Chang Cheh, but overall it’s hard not to be a little disappointed with the direction it took.

Come Drink with Me (1966)

Director: King Hu

Notable Cast: Cheng Pei-Pei, Yueh Hua, Chan Hung-lit, Lee Wan-Chung, Ku Feng

In the early years of the Shaw Brothers company, the studio struggled to really find their own voice and style in movie making. With the help of some visionary directors and brilliant actor signings though, they quickly found their path. One of the first films to establish Shaw Brothers in the direction is the iconic Come Drink with Me. The first and only film that King Hu produced for Shaw Brothers, this martial arts film is both grounded and epic, delivering insightful characters with focused and detailed visuals. It is easily one of the best martial arts movies ever delivered.

Outlaw Brothers (1990)

Director: Frankie Chan

Notable Cast: Frankie Chan, Yukari Oshima, Siu Chung Mok, Kiu Wai Miu, Sheila Chan

The work of Frankie Chan is not well known outside of the deeper fans of martial arts films. This is mostly due to the fact that he stayed behind the scenes as a director, composer, or a fight director. Outside of the villain role in The Prodigal Son and his directorial work on the mediocre Legendary Amazons, I can’t say I was fully aware of his contributions to Hong Kong cinema until I started doing some research on this film, Outlaw Brothers. This film, however, exists purely because of him. He directed it, choreographed it, scored it, and acted as one of the leads in it. While Outlaw Brothers has some issues with some of the silliness of the plots and surface level thinking, for Hong Kong action fans the film hits all of the right buttons.

James (Frankie Chan) and Bond (Siu Chung Mok) have created a very successful life for themselves by stealing high end cars as guns for hire. James, however, finds himself at a crossroads when a local and highly skilled police officer (Yukari Oshima) starts to investigate him for the car thefts. He decides to play a game of it and finds himself falling in love with the strong willed police officer and takes this as a sign to get out of the business. Not that it is as easy as it seems when he finds his sister is accidentally involved with a ruthless crime syndicate. Now he will have to take his street skills to the big guns to find a way out.

If that outfit isn't as 80s as it gets...

While the plot seemingly feels like your average comedic crime caper with a hero trying to escape the life for love and being repeatedly pulled back in, what makes Outlaw Brothers so much fun is just how ridiculously action packed the film plays out. Frankie Chan (serving as lead actor and chief fight choreographer) might lack a lot of the charm to pull of the some of the chemistry and humor of the film, but his fight work is fucking phenomenal. Blending traditional kung fu fights with some outrageous stunt work, this film consistently delivers on the goods. A broom sequence in the opening is vintage Jackie Chan style through and through in the blend of humor and ass kickery, the finale blends two fight sequences intercut with weapons and a questionable use of chickens, and a car chase in the middle portion features enough crazy dangerous stunts I’m shocked US safety laws allowed it to be shown even decades after its release.

The problem then remains that the film falters to take advantage of some of its assets to blend the action and comedy together. Namely it doesn’t give Yukari Oshima a very good character to be one of the leads. She has quite a bit of screen presence and her action sequences are a blast, but her chemistry with Frankie Chan is mostly miss and the romantic triangle is poorly arranged and often forced. The same goes for a lot of the other subplots included Bond and his girlfriend, the sister and her abusive husband, and the random emergence of the villains in the last half.

He's a huge fan of kung fu.

Luckily, Outlaw Brothers rides on its action and 80s silliness to still be a very entertaining film. Sure this 80s Hong Kong actioner has some pretty big issues with the writing and some of the subplot execution, but I still had a pretty massive grin on my face the entire time I was watching it. Even though the end product is hit or miss, Outlaw Brothers definitely makes me want to go start collecting some of Frankie Chan’s other stuff…which is recommendation enough.

Written By Matt Reifschneider

Killer Clans (1976)

The original cover that misspelled the title.
Check the shitty fixed one here.

Director: Chor Yuen
Notable Cast: Chung Wa, Fu Keng, Yueh Hua, Lo Lieh

While Chang Cheh might be my favorite Shaw Brothers director and Kar Lau Leung might be one of the more memorable ones, Chor Yuen is not someone to overlook. Technically speaking, Chor Yuen might only direct one kind of Shaw film, the epic toned wuxia film more often than not based on an epic novel, but he's strong at it and makes the most out of even the weaker scripts. Take "Killer Clans" as a prime example. While the script for this very complex tale of two rival clans and an assassin caught between them could have used a few rewrites to strengthen some plot points and characters, it's still a very entertaining and addictive film.

When one of the martial world's greatest killers (Chung Wa) is hired to kill Uncle (Ku Feng) who is the leader of a massive clan known as the Lung Men Society. What he stumbles into is a massive conspiracy of intrigue surrounding the Lung Men and their rival clan the Roc Society. With no one to trust and a slew of betrayals for power hungry men, he must decide to choose a side and the choice may leave him a hero or a dead villain.

"Yes, I smell that bad too."

When "Killer Clans" first started, it was very rough going. There seemed to be a thousand characters populating dozens of mini-plot lines, and there seemed to be even a bit of exploitation elements added into the mix that certainly didn't fit. One of the lead female characters is introduced in an essentially soft core porn sequence. For the first third of the film, I sat in a relative stupor just trying to figure out what stories were meant to be priority and what characters I should give two shits about. While "Killer Clans" is surprisingly void of the fantasy elements that grace many of Chor Yuen's films, this first act plays out almost like a fever dream of way too much shit going on at once.

Hanging around.

Fortunately, after a significant amount of characters are killed off and some of the random red herring moments are worked through, "Killer Clans" pulls off a rather miraculous recovery and somehow gets the plots to tie together and the pace gets moving. The mystery of the film thickens and there are so many twists and turns to the plot (I had no idea who the villain was until the final act) that even with some sub-standard subplots, including a romantic one that seems a bit forced thanks to a rather lackluster performance from our lead killer and no chemistry, that it was simply a fun ride to see where "Killer Clans" was going to take you.

"Killer Clans" is not a perfect kung fu film. It's a very inconsistent one overall in pacing and acting (allowing Ku Feng to act circles around his co-stars as the brilliant chess player Uncle) and the random bits of nudity feel massively out of place. It is, however, very entertaining with its crazy complex story and some fun fight sequences choreographed by Yuen Cheung Yan (yes, that's the brother of legendary fight choreographer Yuen Woo Ping). It does earn some credit with its charm that makes some of the weirder elements less of a burden. For kung fu fanatics, "Killer Clans" comes recommended for its entertainment value even if Chor Yuen has done better.

Lo Lieh doing what Lo Lieh does best...being badass.

BONUS BLOODY PRAISE: Shaw favorite (and one of Blood Brothers' favorites) Lo Lieh has a brief cameo as a semi-crazy body guard who lives in the woods. He has a great moment where he decapitates an assassin with his hat and then takes blood and wipes it all over his face without saying a word. While he tends to have a rather weak fight sequence later, that moment earns him some praise....bloody praise.

Written By Matt Reifschneider

Avenging Eagle, The (1978)

Director: Chung Sun
Notable Cast: Ti Lung, Alexander Fu, Fu Keng

Just recently The Weinstein Company announced that they had made a deal with Celestial Pictures to remake two classic Shaw Brothers films. One of those films was "The Avenging Eagle." While I have owned the film for quite some time thanks to Dragon Dynasty, I had never gotten around to actually seeing the film and this news made me curious to why the film would be one chosen. Now I know. "The Avenging Eagle" is both a classic kung fu film with its themes and relentless martial arts set pieces, but it's also a fairly dynamic film visually and in conception. While the film might not have garnered my attention to begin with, "The Avenging Eagle" has it now as an instant Shaw Brothers classic.

When a wandering man in black Chik Ming-sing (Ti Lung) is saved in the desert by another mysterious nomad (Alexander Fu), they find themselves at odds at first. When it's revealed that Chik Ming-sing is one of the murderous Thirteen Eagles, an assassination clan raised from birth to be killing machines for a vicious gang, the two realize that their goals may not be all that different. Particularly since Chik Ming-sing has denounced his killing ways and looks to kill his master (Ku Feng) for all of his sins.

It takes two, baby!

What makes "The Avenging Eagle" a rather unique experience for me is that it's the first film I've seen directed by Chung Sun. While he would go on to direct two other Shaw classics in 1979 ("The Deadly Breaking Sword" and "To Kill A Mastermind" respectively), this was my first experience with him and wowza does he deliver. His style is reminiscent of a mixture of Chang Cheh and Chor Yuen. He allows the fighting to really develop in some violent and emotional ways, but his camera angles and thoughtful visual dynamics are much more epic (like Chor Yuen). While his use of slow motion and odd pauses can be a slight momentum killer, his long angle shots and clever energetic angles make for a film that simply feels more dynamic and it adds a whole new energy and freshness to the Shaw Brothers style.

Sticks and stones may break your bones...and yeah they will.

To add to this, the duo of Ti Lung and Alexander Fu as hesitant partners makes for some great on screen chemistry. While the film does some interesting leaps in time, having two significant flash back periods involving Chik Ming-sing's life, both actors are up for much of the emotional subtext that's needed to make the film work. While it would have been nice to see some of the supporting roles get a little more meat to their bones, including a romantic subplot done in flashback that occurs within a minute span, our two leads and conniving villain make for some great moments.

While a strong director and cast do make for a better film all the way around, "The Avenging Eagle" definitely knows that it has to be filled to the brim with action and just a hint of cheese. It delivers on the Shaw Brothers promise too. Right away we get some fun fist bickering between our leads that culminates in a great fight over a torch, but when the first of the Thirteen Eagles show up clad in bright color coded outfits and each sporting a unique weapon we finally understand just what the film is going to give us. The fights are all memorable and unique in this manner, gimmicky perhaps with some odd weapons including hidden shoe daggers and a finale featuring our villain with Brass Eagle Claws on his hands, but the choreography is quite impressive and the flow is superior. Kung fu fans will not be disappointed.

"I'll get you next time, Gadget."

While I wasn't sure why this film was chosen for a remake at first, it's quite clear now. The story of loyalty, betrayal, and redemption is one that is quite universal and the characters with their chemistry can be updated with relative ease considering the strength of the film's foundations. Not only that, but the story leads to some great villains and fight sequences that ought to bring out all of the kung fu fantatics. "The Avenging Eagle" is a true hidden gem for this reviewer and one that I will not soon forget.

Written By Matt Reifschneider

Return To The 36th Chamber (1980)

Director: Lau Kar Leung
Notable Cast: Gordon Liu, Kara Hui, Hsaio Ho

It's no secret that "The 36th Chamber Of Shaolin" is highly considered to be one of best Shaw Brothers films, if not one of the greatest martial arts films of all time. So for director Lau Kar Leung and star Gordon Liu to return for the sequel, it would simply have to be another perfect to damn-near-perfect kung fu film, right? Well in the case of "Return To The 36th Chamber," the film on hand takes a significantly different direction and comes off as an odd man out compared to the original one. While the film does have a handful of things going for it, including some amazing action, the rest of it does come off as rather disappointing in comparison.

When a corrupt boss begins to incorporate mob enforcers to keep his workers from uprising against his terrible work conditions, a small group of them decide that they have to stand up for themselves. They decide to use a con man Chu Jen-chieh (Gordon Liu) to impersonate the righteous Shaolin monk San-Te and try to set things straight...but when it all starts to fall apart Chu Jen-chieh might just have to get some real martial arts training to set things right.

Training? Or unfinished set?

Although its hard to go wrong with Lau Kar Leung behind the choreography, his experimental streaks can leave some of his films hit or miss overall. Even with a stellar film like "36th Chamber Of Shaolin" to build a franchise on, "Return" takes a comedic turn and gives the series a bit of a shake up. As was the trend in the 80s for martial arts films (thanks mostly to the likes of Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung) a solid portion of slapstick humor was injected into this film. While some of it works, Gordon Liu actually pulls off the overly serious/silly switch ups with ease, some of it doesn't as most of the secondary cast comes off as caricatures instead of thoughtful roles to help support the plot and lead. Hell, even one of them has massive buck teeth (and I mean MASSIVE) that's played to complete seriousness. Half of the time I wasn't sure if the film was trying to be funny or if it was just poorly written and oddly timed.

LOOK AT THOSE TEETH!

Along with the film's humor, "Return" pulls an odd maneuver when it comes to Gordon Liu and his role in the film. While the idea of having him play a different character impersonating the character he played in the first film had some comedic potential to it, the fact that they cast someone else to play his role from the first film later on in the film is such a massively missed opportunity for comedy and for some clever camera and stunt work. He owns the role well here and his humility feels well earned so that his rise to the top is glorious, but why wouldn't they take advantage of such a great concept? It was just silly.

The story might parallel some of the 'people fighting for their rights' morals to a rather cliche extent and some hit and miss comedy graces the rest so its a mixed bag to that extent. The film's saving grace comes in the form of Lau Kar Leung's stunning choreography. The fighting tends to be more for comedic value in the first two-thirds and it's followed by one of his patented extensive training sequences where our hero has to put scaffolding all around a temple, but the finale is a complete stunner. When our hero has to take his "scaffolding kung fu" and battle a handful of villains led by a man using "bench kung fu" - it's a kung fu fanatic's dream. Even when Lau Kar Leung's films are hit and miss, his fight work is always beyond phenomenal and it saves this film from tripping up too much.

Kicking ass and taking names.

While "Return To The 36th Chamber" might not be the impressive sequel I wanted it to be to one of the best kung fu movies ever made, it's entertaining in its own right and the action in the finale makes it worth the purchase alone. Most of the comedy is hit or miss and it tends to feel too safe for the opportunities that its script allows and it's hard to dismiss that overall. It's disappointing, even if it has some redeemable qualities.

Written By Matt Reifschneider

Flying Guillotine 2 (1978)

Also known as: Palace Carnage, The Flying Guillotine Part II

Directors: Kang Cheng, Shan Hua
Notable Cast: Ti Lung, Szu Shih, Lieh Lo, Szu Chia-Chen, Chung Wang, Feng Ku

After the success of "The Flying Guillotine" that spawned its own 'spin off' (pun intended) with "Master Of The Flying Guillotine," which is not a Shaw Bros. production, the Shaw studio went ahead with a sequel originally called "Palace Carnage," but will be called "Flying Guillotine 2" for this review. While I enjoyed the shit out of the original film with its strong plot, identifiable characters, and potent action, this sequel tends to lack a bit of the focus and drive that made the first one succeed. Despite its fun and pretty awesome premise, the execution seems to be lacking at times and it just leaves a film that doesn't quite live up to its predecessor.

Only a few years after Ma Teng (Ti Lung) effectively escaped the clutches of the Flying Guillotines, the rule of Emperor Yung Cheng (Feng Ku) has gotten worse. He uses the elusive assassins to reign tyrannically over the Han people. A group of heroes are hell bent to assassinate the power hungry Emperor and with the daughter of one of his close advisers (Szy Shih) they may have the opportunity. Unfortunately, the Emperor has developed a new 'double flying guillotine' to counter Ma Teng's iron umbrella and the heroes are left defenseless...will they be able to team up and defeat the tyrant once and for all?

The gang's all here!

The idea behind "Flying Guillotine 2" is very sound and incredibly awesome. It continues on with many of the themes and story aspects of the original, but twists them to be a solid ending to the tale. Even though they replaced the actor for our 'lead' Ma Teng, they replaced him with the ever awesome Ti Lung and that's okay with me. I was willing to go with it and with the strong ideas in the film, including having a group of heroes partnering with Ma Teng to bring it back to those bastard Guillotines, this sequel should have been an automatic win.

Our new heroine makes a statement...

There are two main issues that arise to hinder this film from reaching it's full potential. Firstly, the story telling tends to be a bit muddled. They add in a second protagonist, Szu Shih who leads an undercover assassination plan, and her addition does add a lot of new layers to the story. Unfortunately, the film then tries to juggle having her and Ma Teng trade off with two different stories and it gets confusing. When Ma Teng loses his family we don't quite feel as devastated as we should because we have been spending more time focusing on her character. The trade off between the two (and various other heroes who don't get the time of day despite having some unique characteristics - including an ill used 'thief' who has one fun moment and is left to die as a character) just tends to derail some of the more potent moments the film could have had.

Secondly, I think the direction of the film tends to fail to support the stronger elements of its story. While the two directors do add some snazzy moments, including lots of dynamic shots and great cinematography, they add in some odd elements that didn't necessarily fit. They tend to play it too safe for the fight sequences, of which there is far more traditional choreography here instead of the cat and mouse fighting that occurred in the first film, and by the time we get to the big finale - they play the final moments in complete slow motion. Epic? Sure, but it's also very distracting and poorly shot making it lose a lot of momentum that could have made it even stronger.

"Umm...shit...it's a double whopper!"

"Flying Guillotine 2" is quite a bit of fun in the end though. The concept and acting is impressive and I loved many sequences, including a failed assassination with poisoned daggers that had me on the edge of my seat. The overall flow of the film sputters as it trades off between our two leads and the direction leaves a lot to be desired even if the film follows the Shaw Brothers formula more with its fight sequences and how the story plays out. I hold the first film in very high regard, so it's hard not to be a bit disappointed in this sequel, but I'm sure many kung fu fanatics will love it for its strengths.

Written By Matt Reifschneider

Flying Guillotine, The (1975)

Wow. Another terrible cover.

Director: Meng Hua Ho
Notable Cast: Kuan Tai Chen, Keng Fu, Wu Chi Liu, Hung Wei

It took a while for Dragon Dynasty to finally release this 70s kung fu cult classic and when they did, Blood Brothers was all over getting our hands on a copy. The word of mouth was that "The Flying Guillotine" was an instantly memorable and sharp Shaw Brothers film (no pun intended) that rose above the gimmick of its titular weapon. All of this is true, "The Flying Guillotine" is a strong balance of story, character, and action and one that easily overcomes the pitfalls of its concept.

Ma Teng (Kuan Tai Chen) was one of twelve men secretly chosen for their strong abilities and loyalty to the Emperor to be part of a new secret assassination program. The men will be taught to use a brand new weapon called the Flying Guillotine, a bladed throwing weapon with the ability to behead the target from a long distance. When Ma Teng realizes that there is a bit of corruption in the ranks and that their targets are leaders of their own country, he decides to flee from the group incurring their wrath.

Come at me, bro.

Believe it or not, the flying guillotine is not the highlight of this film. I know, for a kung fu film centered around assassins trained with this semi-mythical weapon (there is little historical fact that validates how this weapon worked or what it was even used for) you would think that the sequences featuring the bladed Frisbee of decapitation would be the highlights. While these moments are fun and definitely very unique, including how director Meng Hua Ho uses super clever editing and zooms to make the physics of the weapon seem feasible, it's the story and characters that truly highlight the film.

"I don't know how if fucking works either!"

What makes "The Flying Guillotine" work is the character arc for Ma Teng. Kuan Tai Chen is impressively strong in the lead here, validating his very long career in Hong Kong cinema, and despite the obvious lack of thoughtful villain (yes, his motivation is jealousy that bleeds into power!) Kuan Tai Chen carries this film almost single-handedly. While the random time jumps that Shaw studios love to brush over still irritates, his growth from a fully loyal servant to a rebel to a family man in the third act is fascinating to watch. By the time that his fellow Guillotiners (I'm making up words now, people) show up to threaten his family, you want him to burn the whole damn program to the ground. I was ready to do it for him too. That's how strongly the story and characters had me invested.

As for action, it's hard to discredit any Shaw Brothers film here. Interestingly enough, the action and martial arts tend to be less of a focus in the film. While you do get a few hand to hand combat sequences which are fun, the film focuses on a more thriller style of action - a game of cat and mouse if you will. The use of the titular weapon tends to be surrounded by tension and atmosphere rather than excitement and adrenaline (until the finale on the rocky cliffs of a waterfall) and it comes off as more effective for the story that way. I was also impressed with the heightened sense of violence around the weapon and it makes it even scarier in feeling so that when it's used it has a stronger effect on the audience. Decapitated bodies spasm in blood puddles on the ground, a villain gets the bladed side of the guillotine to the face, and at one point they even decapitate a dog...an rather unintentionally hilarious moment. It works here though.

Whoops.

For both kung fu fanatics and for fans of cult cinema, "The Flying Guillotine" is a must see. It's got a great story, focused characters, and a wicked aura for the title weapon when it shows up on screen. This has easily leaped up the list of my favorite Shaw Brothers films and I highly suggest it to anyone curious about the pop culture weapon and the film that started it all.

Written By Matt Reifschneider

Blood Brothers (1973)

Director: Chang Cheh
Notable Cast: Ti Lung, David Chiang, Chen Kuan Tai, Ching Li

From this era of martial arts films and more specifically from the Shaw Brothers studio, I'm a sucker for anything that has Chang Cheh's name attached to it. Partner that with fight choreography by Lau Kar Leung and a dynamic three way headlining cast featuring Ti Lung, David Chiang, and Chen Kuan Tai as the titled 'blood brothers' and this should be a film that would define the era. Although its not quite the rip roaring brutal throw down that I was expecting, "Blood Brothers" is a film that utilizes strong storytelling and pretty impressive performances to build a very epic tale that will have kung fu fans in a frenzy.

Two bandits (David Chiang, Chen Kuan Tai) happen upon a very determined man (Ti Lung) who tells them about his plan to dominate some other bandit groups to obtain greater power. The three of them pose a formidable martial arts force and quickly rise to the next level. Tensions rise between them as the wife of one of our original bandits begins to fall for our determined Big Brother and vice versa...and when their relationship threatens to derail Big Brother's plans for more power as a royal official, the outcome of their personalities might explode.

"Blood Brothers" relies heavily on the performances from it's three stars to work. The story is fairly complex for Shaw Brothers standards actually occurring in a flashback way that leaps from the present, where David Chiang's character is telling why he assassinated a royal official, to how the three men came to be cohorts in a struggle for power. This, where the plot's focus is on character interaction, is where "Blood Brothers" shines. The combination of our three male leads and the romantic triangle featuring Ching Li is a pretty riveting tale in it's own regard. The performances are impressive and how the plot unfolds definitely works its way into one's emotional traps too. For a Chang Cheh film, whose known for his violence and often over the top moments, "Blood Brothers" plays it relatively low key here and it can work.

Perhaps my biggest issue with "Blood Brothers" occurs in it being a "kung fu film" more than it's narrative storytelling. Although there are plenty of fight sequences spread throughout, most of them feel somewhat irrelevant. They make sense where they are at and within the plot progression, but they lack the dramatic flair that the rest of the film cakes on. The fights are strong with great choreography, but when it needs that intensity of emotion (the assassination sequence) they fall flat. It's rather frustrating at times and something I felt I would never say about a Chang Cheh/Lau Kar Leung combination.

"Blood Brothers" was a much better 'film' than I anticipated with its strong acting and great dramatic storyline, but when it comes to being a Chang Cheh kung fu flick - I was a wee bit disappointed. If anything, it is certainly a reminder of the strong chemistry of Ti Lung and David Chiang and it showcases their true acting talents. Outside of that, it tends to be mediocre at best with many forgettable fight scenes.

Written By Matt Reifschneider

You can always judge for yourself though! "Blood Brothers" is available in a ton of ways when Arc Entertainment was distributing Dragon Dynasty films, but here is a link for the single DVD of the film and it's pretty cheap!

36th Chamber Of Shaolin, The (1978)

Director: Lau Kar-Leung
Notable Cast: Gordon Liu, Lo Lieh, Wang Yu
Also Known As: Master Killer, Shaolin Master Killer

To say that there is a separate world for martial arts film fans is truth. To say that there is another separate world within that world for Shaw Brothers fans is also truth. Both groups are fairly die hard and often enough quite spirited in what they have to say about their love for these films. So to say that "The 36th Chamber Of Shaolin" is highly regarded as one of the best kung fu films of all time by both critics and fans is a feat. A feat that, upon viewing of this classic Shaw Brothers film, is as true as the extremity of claims for it. Indeed, Kar Lau Leung's tale of justice brought to town by one of shaolin's greatest monks is a stunner. It's quick to its feet with strong characters and a classic plot and the execution is top of the line.

San Te (Gordon Liu) was well on his way through his studies when Tartar invaders descended upon his defenseless village looking to crush any rebellion towards their tyrannical rule. Despite his attempts to support the local rebellion, the Tartars lead by a ruthless leader (Lo Lieh) crush them and murder the conspirators. San Te is forced to flee for his life when he takes refuge in a shaolin monastery. There he learns the values of leadership and must under go a grueling training course in kung fu so that he may return home and restore justice.

Staff fighting in the rain, I feel perhaps I could write a love song about that.

Although "The 36th Chamber Of Shaolin" rarely deviates from a tried and true formula for Shaw Brothers kung fu films, it's the strong execution from all parties that really makes this film kick. Gordon Liu simply owns the role of San Te as he is forced to endure Lau Kar-Leung's staple training sequences and moves from that of a naive pawn to a force of justice to be reckoned with. It's a subtle role and one that certainly relies on the direction of Lau Kar-Leung to work, but its comes off as one of the more memorable heroes of the Shaw era.

The log obstacle for our 'wood' be hero. Oh man, I kill myself.

This lead, and many of secondary roles, are strengthened by meaningful and brilliant fight/training sequences. While many Shaw productions just randomly throw in fights for the sake of it, "36th Chamber" relies on plot sensitive uses of kung fu and training to work. Even something as simple as men running on small logs in a pool of water become riveting feats of character development while the few true fight sequences easily fit into the plot progressions as both necessary to move the film forward and fascinating works of choreographed awesomeness. Lau Kar-Leung knows how to make on tired just from watching his films and he does so with effective storytelling here from its opening and brutal street fight all the way down to the quiet one on one face off between the hero and villain.

"The 36th Chamber Of Shaolin" is a classic to re-define classics of a kung fu age gone by. It's well written with its political undertones about justice and teaching those in need to defend themselves, while at the same time its an expertly crafted storytelling and entertaining martial arts machine...one of the best that the Shaw Brothers ever produced.

Written By Matt Reifschneider

Five Shaolin Masters (1974)

Director: Chang Cheh 
Notable Cast: David Chiang, Ti Lung, Alexander Fu Sheng, Chi Kuan-Chun, Leung Kar-Yan, Mang Fei, Fung Hak-on, Tsai Hung, Johnny Wang, Gordon Liu

Although Executioners From Shaolin struggled to impress with its stuttered story telling but impressed certainly with its action choreography, the very similar Five Shaolin Masters improves on it in every way...and it was made three years prior. With an insanely strong cast, a great kung fu revenge plot that's surprisingly well written, a director of legendary status in Chang Cheh, and choreography by the just as legendary Lau Kar Leung - there isn't a single aspect of Five Shaolin Masters to dislike...sans some of its over the top emotional pan shots that seem to litter the film, but even that is just a small issue that arises.

Mad Monkey Kung Fu (1979) - 2.5/5

Kar Lau Leung (or however the thousand ways you want to spell it) is hit or miss with some of his movies. The idea of a kung fu film based on Monkey Fist kung fu though was more than enough to garner my attention and when Dragon Dynasty finally pulled “Mad Monkey Kung Fu” out I simply had to see it. The results of this 1979 film are mixed.

After being framed for a crime while intoxicated Master Chan, a proficient Monkey Fist kung fu performer finds himself with crippled hands and his sister indebted to a conniving businessman. He earns his living performing a street show with his pet monkey, but when a down and out young man befriends him he begins to find his courage again to stand up against injustice.

Despite the trickery of its silly title, there is actually quite the drama buried in this film. A great lead character battles alcoholism, social shame, and being crippled while he finds renewed faith in training a young wayward man with potential. It almost sounds like an ABC Family original movie when you look at it that way! The acting is well done, the characters (at least the major ones) are well built and the writing is surprisingly strong with talk about monetary injustice and finding one’s place in the world. In many ways, this one separates itself from other Shaw films by having some legit writing to build itself on.

Believe it or not considering it’s the great Kar Lau Leung behind this film both onscreen and off, one of the weaker points of the film happen to be the fight sequences. Until the final throw down where teacher and student must team together the film mostly focuses on only using the choreography and fighting to further the plot. The training sequences are clever and well executed (did I mention it’s a Kar Lau Leung film?), but the general fighting can be a little weak until the final act which is somewhat disappointing considering how fun the Monkey Fist style is.

“Mad Monkey Kung Fu” might not be what was expected initially, but its solid story and characters sold the film beyond its rather gimmicky premise. Something that only one in a handful of Shaw Bros movies can say they accomplished. It makes for a rather intriguing watch and one that should impress most kung fu fanatics.

Written By Matt Reifschneider

Executioners From Shaolin [Executioners Of Death] (1977) - 3/5

Although the film is significant as being one of the handful of kung fu films to feature the illustrious Pai Mei as a character in its ranks (most of you reading this will probably remember Pai Mei as The Bride's kung fu teacher in "Kill Bill Vol. 2"), "Executioners From Shaolin" is far from being one of the best that either the Shaw Brothers studio or Kar Lau Leung had to offer. It's a fascinating multi-generational revenge flick whose story stands out as a high point, but the film itself is so choppy and awkward getting there that it ruins the entire flow of the film.

When Pai Mei betrays the Shaolin temples and helps the Qing Dynasty begin to tear apart the order of trained martial artists, a handful of escaped students vow revenge against the bushy eyebrowed villain. Hong and his fellow Shaolin students begin to wander the landscape, originally as a troupe of actors/comedies, training for their day of vengeance. Hong meets up a Crane style trained kung fu expert Ying Chun and together they start a life of low key living and raise a son, Wending. Now father and son must combine their wits and decades of training to challenge the all powerful Pai Mei. 

There is a great and clear cut villain/hero relationship in this film that I appreciate. A brief appearance by Gordon Liu in the opening fight sequence adds a great start to this film too. It sets up the classic vengeance formula with a strong lead and a vicious villain (who has the ability to pull his private parts up into his body...that's a little odd, but whatever). Even the fight sequences are pretty impressive, it is directed by Kar Lau Leung, as we see the father grow stronger in his Tiger style over time and to see the combination style of the son in the many fights they have with one another as it builds to the final two fights against Pai Mei.

The fights and the main story though can't save the film from feeling a bit awkward when it comes down to how it goes about its storytelling. The film is massively choppy, leaping in time periods of odd structure to get from the beginning to the love story to the son to the ending in a strange chunking pattern. This doesn't allow a lot of time to get situated with each moment as the it rushes through the love story and the training sequences to fit it all in.

"Executioners From Shaolin" is a fun film and seeing the villainous Pai Mei is worth its cost to watch even if its a strangely developed film that suffers from its poor structure (and a very awkward ending moment). Fans of kung fu cinema should see it for its historical context more so than because its a good film. Definitely not one of my favorites, but fun nonetheless.

BONUS RANT: Seriously Dragon Dynasty fucked up with the box art for this film. Originally they misspelled the title (as in the picture above), they had a guy with a sword on the front (there is only one sequence of swordplay and its with a long blade), and on the back it has Pai Mei in a samurai like uniform (of which he never wears in the film). It's like they really wanted to trick those who don't know...

Written By Matt Reifschneider

Martial Arts Of Shaolin (1986) - 2.5/5

First things first, I have yet to actually watch the first two films in this franchise. Hell, I didn't know this was the third one until about 20 minutes into the film when I decided to research the film a bit after sitting in massive confusion. Didn't matter though, as "Martial Arts Of Shaolin" does a decent enough job at crafting its own film that rarely requires the need of research to enjoy it for what it is. Beyond that the film wavers in quality losing its focus too often for the sake of comedy or visuals to properly give its tale of love and revenge the needed punch it desperately wanted to have.

Zhi Ming (Jet Li) has studied and trained very hard at this school of shaolin. Raised there as an orphan, he learns that the man responsible for his parent's death has returned to rule over the land. Now he must team up with two other shaolin students from a different school (Wong Chau-yin, Hu Jianqiang) and find a way to escape from his school to take vengeance on this evil tyrant.

"Martial Arts Of Shaolin" is a Shaw Brothers film to its bones. Story about brotherhood, shaolin schools, and revenge? Yeah its not anything all that new. Directed by Kar Lau-Leung it also has a tendency to blow out the martial arts sequences to the max which is, of course, the highlight of the film even if this is far from his best work. Plot wise, it can be a very awkward film as it forces some of its plot progressions and throws in some strange humor. I swore I would never see Jet Li in drag again after "Fong Sai-Yuk" but here I am...watching him throw a temper-tantrum  in dress about sheep. Yipes. It does recover a bit in the last half of the film as we finally seem to get a direction for the film to get going, but by then its a bit of a lost cause.

The film does succeed with some of its action sequences though. As I mentioned prior, its definitely not Kar Lau Leung's best effort (the assassination attempt drags on way too long with the dance sequence) but the finale on the boat is wicked fun to watch with small boats and massive sword fighting. It's also very cool to see the young Jet Li do his thing (he has some wicked cool stunts in it) and for that "Martial Arts Of Shaolin" is worth the watch.

It's not near one of the best Shaw Brothers, Kar Lau Leung, or Jet Li films out there, but its place as the only film to combine all three makes it a kung fu fanatic must see.  It's got a couple of great fight sequences and some fun chemistry on screen, but beyond that its just simply mediocre.

Written By Matt Reifschneider

Born To Fight (2004) - 1.5/5

After crafting some very cool stunts in the internationally successful "Ong Bak", stunt coordinator Panna Rittikrai helmed a couple of films in 2004 - one of them being "Born To Fight". Although the sheer amount of stunt work in the film will certainly impress action fans, its hard to say that quantity overcomes quality in this silly action film. Nothing else in the film seems to be well crafted and even the stunt work seems illogically set up for the sake of the stunt and it leaves "Born To Fight" registering nil in the intelligence area.

Deaw (Chupong) just lost his mentor and friend as the two undercover cops busted a massive drug and black market trafficking kingpin. To sooth his sorrows he joins his Tae Kwon Do champion sister on a trip to donate materials and gear to a local village. A local village that just so happens to be the target of a militant group who needs hostages to get their boss out of prison. Deaw and a hodge podge group of skilled athletes must now fight off their captors before they decide to nuke Bangkok (?).

Rittikrai must have a hard on for Cannon Films because "Born To Fight" feels like one of their sub-classic 80s action films. The logic for the plot is missing along with any sort of acting or good writing, but the action is essentially non-stop and high octane. Although most of the stunts are obviously staged and flow through these action sequences is choppy at best, the sheer amount of stunts (with more than enough people flying and bouncing off of vehicles/shacks) is rather impressive. Did I want to see a nonsensical martial arts fight with flaming logs? Not initially, but the idea is pretty legit!

Past the insane amount of writhing bodies and medical costs that this film racks up, "Born To Fight" is about as bad as you can get. Our lead hero is as flat as the boards he uses to beat down baddies with (and about as charming too) and the lacking character work really makes the forced emotional moments, like the crying child over her father's execution in the village, too awkward to work. Not only that, but the progression of the plot is as illogical as its ridiculous stunt work. Why does the nuclear missile miss Bangkok? Why do we have a one legged soccer player doing stunts with his crutch? "Born To Fight" leaves the audience scratching their head in confusion more often than not which only adds to the frustration of its poor storytelling.

Rittikrai shows some knack for cool sequences (even using a fairly cool and long uncut stunt-athon camera shot in the finale - a move he would perfect in choreography with "The Protector"), but the script and piss poor acting of the film undermines anything good that goes for it. The style is used sparingly and the substance is non existent. There are much better Thai action films out there to enjoy. Check out his slightly better work on "Ong Back 2" and "3" instead.

Written By Matt Reifschneider

Eight Diagram Pole Fighter, The (1983)

Director: Lau Kar Leung
Notable Cast: Gordon Liu, Alexander Fu Sheng, Lau Kar Wing, Lau Kar Leung, Lily Li, Hsiao Ho
Also Known As: Invincible Pole Fighter 

The substantial amount of ass-whipping and tooth removal delivered in The Eight Diagram Pole Fighter is astounding. Even though the film falters on some of it's storytelling aspects, Lau Kar Leung packs in the action, filling this film to the brim with staff battles and an epic tale of betrayal and revenge (is there any other in Shaw Brothers' films?). This leaves a film that's not perfect, but certain to please martial arts' fans with classic sequences.

The Yang family has been betrayed. At a recent battle, the devious Pan Mei set up the seven siblings and their father straight into an ambush that leaves all by two of the loyal staff-wielding sons dead or captured. With sixth brother (Alexander Fu Sheng) slightly demented and unable to grasp the reality of the situation, fifth brother (Gordon Liu) must plot to unearth the traitor and devise the right time to come back and restore his family's name.

My Young Auntie [Fangs Of The Tigress] (1981) - 3/5

With stellar films like "36th Chamber Of Shaolin" and "Shaolin Mantis" under his name, my appreciation for director Kar Lau Leung and his ability to craft some of the Shaw Brothers most brilliant kung fu films was only growing. One of his films that seems to be a fan favorite is the often silly, but still kung fu packed "My Young Auntie". Although the film sports some great moments and some stunning choreography particularly towards the end, its rather oddly paced structure and hit or miss comedic sequences left the film lagging behind some of his others. One that fans are sure to love, but might not appeal to everyone.

A young woman (Kara Hui) ends up marrying an elderly man to help prevent his evil brother from inheriting his wealth and land. When her husband dies, she takes to living with her nephew (Kar Lau Leung) and grandnephew (Hsiao Ho) to avoid being bullied by the evil brother. Here she begins to learn a few new things from her westernized grandnephew and has to eventually team up with her new family to overthrow the evil brother.

Director Kar Lau Leung is one of my favorites from this era of Shaw Brothers martial art films. Even though "My Young Auntie" does throw in a bit more comedy into the routine than his more straight forward kung fu films (like "Shaolin Mantis"), its hard not to be impressed with how Kar Lau Leung handles the extensive fight sequences. The finale of the film is almost completely non-stop choreographed fighting dealing with all sorts of weapons/styles and easily highlights the film as our two leads stage a full on attack of the villain's house. Even the earlier fight sequences, although more or less tongue-in-cheek, have well choreographed fights that intrigue the eye like one done at a western themed masquerade ball and a street fight with our leading lady in high heels and a dressy gown on. This is the main reason one should watch "My Young Auntie" and fans of Leung's other films will easily enjoy this one in that aspect.

On the plot and style of the film though, I wasn't so easily impressed. The humor can be hit or miss, with tons of slap stick borderline sex comedy thrown into the mix (mostly through the grand-nephew character) and the plot can be a bit of a confusing stretch with its hierarchical family drama and who gets what for inheritance. The film seems to dabble quite a bit in the culture shock of the west and east of the time period and often seems to lose track of its focus and the direction of its goal by throwing in a rather random sequences that only seemed fitting for a background for fights. The masquerade ball is visually arresting but only serves as an elongated distraction for our villains to steal the will of the deceased husband. It fluffs the film up nicely, but rarely adds the needed nuances to give it weight.

Although "My Young Auntie" is one of the more popular pieces for the director and cast (even earning our leading lady a Best Actress award for that year in Hong Kong) with its unique tale of battling sexes and a changing landscape in China, the end result is a bit mixed. It never seems to find the right balance of humor and action to flow properly and its visual astuteness seems undermined by ill explained plot progression and often misdirected attention. Great choreography saves it through many of its longer sequences though and earns much of its merit that way. A Shaw Brothers classic perhaps, but not quite the film I was expecting.

Written By Matt Reifschneider

Return Of The One-Armed Swordsman (1969) - 3/5

The original "One-Armed Swordsman" was a epic tale of loyalty and martial arts drama that focused on expert storytelling and great character work. It's a classic Shaw Brothers film if there ever was one. That's what makes the sequel to such a film, this one being "Return Of The One-Armed Swordsman" such a strange and rather unique watch. It's almost NOTHING like the first one. It's got a lot of fun things about it, but rarely does it reach the merits of the original one in its depth.

Fang Gang (Wang) has been living very happily with his wife Xiaoman as simple farmers away from the world of martial arts and swordsmen until a couple of messengers deliver an invitation to the fabled One-Armed Swordsman. He is invited to compete against eight sword kings who look to champion the sword world. When he learns the rest of the sword masters have been captured by these diabolical and themed swordsmen he joins their students in leading an all out assault to overthrow the villains.

The first film was character driven and story heavy. "Return" is all action with just enough cheesy plot to link it all together into one cohesive chain of sword fighting sequences. Don't get me wrong though, this sequel is entertaining as hell. It's still a riot to watch the hardened Fang Gang tear shit up and the clever ways he beats all of the gimmicky villains (of which there seems to be an endless amount of), but the film certainly lacks the depth of its writing and the amount of time. Our hero has relatively no arc or none that wasn't already treaded in the first film and many of our supporting cast get little time to be worthy of a viewer's emotional investment. To this effect, the film simply works as a martial arts film and rarely goes beyond that.

Luckily, Chang Cheh delivers the goods as a director, even if his script is rather weak. The fight sequences are non-stop and each one memorable with distinct villains and their style of fighting (the winner though is the Spinning Wheels King with his bladed shields). The camera work blends with the cheesy style of the script to maximize the effort and despite the budget Cheh makes the ending feel quite epic. Matched with the various quality of acting from the cast, it works to relative effectiveness.

Although the original film was much stronger as a film, its hard not to enjoy "Return Of The One-Armed Swordsman" for all of its cheesy and non stop martial arts madness. Fang Gang is still a wonderful character to watch and its obvious to see why he became a cult favorite for the Shaw Brothers studio (with a few more sequels and a couple of spin-offs). Not a great film, but entertaining nonetheless.

Written By Matt Reifschneider

Shaolin Mantis [The Deadly Mantis] (1978) - 4/5

Director Lau Kar Leung may be known for some of his other films at great lengths (including "8-Diagram Pole Fighter") and his wickedly impressive fight choreography, "Shaolin Mantis" remains an underrated gem in the Shaw Brothers collection. It's a film that just shys from perfect, but takes some dramatic turns to raise the martial arts level of the film and give it weight. A move that makes "Shaolin Mantis" one of my personal favorites thus far in my collection.

Wei Fung (David Chiang), a man studied in both books and in martial arts, finds his family being held captive by the current dynasty. They will be killed unless he can infiltrate the Tien family and uncover their plot to overthrow the government. Wei Fung places himself as the new tutor of Chi-Chi (Huang Hsing-hsiu) the spoiled and martial arts savvy granddaughter of the head of the Tien family. When he is suspected of being a spy, Wei Fung must decide which of his families he will betray, his real family being held prisoner or his new family and new found love for Chi-Chi.

What makes "Shaolin Mantis" such a fantastic addition to any martial arts fan's collection is the combination of drama and plot to the obviously stellar fight choreography. David Chiang works some subtle magic with the lead role, but its the supporting cast that steals this film. Huang Hsing-hsiu starts off as an annoying character who grows on the audience as well as on our lead. Even the various 'villains' of the films - including the uncles and the grandfather - own the roles and give just enough characterization to their brief moments for weight of the plot to be added. This works as the first two-thirds of the film and builds a great drama and plot to finalize with the relatively relentless final act.

The final act owns too. When the fighting starts - its impressively choreographed, shot, and paced as our hero must fight his way out of the Tien house, train himself in a new mantis based style of kung fu, and fight his way back in for vengeance. Although I would have loved to see more of the fantastically crafted mantis fighting in the film (it really only appears in the final fight sans the rather pointless intro for the film), this finale is well executed and a great way to end the film.

If there was any complaints to have about "Shaolin Mantis", it would be that the plot is extensive enough and strong enough that it could have used another 20 minutes of build up. Instead of seeing our hero learn his new style in the final act to go back and throw down with the 'villains', it would have been nice to see it more in the middle of the film and this would have given more weight to some of the choices (like the oddly paced marriage that is rushed through in the film). Also the final "twist" of the film, in the final moments, is a solid idea, but oddly tacked onto the film that leaves it standing in a sort of purgatorial state of ambiguity for its last moment. Not a way to end such a well done film.

"Shaolin Mantis" may have its faults, with its pacing and odd ending, but the rest of the film is splendidly executed. It earns its audience with great characters and a standard, but well delivered plot. The fighting is stellar (particularly when the Mantis style comes to the screen) and the Shaw Brothers once again deliver a classic martial arts film that many will love and appreciate. A classic in any collection.

Written By Matt Reifschneider

Dragon Heat [Dragon Squad] - 2/5

Let me tell you a joke. What do you get when you combine Sammo Hung, Maggie Q, Michael Biehn, Simon Yam, co produced by Steven Seagal, and director Daniel Lee (the director of "Three Kingdoms") together? It's called "Dragon Heat". Still waiting for the joke? This film is the joke. Mashed together like a rehashed crime drama about gangs, cops, and rogue militants all done with enough crappy modern style to make a sensible person's head explode, "Dragon Heat" is like watching a bad joke unfold in front of your eyes. It has its moments, but they are rare and very far between.

A group of international cops are brought into China to prosecute one of the heads of a large gang of gun and drug runners when a rogue militant group (lead by badass Biehn) busts out the leader and holds him for their own gain against the gang. The international group of cops, a rag tag group of undercover agents, snipers, special forces, etc., may have to rely on a leadership of a seasoned cop (Hung) and break a few laws to get to the bottom of these war games.

The film definitely seems promising. A more than solid cast and a concept that sounds like a bullet ballet of the highest standards led me to believe that this film would kick a whole lot of ass. Turns out it does kick ass in many regards, but you better leave the brain at the door and check your logic with the coats as "Dragon Heat" plays it all in style but none of it with sense.

There are a couple of killer action set pieces in the film that highlight it. Sammo Hung's machete fight with his arch nemesis is a wicked cool scene and the ally fire fight certainly gets the adrenaline pumping with lots of shit flying in the air with the bullets. Even the concept of these two sides who must face one another  is brimming with some charm and loaded with interesting characters. The movie just doesn't focus on any of it correctly. Characters are brushed over with quick strokes that turn these interesting people into caricatures and the plot is bounded through at such a lightning pace that it leaves a hundred plot holes and loose ends that the viewer eventually ceases to care about any of it. With much of its poor dialogue just drowning the ill fated characters, the plot has nothing to work with other than attempted memorable quotes and roughly pieced together logic. It's sad really.

It's obvious that director Daniel Lee realized how weak the script was and pushed to make the film memorable by piling on the style and visual flair. I mean piling it on like burying it six feet deep in needless style. Edits are fast enough to give motion sickness, quick zooms in and out blast the screen non-stop, slow motion sequences are thrown in by the dozens, and there is enough pointless flashbacks that even Wes Craven's dog flashback in "The Hills Have Eyes 2" seems legit in comparison. It's a flurry of pointless style that really adds nothing to the story except eye candy to keep on from falling in any of the plot holes.

If you couldn't tell by now, "Dragon Heat" was a pretty massive disappointment. It's weak in the foundations, it's weak in the details, and it's weak in focuses. It desperately tries to grasp onto anything to make itself memorable and modern and only succeeds in being remembered as a failed attempt at a great idea.

Written By Matt Reifschneider