Chang Cheh
Lau Leung-wah plays the titled character, a Chinese Robin Hood who robs the rich to help the poor. She is an early Republican Era Mulan, who switches effortlessly between charming gentility and agile ferocity, and Lau personifies her character's duality with a balance of grace and vigour. Chang Cheh, on the verge of fostering seismic changes in cinema with his martial-arts machismo, pens a script that captures the spirit of changing Chinese womanhood, underscored by a conflict between Black Butterfly and her father, a veteran detective.
The Wu-Tang Clan's Cappadonna redubs a 1970s martial arts thriller to hilarious effect, casting himself in the lead role as a pot-smoking rapper who wakes up in an Asian kung fu dreamscape. There, he's framed for the murder of a rival gang leader and is quickly banished. Liberally changing characters into drunks and prostitutes, Cappadonna crafts a unique comedy experience that also features the voices of Hideo Seaver and Shawn Wigs.
This highly personal film essay demonstrates that Chinese cinema has dealt with questions of gender and sexuality more frankly and provocatively than any other national cinema. Yang ± Yin examines male bonding and phallic imagery in the swordplay and kung fu movies of the '60s and '70s; homosexuality; same-sex bonding and physical intimacy; the continuing emphasis on women's grievances in melodramas; and the phenomenon of Yam Kim-Fai, a Hong Kong actress who spent her life portraying men on and off the screen.
When tragedy befalls Taoist master Yu at the hands of power hungry general Suen Cheuk, the Taoist master's students, the Five Element Ninja, decide that revenge is their only option. However, if they are to have their vengeance they must first infiltrate the inner circle of the general's closest allies. (GreenfanDVD)
The film follows the Tang Monk and his three disciples on their westbound pilgrimage, beating monsters and villains along the way.
Rare classic kung fu/swordsplay featuring the New Venoms who were discovered by the master Chang Cheh and who directed this remake of the orginal Venoms' LIFE GAMBLE.
The plot of Slaughter in Xian concerns the friendship between a thief turned Chinese opera performer, played by Chow Lung, and an incorruptible police officer, played by Tung Chi Wa. When a delivery of machine guns is hijacked and stolen by a group of not so incorruptible police officers, led by Ku Wing Chuen, who are in collaboration with a pair of gangsters played by Chin Siu Kin and Do Yuk Ming, they try to get rid of Chi Wa so that they can pin the crime on Lung. (Paul Bramhall/CityOnFire.com)
In the mid-30s, Kuomintang Sichuan rhubarb Division Commander Liu Shaoji colludes with Japanese invaders. He sends the cloud boat's beauty to the Si-chuan Opera. The Si-chuan opera entertainer steps forward in sharp opposition with warlord's wicked running dogs. Mu Xiaolou sacrifices himself up to take the righteous path and confronts the Japanese invaders.
In August 1937, Japanese troops occupied Shanghai. Three leaders in Shanghai go their separate ways: Jinrong Huang never sees other people; Xiaolin Zhang makes a great fortune and Yuesheng Du leaves for HongKong. Japanese form The Traitors Agents Headquarters to kill Chinese people. The patriotistic people composes the assassination team.
This flick is about this gung fu dancing, alcoholic beverage guzzler named Andy Ho (Cheng Tien Chi). The title of this flick sounds like this bad warrior who kills with ease, but its not. Actually, Andy is a nice guy who has a hard time keeping a job. He runs into some rich guy who convinces him to come to the United States to work for him. Andy agrees to come to the U.S. of A. but is in for a surprise, as Mr. Big Bucks wants Andy to participate in his slugfest tournaments that he uses to make money via gambling. Andy declines and the next you know, Mr. Big Bucks is devising a plan to get rid of him! (mpongpun, HKMDB)
A patriot finds evidence that the government is collaborating with a foreign power. If the people knew about the deception, they would revolt and overthrow the corrupt government. One patriot in office steals the proof and must make it out of the country. He gets assistance from a local rebel leader who is in charge of a motley group of fighters called the Shanghai 13. Not all of them can be trusted, as some of them will turn in the government official. Our weak protagonist must run a gauntlet of the who's who already mentioned.
Another take on "Faust". Childhood friend Joey and Gary are the only survivors of a coup against Gary's family. Joey lands in hell, and sells his loyalty to the devil in return for magic powers. As part of the deal, Joey has nine demons enter his body. The demons demand a daily feed of blood and are very naughty, but they must obey Joey. He uses the new powers to help Gary, and to kill the plotters. But he can't always control the nine demons.
The Godfather of the classic Shaw Brothers kung fu films, Chang Chen directs a group of Shaw superstars which includes Ti Lung and Chen Kwan Tai in this kung fu thriller. When a father is framed for murder, his son travels to exotic Thailand to find him and ends up fighting in a 'Death Ring' championship. (Tai Seng)
A troupe of traveling performers stop in a small town. However, the general who controls the town has designs on the group's leading actress. They must figure a way to get out of town before the general has his way with her.
The Weird Man" is popular director Chang Cheh's bizarre screen adaptation of the famous Chinese literary classic "Romance Of The Three Kingdoms". Chang is famous for his lone swordsman and hero films, and freakily, "The Weird Man" is no exception. The film's star Cheng Tien-chi playing a righteous, beheaded priest with supernatural powers that returns from the dead to wreak havoc against one of the corrupt kingdoms.
In this entertaining, surprisingly lighthearted martial arts extravaganza, Kuo Chue, finds himself being confused with his doppelganger time and time again. With each case of mistaken identity, he becomes drawn into a number of heated conflicts between several rival schools and gangs - a dilemma that he just isn't prepared to deal with! As he is pulled to and fro by circumstances, there's no telling where the day will take him! By the film's end, he's sure to learn some valuable lessons about brotherhood and honor, but at what price?
Guo Jing and Huang Rong return to Peach Blossom Island and are shocked to see that Guo's first martial arts teachers, the "Seven Freaks of Jiangnan", have all been murdered except for Ke Zhen'e. Guo Jing is tricked into believing that Huang Rong's father, Huang Yaoshi, is responsible for the murders and he attempts to avenge his teachers by fighting Huang Yaoshi. The intelligent Huang Rong eventually uncovers the truth and reveals that the murders are actually part of a plot masterminded by Ouyang Feng and Yang Kang. Ouyang and Yang want to make Guo Jing and Huang Yaoshi kill each other and Yang can learn Ouyang's newly mastered skills from the fake copy of the Nine Yin Manual.
It all started with The Five Venoms, the internationally loved kung-fu thriller. It continued through more than a dozen bloody good entertainments featuring the same actors in different roles. This is considered the last official "Venoms" movie, but what a film it is. There's one plasma-spurting attack after another as heroes and rogues alike try to solve the secrets of this hell house. The core Venoms themselves choreograph the gory fun in this fond farewell to their worldwide film series sensation!
A young martial artist seeks revenge on the ninja who kills his martial arts brothers and teacher.
Phillip Kwok plays the orphaned son of a general disgraced and executed by his political enemies... which has nothing to do with the rest of the movie. Raised to be a righteous martial artist, Yuan kicks off the story proper by finding a cave containing a skeleton, a treasure map, and a manual teaching him the Golden Snake style. Obeying a request hidden in the manual to give a portion of the treasure to the Golden Snake's old girlfriend, Yuan begins to seek the woman out - on the way solving the riddle of the Golden Snake, and how he came to his end.
Philip Kwok plays a repentant killer who vows to destroy the masked gang of which he was a member. A young fighter and his martial arts brothers come to the town to catch the killers, but one of them is not to be trusted!
Guo Jing and Huang Rong pursue Yang Kang to Iron Palm Peak, where Qiu Qianren and the Iron Palm Sect is based. Huang is injured by Qiu in a fight and she escapes with Guo Jing's help. Guo brings her in search of a cure to heal her wounds and they stumble upon a house in a swamp, inhabited by a woman called Yinggu. Yinggu tells them that the only person who can save Huang Rong's life is Duan Zhixing, the former ruler of the Kingdom of Dali, who has become a monk now.
A tale of deadly deception and betrayal unfolds when the leader of the respectable Iron Flag clan is assassinated by The Spearman while the clan fights the villainous Eagle clan. Iron Flag's eldest brother, Lo, the second brother accepts the responsibility for the deaths of the Eagle clan and goes into hiding from the authorities. Meanwhile, Chow Feng takes charge, using his position for disreputable purposes. Seeing Lo, as a potential threat, Feng sends the "nefarious" Ten Killers of the Underworld to finish him. But Lo defeats them and confronts Feng with the aid of The Spearman who hopes to atone for having unwittingly killed a righteous man, Iron Flag's former leader.
Actors David Chaing and Alexander Fu Sheng join director Chang Cheh and the rest of the Five Deadly Venoms crew for a supernatural martial arts epic that takes the action to another plane of reality entirely. When a fallen angel descends to the Earth on a mission to storm the underworld, a love shared between angels and humans offers telling testament to the power of a lucky ghost. In the battle that follows, both the living and the dead will discover that a war waged in hell could have consequences that resound forever
China is ripped apart by a civil war, and thousands of displaced refugees swarm into towns not yet ravaged by war. Three such refugees arrive in one town. They join forces with local rebel leaders to escape to the south before getting into trouble with Lu Feng who is out to exterminate all rebels.
Chin Siu Ho plays a young man who believes himself to be an orphan. Until one rainy night when he and three different men find themselves taking shelter from the storm in the same place. Here the man who raised him tells him at last the story of who his parents were. His father (Lu Feng) was a great swordsman trying to dispel rumors of a wrongdoing and return a lost sword to its rightful owner. Kuo Choi and Chiang Sheng (also master swordsmen) are the parties that Lu Feng is trying to rectify things with. Through cowardly trickery on Chiang's part, a duel ensues and it all winds up with Lu's death. His son is taken to safety by a servant (the man who since raised him). Now with the truth told, Chin Siu Ho seeks out Kuo Choi's aid and seeks vengeance for the wrongful death of his father.
Shaolin warrior Tung Chien-chen is injured in battle against the hated Wu Tang clan, and nursed back to health by a knife-throwing master. As he recovers, Tung learns this deadly art, and also falls in love with his teacher's daughter. But when a Wu Tang attack disrupts the young lovers' wedding, Tung must put his new skill to use as he seeks revenge.
Two friends who long to be heroes join the fight against a Ching warlord and his students. They get help from a Kung Fu student and a rebel. They also save Hung Si Quan's life.
The General's son Yang escapes a massacre at his home that subsequently sees a corrupt, criminal syndicate in charge of the local forces. Seeking shelter with four good friends who are street performers, Yang plots his revenge though refuses to acknowledge the fearsome odds he faces. The quartet try to convince him to bide his time, but the young avenger sneaks into his former home and, after a battle against a few top fighters, is killed by their leader. When Yang's friends discover his tragic fate, they devise a way of defeating the killers without having to face their mighty army directly.
Venom regulars Philip Kwok, Chiang Sheng, and Sun Chien star as a gang of unemployed martial artists who spend their days stuffing their faces at local restaurants and letting the staff beat them up instead of paying the bill. Their fortunes appear to improve when the head of a local security agency hires them to take out the competition, who their new employer insists is up to no good. But the boys are being played for fools, and after an unfortunate misunderstanding, they unite with their former adversary to take out the true villain.
Legendary director Chang Cheh teamed his latest big star, Alexander Fu Sheng, with future “Venoms” Lo Meng and Kuo Chue to create another winner in his vaunted filmography. Joining them were the top supporting actors (Ku Feng and Wang Lung-wei) and the prettiest starlets (Lin Chen-chi, Shirley Yu, and Hui Ying-hung), for an entertaining, exciting tale of a kung-fu blacksmith taking on four famous robbers while a villainous gambling boss plots to destroy them.
Jin bei tong opens with a group of escort/guards preparing to move a shipment of gold from the local government to an area stricken by famine... one of the very few Venom films where all six Venom actors are present within a single film.
Chang Cheh directs this old school Shaw Brother produced kung fu yarn. The film opens with members of the Ten Tigers group getting attacked by a pair of mysterious assailants. The film then flashes back several years previous to focus on Ming partisan Chu (Ku Feng) who is on the run from Manchu forces. Local merchant and kung fu enthusiast Li Chen-chau (Ti Lung) gives the fugitive shelter in his pawnshop and quietly recruits some of his fellow martial master associates to help protect the lad. When Li's professional rival rats him out, Manchu official Liang (Johnny Wang Lung-wei) not only orchestras his army but fools a couple other kung fu masters including Beggar Su (Phillip Kwok Tsui) into helping his cause. After a heated battle, Li manages to convince Su to joining his cause, thus forming the Ten Tigers. The film then snaps back to the original storyline, where the identities of the mystery assailants are revealed.
Huang Rong is taken hostage by Ouyang Feng, who attempts to use her to seize the Nine Yin Manual from Guo Jing. Guo and Hong Qigong rescue Huang Rong and Guo gives Ouyang an "edited" version of the manual, that will eventually cause Ouyang to become insane after he practises the skills in the manual wrongly. Ouyang, Hong and Guo get into a fight, in which Ouyang Ke is injured, and Guo and Hong use the opportunity to escape. However, Hong Qigong is also wounded and he gives Huang Rong his Dog Beating Staff, effectively handing over his leadership of the Beggars' Sect to her. Ouyang Feng and Ouyang Ke pursue Guo Jing and Huang Rong to a deserted town for revenge. Guo and Huang take shelter in an abandoned tavern inhabited by a only a retarded girl called Shagu.
A kung-fu student is instructed by his dying teacher to track down five of the teacher's ex-students. Each of the five is equipped with a lethal martial arts skill, and the teacher fears this might be used for evil purposes. However, not only does the teacher not know the identity of the students (who all wore masks under his training), but some of the students also don't know each other!
Guo Jing and Yang Kang are the sons of two rebels. The rebels are killed by imperial soldiers and the boys are rescued by six pugilists later. The pugilists agree to separate the two boys, tutor them separately in martial arts, and let them meet again when they have grown up, to determine whose abilities are better. Guo becomes the student of the "Seven Freaks of Jiangnan" while Yang Kang becomes the foster son of a Jurchen prince inadvertently.
Crippled Avengers is a 1978 Shaw Brothers kung fu film directed by Chang Cheh and starring four members of the Venom Mob. It has been released in North America as Mortal Combat and Return of the 5 Deadly Venoms. The film follows a group of martial artists seeking revenge after being crippled by Tu Tin-To (Chen Kuan Tai), a martial arts master, and his son (Lu Feng).
Three North Shaolin teachers (Lu Feng, Chang Sheng, and Sun Chien) are called on by the Manchus to teach their soldiers and are urged to challenge the current South Shaolin teachers. They defeat the South Shaolin teachers and, that night, the head general (Wang Lung Wei) kills the South Shaolin teachers and blames their death on the North Shaolin teachers. The South Shaolin master sends more of his pupils, who are killed accidentally by the North Shaolin teachers. He finally sends two more (Wei Pai and Lo Meng) of his students to train with old masters and trains one student (Kuo Chui) himself with the goal of finally defeating the North Shaolin experts.
Struggling to survive the murderous gang wars of Hong Kong, Tan Tung, a young martial arts street fighter, successfully takes on all challengers—until he runs up against the savage underworld empire of Hong Kong's Triad mafia. Escaping to San Francisco, he again tangles with criminal gangs, but this time fights his way to the top of the city's most feared gangster organization led by the White Dragon boss (Kuo Chui). At last, his rise to power leads to a final, murderous, gang-land war for control of all Chinatown. And in the end, Tan Tung must decide whether he will use his awesome skills to fight for evil...or for to help his best friend Yang Ching.
Millionaire Chu Te-Sa (Chiang) invests his considerable wealth into the rebel movement who are intent on usurping the ruling Mongol powers. His goals are impeded by a lack of support though and the supposed allies he has made in the town are merely eager to get their hands on his money. During an attack where these craven 'comrades' flee, Chu befriends three con-artists who relish the chance to show off their fighting skills. The trio subsequently agree to help Chu in his quest to end Mongol rule and hatch a plan to destroy a major munitions dump
The "Godfather Of The Kung-Fu Film" created this rousing epic of a seemingly suicidal mission to destroy the Japanese Navy's flagship in 1937, featuring many great actors he had worked with over the years. Their courageous and desperate attempts to do just that comprise the remarkable action in this rousing epic, featuring some of the greatest actors Chang had ever made, was making, and would ever make famous. (IVL)
There is no place more hallowed in the martial art world than China's Shaolin Temple. This special place deserves a special epic, which is what the martial arts maestro delivers in this battle between a brave brand of Chinese boxers and literally thousands of Ching troops - complete with betrayals, intrigues, and such novel fighting machines as 108 wooden robots. The conflicts grow in complexity, intensity and even suspense as monks struggle to stay alive in the face of overwhelming odds.
In 1933, 20,000 Japanese soldiers and 50 tanks invaded the Pa Tou Lou Tzu, a strategic key point of the Great Wall. With only seven men stationing, these heroes took on the entire army for five days before succumbing. Director Chang Cheh recreated this epic battle with his favorite cast including Ti Lung, David Chiang, Alexander Fu Sheng and Chen Kuan-tai, as a celluloid tribute to these nameless souls.
The famous story of the Shaolin Temple's betrayal by the White-Browed Hermit, and the subsequent revenge by Shaolin firebrand Fang Shih-yu, is the stuff of legend. It has been filmed many times by many directors, but few are remembered as fondly as this production. The potent combination of director Chang Cheh and international idol Alexander Fu Sheng caught lightning in a lens.
An honourable carriage driver finds love and death when he battles particularly homicidal street punks
In BOXER REBELLION, three young martial arts brothers, played by Chi Kuan-chun, Alexander Fu Sheng and Leung Kar-yan, go in search of fellow patriots dissatisfied with Imperialist foreigners and wind up joining a rising sect of the Boxers, led by an opportunistic conman (Johnny Wang Lung-wei). Named as such for their use of martial arts, these boxers are revolutionaries who believe that spirits protect their bodies from foreign guns. They even dupe the Empress Dowager (Li Lihua), who gives them her royal blessing to fight the foreigners.
Gu Hui, a member of the ‘Wolf Head Gang’ becomes unhappy after their new chief decides to abandon their old code of conduct. After the chief kills a travelling family and kidnaps the daughter, Gu frees her and escapes, hiding out in a nearby town and trying to start a new life as a humble shoemaker. Unfortunately, the gang refuses to let him go and put a bounty on his head, forcing him to face up to his responsibilities.
In The Fantastic Magic Baby, director Chang Cheh weaves a wild and woolly yarn about how the legendary Monkey King and Goddess of Mercy battle and defeat the child god Hung Hai-erh then point him down the road to righteousness.
"All Men Are Brothers" is the sequel to "Water Margin" a.k.a. "Seven Blows of the Dragon" from 1972. At the beginning of "All Men Are Brothers", we learn that the emperor forgives the 108 Liangshan rebels since he finds they have the same enemies. The small army tries to conquer the city Hangchow, but is defeated. They send 7 spies to gather information about the city's defense before they attack a second time.
Set at the time of Italian explorer Marco Polo's historic expedition to China ,during the reign of Monogol ruler Kublai Khan, it stars American actor Richard Harrison as Polo. Taking considerable liberties with the historic record, the film has Polo turning up as an Imperial Inspector assigned to root out Chinese rebles in the south, but eventually being won over to their cause.
A penniless bumpkin from the country (Fu Sheng) who fights his way to quick riches in the city as an enforcer for a textile factory that’s threatened by a competitor.
Shaolin firebrands Fang Shih-yu, Hung His-kuan, and Hu Huei-chien are as famous in Asia as the Three Musketeers are in America and Europe. So when the “godfather of the kung-fu film,” Chang Cheh decided to tell their stories with Alexander Fu Sheng, Chen Kuan-tai, and Chi Kuan-chi in the roles, it was cause for celebration. The resulting film is one of the most lauded and beloved in the director’s filmography, and remains a highlight in all the stars’ careers.
A pacifist village is beset by bandits in this martial arts thriller. "Savage Five" hands-down rivals the ornateness of "Kid With The Golden Arm" and the twist-heavy "Five Deadly Venoms". The always great David Chiang plays a lesser version of his Rover character from "Duel Of The Iron Fist", and Ti Lung, looking incredible here, is at his physical best. Accolades to Chen Kuan Tai and Wang Chung in great sympathetic roles, too. A kung fu classic where the actual martial arts display takes a back seat to the mesmerizing story.
A whacky 1974 comedy starring David Chiang who was also the director, that's one to see. Well it certainly is whacky, and the film is actually a number of short pieces, varying in length from a couple of minutes to the last story that is 30 minutes or so.
Hu Te et al. escape the burning Shaolin temple after the Qing soldiers destroyed it in Shaolin Temple. The group of 5 decide to develop secret codes to identify fellow patriots, enlist those patriots and eventually meet up again to escape to the south away from the Qings, and also identify the traitor who sold out Shaolin temple. Ma Fu Yi (the traitor, played by Wang Lung Wei), joins the Qing top fighters to eliminate the rebels but is exposed by Ma Chao-Tsing who gets captured by Ma Fu Yi. Hu meets up with a group of Shaolin men secretly posing as bandits to rescue Ma as their leader is killed in the process, thus the bandits join the rest of the Shaolin patriots.
After the destruction of the Shaolin Temple, the Chings are in control and send their best students to wipe out all of the remaining Shaolin practioners. They almost succeed, but two students escape (Fu Sheng and Chi Kuan Chung). They learn various Kung Fu styles from different teachers to combat the Ching's two kung fu fighters (Wang Lung Wei and John Liang).
Professor Van Helsing had been asked to help against the tyranny of skeletal creatures that are responsible for terror and death amongst the peasants in rural China. He is the only person qualified to deal with the cause of these phenomena, for the undead are controlled by the most diabolical force of all.... Count Dracula. But he is not alone- to aid him comes a mystical brotherhood of seven martial arts warriors.
A band of fighting Ming Dynasty loyalists branded as enemies of the state are driven underground following the burning of the Shaolin Temple by Qing Dynasty officials. Due to a misunderstanding, Shaolin kung fu prodigy Fong Sai-yuk (Alexander Fu Sheng) is duped into helping Qing agents to capture leading Shaolin rebel Hung Hei-gun (Chen Kuan-tai). Upon discovering his mistake, Sai-yuk teams up with the remaining rebels to free Hei-gun before his planned execution. Plotting to stop them is General Che Kang (Zhu Mu), a formidable Tibetan kung fu master who commands an army of fighters including four deadly Tibetan llamas.
A short film that originally played before showings of "Heroes Two" - in which Fu Sheng, Chen Kuan Tai and Chi Kuan-Chun demonstrate different techniques of Hung boxing
Na Cha stars Fu Sheng as the prodigal son of a wealthy local official. When obnoxious sea dragons take on human form and cause trouble on the land, he realizes that the common people need help and takes up his mantle as their protector, fighting the dragons and their flunkies with the aid of supernatural powers.
In FRIENDS, Hua Heng (David Chiang) is a poverty-stricken aspiring painter whose day job involves painting the ads that go up on the sides of buildings. He and his buddies hang out in a makeshift gym set up in an abandoned building where they train and practice kung fu. His girlfriend is Gao Xin (Lily Li), a bar maid who is in debt to loan sharks. Into their lives comes Jiaji (Alexander Fu Sheng), who happens upon Hua Heng in a street fight with local thugs who'd made fun of the painting he's carrying and decides to help him out. Afterwards, Jiaji tags along with Hua Heng and follows him to the gym, where he proves his own skill at kung fu in an impromptu fight with one of the group. Unbeknownst to them, Jiaji is a rich boy, the son of a Hong Kong billionaire (Lu Ti), and he decides to stay with Hua Heng and not go back to his sheltered home life, where his preoccupation with kung fu was his only outlet for self-expression.
Delivery boy Chung rings an order to a local martial arts school. He shows that he too is a kung fu student when he punches a bag and also kicks out the instructor for his money. Chung has a tough life. His father constantly nags him to work hard. One day, his is heckled by Chien-Pe, a disabled thug who runs a gang. Chung fights and beats them up and as a result, he is fired from his job. Chien turns to his boss, Tai Chung, to get Chung.
Liang Kuan is killed during a robbery; his girlfriend Shen Yan and best buddy Huang Gao-tung are seeking for revenge. 5 yrs later Huang is a promoted cop, he fought hundreds of criminals, but the very special guy isn't found yet. Till now....
An Iron Bodyguard (head of a security firm) called Wang Wu (Chen Kuan Tai) meets a scholar (Yueh Hua) and forms a strong friendship with him after they fight some villains together. The scholar is a member of the reformists - a group of scholars pressing for social reform in China towards the end of the Qing dynasty. The Emperor is actually all for reforms, and appoints this group to run the country. This doesn't suit the Empress Dowager though, as she has no intention of losing her power. She orders the reformists to be arrested, and Chen Kuan Tai hence gets drawn into politics despite having no real political views himself.
Pirate Chang Pao-Chai (Ti Lung) springs a leak after an otherwise successful raid on a foreign ship. He goes ashore to get materials to patch his ship up, where he encounters corrupt Qing officials and poor, oppressed peasants. Being a good man at heart, he decides to help out and becomes an even bigger outlaw in the process.
Set in the waning years of the Ching Dyansty, this dramatic, tragic, romantic, blood-soaked martial arts tale of betrayal and revenge explores one of the most sensational scandals in Chinese history and marked the true ascension of its director and actors to superstar status. In fact, Ti Lung won Taiwan's Golden Horse Award for Outstanding Performance as the challenging role of a jealous provincial governor who kills his friend in order to steal the man's wife. The 11th Golden Horse Awards: Special Award for Outstanding Performance (Ti Lung)
Ling Xi (David Chiang) is a rebellious youth whose liaison with underage girlfriend Cindy (Agnes Chan) is the spark which lights the eventual flame of his rebellion. Against the wishes of her parents, Ling Xi and Cindy move in together, and the two find a measure of bliss in their shared life. However, rumors circulate that Ling Xi is using Cindy as a means of financial support. After his brother Ling Zhao (Di Lung) returns Cindy to her parents, Ling Xi is branded an outcast. His anger only leads to spiraling bitterness, and finally employ in a triad gang which gives him the ability to release his frustration - which he does until the bitter end.
Four Korean War veterans pool their talents to take on a venal drug smuggling gang.
Legendary fighter Wu Song is sent to prison in Mengzhou province after murdering his sister-in-law and her lover. There he meets with the prison officer Shih En, who saves Wu from the baton punishment required for new prisoners. Wu learns that Shih's restaurant, "The Delightful Forest" has been occupied by Chiang Chung. Wu returns to the restaurant- a place he's dined in previously.
3 martial arts directors united for this unique anthology film. Yueh Feng writes and directs a clever love-and-kung-fu triangle, Cheng Kang both writes and directs kung-fu courtesans battling brigands, and the ""godfather of the kung-fu film,"" Chang Cheh, creates a cliff-hanging, swashbuckling mini-movie with maxi-action.
Man of Iron was positioned as something of a follow-up to Boxer From Shantung, the rise-and-fall story of Ma Yung Chen and it reunites the directors and some of the cast in a similar but much slighter tale of a lesser gangster's rise and fall in Shanghai. While the opening narration specifically recalls the events and tragic conclusion of BOXER, this one is set 20 years later in the same section of Shanghai but otherwise has nothing to do with the events or characters of the previous film.
The longstanding rivalry between a music club and a sports club is compounded by their leaders' mutual interest in a girl.
The Angry Guest is a direct sequel to Duel of Fists which had two long-separated brothers, Ti Lung and David Chiang, reuniting in Bangkok and running afoul of the local mob after Ti Lung, a boxer, beats the local favorite in the ring. In this film, the action shifts from Bangkok to Hong Kong to Japan and then back to HK as the brothers contend with a Japanese mob led by crime boss Yamaguchi, who is played by the film's director, Chang Cheh, in a rare screen appearance.
Leaving the poverty of his life in Shantung to seek fortune in Shanghai, The Boxer is instead drawn into a world of corruption, gang warfare and evil... Where his only protection is his famed fighting technique.
The corruption in the Sung Dynasty of 11th century China is so rampant that it inspires a band of Oriental Robin Hoods - the Honorable 108. Mountain bandits who nevertheless live by a scrupulous code of conduct, the Honorable 108 pledge to end the repression of the brutal overlords.
A perennial Chang Cheh favorite, Anonymous Heroes focuses on two vagabond brothers, Meng Kang (David Chiang) and Tieh (Ti Lung) who, in the search for fame and fortune, join in a rebellion against a provincial general. Used to shaking down local vendors for food and gambling away their limited funds, they are recruited by a local rebel leader (Ku Feng) who promises them a glorious adventure. The rebels plan is to steal a huge cache of new rifles set to be delivered to the barracks of the local army. With the help of an officer’s daughter (Ching Li), their plan starts out well, but inevitably slips toward a heroic but tragic finale.
Two men, one a businessman skilled in Kung Fu, the other a kickboxer discover they are brothers, and together, both in and out of the ring, they must face a crime syndicate. One of the first films to use the martial art of Muay Thai.
Lei Li lost his right-arm in a sword duel with the master of a martial arts school, long ago. Now, he is able to defend himself well with just his left arm, and kung fu techniques. That he proves with just the help of his friend Chung-Chieng, when he crosses his path with a beautiful girl in need, Pao Chiao. Even against impossible odds, he will prove a great warrior.
Reclusive hero Jin Fei, (Ti Lung) known as the King Eagle, inadvertently gets involved in the internal conflicts of the Tien Yi Tong sociaty, after he falls in love their 7th chief, Yuk Lin (Li Ching)
Tan Jen-chieh’s life spins out of control when he’s forced into exile to clear his name following the murder of his adopted father. He’s hunted in the streets. His lover, Butterfly, turns to prostitution. And his father’s likely killer – a smooth operator known as the Rambler – is always lingering nearby. But before Tan and the Rambler can slit each other’s throats, they learn they’ve been double-crossed and go two against everyone in a rage of double-edged vengeance.
The plot involves patriots during the Sung Dynasty and their attempts to rescue a kidnapped prince from Ching troops who have invaded the north of China. The patriots are led by Ti Lung who recruits a mysterious but seemingly superhuman fighter played by David Chiang to find a way to cross a perilous bridge to enter an impregnable fortress to locate and rescue the imprisoned prince. The big confrontation at the end involves trickery on the part of the heroes and the self-sacrifice of one of their number as David, who is not known to the enemy, brings in Ti as his `prisoner' to turn over to the Chings, as a way of gaining entrance. Then he cuts Ti's bonds and all hell breaks loose.
David Chiang stars as a nightclub vocalist whose former criminal friends blackmail him into working with them again.
A Mogul king decides to take stealthy action to help overpower his greatest rivals. He chooses nine out thirteen of his loyal generals (who he treats as sons) to embark on the mission. However, jealously amongst them sparks a treacherous family feud that could lead to catastrophic consequences for all involved.
In this thrilling martial arts twist on the tale of Robin Hood, a charismatic highwayman (Death Duel and Shaolin Temple's David Chiang) with formidable sword skills decides to help the poor by robbing from thieves and distributing the wealth. This plan doesn't sit well with the criminals, who band together to stop him. Fortunately, our hero has a powerful blade on his side, not to mention popular beauty Lily Li (Black Magic) at his side. A high-spirited blend of action, romance, and comedy, this Shaw Brothers classic from fearless director Chang Cheh (Five Deadly Venoms) is a timeless example of pure high-voltage entertainment.
The notorious “One-Armed Swordsman” who has spent the last two years retired from the martial world as a simple farmer with his wife. Of course this idyllic life is about to be sliced to ribbons by Chang’s wicked imagination. He concocts a savory setup when he introduces, not one, but eight unique villains known as the Eight Kings of Swords and their sword-wielding entourage for Wang Yu to eventually chop his way through.
Ying Ke-Feng, head of Peerless Manor, is an expert swordsman whose escort business transports 200,000 taels of silver to the capital each year. This year, however, he is afflicted with an infirmity that renders him unable to use his sword. Rather than give up this important commission and let the martial world know of his precarious health he means to entrust the consignment to two young knights in his manor, Hsiang Ting and Yun Piao-Piao. As it happens, these two are also betrothed; clearly they have their swordsmanship in common. At Peerless Manor, everyone is suspicious of malevolent strangers who may be sniffing around the silver transport. So when Le I appears astride a high-quality charger but otherwise clearly down on his luck, Hsiang Ting thinks Le I may be a spy for the bad guys in the Flying Tiger Manor. It doesn't help that Le I and Yun Piao-Piao hit it off right away. Even or especially when Le I saves Yun Piao-Piao from a Flying Tiger thug.
The Yu family earn the ire of the Green Dragon clan when the daughter (Cheng Pei-Pei) kills the clan chief's son (a rapist and murderer). The Green Dragon chief wounds family head Yu Yuan with his flying daggers, and kills many others who try to protect the noble family. Wandering swordsman Ying Qing (Lo Lieh) saves the family in a fight, using his own flying dagger skills, but his allegiances and motives are unclear.
this is one of the few films where godfather of kung fu film; chang cheh headlined lo lieh as the leading hero. three years before lo would become the shaw brothers first international star in king boxer. here he plays a dedicated chief constable for the tsang chou village. he falls in love with the blind daughter of a bandit who is wrecking havoc. joining him in all the action and emotion are award winning actor ku feng and future superstar david chiang.
A jewel thief (Lin Chong) decides to turn over a new leaf. He starts anew as a professional singer; but before long, the he becomes suspect again for a series of robberies. He sets up a trap to snare the copycat thief, but will it snare him instead?
In the mid-sixties Chang Cheh changed the face of female dominated films with his male dominated, violent kung-fu films. Dead End was the start of a new force that lasted 6 years, the first film to star David Chiang and Ti Lung under director Chang's discerning eye. The trouble all begins when Chen Hung-lieh's character disapproves of Ti Lung's character courting his sister.
Golden Swallow revolves around the further adventures of its title character. This time around, she is forced into violence when a figure from her mysterious past goes on a killing rampage while leaving evidence that holds her responsible. Golden Swallow also makes room for a love triangle involving a mad, but righteous, swordsman named Silver Roc and a gentle warrior named Golden Whip. The three team up to conquer the evil forces of the martial world, but their joint venture only lasts so long, due to the two men's egos. Ultimately, a duel to the death is planned between them, leaving Golden Swallow caught between two men, both of whom she admires.
An evil gang attacks the Chi school of Golden Sword Kung Fu. One student sacrifices his life to save his teacher and his school, his dying wish is that his son be taken in as a student. Young Fang Kang grows up in the school and treasures his father's broken sword and the memory of his father's sacrifice. The other students (including the teacher's daughter) resent him and try to drive him away. The teacher's daughter challenges him to a fight and when he refuses she becomes enraged and recklessly chops off his arm! He retreats, broken and bloody, and is found by a young poor girl living alone who nurses him back to health. Meanwhile, the evil gang who originally attacked the Golden Sword school develops a weapon that renders the Golden Sword useless and starts killing off all of the schools students. Fang Kang eventually recovers with the girl's help but must now face a life with only one arm. Will he be able to recover and live to defend the school as his father did?
Chivalrous swordsman Jun-zhao (Kiu Chong) goes in search of a fugitive named Li Yueh (Jimmy Wang Yu) in order to reunite him with his love, Liu Xian (Chin Ping). Though the two men meet and become loyal brothers, Li does not reveal his true identity until Jun-zhao’s life is endangered by swordsmen from Flying Fish Island who are looking for revenge.
Yu is a two-armed swordsman who is betrayed by a jealous rival, but initially seeks a life of simple pleasures until an accidental meeting with another patriot sets him back on the road to bloody, brutal vengeance.
Ling Bor plays Wen Fei E who is both an excellent academic as well as martial arts expert. Since her childhood days fond of dressing up as a boy, she becomes a village scholar sharing classes with Tu Zi Zheng (Chin Feng) and Wei Zhun Zhi (Ho Fan). When Fei E's innocent father is framed and sent to prison, she rushes to his rescue saving Jing Fu Quan (Kam Fie) who is in the hands of robbers along the way. Mistaking Fei E to be a noble hero, Fu Quan has no greater wish than to get married to her savior...
A wandering swordsman named Lu Fang (Jimmy Wang Yu) who is returning from battle discovers that several farmers have kidnapped the local magistrate’s daughter. He sides with them after learning that this is an act of desperation to improve their low standard of living. The magistrate hires bandits and another fighter named Huang Liang (Cheng Lui) to get his daughter back. Huang recognizes Lu as a comrade in arms and joins him in fending off the bandits. The standoff comes to an abrupt end when the magistrate uses one of the farmer’s daughters as leverage to get his own daughter back. Lu convinces the magistrate to punish him in place of the farmers, but he’s lied to. The magistrate’s daughter (Chin Ping) and a fighter in his employ (Lo Lieh), along with Huang help Lu to escape. Once recovered, our heroes return to see that a petition from the farmers gets to a higher-ranking official.
Six heroes are killed while investigating rampant lawlessness at Zhaoqing Temple where villains are posing as monks. The dead heroes’ senior brother Su-chen and his two apprentices pose as scholars in order to infiltrate the temple. When the life of the Emperor’s Inspector and his daughter are threatened, the trio leaps into battle as government troops prepare to storm the temple.
Tiger Boy, an itinerant young knight-errant bent on revenge for his father's death 15 years earlier rescues a young maiden after her brother is killed protecting her from the advances of a band of bandits. While the heroes escape the band's clutches and seek refuge in the forest, Tiger Boy discovers that her perpetrators are led by the son of his father's killer who also has a yen for the maiden. As fate would have it, she instead falls in love with our hero who pledges to return to her after vanquishing all his enemies. To accomplish this, he sets out to singlehandedly crash a large birthday party held in his father's killer's honor. Meanwhile, Tiger Boy's chivalric quest is complicated when the maiden also sets out after him straight into peril in the enemy's own stronghold.
It seems that Li Zhenfei was once an imperial concubine, who often found herself competing with her rival Madame Liu for the emperor's sole, undivided attention. When Li gives birth to the Emperor's child, the jealous Liu switches the boy with a cat and commands a servant named Kou Zhu to kill the baby. However, Kou Zhu ignores the order and gives the prince-to-be to the emperor's brother, a decision which eventually leads to the boy being adopted by the emperor himself! But as fate would have it, to go along with his new son, the emperor has a new wife as well - Madame Liu! As this strange new family unit is being constructed, poor Li Zhenfei has been confined to the forbidden palace, condemned to never see or speak to her son, the prince. But destiny reunites her with her son, but will this family reunion be a happy one? And will Madame Liu finally be punished for her treachery?
The story revolves around Tian Yu Quan (Chin Feng) who rushes to the aid of an elderly fisherman who is bullied by an arrogant relative of the Qiu Shan ministry. In the heat of the ensuing battle he kills the said man and is hence chased by the district's officials. Trying to use the waterway to shake off his enemies, Yu Quan finds a true friend in the old fisherman's bark-stearing daughter, Hu Feng Lian (Ting Hung) who becomes his loyal accomplice. As symbol for his gratitude, Yu Quan bestows Feng Lian with a Butterfly Chalice to reflect their eternal friendship bond...
Crocodile River features Romeo And Juliet-flavored story. Families are against each other. Yodi is the Romeo and Lee Ting is his Juliet. The two students love each other from across a river that is filled with crocodiles.
The son of the town bully lusts after a local beauty in this action-filled thriller of the passions and violence to be found in a fishing village.
A Huangmei opera produced by Shaw Brothers about a carp spirit who transforms into an identical copy of a beautiful woman to win the heart of a lonely male scholar.
A member of the Red Peony troupe, singer Tang Pei Hua (Yeh Feng) is renowned for her beautiful voice and appearances. Her beauty, however, invites the unwanted attentions of cruel and lecherous warlord Cao Lin (Zeng Mei). In order to escape Cao's grasp, Tang and her lover Lin Ke Qiang (Chin Han) decide to run away to the south where they can live freely. But their plan is uncovered by Cao, and Lin gets captured. In order to save Lin, Tang must sacrifice herself and entertain Japanese guests at a banquet, throwing herself into danger's way.
The husband-and-wife team of Ivy Ling Po and Chin Han returned to another Huangmei Opera classic after Lady General Hua Mu-Lan. Helmed by Chow Sze-loke and written by Chang Cheh, the story revolved around two intellectual siblings, Ching Feng-sheng (Chin Feng) and Ching Feng-hsiao (Ivy Ling Po), who were constantly abused by their stepmother Hsia (Kao Pao-shu). Feng-hsiao was engaged to Li Ru-lung (Chin Han) since birth, but the greedy Hsia forced him to forfeit the marriage. When Ru-lung refused, Hsia framed him for thievery and put him behind bars. To rescue her lover, Feng-hsiao dressed as a young man and went to the capital. She then used Ru-lung's name to enter the national exam and was ranked first place. Impressed by Feng-hsiao, the Emperor decided to let her wed the Princess (Fang Ying). On the wedding night, Feng-hsiao revealed the truth to the Princess...
A woman in an arranged marriage falls in love with her husband's brother.
Singaporean diva Li Ailian has arrived in Hong Kong to further her singing career. Xu Zhaofeng helps her land a job at Spring Wind Palace. Provoked by jealousy, Xu's long-time girlfriend Tao Haiyin, a local diva, insists on performing at the Palace, too. And when two divas strut their stuff, it's great tunes and hot action. Haiyin's brother Zhengsheng, the bandleader, has fallen out with his sister due to his infatuation with Li. Li misunderstands Zhengsheng's intentions initially but his devotion speaks volumes. Haiyin and Xu also reconcile.
Helen Li Mei plays the role of an alcoholic who, in a state of drunkenness, mistakenly hires a mafia boss to kill herself. Li has often been compared to singer/actress Bai Guang who is also renowned for her femme fatale image. Both actresses impress the audience with a combination of their stunning beauty and the subtle sexiness of their exceptional performance.
Spy films had always been popular in Chinese-language cinema, with stories set mostly in WWII or the warlord era. The Tender Trap of Espionage, made two years before Dr. No (1962) which kickstarted the Bond film craze, is a story of intrigue between spies and counterspies within the Japanese Occupation force. The film was shot in Taiwan, offering unique visages, with cat-and-mouse mind games set in motion against trust, betrayal and seduction. Based on the British film The Two-Headed Spy (1958), future action maestro Chang Cheh wrote the script while husband-and-wife team Lo Wei and Lau Leung-wah star together as agents, with Lo doubling as director.
Lau Leung-wah plays the titled character, a Chinese Robin Hood who robs the rich to help the poor. She is an early Republican Era Mulan, who switches effortlessly between charming gentility and agile ferocity, and Lau personifies her character's duality with a balance of grace and vigour. Chang Cheh, on the verge of fostering seismic changes in cinema with his martial-arts machismo, pens a script that captures the spirit of changing Chinese womanhood, underscored by a conflict between Black Butterfly and her father, a veteran detective.
In May of 1949, director Zhang Ying and screenwriter Zhang Che took people to Taiwan to shoot a film that reflected Taiwan's Gaoshan tribe. Unexpectedly, when it was completed, it coincided with the war between the KMT and the Communist Party in Shanghai. Later, the Kuomintang government completely withdrew from Shanghai to Taiwan, and the film crew stayed in Taiwan. The film was also premiered in Taiwan, becoming the first feature film in Taiwanese film history. The episode "High Mountain Green" was widely sung that year and became a classic in film music.
