What was the last classic martial-arts film you watched?

[Killer Meteor]

55 minutes ago, shukocarl1441996347 said:

I watched TOUGH GUY aka's KUNG FU THE HEADCRUSHER or REVENGE OF THE DRAGON last night for the first time in ages. I'd forgot what an excellent little independent Basher it is. Chock-full of hard action from beginning to end and includes use of Nunchaku, Sai, Butterfly Knives, Chain Whip and Staff all in somewhat realistic scenarios. The plot is pretty routine (like most Bashers) but boy, does it deliver in the fight scenes. Lovely lush green countryside and waterfronts (NEW Territories) and Morricone's score from ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST, all in all a great little gem for Basher fans.

It's also called KUNG FU MASTER...BRUCE LEE STYLE!

[saltysam]

2 hours ago, shukocarl1441996347 said:

I watched TOUGH GUY aka's KUNG FU THE HEADCRUSHER or REVENGE OF THE DRAGON last night for the first time in ages. I'd forgot what an excellent little independent Basher it is. Chock-full of hard action from beginning to end and includes use of Nunchaku, Sai, Butterfly Knives, Chain Whip and Staff all in somewhat realistic scenarios. The plot is pretty routine (like most Bashers) but boy, does it deliver in the fight scenes. Lovely lush green countryside and waterfronts (NEW Territories) and Morricone's score from ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST, all in all a great little gem for Basher fans.

Needs an 88 films limited edition ,uncut,original aspect ratio ,subbed and dubbed. Or as part of a Chen Sing basher box set.

[saltysam]

The Heroes

Ti Lung seemingly turns traitor and helps burn down the Shaolin temple ,rounding up his old Shaolin friends. Rather than kill them,he gets the go ahead by the General Chan Wai Man to torture them to a point where they'll toughen up and work for the chings.  Good movie, rather set bound ,Tan Tao Liang is here in a supporting role along with Danny Lee and Tsai Hung. The german blu ray looks very nice, english dub, frustratingly also has mandarin but no subtitles.

[Iron Head Rat]

On 11/22/2020 at 2:16 PM, DragonClaws said:

 

Is there a sequence where Chen Kuen-Tai & Sun Chia-Lin's characters fight there way through some booby trap ridden caves?.

 

Like @HeavenSword said, I recall a lot of the fights been hard to see at least in the Vengeance Video release.

 

No i don't remember anything like that. 

[NoKUNGFUforYU]

22 hours ago, saltysam said:

The Heroes

Ti Lung seemingly turns traitor and helps burn down the Shaolin temple ,rounding up his old Shaolin friends. Rather than kill them,he gets the go ahead by the General Chan Wai Man to torture them to a point where they'll toughen up and work for the chings.  Good movie, rather set bound ,Tan Tao Liang is here in a supporting role along with Danny Lee and Tsai Hung. The german blu ray looks very nice, english dub, frustratingly also has mandarin but no subtitles.

The dub is really bad, also. Wu Tang Collection put it up already, which shows how bold they are.

[Drunken Monk]

Shaolin Wooden Men (1976) - At an hour and forty-seven minutes long, this one definitely outstays its welcome. I’m not saying  the movie is bad but the run time is definitely a con rather than a pro.

This is probably the least Jackie Chan-isn Jackie film I’ve ever seen. We do not get what would eventually become his classic charisma (he plays a mute) and we don’t get the first real fight scene until over an hour in. Luckily, that first hour is filled with interesting training sequences and is, overall, a lot of fun.

Once Jackie character leaves Shaolin, the fights ramp up but the plot becomes pretty tiresome. With it being a 1976 movie, the fight choreography isn’t as quick and complex as later early Jackie efforts but it’s perfectly fine. It won’t blow your tits off but aside from a very wonky staff fight, it’s pretty solid stuff. Nice to see Yuen Biao in the mix also.

Of course, Jackie needs to learn the “ultimate technique” to beat the big lad leading to a quick training montage and...well...I’m sure you know how it goes from there.

Oh and the titular wooden men are great. Jackie wading his way through them is a grand old time.

Long story short, I don’t think this is up there with the likes of Spiritual Kung Fu or Snake and Crane Arts of Shaolin but it is a fairly enjoyable movie. It’s just too bloody long.

Grade: C

 

[saltysam]

1 hour ago, NoKUNGFUforYU said:

 Wu Tang Collection put it up already, which shows how bold they are.

That's scandalous. A not perfect,but still excellent release appears and they steal it within days.

[Yihetuan]

7 hours ago, NoKUNGFUforYU said:

The dub is really bad, also. Wu Tang Collection put it up already, which shows how bold they are.

yeah whoever did Ti Lung and Michael Chan's dubs just wasn't right and took me out of the film a couple of times. It was nice to see Hung Tsai play a good guy -- he seems to be typecast as playing Japanese baddies or just villain roles in general. 

Spoiler

I realize Ti Lung had no option but to go along with the Manchus to fulfill his plan to seek revenge at the end but Michael Chan certainly made him prove it by killing a lot of his fellow brothers. I could see pang of remorse and guilt in Ti Lung's eyes but his character didn't resonate with me at all.

 

Edited November 28, 2020 by Yihetuan
fixed spoiler tags

[DragonClaws]

On 11/26/2020 at 12:08 PM, saltysam said:

Needs an 88 films limited edition ,uncut,original aspect ratio ,subbed and dubbed. Or as part of a Chen Sing basher box set.

 

Nice idea @saltysam, would love to see this get official subtitled release from 88-Films as I've only viewed the English dubbed prints.

 

21 hours ago, Drunken Monk said:

Shaolin Wooden Men (1976) - At an hour and forty-seven minutes long, this one definitely outstays its welcome. I’m not saying  the movie is bad but the run time is definitely a con rather than a pro.

 

Caught this one before viewing many of Jackie Chan later classics including SITES/DM. It didnt impress me that much, just thought it was average. That said, I've only watched this on a pan and scan VHS bootleg and never picked up any of the better quality DVD releases. Sure the Video releases of this movie were shorter in runtime?.

[saltysam]

New Fist Of Fury

Following on from the events of the first film, Inspector Lo Wei smuggles the survivors of Ching Wu school off to Taiwan, which is a bit like jumping out of the frying pan into the fire, as the japanese are oppressing everyone there as well. Once there they meet Han Ying Chieh and eventually set up a school, badass Japanese leader Chen Sing isn't going to stand for this and trouble ensues. In amongst all this is Jackie Chan,as a scallywag orphan who doesn't know kung fu and is pretty much a punchbag for the first half of the film, before seeing the light and joining Ching Wu. I can't lie, for a kung fu flick this plods along for the first 70 odd minutes,the pacing is out of whack and there's not enough action. As it moves towards it's climax it does quicken. It's a very downbeat film and too political for a kung fu flick but, hey,i like it!! Chen Sing in Glorious HD! The 88 films release sports a glorious transfer, i watched the 120 minute version, but if you want to,the pacier 83 minute version is there as well.

[Killer Meteor]

43 minutes ago, saltysam said:

New Fist Of Fury

Following on from the events of the first film, Inspector Lo Wei smuggles the survivors of Ching Wu school off to Taiwan, which is a bit like jumping out of the frying pan into the fire, as the japanese are oppressing everyone there as well. Once there they meet Han Ying Chieh and eventually set up a school, badass Japanese leader Chen Sing isn't going to stand for this and trouble ensues. In amongst all this is Jackie Chan,as a scallywag orphan who doesn't know kung fu and is pretty much a punchbag for the first half of the film, before seeing the light and joining Ching Wu. I can't lie, for a kung fu flick this plods along for the first 70 odd minutes,the pacing is out of whack and there's not enough action. As it moves towards it's climax it does quicken. It's a very downbeat film and too political for a kung fu flick but, hey,i like it!! Chen Sing in Glorious HD! The 88 films release sports a glorious transfer, i watched the 120 minute version, but if you want to,the pacier 83 minute version is there as well.

Chen Sing really does save the film. I wonder what happened to Cheng Siu-siu, who plays his daughter in the film.

[saltysam]

9 minutes ago, Killer Meteor said:

Chen Sing really does save the film. I wonder what happened to Cheng Siu-siu, who plays his daughter in the film.

Yep, she showed some decent moves in this one

[DrNgor]

Shaolin Temple (Taiwan, 1976) aka Seven Spirit Pagoda - During the Ming Dynasty, the emperor is overthrown by his Minister of War. The prince, a rather effeminate wuss, goes on the lam with a loyal general and few trusted guards. When the general is mortally wounded, he has the good guys look for his daughters, played by Chia Ling and Hsu Feng. Chia Ling takes the responsibility to protect the prince while Hsu Feng goes to the titular structure to procure the antidote for a poison that the Prince is dying from. The first half is an annoying, overwrought melodrama, while most of the second half is just one long series of fight sequences, jumping back and forth between Chia Ling killing soldiers and Hsu Feng fighting Shaolin Monks in the Pagoda, Game of Death style. The fighting is okay (the ladies' grace and intensity shine, but both have done better work in other movies), and the film on the whole is forgettable.

[Drunken Monk]

The Wandering Dragon (1981) - A monumental waste of time that feels like a kung fu film but isn’t really. It’s basically about a useless guy being sent to become a monk, flunking so he has to become a priest, flunking that so he’s sent to be a eunuch. So on and so forth...

Eventually he heads home to find his adopted brother has “turned bad.” He then learns kung fu in the final fifteen minutes of the film and has his revenge.

Honestly, it’s a shame. The film has very few fights but what’s on display is fairly enjoyable. A bit tame for the year the film came out but perfectly fine. But, for the most part, this is disposable garbage. I wouldn’t suggest anyone give this the time of day.

[Killer Meteor]

On 11/28/2020 at 8:23 PM, saltysam said:

New Fist Of Fury

Following on from the events of the first film, Inspector Lo Wei smuggles the survivors of Ching Wu school off to Taiwan, which is a bit like jumping out of the frying pan into the fire, as the japanese are oppressing everyone there as well. Once there they meet Han Ying Chieh and eventually set up a school, badass Japanese leader Chen Sing isn't going to stand for this and trouble ensues. In amongst all this is Jackie Chan,as a scallywag orphan who doesn't know kung fu and is pretty much a punchbag for the first half of the film, before seeing the light and joining Ching Wu. I can't lie, for a kung fu flick this plods along for the first 70 odd minutes,the pacing is out of whack and there's not enough action. As it moves towards it's climax it does quicken. It's a very downbeat film and too political for a kung fu flick but, hey,i like it!! Chen Sing in Glorious HD! The 88 films release sports a glorious transfer, i watched the 120 minute version, but if you want to,the pacier 83 minute version is there as well.

My latest viewing revealed a funny detail: as the old master dies on the stage, an extra in the front row can be been laughing his face off!

[Drunken Monk]

Drunken Dragon (1985) - Yuen Clan madness that actually has nothing to do with the Yuen Clan, surprisingly. If you’ve seen the likes of Miracle Fighters and Taoism Drunkard, you know what to expect with this one.

The first half of the movie feels like a series of wacky skits stitched together with a bare bones plot. Basically, the bad guys after some “magic armour” while the good guys wish to protect it. There are exorcism like rituals performed, fat jokes, boner jokes, weird contraptions, even weirder villains, Leung Kar Yan and Chiang Sheng... It’s bonkers.

But it’s enjoyable as hell. Definitely not everyone’s type of movie. I imagine most people would find it too insane. I love stuff like this though. And when you throw in some fantastic fights, I’m even more on board.

[Killer Meteor]

On 11/28/2020 at 8:23 PM, saltysam said:

New Fist Of Fury

Following on from the events of the first film, Inspector Lo Wei smuggles the survivors of Ching Wu school off to Taiwan, which is a bit like jumping out of the frying pan into the fire, as the japanese are oppressing everyone there as well. Once there they meet Han Ying Chieh and eventually set up a school, badass Japanese leader Chen Sing isn't going to stand for this and trouble ensues. In amongst all this is Jackie Chan,as a scallywag orphan who doesn't know kung fu and is pretty much a punchbag for the first half of the film, before seeing the light and joining Ching Wu. I can't lie, for a kung fu flick this plods along for the first 70 odd minutes,the pacing is out of whack and there's not enough action. As it moves towards it's climax it does quicken. It's a very downbeat film and too political for a kung fu flick but, hey,i like it!! Chen Sing in Glorious HD! The 88 films release sports a glorious transfer, i watched the 120 minute version, but if you want to,the pacier 83 minute version is there as well.

Watching it again, I just realised we never find out who the traitor is who tips the Japanese off a) to the rebel arriving from Shanghai, and b) who alerts them that the Jing Wu school is harbouring rebels. For that matter, who organised the assasination attempt on Okumura and for what purpose? Is he in charge of the town (both the captain and the general seem to defer to him) or just a local karate bully boy?

Too many characters and subplots, but no resolutions!

[saltysam]

Enter The Ninja

Star Franco Nero isn't a martial artist and is doubled by Mike Stone in this 80's Cannon effort but he has a certain charm in the role, i would have liked to see him in a sequel. Though this totally daft,it's great fun, Ninja Nero goes to Manila to help his alcoholic war buddy and sexy wife Susan George fight against baddie Christopher George who wants their land. He hires black ninja Sho Kosugi after traditional methods fail. The ending to this is fantastic, with the late great Christopher George chewing the scenery superbly "i want my black ninja and i want him now! Enjoyable tosh.

[ShawAngela]

Some titles I watched these last weeks.

Chivalrous knight : Thanks to our friend @Chu Liu Hsiang, I got a German release of this movie from Eyecatcher, with a very good quality print. I had already got it as a French language dvd release, but I didn't remember anything and I remember that the quality print wasn't good and that the plot had seemed a little bit confused to me, while I perfectly understood it in the German release !

At the risk of life : A Korean movie that I also got thanks to @Chu Liu Hsiang. I laughed at some scenes or actors' mimics, but there were some good fights, though the plot was a little bit strange at times, at least the relation between the hero and the heroine was strange...

Iron punch contest : I got another German release in which the last seconds of the last scene aren't missing. Still a very good movie in my eyes...

Return of the valuables : Second watch, and I still enjoyed it a lot.

Rage of the master : Even if I watched this movie hundreds times, I wouldn't be bothered at all since it's a good one. Maybe because it's one of the first Chiao Chiao's and Kang Kai's movies I saw in my youth...And both Lee Yi Min and Kang Kai look so young in it !!

The hot, the cool and the vicious : Second watching and it's definitely one of my favorite movies as well as one of my favorite intro music and scenes ! I LOVE it !!

Well, I'm VERY LATE for the reviews, but they'll come one day...

[saltysam]

Revenge Of The Ninja

Most of Sho Kosgui's family are slaughtered by ninja for not very clear reason, his baby son survives and together with his mother they relocate to USA where he starts an art gallery business with his american partner, who's using the gallert's models to smuggle in heroin. Oh and he's a top ninja master as well. It's all very silly but entertaining enough, climaxing with an excellent rooftop battle between good/bad ninja.

 

 

[DrNgor]

Hot Potato (1976) - This was Fred Weintraub's third attempt to cash in on the success of Enter the Dragon, being a sequel to the successful Black Belt Jones. The logic here is that if that movie was popular, then making it PG with less profanity and violence would bring in even more customers. Unfortunately, they replaced that with grating characters and humor that would have to score 50 points higher on an IQ test just to reach "asinine." The story has Jones (Jim Kelly) running around the fictitious SE Asian country of Chang-Lon (played by Thailand) looking for the daughter of a senator, who's been kidnapped by an Oriental supervillain named Carter Rangoon (I'm not making this up). Assissting him is another martial artist with a gambling problem, Johnny Chicago, a female detective (Irene Tsu, who played one of the topless torturers in Three the Hard Way), and a fat white guy named White Rhino. Jim Kelly choreographs his own fight scenes, which are okay. There are occasionally some bursts of kempo fast hands, although the fact that the stuntmen are a full two heads shorter than Kelly mean that his kicks aren't very high or impressive. Featuring Lam Ching-Ying, Eric Tsang and  Yuen Biao in blink-and-you'll-miss-them cameos.

The title of the film is its own punchline: You don't want this falling into your hands.

[NoKUNGFUforYU]

3 hours ago, DrNgor said:

Hot Potato (1976) - This was Fred Weintraub's third attempt to cash in on the success of Enter the Dragon, being a sequel to the successful Black Belt Jones. The logic here is that if that movie was popular, then making it PG with less profanity and violence would bring in even more customers. Unfortunately, they replaced that with grating characters and humor that would have to score 50 points higher on an IQ test just to reach "asinine." The story has Jones (Jim Kelly) running around the fictitious SE Asian country of Chang-Lon (played by Thailand) looking for the daughter of a senator, who's been kidnapped by an Oriental supervillain named Carter Rangoon (I'm not making this up). Assissting him is another martial artist with a gambling problem, Johnny Chicago, a female detective (Irene Tsu, who played one of the topless torturers in Three the Hard Way), and a fat white guy named White Rhino. Jim Kelly choreographs his own fight scenes, which are okay. There are occasionally some bursts of kempo fast hands, although the fact that the stuntmen are a full two heads shorter than Kelly mean that his kicks aren't very high or impressive. Featuring Lam Ching-Ying, Eric Tsang and  Yuen Biao in blink-and-you'll-miss-them cameos.

The title of the film is its own punchline: You don't want this falling into your hands.

I was never a big fan of Kelly. His kicking was sub par and like the Dr says, he was 6'3" so most of his opponents were fairly small. He fights some old dude at the end that looks like elder abuse. His better films were where he was a co star and left the acting to Fred Williamson and Jim Brown, not exactly Shakespearian, but still a step above Kelly. I mean he plays a mute half breed karate expert native American, just so he won't have to try to read lines.

[DragonClaws]

On 12/5/2020 at 9:56 AM, ShawAngela said:

Iron punch contest : I got another German release in which the last seconds of the last scene aren't missing. Still a very good movie in my eyes...

 

Fantastic title, is this an early Taiwanese basher movie @ShawAngela?.

[DragonClaws]

On 12/5/2020 at 9:56 AM, ShawAngela said:

The hot, the cool and the vicious : Second watching and it's definitely one of my favorite movies as well as one of my favorite intro music and scenes ! I LOVE it !!

 

This is also a favourite of mine, the theme tune stays with you for day's.

[DragonClaws]

23 hours ago, DrNgor said:

Featuring Lam Ching-Ying, Eric Tsang and  Yuen Biao in blink-and-you'll-miss-them cameos.

 

How would this have turned out, if those guys had been directed the action?. Who's actually giving credit for directing the fight scenes, other than Jim Kelly?.