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

[paimeifist]

Yeah I just about fully agree with your review. As others in that thread stated, I kept expecting Kwan Yung Moon to return, especially since others characters kept talking about him! I was a little let down that he didn't.

 

The multiple masters were cool, I really liked Wu Ma in this, with or without his stunt double, haha.

[DragonClaws]

Yeah I just about fully agree with your review. As others in that thread stated, I kept expecting Kwan Yung Moon to return, especially since others characters kept talking about him! I was a little let down that he didn't.

 

The multiple masters were cool, I really liked Wu Ma in this, with or without his stunt double, haha.

 

It was a shame Kwan Yung Moon only had a small role especially after such a great introduction. Wu Ma also seems to play comedic roles, or at least in the films I catch him in.

Edited October 20, 2015 by DragonClaws

[paimeifist]

Wu Ma is one of those guys that seems to be in almost everything I watch, but I struggle to remember many, if any memorable roles. He does seem to usually be a comic relief actor, or a villains cowardly scumbag right hand man.

 

So it was nice to see him get to do some decent fighting, and have a somewhat cool character.

[DragonClaws]

Wu Ma is one of those guys that seems to be in almost everything I watch, but I struggle to remember many, if any memorable roles. He does seem to usually be a comic relief actor, or a villains cowardly scumbag right hand man.

 

So it was nice to see him get to do some decent fighting, and have a somewhat cool character.

 

Wu Ma has a huge filmography under his belt. He appears to be still involved with the movie business too. He's not just stuck to acting in films, having directed over 49 movies. He's even had a crack at being a  producer,and had a go at fight choreography for the film Wrath Of The Sword (1970).

Edited October 20, 2015 by DragonClaws

[DrNgor]

I'm impressed the guy is still alive. I think he was another one of Chang Cheh's protégés, like John Woo.

[ShawAngela]

It seems to me that Wu Ma died this year and that there was a thread or at least a few posts about his death on the old forum...

[DrNgor]

*Googles it* Okay, he died on February 4th, 2014. May his beloved soul rest in Peace.

[DragonClaws]

Sad news, I just saw that his last film was released in 2014 & assumed he was still active. He certainly left behind an impressive film C.V.

[Lady Jin Szu-Yi]

The Club (1981)     Mother$#(@&% - even watching on YouTube, this was great. I am not even into gangster films and cannot wait to see this again.  Completely sucked into that world. If I can connect with a character or characters, doesn't matter what the genre is, I'll probably enjoy the movie. 

 

100% agree about Wu Ma (needs to find a good print of The Hand cuff...)

 

And Legend of the Seven Golden Vampires (1974)...because it's a hoppy, um, happy guilty pleasure.

Edited October 21, 2015 by Lady Jin Szu-Yi

[Secret Executioner]

Wasn't Wu Ma the postman who shows up during the "invisibility" scene in Winners and Sinners ? That scene is pretty funny, but him showing up and his reaction to seeing the supposedly invisible guy (not sure who it was, I think Richard Ng ?) naked is priceless.

[paimeifist]

The Club (1981)     Mother$#(@&% - even watching on YouTube, this was great. I am not even into gangster films and cannot wait to see this again.  Completely sucked into that world. If I can connect with a character or characters, doesn't matter what the genre is, I'll probably enjoy the movie. 

 

100% agree about Wu Ma (needs to find a good print of The Hand cuff...)

 

And Legend of the Seven Golden Vampires (1974)...because it's a hoppy, um, happy guilty pleasure

How are the fights in "The Club"? With the cast, I'd expect nothing less than great.

[AlbertV]

Wasn't Wu Ma the postman who shows up during the "invisibility" scene in Winners and Sinners ? That scene is pretty funny, but him showing up and his reaction to seeing the supposedly invisible guy (not sure who it was, I think Richard Ng ?) naked is priceless.

That was him and the music in that scene was a perfect fit as well!

 

With the Shaw Brothers movies appearing on Netflix, I revisited one of my favorites: Five Element Ninjas. I noticed the subtitles are nearly exact from the English dub from the days of yore, but love the crisp clean quality of the film on Netflix.  

[DragonClaws]

Wasn't Wu Ma the postman who shows up during the "invisibility" scene in Winners and Sinners ? That scene is pretty funny, but him showing up and his reaction to seeing the supposedly invisible guy (not sure who it was, I think Richard Ng ?) naked is priceless.

I think he also has a cameo in Wheels On Meals playing one of the patients in the psychiatric hospital scenes. I'm sure he was the guy who thought he was a clock or something crazy like that?.

[Secret Executioner]

 

I think he also has a cameo in Wheels On Meals playing one of the patients in the psychiatric hospital scenes. I'm sure he was the guy who thought he was a clock or something crazy like that?.

The idea sounds hilarious. I really need to watch this one.

[DragonClaws]

 

The idea sounds hilarious. I really need to watch this one.

Richard Ng also cameos in those scenes too which is an added bonus. The patients are all made up of comedic actors of the time which really works well.

[bearpower]

Stranger from Shaolin aka The Formidable Lady From Shaolin ) When the family of a young Chinese girl is brutally murdered on the whim of an evil Emperor, a young Yim Wing Chun vows revenge! With no knowledge in the art of Kung Fu, she only narrowly escapes and finds refuge at a Shaolin temple, where she has disguised herself as a man. She is determined to learn all she will need to know in order to avenge her family. Her training begins when, at the temple, she is given the job of climbing to the bottom of the well to fetch water for the temple's students. From closely watching the Shaolin students, Wing Chun practices and secretly teaches herself kung fu, but she doesn't just stop there... She also incorporates her own techniques, creating a new style that is ideal for close quarter fighting...

The monks soon realize that she is not quite the man they believed her to be, but they are willing to help her with her mission for revenge, especially since they learn that the Emperor is intent on attacking the Shaolin!! With only youth on her side, she takes on the challenge against the might of the Emperor's Kung Fu Masters

[paimeifist]

Stranger from Shaolin aka The Formidable Lady From Shaolin ) When the family of a young Chinese girl is brutally murdered on the whim of an evil Emperor, a young Yim Wing Chun vows revenge! With no knowledge in the art of Kung Fu, she only narrowly escapes and finds refuge at a Shaolin temple, where she has disguised herself as a man. She is determined to learn all she will need to know in order to avenge her family. Her training begins when, at the temple, she is given the job of climbing to the bottom of the well to fetch water for the temple's students. From closely watching the Shaolin students, Wing Chun practices and secretly teaches herself kung fu, but she doesn't just stop there... She also incorporates her own techniques, creating a new style that is ideal for close quarter fighting...

The monks soon realize that she is not quite the man they believed her to be, but they are willing to help her with her mission for revenge, especially since they learn that the Emperor is intent on attacking the Shaolin!! With only youth on her side, she takes on the challenge against the might of the Emperor's Kung Fu Masters

 

Good synopsis bearpower, what did you think of the movie? I think its pretty good, Cecilia Wong kicks some ass, the fat San Te took some getting used to though.

[Secret Executioner]

Stranger from Shaolin aka The Formidable Lady From Shaolin ) When the family of a young Chinese girl is brutally murdered on the whim of an evil Emperor, a young Yim Wing Chun vows revenge! With no knowledge in the art of Kung Fu, she only narrowly escapes and finds refuge at a Shaolin temple, where she has disguised herself as a man. She is determined to learn all she will need to know in order to avenge her family. Her training begins when, at the temple, she is given the job of climbing to the bottom of the well to fetch water for the temple's students. From closely watching the Shaolin students, Wing Chun practices and secretly teaches herself kung fu, but she doesn't just stop there... She also incorporates her own techniques, creating a new style that is ideal for close quarter fighting...

The monks soon realize that she is not quite the man they believed her to be, but they are willing to help her with her mission for revenge, especially since they learn that the Emperor is intent on attacking the Shaolin!! With only youth on her side, she takes on the challenge against the might of the Emperor's Kung Fu Masters

That certainly sounds like an interesting film.  

[Lady Jin Szu-Yi]

How are the fights in "The Club"? With the cast, I'd expect nothing less than great.

The fights in The Club are pretty crazy, but in a more realistic, visceral way; Hong Kong Godfather* it is not. 

*Just found out Norman Chu is in HKG... which probably means another watch. I think a double feature with the equally bonkers macho fueled Mercenaries from Hong Kong is in order whenever I rewatch HKG.

 

Just in case my message didn't go through...

 

Edited October 23, 2015 by Lady Jin Szu-Yi

[bearpower]

 

Good synopsis bearpower, what did you think of the movie? I think its pretty good, Cecilia Wong kicks some ass, the fat San Te took some getting used to though.

Good movie I like it because it had wing chug kung fu and butterfly sword and long pole in it

[Morgoth Bauglir]

The fights in The Club are pretty crazy, but in a more realistic, visceral way; Hong Kong Godfather* it is not. 

*Just found out Norman Chu is in HKG... which probably means another watch. I think a double feature with the equally bonkers macho fueled Mercenaries from Hong Kong is in order whenever I rewatch HKG.

 

Just in case my message didn't go through...

 

sounds pretty awesome.  Anyone know where I can get the DVD?

[kokuryuha]

 

sounds pretty awesome.  Anyone know where I can get the DVD?

Hate to burst your bubble but The Club has never been released on dvd before. At least not to my knowledge.The only way to get it is either you luck out and find an original master copy on VHS for sale or get a VHS transfer to DVD which Far East Flix can provide.I was fortunate to come across an Ocean Shores VHS clamshell.You can watch it on YouTube though.Someone has it on their channel.Maybe even someone in the chamber can hook you up with a copy if they're willing.Either way it's a Triad Masterpiece that really set the trend for the future triad films to follow.You'll definitely enjoy it.

[Morgoth Bauglir]

Dang I was hoping the pic Lady Jin posted was a legit DVD of The Club.  There's an 18 rating on the DVD cover so I thought maybe someone released it.  But it must be a custom cover.  

Edited October 23, 2015 by Morgoth Bauglir

[paimeifist]

When Tae Kwon Do Strikes

 

Pretty typical evil oppressive Japanese plot, only this time it is more towards the Koreans than the Chinese. One scene was kind of surprising, when they chained a priest to a cross and whipped him.. Damn those evil Japs'! The fights range from decent to pretty good for the time (73). Even when the choreography is a little stale, the casts talent is evident and makes up for it. Angela Mao gets to show decent acting as well as screen fighting ability, so it was a fairly decent showcase for her. As I said before, the fights have to be decent when involving the likes of her, Sammo, Whang In Shik, and Carter Wong. Sammo gets to do more here than other movies I have seen him in from this time, but is getting beat up more often than not. This is the first film I have seen Jhoon Rhee in, I know he is a famous martial artist, and he seemed to be a decent fighter on the screen too....but he is a pretty terrible actor. The white girl Ann Winton was a fine kicker as well, if a little slow. One more person I haven't seen before "Kazuma Kenji" was also a pretty good screenfighter, and I'd be up for seeing more from him, but I see hes only listed for 2 films on HKMDB.. I bet he was in some Japanese karate flicks though? The finale here was pretty awesome with mostly one on one fights between the various people I named above, and Whang In Shik of course finally gets to do some kicking.

 

Above average movie, especially for the time. Solid fighting and acting with a great cast makes up for a very generic plot. Could this be the first "kicking" movie?

Edited October 25, 2015 by paimeifist

[DragonClaws]

Dang I was hoping the pic Lady Jin posted was a legit DVD of The Club.  There's an 18 rating on the DVD cover so I thought maybe someone released it.  But it must be a custom cover.  

 

Its the old Eastern Heroes VHS cover Morgoth, that's why there's an 18 rating on it.

 

When Tae Kwon Do Strikes

 

Pretty typical evil oppressive Japanese plot, only this time it is more towards the Koreans than the Chinese. One scene was kind of surprising, when they chained a priest to a cross and whipped him.. Damn those evil Japs'! The fights range from decent to pretty good for the time (73). Even when the choreography is a little stale, the casts talent is evident and makes up for it. Angela Mao gets to show decent acting as well as screen fighting ability, so it was a fairly decent showcase for her. As I said before, the fights have to be decent when involving the likes of her, Sammo, Whang In Shik, and Carter Wong. Sammo gets to do more here than other movies I have seen him in from this time, but is getting beat up more often than not. This is the first film I have seen Jhoon Rhee in, I know he is a famous martial artist, and he seemed to be a decent fighter on the screen too....but he is a pretty terrible actor. The white girl Ann Winton was a fine kicker as well, if a little slow. One more person I haven't seen before "Kazuma Kenji" was also a pretty good screenfighter, and I'd be up for seeing more from him, but I see hes only listed for 2 films on HKMDB.. I bet he was in some Japanese karate flicks though? The finale here was pretty awesome with mostly one on one fights between the various people I named above, and Whang In Shik of course finally gets to do some kicking.

Above average movie, especially for the time. Solid fighting and acting with a great cast makes up for a very generic plot. Could this be the first "kicking" movie?

 

I'm not sure if its the first kicking movie?, but its certainly an early example of one. Hapkido (1972) features Angela Mao and Whang In Sik doing some nice kicking displays too. Jhoon Rhee made another movie in 1980 but I don't think it got a U.S release. It would have been nice to see him appear in more films. He taught Bruce Lee a lot about kicking & in return BL gave him lessons on hand techniques.

Edited October 25, 2015 by DragonClaws