Member Cold Bishop Posted June 19, 2014 Member Share Posted June 19, 2014 I've noticed other film forums will often have a one-stop, stickied thread for those seeking recommendations, as to keep a forum from getting cluttered. I'll leave it up to a moderator whether this should be "An Official Recommendation Thread"... but in my continuing investigations into the genre, I often find myself wanting to mine this forum for suggestions, but hesitating at starting a new topic. Whether by myself or with others, I plan on using this thread for this purpose. And I plan to eventually ask for more than just Shaw Bros. stuff, so please don't move. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Now the question: I'm currently wrapping up a chronological study of the '70s Shaw Kung-Fu Film (I'm currently starting 1979 films). While I tried to be pretty comprehensive, I'm not fool enough to be a completist. While I feel pretty confident that my research has brought me most of the best films of the decade, I'd be remiss if I didn't make sure I'm not overlooking any classics. So below is a list of films that I've so far skipped. If anyone feels that I should add some of these to my watchlist, I'd love to hear your thoughts: The Shadow Boxer - Most everything I've read pegs this as a thoroughly mediocre Bruce Lee clone. The Deadly Knives and The Thunderbolt Fist - Same as the above, except both of these seem to be the exact same film. Champion of Champions, The Big Fellow, Shanghai Lil and the Sunluck Kid - I mostly plan on skipping these Taiwanese films since they're not really Shaw films. But they also sound pretty dismal. Any keepers? The Pirate - This sounds more like a silly romp than a great kung-fu film. I'm plan on watching all of Chang Cheh films eventually, but any reason to check this out now? The Bloody Escape - Same as above... although I'm intrigued enough by a Sun Chung basher that I'll probably watch this anyways. But most accounts put it as a minor work in both director's filmographies. Five Tough Guys - On one hand, I've been pretty disappointed by most of the Pao films I've seen, which are well shot but pretty average. On the other hand, I still think he's capable of a great film, so I keep on looking. How does this hold up? The Taxi Driver - Same as above, except this looks more like a modern "Action" film more so than "Kung Fu". Right or wrong? Rivals of Kung Fu - I was only half-impressed by Shaw's other early attempt at a Wong Fei-Hung film. Is this any better? To Kill a Jaguar, Brotherhood, The Brothers - I've seen these actually and like them all. But, despite quite a bit of action, I don't really consider either Kung Fu. Anyone disagree? Tigress of Shaolin - Most people write this off on the lower-end of Shaw's kung-fu comedies. Any defenders? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Secret Executioner Posted June 19, 2014 Member Share Posted June 19, 2014 Can't help you on the movies, but I think a topic like that would be a great idea - and something very useful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member masterofoneinchpunch Posted June 19, 2014 Member Share Posted June 19, 2014 I've only seen two of that bunch: The Shadow Boxer and The Thunderbolt Fist and neither are particularly good and for the most part forgettable (scene exception below). What's funny though is that we had a thread recently on one of the infamous fatalities from The Thunderbolt Fist here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member DrNgor Posted June 19, 2014 Member Share Posted June 19, 2014 Here's my review of Shanghai Lil and the Sun Luck Kid. Isn't The Shadow Boxer supposed to be the first movie to show off real tai chi chuan (or the cinematic equivalent of it)? I believe a young(er) Yuen Woo-Ping was involved, which should be reason enough to give it a look. Five Tough Guys - I actually owned this, but my DVD was defective and I never finished watching it. It looked like it would be pretty OK. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member KyFi Posted June 19, 2014 Member Share Posted June 19, 2014 Let's see, The Shadow Boxer----I didn't really see this as a Bruce clone. The main claim to fame is that the martial art featured is Tai Chi. They do show some of that martial art in the title sequence and in some of their training, but in most of the fight scenes it's just standard "basher" fights. The movie is kind of grim in that the hero is trying to be non-violent, but he puts up with SO much loss and abuse before he fights, that it's just a bit too depressing, IMO. Villains are easy to hate, and they get theirs in the end. Deadly Knives and Thunderbolt Fist---both in the vein of Chinese Boxer and King Boxer. Both pretty well-done and worth seeing, IMO. The Pirate---Only watched this once, and thought it was okay. Not too much kung fu action, as I recall, although we do get David Chiang and Ti Lung squaring off for a pretty good one. The Bloody Escape. I'd rate this above average just because Chen Kuan Tai and Shi Szu's acting raise things up a notch. Chen Kuan Tai's character is kind of exactly the opposite of the character in Boxer From Shantung. In this one, he's confused, unsure of what he wants or should do, and is wracked by his conscience. I still say he was Shaw's second best actor after Ku Feng. Worth checking out, IMO. Five Tough Guys----I like it just for a change of pace, with its Republic-era setting. Fan Mei Sheng gets a big role, and some cool fight scenes throughout. I may be a bit biased on the above films, however, as that period from 1970-75 is my favorite era of Shaws---a very creative time. to me it feels like they were inventing new subgenres every few months. I enjoy just about every Shaw movie from that period. Let's see, I have Brothers and To Kill a Jaguar, but haven't watched either yet. Tigress of Shaolin----For the longest time, I just did not like comedy with my kung fu. But after buying and watching SO many of the Celestial remasters of serious Shaw films, I now appreciate some of the comedies more. I found Tigress entertaining enough if you're in the right frame of mind--probably not in the "hidden gem" category, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Killer Meteor Posted June 20, 2014 Member Share Posted June 20, 2014 Thunderbolt Fist has a very miscast lead actor, but great buckets of gore. Rivals of Kung Fu could have worked, had they cast Kwan Tak-Hing. It's bland and old fashioned, but lacking in charm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member GOLDEN DRAGON YIN-YANG Posted June 20, 2014 Member Share Posted June 20, 2014 To Kill A Jaguar is very good. GD Y-Y Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member ShawAngela Posted June 20, 2014 Member Share Posted June 20, 2014 The brothers and Brotherhood are very good too and Liu Yung is very good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Eastern Evil Posted June 20, 2014 Member Share Posted June 20, 2014 The brothers and Brotherhood are very good too and Liu Yung is very good. Liu Yung can really act! The guy is great - love him in The Lady Assassin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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