Guest Tosh Posted May 25, 2007 Share Posted May 25, 2007 I was really looking forward to seeing this one, all I have to say is - Meh, this movie suffers from the dreaded weak villain syndrom, there's absolutely no competition for Fu Sheng, Fung Hak On and Kong Do are resoted to being pansies that can fight about as good as one of their lackies, and has to resort to a cheap shot for anything to get out of it. Chi Kuan Chun is woefully underused, being the only one with MA skills better then Sheng, he's completely wasted. They had a trailer for Shaolin Martial Arts, I don't believe I ever seen this one, it looks badass, is it better than DoS? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest killer meteor Posted May 25, 2007 Share Posted May 25, 2007 I don't think SHaolin Martial Arts is very good either. Five Shaolin Masters is amazing though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Iron Boat Posted May 25, 2007 Share Posted May 25, 2007 I think Disciples is one of the best films Cheng Cheh ever made, the fact that the villians are not superman makes the movie more realistic. I mean Fu Sheng is not superman either, which is good, just a naive kid. These people in the film are just industrial working class thugs, not Shaolin Trained masters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Fatty Dragon Posted May 25, 2007 Share Posted May 25, 2007 I think Shaolin Martial arts is much better that DOS. If you like Dos you should check out Men from the Monastery, which if I'm not mistaken, is the same story as DOS, just better, imo. Bacl tp SMA, I think QT must have been inspired by this film while making the training scenes in KB2. Check it out! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest peringaten Posted May 26, 2007 Share Posted May 26, 2007 I'm with Iron Boat on this one to be honest... the more I think about it, the more I think this is one of CC's best efforts... the plot development, the music use, CC's daringness to experiment, elements such as the whole black & white thing, the classic sheen to the flick as a whole, the strong typifying themes of CC's work to the very fore with a slight realism, and not to forget Fu Sheng at his absolute finest - literally eating up that screen with a verve and charismatic dynamism at its very peak. Just engrosses me. CC was at the top of his game with this one imo. Shaolin Martial Arts was sweet (love Lau Kar Wing's guando demo in that), but nowhere near Disciples sweet I reckon... but with Wang Lung Wei and Leung Kar Yan in debut villainous showings you might like SMA a little more for your tastes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ching li Posted May 26, 2007 Share Posted May 26, 2007 Disciples of Shaolin had more of a drama like feel to it. It was more than just your average kung fu film and that's why i enjoyed it so much. More importantly this movie had a well developed plot, something your normal kung fu movies don't usually have. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ironfistedmonk2003 Posted May 26, 2007 Share Posted May 26, 2007 I'm digging Disciples too, Fu Sheng at his finest and a nicely played out story. I am a fan of the Shaolin cycle films anyway and don't think there is a bad one amongst em but Disciples is probably the best overall film IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Egocentrik1 Posted May 27, 2007 Share Posted May 27, 2007 alone the intro is bombastic,Fu Sheng playing the iron wire set(tit sin kuen)... the intro Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Tosh Posted May 27, 2007 Share Posted May 27, 2007 Well, Fu Sheng is in top form I will admit, I just think the movie would of benifited bringing in another guy like Johnny Wang Lung Wei as a more dominate heavy. CKC is one of my favorite actors, so it was disappointing to see the guy not get in on the action till the very end. I take it this movie is where Steven Chow got the shoe idea for Shaolin Soccer? Yeah, that opening is pretty cool Ego, you guys are talking me into liking this movie more and more:lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member OpiumKungFuCracker Posted February 8, 2014 Member Share Posted February 8, 2014 I enjoyed this one quite a bit. Not the greatest of Fu Sheng's role but it's highly entertaining. Not sure why people say it's very slow when the story is very similar to Bruce Lee's The Big Boss. Can't complain about the choreography as I enjoyed it immensely. There's plenty of fight scenes to be had in this one as well, highly recommended folks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member OpiumKungFuCracker Posted February 8, 2014 Member Share Posted February 8, 2014 One more thing, Chi Kuan Chun is awesome as usual, this guy is slowly becoming one of my fav shaw actors ever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member teako170 Posted February 8, 2014 Member Share Posted February 8, 2014 I just happened to (re)watch this over the last two nights. Definitely better than I remember. The final was quite exhilarating but I do echoes Tosh's opinion that the antagonists were a bit weak. My biggest complaint was the final chapter. I would have much preferred CKC become involved in the final battle after Fu Sheng was mortally wounded. I think it would have created more drama and emotion between the two instead of what we saw in the film. Still highly enjoyed the film. As OKFC said, had a nice Big Boss feel to it. Fu Sheng certainly showed a good range here and his martial skills were looking their best to date. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member OpiumKungFuCracker Posted February 8, 2014 Member Share Posted February 8, 2014 I just happened to (re)watch this over the last two nights. Definitely better than I remember. The final was quite exhilarating but I do echoes Tosh's opinion that the antagonists were a bit weak. My biggest complaint was the final chapter. I would have much preferred CKC become involved in the final battle after Fu Sheng was mortally wounded. I think it would have created more drama and emotion between the two instead of what we saw in the film. I agree about the antagonist giving no weight whatsoever and weak, cause Fu Sheng was dominating all throughout the fights until it finally caught up with him and at that point, I kinda understand where the director was going with the story. CKC should have gotten way more screen time than he was allowed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Chinatown Kid Posted February 8, 2014 Member Share Posted February 8, 2014 One more thing, Chi Kuan Chun is awesome as usual, this guy is slowly becoming one of my fav shaw actors ever. You have to see Showdown at the Cottonmill dude if you haven't, it's one of Chi's best performances as well as Tan's! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member OpiumKungFuCracker Posted February 8, 2014 Member Share Posted February 8, 2014 You have to see Showdown at the Cottonmill dude if you haven't, it's one of Chi's best performances as well as Tan's! I have the movie, but the quality is just so horrid, with the aspect ratio so small looking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Chinatown Kid Posted February 8, 2014 Member Share Posted February 8, 2014 If your talking about the Rarescope version then yeah that's as good as it's gonna get. The print was badly damaged and thought lost at one time but I thought they did a good job cleaning it up considering what they had to work with. Despite the drab and faded color of the print I liked the letter boxed format of the film because you can see more of the action, especially Tan's kicks, without it being cropped off like standered format. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member OpiumKungFuCracker Posted February 8, 2014 Member Share Posted February 8, 2014 If your talking about the Rarescope version then yeah that's as good as it's gonna get. The print was badly damaged and thought lost at one time but I thought they did a good job cleaning it up considering what they had to work with. Despite the drab and faded color of the print I liked the letter boxed format of the film because you can see more of the action, especially Tan's kicks, without it being cropped off like standered format. Yeah, now that you put it like that, I will give this one a chance. Like you said, we won't find a better copy until then. This movie is under 90 mins? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Chinatown Kid Posted February 8, 2014 Member Share Posted February 8, 2014 Yes, 84 minutes..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member peringaten Posted February 8, 2014 Member Share Posted February 8, 2014 I like that the antagonists were weak & cowardly, had to do stuff sneakily, & the final chapter, CKC just goes & gets the job done, we always knew he could, but his inaction kept him out of trouble, but also led to FS's demise, but gives an inner conflict to his character... when the tipping point comes he goes out bosh job done, gives the final blow, doesn't even look back... love that now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member teako170 Posted February 9, 2014 Member Share Posted February 9, 2014 Having watched several AFS films of late, I'm really enjoying what Fung Hak On brings to the table. And what is with this cover?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member spannick Posted February 9, 2014 Member Share Posted February 9, 2014 hahaha, that is the awful Dutch VHS. they had a few Titles, all with such horrible Bullshit Covers... ONE-ARMED SWORDSMAN, ANGRY GUEST, BLOOD BROTHERS among them... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Chinatown Kid Posted February 9, 2014 Member Share Posted February 9, 2014 That is weird, the person on the cover kinda looks like J-Lo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Cold Bishop Posted February 9, 2014 Member Share Posted February 9, 2014 While I'm not usually the biggest fan of Chiang Tao as a main villain (and even Fung Hak-On could get pretty damn repetitive), I think it works here. 1) It keeps the focus on Fu Sheng and his own transformation and 2) It makes it clear that the main antagonist isn't one big boss, but an entire system. That's why Lu Ti is the most evil character in the film: he's also the most banal. It's also why he gets away with it: for better or worse, he's working within the "rules" of society. I've also wondered if the film wouldn't have been much more poignant if it had ended with the funeral pyre. In many respects, Chi Kuan-Chun entrance into the conflict seems like last-minute crowd-pleasing, a reluctance to stray too far from kung-fu film formula. In some ways, it cheapens the tragedy of the film. However, I don't think it's a happy ending. Chi Kuan-Chun knows all too well where violence leads. His refusal to play into the system is a point of virtue. As such, his entrance into the conflict, even for such a chivalric code as brotherhood and revenge, can't help but be a spiritual defeat, a despoilment of his ideals. Despite best intentions, violence is inevitable. Even more so, frustrated violence is the only avenue of protest left for someone on the bottom rung of the social classes. In many ways, the film is as bitter an examination of "martial-arts life" as it is one of class and capitalism. It's not a Shaolin film, but the specter haunts it. This is a world where the Temples, refuges of study and contemplation, have long been destroyed. It's a world where even the productive political avenues of Ming Rebellion seem to have been snuffed out. What means are left for a martial-artist? Either you have to conceal it, like Chi. Or you can became a hired thug for the growing merchant class, like Fu Sheng. The era of martial-arts virtue and heroism seems to be over in the face of coming Capitalism/Modernity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Cloud Hands Posted February 9, 2014 Member Share Posted February 9, 2014 Re: The poor VHS cover, I remember that in the 90s I had Ten Tigers From Kwantung on Dutch VHS. It may not be the same series as this though. I was always confused, because the cover had a still showing someone fighting a tiger.. that wasn't even from the film! I always wondered if my copy of 10 Tigers was cut. It wasn't until the 2000s and the celestial remasters allowed me to watch a larger amount of Shaws, that I realised this still must have come from Tiger Killer, a film I hadn't seen back then. I also had Fist of the White Lotus in the same VHS series, although that did have a decent cover that was actually from the film! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Cold Bishop Posted February 9, 2014 Member Share Posted February 9, 2014 It looks like a Shaw Brothers Giallo, like a cross between Tenebre, Opera and Trauma (Honestly, look up the posters). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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