Which movie (or actor's performance) exceeded your expectations?

[Guest Endsang]

Was sad to see so many great movies criticised in the "over hyped"-thread, so I figured we could name some of the movies or performances that really awestruck you beyond your wildest expectations. Doesn't hurt to back up the arguments as well, or tell us what you were expecting when you first got the movie.

I'll start off with a couple.

Heroes of the East. Ok, I expected it to be good from reviews and so on, but DAAAAMN! This just jumped up to my top 5, and I never thought Gordon Liu would handle all the different weapons so well. I'm used to seeing him wreak havoc with the Dao, so his fluid straight sword technique blew me away. He also worked wonders on the baton.

Drunken monkey. This movie is considered as quite bad by many, but I really felt I had to see it for myself. And come on, it was a noble attempt by LKL to recreate some Shaw magic. It's really too bad that one simply CANNOT make movies like they used to, mostly because of the wide audience one has to please. The movie was a bit too goofy at times, but the action was pretty solid, and I was thrilled to see veterans like LKL, Gordon Liu and Chi Kuan Chun showing true skill at their age. To me it was well worth it. The intro was awesome by the way.. I just love the classic Shaw intros with demonstrations of styles and techniques.

5 Shaolin Masters. It actually took a while before I moved down to the 70s, and I hadn't seen a lot of Ti Lung and David Chiang. This movie (and Shaolin Temple) was WAY ahead of it's time in terms of action. I had expected slower action, less moves per take and not as technical kung fu as late 70s-early 80s. I also expected alot less from David Chiang, who didn't have a solid martial arts background, but he performed really well with the chain whip, which is a hard weapon to handle for "beginners". Quite possibly in my top 3 movies.

Sorry, not Shaw bros, but I have to mention Dance of the drunken mantis. I was really sceptical about this one as it didn't have the star from Drunken Master, and I was expecting the movie to be nothing but a crappy sequel with the same plot and styles. How wrong was I! After watching it 6-7 times, I realized I actually enjoy this movie more than the original! (Sorry Jackie). The sickness boxing is probably the most creative choreography I've seen from the Yuen Clan, and Yuen Shun Yee is a true master.

Anyways, it's not my intention to make another "favorite movie thread", but I really want to know if there are any movie pearls out there with a bad rep they don't deserve. I think this is what I really love about classic kung fu movies, that they never stop to impress me, and pretty much always exceed my expectations.

[Guest Drunken Monk]

The Odd Couple - While many reviews label is a healthy kung fu comedy with more than its fair share of weaponry fights, many fail to mention that the fights we do see are absolutely flawless. Never in my life have I watched fights like these. When viewing the movie my mouth was agape for the whole 90 minutes. The handling of both the spear and sword by both leads is something to be reckoned with. My wife still laughs at me when she mentions my excitement in watching the film. to me, it just took the enjoyment of martial arts cinema to a new level.

Kiss of the Dragon/District B13 - both of these for the same reason. Modern, western martial arts movies were becoming a tragedy. Pretty much everything Jet Li touched after "Lethal Weapon 4" was horribly executed and wasted his talent. Both these films made me feel somewhat nostalgic when viewing them. They had that ballistic edge to them. They had solid story lines but when a fight came along the screen became an arena and I knew I was in for something special. No wires or low budget CGI here. Just up to date action.

I have to go home now but I'll be back with more soon...

[Guest Endsang]

I definately agree with you on Odd Couple, and I really liked the comedy in it too. I think Lau Kar Wing and Sammo Hung had great chemistry on screen, and should have done more period films like this one and Dirty Tiger, Crazy Frog.

I also agree on Kiss of the dragon. Jet Li's hollywood projects are really hated by many, but the action here is quite realistic and good, although completely different from what he did in the mainland and Hong Kong. I also thought Romeo must die was quite entertaining, but had some horrible wiring. We all prefer Jet's earlier works, but they're not as bad as everyone says, considering the circumstances.

[Guest Morgoth]

Dude I thought I was the only one who liked Dance of the Drunken Mantis more than Drunken Master! Brilliant movie. This thread is a breath of fresh air after reading the most hyped biggest disappointment thread.

[Guest oldeschool17]

Shouldnt this be moved to General Interest?

[Guest oldeschool17]

Ok keeping to the Shaw Bros theme:

Magnificent Ruffians: I typically only like Wuxia/costume era movies so i had the notion that this wasnt going to be that good(especially after watching Two Champions of Shaolin and being dissapointed with that). Good interaction with Wang Li, Chiang Sheng, Kuo Choi, and Lo Meng. Lu Feng shines as the villian and owns on the kwan do. A must have for all Venoms fans

Ill think of some more later on but this was the first one that popped in my mind

[KyFi]

New Shaolin Boxers for me. I hadn't heard much hype about this one, but figured I would enjoy any 70's CC movie. I LOVED this one. Great story and acting from Fu Sheng, some strong moral themes (kind of like High Noon, with the villagers just wanting to avoid 'trouble'), empty-hand forms, training scenes, empty hand and weapons fighting. Wang Lung Wei as a great villain, and one of Fu Sheng's best fighting performances---all with a classic heroic-bloodshed, poignant Chang Cheh ending. This was, to me, just about a perfect mid-70's Shaw movie.

[Guest jmungus]

12 gold medallions- hit me right in the face with sheer quality at a time when i wasnt yet too psyched about m.a. flicks predating 1974

thunderbolt fist- simply totally underestimated this one.

swift knight- boy this could just as well had been 'just another more or less solid' swashbuckler, but it turned out to be so much more (fun).

same goes for a few other late 60s/early 70s swordplay gems i do appreciate a lot (ie iron buddha, jade raksha)

long road to gallantry- couldnt possibly forecast this would turn out to be essential (undercranked and mad wire enhanced) oldskool gung+weapons shapes of the highest grade (mind boggling entertainment factor!! probably the craziest, most elaborate, smooth lookin wire-show from the house of shaw!!!)

disciples of shaolin- ive had a severely cut, badly cropped, engl dubbed copy for years and felt the movie was one of shaws most inferior outputs. that had certainly changed after watching the movie in the way it was originally intended.

legend of the fox- for years ive been comin across far more ppl dissing this venomous wuxia feature than ppl praisin its qualities (therefore expectations were low). bs! quite a good movie.

[Guest Morgoth]

Young Master exceeded my expectations. I saw it over 10 years ago when I was only about 14 years old and I had only seen a couple other Jackie Chan movies. I wasnt expecting anythign great from it and it starts off really cheesy and stupid, but by the end I was blown away. To this day it is still my favorite Jackie Chan movie. The English dubbed version is one of my favorite comedies of all time right up there with Dumb and Dumber.

Since this thread is in the Shaw Brothers section I may as well talk abotu one of those. Return to the 36th Chamber really blew me away. I remember getting kind of mad early on in the movie because there isn't much action, but as it went on I kept liking it more and more. Hilarious movie and the super long end fight is amazing.

[Guest Markgway]

Killer Constable... I never expected a classic but that's what I got.

[Guest Morgoth]

Killer Constable... I never expected a classic but that's what I got.

With a poster like that you should have expected greatness:D

[Guest vengeanceofhumanlanterns]

"David Chiang, who didn't have a solid martial arts background, but he performed really well with the chain whip, which is a hard weapon to handle for "beginners".

David Chiang was a talented stunt man for Shaws and an avid martial arts enthusiast. He ended up with a solid martial arts background, continuing his tireless training after his Shaws filming repertoire, with Liu Chia Yung a fifth generation master. This man actually deserves respect as well.

[Guest Iron_Jinon]

indeed..and need to mention in most shaw brothers you saw him using weapon or those set in modern time fighting "dirty" style,his hand to hand skills are sublime as can see from many flicks he made after left Shawn studios.

#"intimate confessions of a chinese courtesan" was nice surprise.title is not promising and some my friends hated it but I disagree to them.movie is quite enjoyable with some solid swordplay.

kiss of the dragon is good one too,best movie jet has made outside of china/hk.

[Guest ironfistedmonk]

A couple of Venoms films spring to mind, Sword Stained With Royal Blood and the already mentioned Legend of the Fox both had their detractors but both of them are pretty damn good IMO, how that end fight in SSWRB doesn't make this more highly rated I'll never know

[Guest will91XingYu]

I have to say for me Super Ninja with Lo Rei and Philip Cheung. I was expecting a low budget cheesey ninja film, thats what i got but with amazing fight scenes and Lo Rei is amazing in this film, the end fight is a great kicking fight. I was really hapily suprised by this one and recomend it to everyone.

Maggnificent Ruffians- I went to the the shop in chinatown after Life Gamble or Kid with the Golden Arm, but they had neither so i got the venoms film Maggnificent Ruffians. I didn't know what to expect, it was the venoms so i knew it'd be good, but wow this movie is seriousley underrated, the end fight is the best Philip Kwok and Chiang Sheng vs. Lu Feng fight IMO.

My Young Auntie- I knew the fights would be good, but i'd heard there was tons of lame comedy and it was slow to start off with. I can now say this film is one of my faviroutes ever! Hsiao Ho is the man! Lau Kar Leung's best end fight IMO, i loved the comedy as well, Gordon Liu and Robert Mak had me laughing so much!

[Guest Endsang]

I remember getting a real bad version of Shaolin vs. Wu Tang with cropped, low quality picture and horrible sound. I had also heard that it was a disappointment, since it was naturally compared to 36th chamber. But man, just the intro blew me away and the choreography was brilliant! Sure, the plot was nothing real special, and some of the training could seem like a rip off from 36th chamber. But come on, how could the Lau bros rip off themselves? They could have done a hundred more movies with this setting and I'd watch them all. Shave Gordon's head, give Adam Cheng a sword and use the most bad ass villain ever; Johnny Wang Lung Wei, and you have the recipe for a great movie. Love the Wu tang training sequences.

[Guest Drunken Monk]

"Wu Tang Vs Ninja" aka "Ninja Hunter" really surprised me. Being a cheap buy in the UK I scooped it up for about 5 quid. I put off watching it for so long because I thought it would be...well...shite.

One night my wife and I were low on kung fu flicks we hadn't watched so I stuck it in the DVD player. Wow! Fantastic fights and a ridiculous bad guy are only some highlights of this gem.

[Guest Drunken Monk]

I have to say for me Super Ninja with Lo Rei and Philip Cheung. I was expecting a low budget cheesey ninja film, thats what i got but with amazing fight scenes and Lo Rei is amazing in this film, the end fight is a great kicking fight. I was really hapily suprised by this one and recomend it to everyone.

Thanks for that. I've wondered whether this would be worth the purchase or not. Considering it's $6 I'm going to go ahead and pick it up.

[Guest D_Davis]

The Odd Couple - While many reviews label is a healthy kung fu comedy with more than its fair share of weaponry fights, many fail to mention that the fights we do see are absolutely flawless. Never in my life have I watched fights like these. When viewing the movie my mouth was agape for the whole 90 minutes. The handling of both the spear and sword by both leads is something to be reckoned with. My wife still laughs at me when she mentions my excitement in watching the film. to me, it just took the enjoyment of martial arts cinema to a new level.

I totally agree. This film is drop dead amazing. I FINALLY saw it for the first time about a year ago (I know, I know, it was in my pile of shame for not having seen it yet) and it totally blew me away.

As for me, I have to say the Chen Kuan Tai always surprises me. He is such a good actor, he has so much charisma. People always talk about Bruce Lee's on screen persona, but I think that CKT has an equally powerful personal.

[Guest Morgoth]

Thanks for that. I've wondered whether this would be worth the purchase or not. Considering it's $6 I'm going to go ahead and pick it up.

Hey if you get a chance check out Ninja in the USA. The hero and villain from Shaolin vs Lama team up in it. Awesome cheesy movie. Not on the level of Ninja Hunter, but I thought it was about twice as good as Super Ninja.

[Guest The Amazing Psycho Per]

Actor's performance that exceeded my expactations:

Chen Kuen Tai in The Master: Although there is use of a stunt double a few times, his skills looks really great in this movie, better then usual. He is faster, more precise and agile then in anything i've seen him before.

Performance/Movie:

David Chiang/Shaolin Mantis: I hesitated a long time before getting this one because of the bad reviews and the presence of David Chiang. I find him usually very sloppy in his fights. Man was I in for a surprise when I finally gave it a shot, being a Lau Kar Leung's fan. Only under the crisp choreography of LKL could he look that good... And the end fight against Lau Kar Wing using the pipe is just some of the pops best stuff.

Movies:

Shaolin Prince: Don't hear enough praise for this one... It's so over the top! I saw a preview and read a review that picked my curiosity, so I thought I'd give it a gow... Wow. This movie is filled with creative use of wires and great fires not to mentions memorable crazy characters. There's a guy throwing flame whith his sword for christ's sake!!! Any Shaw fans should have this one in they're collection. Did I mention it's directed by Tang Chia and starring Ti Lung? Great stuff.

Crippled avengers and most of the venoms movies: I saw Five venoms a couple years ago and fell asleep before the final fight. I didn't understand what the big fuss was all about. When I found out the cult following for those actors a couple years later I gave it another shot. The final fight made me realize this troup had potential. And then I tried Crippled avengers... I immediately became a Venoms fan and they have rarely disappointed me since (except for those crappy Kid with a golden arm and Ten tigers from Kwantung).

Challenge of the masters: Again I read so much bad review for this one that I waited a while before getting it. What a mistake! It's one of Lau's finest! The fighting choreo. is very surprising for the time better then some subsequent work of his (Executionners from shaolin comes to mind). Plus it has a cool training sequence that seems to have serve has a blueprints for those latter classics like Drunken Master (Mater/student in seclusion). Plus the ending while a bit anti-climatic (not a fight but a pao competition), was imo very strong and refreshing, sending a message of forgiveness so rarely used (if ever!) in kung fu movies... Great companion to Martial club, sort of a sequel to Challenge of the masters. Did I mention It stars Gordon Liu in the role of Wong Fei Hung and that there are fights between Lau Kar Wing and Lau Kar Leung + Lau Kar Leung and Gordon Liu? Definitely a must have for fans of the pops.

The Amazing Psycho Per

[Guest NoNiceTime]

Buddha's Palm is a great all around film that might get looked over sometimes. Classic stlyes like the buddhas palm and the foot monster was great. Loved Lo Lieh in this one too.

[5 Element Boxer]

Both Gordon Liu, Chia Hiu and Johnny Wang, Lung Wei exceeded my expectations greatly in Martial Club, particular during the final fight scene between the two. Martial Club was one of the last Lau Kar Leung-directed Shaw Bros. films that I saw. So I wasn't expecting any of the fights to be any better than what I've previously seen in other Shaw movies. And boy was I taken by suprise. I think I watched that final fight scene three times, back to back, the first time I saw the movie. It was mind-blowing how they fought and moved around in that small alley.

Shaolin Intruders, which is the last shaw Bros. movie I've seen, exceeded my expectations in every way possible. Everything from the production to the choreography to the acting, and so on, amazed me. I honestly couldn't believe I was watching a Shaw Bros. movie.

[Guest Iron_Jinon]

I`m not fan of lau kar leung but also liked that movie.alley fight is amazing indeed.wang lung wei does not often use kicks but in that he does and shows great flexibility.

[Guest Cesare]

The Shadow Boxing. After having seen The Spiritual Boxer (which wasn't really my cup of tea), I approached this one with caution. But I was very pleasantly surprised. It was so much fun...