The Best Shaw Film You've Seen Recently Is...

[Train in Vain]

Finally watched The Crippled Avengers. I enjoyed it. I wish they would have had more Kuan-Tai Chan and his Tiger style. The built it up quite a lot but didn't have enough actual screen time.

[masterofoneinchpunch]

Marge: Homer, he prefers the company of men.
Homer: Who doesn't?
 

 
The New One-Armed Swordsman (1971: Chang Cheh: Hong Kong):
 
Considering how much I like this, how little I have read about it, how few (if any) canonical lists it is on, I would consider this an underrated gem in the oeuvre of Chang Cheh. While I will have to ponder more on how I think it compares to the previous two One-Armed films from Chang Cheh (The One-Armed Swordsman, Return of the One-Armed Swordsman) I thought this was a blast and a worthy and last entry in the Shaw’s one-armed films (the character would continue elsewhere).*
 
The production values of this is sublime with beautiful sets and one of the best directing efforts in terms of cinematography I have seen from Chang Cheh and cinematographer Kung Mu-tu (aka Yukio Miyaki).  There is plenty of deep focus, beautiful composition that makes full use of the sets, foreground, dolly movements and complicated set-ups.
 
This fits nicely in Chang Cheh’s output as it focuses on male heroes (using the Iron Triangle of David Chiang, Ti Lung and Cheh), homosocial bonding, homoerotic content, revenge, Peckinpah-ish slow-motion and lots of blood lust.  The martial arts scenes come off nicely here as well.  I am not always fond (or else like with Tom Cruise my opinion of him has increased over the years) of David Chiang but he comes off well here.  He is more athletic than the previous Jimmy Wang Yu, though Yu does have a different type of panache that can play pathos well, though lacks the impishness that Chiang has.
 
I do think more could have been made about Lei Li (David Chiang) improving his martial art abilities.  He started off as a badass and ended as a badass with no obligatory training scenes for the one-armed-ness.  Though it is interesting how both Hero Fung (Ti Lung) and Lei found out the secret to winning completely separate from each other (though Lei did have a much longer time to figure it out – he must have been contemplating it over the years.)  I was a little annoyed by Fung not wanting to know Long Er-zi’s secret.  His steadfastness in thinking he was not going to fight him was a bit annoying (one would think any decent martial artist would want all information as possible before going into any situation.) But I had so much fun with this film I could easily watch it again, recommend it to other fans of martial art movies (who have not seen this) and wonder why Chang Cheh is not known as well as he should be.
 
One reason it took me so long to watch this was that it was never released here.  I just happened upon a used R3 version (Deltamac from Taiwan; I had to watch this on my computer) that appears to be exactly the same as the R3 IVL version.  This really should have a BD/DVD release here in the States. 
 
* Dr. Craig D. Reid had this to say in his The Ultimate Guide to Martial Arts Movies of the 1970s: “I once asked Jimmy Wong Yu how he thought these films changed over the years.  He shared that One-Armed Swordsman emphasized setting up the background story; Return devoted more time to the interrelationships of the characters, and more tricks were shown via weaponry and kung fu skills; and The New One-Armed Swordsman put more emphasis on the production, with many grand scenes.” I do wish in his capsule review that he had more to say about this film, though he has interesting information about the first film.

[Lady Jin Szu-Yi]

Nice review Master... I quite enjoy The New One Armed Swordsman (I think Ku Feng getting his just desserts was perfect), but I think Lei Lo was training by juggling those eggs, tossing cups etc. while he was working in the restaurant. It was a subtle way of letting us know he never forgot where he came from even though Lei Lo tried to, his muscle memory and small shard of ego would not let go. 
 

The last Shaws film I saw that really made an impact was Judgement of An Assassin (1977). I used to loathe legal fiction / films, but this movie really changed my mind about that. I may not work with my firm's attorneys directly, but hearing about corruption and the lack of justice made this film a bit more potent for me. I like to think of myself as more like Hei Mo Le (she who lives dangerously out of conventions ;)) than Miss Sek, but I've always been a little bit of a rebel even when working within corporate confines. 
 

Basically the bad clan Bai Du want to eliminate their rivals Sin Ha by blaming them for the massacre of the Golden Axe clan. BD do so by inserting one of their own into Sin Ha and this traitor allows himself to tortured and brought to trial for the massacre. Bai Du ask the retired martial artist Madam Fa to oversee the court hearing and it turns out Madam Fa can be easily bought.  Meanwhile, the carefree yet dangerous "Swift Sword" Hei Mo Le (David Chiang) becomes embroiled in the scheme when he follows the Bai Du wagon dragging the guilty party behind them.  In order to clear their name, Sin Ha enlist the plucky Miss Sek to investigate and see what she can turn up. In failing to secure Swift Sword, Bai Du select Man Ying Tai ( Golden Whip ) to rankle Sin Ha just a bit more. 

 

Madam Fa does not believe she's been bamboozled, even when her old lover, Old Hedgehog (Ku Feng) tries to warn her. And then we see who is really pulling everyone's chain, the nefarious Bloody Devil (Chan Wai Man) who wants to ruin his enemies so he can rule the martial world. Let's just say the Bloody Devil is on par with Kembuchi from Five Element Ninjas as a truly brutal, evil character. Chan Wai Man lets fly with some pretty crazy kicks (tombstone shattering) and vicious punches. He's got a great look too. And Chiang's Swift Sword initially antagonizes the Bloody Devil is an amusing way. 

 

When the hearing explodes and the Bloody Devil is revealed to be the puppet master, all of the many hells of China break loose. A fun final fight with some vague Peking Opera touches (flags) and other feats of agility. No spoiler of the finale from moi. 

 

David Chiang was utterly delightful here as Swift Sword, although he used a tonfa a lot more than his short sword, he looked he was having a lot of fun with the role. I regret that he and Ti Lung went their separate ways because Sun Chung's direction and ideas made both of them really act their tails off. And outside of Five Elements Ninjas my favorite Chan Wai Man bad guys are in Sun Chung films. Chiang plays off nicely against Chan Wai Man too. 

 

BTW, Tang Chia and Haung Pei-Chi came up with some great choreography for Chan Wai Man and David Chiang here. There's some splendidly bonkers wire work for CWM, but they exploited his vicious kicking and hand-to-hand style beautifully. Chiang got some playful moves too. 

 

Anyway, I really enjoy the characterization, story and the usual great Shaw Brothers costumes, sets and choreography. Sun Chung really knocked it out of the park here. I love this film more each time I see it. 

 

 

 

[Tex Killer]

Interestingly I watched new one armed swordsman recently which mentioned in this topic a while ago. From tvp bluray, about 20 years since I saw english dub 1st time..

I was still able to remember dialogue from almost word to word, makes me wonder how often I watched my uk vhs tape then?30?

Fantastic movie...

 

 

[masterofoneinchpunch]

Nice review Master... I quite enjoy The New One Armed Swordsman (I think Ku Feng getting his just desserts was perfect), but I think Lei Lo was training by juggling those eggs, tossing cups etc. while he was working in the restaurant. It was a subtle way of letting us know he never forgot where he came from even though Lei Lo tried to, his muscle memory and small shard of ego would not let go. 
 

The last Shaws film I saw that really made an impact was Judgement of An Assassin (1977). I used to loathe legal fiction / films, but this movie really changed my mind about that. I may not work with my firm's attorneys directly, but hearing about corruption and the lack of justice made this film a bit more potent for me. ...

 

Thank you.  I do not think of it really as training but more as you say "he never forgot where he came from..." More of the concept of no matter what he did he could not completely eschew his background.  It reminds me a bit of when I played basketball and I would do certain things like stick thumbtacks in 10ft ceilings and other bizarre things I could do with my leaping ability (In a strange way the scene reminds me of jugglers like W.C. Fields who would do tricks with their hands in movies regardless of where they were -- just a habit or as you stated "muscle memory.")

 

I think the flashbacks were more Ex Post Facto in that he really wasn't training but just having fun with his dexterity at the time but found a use for it to defeat Lung's use of his weapon.

 

Re: attorneys, but the way you state it sounds as if you work indirectly for a Defense Attorney office (or civil.)  While not the topic for it, I do think there are a decent amount of court/law films (Witness for the Prosecution, The Verdict, Paths of Glory, Breaker Morant ...)  Having known too many defense attorneys (and the suits against them) I am also a bit wary of thinking too highly of their rhetoric.

[Tex Killer]

 

 

I think the flashbacks were more Ex Post Facto in that he really wasn't training but just having fun with his dexterity at the time but found a use for it to defeat Lung's use of his weapon.

 

 

That is exactly how it was. Lei Li had given up on fighting at that stage and ti lung character still alive.

[Lady Jin Szu-Yi]

 

Thank you.  I do not think of it really as training but more as you say "he never forgot where he came from..." More of the concept of no matter what he did he could not completely eschew his background.  It reminds me a bit of when I played basketball and I would do certain things like stick thumbtacks in 10ft ceilings and other bizarre things I could do with my leaping ability (In a strange way the scene reminds me of jugglers like W.C. Fields who would do tricks with their hands in movies regardless of where they were -- just a habit or as you stated "muscle memory.")

I think the flashbacks were more Ex Post Facto in that he really wasn't training but just having fun with his dexterity at the time but found a use for it to defeat Lung's use of his weapon.

Re: attorneys, but the way you state it sounds as if you work indirectly for a Defense Attorney office (or civil.)  While not the topic for it, I do think there are a decent amount of court/law films (Witness for the Prosecution, The Verdict, Paths of Glory, Breaker Morant ...)  Having known too many defense attorneys (and the suits against them) I am also a bit wary of thinking too highly of their rhetoric.

Good points about Lei Li masterofoneinchpunch... 

I do some light work with attorneys from various backgrounds (have seen the first 2 films you mentioned btw), but, yeah, I know when a criminal defense attorney can try to make you see things in their light. I saw that so vividly in Judgment of an Assassin. 

 

 

[paimeifist]

I finally rewatched Invincible Shaolin. An awesome training movie, with great fights book ending it. The story is nothing special, but good training scenes carry the movie in the middle. It's nice to see all of the original venoms getting ample screen time, and they all look good throughout.

 

Sun Chien in particular gets to do a lot more than usual, which is nice, although I thought Wei Pai could have looked better in their bout. A similar style match up (Wing Chun vs Kicks) was done more effectively with Ti Lung and Tan Tao Liang in "Shaolin Heroes". All of the cast look great in the fights though, including Wang Lung Wei, who may not have a bad fighting performance in his career.

 

While it isn't among my very favorite venoms movies (I tend enjoy the ones with more consistent fighting and a bit more story a little more), it is still another great one.

 

Also, what the heck was up with Chan Shen in this? Guys eyes were blood shot as could be!

[Lady Jin Szu-Yi]

I finally rewatched Invincible Shaolin. An awesome training movie, with great fights book ending it. The story is nothing special, but good training scenes carry the movie in the middle. It's nice to see all of the original venoms getting ample screen time, and they all look good throughout.

 

Sun Chien in particular gets to do a lot more than usual, which is nice, although I thought Wei Pai could have looked better in their bout. A similar style match up (Wing Chun vs Kicks) was done more effectively with Ti Lung and Tan Tao Liang in "Shaolin Heroes". All of the cast look great in the fights though, including Wang Lung Wei, who may not have a bad fighting performance in his career.

 

While it isn't among my very favorite venoms movies (I tend enjoy the ones with more consistent fighting and a bit more story a little more), it is still another great one.

 

Also, what the heck was up with Chan Shen in this? Guys eyes were blood shot as could be!

Agree with your review paimeifist.

 

Not my favorite Venoms film by a long shot, but I'm glad Sun Chien got more to do here and a rare good guy turn for Lu Feng too. 

 

Chan Shen > have no idea. Residual effects of his possession by Dracula perhaps?

[paimeifist]

Agree with your review paimeifist.

 

Not my favorite Venoms film by a long shot, but I'm glad Sun Chien got more to do here and a rare good guy turn for Lu Feng too. 

 

Chan Shen > have no idea. Residual effects of his possession by Dracula perhaps?

I have to admit, I have tried watching The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires at least twice, and fell asleep both times. It could have been more due to tiredness than lack of interest. I plan to finally watch it before the end of this holiday season.

[Lady Jin Szu-Yi]

I have to admit, I have tried watching The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires at least twice, and fell asleep both times. It could have been more due to tiredness than lack of interest. I plan to finally watch it before the end of this holiday season.

My fondness for David Chiang and mixing local folklore with classic monsters makes it an easy watch for me.  I also see a bit of the creepy FX that were used for Tombs of the Blind Dead (the slow motion undead slaves of the 7GV and that perked me up immediately.) It might not be the perfect marriage of Hammer Horror and Shaws, but the fact that it exists makes me a happy Monster Kid. 

[KenHashibe]

Just saw Sun Chung's The Kung Fu Instructor last night. I love Sun Chung's other movies like The Avenging Eagle and A Fist Full of Talons and Tarantino has been quoted in calling it one of his favorite kung fu movies, so my viewing of The Kung Fu Instructor was long overdue. And it lived up to the hype.

 

I thought this movie was really good. This movie had everything that I'd expect from Sun Chung: an interesting story, fun characters, great performances, and exciting fight scenes. Also, it has the same theme song as Bastard Swordsman which is a plus.

[Lady Jin Szu-Yi]

The Kung Fu Instructor was a very good film; vaguely reminded me of Yojimbo in all the right ways.  I keep hearing about A Fist Full of Talons, eventually I'll track that down.

[paimeifist]

I need to give The Kung Fu Instructor another chance. I watched it once and was feeling kind of disinterested, and at the time just chalked it up to the movie not grabbing me like my favorite Sun Chung films do. I love everyone in the cast/crew, so I really owe this one another shot.

 

Also, I have seen you rant and rave about A Fist Full of Talons before Ken...but I never realized it was directed by Sun Chung! Now I think I will make a priority to see this one, and soon. I have been meaning to see more of Billy Chongs work anyway.

[Lady Jin Szu-Yi]

Some Sun Chung films take more than one viewing to register with me, which is another reason why I like his work so much. The Kung Fu Instructor was one of those movies.  Though I have to say "Huh?" at the A Fist Full of Talons bootleg blurb which describes Sun as the David Lean of China....

[KenHashibe]

The Kung Fu Instructor was a very good film; vaguely reminded me of Yojimbo in all the right ways.  I keep hearing about A Fist Full of Talons, eventually I'll track that down.

I think The Kung Fu Instructor was inspired by Yojimbo. They're very different movies but there is a resemblance.

 

Also, A Fist Full is fantastic. Definitely one of my favorites. It sports probably the most abrupt movie ending ever. And some animal cruelty. 

I need to give The Kung Fu Instructor another chance. I watched it once and was feeling kind of disinterested, and at the time just chalked it up to the movie not grabbing me like my favorite Sun Chung films do. I love everyone in the cast/crew, so I really owe this one another shot.

 

Also, I have seen you rant and rave about A Fist Full of Talons before Ken...but I never realized it was directed by Sun Chung! Now I think I will make a priority to see this one, and soon. I have been meaning to see more of Billy Chongs work anyway.

I think you should consider giving KF Instructor a rewatch. I thought it was exceptionally good.

 

Also, A Fist Full is fantastic.

Some Sun Chung films take more than one viewing to register with me, which is another reason why I like his work so much. The Kung Fu Instructor was one of those movies.  Though I have to say "Huh?" at the A Fist Full of Talons bootleg blurb which describes Sun as the David Lean of China....

I really like the atmosphere and soundtrack of a lot of his movies. I've heard that Tarantino has called Sun Chung "the Kubrick of Hong Kong." Sun Chung has quite the reputation.

[Lady Jin Szu-Yi]

Thanks for those tidbits about Sun Chung,  Ken. I haven't seen enough Kubrick or Lean to discern if Sun was anything like either of them, but I agree about atmosphere, soundtrack, along with excellent characterization. And the fights almost always were designed with the specific character in mind, so those feel like an extension of the characters too. So much to like. 

 

Yes, I am still laughing at your signature gif. So thanks for that too. 

[KenHashibe]

Thanks for those tidbits about Sun Chung,  Ken. I haven't seen enough Kubrick or Lean to discern if Sun was anything like either of them, but I agree about atmosphere, soundtrack, along with excellent characterization. And the fights almost always were designed with the specific character in mind, so those feel like an extension of the characters too. So much to like. 

Agreed. Notably strong characters in Sun Chung's movies. He has a recognizable style. Very talented and even a bit underrated too. My Rebellious Son is a movie that I've been seeking for a while now. It's directed by Sun Chung and stars Fu Sheng. This movie was made for me.

 

I'm surprised that after my excessive praise for A Fist Full of Talons, you still haven't seen it.  If you or @paimeifist get a chance to see it, let me know.

Yes, I am still laughing at your signature gif. So thanks for that too. 

Same here.

[Lady Jin Szu-Yi]

I bet you'll enjoy My Rebellious Son Ken. It's a very sweet and slightly goofy Sun Chung film (tailor made for Fu Sheng.) It's much lighter than most of Sun's output. I appreciated he stepped out of the horror zone for a moment to do this. Sun was alternating making fun / funny or very dark films for Shaws from 1980 on. And Fu seems very agile here which is an added bonus. 

 

Just saw A Fist Full... I can see why you enjoy it so much. I also appreciated the spaghetti western vibe which Sun seems to slip into his films every so often. Thanks for the recommendation Ken!

 

[Secret Executioner]

Revisited Shaolin Martial Arts for my second October mutual review on Animal Styles. Seems to improve every time I revisit it, and it has a great rewatch value.

[KenHashibe]

I just saw Hong Kong Playboys again this morning...I need help.

I bet you'll enjoy My Rebellious Son Ken. It's a very sweet and slightly goofy Sun Chung film (tailor made for Fu Sheng.) It's much lighter than most of Sun's output. I appreciated he stepped out of the horror zone for a moment to do this. Sun was alternating making fun / funny or very dark films for Shaws from 1980 on. And Fu seems very agile here which is an added bonus. 

I love it when Fu Sheng does comedy. I've seen a fight scene or two on YouTube and I've been dying to see this ever since. If I could get a copy of it, I'd watch it instantly, but I'm very cheap ($10 is way too much for a DVD in my opinion), so it might be a while before I finally watch it.

Revisited Shaolin Martial Arts for my second October mutual review on Animal Styles. Seems to improve every time I revisit it, and it has a great rewatch value.

That's another movie that I haven't seen still. I've been planning on it though.

[paimeifist]

Revisited Disciples of Shaolin, a movie I was underwhelmed by the first time I saw it after hearing great praise..

 

Now I am just trying to figure out what was wrong with me! I suppose I was expecting more excess and flashyness in the fighting?

 

Honestly, I think this movie does just about everything very well. The first time I watched I thought "Awh, what weak villains!".. Well the villains are grounded, and are not meant to be white haired masters, they're oppressive bullies. I somehow didn't take note of all the great non action scenes, brilliant acting performances, and fantastic characterization. Lastly, the action IS great.. Yes, it may not be flashy, but it is fantastic hard hitting shapes, like Heroes Two, but not quite as powerful.

 

I thought of doing a more detailed review, but I assume there isn't much I can say that hasn't already been said many times. I remember someone saying this movie doesn't have a fitting name on the KFC forums(Cold Bishop?), and I have to agree... That's about the only thing I don't like about this movie, its name.. For one it doesn't fit, secondly a movie this good deserves more unique name. 

 

Where is Cold Bishop? That guy had seemingly insane knowledge when it came to Shaws, and also film in general. :-/

 

 

I used to say I wasn't much of a fan of Fu Sheng.. Over the last year my appreciation for him has risen immensely. I didn't have time yesterday to watch a movie on his birthday, but I am glad I gave this one another shot today.

[Lady Jin Szu-Yi]

I just saw Hong Kong Playboys again this morning...I need help.

I love it when Fu Sheng does comedy. I've seen a fight scene or two on YouTube and I've been dying to see this ever since. If I could get a copy of it, I'd watch it instantly, but I'm very cheap ($10 is way too much for a DVD in my opinion), so it might be a while before I finally watch it.

That's another movie that I haven't seen still. I've been planning on it though.

Do you have access to iTunes, Ken? My Rebellious Son is $4.99 for an SD version, or rent for $2.99. $7.99 for HD or $3.99 to rent HD. 

 

Sadistic me just sat through The Weird Man again, bless Cheng Tien-Chi's awesome nanwu frightwig and beard. Once it gets going, it's utter WTH...but Cheng's portrayal of the Taoist priest and his plucky spirit is a delight to my inner kid. Apparently it's some kind of fantasy tweak of one character from Romance of The Three Kingdoms, but I don't care.  Once things veer off into the point of no return, cue bat gwano crazy, I'm good. And no way is it the best Shaw Brothers film I've seen recently, but in response to your mentioning you need help... I think I do too, in the case of enjoying utterly OTT bonkers Shaws. 

 

Oh and Shaolin Martial Arts is quite good. 

[Secret Executioner]

Revisited Disciples of Shaolin, a movie I was underwhelmed by the first time I saw it after hearing great praise..

 

Now I am just trying to figure out what was wrong with me! I suppose I was expecting more excess and flashyness in the fighting?

 

Honestly, I think this movie does just about everything very well. The first time I watched I thought "Awh, what weak villains!".. Well the villains are grounded, and are not meant to be white haired masters, they're oppressive bullies. I somehow didn't take note of all the great non action scenes, brilliant acting performances, and fantastic characterization. Lastly, the action IS great.. Yes, it may not be flashy, but it is fantastic hard hitting shapes, like Heroes Two, but not quite as powerful.

 

I thought of doing a more detailed review, but I assume there isn't much I can say that hasn't already been said many times. I remember someone saying this movie doesn't have a fitting name on the KFC forums(Cold Bishop?), and I have to agree... That's about the only thing I don't like about this movie, its name.. For one it doesn't fit, secondly a movie this good deserves more unique name. 

 

Where is Cold Bishop? That guy had seemingly insane knowledge when it came to Shaws, and also film in general. :-/

 

 

I used to say I wasn't much of a fan of Fu Sheng.. Over the last year my appreciation for him has risen immensely. I didn't have time yesterday to watch a movie on his birthday, but I am glad I gave this one another shot today.

I think it was Cold Bishop. He also pointed out that the characters in this film were similar to the ones (portrayed by the same actors) from other Shaolin Cycle films - just in a more modern setting. I eventually brought this up in my Shaolin Martial Arts review:

While the previous films - Heroes Two and Men from the Monastery - dealt with Fong Sai-Yuk and the burning of Shaolin Temple this movie [Shaolin Martial Arts] is obviously set a few generations later (not as much as Disciples of Shaolin which is set in much more recent times though having characters reminiscent of the Shaolin-era people played by the same actors)

 

Anyway, glad it grew on you because it is one of my favorite Fu Sheng films.  

[KenHashibe]

Do you have access to iTunes, Ken? My Rebellious Son is $4.99 for an SD version, or rent for $2.99. $7.99 for HD or $3.99 to rent HD. 

 

Sadistic me just sat through The Weird Man again, bless Cheng Tien-Chi's awesome nanwu frightwig and beard. Once it gets going, it's utter WTH...but Cheng's portrayal of the Taoist priest and his plucky spirit is a delight to my inner kid. Apparently it's some kind of fantasy tweak of one character from Romance of The Three Kingdoms, but I don't care.  Once things veer off into the point of no return, cue bat gwano crazy, I'm good. And no way is it the best Shaw Brothers film I've seen recently, but in response to your mentioning you need help... I think I do too, in the case of enjoying utterly OTT bonkers Shaws. 

 

Oh and Shaolin Martial Arts is quite good. 

I don't really use iTunes. For Shaw Brothers movies, I either buy the DVD's/VCD's or wait for them to get released on Hulu for free (Most of the movies are dubbed, which I don't mind). If I had El Rey Network, my problems would be over.

 

I've never seen The Weird Man, but I've heard a lot about it. Some people love it while others flat out hate it. I think I should give it a watch eventually.

 

Shaolin Martial Arts is on Hulu. I'll try to watch it soon.