How far would you go for love? Or lust? These are the questions posed in this sinfully entertaining Sung Dynasty period effort. Split into two tales, the first one involves a devilish magistrate who tries to tempt a Buddhist monk out of his self-professed celibate control by hiring a pretty prostitute. The second story is the tragic tale of an exploited young girl, the queen of femme fatale Shaw Yin-yin, who is forced to work in an unscrupulous couple's brothel.
In one of his early contemporary martial arts actioners, Alexander Fu Sheng teams up with director extraordinaire Chang Cheh in CHINATOWN KID to battle the Five Venoms before they poisoned themselves into cult status. Although Chang was chastised for using San Francisco stock shots to make like it was filmed in America, it's reminiscent of Jackie Chan's New York stock shots for RUMBLE IN THE BRONX. But to CHINATOWN KID'S credit, the incredibly violent fights are immensely satisfying as man on the run Tan Tung (Alexander Fu Sheng), one by one defeats each triad gang related venom while succumbing to the seductive powers of the ultra-sexy Shirley Yu only to realize that, in typical Chang Cheh style, materialism and heroism leads to nihilistic desecration.
Fu Sheng , Kuo Chue , Sun Chien , Shirley Yu , Shaw Yin-yin
An unspeakable act of cruelty that tortures a beautiful woman to her death sets the stage for vengeance and horror in Sex Beyond The Grave. The betrayed beauty Hua (Kuang Mei-pao) haunts her persecutors from the Tao Tao Mansion. Terror and death even continue to pursue a professor and his family as they tussle with spirits who want to claim the life of his son!
Liu Yung, Chien Hui-yi, Ku Kuan-chung, Kuang Mei-pao
Yen Tzu-fei (Ling Yun) is a college and martial arts student. A letter from his father tells him that Japanese financier, Nomura (Ching Miao) plans to seize the family mine and forest lands, and that Ichimura (Chan Shen) has been instructed by Nomura to use force against him. Yen's father asks him to return home and help resist the threats. Once home, Yen introduces Kuan Yueh-hua (Ching Li), who he met during the journey home, to his family, and the attraction he previously felt for her, grows. Later, Kuan Yueh-hua discovers that her father is plotting with the Japanese to get Yen Chien-kuang's property. Nomura and Ichimura hire professional killers to murder Yen Tzu-fei.
Patricia Ha stars with Deanie Ip in her most famous and audacious role as a young woman rising to fame as a popular bargirl in this local answer to Hollywood's The World of Suzie Wong.
After many years as a respected actor (The Chinese Boxer) and action choreographer (Jackie Chan's Drunken Master), the Shaw Studio finally gave the dependable and commendable Hsu Hsia a chance to direct his own movies. He didn't waste the opportunity, inviting three other kung-fu designers to help on this fight-filled thriller. Wang Yu, co-star of such classics as Dirty Ho and The Kid With A Tattoo, here takes center stage as a young rascal caught between an anti-Ching Confederation and violent, vengeful Ching troops. But when he discovers that the good guys are led by master martial arts actor Jen Shih-kuan (Once Upon A Time In China) and the bad guys are led by the incredible Huang Cheng-li (Snake In The Eagle's Shadow) everyone knows that loads of great kung-fu is in store.
The "godfather of the kung-fu film," Chang Cheh, started a winning streak by making the internationally renowned THE FIVE VENOMS. He followed that hit with many more high-flying "bloody good" entertainments featuring the same cast in new roles. But of all the "Venom" movies, this one stands out as perhaps the most chilling. Masked killers are wreaking havoc and instilling terror with their vicious weapons of choice: razor-sharp, gut-shattering tridents. Only three fearless fighters dare investigate, leading to mass murder and magnificent martial arts. Chien Hsiao-hou, future co-star of Yuen Woo-ping's THE TAI-CHI MASTER joins the trio to get tri-pierced. The core "Venoms" themselves handle the intricate, always impressive, sometimes awe-inspiring, choreography in this unforgettable exercise in "grand guignol gung-fu."
Chiang Sheng, Chu Ko, Chin Siu-ho, Lu Feng, Kuo Chui, Wang Li
This glorious pageantry was awarded Honourable Mention for Drama at the 2nd Golden Horse Awards. Li Li-hua gives a magnificent performance as Wu Tse-tien, the most famous woman in China's more than four thousand year history. The screen fairly bursts with royalty, intrigue, tragedy, and triumph as the script charts her from her teenage years to old age.
Li Li-hua, Chao Lei, Chiao Chuang, Lo Chi, Yu Feng-chi
There are martial arts epics and "brotherhood hero" films but then there is nothing out there that comes even close to THE WATER MARGIN. Based on the classic novel and true legend, ALL MEN ARE BROTHERS about how 108 rebels bravely fought against the Sung Dynasty, just about every big Shaw Brothers’ star around at the time, David Chiang, Ti Lung and Chen Kuan-tai to name a few, were called in to do this film to make it one of the most dynamic films in the history of cinema. The film exhausts you with its wild and wooly, yet heroically primitive battle scenes that ultimately end in sharp and visually effective images of death, defeat and heroism. It won Honorable Mention for Dramatic Feature at the 1972 Golden Horse Awards.
David Chiang, Ti Lung, Lily Ho, Chin Feng, Yueh Hua
Chang Cheh's classic adaptation of the popular fantasy stars Fu Sheng in his signature role as legendary super-teen Na Cha, reincarnated to save his people from an evil emperor.
Fu Sheng, Lu Ti, Chiang Tao, Feng Ko-an, Yuan Man-tzu
This intriguing effort has more than a touch of both westerns and detective films in the martial arts mix. It lives up to its title as a noble guard is both attacked by bandits as well as betrayed by a relative. Then it's nephew against uncle, daughter against father, concubine against hero, and the law vs. vigilante justice before the last plot is exposed and the lovers are able to ride off into the sunset...
One of Shaw Brothers' highly successful film series based on the classic Chinese novel Journey To The West, this takes up where The Monkey Goes West, Princess Iron Fan, and The Cave Of The Silken Web left off. The Monk, Monkey and Pigsy find themselves in the title realm, where women can only give birth to women, unless loved by a man...
"Godfather of the kung-fu film" Chang Cheh had made stars of Jimmy Wang Yu, David Chiang, and Ti Lung. With this film, the sequel to the smash hit THE BOXER FROM SHANTUNG, he and co-director Pao Hseuh-li did the same for real life martial arts champion Chen Kuan-tai. Master of the "Monkey King Split and Deflecting Arm" style, Chen exuded incredible power on screen, which his directors used to great advantage in this fight-filled follow-up. All the title character did was win some money gambling with a Shanghai gang leader's playboy son, but that's enough for the father and child to want obsessive revenge. It all culminates in an incredible climatic fight, choreographed by the legendary Liu Chia-liang and Chen Chuan, co-star of Bruce Lee’s FIST OF FURY.
Forbidden love and magical weapons are at the centre of this enjoyable martial arts comedy. A reunited couple must recover the titular swords and avenge a murder from their past!
