Bodyguard Ah Sun is sent to protect his boss' son, only to meet and fall in love with his mistress, the gorgeous Joey. As the love blossoms between the two, the powerful boss finds out and all hell breaks loose!
It's a fact: the greatest martial arts movie character is Huang Fei-hung. But it's quite possible the second greatest character is "Beggar Su", one of the famous Ten Kwangtung Tigers, and a legendary Ching Dynasty figure. Little known director Liu Shih-yu decided to fill his telling of the character's life story with the best kung-fu actors Shaw Studios had to offer. He reunited the stars of Liu Chia-liang's landmark Dirty Ho -- Gordon Liu Chia-hui, Wang Yu, and Wang Lung-wei--added such other greats as multi-award-winning Ku Feng and Pai Piao, then gave workhorse Lo Chiang his shot as choreographer. Together they made a rare, colorful, action-packed adventure as Beggar Su and his brother train incessantly to defeat the brutally powerful thief called Centipede. Finally, after much death and destruction, Gordon Liu Chia-hui and Wang Lung-wei get a memorable rematch to follow their classic masterpieces in Dirty Ho and Martial Club. The result is not only reminiscent of preeminent director Liu Chia-liang's work, but essentially an homage to him as well!
Yen Chuan plays the weak emperor, whose obsession with his consort, Yang Kwei Fei (Li Li-hua) makes him ignore the running of the country and leave the reins to his Prime Minister Yang Kuo-chung (Yang Chi-ching), who also happens to be Yang Kwei Fei's brother. Unfortunately, the cruel Prime Minister's selfish decisions leave the empire in shambles. The Magnificent Concubine is one exquisite production not to miss!
A year before Lo Wei directed Bruce Lee in Fist Of Fury, he wrote and co-starred in this tale of a treacherous devil who wants nothing less than supreme power...and doesn't care if he has to murder the Emperor and use his own daughter as a deadly dupe to get it.
Chiao Chiao, Pai Yin, Tsung Hua, Wang Hsieh, Lo Wei
In one of their last films, Wang Ping helped veteran Yueh Feng to finish this saga of a murdered brother, a determined sister, and the suspects and swordsmen who both hinder and help in a search for a killer. Shu Pei-pei lends her exceptional talent to the production alongside hero Yueh Hua, who is her stalwart companion in a pitched battle to rid the town of all killers, gangsters, and thieves.
Cherrie Chung plays Rita, a rich merchant's mistress whose idyllic life as well as her neighbours' are shattered when violence visits the village. Both Rita and the coquettish Mrs. Wang are having affairs with the village postman. One day, Mrs. Wang disappears. A little lame girl, Marble, tells her grandmother that she saw two people quarrelling and one falling into the water one rainy night. When the police find no evidence of foul play, the precocious Marble and her friends carry out their own investigation. She gets in way over her head; now the killer knows there is a witness to his crime.
Cherrie Chung, Ku Feng, Chin Yen-ling, Tang Chen-yeh
The Manchu Emperor employs top Manchu boxers to smash up the Shao Lin Institute. Almost all the Shao Lin disciples were killed, but the fortunate survivors gather together to seek revenge…
Fu Sheng , Irene Chen I-ling , Chi Kuan-chun, Liu Chia-hui
The beautiful Ching Li works for her father's stocking company while treacherously becoming the secretary to her father's competitor Li Tzu-yang. They fall in love as she teaches him new meanings to the words 'mannequins' and 'hosiery'.
Ching Li , Tien Ching , Ling Ling, Ling Hsiao , Cheng Chun-mien
Commissioner Liu Ta-hua (Tsao Ta-hua) is arrested by special envoy Cheng Chih-cheng (Wang Jung) for corruption. Coolie Lin Szu-hai (Gordon Liu Chia-hui), who has unintentionally helped Cheng, is given a small post under Lo. Lin is smart and soon learns how to get dockside bribes. Later, he gets a regular spin-off from Adjutant Chang…
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon could be called "Swordswomen Two." Three decades earlier, Shen Yi, Essie Lin Chia, and Pan Ying-tzu took on Shaw's first international superstar, Lo Lieh for the Han Family Sword - making this a four-star treat for action fans.
Shen Yi, Essie Lin, Pan Ying-tzu, Chang I, Lo Lieh
As its name implies, Songfest is an Eastmancolor-Shawscope costume musical, traditionally Chinese and timeless in content; yet revealing a spirited and modern technique. Shot on location at Taiwan's beautiful Sun-Moon Lake, it's a turbulent romance between a passionate tea picker Sung Yu-lan (Margaret Tu Chuan) and a charming fisherman Li Chun-yang (Chiao Chuang).
Margaret Tu Chuan, Julie Shih-yen, Chiao Chuang, Lily Ho
The chase may be long, but the action is fast and furious is this tale of a dart master-for-hire and the innkeeper’s daughter, Hsueh-niang (Li Ching) who loves him. Kou Ying (Yueh Hua) is under deadly threat from a police officer after he assassinates a Government Minister, while Hsueh-niang is the target of murderous local bandits. The consummately versatile director, Ho Meng-hua soon to be declared a master of the “esoteric weapon” kung-fu film, develops his style with this sharp thriller that really gets to the point.
No list compiled of all the screen's comic geniuses would be complete without Michael Hui. He created a hilarious and lovable comic persona that was both uniquely Asian and universally beloved. The Warlord, his first film, not only showcased his incomparable sense of humour but also a revolutionized Hong Kong comedy. Evoking Chaplin, he plays a warlord in early 20th century China, but makes the role his own with comedy. Some of the sexiest ladies on the Shaw Brothers lot add on to the ingenuity of the movie.
Sun Chung had been recognized as an expert comedy and crime thriller director, but he was to gain even greater acclaim for his soulful, powerful, intelligent, and beautifully-made martial arts epics. This stands alongside The Deadly Breaking Sword and The Kung-fu Instructor as one of his very best. It's not so much the plot - a master swordsman protects a treasure chest on a dangerous journey - that makes this great, but what Sun does with it, inspiring the cast and crew to some of their finest work.
