On a continent which reveres its martial arts, the director's nickname is "Kung-fu Liang" - holder of a filmography unprecedented in its innovation of theme, ingeniousness of plot, and imagination of its astonishingly designed kung-fu. This production is clearly the culmination of his initial Shaw Brothers work - the film which he used as a showcase for his and his brothers' - Chia-yung and Gordon Lui - skills. In the premiere, groundbreaking book on the genre, Martial Arts Movies, author Ric Meyers called it "the quintessential martial arts movie" and perhaps the greatest kung-fu movie ever made. Showing prescience customary with this visionary, the plot revolved around early 20th century pugilists vainly attempting to find a kung-fu which could defeat the bullet... years before the same theme would be used in Once Upon A Time In China. It also features the rarely dramatized magician-spies of China, who would ultimately inspire the Japanese ninja. But most importantly, it is a beautifully made action comedy featuring international fan favorite Alexander Fu Sheng and supremely brilliant kung-fu.
Liu Chia-liang , Liu Chia-yung , Hui Ying-hung , Gordon Liu
In swordplay movies, females played a more central role in the plots and the swordswomen created in the genre are some of the most charismatic figures in Hong Kong cinema thanks in great part to Cheng Pei-pei. In The Jade Raksha, Cheng Pei-pei becomes a human combine harvester as she hacks and whacks a path through life avenging the death of her family under the moniker "The Jade Raksha." Cheng Pei-pei gained international recognition in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.
Director Hsu Cheng-hung, much credited with the revolution of wuxia cinema in the 1960s returns to offer up another genre-bending take on the martial arts movie. This time it's Romeo and Juliet in the Chinese underworld! When Grand Master student Yu Chien-wen (Chang Yi) falls for Chiao Chiao (the dazzling and energetic Cheng Pei-pei), the daughter of arch enemy, the Poison Master, we know they are in for trouble. And when Chiao Chiao kills another clan in Yu's name, the Grand Master's clan is unable to stand by. But Yu is too much in love to obey orders...
In this third instalment of Shaw Brother’s Journey to the West, Monk Tang San Zang (Ho Fan) is trapped by seven seductive spiders, hell-bent on achieving immortality by eating him! Monkey (Chou Lung Chang), Pigsy (Peng Peng) and Sha Wu Jing (Tien Shun) have to fight with the spiders to rescue Monk Tang San Zang.
Hui Ying-hung stars in Long Road To Gallantry, a riveting swordswoman epic, in a quest to find a missing martial arts manual. This movie starts when roving swordsman Tu Meng-fei (Ho Chia-chin) chances to rescue a female pupil Mu Wan-erh (Rosamund Kwan) and later, another girl Li Sai-nan (Hui Ying-hung) from underworld leader Leng Tien-lei (Lung Tien-chiang). Li wants to take vengeance on Leng who murdered her parents. Leng, at the same time, is Mu's long-lost father...
Hui Ying-hung, Ho Chia-chin, Kuan Tzu-lin, Pai Piao
Another iconoclastic work from the action auteur Chang Cheh, and winner of Honourable Mention for Dramatic Feature at the 13th Golden Horse Awards, 7-MAN ARMY retells the legend of seven patriots during the Sino-Japanese War. In 1933, 20,000 Japanese soldiers and 50 tanks invaded the Pa Tou Lou Tzu, a strategic key point of the Great Wall. With only seven men stationing, these heroes took on the entire army for five days before succumbing. When the Japanese entered the building to find the seven battered bodies, they buried them in honor and recognized them as "The Seven Heroes of China" in the Japanese military records.
David Chiang, Ti Lung, Chen Kuan-tai, Alexander Fu Sheng
Martial arts beauty Chung Kui (Cheng Pei Pei) nurses her wounds in defeat from her enemy, the evil Black Demon (Wang Hsieh). One day, in walks fiery young do-gooder, Tsui Ping (Shih) who bites off more than she can chew. Chung comes to her rescue, and decides it is time to face the Black Demon and his invincible “Shadowless Claw”.
One of Hong Kong's top directors reunited with its biggest comedy star after several previous hits (ROYAL SCOUNDREL, JUSTICE, MY FOOT) – only this time their subject was the gods themselves. Internationally proclaimed comic genius Stephen Chow plays petty, arrogant god Dragon Fighter Lo Han, who is changed into "Monk Chai" and ordered to alter the fates of three bad people on Earth, lest he be retransmigationized. Unfortunately for him (but to any viewer's delight), the trio he finds are a prostitute (played by the radiant, remarkably talented Maggie Cheung Man-yuk), a beggar (played by award-winning actor Anthony Wong), and a cold-blooded killer. Chow and To wring honest pathos and many laughs from this wonderful scenario, ably supported by the star's welcome sidekick Ng Man-tat and vaunted action director Ching Siu-tung (the director of A CHINESE GHOST STORY and the producer of THE HEROIC TRIO).
Stephen Chiau, Maggie Cheung, Ng Man-tat, Anthony Wong
In the same year, director/writer Chang Cheh and star Jimmy Wang Yu revolutionized Hong Kong kung-fu cinema with One-Armed Swordsman, they also collaborated on this epic of the Six Kingdoms era. Here, Yu is a two-armed swordsman who is also a Wei Empire patriot. Inside the Han Empire, Han Kuei who comes from the royal family, is actually assumed full power and he wants to eliminate loyal officer Yen Sui. Later, our main character is betrayed by a jealous rival and becomes a village butcher. When he meets Yen Sui accidentally, he is sent back on the road of vengeance. Chiao Chiao, the lovely and talented costar of One-Armed Swordsman, here plays Hsia Ying, the love of the hero's life, and the strong woman who survives to protect their child.
Wang Yu, Chiao Chiao, Li Hsiang-chun, Tien Feng, Huang Chung-shun
During the financial crisis, a vast majority of Hong Kong people were experiencing difficulties in repaying debts. During this time, the despicable loan sharks use ruthless ways to force debtors to repay their loans and it is up to Officer Lee and his underground team to hunt down the head of the illegal organization.
Ask any martial arts movie aficionado for his or her list of all-time action greats, and there's a good chance that Killer Clans ranks somewhere near the top. Based on a popular swordplay novel, Killer Clans (whose Chinese title literally translates into the poetic "Meteor, Butterfly, Sword") has enough conspiracies, stratagems, and sword fights to make even non-action fans happy. They are masterfully staged by Yuen Cheung-yan, brother of Matrix martial arts choreographer Yuen Woo-ping. The cast includes some of Shaw Brothers' leading swordsmen and swordswomen, and they bring to life the novel's epic battles between underground clans, where the line between good and evil is not always so clear-cut or obvious.
It is love beyond the grave, as a young scholar and his beautiful lover are torn apart forever by his dastardly uncle and his friend, who drive the girl to commit suicide... but with death comes revenge for the enchanting ghost. A spooky yet heart-wrenching tale...
Chang Mei-yao , Yang Li-hua , Lei Ming , Tsui Fu-sheng
Liu Yung plays a young man at the wrong place at the wrong time. Simply because he displeased a police inspector, he’s thrown into jail. But even when he’s released, the police persecute him until he has no choice but to become a real criminal. Only a kind and beautiful probation officer, played by Fanny, is on his side, but she is not enough to help him…
A resourceful martial artist Shen Lang (David Chiang) attended a conference with other kung fu experts discuss avenging on Huan His-wang, a notorious gangster who had killed countless people in the martial world. But meanwhile Shen's fiancée, Chu Chi-chi (Ching Li), an arrogant and pretty girl, arrived at the conference and caused troubles without any reason. Embarrassed by her behaviour, Shen left the conference with Chu immediately. Both of them go on their pursue of Huan, but falls into a murder plot set up by Huan...
