Originally posted by QualityChimp
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Duel of the Seven Tigers is on Movies4men 2 on Friday night/Saturday early morning (2.35 am). It's named by its alternative title - Shadow of the Tigers, and stars Phillip Ko and Cliff Lok.
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Newbies...
Shaolin Iron Finger (aka Renegade Master). A bit of a potboiler this one with Carter Wong in fine form. Not a great deal of kung fu, but what was there was good. A neat little twist at the end in this one, and one of those great fights where multiple blokes have to take down a mega-baddie.
The 18 Bronzemen. Another Carter Wong film, with quite a downbeat ending really. The film is split into two halves, with the first half set in a temple and two friends' attempts to beat the bronzemen trials, to achieve the requisite quality to level the temple. The bronzemen were extraordinary - some were guys spraypainted, and others where men dressed up in full costume to look like statues. The whole Shaolin sequence has lovely production values. The second half of the film is about the efforts of the heroes to kill a manchu general, and features a very odd sub-plot about a 'man' who is really a woman (who never, ever looks like anything other than a woman.) This caused a bit of confusion! A bit of a Joseph Kuo classic this one. A well paced story with some well choreographed fight scenes.
Raging Rivals, aka Hard Bastard. A Hwang Jang Lee effort, with plenty of kicking and kinetic action. He plays a man who wants to smash the local mafia dude, and swaps brides-to-be at the drop of a hat. An enjoyable film, the setting has an oddly timeless quality to it. It clearly isn't set before 1900, but there is very little to contextise it.Comment
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Hey Prin,
I recorded that Duel of the Seven Tigers but haven't watched it yet. Thanks for the top tip.
I got a copy of Ninja in the Dragon's den of Davesol on these threads yesterday, can't wait.
Have you seen the list of films in the Film 4 Asian Film Series thread?
Stilt fight scene from Ninja in the Dragon's Den:
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Yeah, I was looking in the channel 4 thread. Good stuff!
I've got Ninja in the Dragon's Den too, the HKL dvd, but haven't watched it yet. Criminal, really. That's a great scene you posted, a quality laugh from the guy on stilts. I'm trying to space out the 'big hitters' in the viewing schedule, sometimes I like a simple, low-brow, warts and all flick, there's usually something to enjoy in most films. I've got about 200 on dvd, so there's plenty to plough through!
Duel of the 7 Tigers isn't a big hitter, but i think it's got a lot of merit, and well worth watching. Phillip Ko plays a karate expert who owns everyone, including a band of fighters who all use different styles on him. Cliff Lok and Sharon Yeung are on great form, the latter with plates(!), and there's a nice battle at the end that's fascinating to watch. Also, the beginning is great - there's a long sequence where each actor appears to show off their moves and there's a little biog appears next to each one. Hope you enjoy it! As I say, it's not thought of as one of the greats, but I enjoyed it.
I'm watching Born Invincible on Friday night, all being well. A Jack Long/Mark Long/ Carter Wong special!Comment
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I've got Born Invincible to watch, but it looks pretty ropey so I avoided it. Let me know if it's worth watching...
Fist of Dragon looks like it could be quite good:
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Here are some other films you might want to watch (most of these are real classics some very low profile all worthwhile)
HKL films
Legend of a Fighter (probably my favourite Kung Fu film)
Hapkido
Young Master
Warriors Two
Encounters of the Spooky Kind
The Odd Couple
The Victim
Skinny Tiger Fatty Dragon (a bit more modern but very entertaining)
In the Line of Duty
Not HKL
Legendary Weapons of China
The 36th Chamber of Shaolin
Incredible Kung Fu Mission (aka The deadly Mission)
Drunken Tai Chi
The Thundering Mantis
Fearless Dragons
Sleeping Fist
Tai Chi Master (aka Twin Warriors)Comment
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Pretty ropey is good! You can't beat a grainy, badly dubbed, slightly obscure kung fu film! Pure charm!Originally posted by QualityChimp View Post
Right, I'm a bit battered, so excuse any gibberish and/or typos.
This is a very watchable film. It's got very little story, what's there only serves to act as a frame for the fights.
Story - A kung fu school harbours a couple of fugitives, gets owned by Carter Wong and his henchmen, then Jack Long (I think) trains up on methods to defeat Tai Chi kung fu, whilst getting thrashed in the meantime. Mark Long takes up the mantle and fights Wong.
I liked it. Lots of varied scenes - swordfighting, kicking, brawling, a couple of inventive training and death sequences. The story is low-brow, but it only lasts 83 mins, and it's not boring, it's acceptable to explain the fights. The action is decently choreographed. The dubbing in the Prism Leisure version I watched was amusing, quite bad in places with random stops in the middle of sentences to match lip synch, and a high-pitched Wong voice (apparently a by-product of Tai Chi training). I really like the martial artists on show, and Wong puts in a very different performance from the stuff I've seen him in recently, as do the Longs. As long as you approach the fiilm with no hype or expectations, I reckon you'll enjoy it. There are some arguably ropey elements to the film - the dubbing, the production values aren't high, the simple story - but with a couple of beers the film has a lot going for it. Another one of those where if you just sit back without too many preconceptions you might like it more than you think.
Nice list, I'll look into these. I've got the ones in bold - is Fearless Dragons the Hwang Jang Lee/Philip Ko film? If so, I've got the Vengeance release.Originally posted by Morph View Post
I'm trying to grab some Shaw Brothers stuff at the moment, but I'm always on the lookout for other good stuff. I'm potless, so I may just put some of these on my Xmas list!
36th Chamber is a huge source of shame for me. Apparently a classic and I haven't got it....Comment
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Legend Of A Fighter is one of my faves also, I love that film and need to pick up the HKL dvd someday.
I'd recommend the Sammo classics like Magnificent Butcher, Easter Condors, Knockabout etc. Some of Sammo's films are real hard to get like Pedicab Driver, most dvds of that are rips of the old Made In Hong Kong vhs. Millionaires Express is another great Sammo flick with a stellar all star cast.
Yuen Biao's Righting Wrongs aka Above The Law (the edited and cut Western version) is a classic and On The Run is dark and amazing although lacking in real kung fu it's the story that shines, with a brilliant cast and I would describe it as film noir.
For Shaw brothers you can't go wrong with the Lau Kar Leung movies, starting with Heroes Of The East, Martial Club etc (as well as 36th Chamber and Legendary Weapons mentioned above). My fave Lau films are actually My Young Auntie and Lady Is The Boss, his love letters to Kara Hui.Comment
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I watched Duel of the Seven Tigers and enjoyed it in an old skool kind of way!
Particularly liked the plate spinning sequence and the way the bad guy keeps preening his hair.
I spotted the HKL edition of Naked Weapon but didn't pick it up and now it's gone, but I watched it on YouTube instead.
I was worried it'd be filth, but there's only 1 sideboob throughout on the YouTube vids. There's some impressive action sequences, but the plot has some serious holes in it. I guess it's best not to think too hard about it, and the gorgeous Maggie Q is there to distract!
I also tried to buy the Corey Yuen-directed So Close, but CEX had the box but no disc. Again, it can be found on YouTube though, so I'll try and watch it there."A mysterious woman, known as Madame M, kidnaps forty pre-teen girls and transports them to a remote island to train them as the most deadly assassins..."
Finally, I did manage to make a couple of purchases. I've seen them before, but no self-respecting kung-fu film fan should be without them: Police Story and Zu Warriors from the Magic Mountain."A conflict of interest between two high-kicking assassin sisters is complicated as they're pursued by the criminals who hired them and an equally high-kicking female cop."
Both are the Hong Kong Legends versions with Bey Logan's commentary on them.
Can't wait to re-watch them!
I'm more of a modern-setting fan, so I loved Skinny Tiger, Fatty Dragon, Morph, but loved a bit of Sammo in the frankly bonkers Encounters of the Spooky Kind.
There's a book out on Sammo, but it's quite expensive.Comment
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Does that mean I can be the thread rep on old kung fu settings then?
Glad you enjoyed Seven Tigers - very old skool, with crap film quality, a one dimensional story, and nothing fancy whatsoever. It has a charming quality to it though, and I reckon the fighting is well above average. If it's on movies4men2 then it's lowbrow, but this is a bit of a hidden gem for films of its ilk. Phillip Ko, bad guy, is one of my fave kung fu actors so far! The plate spinning is totally surreal, and Sharon Yeung wears a really cheeky smirk throughout the whole scene; great stuff!
Got all three Police Stories, and Supercop, but ... not watched yet! Shame, shame!
There's some good recommendations on this thread and I do intend to get them! I'm getting the missus' dad to get me a few Shaw Brothers dvds for xmas, stuff like Heroes Two, so there's an injection of quality to the collection! Shinobi7000 - I've got Heroes of the East, unwatched!!
Carl Jones has got a book on the way about Bruceploitation, all the actors given Lee-esque names and films during the mid-to late 70s and early 80s, like Bruce Li, Bruce Le, Dragon Lee, Bruce Lai, etc. There may also be a chance that a book written by Linn Haynes, the well-respected authority and fan of the genre, who died last year, may see some form of release.
So who are the best martial artists, or your favourites irrespective of ability, you guys have seen?Last edited by prinnysquad; 17-11-2009, 16:59.Comment
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My favourites are Lau Kar Leung and his brothers (including Gordon Liu), the usual actors Lau used including Kara Hui. Also John Liu, Yuen Biao and I guess many others who don't spring to mind right now.
Can't leave out Sammo either.Comment
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Really liked Gordon Liu in Fist of the White Lotus, a fast fighter. John Liu is a great kicker and very underrated.
I'd add these guys to the mix that I've enjoyed so far:
Hwang Jang Lee
Carter Wong
Casanova Wong
Phillip Ko
Cliff Lok
Mark Long
Jack Long
Masters of the lowbrow
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I think it is, its been a while since I last watched it so can't remember if Hwang Jang Lee is in it although Hwang tends to star as the villian in a lot of old school Kung Fu films with his name barely mentioned so its quite likely. Its this one - http://www.play.com/DVD/DVD/4-/18504...&ob=Price&fb=0 (aka Two on the Road)Originally posted by prinnysquad View Post
Quite a funny film too..but lol at the price here I'm sure I picked mine up for under a fiver from Play when they used to stock it themselves.
As for Shaw Brothers material Gordon Lui made some fine films here although I believe the ones I listed are amongst his best work. There is nothing better than watching a Shaw Brothers classic on a Sunday afternoon nothing else on television comes close
Last edited by Morph; 17-11-2009, 19:59.Comment
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Haha yeah that's the one. Why the hell did I think HJL was in it???
I think I got that for a fiver too. Some vengeance releases have skyrocketed on amazon - one I got for a fiver is 50 quid now.Comment
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If it wasn't for me stumbling across Jonathan Ross' Son Of Incredibly Strange Film Show on the 22nd of September in 1989, I'd probably would never have properly had a soft spot for kung-fu films.
My previous experience of on-screen fighting was grainy old kung-fu films or Mr.T taking it in turns to punch the big bad guy of that episode.
All of a sudden, there was Jackie Chan sliding down poles with lights on them, jumping through windows, sledging down mountains pursued by natives and fighting lots of people with moves faster than my eyes were used to.
So I have to say JC, but I've gone on to love the work of most of the obvious big hitters like Sammo Hung, Bruce Lee, Jet Li and Donnie Yen.
Special mention to Mark Dacascos who re-ignited my passion for martial arts cinema when I accidently caught Channel 5's showing of Drive years ago.
Sorry there's no unusual names in my list, but they're the ones that excite me the most!Comment
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