Feng Ku
The Deadly Breaking Sword
The legendary Ti Lung unites with Jackie Chan's kung-fu comedic rival, Alexander Fu Sheng, to defeat an assassin being controlled by the demented Doctor Guo Tiansheng. Acclaimed choreographer Tang Chia's action scenes and sight gags are bewitching to behold.
The Avenging Eagle
Avid international kung-fu films fans have a special place in their hearts for this outstanding martial arts drama, which marked the ascension of director Sun Chung and action choreographer Tang Chia to legendary status. Tang also appeared as the “Chief Security Officer” in this powerful tale of the Thirteen Eagles Assassination Sect of the infamous Iron Boat Clan. Ku Feng is excellent as the poisonously patriarchal leader of the killers, but conflicted “son” Ti Lung and vengeful victim Alexander Fu Sheng command the screen as consummate warriors united in tragedy. Everything is exceptional in this endlessly entertaining production: from the cinematography of Lan Nei-tsai, to the script by Shaw Brothers’ writing wizard Ni Kuang, to the editing of Chiang Hsing-loong and Yu Hsiao-feng, which deservedly won the Golden Horse Award.
Vengeance
One of the top rated films of the year and an instant classic, "Vengeance" is so loaded with Shaw Brothers filmmaking royalty, that even non-kung-fu fans will be left breathless with amazement. No screen team was more glorious than the "iron triangle" of director Chang Cheh and his dynamic duo of Ti Lung and David Chiang. The action mayhem created by acclaimed martial arts instructors Tang Chia and Yuen Woo-ping's younger brother Yuen Cheung-yan ("Charlie’s Angels" and "The Matrix: Reloaded" fight choreographer) gives David Chiang's hauntingly tense performance as the younger brother out to avenge his elder brother's death (Ti Lung) an even more mythical dimension. David Chiang won the Best Actor Award for his effort and Chang Cheh the Best Director Award at the 1970 Asian Film Festival.
Killer Constable
Kuei Chih Hung was famous for his modern day crime thrillers, his horror flicks, and even his comedies. But if the only kung-fu film he ever made was this one, he’d still be spoken of with respect by even the most ardent martial arts movie fan. Many consider this real life martial arts champion Chen Kuan-Tai’s best performance. As a deeply, even obsessively, dedicated Chief Court Constable, he illuminates the screen with fighting skill and emotional passion. Award winning actor Ku Feng is his equal, playing an especially homicidal robber-chief who thinks nothing of throwing all his men at their relentless pursuer. Lu Tsun and Huang Pei-Chi choreograph the many battles featuring such action stalwarts as Pai Piao and Ai Fei.
The Mighty Peking Man
King Kong comes to Hong Kong in "The Mighty Peking Man", a uniquely Shaw Brothers spin on the ageless theme of beauty and the beast. The beast, seven stories high and hailing from the Himalayas, makes his way to the jungles of India in the wake of a violent earthquake. The beauty is Russia starlet Evelyne Kraft, a sexy blonde Tarzanette who is the Mighty Peking Man’s best friend. Both are discovered by Danny Lee, a handsome young explorer who brings the odd couple back to Hong Kong, where Evelyne is almost raped and the monster runs amuck. Instead of the Empire State Building, the special effects laden climax takes place at the Connaught Centre, then Hong Kong’s tallest building. Plenty of action, location shooting in India, and an inter-racial romance make this one of Shaw Brothers’ most unique motion pictures. "Variety"’s verdict: “High camp, Chinese style.”
Black Magic
Martial arts hero Ti Lung gets to flex his dramatic muscle in this horror movie about evil magic spells. In a departure from his normal roles, Ti plays Hsu Lo who runs up against an evil black magic practitioner San Kan-mi (Ku Feng). San Kan-mi wants to seduce Hsu’s fiancee Wang Chu-ying (Lily Li) and places a death spell on Hsu and a love spell on Wang, hoping to kill two birds with one stone. Matters are further complicated when sexy widow Lo Yin (Tanny Tien Ni) casts her lascivious eyes on the tall and handsome Hsu. Fortunately for the spellbound lovers, Wang’s friends manage to find another veteran witch doctor to take on the evil San Kan-mi. Supernatural battles of epic proportions ensue as this bone-chilling tale of good versus evil races to a heart-stopping ending.
The Flying Guillotine
Esteemed director Ho Meng-hua attained cult status among kung-fu film fans in the West with his wild and wacky martial arts hit "The Flying Guillotine". His unique directing approach focused more on the devastating nature of the horrific weapon than the kung-fu fights. One of Shaw Brothers’ biggest kung-fu stars at the time, Chen Kuan-tai plays the leader of the ‘Flying Guillotine Squad’ a group of hand picked killers, commissioned by the Ching Emperor Yung Cheng, that use a deadly, beheading weapon to carry out the emperor's assassination assignments. It's actually based on a true story. Interestingly, the weapon used in the film was a complete fabrication because in real life, no one ever survived to tell what the actual weapon really looked like.
The New One-armed Swordsman
Skilful swordsman, Lei Li is wrongfully suspected of a treasury house theft. Lung Er Zi, another swordsman and gang boss, further incriminates Lei Li by giving false evidence. Lei Li challenges Lung Er Zi to a duel, saying that if he loses, he will cut off his right arm and retire from sword-fighting, Lung Er Zi, fighting with a special stick, overpowers Lei Li, who true to his word, cuts off his arm.
The Web of Death
It’s back to the Shaolin Monastery for one of the most unusual action-packed tales to invade its hallowed halls. Lo Lieh is the ringleader of the Snake Sect, intent on reviving a particularly deadly faction known as the “Five Poison Web” (which is also "The Web Of Death"’s Chinese title). To achieve his ends, he has an affair with the sexy ringleader of the Scorpion Sect, Angela Yu Chien. But there is also the Centipede Sect to contend with, as well as other assorted martial artists, among them such top Shaw Brothers talents as Yueh Hua, Ching Li, and Lily Li. Under the fluid direction of Chu Yuan and action choreographers Tang Chia and Yuen Cheung-yan (member of the martial arts world’s esteemed Yuen Family and brother of "Matrix" master Yuen Woo-ping), "The Web Of Death" goes places where no other Shaolin kung-fu movie has gone before or since.
Shaolin Intruders
A rare directorial foray for acclaimed martial arts for choreographer Tang Chia, Shaolin Intruders is an entertaining amalgamation of eye-popping martial arts and thrilling detective story. On a routine courier mission, the prestigious Chin Hu Chief was murdered by four mysterious monks. When all evidence pointed to Ching Hua (Liu Yu-po) his friend Lei Hsin (Derek Yee) was determined to clear his name by barging in the Shaolin Temple thrice. When Lei thought justice was served for the culprits, he soon realized the table had turned and the monks stroke again. What followed is a series of intense pursuit for the ultimate villain! The film is filled with jaw-dropping action sequences developed by Tang and six leading choreographers of the era. Scenes including the "Blade Array", "Twelve Vajrayana Array" and the acclaimed "Stool Array" are all lauded as the defining Chinese screen gems, for their insane complexity and lightning speed.
Flying Guillotine 2
In 1975, Ho Meng-hua, master of the “esoteric weapon” kung-fu thriller, started an international sensation with The Flying Guillotine. But while he went on to direct such further “crazy cutlery” hits as The Dragon Missile, popular demand insisted upon a sequel to the original decapitator-on-a-chain. So, first, they got a script by a trio of writers, featuring a new, improved “Ring-Chain Flying Guillotine” and the only weapon that can stop it, the “Toothed Wheel”. Next they matched Cheng Kang, the director of their popular true crime thriller The Criminals, with Hua Shan, the director of their superheroes Super Inframan, to double-team the project. Then they cast some of the best martial arts actors in their repertory – all ably choreographed by the often unsung, but universally respected Tang Chia. Finally they filmed Ti Lung as a fugitive from the emperor’s cruelty, against the whole F.G. gang in a blade-on-blade battle to the headless death!
The Young Vagabond
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.
Bat Without Wings
Acclaimed director Chu Yuan was credited for bringing mystery thriller ingredients into his atmospheric martial arts epics, and this is one of the most impressive examples. The title refers to the feared nickname of a notorious rapist and murderer who swoops down to destroy one swordsman’s fiancé and frame another. Or does he? The two tragic men team with a beautiful swords-woman to find the truth – only to discover incredible traps, ambushes, duplicity, avarice, and betrayal between them and the mystery’s final solution.
The Master Strikes Back
In 'The Master Strikes Back', Ti Lung returns to play a famous weapons instructor in this unofficial sequel to 'The Kung-fu Instructor'. After a famous weapon master's son is kidnapped and castrated, he embarks on a chaotic, whirlwind killing spree of slicing and dicing.
Have Sword, Will Travel
Legendary director Cheh Chang directs Ti Lung and David Chiang in the "heroic bloodshed" classic 'Have Sword, Will Travel'. As Hsiang Ting (Ti Lung) escorts silver to the capital, he runs into a mysterious knight, Le I (David Chiang), who becomes his savior.
Soul of the Sword
Famed actor Ti Lung plays a lone swordsman trying to defeat the "Number One Swordsman” as part of his vengeance package in life in 'Soul of the Sword'. He quickly learns however, that sometimes wanting is better than having.
The Dragon Missile
Only the Shaw Brothers Studio could conceive and produce such a spectacular clash of esoteric weapons. Fans of the internationally popular "Flying Guillotine" films will appreciate the continuous kung-fu confrontations with some of the most intriguing and exciting martial arts machinery ever seen on screen. The studio’s first international action star, Lo Lieh (who burst upon the scene before even Bruce Lee in King Boxer) leads the charge as holder of the title tool - an ultra-cool flying boomerang with blades. He must take on the terrible Iron Ball Chain, Golden Net, and other deadly devices to gain control of a special elixir which will cure an all-too-treacherous royal official. Tang Chia and Yuen Cheung-yan, the underrated giants of kung-fu choreography, stage some of the best sword on shield action ever in this fun and unusual fight-fest. There are double crosses and ambushes galore before the culminating clash of sizzling steel that has to be seen to be believed.
The Lady is the Boss
The pre-eminent martial arts moviemaker Liu Chia-liang came up with the novel idea for this exciting and hilarious kung-fu clash between an old-fashioned kung-fu master and a hip and beautiful marketing wiz.
The Supreme Swordsman
Three cinematographers, four martial arts choreographers, a separate action director, and a superlative cast brings to life the thrilling story of a malicious swordsman lying, cheating and stealing to get to the top, and the noble man who finally defeats him.
The Kung-fu Instructor
"The Kung-fu Instructor" is martial arts film director Sun Chung's loose homage to Akira Kurosawa's "Yojimbo" where unlike Toshiro Mifune's "Sanjuro" character being a snarling, bastard, drunk swordsman looking for a drink, popular actor Ti Lung's Huang Yang role, is an upright, righteous, weapon instructor looking to keep his limbs. Huang is a famous martial artist trapped into teaching kung-fu to the wrong clan while the opposing "good" clan tries to save him so he can instruct their members. Besides kung-fu comedienne Wang Yu starring in one of his few serious roles, Sun became the first Shaw Brothers’ director to use a Steadicam which gives the film's action and editing style a unique brand of tension and rhythm. The pole fights are also out of this world.