This is considered by most aficionados to be the first great Kung Fu genre film to come out of Hong Kong in the 1960′s and is most certainly a great film by any standard. Produced by the inimitable Shaw Brothers and written and directed by King Hu, this film is an absolute technical masterpiece that defied the stereotypical films of Hong Kong at that time. The script, plot, performances, fight choreography, cinematography (compliments of master Tadashi Nishimoto) as well as direction and production values far surpassed the Hong Kong films of the era. One can make a very strong argument that the golden age of Hong Kong film making began with “Come Drink With Me” and ended with Bruce Lee’s passing.

At the time of this film’s release in 1966, it was selected as the Hong Kong entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 39th Academy Awards, but was not accepted as a nominee.

There are many remarkable and notable things about the film: Jackie Chan claims to be one of the choir children in the opening scenes. Pei Pei Chang plays Golden Swallow, at a time when female action stars were unheard of. Hua Yueh turns in a masterful performance as “Drunk Cat” (Fan Tai Pei).

The plot revolves around a general’s son who is taken hostage and used as leverage to free a bandit leader. The general’s other offspring, a girl named Golden Swallow, is sent to rescue the son. When the bandit gang encounter the Golden Swallow in a local inn, the prisoner negotiation escalates to bloodshed and the kidnappers are beaten to a pulp.

A local drunk beggar named Fan Tai Pei acts as Golden Swallow’s guardian angel, secretly helping her avoid being ambushed at night. That morning Fan Tai Pei, whom we now know only as “Drunken Cat” tips off Golden Swallow to the bandits whereabouts. They have occupied a Buddhist monastery.

Under the guise of an acolyte, Golden Swallow penetrates the temple and confronts the man who’s taken her brother hostage. During the brawl she is injured by a deadly, poisoned dart. She escapes and is rescued in the woods by Fan Tai Pei who nurses her back to health. While she’s convalescing, Golden Swallow learns that Fan is actually a martial arts master and a leader of a Kung Fu society, which he otherwise keeps a secret.

The monastery is led by an evil abbot, Liao Kung, who is also a kung fu master and has allied himself with the bandits. He finds out that the beggar carries a bamboo staff and then realises that the beggar is the former student of the same master. The abbot has in fact killed their master in order to get his bamboo staff, which was rescued by Fan Tai Pei. Now abbot Liao Kung sees the opportunity to gain control of the staff.

Fan Tai Pei is hesitant to confront Liao Kung for two reasons. First, Liao Kung’s Kung Fu skills are unparalleled, and he thinks he has no chances against him, or at the very least, one of them would not survive a confrontation. Second, despite his evil ways, Liao Kung has actually done a good deed to Fan Tai Pei: he persuaded the master to accept Fan Tai Pei into the Green Wand Kung-Fu school when he was a mere homeless orphan, thus giving him a chance in life. For this reason, Fan is reluctant to fight the abbot even though Fan knows about the abbot’s criminal deeds.

In order to release the General’s son, Fan stages a prisoner exchange. During the exchange, the government soldiers receive the General’s son, but Fan prevents the bandits from releasing their leader. As the government soldiers march the bandit leader back to prison, the bandits attack the procession. Golden Swallow, leading her female warriors, fights off the bandits. The evil abbot forces a showdown with Fan Tai Pei.

And the rest, as they say, is history…

The Guy with the Secret Kung Fu stars Meng Fei and Li Chung Chien as two anti-Qing rebels and kung fu fighters who frequently rescue damsels in distress. The action kicks off when thugs try to board a boat carrying a pretty lady and  the two heroes (who are fishing nearby) leap onto the boat and proceed to kick some ass. Based on this exploit, the two are later recruited to go after the evil “Dragon Gang”. This slim plot line serves as the perfect excuse to go on an ass kicking spree throughout the Chinese countryside.

The wonderful Wang Hsieh co-stars as a corrupt official and Sally Chen Sa Li play to perfection the icily beautiful female head of the Dragon Gang. With an artful flourish of classic Kung Fu camp, a Taoist monk uses his spells to turn a massive fighter (Cheng Fu Heng) into an unstoppable zombie warrior and the coffin maker’s daughter (Nancy Yen) joins in to helps out the two heroes by teaching them Dragon Fist. It all culminates in a series of superb high flying battles with the two chief villains.

The real surprise here is Li Chung Chien as Meng Fei’s partner. He’d earlier appeared with Meng in “The Invincible Kung Fu Trio” a lesser known Kung Fu film from the same director, Joe Law. Li’s technique and acting are spot on, and it is a shame that he didn’t make more films like this one. Enjoy!

In this classic martial arts film, Lo (Hwang Jang Lee) is a Kung Fu fighter who kills for money schooled in the powerful Eagle’s Claws style of fighting. Lo is hired to kill a man named Tai (John Chang), and Tai prepares himself by seeking out a Kung Fu master to teach him the Eagle Fist style so that he may combat Lo’s flesh shredding Eagle’s Claws.

John Chang assumes the typical “Kung Fu revenge movie” country bumpkin persona, who’s desperate to learn the arts. His first choice of Sifu turns out to be a real disappointment until he meets a beggar who saves him from some thugs. The beggar soon agrees to teach Tai all he knows. Hwang enters the fray as an evil Eagle Claw assassin when he is hired to take out Tai and the Beggar by the defeated thugs stuttering boss.

Lo kills the Beggar, leaving Tai to go head to head with him in an extended duel to the death. The final scenes feature some very fine Taekwondo style high kicking from Hwang Jang Lee. Hwang makes this film watchable and his style is fairly flawless. A must see for all Taekwondo connoisseurs.

Tai Chi Master is the greatest “wire-fu” film from director and choreographer Yuen Woo-ping, best known as the martial-arts choreographer of the Matrix, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Kill Bill films. “Wire-fu” films were became popular during the martial arts film resurgence of the late 80s and early 90s, and in terms of fight choreography, this is arguably the best of the entire sub-genre. Tai Chi Master demonstrated Jet Li’s martial-arts abilities at their most frenetic and fluid, and he was at the peak of his athletic prowess. It also features one of action queen Michelle Yeoh’s finest performances in a Wuxia period piece.

Li and Yeoh are supported by an equally athletic cast, led by the remarkable Chin Siu-hou, who plays the villan to Li’s hero. Chin steals every scene, even when he is being beaten to a bloody pulp. Li and Chin play best friends Jun and Tien, who grow up in Shaolin Buddhist Temple during the Manchu Dynasty.

The film pays homage to the 70s Shaw Brothers films, and the closing scene in the temple is only the first of a series of amazing martial arts set pieces. Jun and Tien’s dispositions lead them to two different paths in life; Jun joins the rebellion against the cruel Manchu regime, while Tien joins the army.

When Li fires up his other worldly Tai Chi skills, the results are some of the best boxing scenes the “wire-fu” genre has ever witnessed. Tai Chi Master established Jet Li and Michelle Yeoh as the best martial arts actors in the business, and Yuen the best choreographer. This film is worth your time. Enjoy!

This “Brucesploitation” classic was billed as starring the “3 Greatest Masters! Bruce Lee, Fred Williamson, Ron Van Clief”. This is Brucesploitation at its finest (cheesiest) moment and unabashedly pure exploitation schlock. Oh, and yes, it is hysterically, unintentionally funny. Despite what many purists would consider a “disgrace” to the name of Bruce Lee, this film serves as more of a campy action packed tribute, with footage of Bruce artfully spliced into the mix.

The plot you ask? Madison Square Garden is hosting a tournament to determine who will be Bruce’s successor. Enter Oscar-winner Adolph Caesar as the hokey announcer, Fred “The Hammer” Williamson and Ron Van Clief as the boxer. Through a series of flashbacks and cut scenes, a fictionalized tapestry of the Bruce Lee story is woven.

Clips from an old Chinese soap opera are re-dubbed to make Bruce’s “biography,” which then introduce a flashback-IN-a-flashback (got that?) about Bruce’s great-grandfather, who was apparently a samurai. The footage for this segment is taken from the “Invincible Super Chan” (a cult classic in its own right – wire tricks, a midget, and some guy with an abacus – yes, a true classic). Who knows what the writer was smoking when he wrote this, but if I had to guess, I would venture some of that golden triangle sticky icky icky (Thai Stick maybe?). No matter, the guy’s a B Movie genius.

Fist of Fear is a non-stop laugh fest, from Williamson’s girlfriend who insists on “making it a six-pack”, to Fred being mistaken for Harry Belafonte, to Bill Louie’s cameo as Green Hornet’s Kato (he kills a would-be rapist with shurikens!) to the special appearance of Grand Master Ron Van Clief (the Black Dragon!).

In the end, the tournament finale is fairly bland with Adolph Caesar’s final words about there being “no true successor to such a master” making all of this films slight offenses alright. I recommend you watch this film, then repent immediately by doing 5 flying eagle kata’s and 2 spinning axe kicks. Amen!

While the rest of the world was transfixed with Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, Sonny Chiba and their countless clones, “Jimmy” Wang Yu was creating several minor masterpieces that have been overlooked by many hardcore fans, but still remains as an enormous and apparent influence upon today’s martial arts films. Along with Jimmy’s now classic “One Armed Boxer” series is another under-rated Shaw Brothers epic, “The Return of the Chinese Boxer.”

Jimmy has a style all his own. He is not, by any stretch of the imagination, a clone of Bruce Lee or Jackie Chan (Indeed, he was a star before either of these actors were well-known). Jimmy excelled in playing a kung-fu Everyman of sorts: humble, resourceful, and wearing a bemused smirk that acknowledged the ludicrous situations that he found himself in. He has been described as “the Cary Grant of Kung Fu,” and for good reason.

In “Return of the Chinese Boxer,” Wang Yu is a one-man wrecking crew who finds himself the only man up to the task of stopping the Japanese invasion of Qing China. His enemies are formidable including battalions of riflemen, ninjas, and other assorted assassins who all want to kill the Chinese Boxer. Jimmy’s enemies are hilarious, colorful, and well-armed…a signature of Wang Yu’s films. The Chinese Boxer has to deal with a host of exotic weaponry, including a dozen-barrel shotgun! Of course, Jimmy is able to outfight and outwit them all.

The ending scene is similar in nature to Wang Yu’s other masterpiece of 1975, “Master of the Flying Guillotine.” Like “MFG,” Jimmy the Hero uses his wits as well as his fists to overcome his enemies. The last scene is superbly shot and you can sense Jimmy the Director laughing his head off…If you’re an Old School Fu fan, then “Return of the Chinese Boxer” is a must-see. I highly recommend this film!

The Emperor is under attack by marauders and he is so depressed with his failure to protect his people, that he sees no other option than to kill himself. In his grief, he also decides to maim his daughter by cutting of her arm (there is a long tradition of one armed fighters in Hong Kong cinema).

After being maimed, the Princess wanders around trying to enlist help from anyone who will listen to her, but no matter whom she meets they either prove too weak to fight off the marauders or they wind up betraying her.

Things take a turn for the surreal when her faithful servant girl cuts off her own arm to impersonate the Princess and dies. The Princess goes crazy until she meets handsome Carter Wong, the gentle brute of a butcher who is caring for his Buddhist nun mother. He promises his mom on her death bed he will marry the now lunatic princess. Serious ass kicking ensues, including sword wielding women, and some high kicking action from Mr. Carter Wong. Enjoy!

The real Bruce Lee is back in this mash up of early footage found in the Chinese archives. This feature also stars the sensational DRAGON LEE, and of course that master of all things “bruceploitation”: BRUCE LI.

This is really a half-hour documentary about Bruce, followed by a full-length Kung Fu feature called “The Ultimate Lee” that’s lays claim to being the  next scheduled movie Bruce was to have done before is untimely death.

The first half-hour is where this feature really shines as we see selected clips from Bruce’s first four films made while he was a youngster in China. We see clips from “The Little Dragon”, “The Bad Boy”, “Carnival” and “Orphan Sam”. Also included is the only scene Bruce ever did with his father. There are a few terrific cameos of Bruce behind the camera and casual. We also see scenes of Bruce’s funeral. This is a must see for any serious Bruce Lee aficionado.

Ninja Terminator is the King of Bad 80′s Ninja Movies! Its got it all: Richard Harrison, Bad dubbing, bad dialogue, an insane and senseless plot line, gratuitous violence, and an endless array of black clad, sword wielding Ninjas! As with all the other ninja movies by Godfrey Ho, what we are witness too here is a completely separate and non-ninja related film into which some newly shot ninja footage has been spliced, whilst an illusory link between the two unrelated stories is created and sustained by the over dubbing: Its an old school Ninja Movie mash-up!
It has to be said, that in the vast majority of these cut and splice ninja outings, only the ninja footage usually has any entertainment value. However, in the case of Ninja Terminator, BOTH…ahem…”‘movies”…prove to be highly enjoyable!
In the non-ninja sequences we have one ultra cool dude by the name of Jaguar Wong. A rough and tumble bad ass who gets in more fist fights in this one movie than most professional boxers have in their entire career. Of course with a bad ass name like Jaguar Wong, he is destined to put the smack down on all challengers. Although, he does get a little roughed up during the films climax by the always excellent Hwang Jang Lee.
The ninja sequences are equally as energetic with loads of sword play, acrobatics and people disappearing in plumes of smoke. Best of all Ninjitsu Master Richard Harrison: wearing heavy eye liner and mascara! Yet, after watching this ninja freak fest, I am still left with a few lingering questions:

1. Why does the villain wear a blond woman’s wig?
2. Why would a Ninja attack using several guns, a slingshot and a FOLDED PIECE OF PAPER?
3. What is with the Garfield phone?
4. What’s with the toy robot?
5. Do all Ninja’s wear tennis suits during their morning Ninja workouts?

If you figure any of this out….please let me know. In the meantime, I’ll be meditating on these important questions with more ferver than a Zen Buddhist Monk (Well…okay…maybe not). Enjoy!

This is an absolutely wonderful lost interview with none other than the master himself, Sifu Bruce Lee. This interview was conducted live from Hong Kong by for the Pierre Berton show, which interestingly, was filmed in a different international location each week. Here Bruce talks about everything from his Martial Arts philosophy to his Hollywood friends including Steve McQueen and James Coburn. This is a really great lost interview from the later part of Bruce’s career. This is absolutely great stuff: Bruce is very candid and humble. It’s easy to see why he is still revered and loved today, more than 30 years after his death. Please Enjoy!