This film ranks as #9 on the Hong Kong Film Awards Best 100 Chinese motion pictures of all time and is one of two King Hu films to make the top ten. This Kung Fu classic is a very unusual entry into the cannon of Kung Fu movies and has often been imitated. Thematically, ‘A Touch of Zen’ contemplates the violent asceticism of Zen Buddhism as a means of spiritual enlightenment.

The plot is fairly straightforward, though the mortal combat aspires to spiritual perfection; An artist, Ku, lives with his mother near an abandoned fort, reputed to be haunted. One night, investigating strange noises, he meets the beautiful Yang who is living there. She is being pursued by agents of an Imperial noble who have murdered her family. Ku finds himself caught up in her struggle to survive and many fierce battles take place before all is resolved.

Released in 1971 as a Taiwanese Wuxia film, by renown director King Hu, who is arguably the first true genius of the genre. The film won significant critical acclaim and became the first Chinese language action film ever to win a prize at the Cannes Film Festival, claiming the Technical Grand Prize award.

Although filming began in 1969, A Touch of Zen was not completed until 1971. The original Taiwanese release was in two parts in 1970 and 1971 (filming was still ongoing when the first part was released) with the bamboo forest sequence that concludes Part 1 reprized at the beginning of Part 2; this version has a combined run time of 200 minutes. In November 1971 both parts of the film were combined into one for the Hong Kong market with a run time of 187 minutes. Its running time of over three hours makes it an unusually epic entry in the Wuxia genre. This is one of the greatest Kung Fu classics of all time and a must see for any serious martial arts fan!

Produced by the Shaw Brothers, The One-Armed Swordsman would help define Chang Cheh as a premier director with his own eclectic blend of Japanese-style action, western rebelliousness and Chinese wuxia heroes. This film would not only be the first film to break the 1 million dollar box office barrier in Hong Kong, but it would also be a watershed moment for the area’s cinema. The popularity of this film as well as King Hu’s hit the year before with “Come Drink With Me” christened a new era of Hong Kong martial arts films.

But it would be the brutal style of Chang Cheh that would come to dominate the regional efforts and not the Peking Opera influenced King Hu, despite the fact that King Hu’s films such as “Touch of Zen” and “Dragon Inn” would live on to be considered two of the best Hong Kong films of all time.

Chang Cheh’s classic Kung Fu movie would also be the first in the sub-genre of “one-armed” films that stereotyped the career of star Jimmy Wang Yu. Wang Yu had already acted in a couple of Chang Cheh films, but it is his performance here as Fang Gang that would make him a star in Hong Kong and beyond. Wang Yu gives a great performance as the stoic brooding loner who is a combination of a wuxia hero and James Dean.

The Plot: An evil gang attacks the Chi school of Golden Sword Kung Fu. One student sacrifices his life to save his teacher and his school, his dying wish is that his son be taken in as a student. Young Fang Kang grows up in the school and treasures his father’s broken sword and the memory of his father’s sacrifice. The other students (including the teacher’s daughter) resent him and try to drive him away. The teacher’s daughter challenges him to a fight and when he refuses she becomes enraged and recklessly chops off his arm! He retreats, broken and bloody, and is found by a young poor girl living alone who nurses him back to health. Meanwhile, the evil gang who originally attacked the Golden Sword school develops a weapon that renders the Golden Sword useless and starts killing off all of the schools students. Fang Kang eventually recovers with the girl’s help but must now face a life with only one arm. Will he be able to recover and live to defend the school as his father did? Or will he perish…?

This Kung Fu classic would spawn several sequels, remakes and retreads and certainly up the ante for use of blood packets, missing limbs, evisceration’s and vivisection’s. Please enjoy this most important Hong Kong film of the 1960s!

This is arguably Jackie Chan’s best movie and truly exemplary of his unique ability to combine Bruce Lee martial acumen with three stooges-like humor. Director Yuen Woo-Ping really brings out the best in Chan and this film is one of his finest performances, setting the bar for all films to come.

The plot centers on the young and wily Wong Fei-Hung, who is a born hellion. His day culminates in a comedy of errors when he hits on a beautiful young woman, only to be soundly thrashed by her matronly guardian. His shame is compounded when these two are later revealed to be his visiting aunt and cousin, whom he has never met. To top things off, he lays a beat down on a hooligan who is the son of a very influential man in town. His father decides he needs to learn some discipline and to punish him for his behavior, hires a new Master named ‘Beggar So’ to train his son in the martial arts.

Initially Wong resists training with Beggar So but through a series of mishaps relents when he is humiliated by the notorious killer Yan Ti San, known for his “Devil’s Kick”, a swift and deadly kicking style which has never been defeated.

Wong learns Beggar So’s secret style of martial arts, a form of Drunken Boxing called “The Eight Drunken Immortals”, named after the eight mythological figures that the fighting style emulates. Wong masters seven of the eight styles with the exception of “Drunken Miss Ho’s” as he feels that her style of fighting is too feminine.

Meanwhile, Yan Ti San is contracted to kill Wong’s father. Wong’s father fights with Yan and is critically injured. Wong and Beggar So arrive in the nick of time and Wong uses his new found ‘drunken style’ to outmatch Yan’s kicking style.

Yan then resorts to his secret technique, the Devil’s Shadowless Hand, which Wong is unable to defeat. Wong confesses that he did not master the last style so Beggar So tells him to combine the seven styles and create his own version of the last style. Wong follows the instruction and discovers his own unique style of Drunken Boxing, which he uses to defeat Yan and become the new Drunken Master. Enjoy!

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…

This is one seriously bad ass Shaw Brother’s classic that will totally blow you away. This film easily ranks as one of the top 10 Kung Fu Movie classics, and has influenced many of the films that came after. The venerable Chang Cheh directs this unintentional masterpiece and stars Kuan Tai Chen, Feng Lu and Philip Kwok light up the screen.

The plot revolves around a wealthy Kung Fu expert, who is turned bitter and evil by the slaying of his wife and the loss of his son’s hands. He lashes out with rage, bullying the local township with terror and brutality, crushing any perceived slight. The father along with his iron-handed  son (the father has a local blacksmith make his son spring-loaded iron hands) find sadistic pleasure and satisfaction by crippling anyone who gets in their way. Four of those who are crippled, a hawker who is blinded, a blacksmith made mute and deaf, a drifter who loses his legs, and a fighter who loses his sanity, band together to use their disabilities to the best of their advantage.

This film was made during the “Venom’s” era films and features many of the same actors that starred in the “Five Deadly Venom’s” series. While the production values of this film are quite good for their day, Chang Cheh does not seem to be intent on making a classic here. He merely wants to make a movie suggestive of Chinese folk legends, allowing the stable of Shaw Brothers talent to show off their athletic talents.

For added measure, at the center of the film Kuan Tai Chen, a classically trained martial artist who had also developed considerable skill as an actor. His presence adds much credibility to the film.

What is truly impressive is Chang Cheh’s ability to weave a film that doesn’t seem to take itself to seriously, remaining slightly abstract, yet is so rich in detail. This film is a bit of a caricature in some ways and despite itself, turns out to be one of the Shaw Brother’s most memorable classics.

When people say “they don’t make them like they used to”, this is the kind of film they’re talking about. A genre-defining moment in the history of “old-school” Kung Fu films, this film was frequently imitated but it’s charm and artistry could never be duplicated. 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.

Countdown of the 10 deadliest weapons in the Kung Fu combat arsenal. This video is slightly off topic, but contains some absolutely amazing footage of Martial Arts weaponry and techniques. If you love Kung Fu, then you will really appreciate this documentary. I found the footage extremely interesting and very informative. It contains a wealth of well researched content on dynasty era Chinese military ground strategies and common infantry armament. Everything from swords and spears to the sleeve arrow and flying guillotine. Featured are several modern Kung Fu masters and weapons specialists. They perform some brief Kata and mock fighting at lightning fast speeds with a high level of agility. Very insightful, I give it a 5/5. Enjoy!

Japan is in serious turmoil: Demons have infested Edo, taking possession of earthly forms and bending them to their unholy will. On top of that, the rebirth of Ashura, Queen of the demons, is nigh. The only thing that stands against this grave threat are the Demon Wardens, a fearsome group of warriors, who might just be as bad and as malodorous as the demons themselves.
Izumo is a retired Demon Warden, who five years ago, took up theater instead of Demon Slaying after accidentally killing a innocent child (In a battle that’s strangely reminiscent of the bar scene from Dusk till Dawn). One night by a chance encounter he meets a beautiful and mysterious young woman named Tsubaki. Their fortunes intertwine (literally) and they are bound by fate to be lovers and enemies.
If you think this sounds like your typical Japanese Fantasy/Swordplay epic, you’d be wrong. In fact, there’s nothing typical about Ashura. It is a hodge-podge of many different genre’s of film. Those just mentioned, as well as a comedy, drama, and romance. Director Yojiro Takita juggles the genre’s with a fair amount of respect (although, the comedy seems forced in some scenes) and the end result is a ridiculous, but really fun popcorn munching martial arts mash-up!
To be sure, there are flaws in the film. Some of the humor seems contrived or out of place. And the acting isn’t the greatest. But seriously, do you watch Fantasy/Swordplay/Horror/Comedy films for the great acting performances? No, of course not! You watch them for the action and the crazy CG visuals, all of which Ashura has in Spades. Not to be misleading, the film is not all non-stop Martial Arts Action, but it is spaced out generously enough with lots of swordplay and buckets of green blood to keep the average viewer more than happy.
Bottom line; the films has it’s flaws and is no martial arts epic like ’36 Chambers’, but it doesn’t try to be and it features interesting visuals and a great mix of Kung Fu swordplay. The reason the film worked for me is that it never takes itself too seriously and if the viewer does the same, they’re sure to be delighted by this cool blend of genres. Enjoy!

Season 1, Episode 1: While traveling, Zatoichi meets a kindly stranger named Tatsuso. They travel together to Ashido Village, home to a copper mine, where corrupt government officials and a ruthless Yakuza boss named Yasaburo terrorize the locals and slowly run them out of their businesses.  Zatoichi learns that his traveling companion was once known as Tatsuso the Sword-Thrower and together they help a young woman named Oshin to protect her business.
This classic Japanese Television series is the product of Daiei studios that made some 25+ Zatoichi movies before bringing a condensed version of the Zatoichi stories to television. One may wonder if the quality of the series dropped off with a smaller budget, hour long episodes, and the demand for a new story each week. And amazingly, the Zatoichi television series is just as good as the film series that preceded it. In fact many may prefer the television series.
Since each episode is reduced from 85 to 55 minutes, you get to the climatic fight a lot sooner. Also since the plot has to be simplified to accommodate less characters, the films are easier to follow. Zatoichi movies usually have several plot lines that converge at the climax while the television shows usually have only one. And with exception to the absence of fountains of blood pouring out of Ichi’s victims [ something only seen in the later movies ] the production quality is every bit as good as the movies. There are some episodes that reuse plots from the movies, but by the last few Toho films they were already recycling some of the earlier film plots. The series lasted for 100 episodes before the character was retired. This is a wonderful series, I’ll soon be posting more of these. Enjoy!

This film is one of the great Samurai movies. Our story begins with two seemingly unconnected persons (a modern, western-style doctor and an aging samurai) who discover they are inexplicably linked to a third man: Kanichiro Yoshimura.
The plot thickens when we gradually find out that one of the men (the doctor) only knows this man for his good side (unselfishness, family man, etc), while the other man (the aging samurai) only knows him for his bad side (greed, foolishness, cowardliness, etc). These two views are gradually combined into one consistent picture of the enigmatic Kanichiro Yoshimura: who would do anything, no matter how low, to support his family back home.
Kîchi Nakai is an incredible actor and Koichi Sato supports him in the best way during the film. Mibu gishi den is one of the few films that bring you both joy and sorrow. What makes the film so touching and significant is its realistic perspective; showing people with all their warts and flaws, their beauty, sorrow and triumphs. It captures the contradictory nature of humanity, the destroyer and creator.
Interestingly, we see Kanichiro Yoshimura as one of the crowd at first, we see him teaching in the classroom, we see him falling in love, we see him taking care of his kids. He’s so real… We can smell the poverty and desperation when the trouble strikes. And the destiny that takes him to Shinsen-gumi. He is so sincere and open hearted that he is not afraid of expressing his own feelings. Deep inside he carries the heart of a very noble and brave warrior.
Mibu gishi den’s characterizations are inspired, not only with Kanichiro and Saito Sensei, but also with the Kanichiro’s childhood friend who is a rich landlord and also with the doctor we meet in the beginning of the film. This film has it all and is rich historical details.