Executioners from Shaolin (1977)
"Hong Xi Guan" (original title)

A couple unite - she is fluent in the crane style of kung fu, he in tiger style. They have a son, but the boy's father is killed by the evil eunuch Bai Mei. Disguised as a girl, his mom ... See full summary »

Director:

Chia-Liang Liu

Writer:

Kuang Ni

Stars:

Kuan Tai Chen, Lily Li, Lieh Lo

Cast

Credited cast:
Kuan Tai Chen	...	Hung Hsi Kuan
Lily Li	...	Wan Yung-Chun
Lieh Lo	...	Priest Pai Mei
Yue Wong	...	Hung Wen-Ding
Chia Hui Liu	...	Tung Tien Chin
Kang-Yeh Cheng	...	Hsiao Hu
Tao Chiang	...	Kao Chin-Chung
Ching Tien	...	Wang Yeh
Lao Shen	...	Uncle Fang
John Cheung	...	Shaolin Pupil (as Chang Wu-liang)
Chiu Lee
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Hoi Sang Lee	...	Monk Chi San
Chia-Liang Liu	...	3-Sectional Staff Fighter

Storyline

A couple unite - she is fluent in the crane style of kung fu, he in tiger style. They have a son, but the boy's father is killed by the evil eunuch Bai Mei. Disguised as a girl, his mom trains him in crane style while he secretly learns tiger style from his father's training manual.

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Plot Keywords:

wing chun | theater troupe | kung fu kid | martial arts | white brow priest | 

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Taglines:

A fight for vengeance ends in death!

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Genres:

Action | Drama

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

Hong Kong

Language:

Mandarin

Release Date:

16 February 1977 (Hong Kong)

Also Known As:

Executioners from Shaolin

Company Credits

Production Co:

Shaw Brothers, Shaw Brothers

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Chia-Liang Liu:  [martial arts demo]  Opening credits show a demonstration of martial arts against an empty backdrop.

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Goofs

All blood seen in the movie is a much lighter shade of red than real blood.

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Connections

Followed by Shaolin Abbot (1979)

User Reviews

Inspired "revisionist" addition to the Shaolin temple series begun by Chang Cheh

EXECUTIONERS FROM SHAOLIN is director LIU CHIA-LIANG (LAU KAR-LEUNG) very different contribution to the Shaolin Temple series, begun by CHANG CHEH. Unlike CHANG who seems to have a strong dislike for women, and actresses, LIU provides LILY LI the opportunity to portray a strong, complex female role.

From her very first scenes as a travelling street entertainer who defends her turf in a duel with the famous Shaolin fighter HONG XIOGUAN (aka HUNG SZE KUAN); marries him but keeps him at bay on their wedding night using her martial arts, FANG YUNG is a match for her vengeance obsessed husband.

HONG is one of the few Shaolin monks to survive the earlier massacre. In fact he and his men escaped an ambush only because one of his friends - Brother Tong - sacrifices himself to give them all time to escape.

And the same thing happens again, when he challenges ABBOT PAI MEI (aka "White Brows"), even though he is clearly no match for him. He rejects his wife's advice, seemingly because she is a woman. And using the same pigheaded logic, he makes the terrible decision not to learn her crane style.

Thankfully the son stands up to his father, and learns from his mother. When Hong returns to fight White Brows a second time, there is a sense of inevitability. The son fights to stop his father, who dissuades him with empty rhetoric, and then goes to his death.

In this film this is very significant because the filmmakers have gone to great trouble to establish a strong family unit, only to have it torn asunder because the father is too set in his ways to change. Thus the audience really does feel a sense of loss, and are saddened that the wife and son cannot put the love they have for Hong into words. The need to seek vengeance has become very personal.

The film itself has a wonderful mix of combat and training sequences; sizeable dollops of romance and humour (Cantonese style), and enough plot to hang everything together.

Best of all, it actually has something to say: the film ends, abruptly, leaving you with very mixed emotions.

I first saw this on a Southgate video. The new 2004 Celestial Pictures Region 3 DVD in 2.35 widescreen with rich saturated colours makes you want to watch the film over and over (it also has some very intriguing extras). And it does help to hear the film in its original Mandarin, rather than dubbed!

8.5/10 * a 4 star martial arts classic.