Lightning Fists of Shaolin (1984) Hung kuen dai see (original title)

Director:

Chia Tang

Writer:

Ying Huang (screenplay)

Release Date:

1984 (Hong Kong)

Genre:

Action | Drama

Plot:

A Kung Fu master finds out that an opium den is destroying the lives of the town he lives in, and vows to put an end to the den, but first he must try to defeat the strongest enemy he has ever faced: his addiction to the drug itself. |

Cast

Lung Ti	...	Tieh Chiao-San
Te-Lo Mai	...	Lu Hu-sze (as Robert Mak)
Hsueh-hua Liu	...	Hsiao Tsui
Kuan Tai Chen	...	Yung Feng
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Kwok Kuen Chan	...	Dai Ke-chi
Shen Chan	...	Lu Ching-wen
Yung Chan
Chuen Chiang
Miao Ching
Hui-yun Ho
Wai-han Ho
Yung-chang Ho
Pei Chi Huang
Shu-kuang Huang
Wei-tang Huang
Phillip Ko	...	Golden Silk Cat
Kuan-chung Ku	...	Mou Tien
Feng Kuan	...	Huo Chi-lun
Wai Lam
Hoi Sang Lee	...	Instructor
Yiu Ging Lee
Heng Li
Chih Hung Ling
Han-yuan Ma
Lao Shen
Chia Tang	...	Master Hui Cheng
Kuo-kuang Tsai
Elvis Tsui
Ching Ho Wang
Han Chen Wang
Tien Tsai Wei
Chi Ming Wong
Chih-Ching Yang
Te-yi Yang
Tau Wan Yue
Bun Yuen
Wah Yuen

Directed by
Chia Tang

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Ying Huang		screenplay

Produced by
Mona Fong	....	producer

Original Music by
Chin Yung Shing
Chen-hou Su

Cinematography by
Hui-chi Tsao

Film Editing by
Chung Yiu Ma
Shao Feng Yu

Art Direction by
Ching-Shen Chen
Kuang-hsien Teng

Costume Design by
Chi-Yu Liu

Makeup Department
Yen-Lien Peng	....	hair stylist
Hsu-Ching Wu	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Ka Hee Wong	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Ke Hung	....	assistant director

Sound Department
Ping Kuang Hsu	....	sound recordist
Lan Li	....	dubbing editor: mandarin
Yu Ting	....	dubbing editor: cantonese

Stunts
Chuen Chiang	....	stunt coordinator
Pei Chi Huang	....	stunt coordinator
Hoi Sang Lee	....	stunt coordinator
Chia Tang	....	stunt coordinator
Bun Yuen	....	stunt coordinator
Wah Yuen	....	stunt coordinator

Other crew
Run Run Shaw	....	presenter
Wen-chiao Teng	....	script supervisor

Production Companies

• Shaw Brothers

Distributors

• Celestial Pictures (2006) (non-USA) (all media)
• FUNimation Entertainment (2010) (USA) (DVD)

Also Known As:

"Hung kuen dai see" - Hong Kong (original title)
"Opium and the Kung Fu Master" - Hong Kong (English title)

Runtime:

USA:85 min (DVD)

Country:

Hong Kong

Language:

Cantonese | Mandarin

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Company:

Shaw Brothers

"Opium and the Kung Fu Master" - last film from Tang Chia

Veteran action choreographer for the Shaw Bros. studio directed a total of three films on his own at the very end of the studio's existence. This was his last one and after that Tang Chia dropped out of the records. A contemporary of Liu Chia Liang, the other Shaw choreographer turned director, Tang Chia's style was very distinctive and some say defined the classic Shaw kung fu look. He had a fascination with elaborate weapons and apparently took to designing his own for many of the movies that called for something unusual.

A small town is protected by one of the famous Ten Tigers of Kwangtung, played by Ti Lung. The town is very safe as Ti Lung and his kung fu students patrol for criminals. Enter the rival kung fu school whom Ti Lung's students have beaten in a lion dance competition and then humiliated in a brawl. The rival school is joined by an opium dealing kung fu master who plans to turn the town into a community of addicts! Can Ti Lung's character fight this threat when he is quickly slipping into opium addiction himself?

Right off, the martial arts are excellent. Some of the best in any Shaw film. That is enough for some to find this film and I encourage them. The signature Tang Chia crazy weapons are not here but that doesn't lessen the quality of the martial arts at all. The story is quite unusual, you wouldn't expect a kung fu film to tackle the subject of addiction, usually drug dealers are just bad guys to be pounded and the issues of drugs are ignored. The film starts out as a light mixture of action, humor and slapstick. Halfway through the plot turns tragic and sometimes the old school theatrics are turned on full force. The action remains top notch. The ending is unfortunately telegraphed and that lessens the enjoyment a bit. Still the subject of the film is important and it was dealt with in an interesting way.

It too bad that Tang Chia apparently quit the business after this, his three films were quite good. Perhaps he felt that without the support of a studio like the Shaw's, he couldn't maintain the quality.

Recommended and check out the Shaolin "Zatoichi"!