Shao Lin zhen ying xiong (1979)

User Rating:

5.8/10   

Director:

Godfrey Ho

Writer:

Stephen So (writer)

Genre:

Action | Drama

Plot Keywords:

Shaolin | Martial Arts | Fighting

Cast

Yi Tao Chang		(as Philip Cheung)
Siu Lun Chan
Sor Young Chi
Kil-su Hyeon
Phillip Ko
Steve Lee
Hoi Leung
Fa Yuan Li
Chia Hui Liu
Maria Moon
Master Nor
Benny Pan
Sik Yin Wong

Also Known As:

Fury at Shaolin Temple (USA) (DVD box title)
Fury in the Shaolin Temple (International: English title)
Raiders of Shaolin Kung Fu (International: English title)

Runtime:

Australia:83 min

Country:

South Korea

Language:

Korean | Mandarin

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:M

Company:

IFD Films and Arts

Cheesy genre fun can be had but there is not a great deal beyond that

I stumbled upon this film as it had been boxed up as a "Wu-Tang presents" product and I figured that I would take a look as I like Wu and I like martial arts. For those handful of people who do not know, Wu-Tang have used martial arts clips and such in their records and videos to good effect and there is a certain amount of "cool points" that they have taken from using cheesy martial arts standards within their products. This film is one of them unfortunately and it feels like it is a film that perhaps one of them watched (or had put in their hands by a marketing man) and enjoyed because of the clichés rather than being a film that really deserved the extra exposure of Wu-Tang's "re-blogging". I say this because personally I found the film to be fairly standard stuff and it left me wondering why this was picked to be pushed into the US market ahead of other films.

The plot here doesn't really matter but it is essentially about two men separated by their fathers as babies, each of whom are experts at their own style and technique but who must come together to defeat a stronger threat to them. The details of it all are unimportant – not just to the viewer but also to the makers as it doesn't really have much of a narrative flow to it. What it does have though is plenty of fighting, all of which is solid and enjoyable even if it doesn't have much in the way of impressive routines or moves – those used to Jackie Chan dazzling you will be disappointed here. What the fights mostly consist of is good physical work with terribly overused sound effects scattered over the top without any care or attention. They are, I hate to say, fairly standard compare to some of the more impressive feats in other films.

However they are part of the wider appeal of the film because they are such a standard. Like them we also get the wild facial hair, the stock characters, the heavy US dubbing and lots of sound effects – basically everything you see when anyone does a spoof of martial arts film from the 1970's. As such it is fine and it provides enough action to allow the viewer to have cheesy genre fun. However there is little to it beyond this and those looking for a "good" martial arts film would do better looking elsewhere.