BEST-O-THE-BEST: Shaw Brothers
by RogueDiabolik | created - 22 Nov 2015 | updated - 20 Sep 2022 | PublicOut of all the Shaw Brothers films that I have watched, these are my favorites in order.
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1. My Young Auntie (1981)
Not Rated | 121 min | Action, Comedy
Cheng Tai-Nan (Kara Hui) is an honest and faithful servant of a dying patriarch who wants nothing more than to protect his vast wealth from his selfish, conniving nephew, Yung-Sheng. ... See full summary »
Director: Chia-Liang Liu | Stars: Chia-Liang Liu, Kara Wai, Hou Hsiao, Lung-Wei Wang
Votes: 938
2. Five Fingers of Death (1972)
R | 104 min | Action, Drama, Romance
As two martial arts schools prepare for an important tournament, one school's master is a dishonorable man, and to ensure his son wins the title, he hires three Japanese samurais, who target the rival school's best fighter.
Director: Chang-hwa Jeong | Stars: Lieh Lo, Ping Wang, Hsiung Chao, Chin-Feng Wang
Votes: 4,010
3. Life Gamble (1978)
PG-13 | 96 min | Action, Drama
LIFE GAMBLE is the tale of a simple blacksmith (Kuo Chue) with extraordinary martial-arts skills who is entangled in a life-and-death struggle among swordsmen, thieves, con artists, a ... See full summary »
Director: Cheh Chang | Stars: Sheng Fu, Phillip Chung-Fung Kwok, Meng Lo, Chen-Chi Lin
Votes: 234
4. Heroes of the East (1978)
R | 105 min | Action, Comedy
A Chinese man (Liu) marries a Japanese woman through an arranged marriage and manages to insult all of her Japanese martial arts family by issuing a challenge to her that is misinterpreted ... See full summary »
Director: Chia-Liang Liu | Stars: Chia-Hui Liu, Yuka Mizuno, Yasuaki Kurata, Naozo Kato
Votes: 2,664
5. The Eight Diagram Pole Fighter (1984)
Not Rated | 98 min | Action, Drama
Mongols with the help of an insider, ambush the influential Yang Family, defenders of the dynasty. The Mongols must hunt down all Yang survivors so their insidious plot to overthrow the dynasty will not be uncovered.
Director: Chia-Liang Liu | Stars: Chia-Hui Liu, Sheng Fu, Lily Li, Kara Wai
Votes: 3,554
6. Intimate Confessions of a Chinese Courtesan (1972)
86 min | Action, Drama
The Four Seasons Brothel is run by a ruthless madam, Lady Chun Yi. Countless young girls have been kidnapped or bought and then sold into a life of servitude, prostitution, and torture at ... See full summary »
Director: Yuen Chor | Stars: Lily Ho, Hua Yueh, Betty Pei Ti, Lin Tung
Votes: 983
7. Hong Kong Godfather (1985)
95 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
After receiving a life imprisonment sentence for a NY Chinatown massacre, Jia Shi Lan obtains a pardon through the Mafia's influence.
Director: Lung-Wei Wang | Stars: Ka-Yan Leung, Norman Chu, Shu-Yuan Hsu, Lung-Wei Wang
Votes: 191
8. Come Drink with Me (1966)
Not Rated | 95 min | Action, Crime
Bandits kidnap a governor's son and demand their imprisoned leader to be set free in exchange. The governor's daughter, a skilled martial artist, is sent to rescue him, but eventually finds herself overmatched and in need of assistance.
Director: King Hu | Stars: Pei-Pei Cheng, Hua Yueh, Chih-Ching Yang, Hung-Lieh Chen
Votes: 4,920
9. Executioners from Shaolin (1977)
R | 100 min | Action, Drama
Hong Hsi-Kuan devotes years to mastering Tiger style Kung Fu in order to defeat the evil priest Pai Mei. His wife, who is an expert in Crane style Kung Fu, has a feeling training in only one style won't be enough.
Director: Chia-Liang Liu | Stars: Kuan Tai Chen, Lieh Lo, Yue Wong, Lily Li
Votes: 1,892
10. Martial Arts of Shaolin (1986)
R | 94 min | Action, Comedy, Drama
In ancient China, Zhi Ming trains at the legendary Northern Shaolin temple to avenge the death of his father at the hands of a nefarious magistrate.
Director: Chia-Liang Liu | Stars: Jet Li, Jianqiang Hu, Qiuyan Huang, Zengyin Cao
Votes: 2,586
12. The 14 Amazons (1972)
R | 125 min | Adventure, Drama, History
The cast of The 14 Amazons is a veritable "who's who" of golden age of Shaw Brothers swordplay adventures, and was not only a major box office hit.
Directors: Kang Cheng, Shao-Yung Tung | Stars: Hua Tsung, Mei Sheng Fan, Chung-Hsin Huang, Feng Tien
Votes: 514
13. Shaolin Mantis (1978)
R | 96 min | Action, Drama
Shaolin Mantis (Orig. Tang lang) is a 1978 Shaw Brothers film directed by Lau Kar-leung. Starring David Chiang and Liu Chia Hui. Shaolin Mantis tells the story of a man who learns martial arts by observing a praying mantis.
Director: Chia-Liang Liu | Stars: David Chiang, Cecilia Wong, Lily Li, Chia-Yung Liu
Votes: 744
14. Martial Club (1981)
R | 110 min | Action, Drama
Wong Fei-Hong and his once-rival, now friend, find themselves and their martial arts schools pitted against a rival school which uses a Kung Fu expert from the North to do their dirty work.
Director: Chia-Liang Liu | Stars: Chia-Hui Liu, Kara Wai, Te-Lo Mai, Hou Hsiao
Votes: 617
15. Fei yan jin dao (1969)
98 min | Action, Drama
Li Zhishan is a rich man, but wealth cannot keep the loyalties of his wife, who has been visiting the bed of a rival. She helps plot against him, and the Vicious Long Brothers invade his ... See full summary »
Director: Meng-Hua Ho | Stars: Hua Yueh, Ping Chin, Ching Tang, Pao-Shu Kao
Votes: 168
16. Shaolin Prince (1982)
R | 100 min | Action, Comedy
As the names of Chang Cheh and Liu Chia-liang became legendary, all-too-often the name of their equally valued collaborator, Tang Chia, is omitted. That may be,because, unlike the previous ... See full summary »
Director: Chia Tang | Stars: Lung Ti, Tung-Shing Yee, Jason Piao Pai, Feng Ku
Votes: 434
17. Mad Monkey Kung Fu (1979)
R | 116 min | Action, Comedy
A disgraced former Kung Fu expert makes a living as a merchant with the help of a hot headed friend. When the men are harassed by gangsters, the merchant decided to teach his friend monkey boxing so they can defend their business.
Director: Chia-Liang Liu | Stars: Chia-Liang Liu, Hou Hsiao, Kara Wai, Lieh Lo
Votes: 1,160
18. Five Deadly Venoms (1978)
R | 101 min | Action, Drama, Mystery
The sixth and final pupil of a dying martial arts teacher is instructed to find the teacher's five former pupils and defeat any evil ones that are among them.
Director: Cheh Chang | Stars: Sheng Chiang, Chien Sun, Phillip Chung-Fung Kwok, Meng Lo
Votes: 7,973
19. The Lady Hermit (1971)
105 min | Action, Drama
Martial arts star Cheng Pei pei and versatile director Ho Meng hua were a great team, who elevated this tale of a virtuous swordswoman's revenge on the Black Demon who injured her to one of the best of both their careers.
Director: Meng-Hua Ho | Stars: Pei-Pei Cheng, Lieh Lo, Szu Shih, Hsieh Wang
Votes: 427
20. Return to the 36th Chamber (1980)
R | 99 min | Action, Comedy
When thugs prey upon innocent factory workers, a small-time scammer trains for revenge by studying the moves of Shaolin temple monks.
Director: Chia-Liang Liu | Stars: Chia-Hui Liu, Lung-Wei Wang, Hou Hsiao, Lun Hua
Votes: 4,237
21. The 36th Chamber of Shaolin (1978)
R | 116 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
A man studies kung fu at the Shaolin Temple to fight back against the oppressive Manchu government.
Director: Chia-Liang Liu | Stars: Chia-Hui Liu, Lieh Lo, Yue Wong, Chia-Yung Liu
Votes: 18,356
22. Killer Clans (1976)
PG-13 | 91 min | Action, Drama
Two clans compete for dominance over the martial arts world in this classic of violent swordplay and political intrigue. A complex tale of deception and double crosses. Killer Clans leaves ... See full summary »
Director: Yuen Chor | Stars: Fei Ai, Shen Chan, Ping Chen, Kang-Yeh Cheng
Votes: 710
23. Brothers Five (1970)
109 min | Action, Drama
A young woman sets out to reunite feuding brothers to take out a gang of killers who have murdered their father.
Director: Wei Lo | Stars: Pei-Pei Cheng, Han Chin, Yi Chang, Yuen Kao
Votes: 247
24. The Shadow Whip (1971)
78 min | Action, Drama
This top ten hit reunites Come Drink With Me's stars for a new adventure. Whether single-handedly fighting sixteen bandits, avenging her father's death, or solving multiple murders, our ... See full summary »
Director: Wei Lo | Stars: Pei-Pei Cheng, Hua Yueh, Li-Jen Ho, Sammo Kam-Bo Hung
Votes: 353
25. The Avenging Eagle (1978)
R | 90 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
Chi Ming-sing is a former disciple of a gang run by overlord Yoh Xi-hung. Yoh's disciples hunt Chi relentlessly as he travels on a soul-searching journey. He comes to the aid of a seemingly... See full summary »
Director: Chung Sun | Stars: Sheng Fu, Lung Ti, Feng Ku, Lung Chan
Votes: 1,035
26. The Delightful Forest (1972)
R | 93 min | Action, Adventure
Wu Sung, a military swordmaster, is acused of murdering his adulterous sister-in-law and a thug, and sent to exile in Meng Chou. At the prison camp, Shih En, son of the camp commander, ... See full summary »
Directors: Cheh Chang, Hsueh-Li Pao | Stars: Lung Ti, Mu Chu, Ching Tien, Feng Yu
Votes: 368
27. Dynasty of Blood (1973)
PG-13 | 118 min | Action, Drama
Assassin Chang and his brother Hung meet up with a soldier, Mu. Together, they form a small mountain army, but when Hung's wife arrives, emotions swell, and Mu leaves for the army. After ... See full summary »
Director: Cheh Chang | Stars: David Chiang, Lung Ti, Kuan Tai Chen, Li Ching
Votes: 848
28. The One-Armed Swordsman (1967)
R | 115 min | Action, Drama
A noble swordsman, whose arm had been chopped off, returns to his former teacher to defend him from a villainous gang of rival swordsmen.
Director: Cheh Chang | Stars: Jimmy Wang Yu, Chiao Chiao, Chung-Hsin Huang, Yin-Tze Pan
Votes: 3,619
29. Palace Carnage (1978)
Not Rated | 92 min | Action, Adventure
The emperor's reign of terror expands. Heroic outlaw Ma Teng joins a squad of female rebels, whose leader is torn between family loyalties.
Directors: Kang Cheng, Shan Hua | Stars: Feng Ku, Chung Wang, Hung Wei, Locke Hua Liu
Votes: 548
30. The Water Margin (1972)
R | 81 min | Action, Drama
Tells the story of the 108 Heroes who stood up against a corrupt government. Each hero has his own unique fighting skill, but they are all willing to die to uphold justice.
Directors: Cheh Chang, Hsueh-Li Pao, Wu Ma | Stars: David Chiang, Lung Ti, Kuan Tai Chen, Chung Wang
Votes: 850
31. Death Duel (1977)
90 min | Drama, Action
The Third Master (Erh Tung Sheng, aka Derek Yee, in the role that launched his career) is considered to be the greatest sword master of the day. His displays of skill and strength bring ... See full summary »
Director: Yuen Chor | Stars: Tung-Shing Yee, On-On Yu, Ping Chen, Yun Ling
Votes: 624
32. Golden Swallow (1968)
R | 109 min | Action, Adventure, Romance
The indomitable martial arts team of director Chang Cheh and stunt choreographer Liu Chia-liang continues the compelling saga of Golden Swallow from King Hu's Come Drink with Me in this ... See full summary »
Director: Cheh Chang | Stars: Pei-Pei Cheng, Jimmy Wang Yu, Lieh Lo, Hsin-Yen Chao
Votes: 858
33. The Kiss of Death (1973)
99 min | Action, Crime, Drama
One night a textile worker is sexually assaulted by five deviants. The young lady tries to cope with the aftermath of this dramatic event but her life is ruined.
Director: Meng-Hua Ho | Stars: Lieh Lo, Ping Chen, Mei Sheng Fan, Ching Chen
Votes: 200
34. Legendary Weapons of China (1982)
R | 109 min | Action, Comedy, Drama
A band of killers from an ailing kung fu and magic society are sent on a manhunt for a former member of the society, whose bad mouthing threatens its existence.
Director: Chia-Liang Liu | Stars: Chia-Liang Liu, Chia-Yung Liu, Kara Wai, Hou Hsiao
Votes: 1,850
35. The Flying Guillotine (1975)
Not Rated | 111 min | Action, Drama
An assassin, trained in the use of a throwing weapon that can behead its victims from a distance, questions the morality of his missions and becomes a fugitive hunted by his former comrades.
Director: Meng-Hua Ho | Stars: Kuan Tai Chen, Feng Ku, Hung Wei, Wu Chi Liu
Votes: 1,644
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