The 36th Chamber of Shaolin

Gordon Liu.

Even film buffs who don’t normally watch martial arts movies may enjoy this 1978 classic that made a star of Gordon Liu (aka  Chia-Hui Liu).

He stars as Liu Yude, a student who joins rebel forces to fight against the tyranny of the Manchus in 17th century China. When his family and friends are killed, a wounded Liu escapes and finds his way to a Shaolin temple. Liu’s hope is that he can train with the Shaolin monks—who are renowned for their martial arts skills—and teach their techniques to his fellow rebels and defeat the Manchus.

The chief abbot rules in Liu's favor.

Liu is almost rejected at the outset, but the temple’s chief abbot overrules his brothers and grants the young man sanctuary because of his strength of spirit. For the first year, Liu—who is given the new name of San Te—does nothing but menial tasks like sweeping the temple. When he finally inquires about learning martial arts, he’s told that he must master 35 “chambers,” that doing so requires many years, and that most of the monks never complete this training regimen.

Undeterred, San Te starts with the 35th chamber, the most difficult one…and fails miserably. As he undertakes the other chambers, he gradually comprehends the importance of speed, balance, vision, strength, and humility. He goes from the weakest student to the best and rapidly works his way through the first 34 chambers (although it still requires several years). When the chief abbot offers him the opportunity to become the master of any chamber, San Te asks if he can create a 36th chamber—which sets into motion the final third of the film.

San Te (on right) defending a lethal blow.

There have been dozens of kung fu films where the protagonist mastered a “special technique” in order to defeat his enemy. However, I can think of no other genre movie with such extensive and engrossing training scenes. Part of the attraction lies in the training events. To learn balance, San Te must jump from floating log to floating log to cross a body of water. To strengthen his wrists, he must repeatedly strike a bell with a large stone attached to a flexible rod. I especially love the details in the scenes. As Liu tries various positions to strike the bell, we see other students waiting behind him, blue and deep red bruises covering their wrists.

San Te striking the bell using only his wrist,

Gordon Liu conveys intensity and determination as San Te. As he tries to figure out how to defeat one of the abbots in a fight, one can almost “see” him thinking. It’s no wonder his strong performance catapulted him to martial arts stardom. (Casual moviegoers may remember Gordon Liu best from Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill movies, where he played two roles. One of them was as the kung fu master who trains Uma Thurman’s character in Kill Bill, Volume II…a sequence likely inspired by The 36th Chamber of Shaolin.)

My only complaint about The 36th Chamber is that the training sequences are so good that the final third of the film is a bit of a letdown. It still includes some amazing fight scenes; the choreography is so intricate that I felt like I was watching a ballet. Director Lau Kar-Leung had extensive experience as a fight choreographer and actor. He and Gordon Liu were brothers (the latter was adopted).

The 36th Chamber of Shaolin was produced by the Shaw Brothers, the studio home of many kung fu classics (but not Bruce Lee’s films). I remember watching a 60 Minutes segment in which studio co-owner and producer Run Run Shaw was interviewed. At that time, his studio was the largest in the world and almost all their films were shot there. Run Run Shaw died in 2014 at the age of 107.

Black Belt Jones Lacks Punch, Needs More Kicks

The popularity of Blaxploitation films had already begun to wane by 1974, just three brief years after Shaft made a box office splash. The genre needed a kick and producer Fred Weintraub hoped to provide that--literally--with his urban martial arts film Black Belt Jones. Weintraub and director Robert Clouse were responsible for the previous year's international hit Enter the Dragon, which sealed Bruce Lee's superstardom. Their idea to blend Blaxploitation and kung fu must have seemed like a natural fusion. To ensure a smooth transition, they cast American African karate champion Jim Kelly, who appeared in Enter the Dragon, in Black Belt Jones.

Kelly plays the title character, a streetwise kung fu master, who comes to the aid of his mentor Pop Byrd (Scatman Crothers). Pop's inner city Black Bird Karate School has attracted the attention of a local Mafioso with inside knowledge of the real estate's future value. When Pop refuses to sell, Don Steffano sends some thugs (led by Pinky...nice name!) over to rough him up. During the fight, Pop has a heart attack and dies. Belt Belt is determined to avenge Pop, save the school, and help out the Feds--with some unexpected help from Pop's black black belt daughter Sydney (Gloria Hendry).

Kelly in fight mode as Black Belt Jones.

There are numerous excellent action films--Enter the Dragon and Where Eagles Dare spring to mind--that cast credibility aside. If the action scenes are well-staged and frequent enough, the viewer won't have time to dwell on plot flaws. It helps, too, if the performers are charismatic. Unfortunately, Black Belt Jones falls flat in these areas. The title sequence, consisting of freeze frames that interrupt Kelly's swift punches and powerful kicks, is indicative of the film's problems. It robs a potentially exciting fight scene of its speed and rhythm. As the film progresses, the pacing problem worsens and the more time we have to dwell on its plot, the more incredulous Black Belt Jones becomes. A toupeed Scatman Crothers as a kung fu master?

With John Saxon in Enter the Dragon.

Kelly was fine as a supporting player in Enter the Dragon (especially considering he was a last minute replacement for Rockne Tarrington). It helped, of course, that the screenwriters gave him many of the film's memorable quips ("Man, you're right out of a comic book!"). Also, if you add up his screen time, Kelly wasn't in much of Enter the Dragon, which was designed as a star vehicle for Lee. In Black Belt Jones, Kelly is expected to carry much of the load. He manages well in the fight scenes (though, even there, his martial arts style is not as fluidly cinematic as Lee's). In his "acting" scenes, he tries to exude cool--though his cool quotient  is relatively low compared to charismatic actors such as Richard Roundtree in Shaft.

Surprisingly, Black Belt Jones has its admirers, which I attribute to its karate scenes and camp factor. I suppose one could argue that it was always intended as camp, making my criticisms pointless. My belief is Weintraub and Clouse wanted to make a mindless genre film mixing action and humor. Achieving that right amount of balance (as Jackie Chan did in many of his films) can be challenging and that's where Black Belt Jones fails for me. Still, it did well enough at the box office to garner a sequel, 1976's Hot Potato, which sends Black Belt to an Asian country to rescue a senator's daughter.

Kelly worked steadily throughout the late 1970s and early 1980s, with lead roles in films like Black Samurai. He also appeared in three films with Jim Brown and Fred Williamson: Three the Hard Way; the unusual Blaxploitation-Spaghetti Western Take a Hard Ride; and One Down, Two to Go (also with Richard Roundtree). Except for occasional film appearances, he retired from acting in 1982. He subsequently became a professional tennis player and appeared on the USTA Senior Men's Circuit.

It doesn't even look like a
Jackie Chan movie.

Filmmakers Fred Weintraub and Robert Clouse continued to make occasional martial arts films with splashes of humor. They introduced Jackie Chan to American audiences with The Big Brawl in 1980. Unfortunately, it veered too much from Jackie's natural persona and never found an audience. Jackie Chan wouldn't hit it big in the U.S. until 15 years later when Rumble in the Bronx became a sleeper hit.

Jackie Outdoes Himself in “Armour of God II: Operation Condor”

Jackie (Jackie Chan), also known as Condor, is a man who, in the style of Indiana Jones, secures (and occasionally steals) rare artifacts. When a Baron is commissioned by the UN to recover 240 tons of gold, purloined and hidden by the Germans during World War II, he sends Jackie to locate the sequestered fortune. Ada (Carol “Do Do” Cheng) of the UN and Elsa (Eva Cobo de Garcia), a descendant of the German officer ordered to hide the gold, accompany Jackie. Trekking through the deserts of Africa, Jackie and the team search for an underground base, with Momoko (Shoko Ikeda) joining them along the way. In the course of their journey, they must battle hapless treasure hunters, as well as mercenary soldiers working for a mysterious man in a wheelchair (Aldo Sambrell).

Armour of God II: Operation Condor (1991/Fei ying gai wak), which Chan also co-wrote and directed, is a sequel to Chan’s 1987 film, Armour of God (Long xiong hu di), but it sometimes gives the impression of a remake. Chan is playing the same character, though he is called Asian Hawk in Armour of God and referred to as Condor in the second film. Both movies have similar openings, with Jackie stealing from an African tribe and narrowly escaping (a small plane in the original, a giant inflatable sphere in the sequel). In the first film, Jackie needs to trade the Armour of God for the safe return of his ex-girlfriend, Laura (Rosamund Kwan). There are five pieces, and he borrows three of them from a Count, played by the same actor who plays the Baron in Operation Condor, although they are evidently two different characters. In Armour of God, the Count sends his daughter, May (Lola Forner), along with Jackie, much like Ada being assigned to the mission in the sequel. Both films have elaborate car chases before the seeking of the treasure begins.

The differences in Operation Condor, however, are marked improvements. One of the most notable distinctions is the treatment of women. In many of Jackie Chan’s early films, female characters are rarely seen or insignificant. In Armour of God, May boasts of winning a marksman championship, but not only does she miss an opportunity to fully display her skill, Jackie also mocks her champion status, suggesting that only two people competed. Laura is little more than the woman to be rescued, and she even proves a deterrent when she is freed only after being brainwashed by her captors. In contrast, Ada, Elsa and Momoko are strong supporting characters, even superior to Jackie’s male companion in Armour of God, Alan (Alan Tam). Ada is intelligent and knowledgeable of deserts, Elsa’s familial background is an asset, and Momoko is helpful by having befriended the locals in Africa.

Jackie’s relationship with the women is one of the film’s most rewarding components. He acts as a protector, but without a sexual tie to any of the women, there is no machoism to his constant safeguarding. In fact, his protection comes across as paternal. In one sequence (which was excised from the U.S. version), the group is being led across the desert by armed men. When they are refused water, Jackie crawls to each lady (having all collapsed from the heat) and allows them access to a hidden water pack in his jacket with a thin tube. He tries to hide it from the other men, giving the appearance of Jackie embracing each woman. The men initially attribute their actions to lust, but the scene is in actuality more akin to a mother feeding her children. Later in the film, during a monumental fight scene, the ladies are being chased by one of the soldiers, and they call for Jackie, who is occupied with three villains. Ada, Elsa and Momoko persevere and subsequently knock unconscious one of Jackie’s opponents. Jackie smiles at the three women, like a proud parent. Additional instances include Jackie leading the women away during chases and, at one point, helping keep Ada covered when she’s draped in only a towel and held at gunpoint.


Regarding the female characters as Jackie’s “children” is not meant to undermine them as women. It’s well established that none of them have experience in combat, and it’s therefore refreshing that they don’t spend the film shrieking and cowering in fear. Their sheer determination is strength enough, as, for instance, Ada and Elsa do not even entertain the idea of giving up a key when being pursued by armed soldiers. The most significant element to the ladies’ fight with the aforementioned soldier is that, after knocking down the three women (viewers only witness the outcome), the man is apparently shocked to see Ada, Elsa and Momoko stand up again. What holds more weight than their unified force is their tenacity, as they are unwilling to stay down. A standout moment is another soldier, having been struck by all three women, slapping each lady. He is visibly surprised when Momoko returns to him an expression of defiance. In the very basic sense, the soldiers desire control, but the women never yield.

In a country where most films are made quickly, Jackie Chan has long been notorious as a perfectionist, meticulously working on his movies until he is satisfied. (The studio typically doesn’t complain, as the box office returns are exceptionally profitable.) Nevertheless, the well known wind tunnel sequence near the end of Armour of God II required a lengthy shoot even by Chan’s standards. Though it runs at a little more than 10 minutes, the scene took an astounding four months to complete. Production was plagued with many problems, the most interesting of which was the filmmakers accused of counterfeiting, after some of the film’s artificial currency (stamped with Golden Harvest, the studio) made it off the set. Armour of God II cost an estimated 115 million Hong Kong dollars (roughly 15 million U.S.) to make, which at the time was the most expensive film produced in Hong Kong.

Armour of God II received American theatrical release in the summer of 1997, after Chan’s films were playing to great success on U.S. screens. It was titled simply Operation Condor and was dubbed, re-scored, and missing approximately 15 minutes of footage, most of it at the beginning and resulting in some of the narrative making little sense (including an early introduction to both Elsa and Momoko, so that the recut version makes it look as if Momoko is a random hitchhiker that the team picks up in the desert). The first Armour of God has memorial sequences but is probably best remembered as the film that nearly killed its star: a routine jump resulted in Chan falling and receiving a serious head injury. This explains a continuity error, in which Chan’s character inexplicably has longer hair because, as Chan has stated, he needed to cover the hole in his head. Following the U.S. theatrical distribution of Operation Condor, Armour of God was released on VHS and DVD, recut and confusingly retitled Operation Condor II: The Armor of the Gods.

At the time of Armour of God II, Carol Cheng was one of the more prolific actresses working, but by the mid-90s, her cinematic output waned. In 2000, she starred in the popular Hong Kong sitcom, War of the Genders, on the network, TVB (Television Broadcasts Limited). She won a TVB Anniversary Award (similar to an Emmy) for her role in the series and was awarded again in 2005 as host of the game show, Justice for All. Cheng was also the host of Hong Kong’s version of The Weakest Link, and she co-hosted the TVB Anniversary Awards ceremony in 2010.

This is one of many of Chan’s films to feature Ken Lo, the actor’s former bodyguard and member of the Jackie Chan Stunt Team (reportedly the professional relationship between the two ended badly). Lo is the redheaded villain in the wind tunnel with Chan in Armour of God II. The actor and martial artist is prominently featured in much of Chan’s filmography, including the immensely popular final fight sequence in Drunken Master II (1994/released in the U.S. in 2000 as The Legend of Drunken Master), one of the villains in Police Story III: Supercop (1992), and even a notable character in Chan’s first hit of his U.S.-made films, 1998’s Rush Hour (he’s the one who proudly admits to kicking Chris Tucker in the face). Lo has also starred with Jet Li in Corey Yuen’s My Father is a Hero (1995/in the U.S. as The Enforcer) and in the Japanese film, Dead or Alive: Final (2002), helmed by cult director Takashi Miike.

The superiority of Armour of God II: Operation Condor over Armour of God is not an anomaly in Chan’s oeuvre. One of the actor/director’s most popular films is a sequel: Drunken Master II. Additionally, some fans tend to prefer Police Story III: Supercop over Chan’s international breakthrough hit, Police Story (1985) -- likely due to the pairing of Chan and Michelle Yeoh -- and others may argue that Project A (1983) is surpassed by 1987’s Project A II (favoring that sequel is debatable, but I’m of the opinion that Chan topped his ‘83 classic). Even his U.S. film, Rush Hour 2 (2001), was more comparable to his Hong Kong movies than the original.

Jackie Chan has named silent film star Buster Keaton as a strong influence in his work. Certainly his choreographed stunts are reminiscent of Keaton’s movies, and Chan has stated that the wind tunnel scene in Armour of God II was inspired by the cyclone sequence in Steamboat Bill, Jr. (1928), especially the moments when Keaton tries walking against the heavy winds. But Chan, like Keaton, did not make films comprised solely of stunt work. His movies are filled with lively characters and comedy that’s delivered in forms other than action -- in Armour of God II, for instance, while in the German base, a missile’s warhead falls from a crate and slowly rolls across the floor, as every person freezes, cringes as it clangs against the wall, and sighs with relief before the fighting resumes. Chan is well known for his stunts, but he is also a gifted actor and an accomplished comedian, and he entertains on a multitude of levels.

Cynthia Khan Steps In and Takes Over in “In the Line of Duty”

In 1985, Michelle Yeoh rose quickly to stardom, along with American actress Cynthia Rothrock, in the Hong Kong action film, Yes, Madam! Yeoh’s equally successful follow-up, Royal Warriors (1986), was released in other territories as In the Line of Duty, while Yes, Madam! was, interestingly enough, given a sequel title, In the Line of Duty 2. D & B Films retained the title to continue as a series, but by 1988, Yeoh had retired to marry producer Dickson Poon (the “D” in D & B).

Looking for a new leading lady, D & B Films chose Cynthia Khan. Born Yang Li-Ching in Taiwan, the actress’ stage name is an amalgamation of Cynthia Rothrock and Michelle Khan (Yeoh’s screen credit before her retirement). Like other female action stars, she’d previously trained in dance. Though Khan was taking over the lead, she was not portraying the same character as Yeoh, who played two different characters in Yes, Madam! and Royal Warriors.

The plot to 1988’s In the Line of Duty III is similar to Royal Warriors: vengeance-minded Japanese criminals (Stuart Ong and Michiko Nishiwaki) are targeting Madam Yeung (Khan) and others, while a Japanese cop (Hiroshi Fujioka) is looking for retribution against the villains. Both movies have an additional villain who enters the plot midway through, action scenes set in night clubs, and end in warehouses with the female protagonist fighting alone and various tools as weapons. Khan even looks like Michelle Yeoh, in similar Don Johnson-inspired outfits and matching boyish haircut. Fortunately, the series progressed, and by the sixth film (before Yeoh’s return to cinema screens), Khan’s hair is considerably longer and she’s taken to wearing short skirts or shorts and knee-high boots.

Though setting up Khan as a replacement for Yeoh, In the Line of Duty III does establish Khan’s character as a strong woman. A man at the beginning mocks Madam Yeung when she tries to write him a ticket. Though he degrades police officers in general, the implication is that he’s questioning her authority as a female. When a robber runs past, Yeung chases him, but her knee-length skirt (part of her police uniform) is so constricted that she tears it along the side. This allows her to run faster and, more importantly, use her legs freely against the criminal. It’s almost as if Yeung is freeing herself from the limitations that some may associate with working women. But it’s also the woman utilizing unconventional methods to capture the robber: she is unable to retrieve a pistol from another officer (a male cop who proves to be a hindrance), due to the lanyard tied to the weapon, and so an unarmed woman must stop an armed criminal.

In the Line of Duty III was an entertaining action film and a grand introduction to Khan’s female cop protagonist. In her subsequent film, In the Line of Duty IV (1989), a man, Luk (Yuen Yat-Choh), is sought by criminals for having photographic evidence of a CIA operative’s involvement in selling drugs, unaware that Luk lost the film almost immediately. Madam Yeung teams up with another officer (Donnie Yen) to protect Luk, also marked for death simply for being a witness. Michael Wong, who starred in Royal Warriors with Yeoh (he’s playing a different character), co-stars as a CIA agent.

Generally considered the favorite of Khan’s In the Line of Duty films, the fourth entry, in addition to allowing Khan to break away from Yeoh’s cinematic persona, was directed by famed Hong Kong filmmaker Yuen Woo-Ping and featured an early performance from future superstar Donnie Yen. Though he’s only known in the U.S. for choreography (the Wachowski Bros.’ The Matrix in 1999, Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill movies in 2003-04, etc.), Yuen was a successful director in Hong Kong, directing and choreographing such stars as Jackie Chan (in his first legitimate hit), Jet Li and Michelle Yeoh. Yen has been popular for a number of years, for films including Once Upon a Time in China II (1992) and Iron Monkey (1993/directed by Yuen), but his productivity in the last several years has been amazing, appearing in a host of award-winning films. He has also proven himself a competent action director, earning a Hong Kong Film Award for Best Action Choreography for The Twins Effect (Vampire Effect in the U.S.) in 2004, SPL: Sha Po Lang (Kill Zone in the U.S.) in 2006, and Flash Point (also a Taiwan Golden Horse Film Award) in 2008. (Yuen won in said category for the years in between, 2005 and 2007.)

Next in the series was In the Line of Duty V: Middle Man (1990). In this film, Madam Yeung’s cousin, David (David Wu), is on leave from the Navy. When David’s criminal friend, Alan, is killed from a botched drug deal, his ties to the selling of U.S. intel convinces the CIA that David is equally guilty of espionage. Yeung must keep her cousin out of prison, as well as protect David from men who believe he possesses an incriminating diary that belonged to Alan. Though not as good as its predecessor, Middle Man is an admirable film and yet another showcase for Khan’s talents.

Cynthia Khan, along with actresses such as Moon Lee and Yukari Oshima, is known for frequently appearing in films of the “Girls with Guns” subgenre. However, the In the Line of Duty films focus on hand-to-hand combat. Many of the times, Khan’s character (as well as other police officers) is outgunned, armed with a police-issued revolver while dodging bullets from automatic weapons. Ultimately the villains run out of bullets, and it comes down to physical prowess, of which Madam Yeung is more than capable.

Two more sequels followed, both released in 1991 (though the latter film was apparently produced in 1990). Despite neither movie utilizing the In the Line of Duty title, Khan is reprising her character in each film. In Forbidden Arsenal, Khan and her team halt a transaction of illegal arms, ensnaring two of the men (Waise Lee and Do Siu-Chun) in the process. Both men, however, claim to be police officers -- one from Taiwan, the other from mainland China -- working in Hong Kong. The men are not authorized to work the case, which doesn’t stop them from attempting to do exactly that. Yeung spends much of the time babysitting the two, who occasionally come across as oafish: one has a penchant for perusing adult magazines, while another learns the hard way that tin cans should not be heated in a microwave. This not only expresses Yeung’s superiority over the two as a woman, but also as a Hong Kong cop. A unique quality of this film is the first (and only) sign of romantic interest for Madam Yeung. It seems out of place, but at least her potential suitor earns it (e.g., he has a long wait until the closing credits).

Sea Wolves begins with Vietnam refugees attacked at sea, murdered for their valuables. John (Simon Yam), part of the thieving, murderous crew (and brother to the ship’s captain), recognizes a refugee, Gary (Gary Chow, who was also in Forbidden Arsenal), and saves him from a similar fate. Gary is injured and subsequently develops amnesia. Once the ship reaches the shores of Hong Kong, he escapes, and John does what he can to keep his brothers in crime from killing his friend. Unfortunately, Khan is a supporting player in this entry, as there are stretches of time without Madam Yeung, while most of her scenes act as reminders of an ongoing investigation. On its own, Sea Wolves is an adequate action thriller, but as In the Line of Duty 7, it’s a disappointing conclusion to the series. Philip Kwok of Chang Cheh’s Venoms was the martial arts director of the sixth and seventh films (co-credited in Forbidden Arsenal). He also had roles in both films.

Though they are loosely connected -- the common denominators being Khan’s Madam Yeung and D & B Films as producers -- these films are generally considered the In the Line of Duty series. Various alternate titles, however, cause a great deal of confusion. Khan plays a vengeful bride sporting an uzi in Queen’s High (1991), which has also been called In the Line of Duty 5: In the Beginning. In the Line of Duty IV was released on UK DVD as In the Line of Duty, while Middle Man is sometimes known as In the Line of Duty 2. The series entries additionally have varying Yes Madam titles, with Khan appearing in the unrelated films, Yes Madam (1995), Yes Madam 5 (1996) -- she does play a cop named Yeung -- and A Serious Shock! Yes Madam! (1993/aka Death Triangle) with Moon Lee and Yukari Oshima.

Attempting to link the seven In the Line of Duty movies (or even just the five starring Cynthia Khan) with anything concerning a plot is irrelevant. Audiences were just happy to see a familiar face, and Kahn made the series her own before the credits of her first film even rolled. Loyalty in action films lies with the protagonist. So as the storyline falls by the wayside, viewers will focus all their love and energy on the character who’s still standing at the end. One of the most vital ingredients to any film’s success is the star, and Cynthia Khan was one of the brightest.

Blind Vengeance Takes Center Stage in "Master of the Flying Guillotine"

Vengeance! That's what blind kung fu teacher Fu Sing Wu Chi has in mind when he receives news that two of his pupils were killed by a one-armed revoluntionary. Fu Sing Wu Chi promptly blows up his remote cabin in the mountains and sets out--armed with his "flying guillotine"--to kill his adversary.

Liu Ti Lung (Jimmy Wang Yu), the "one-armed boxer," heads a martial arts school where he tries to keep a low profile ("Don't attract attention from government officials," he warns his students). In the same village, a bigwig is hosting a large-scale martial arts tournament. Liu Ti Lung refuses to enter the tournament, but decides that his students could learn from watching the participants.

A tournament participant readies for
her first blow.

After several exciting fighting matches (all to the death--unfortunately for the losers), Fu Sing Wu Chi shows up. He kills the tournament's host and, with the help of some of the fighters, seeks out Liu Ti Lung to gain his vengance.

No plot summary could do justice to Master of the Flying Guillotine, one of the funkiest and most popular films to emerge from the kung fu craze of the 1970s. Released in 1976, the film just missed out on the kung fu fad in America. Over the years, though, American fans have elevated it from cult status to the point where it has been championed by filmmakers such as Quentin Tarantino.

Part of the film's appeal comes from the tournament scenes, which pit fighters from different martial arts disciplines against each other. Indeed, Master of the Flying Guillotine is known as the protoype "tournament film," although it wasn't the first of its kind. In fact, director-star Jimmy Wang Yu actually borrowed the concept from his earlier One-Armed Boxer (aka The Chinese Professionals), which--although it didn't feature a tournament per se--boasted a plethora of martial artists from different counties and with different fighting styles.

Fighters perched on poles...with
blades protruding from the ground.

That said, the tournament matches in Master of the Flying Guillotine are superior in every way. Not only are they more imaginative (e.g., two fighters perched on top of poles as they battle each other), but the direction and presentation are more stylish. I even like how a paper fan is ripped in half (with musical accompaniment) when a winner is announcement. And, there's some offbeat humor, too, such as when two fighters kill each other and an official directs the tournament staff to "take the two winners away."

Wang Yu narrowly avoids death
by flying guillotine.

Of course, Master of the Flying Guillotine is more than just a filmed tourament...and that leads us to Fu Sing Wu Chi and his flying guillotine--a unique, lethal, but not very practical weapon. It can be best described as a hat attached to a chain that drops a mesh over the head of its victims There are razor-sharp blades at the bottom of the mesh, so when the chain is pulled tight, the victim is beheaded. Since Fu Sing Wu Chi is blind, he uses his flying guillotine on any one-armed fighter he encounters. This is bad news for a bum at a restaurant who poses as Liu Ti Lung in order to get a free meal!

There are subplots aplenty in Master of the Flying Guillotine, but my favorite involves a female martial artist whose father (the tournament host) is murdered by Fu Sing Wu Chi. A Japanese teacher offers to take care of her and teach her karate. However, she rejects his offer, stating: "All I want to do now to take revenge on that blind man." The Japanese teacher's terse response: "Don't bother...you're not enough."

Wang Yu plots his next move during
the fight in the coffin shop.

The film's only glaring liability is Jimmy Wang Yu. Although his direction is stylish and his choice of settings creative (e.g., a fight in a coffin shop), his acting is uninspired. He simply lacks charisma and, although it's fun to watch his one-armed fighting for awhile, his repetitive movements eventually become boring. Still, there's no denying that--as a director and actor--he was a major influence on the kung fu films of the 1970s.

For anyone interested in martial arts films, Master of the Flying Guillotine is required viewing. For those curious to explore the genre beyond the films of Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan, this funky, stylish picture is a great place to start.

The Venoms Find Their Strength in Chang Cheh’s “Crippled Avengers”

Kung fu master Black Tiger Dao Tian-Du (Chen Kuan-Tai) encounters men attacking his family. His lethal reciprocation comes too late, as his wife has been murdered and his son, Dao Chang (Lu Feng), mutilated, his arms cut off. Many years later, Dao and his son, now with arms made of iron, seek revenge against the descendants of the men who killed their wife and mother. Their vengeance, however, extends beyond those related to the murderers, as they terrorize a town by crippling anyone who may even slightly provoke them. Three men who have fallen prey to the Dao father/son form a kinship: Chen Shuen (Philip Kwok as Kuo Chui), a traveling salesman who is blinded; Wei (Lo Meng), the town blacksmith who is made deaf and mute; and Hu (Sun Chien), simply a man who, in the midst of an argument, inadvertently bumped into Dao Chang and whose legs are severed as a result.

Master Wang Yi (Chiang Sheng) arrives in town and hears about the three crippled men, who have been outcast by the townspeople, too frightened to cross Dao. Wang confronts Dao and his army on the men’s behalf, but he is overpowered and tortured so ferociously that it renders him childlike. Accepting the blame for Wang’s condition, the three men return him to his master, Li (Cheng Miu). Master Li trains each man in the martial arts, strengthening Wei’s eyes and Chen Shuen’s ears, and helping Hu, with iron legs crafted by Wei, develop his kicking skills. After three years of discipline, the new masters, along with Wang, head back into town for retribution, while Dao is distracted by his upcoming birthday celebration.Chang Cheh’s 1978 Crippled Avengers (original title: Can que/aka Return of the 5 Deadly Venoms; Mortal Combat; Avengers Handicapped) is a standout among kung fu films. Chang was one of the most productive and fruitful directors at Shaw Brothers Studio. Many of his films are considered classics, representative of both the kung fu and wuxia genres (wuxia films, in a very basic sense, focus on swordplay over hand-to-hand combat), as well as the Hong Kong industry in general. Chang’s filmography is just short of 100 movies, including The One-Armed Swordsman (1967) with Jimmy Wang Yu, King Eagle (1971) with Ti Lung, and The Brave Archer (1977/aka Kung Fu Warlords) and its sequels.

Crippled Avengers is about destitute men overcoming authoritarian brutality, a common theme in Chang’s and Hong Kong films, but it is also a movie about camaraderie and unity. The avengers of the title are triumphant because they function as a whole, a combined effort that the villains cannot truly achieve for themselves. Chen Sheun and Wei are the first two men wounded by Dao and his son, and they are also the first to bond. The two men communicate with their hands by writing characters on open palms and Wei occasionally guiding Chen Sheun by grasping his wrist or hand. Their relationship is like an older brother to a younger sibling, each man in each role interchangeably. More significantly, the physical connection links them together, so that their handicaps, which may be perceived as weaknesses, are offset by a mutual distribution of strength. It’s fitting that, in one sequence, Wei destroys the large drums intended to deafen Chen Shuen, while Chen Shuen shatters the mirrors meant to blind Wei with reflections. Singularly they are strong, but combined they are practically unstoppable.The other two men, Hu and Wang, help reinforce the group. Once they’re in town, they spend much of the time keeping Hu’s iron legs a secret. Hu seems to become a reserve, or a trump card, as a kick from Hu almost certainly means death. Wang’s simple mind is very nearly a hindrance (he comes close to revealing the secret weapon), but he plays his part as an avenger. His antics (“playing” with the others) is ultimately an extension of the men’s training, as they work their skills against his constant interruptions. Wang most enjoys playing with iron rings in the course of Chen Shuen’s training. When Chen Shuen is fighting Dao Chang, Wang finds iron rings and throws them at the feuding men, leading to a breathtaking action sequence featuring the trio.

In contrast, Dao and his men have the ingredients for an alliance but cannot (or will not) take full advantage. Dao’s right-hand man, Keeper Wan (Wang Lung-Wei), initially underestimates the men once they return to town. But even after he recognizes their abilities, Wan still doesn’t utilize enough of Dao’s men and refuses to tell Dao of the antagonists, believing he will disrupt preparations for Dao’s birthday. In one particular scene, Master Jiu (Yeung Hung) has Wan attack him, using a Chinese weapon translated as “meteor hammer” (a single-headed version, with a heavy ball attached to a chain, similar to a flail). Wan swings the meteor hammer and wraps the bulky chain around Jiu, whose muscular prowess snaps the chain. It’s a notable expression of the villains’ lack of totality. If the men can be considered “links,” any chance of them joining together in full force is vanquished by an exhibition of individual physique.A number of Chang’s films feature actors who have come to be collectively known as the Venoms or Venom Mob. The group’s namesake is derived from the title of the 1978 hit, The Five Deadly Venoms. The men had previously worked with one another and with Chang, but Venoms is one of the most popular films. The main five actors of the Venoms star in Crippled Avengers: Kwok, Chiang, Lo, Sun and Lu (though Chiang was not officially a “venom” in The Five Deadly Venoms -- he played the student searching for the five masters -- he appeared in more films than the fifth venom, played by Wei Pai). There are other actors, in addition to Wei, considered part of the Venoms but in fewer films, including Wang Lung-Wei. (Despite one of the U.S. titles -- Return of the 5 Deadly Venoms -- Crippled Avengers is unrelated in terms of plot and characters.)

There are some who regard Crippled Avengers as exploitative, for the characters’ disabilities as well as the violence (the latter of which is a typical complaint of many of Chang’s films, as he never shied away from geysers of blood). But Chang does not ridicule the characters. He presents them as men who are burdened with obstacles which they must overcome, and although Wang’s mental trauma results in the man behaving as a child (and Wang becoming the comic relief), his kung fu expertise remains intact, and he is clearly a vital part of the group. Crippled Avengers is a superb film from Chang and spotlighting the Venoms. Viewers may overlook the plot or may dwell on choosing a favorite Venom, but one thing is indisputable: when the Venoms are fighting, the audience should hold its breath and try not to blink.

Bruce Lee's Kung Fu Classic "Fist of Fury"

Although Enter the Dragon was the best movie starring Bruce Lee, the best Bruce Lee movie remains the seldom-shown Fist of Fury. Most American viewers compare it unfavorably with Enter the Dragon, because it lacks the latter film's colorful production, James Bond-style plot, and supporting English-language performers. But Fist of Fury doesn't need those trappings—it provides an ideal showcase for Lee's graceful athletic prowess, simmering fury, and surprising adeptness at humor.

Fist of Fury is also Lee’s most traditional genre picture. It even recycles the vintage plot of two martial arts schools pitted against one another. In this case, the setting is Shanghai 1908 and the basis of the conflict is nationality—a Japanese school wants a Chinese school closed and will go to any length.

The film opens with the funeral of the Chinese school’s teacher and the return of Chen (Lee), a former pupil. As the students honor their former teacher, thugs from the Japanese school interrupt the proceedings to deliver a framed sign proclaiming the Chinese martial artists “The Sick Men of Asia.” Several Chinese students, including a smoldering Chen, want to fight the Japanese intruders, but the new teacher convinces them to hold back their anger.

Chen (Lee) takes on a whole school of martial arts students.

Chen complies—initially—but later he returns the sign to the Japanese school and challenges the whole class to a fight. In a spectacular display of cat-like quickness and balletic movement, Chen demolishes the student body. The sequence rates as Lee’s best large-scale fight. The precise choreography and exaggerated camera effects (e.g., cant shots, quick zooms) enhance Lee’s natural charisma. He teases opponents, then stuns them with lightening-fast kicks and sudden blows to the face. He finishes the scene by making his defeated opponents eat the offending sign.

Lee stages a fight with former real-life student Bob Wall.

Later in the film, he duels with the Japanese school’s chief instructor, a promising student from Russia, and the head teacher. This three-fight sequence works with the efficiency of a swift combination punch. Each martial arts match is framed by its surroundings (a room, a courtyard, another room), giving the effect of Chen moving through a game of progressively more difficult levels. The chief instructor is a weak opponent. The Russian puts up a decent fight. The teacher manages to cut Chen with a sword (prompting the famous reaction of Lee’s character tasting his own blood). But none of these opponents can match Chen when he channels his uncontrollable fury into a flurry of lethal blows and kicks.

Lee in disguise in Fist of Fury.

Fist of Fury exploded on the international boxoffice when first released. It was retitled The Chinese Connection in the U.S., apparently so as not to confuse it with an earlier Lee film (The Big Boss which had been retitled Fists of Fury for its U.S. distribution). Naturally, the the film's producers also wanted to capitalize on the popularity of The French Connection (1971).

A tender scene with Nora Miao.

Bruce Lee's path to martial arts film stardom was one with many pit stops. Although he was born in San Francisco in 1940, Lee grew up in Hong Kong and appeared in several films as a child actor. He moved to the U.S. in the late 1950s and eventually became a martial arts teacher. In 1964, Lee's exciting fighting style attracted attention at the Long Beach International Karate Championships and resulted in a TV deal from producer William Dozier. Lee was eventually cast as Kato in the short-lived Green Hornet TV series starring Van Williams. During that time, Lee also befriended two of his martial arts pupils: actor James Coburn and screenwriter-producer Stirling Silliphant.

Silliphant kept Bruce busy with supporting roles in:  Marlowe (1969) with James Garner; A Walk in the Spring starring Ingrid Bergman; and several episodes of the James Franciscus TV series Longstreet. Concurrently, Lee developed his own concept for a TV series called The Warrior, which mixed the martial arts and Western genres. Although a pilot for The Warrior was never produced, the similar Kung Fu TV series premiered a year later. Bruce Lee was considered for the starring role that went to David Carradine.

Lee as Kato in The Green Hornet.

Frustrated with his acting career in the U.S., Bruce Lee returned to Hong Kong where he discovered that The Green Hornet had made him a star (the series had even been retitled The Kato Show). Producer Raymond Chow, who had recently started his own film company called Golden Harvest, convinced Lee to sign a two-picture deal. The resulting kung fu classics--The Big Boss and Fist of Fury--made Lee a worldwide superstar.

Today, Fist of Fury remains one of the few martial arts films to survive the “kung fu craze” of 1973-75. Although relegated to videotape showings for the most part, it has become a staple for Bruce Lee fans, martial arts enthusiasts, and film historians interested in the cinema of the 1970s. There have been several official and unofficial remakes and sequels, with the best one being 1994's Fist of Legend starring Jet Li.

Moon Lee and Yukari Oshima Beat the Odds -- and All the Men -- in “Angel Terminators II”

Bullet (Yukari Oshima) is released from prison and is greeted by her friends, including Chitty (Moon Lee). When Bullet, who was a member of a triad gang (Chinese criminal organization), goes to see her former boss -- on whose behalf she was imprisoned -- for money, he suggests payment by way of Chitty becoming a prostitute. The fiercely loyal Bullet is enraged and attacks the triad boss and his men, a fight that Chitty joins. The friends’ seemingly endless scuffles lead to a conflict with other triads, and when Bullet resorts to her old criminal ways, she incites a triad leader, “Mad” (Wong Chi-Yeung). Soon it seems that everyone is out for revenge, acts of violence which ultimately involve Bullet’s estranged father, Bao (Jason Pai Piao), and his impetuous partner called “Big Aunt” (Sibelle Hu).

Angel Terminators II (1993) was directed by Wong Chun-Yeung (also known as Simon Yun Ching or Tony Liu Jun-Guk, among other aliases) and Chan Lau, with Yuen Bo as action director. It is a sequel in name only to Angel Terminators from the previous year, a film that starred Carrie Ng and Japanese actress/stunt woman Michiko Nishiwaki.
The most significant quality of Angel Terminators II is that the female characters are indisputably the strongest. The movie opens with robbers who have taken hostages in a restaurant. Big Aunt is informed of the situation and runs inside (ahead of her male partner) with no hesitation. Though she is with uniformed officers and Bao, Big Aunt apparently thinks nothing of facing a robber armed with an assault rifle against her revolver. Her adeptness is even acknowledged when an officer, who does not appear to be injured, tosses his gun to her. Chitty and Bullet are introduced separately: Chitty training with a female opponent and Bullet coolly flashing an obscene gesture at the officers as she leaves the prison. However, after Chitty humiliates a man at a karaoke bar (she refuses his demand of stepping ahead of her and Bullet at karaoke), the women and their friends are attacked on the street. Chitty and Bullet take control of the scene by effortlessly beating the men and, for good measure, pulverizing their car with lead pipes that the men were using as weapons.

In contrast, the men in Angel Terminators II prove nearly worthless. When Chitty, Bullet, and others confront triads who are blackmailing their friend, May, with an incriminating videotape, the two ladies burst through the door before anyone else. As if the question of who the real muscle is wasn’t already confirmed, Turkey (Lee Ho-Kwan) pulls a gun, the only person brandishing a weapon, and is quickly and easily disarmed. Only after the opponents are grounded is the gun retrieved, as Chitty kicks it into the air and catches it. The group narrowly escapes but is stopped, at which point Turkey once again points the firearm at triads and loses the weapon in little time. This not only expresses the skills of the women -- Turkey’s possession of the weapon means that Chitty has returned it to him, since she clearly doesn’t need it -- but, particularly when the triads realize that the gun is a fake, it’s difficult not to equate the gun’s lack of value with Turkey.
The remainder of the male cast falls in line with Turkey’s shortcomings. Another friend, Bull (Anthony Cho Cheuk-Nin), does little more than pine after Bullet (who doesn’t reciprocate) and cheer on the ladies. During the fight, their friend, “Chick,” actually stands behind May, the girl whom is, more or less, being rescued (and his name clearly alluding to the man as a “chicken”). Chitty’s uncle (Lo Lieh) has scars covering his body, but he literally puts people to sleep when telling the stories of how he got them. Even Bao, perhaps the most enduring of the males, is undermined by his inability to prevent his daughter, Bullet, from constantly running into trouble with the law.

The movie has a plethora of cues to the characters as women, most of which are contradicted by their behavior. Chitty is in an all-women martial arts class, and she taunts her opponent and even distracts the coach so she can kick her rival a final time. Bullet’s old boss asks Chitty her name after arrogantly calling her “Little Sister,” to which Chitty mocks him by stating her name as Little Sister. She also casually leans against the wall once Bullet starts fighting the triads but immediately begins kicking the men when Bullet is hit with her back turned. Bullet wears pants with the word “slut” printed all over in bright red, as if she’s daring someone to call her that. She seems timid when Chitty wants to sing karaoke with her, but is not the least bit hesitant when the group is assaulted later. In one sequence, both Chitty and Bullet carry handbags, which they retain while engaging in fisticuffs. Chitty’s bag is even over her shoulders, like a school backpack, a considerable visual since she has convinced her uncle that she is still attending school. Big Aunt, for her part, is an antithesis to a stereotypically “prissy” woman: she wears a bulky jacket, talks with her mouth full while eating, and tries to start a fight with Mad after he insults her (and indeed fights him later when Bao isn’t there to stop her). Perhaps most memorable of all, Big Aunt tends to snarl at criminals as they walk away.
Moon Lee Choi-Fung had made appearances in such films as Tsui Hark’s classic, Zu: Warriors from the Magic Mountain (1983) and 1985’s Mr. Vampire (the first in an immensely popular series about hopping vampires), but it was her role in Angel (aka Iron Angels; Midnight Angels) in 1987 that established her as an action star. Angel is generally credited as the movie that spawned the “Girls with Guns” subgenre, which was most prevalent in Hong Kong. Lee is a petite woman, often affectionately described as “cute” or “adorable,” and watching the actress fight men practically twice her size is nothing short of exhilarating. Her skills are derived from dance as opposed to formally training in martial arts. Lee starred in a number of films throughout the late 80s and 90s but has since left the industry (though she occasionally crops up on TV or film) and is now focused on teaching dance.

Yukari Oshima trained as a stunt woman and appeared on Japanese television before starring in Hong Kong films. Her first notable role was as the malicious villain in Angel with Moon Lee. Oshima was unfortunately often relegated to supporting roles, and she’s typically remembered for her villainous characters, perhaps best known to Western audiences for her part in the cult Riki-Oh (1992/aka The Story of Ricky). In the mid- to late 90s, she relocated to the Philippines where she made films credited as Cynthia Luster. Though Oshima’s cinematic output has waned in recent years, she will reportedly star in Legendary Amazons, a film also starring Cecilia Cheung and Cheng Pei-Pei and produced by Jackie Chan, set for release sometime in 2011.
In addition to Angel, Lee and Oshima have starred in a number of movies together. Both actresses were in Mission of Justice (1992), played assassins in Dreaming the Reality (1991), also directed by Wong Chun-Yeung and co-starring Hu, and appeared with action stars Cynthia Khan and Nishiwaki in The Avenging Quartet (1993) -- though the four ladies sadly did not make up the “quartet.” Lee and Oshima fought one another, as protagonist and villain, in Angel, Kickboxer’s Tears (1992) and Beauty Investigator (1993). They reversed roles for A Serious Shock! Yes Madam! (1993/aka Yes Madam ‘92: A Serious Shock; Death Triangle), also starring Khan and featuring Lee in what is likely her only turn as villain.

London born Sophia Crawford, who played one of the more formidable foes to battle Chitty in Angel Terminators II, moved to Hong Kong to star in action films. After extensive training, Crawford became a familiar face in Hong Kong movies, often assigned the role of villain (which was typical for British actors). In the U.S., she has doubled for numerous actresses in stunts, most famously Sarah Michelle Gellar in the first four seasons of the popular TV series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Crawford is also a member of the United Stuntwomen’s Association.

One of the biggest disappointments of Hong Kong films is that actresses such as Moon Lee and Yukari Oshima never achieved international success like Jackie Chan, Jet Li or Michelle Yeoh. Likewise, it’s a shame that their movies are so hard to find. Angel Terminators II is one of their very best, as each woman displays her acting chops and martial arts prowess. Though they may be unknown to the mainstream, Lee and Oshima are held in high esteem among fans of Hong Kong cinema, two remarkable ladies whose impression on action films is everlasting.