King Boxer (Audio Commentary by David Desser)
King Boxer
•
1h 45m
1972 • Hong Kong • Directed by Chang-hwa Jeong
Already firmly established as the most successful film studio in Hong Kong, Shaw Brothers’ worldwide commercial breakthrough would not come from one of their lavish epics, but instead from King Boxer, a lean, mean and bloody B-movie by a Korean director. Retitled 5 Fingers of Death by Warner for US distribution, Chung Chang-wha’s thrilling tale of redemption and revenge ignited the international kung fu craze and made Shaw Brothers’ name synonymous with eye-popping action spectaculars.
After his master is attacked by brutish thugs, Zhao Zhihao (Lo Lieh) signs up to a fighting school to help improve his chances at winning the top prize in a national boxing tournament, as well as the love of the master’s daughter. Zhao soon finds himself facing off against a band of powerful tyrants using their martial arts skills to terrorise the locals, but is selected to learn the one technique that may hold the key to defeating them: the Iron Palm.
Up Next in King Boxer
-
Cinema Hong Kong: Kung Fu
Cinema Hong Kong: Kung Fu, the first in a three-part documentary on Shaw Brothers’ place within the martial arts genre produced by Celestial Pictures in 2003, featuring interviews with Jackie Chan, Jet Li, John Woo, Sammo Hung, Gordon Liu, Lau Kar-leung, Cheng Pei-pei, David Chiang and many others.
-
Cinema Hong Kong: Sword Fighting
Cinema Hong Kong: Sword Fighting, a documentary on the history of the wuxia genre and Shaw Brothers’ contributions to it, produced by Celestial Pictures in 2003 and featuring interviews with Cheng Pei-pei, Gordon Liu, Lau Kar-leung, John Woo, Sammo Hung, Kara Hui, David Chiang and others.
-
King Boxer - Newly filmed appreciatio...
A newly filmed appreciation by film critic and historian Tony Rayns.
