Five Shaolin Masters
Martial Arts Mayhem • Action, Drama
1974 • Hong Kong • Directed by Cheh Chang
After directing a non-stop string of box office hits for Shaw Brothers, the studio gave Chang Cheh his own mini-studio (Chang’s Film Co) and the freedom to produce his own martial arts masterpieces, escaping the usual Hong Kong studio backlot to shoot in exotic Taiwanese locations. Though the company was short-lived, among its output was Chang’s instant-classic ‘Shaolin Temple Cycle’, five self-contained tales of the temple’s disciples escaping and avenging the wrath of the Manchus and the Qing dynasty, the most thrilling of which may be 1974’s Five Shaolin Masters.
As the hallowed Shaolin Temple burns to the ground on the orders of the Emperor, the last five surviving students – Hu Dedi (David Chiang), Cai Dezhong (Ti Lung), Ma Chaoxing (Alexander Fu Sheng), Li Shikai (Chi Kuan-chun) and Fang Dahong (Meng Fei) – attempt to locate and ally themselves with the growing anti-Qing resistance. Soon it becomes clear that the biggest battle is yet to come, and the five disciples must hone their skills and learn newer and deadlier techniques as enemies and traitors close in on all sides.
Up Next in Martial Arts Mayhem
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Shaolin Temple
1976 • Hong Kong • Directed by Cheh Chang
Returning to Hong Kong filmmaking after a spell in Taiwan, director Chang Cheh closed out his ‘Shaolin Temple Cycle’ with arguably the most star-filled and action-packed instalment yet in Shaolin Temple. Ostensibly (though not strictly) a prequel to Five...
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Mighty Peking Man
1977 • Hong Kong • Directed by Meng-Hua Ho
When Hollywood announced a big-budget remake of King Kong, Shaw Brothers followed suit with perhaps the most unhinged giant monster movie ever made: Mighty Peking Man. Fresh off directing the smash hit Black Magic horror series for Shaw, director Ho Men...
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Challenge of The Masters
1976 • Hong Kong • Directed by Chia-Liang Liu
After masterminding the spellbinding martial arts choreography on dozens of Shaw Brothers’ biggest hits, Lau Kar-Leung became an extraordinary director in his own right. His second film, the thrilling and deeply personal Challenge of the Masters, dra...
