King Boxer
Martial Arts Mayhem • Action, Drama
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 Martial Arts Mayhem
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The Boxer from Shantung
1972 • Hong Kong • Directed by Cheh Chang, Hsueh-Li Pao
By 1972, Chang Cheh was already Shaw Brothers’ most prolific and well-known director with a plethora of box office hits (including the One-Armed Swordsman franchise) to his name and renowned for discovering the hottest young talents to star...
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Five Shaolin Masters
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...
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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...
