Executioners from Shaolin
Michael Rousselet Selects
•
1h 40m
1977 • Hong Kong • Directed by Chia-Liang Liu
Having choreographed the action for many of Chang Cheh’s ‘Shaolin Temple’ films, director Lau Kar-leung used his inimitable talents and deeply-felt understanding of kung fu history to create his own idiosyncratic take on the same historical legends in Executioners from Shaolin, jam-packed with extraordinary fight scenes and unforgettable characters, not least the evil Bai Mei, the White-Browed Hermit!
After Bai Mei (Lo Lieh) and the Qing army burn the Shaolin Temple to the ground, killing its high priest and nearly all of its disciples, survivor Hong Xiguan (Chen Kuan-tai) vows revenge through the ‘Tiger Fist’ technique, even if it takes him decades to master it. After many years, the time for vengeance arrives – but the key to defeating Bai Mei may in fact lie with the ‘Crane’ technique practised by Hong’s headstrong wife, Fang Yongchun (Lily Li) and their immature teenage son, Hong Wending (Wong Yue).
Up Next in Michael Rousselet Selects
-
King Boxer
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 dire...
-
Daimajin
1966 • Japan • Directed by Kimiyoshi Yasuda
As the earth tremors beneath their feet, rumors of an ancient god called the Majin that lies beneath the rock abound amongst the peasant denizens of a small mountain village community ruled over by the benevolent feudal lord Handabusa (Ryūzо̄ Shimada)....
-
The Legend Of The Stardust Brothers
1985 · Japan · Directed by Macoto Tezka
In 1985, Macoto Tezka (son of the great manga artist Osamu Tezuka) met musician and TV personality Haruo Chicada who had made a soundtrack to a movie which didn’t actually exist: The Legend of the Stardust Brothers. At the time Macoto was just 22 years old...
