Recommend me some shaw brothers films

nenmaster · Post by **nenmaster** » 03 Jan 2006, 16:51

as the title says, i have 8 diagram pool and the two 36 chamber dvds and a few others

what else is good, lacking new kung fu to watch

tom2681 · Post by **tom2681** » 03 Jan 2006, 17:20

I don't know about Shaw Brothers' Kung-Fu films, but:
-Lady Assassin is pretty cool (choregraphed by Yuen Tak).
-Come Drink With Me is a masterpiece.
-Dragon Gate Inn (1967) is great.
-Blood Brothers with Ti Lung is great.
-Have Sword, Will Travel is fun.

Those are the only SB films I've seen so far.

grim_tales · Post by **grim_tales** » 03 Jan 2006, 17:57

I've never seen DGI Tom, where can you get that on DVD

Markgway · Post by **Markgway** » 03 Jan 2006, 20:34

Heroes of the East and Eight-Diagram Pole Fighter are must haves...

thelostdragon · Post by **thelostdragon** » 03 Jan 2006, 20:53

As Tom said "Have Sword, Will Travel". Also recommendable is "Sould of the Sword" and one of my all-time favourite Shaw flick is definitely "Irom Bodyguard".

Oh, and "The Flying Guillotine".

romerojpg · Post by **romerojpg** » 03 Jan 2006, 21:31

Treasure Hunters,
Heroes Two,
Five Shaolin Masters,
The Lady Is The Boss,
Shaolin Avengers,
King Boxer,
The Martial Club,
The Avenging Eagle

are all superb films

A few people said I helped them pick a Shaw to buy as I review all the ones I watch and I am no Shaw Expert like many others out there

but I really like them and will say so too.

But heres one of the best Shaws I saw latley

Treasure Hunters 4.5 out of 5

One of the best action films I have seen for ages and its maybe the best Shaw Brothers film I have seen yet, as it has it all in one film. Amazing action choreography, two of the best Shaw stars together in one film and a director who does some superb work, on and off the screen.

Alexander Fu Sheng and Gordon Liu are the stars of the show and both are as good as I have seen them and as part of the same film they just add a touch of magic. Then factor in the best Shaw Brother bad guy for hire Wang Lung We, and the films on the way to being perfect.
The films plot is easy enough to get, Fu Sheng and Chang Chan Peng are con men and set out to find hidden treasures. On this journey they seem to get into a lot of fights and always have some bad guy on there tails wanting to kick them about. Its basically a tale of two conmen meeting with some shaolin monks and then the action can begin.

And what action! stunning stuff and some of the most entertaining and intricate fights I have seen for a long time. Think Sammo Hung style fights, which means loads of hard falls and impact from fists and feet. Its all directed perfectly by Liu Chia Yung (Lau Kar Wing) and the fights really are non-stop and gain in speed and quality as the film progresses. We see so many different fights and so many styles, all pulled off perfectly by the stars and even the director who has a nice sequence to cameo in. The skills on display are a joy to watch and its hard to believe people were not seriously hurt, as some weapons work is lightning quick and looks very dangerous, as I like it.

Alexander Fu Sheng is at the peak of his short career and its easy to see who Jackie Chan copied off when looking at this film. Fu Sheng is always very entertaining, even in a bad film, but this time he seems to have found the role for his style. The cheeky scamp gets to do enough fights to satisfy anyone and most of them really show how skilful he is. He may not be the fittest he has been, but he made up with it by doing some perfectly executed martial arts and very complex moves (as he did look quite chubby and untoned compared to his co star Chang Chan Peng, after all Fu Sheng had broke both his legs before this film). He is just a star to watch and all it does for me watching the film is love him more, yet sadly I start to think he didn't get to do many more films after this one as he passed away

Gordon is classy as always, playing my favourite kind of man. A Monk! everyone loves a good monk and Gordon gets to play a very skilful one at that. He gets plenty of fights and gets a good role to show him off to the camera. Draped in white and really for action, his little group of monks do some marvellous work as one, and its just always a pleasure watching monks in action standing up for what's right and doing it with hard punches and kicks. Gordon and all his fellow shaolin Monks do some complex fight work and there's never a dull moment when these guys are around.

All the main stars do top work and Big bad guy Wang Lung We really works as the skilled and deadly Lord Mo Chung, who gets to shine in all his evil glory and watching him wipe out people is like watching a master. He really does make an ultimate bad guy and you really feel he is as hard as his character is. You feel for the good guys as this man seems invincible and gets to kick everyone's head in more than a few times. He gets some brutal moves to pull off and the action direction seem to make him out as some super powerful beast, which is great when you want someone to play against and watching him punch people into the air and batter them about is endless fun. It is strange for a Shaw film, as this kind of realistic gravity based fighting didn't seem to be in many Shaws I have seen so far. So just watching people get slapped with force and the reaction as they fly backwards is great to see performed by a bunch of masters. Its all very Sammo Hung and Jackie Chan, but easily as good as there works in places. It reminds me of Jackie's best work Armour of God in tone and action quality, but there is a lot more fighting in this film.

Special mention has to go to Yang Ching Ching. Big bad guys lady friend. She is gorgeous and small, yet moves like a woman possessed! she gets to use her duel swords like a total professional and she really looks to be a brilliant little star. Her role is a quiet one and she really only does action, but her action scenes are all very well done and she moves as quick as anyone and displays some considerable martial arts skills. She breaks up the constant man on man fights with something better to cast my eyes over.

I could go on forever, but shall end it like this. It has bad points sure. Like the comedy which can go silly and a bit wonky at times, but a lot of it works so I didn't mind it too much as there are some highly amusing moments in the film, especially during some of the fights.

For a stellar cast of classic fighters, who all perform some amazing action just see this film, as I loved it and it just makes me want to watch more Shaw films.

tom2681 · Post by **tom2681** » 03 Jan 2006, 23:35

I've never seen DGI Tom, where can you get that on DVD

I'm afraid Dragon Gate Inn is only available on VHS with french subs at the moment.

But I'm hoping for a DVD release soon.

Killer Meteor · Post by **Killer Meteor** » 04 Jan 2006, 12:58

There is a widescreen English subbed DVD of Dragon Inn avaliable in Germany - BTW Dragon Inn is not an actual Shaw film; they just distributed it

I reccomend the following Shaws

The Magnificent Trio
The One Armed Swordsman Trilogy
The Assassin
Golden Swallow
Vengeance!
The Heroic Ones
The Chinese Boxer
Boxer From Shantung
The Blood Brothers
Heroes Two
The 36th Chamber Of Shaolin
Heroes Of The East
Human Lanterns

grim_tales · Post by **grim_tales** » 04 Jan 2006, 14:07

Is there anywhere that sells it?

(Dragon Inn).

Killer Meteor · Post by **Killer Meteor** » 04 Jan 2006, 23:23

HK-Flix has it - quite pricy though

Yi-Long · Post by **Yi-Long** » 05 Jan 2006, 15:15

Nobody mentioned My Young Auntie yet!? Supposedly very good, and Kara Hu is delicious...
I'm sad to say I havent been able to watch it yet (Only saw the first 10-15 minutes, but my regionfree dvd player is kinda crap, so I stopped watching. really enjoyed what I saw though)

thelostdragon · Post by **thelostdragon** » 05 Jan 2006, 16:39

In my opinion "My Young Auntie" is only worth watching for its finale. The rest was pure boredom for me.

romerojpg · Post by **romerojpg** » 05 Jan 2006, 17:28

Yup I didnt find My Young Aunti a classic like others, nice film yes, but not as good as many I have seen.

grim_tales · Post by **grim_tales** » 05 Jan 2006, 18:37

I'm sure there's a US DVD of Dragon Inn as well?

http://www.hkflix.com/xq/asp/filmID.536 ... etails.htm

Killer Meteor · Post by **Killer Meteor** » 07 Jan 2006, 13:47

Panmedia are bootleggers

grim_tales · Post by **grim_tales** » 07 Jan 2006, 15:32

Oh, right

So the German DVD is the legit one?

tom2681 · Post by **tom2681** » 07 Jan 2006, 16:41

Panmedia are bootleggers

Panmedia are bastards.

For their so-called US release of Sammo's Blade of Fury, they used the french transfer and DVD cover (they just added 3 words in english at the top).

I doubt they paid HK Vidéo or Media Asia to get the rights.

romerojpg · Post by **romerojpg** » 07 Jan 2006, 17:14

Yes and people STILL but them knowing they are pirates, so really they make the market, so I have no pity. If the law got stuck into them pirate fucks then something may be done.

Markgway · Post by **Markgway** » 07 Jan 2006, 17:58

I liked My Young Auntie a lot.

It IS a comedy. 8)

grim_tales · Post by **grim_tales** » 07 Jan 2006, 18:07

Who said it wasn't? 8)
I know Bruce loves it too.

romerojpg · Post by **romerojpg** » 07 Jan 2006, 18:49

Me!

My Young Auntie 2.5 out of 5

Nothing special at all, an average film in all ways

I wont say its bad as its not, but all the hype fell on deaf ears for me, I just didnt find anything special in the film, the comedy was bad and very unfunny, and pretty much set a tone of bumbling and stupidness throughout the film which isnt good.

The fights were fine, but again nothing stoood out for me as its nothing I havent seen many times before far better in other films. Many styles in the film and some small parts of goodness, but on the whole it got quite boring sometimes and the sword work I dint like much, I know most in the film are superb at action and I just didnt find much to wow me, which is a pity after all the Shaws I have seen with the same cast doing far better. The action isnt bad dont get me wrong, its just not impressive to me and apart from a few interesting bit in the end, the fights just didnt work.

The actors well the cast I know are good, but they just didnt seem to work like the other things in the film, it got a little silly at times and the gurning of faces seemed to be the most acting any of them did, esspecially that little twerp with the Army Hat on, he is now getting on my nerves in all his film, talented he may be, but boy he grates on me doing exactly the same role in all his films and acting like a monkey. Even Gordon looked stale in the film.

I guess after all its only a film and I did like it, but I just cannot find much to make me think its anything but a standard Shaw, but without much impressive in it.