5 comments about Invincible Pole Fighter.

1. I bought the 8 Diagram Pole Fighter not expecting much. It has shown on a few enthusiasts lists, but its limited availability left many newer kung fu enthusiasts not knowing its splendor. I literally tacked it onto my Amazon order as an afterthought from a marketplace vendor cheap.
   
   What I was treated to was a super fast paced, superbly choreographed spear and pole movie that kept me absorbed until the last frame. The fights in this movie were like nothing I have seen. And it has a darker feel to it than most Shaw Bros. films (largely attributed to Fu Sheng's death during filming). It has battlefield spear fighting, fighting on a horse (that's two people, one horse), a fight on stacked coffins (has to be seen), and a one on one pole fight with the head monk that is among the best pole fights I have ever seen on film.
   
   The acting is a bit melodramatic. Which works with Gordon Liu, but not some of the other characters. I think that is mainly because Liu has a great intense look, so he can pull off the quiet, intense, melodramatic. The particular edition I got (I believe a Red Sun edition) is ok, but not great. And it is in English dub only, even though it has an 'original language' option on the DVD. It's still English.
   
   If you want this movie, have a bit more money to spend, and have a region free dvd player, expand your search. There are some remastered, original language versions out there. Otherwise, if you want to only spend a few bucks on this edition, go for it. It is definitely worth the money either route you go. This ranks as one of my favorite Shaw Bros., one of my favorite Gordon Liu, and heck, one of my favorite... period.



2. 8 Diagram Pole Fighter is a much better than average kung fu film from Shaw Bros. and Lau Kar Leung. After a slaughter by the Mongols that leaves 4 of his 5 brothers dead, Yang #5 (Gordon Liu) kind of bullies his way into a Buddhist temple to train for revenge. Meanwhile Yang #6 (Alexander Fu Sheng, who died in a car crash during production) returns home with little, if any, of his sanity intact.
   
   When the Yang mother finds out about #5's err, uh... aliveness... and monastic residence, she sends Yang sister #8 (Kara Hui) to bring him home. She is, of course, captured by the Mongols and #5 must set out to rescue her. Luckily he has been studying zoological dentistry and is up to the task.
   
   Part of the joy in watching these films is the sheer beauty of photography, and while this is no exception, it has a few exceptions. I love the use of sets in Shaw Bros. productions, but this movie has a couple that are rather blatant. Walls painted to look like exteriors are usually placed several yards behind the actors and other props to avoid obvious detection. We're talking about .02% of the movie so the complaint is minor. The fights are all with weapons, which is slightly disappointing, but they're all very good. My only other complaint is that whoever dubbed Fu Sheng's voice as he yells a lot of incoherent psychotic ramblings is a little annoying, but we're talking like another .02% of the flick, so, no biggie.



3. I actually wanted to give this movie 4 1/2 stars. Liu Chia Liang aka Lau Kar Leung, actually plays two different roles in the movie. Guess they figured no one would notice...or care. Now that that's out of the way, let me get to the good stuff.
   
   This movie is one of Shaw Brothers' best. It's one of Lau Kar Leung's best. It's one of Gordon Liu's best. Are you noticing a theme? In truth, it's not THE best. But the action in this movie is superb. The plot is good as well. Not as campy as most of these movies tend to be. Watching Fu Sheng was kind of surreal after realizing that this was his last role. But he was excellent and it's easy to see that he was on the verge of being a major star in Hong Kong.
   
   I also gained a new appreciation of Lau. As a director, but even more so as a fight instructor and choreographer. Kara Hui shows off some excellent work with the sword as well as the Kwon Do. For someone who didnt study martial arts she really shows an incredible level of athleticism.
   
   Overall this movie will not disappoint. If you love martial arts movies, then this is a must have. A classic!!



4. The first thing you should know is that Red Sun is a bootleg company. They steal the film's masters from its true owners and publish them on these discs. Red Sun discs come with essentially no bonus features, different audio tracks, or any bells or whistles.
   But since most of the true releases of these DVDs are fairly impossible to get your hands on, the Red Sun releases are usually worthwhile. The release of Invincible Pole Fighter, however, isn't worth your time. It's a very good kung fu flick with some of Gordon Liu's best work, but the audio quality is simply terrible. My suggestion is to try to find it at a video rental place or somewhere so you get to see it, but this disc isn't worth adding to your collection.
   Not to say Red Sun is terrible quality overall, most are fine. Return of the Master Killer, Five Deadly Venoms/Crippled Avengers, among others have the best quality picture and sound available...this one just didn't get it done.



5. Another classic! This movie is nearly perfect! The plot, action, and cinematography are excellent. The picture is extremely clear and the color is vivid. But, I have only one problem with the dvd that might be an issue for some of you. On this dvd, you can't remove the subtitles which of course is slightly different from the english dubbed dialogue. (One example is the actors are saying Mongols while the subtitles read Tartars.) If this doesn't bother you or if you can ignore the subtitles this dvd is for you.

5 comments about Legendary Weapons Of China / Shaw Bros / Special Edition.

1. Not a bad film, with the closing fight being very good. But this is NOT the greatest kung fu film of all time, not by a mile.



2. While there are at least 5 or 6 Lau films I would put above this, Legendary Weapons is still a wonderful kung fu film. Let's see, we have Lau Kar Leung himself in a starring role, Lau Kar Wing in a spectacular fight with many different weapons, Kara Kui, Hsiou Hou, and Gordon Liu in a great fighting role. The director manages to live up to the title of the movie and manages to top what you may be thinking of it going in. While it is not one of the most exciting movies ever, the last 30 minutes will absolutely blow you away.
   
   It is also odd seeing Hsiou Hou from Lau's 'Mad Monkey Kung Fu' and 'Cat Vs. Rat' in a serious role. He gets in a couple of moments of comedy but don't expect the norm with him on this one. It is a joy seeing all of Lau's great stars that he brought up in this. Even Fu Sheng has an extended cameo and most fans of his will enjoy seeing him on screen but others will not like his part in the movie.
   
   This release from Image Entertainment is very good. Crystal clear picture quality and great 5.1 and 2 channel sound in the Mandarin dialogue. Many will be very pleased to see an English track on here. All 3 tracks have great sound quality. Unfortunately this release does not have any special features except for trailers. It does not even have the liner notes that the previous Image releases have had. No big deal to me though since I had never seen this wonderful movie. Overall this is an outstanding release. Very nice to see a couple of American DVD companies stepping up to the plate and giving American kung fu movie fans the releases they have been waiting for for a very long time.



3. When I first saw this awesome movie on Drive-In Movie (channel 5) back in the day I liked it. However, it didn't have those familiar Australian voices, it had these new voices on the dubbing. Many Shaw Brother flicks that were made after 1980 had these different U.K. voices, and they sucked big time. It actually affected the acting negatively. Now, Image Entertainment changed all that. It's like a whole new film.
   
   Along with "Master Killer" this is one of Liu Chia-Liang's (Lau Kar-Leung) best. This one also stars his half-brother Gordon Liu, but Liang (along with his other brother, Liu Chia-Yung a.k.a. Lau Kar-Wing) take on the lead roles. Co-starring are Chu Tieh Wu (the villain from "Jade Claw"), Hsiao Hou, Kara Hui Ying-Hung (both were Liang's students) and the late Fu Sheng. Widescreen, beautiful, crisp picture. Awesome original Chinese track (even includes the English dub), and a bunch of trailers showing the rest of the growing catalogue of Image acquisitions.
   
   I'm not really going to go into the plot because if you're reading this, all you need to know is it's from Shaw Brothers. It takes place during the Boxer Rebellion, and this movie even reveals the hoax of witchcraft, magic and being bullet-proof toward the end. Absolutely amazing martial arts (choreography by the Liu brothers, Hsiao Hou & Ching Chu), especially the fifteen minute end fight, which includes everything from hand-to-hand to the 18 weapons. It also includes the name of the weapon appearing on the screen when one of the Liu brothers use it. Yeah, I know fu, too. I hope this is a sign of things to come from Image Entertainment.



4. the fight scenes are awsome in this movie but it could have been alot better they have some A list actors in this film for it to be dull as it is the plot sucked in a way but the best part of the film was the end the dimestration of the diffrent weapons used.....



5. Image's release of Celestial's remastering of this Shaw Brothers' classic should quench the thirst of those who waited for years for a decent version on DVD. This flick makes the top-10 list of a lot of old-school critics. In that capacity I think it's a little overrated, but if you like classic kung fu movies, it's a must-see.
   
   It's now the 1900's and the world is changing. The Industrial Revolution has thwarted any last attempts the world has of living in harmony with nature. Misery loves company and China is full of potential labor and natural resources, so goons from all over the world are pestering them to join in the carnage. The country is divided. Groups of rebels are trying to preserve China's way of life, but meet with resistance from the preferred weapon of the westerner... the gun. Still believing that the right amount of kung fu training will overcome the rifle, the Spiritual Sect continues to sacrifice pupils in perfecting the art of deflection. Lei Kung (Lau Kar Leung, directing the film and the fights) tires of watching his brothers die needlessly. Eventually realizing that these changes are inevitable, he decides to leave the sect. Not content with letting him go peacefully, the sect's leader (Lau Kar Wing) dispatches 3 fighters (Gordon Liu, Kara Hui, and Hsiao Hou) to find him; though the only one who is aware of the other two, secretly sympathizes with Lei Kung.
   
   This movie is very different and one of Lau Kar Leung's better directed films. There are a lot of cool, brief, ninja-like exchanges between the major players before the captivating extended finale involving the 18 members of the film's title. There is also a long comic sequence with Alexander Fu Sheng pretending to be Lei Kung in an attempt to draw out the old master. Though it's an odd mix, it is well done if you're patient enough between fights. I wasn't real big on the hypnotism kung fu, but it's brief and adds to the individual flavor of the movie.
   
   The picture is as crisp as a new dollar-bill and will disappoint no one. Celestial has done an amazing job on all of the Shaw Bros. flicks, but some really stand out; this is one of them. Kara Hui don't hurt none neither. The language tracks include the original Mandarin and an English dub.

4 comments about Five Shaolin Masters.

1. Man, oh man, this is one fantastic martial arts film. If Five Shaolin Masters doesn't have it all, it certainly does come close. Not only do you have numerous well-choreographed fight scenes involving groups as well as individuals, you've got a whole buffet of fighting styles served up for your viewing pleasure. Speaking of viewing pleasure, the print is fantastic. I can't speak for the DVD specifically, but the print that I saw was in vivid, glorious widescreen, looking more like a modern-day Hong Kong release than a film dating back to 1974.
   
   As the film opens, the Shaolin Temple has just been destroyed by imperial Manchu forces. Thanks to a traitorous spy among the Shaolin disciples, the bad guys were able to take the Temple by complete surprise, killing all but five of its members. After fighting their way to safety, the survivors head off separately to make contact with other rebels. The Manchu are never far behind, as they are determined to stamp out all the rebels once and for all. Numerous fights ensue along the way, leaving the five Shaolin disciples alive but unsure of themselves, having learned that they are no match for the kung fu fighters of the Manchu. Having encountered their enemies (including the traitor that betrayed the Temple) face to face, though, they are now aware of their enemies' strengths and weaknesses. Proving that knowledge is power, each of them begins intensive training in the particular fighting style he thinks he will need in order to defeat his adversary. That, of course, sets the stage for one hell of a battle in the film's final 15-20 minutes.
   
   I'm no martial arts film expert, but my understanding is that the great writer/director Chang Cheh brought together two generations of top-notch martial artists for this film. The five would-be Shaolin masters are played by Ti Lung, Chi Duan-chun, Mang Fei, Alexander Fu Sheng, and David Chiang, with the last two turning in particularly memorable performances. The Manchu kung fu experts are a few years older than the heroes, but their skills remain honed to a razor-sharp edge. Pao Yu-lung (Choi Wang) is deservedly renowned and feared for his skill with the Flying Axe, while his buddies (played by Kong Do, Fung Hak-on, Chien San, and Ma Fu-yi) are just as masterful at their own individual fighting styles. One of them kills a man with a mere snap of his ponytail, which was so impressive I had to immediately pause and watch him do it a second time.
   
   The big fight at the end is the equivalent of five main events all rolled into one, featuring a display of martial artistry showcasing the Tiger and Crane style, advanced usage of the chain dart and fighting staff, a whopping ten complementary styles by one fighter, and all kinds of other impressive action. The realism extends all the way through the aftermath of each pugilistic duel, as well. Liu Chia-Liang's fight choreography is spot-on throughout the entire film, as is Chang Cheh's direction. For the time being, at least, Five Shaolin Masters is my new favorite martial arts film.
   
   On a final note, a prequel to this film, Shaolin Temple, was made in 1976, so you might want to hunt that one down before watching Five Shaolin Masters. If you have any interest in kung fu cinema at all, though, you're definitely going to want to see this 1974 classic - with or without the prequel.



2. This is the best kung fu movie of all time. It features the beloved Fu Sheng, who I think is the best.



3. The maestro Chang Cheh made this Shaolin versus Manchu classic "Five Shaolin Masters" in 1975 for his independent Chang Ho Film company (which was affiliated with Shaw Brothers). First, the movie itself is classic Chang Cheh, right down to his themes of brotherhood, patriotism and honor.
   
   The Shaolin heroes are comprised of his "first team" ~ Ti Lung as Tsai Te-Chung, the late Fu Sheng as Ma Chao-Hsing, Chi Kuan-Chun as Li Shih-Kai, David Chiang as Hu Te-Ti & an odd choice in Meng Fei as Fang Ta-Hung. Odd because it's Meng's only appearance in a Chang Cheh film to my knowledge. Billy Tang & Gordon Liu both make cameos, I don't know why he didn't use one of them. Anyhoo, Chang rounds out the film with great "villains";(shown with their own music) Tsai Hung as Pao Yu-Lung, Liang Chia-Jen a.k.a. Beardie as Chien San, Feng Ko-An as Chiang Chin-Chiu, Chiang Tao as Chen Wen-Yao & Johnny Wang Lung-Wei as Ma Fu-Yi. The story is simple; Manchus attack and destroy Shaolin with the help of a spy (explained in the prologue), each Shaolin hero gets matched up with their Manchu adversary, the heroes get beaten, they regroup, spend a year brushing up on their fu in the Shaolin ruins and have a 15 minute finale with our "improved" heroes taking on their Manchu enemies. However, Chang Cheh executes the narrative like no other. The Liu brothers, one of whom makes a cameo, deliver the goods in the choreography department, especially the end fight between Chi Kuan-Chun using the Cross Fist style against Feng Ko-An's Mantis Fist & Eagle Claw styles. Awesome stuff here and great stock music.
   
   Now for the DVD; digitally restored & remastered blemish-free print. Widescreen, uncut, and it includes the original Chinese/English credits. One complaint though. Even though I would prefer subtitles and original Chinese audio track, I didn't mind the English dubbing here because it was those familiar "Drive-In Movie" voices that I grew up listening to. But here's the problem, the English track this DVD company had wasn't in the greatest shape. It was audible and all, but there were synch glitches left and right (probably because of the different region origins of the video and audio), and the audio track kept switching between two different audio tracks. It wasn't that bad, I'm being a little nitpicky I know, but it was slightly distracting, but the picture quality is top-notch.
   
   Bonzai Distribution, who did this one, are hit and miss. Sometimes they do a fantastic job like "Ten Tigers of Kwangtung", "The Weird Man" and "House of Traps", sometimes they do a real crappy job like "Magnificent Ruffians". "Five Shaolin Masters" a.k.a. "Five Masters of Death" falls in between - excellent picture, so-so audio, no special features. Well, there's my opinion for what it's worth. Hope it helps.



4. I saw this in a theater back in the 70's. This is a martial arts classic as the various fight scenes will show several styles of Kung Fu not normally known to most people. The dubbed voice overs are kind of corny as most films of this genre were back in the day but then people who view these movies could care less. It's strictly about the fight scenes.It's ok, I'm glad to own a copy of this movie.

5 comments about Shaolin Wu Tang (Chk Sen).

1. 2 DIFFERENT SCHOOLS GO AT IT. WUTANG VS. SHAOLIN, TRAINING IS HOT. SWORD FIGHTING IS SUPERB. AND GORDAN LIU DESERVES THE BEST KUNG FU ACTION STAR, BESIDES THE VENOMS. PICK THIS UP KID! WUTANG CLAN AINT NUTTIN TO !@#% WIT. SEE YA FR. KUNG FU COLLECT.



2. Great movie ! I absolutely enjoyed the martial arts, especially by Gordon Liu and Adam Cheng. The different styles were cool to watch of Gordon's Shaolin and Adam's Wu-Tang. The ending fight scence is very cool, but I wish there was more! I wanted to see an all-out battle, but I guess you can't always get what you want. And the final ending was, "what?".. Oh well!
   The basic plot is that the local Ching overlord wants to learn both the Wu-Tang and Shaolin fighting styles. Both Masters veto him, and thus he hatches a plot with his servant to pit the Wu Tang against the Shaolin.
   As has already been mentioned, the translation of the dialogue is horrendous! The english dubbing does not match up with the english text at the bottom of the movie. I was laughing at the various translations, that at times were so far off. Come on guys, get it right at least!
   I was also disappointed about the lack of extras on the DVD. Throw on at least a couple of trailers or something.
   5+ for the movie, 3 for the translating and extras !



3. Now I finally know where all those old-school quotes from the first Wu-Tang Clan album came from, a film that was written/amalgamated from elements of other, superior Gordon Liu flicks. There are some inevitable comparisons with "Instructors of Death" and "The 36th Chamber of Shaolin". This one has lots of well-choreographed fights. The opening credits are amazing. Unfortunately, the rest of the film fails to outdo said credits. That's a bummer, and in my opinion, should never happen.
   
   Gordon Liu directed and plays a Shaolin student who is good friends with Adam Cheng, a Wu-Tang student. Their masters are kind of snooty with one another, and talk about sparring, but never do it. Some obligatory Manchu jerk (Johnny Wang) wants to learn the secrets of their styles, but the respective masters will not reveal them. Angry, Mr. Wang poisons the Wu-Tang leader to blackmail him into giving him their manual. When it doesn't work, Adam Cheng takes the fall for the master's death and goes to prison with a bunch of psychotic ladies who always bogart his share of the rice. Gordon and his sister break him out. Soon after, his sister is killed by the Manchus as the dudes from Wu-Tang are taking away Adam Cheng to punish him for the death of the master. There are no Manchus at the death scene and Gordo assumes it was Wu-Tang who killed his sister. Then Johnny Wang orders that the two schools have a competition in the hopes of further dividing them and learning their techniques.
   
   This version from Xenon says "Digitally Remastered" but I'm a little skeptical. Perhaps they lack the equipment that Celestial has. The picture quality is not bad and more than watchable, but some of the night shots will have you squinting to see the action. The movie is still pretty good and I would have to recommend it to old-schoolers. Just because the story is silly and the fights never get better than the opening sequence doesn't mean the rest of the film ain't worth watching. English dubbed only and full-screen.



4. This is where the Wu-Tang Clan got most of their sound clips from, but mostly this is a great movie!!! IT IS A MUST-HAVE!!!



5. If you like movies like "8 Diagram Pole Fighter" and "36 Chambers" you are probably going to like this film. It is the story of two friends who fight using different Kung Fu techniques--one Shaolin, the other Wu-Tang Sword. I'll admit, I mainly wanted to know something about Wu-Tang because I like the rap group, and if that is why you're reading this, go for it. The movie is easily 88 minutes of fun, but don't expect the Gordon Liu of those other films. He's good (when isn't he) but the story lacks some of dynamics of those other films. To be clear, I enjoy it, but it's not my favorite.

5 comments about Fist of the White Lotus.

1. Anyone that is interested for quality remastered Shaw Brothers DVDs, I suggest Dragon Dynasty. At least they're in conjuction with Celestial Pictures. Even though Dragon Dynasty doesn't have a large selection of Shaw movies, the selection that they do have is worth the money. I purchased a Shaw Brothers movie from Red Sun 2 years ago and I swear that I was watching a movie on VHS. Never again will I ever purchase anything from Red Sun again.



2. I think this movie, while quite good and very different, is a little overrated. A sequel/remake of "Executioners from Shaolin", Gordon Liu (always good) must train to take revenge after the destruction of the Shaolin temple. Trouble is that his foe, the white-eyebrow priest, Pai Mei (Lo Lieh, directing and reprising his famous role, and also always good) is practically invincible; having achieved a level of kung fu expertise beyond the mere physical. Gordon trains and trains but his style is ineffectual and must learn the "soft style" from the beautiful Kara Hui, whose husband was killed by Pai Mei. She makes him sew and take care of her newborn baby, an interesting contrast to the "crane style" of "Executioners".
   
   This version from Red Sun is wonderfully restored by Celestial. The fight scenes are hit and miss, no pun intended. There are moments of excellence for sure, just...I can't quite put my finger on what bothered me about it, if anything. Maybe I just heard too many good things about it and it didn't live up to the hype. I'm not sure if I would recommend this to the "casual" fan or not. I have friends who loved "5 Deadly Venoms" and "The 36th Chamber of Shaolin" but didn't care for movies like "7 Grand Masters". If you like most Shaw Bros. films, you'll probably like it.



3. The people who are complaining about the red sun releases would have been right about some of their other releases, but not this one. This one really does look good. So what if they allegedly took the picture from celestial releases? The image is crisp and has the original English dubbed where as the celestial dvd's do not. And honestly, Red Sun/PanMedia is one of the only companies that even provide "so many" oldschool kung fu movies in region 1 NTSC coding so...
   
   By the way, this is worth getting if you like the cast. Pai Mei technically is not in this, it is his brother or something like that and he's actually revenging Pai Mei. This is more like a sequel to "Executioners of Shaolin" which I have not seen but does have the popular Pai Mei character.



4. While still is a very good remake ( one of the best in a very long time ), Gordon Lui is in rear form...! I think in this remake, he's probably assuming the role of 'Ting-Ling'...(Hun Se Kwan's) son --- taking on an avenging role for his screen dad. What I think I like the most about this film is the opening scene which kinda shows in a different interpretation..., the destruction of Priest Bai Me and his brother by two mercenary shaolin patriots. Really stuuning stuff. It's brilliantly done overall ---- again it kinda borders on the comical side of things..., which I never really liked...., but it's a'ight!



5. Fist of the White Lotus This is off the chain i'm surprise this DVD doesn't stay on back order if you don't own it why are you still reading this go get your copy right now.

5 comments about Black Robe.

1. This is the most realistic depiction of Native Americans I have seen in the wide screen. The movie sets in the year 1634, roughly 20 years after the founding of Quebec and 14 years after the landing of the Mayflower. Samuel de Champlain is still the governor of the precariously held French settlement.
   
   Historical background: Champlain had earlier accompanied a party of Huron and/or Abenaki in an incursion south, along the shores of the lake he named after himself. They came across a party of Iroquois near today's Ticonderoga and, in the ensuing battle, Champlain shot the leader of the Iroquois party, thus deciding the encounter. The Iroquois never forgot and from that moment on they became rivals of both the French and the northern Indians.
   
   The movie: It is in that context that the Jesuits decide to send another priest to the Huron Mission, upstream the Saint Lawrence, along the shores of Lac Frontenac (now lake Ontario).
   
   The savage beauty of the landscapes is breathtaking. The cruelty of the Canadian winter is powerfully conveyed in all its splendor. The movie makes a very successful effort to portray the Native Americans as they were: bound by their own set of rules, fears, and beliefs, totally alien to Europeans but not so to the young French-Canadian. The end of the movie (which I will not describe here) was a direct consequence of M. Champlain shot at Ticonderoga.
   This is a film that touches the soul.



2. This visually stunning and ultimately heartbreaking film by Bruce Beresford became something of a rental cult classic after it disappeared from theaters. Based on Brian Moore's fine novel of the same name (which I also read), the film's central character is young Father Laforgue, an idealistic French Jesuit priest who is determined to bring the light of salvation to the savages, i.e., the Algonquin, Mohawk, and Huron nations who inhabit "New France" in the Canadian frontier in the mid-17th century. The title of the film refers to the name the Indians have given to the French priests because of their long black habits.
   
   Fr. Laforgue is given a mission at the start of the film: to travel 1,500 miles north by river to the Jesuit mission in Huron territory, to assist the aging priest who can no longer function on his own there. Fr. Laforgue's long journey by canoe, guided by a band of Algonquin who have agreed to take him to Huron country for a heap of trade goods, is doubly perilous as it begins just as winter is setting in. The journey north comprises most of the film, and for all concerned becomes one of evolution of the mind and soul as well as bodily hardship, as Fr. Laforgue and his Algonquin companions get to know each other and begin to question the assumptions that each has made of the other's culture.
   
   The cinematography is breathtaking, and as the film was shot on location in Canada during mid-winter, the actors involved have referred to this shoot as one of the most painful and difficult in their experience. The cast is wonderful, with special mention to Lothaire Bluteau as Fr. Laforgue and August Schellenberg as Chomina, the Algonquin chief. Composer Georges Delrue produced a beautiful score for the film, which enhances but never intrudes upon it (Delrue also did the striking score for "Anne of a Thousand Days"). The rest of the cast is also exceptional, with Aden Young giving a nicely restrained performance of the young Frenchman who accompanies Fr. Laforgue, but during the journey slowly goes "native under the skin", as it is sometimes put.
   
   The film is sad and at times quite disturbing, exploring the cruelty, both unintended and deliberate, that humans inflict upon each other in the name of cultural bonding and beliefs. The condescension of white Europeans toward Native cultures is not spared, but neither is the ritual cruelty inflicted by Indians of different tribal affiliations on each other. Fr. Laforgue and his companions are ambushed and captured by a band of Mohawks on the way northward and are tortured and humiliated by them, barely escaping via the seduction of the Mohawk guard by Chomina's beautiful young daughter. In fact, there was some outcry in the Native community when the film came out because the Mohawks are shown only as brutal torturers without any other social context. However, as Chomina grimly points out to Fr. Laforgue, when he protests that these Mohawks are nothing like Chomina and his family, "We would have done the same thing." More than anything else, "Black Robe" is an indictment of assumptions of cultural and spiritual superiority - a trait shared in the film by both the Natives and the Europeans.
   
   The film's ending presages the catastrophe for Native peoples that European emigration to and conquest of North America will bring about in another 150 years. However, on an individual note, it is a tender and evolved ending. By the end of his journey, Fr. Laforgue questions whether acceptance of baptism without understanding its meaning represents a true salvation. When a man among the crowd of Hurons asks Fr. Laforgue if he loves them, Fr. Laforgue looks out at them and sees not a group of savage souls to add to the Christian heaven, but indivdual human beings. "Yes," he whispers, his eyes filling with tears, "I love you."
   
   This is a very affecting film and a far superior entry into the European/Native "culture clash" genre than films such as Kevin Costner's "Dances With Wolves" and Michael Mann's "Last of the Mohicans". I don't say that these films did not work on their own terms or that they did not at least try to repair decades of the film industry's insensitive portrayals of indigenous peoples, but those films were made and intended for the action/adventure market and show it.
   
   "Black Robe" is a vastly more complex and adult - and less comfortable - exploration of the "culture clash" theme, and its emotional impact lingers in the mind and heart long after the credits fade.



3. The movie is okay. It seems like it tries to pack a lot of story into a a short time.



4. This is one of the most powerful films I have ever seen. No stars and a Canadian film, so it never got big box office. The encounter between Christian missionaries and Native people I have never before seen so senstively told. There are no bad guys. It neither glorifies Christian missionaries nor does it romanticize the lives of the Native people, something "Dances with Wolves" does.
   
   If you want a film that says the Native people were living in a kind of Eden that was contaminated by the Europeans; or if you want to see how benighted the Indians were before they were saved by the Gospel, this is not your kind of movie. But if you want to see character development on so many levels, to see the goodness and evil that can exist simultaneously within us, to see people struggle to find each other in the midst of misunderstanding and cultural presuppositions, this is well worth your viewing time. Plus, the action is exciting and the scenery is incredible.



5. This is a wonderful movie and it shows how reprobate our society are. it shows how, even in bad conditions and even death, that we will must preach God's word. The part where the priest baptizes that women who was dying with the arrow in her neck shows the true charity of what the Jesuits were doing. He was a man who was tryin to save a hopeless and ignorant people. It shows that some people are just destined for hell and how few get on the road that is narrow. The priest litterally takes on evil and satan when he goes into the forest. He deals with abandonment, torture, and death. But in the end people were saved and the greater glory of God shown, and thus his accomplished his mission as far as saving some souls. A wonderful movie.

5 comments about Heroes of the East.

1. everything in this movie is great but for one exception. his hair! after he saw himself in this movie he decided to go the bald route. i remember seeing this movie broadcasted on tv back in the day. it was edited with alot of scenes cut out, poorly dubbed in english and shown in full screen. this dvd is featured in it's original aspect ratio in widescreen and with original languages (mandarin, cantonese) included. it also includes an english track but watching it in cantonese matches the characters mouth when they talk. once again, everything is great in this movie except for the hair! and that's why gordon decided to chop it all off!



2. This is one of the best martial arts movies of all time. Fun story with humorous moments and fights that will boggle the mind. The various match ups between different various weapons and the choreography involved is exciting to watch and a real treat for fans of weapons in general. This movie showcases plenty of cool martial arts styles and what they could look like if they were used in a battle against each other. Btw, if you love games like Soul Calibur then check out this film! It's like watching a live-action version of that game. :D



3. There is an audio commentary by Hong Kong cinema expert by Bey Logan. He points out that this film was made during the glory days of the Shaw Bros. At the time, Gordon Liu was doing Shaolin monk roles in films and had a shaved head so he is wearing a wig in this film. Logan identifies many of the actors that appear on-screen and lists off some of their other credits. For those not familiar, he points out various customs of Chinese and Japanese culture which really enhances what we are watching.
   
   "Spotlight on a Legend: A Tribute to Celebrated Martial Arts Icon Lau Kar-Leung." Bey Logan talks at length about the man interspersed with clips from several of his films.
   
   "Hero of Shaolin" is an interview with Gordon Liu. He says that his father wanted him to follow a more conventional career path but he had other ideas. Liu took martial arts classes and became very proficient and serious about it. He talks about the Hong Kong film industry in the 1970s and how Bruce Lee's death impacted it. Liu talks about the genesis of Heroes of the East and working on it, including how he communicated with the actors who only spoke Japanese.
   
   Finally, there is "Shaolin vs. Ninja" which takes a look at the martial arts weapon forms of China and Japan and features experts demonstrating the proper way to handle these weapons used in the film mixed with clips from it. This is a really interesting and engaging primer.



4. Tell the truth; how long has it been since you kicked back and watched a martial arts film and said-"woooooow",It's probably been a while. Well, heroes of the east has put that ooh-ah back into the martial arts films.For about 20 years,kung fu film buyers have been cheated by watching martial arts films that are either bootleged or improperly framed. Now celestial, which owns the rights of all the shaw brothers titles, have restored and remastered some of the most finest cinema I have ever seen. The fight scenes in this film is so carefully directed,and the best fighting scene i found to be good was the scene when gordon lui character had to go against a ninja doing a style called "the crab stance", the fight is nothing but amazing. We should get serious about kung fu films, computer genertated effects are not the real deal. In which gordon lui expressed in an interview. Too many actors are not being trained and too many actors are not true martial artitst. Heroes of the east presents true martial art presentation.



5. It's a beautiful thing to see a Shaw Brothers film get the five star treatment, but it's even better when the movie itself is a five star film, like this classic from Liu Chia-liang (Lau Kar-leung). His movies rarely disappoint, in fact, some of his failures are superior than other's successes. My personal fave from him is "36th Chamber of Shaolin", but this is just a tiny notch below that one. It's a totally unique take on the familiar topic of Chinese vs. Japanese. Instead of it being down the line & doing a "virtuous" Chinese avenging themselves against "wicked" Japanese, Lau crafts a very subtle & realistic story. The cause for the combat is over miscommunication & misunderstanding, not because somebody is a nefarious villain. Get this, nobody gets injured in this film, much less killed; all the martial bouts are tests of skill, not duels to the death. I like that aspect, and this is coming from a huge Chang Cheh fan.
   
   Lau's half-brother, Gordon, does a great job (as usual) portraying the lead Ho Tao, as does Yuka Mizuno as his somewhat immature Japanese wife. The culture clash seems absolutely authentic. Lau made a very smart move employing real Japanese fighters to play Gordon's combatants, and the bouts are appropriately matched up; gim vs. katana, karate vs. kung fu, spear vs. yari, 3-sectioned staff vs. tonfa/nunchaku, butterfly knives vs. sai, culminating with the Japanese crab technique vs. Chinese crane style. Gordon takes on everybody, Yasuaki Kurata gives an incredible performance as the ninjitsu expert leading his team. Many familiar Shaw actors can be seen like Norman Chu, Wilson Tong, Ching Miao & Cheng Kang-yeh. Director Lau also shapes up the awesome fu and even plays the Drunken God expert Gordon tries to learn from. That character looks like a younger version of the drunk sifu Simon Yuen (who plays Gordon's sifu here) portrayed in "Drunken Master". Not only did Dragon Dynasty remaster the picture with it's widescreen Shawscope ratio (Arthur Wong's cinematography is stunning), but you can watch the movie either in Chinese with remastered subtitles (which emphasizes the language barrier better) or in a decent English dub. Don't miss the tribute to the man himself, Lau kar-leung or the awesome interview with Gordon Liu in the special features.

5 comments about Fist of Legend.

1. This movie contains two of my favorite fights of all time: Jet Li vs. Chin Siu Ho, and Chin Siu Ho and company vs. a buttload of Japanese fighters. Just astonishing. The film is a remake of Bruce Lee's "Chinese Connection" about Chen Zhen, the fictitious student of the real Huo Yuan Jia, who Jet Li would later portray in "Fearless". This movie differs from Lee's in that some of the Japanese characters are sympathetic to the Chinese, plus the addition of a complicated romance and the school's internal conflict.
   
   The Japanese have set up shop in mainland China. Jet is studying in Japan when he learns of his master's death back in Shanghai from a match with the master of a rival Japanese school. He comes home and immediately sets about getting his school's reputation back and letting the Japanese know who the best really is. The trouble is that Master Huo's son (Chin Siu Ho) is now in charge but everyone wants to follow and learn from Chen Zhen. Complicating things further is a plot to implicate Chen in the death of the instructor who killed his master, and a Japanese woman who is in love with Chen and testifies on his behalf.
   
   This may be Yuen Woo Ping's best choreography, though it is not completely flawless. Too often props and furniture is broken rather ridiculously, and some scenes are a little too heavily edited. It's a minor complaint though and you won't care until you're on about the 22nd or 23rd viewing. If you don't already own it, BUY THIS. 4.5



2. This is the best kung fu movie ever. Don't watch it! If you do, you will be disappointed with every other movie. And not just other kung fu movies, ALL MOVIES.



3. One of the best martial arts movies ever.The stuff tony jaa is doing now that people are making such a big fuss about was done here...
   There's even some muay thai clinching!.I saw elements of wing chun,chin na,jujustsu,muay thai boxing,aikido and of course kung fu in this.
   actually an educational film as well as a brutal,hard hitting martial arts movie.The dubbing and acting are above par for this sort of thing.The best thing jet li has ever done by far.



4. Read the other reviews but this movie rocks beyond imagination.
   
   Questions we have for Jet Li might be
   
   1. How come your other movies don't have such wonderful martial artistry, presumably the terrible "The Forbidden Kingdom" where it looks like you and Jackie are flailing arms rather than doing art.
   
   2. I'm sleepie but this'll do.
   
   The movie rocks!



5. This movie is amazing in every way, but you should probably wait for the dragon dynasty release. They do an excellent job with their Martial Arts movie releases.

5 comments about The 36th Chamber of Shaolin.

1. Another must have for the Kung Fu movie collector. I recently decided to start my own collection and this was another one of my first choices. The story is great and the moves incredible. I enjoyed the training parts Gordon Liu had to go thru in the Shaolin Temple. Gordon Liu plays one determined character seeking revenge on the Manchu invaders who take over and kill defenseless villagers. You don't want to pass this up, add it to your library if you don't already have it.



2. When I was a Kung Fu student...Ok...a *practicing* Kung Fu student, my teacher would occasionally show us some videos. Not for their entertainment value, but to illustrate certain points. We'd see the protagonist execute some fantastic move, then we'd move outside to replicate it. More often that not, we'd fail. But that was the point...He needed to impress upon us the fact that most movie martial arts were bogus. He didn't want us to end up in a real life situation and try to "Chuck Norris" somebody and get ourselves hurt.
   
   In the case of this video, he wanted to show us what real life training and practice could do, but with a "Aren't you glad you don't have to train like *that*?" attitude.
   
   This remains my favorite Kung Fu movie of all time. If you're a martial artist or just a martial arts fan, this title needs to be in your library.



3. This is one of the best Martial arts movies ever to come from the Shaw Brothers. Its storyline and dialogue are creative and highly enteraining. The quality of the DVD is tops - with the choces of watching in English, or Cantonese or Mandarian with or without subtitles - so I can get the best of the actor's performance.



4. A classic, no doubt. I get the whole Shoalin proving ground stuff but I could have used more fight sequences. Three sectional staff scene is unbelievable though. Digital transfer is excellent!



5. Anyone that is a fan of martial arts needs to see this film! The film is put together very nicely, and the picture looks great. The story is very good. A students seeks vengeance on the government that killed his friends and family, and seeks out the Shaolin temple. A place where monks only get the opportunity to learn kung fu, they reject him at first but eventually accept him. The intense training of the 35 chambers is shown greatly is one of the best parts of the movie. After his training is complete, he gets the choice of being overseer of one of the 35 chambers but chooses to create his own, the 36th chamber where he wants have the ability to give any man the chance to learn kung fu whether they are a monk or not. See the film to see if he completes this timeless story! Time to go get the other Shaw Brothers films!

5 comments about Kill Bill - Volume Two.

1. I loved the movie KILL BILL VOLUME 1. I thought it was not only a great tribute to the films that director Quentin Tarantino loved seeing in those grind houses long ago, but a fantastic action film in its own right. And now the final chapter in the story (so far), the second film reaches screens around the world. And...it is different.
   
   Suffice to say that if you walk into this film expecting the first, you will be terribly disappointed. The gore fest bloodshed has toned down, the massive amounts of swordplay, gone. Instead we find a more philosophical Tarantino film, a movie more about wordplay than swordplay. And while taken aback by it at first, I found that the more I thought about it the better it was.
   
   Having finished off the first two targets on her list, The Bride (as Uma Thurman's character is known so far) sets out to finish the job she started. The film opens with her making this statement and then flashing back in this chapter to what brought it all about, the massacre that we witnessed in the first film and why it came to be.
   
   We discover that she was the love of Bill's (David Carradine) life and that he was torn apart by her leaving him. So much so that he made the decision that if he couldn't have her no one could. He refused to let her leave the ranks of the assassination squad he had formed. At least we think this for now.
   
   With each chapter we are given more information as we discover who it was that trained the Bride. It was Bill's former master, Wei Ping (Gordon Liu). He takes on the task of training the Bride, something that comes in handy later on when she finds herself buried alive by Bud (Michael Madsen) after she attacks him.
   
   Bud, who we discover is Bill's brother, is down on his luck, working as a bouncer in a low class strip joint in El Paso. Having spoken with Bill already, he is waiting for Uma. Thinking he has done her in, he contacts Elle (Daryl Hannah) to sell of her sword. But Elle has different plans for Bud. And Uma has plans for her.
   
   A face off between Elle (Daryl Hannah) and the bride occurs in Bud's trailer. The swords fly and the movements are swift while confined to the small space of the trailer. But a winner emerges. By death? We are left to figure that out on our own.
   
   And finally, Uma heads out for a contact that will put her in touch with Bill. The final confrontation, begun with the release of the first film, unfolds. Not only that, but the surprise that Bill has in store for Uma as well. And as the surprises are revealed, conversation between these two combatants unfold the entire story that we have only been given portions of to date.
   
   Tarantino took much flack with the first film in that the dialogue that he is noted for was kept to a minimum while the action took the forefront. Critics blasted him for this. He has stated that the film wasn't complete with that one and keeping that in mind while watching makes the film a better experience for the viewer. When he finished, he realized that he could not release the entire picture without it being a 4 hour opus. Instead, he cut it in two and released the stories separately making them unite as a whole. Keep this in mind while watching and it makes a difference.
   
   The acting in this film is wonderful, especially from David Carradine. Though never quite a fan of his, he does a great job here as Bill, offering his philosophies on life and love and the results of the same. Michael Madsen is underused but does a great job with what little time he has onscreen. And Hannah makes one of the meanest villains on screen in some time.
   
   But the role of the Bride (whose name is revealed finally....but don't expect me to give it here) as played by Thurman is what makes this film. It is not only the emotions that she must convey, but the physical aspects of it and delivery of dialogue in a way that makes it all believable. And Thurman does each one of these with an ease never seen before.
   
   KILL BILL VOLUME 2 is a good movie and an entertaining experience. See part one on DVD before watching this though and take it in as a whole film. Those who do will find more rewards than those who see it as two different films.



2. The Good Things
   *Some good action and fighting.
   *Some good visuals. Still a smooth and clear picture.
   *Still a good story, with a very good conclusion. Also fills in lots of gaps from the first film.
   *Still an excellent group of characters that you can relate to. It is especially interesting to see Bill for the first time.
   *Dialogue is strong and interesting.
   *More interesting music.
   *Lots of homage to westerns, kung fu, and anime. These elements are blended together to make a very unique picture.
   
   The Bad Things
   *It's longer and there's much less action.
   *Still has some absurd, unrealistic parts (but this can be a good thing, because it makes the film stylish and fun).
   
   This is a definate must-see for anybody who has seen the first film. All of the missing story elements are present, and brings everything into clarity. The conclusion is excellent (even if there is no fighting). I don't think this is as stylish or exciting as the first film, but it is definately worthwhile to see the complete story.



3. This is a really good sequel. It has lots of action and answers questions not answered in part I.



4. And I just feel like laughing at it. KILL BILL. Short simple amusing little title for such a long drawn out oddly serious film. So long in fact that it had to be chopped in two, as we all know. Looking at separate pieces I see nothing to gripe about whatsoever. Most every scene seems perfect. Taken as a whole, I find an overly self-serious, bloated, pretentious film. IMHO, KILL BILL would have benefitted greatly as one film under 2 hours and done more as a comedy rather than a revenge drama.
   
   I guess I wanted a revenge comedy. Or a revenge dramadey. And maybe a little bit more focus on just telling this story instead of on what the project was really about, which was a grand tribute to various genres the director grew on. I like trash, and I like art, but I like my trash best when there is no confusing it with anything other than what it is. I don't have as much love for the cr*p as Tarantino. But who really does? That guy is a mutant, a real life "Cable Guy" that spent his entire youth in a movie theater. So maybe that's why I lack a little bit of appreciation for this homage to cr*p. Don't mean to offend the faithful here. Tarantino is still the man, although I wish he'd quit talking so damn much and work more --I mean, have you ever seen someone as brilliant at self promotion? KILL BILL was six long years after what was that film? And what's he up to now? (I'll look online in a minute.) I still think it's great though, but not as fun (for lack of a better term) as I personally would have preferred. Your maybe thinking, what the hell are you talking about? I mean, I wanted to laugh my a-- off with this one. I wanted BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA sillyness. But that's just my 2 cents.
   Some highlights from Volume 2:
   Pai Mei is my favorite character. Michael Madsen gave an Oscar worthy performance as Bud, Bill's brother. Great performances all around. Great soundtrack as always. Visually just a gorgeous picture.
   From Volume 1:
   The anime and watching hundreds of Japanese chodes having their limbs removed.



5. I love this movie and I was very happy to find it with this seller. I am very pleased.