There’s a good reason you’ll find Lau Kar-leung’s name attached as director on so many of the films on this list.
It’s not difficult to discern the influence King Boxer would have on both eastern and western pop culture, so if you’re planning a trip through the annals of 70s kung fu lore, there really couldn’t be a better place to start.īest fight: The siren wails… Lo’s hands glow red… The Iron Palm is unleashed! Dirty Ho (1976)
Learning the notorious Iron Palm technique to take out a gang at a kung fu tournament, Lo’s Chih-Hao must decide whether to exercise the full potential of his newfound skills, aware of the deadly burden of his powers. Responsible for introducing the western world to the remarkable Lo Lieh, a martial arts superstar well before Bruce Lee came on the scene, its familiar story is only that in retrospect – in fact it set the template for so much that would follow. King Boxer (1972)Ī favourite of Quentin Tarantino’s – who borrowed its borrowing of the alarum theme from Ironside for Kill Bill (2003/4) – when it comes to old-school kung fu flicks, there’s no denying King Boxer (aka Five Fingers of Death) its place in the canon. Lo shoots with high, canted angles and Sergio Leone-esque crash zooms, Lee’s elegant poise at odds with his visage of contorted rage. With The Big Boss, Lee’s iconic status was sealed, but it’s Fist of Fury’s final freeze-frame – as he charges into a hail of Japanese bullets - that set him on the path from legend into myth.īest fight: Lee takes out an entire dojo of Japanese bullies (and their sensei), armed with his iconic nunchaku and trademark yips and growls. Lee’s avenging student, Chen Zhen, proves the actor’s most psychotic creation, raging against the occupying forces and those he holds responsible for his master’s death with murderous zeal. A period revenge tale set in Japanese-occupied Shanghai, it’s a fictionalised account of what followed in the wake of the real-life killing of legendary kung fu master, Huo Yuan-jia. Fist of Fury was Bruce Lee’s second leading-man vehicle (after The Big Boss the previous year) and sees the star in his most ferocious role. It seems appropriate to begin any such list with the man who brought the Chinese martial arts film to widespread international attention.
In light of which, we cracked our knuckles and adopted the preying mantis stance, ready to single out 10 great kung fu classics. In July 2014, as part of our massive, five-month celebration of Chinese cinema, BFI Southbank became London’s one-stop shop to fulfil all your fist-flying, ass-kicking, grindhouse kung fu needs. BFI Southbank may not feature the authentically sticky carpets and plumes of cigarette smoke that characterised the 42nd Street dives of kung fu’s 70s heyday, but at least the reels are guaranteed to play in the correct order. Sure, the vast Shaw Brothers library managed by Celestial Pictures may have barely trickled into the UK market, but there are notable examples readily available, as well as offerings from that other kung fu powerhouse (and pretender to the Shaw Bros throne), Golden Harvest.Įven so, the best way to experience titles from China’s golden age of genre cinema is obviously on the big screen.
That said, it’s not all doom and gloom for British fans looking to get their wushu kicks without taking such drastic measures.
Yet, if there were ever a reason for the discerning genre fan to fill out multiple entries for the Green Card Lottery, quit their job and emigrate to the United States of Region 1, it surely lies in the abundance of old-school kung fu movies on DVD and Blu-ray lining the shelves and warehouses of retailers across the pond. Bemoaning the lack of availability of certain films on home video in the UK definitely falls into the category of first world problems.