The Shaw Brothers Studios produced more than 1000 films in 20 years! So, let’s try to find some forgotten gems you should discover! With some kung fu movies, some sword fight films, plus an original drama from maverick HK martial arts director Chang Cheh.
Bastard Swordsman (1983, Tony Liu)
Bottom line – Don’t fear the title, this is one the most crazy sword fight film I’ve ever seen. With incredible special effects and some furious psychedelic fight scenes where everything goes fast. Pure Hong Kong craziness from the early 1980s. An eye candy fest!
Watch this clip;
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The Bells of Death (1968, Yueh Feng)
Bottom line – A chinese swordfight film under japanese influence! This is a revenge story where each fights offer some mind-blowing & fun ideas. A fine piece of entertainment!
Watch this clip;
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Finger of Doom (1971, Pao Hsueh Li)
Bottom line – A strange & oniric wu xia pian. Where zombified men are enslaved by an evil-intentioned Goddess. At some point you could think this was directed by Chu Yuan. Which should give an idea of the film’s atmosphere!
Watch this clip;
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The Sword of Swords (1968, Cheng Kang)
Bottom line – Take the most popular icon of the time, like The One-armed Swordsman. And then, crush it hard. If you want to see Wang Yu being humiliated, enjoy this bloody film (with references to Lone Wolf & Cub)!
Watch this clip;
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Dead End (1969, Chang Cheh)
Bottom line – Because cult director Chang Cheh also directed some modern day dramas! Like this one, an interesting look at the HK youth of the ’60s, which was confronted with social & moral dilemmas. A surprising tragedy.
Watch this clip;
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# By the way, I strongly recommend you to check this!
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Hey is there any way to easily get Dead End in the US? I can’t find a DVD copy, I don’t know if there is a good online store for this kind of thing.
Benjamin, the HK DVD is now out of print. But the VCD is available on Amazon.
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