Il magnifico campione

THis is certainly one of the best of the films by Chang Cheh just before he wondered off into Deadly Venom fantasy land - this is a film made for adults, despite it's genre status, dealing with themes painful to the Chinese, and not very pleasant to the rest of us. Chang Cheh's behind-camera crew of the period is at the top of their form, and the film just looks good and feels right. But the focus of the film is Alexander Fu Sheng, and he is a real delight. I've seen him before, but never so charismatically riveting to look at, nor in so believable a performance. Furthermore, his fight scenes are top notch, and, clearly traditional, somewhat ahead of their time (although not in the credits of the version I have, almost certainly the work of Liu Chia Leung). But Fu Sheng is so adept in them - and so glowing with youthful confidence - I seriously think he could have whipped Bruce Lee; certainly this film could have positioned him to be the fabled "next Bruce Lee" that Hong Kong directors searched for, had he lived longer. But at least we have this one undeniable classic from Fu Sheng supported by a team expert in the genre .

The incomparable Alexander fu Sheng is featured in this adult drama concerning honor and loyalty, and painful lessons. Fu Sheng turns in a great performance as Chien Chung, the coach driver who cannot resist defending the people of his small village when they are attacked by the local gangs. Strangely, the people he helps are ungrateful, and he gets labeled as a 'troublemaker," and as a bad guy. After a nasty conflict arises with a ruthless gang boss, he is sent away to a remote mountain, where he can possibly find his way out of a violent mindset. On this mountain Chien is instructed in a rare kung fu technique, and he returns home with a new strength, which it turns out he will need; in his absence the gang has terrorized his family and neighbors, and murdered the man he is most loyal to. Chang Cheh's serious drama features surprising character development and involves the viewer in the dramatic elements of the story, which is rare for this genre of film. Fu Sheng creates through his performance, a character that we can genuinely like; to the point that when a tragedy befalls him, the audience feels it. I was actually a bit choked up at the films tragic conclusion! The fight sequences are fine, as expected; greatly executed but not as flashy as is typical for a Cheh film. And without the lavish period costumes (this is a more contemporary story) "New Shaolin Boxers" becomes more realistic and easier to relate to. The way in which he protects his childhood friend from being sold into prostitution, at the risk of his own life, makes Fu Sheng's character a classic noble hero. While not the best kung fu action epic ever, "Shaolin Boxer" remains one of the finest performances of the great Alexander Fu Sheng, and is a timeless piece of filmmaking as well. It should be shown to people who think that this genre of film can't be serious drama as well as just fight scenes.

GRAND MASTER OF DEATH (aka DEMON FIST OF KUNG FU, 1976) was directed by Chang Cheh, the pioneering Hong Kong. kung fu filmmaker. With a simpler story and a lower budget than most of Cheh's Shaw Bros. epics, this film nonetheless boasts three top kung fu performers and a steady stream of well-staged fights.

Alexander Fu Sheng stars as an eager kung fu student who insists on intervening when townspeople are bullied by the town bosses and their hired thugs. For his own good, he is sent away by his teacher to a mountain temple where he learns new techniques from a venerated kung fu master. When Fu Sheng returns to town, his original teacher has been killed and the gang is trying to force a female friend of his into prostitution. He then goes into action against the town bosses, played by kung fu greats Wang Lung Wei and Leung Kar Yan (who worked together as villains in numerous Shaw Bros. films).

While not a masterwork of the genre, it is still well above average and a worthy showcase for the considerable skills of its dynamic star. Fu Sheng's actress wife, Jenny Tseng, also appears in the film.

ADDENDUM (4/7/17): I initially reviewed this on the basis of a pan-and-scan, English-dubbed VHS tape. Since then, I've acquired the R3 Celestial DVD edition, letter-boxed and in Mandarin with English subtitles, and it's like seeing the film for the first time. The fight scenes are superb and there are plenty of them, with the best saved for the lengthy finale. What I need to emphasize about this film is that it's one of the very few where Fu Sheng is the sole heroic lead and doesn't have to share the fighting chores with anyone else. There are only two major villains, but, as played by Wang Lung Wei and Leung Kar Yan, they are formidable enough to keep Fu Sheng busy for a tidy 96 minutes. The script plays like a rough draft for THE CHINATOWN KID (1977). On the DVD, the film is preceded by a three-minute demonstration by Fu Sheng of the Choy Lay Fut (Tsai Li Fu) technique.

This movie features an authentic martial arts style called "choy lee fut" or "tsai lee fuo". Alex Fu Sheng demonstrates a few movies during the opening credits. Historically, the style evolved from the Shaolin Temple through the fighter Chan Yuen-Wa and his student Chan Heung in about 1836. This is the second movie that the married couple, Alex and Jenny, appeared in but the first as a couple. Despite many alternate titles it's easy to verify you are watching the movie since it is Shaw Brothers with top stars. Chang Cheh was the director and Liu Chia-Liang the action director. This results in superb fight scenes.

The movie opens with Alex rescuing Jenny from sexual advances from Beardie (Leung Kar-Yan). The townspeople disapprove of him going against the gang in control of the town. Even his martial arts master advises Alex to stand down.

The plot would be familiar to fans of the genre. The hero picks a fight he cannot possibly win and this usually has a dark ending. The fights begin as hand to hand and there is a training sequence. Double blades are added as a weapon. The ending was a little too much "zen" for me.

I rate the movie as well above average but short of one of the best of the year and recommend it for all fans of martial arts movies of the golden age from 1967 to 1984.