Shao Lin wu zu

Back in the mid-1980s, when was around 10-14 years old, there was a show on one of the basic cable channels called either Black Belt Theatre or Kung Fu Theatre...I can't remember which (whenever they came back from commercial, they would quote from Confucious before resuming the film). They played lots and lots of Shaw Brothers films from the 1970s, among other martial arts films. I remember trying to tune in every Sunday afternoon to get my fix of kung fu action.

Anyway, these days I barely remember anything about the movies I saw in those days...I remember a scene here and there, but nothing major. One movie, though, burned itself into my brain and I've never been able to forget it -- that film was Five Masters of Death (aka Five Shaolin Masters). About six months ago, after not having seen this movie for well over a decade, I decided to see if it was still as great as I remembered so I hopped on the internet and found a place where I could buy it on VHS.

This movie is still excellent. My VHS copy is of understandably poor quality, but the film is still a joy to watch. Each of the five protagonists specializes in a different style of fighting, as do the opposing five antagonists, so the film is chock full of great kung fu. I also find the story to be more engaging and epic in feel than most martial arts movies I've seen (however, I am far from being an authority on the genre). The theme music which plays repeatedly throughout is great...it helps give the film its epic feel and is very catchy--I find myself singing it in my head for days after watching this movie.

At any rate, I love this movie. I wish there was still something like Black Belt Theatre (or Kung Fu Theatre) on cable so I could catch some more of the Shaw Brothers era of kung fu film. Martial arts films of today use undercranking and especially wirework far too much--I find myself more impressed by films like Five Masters of Death which rely on "natural" skills.

In 1974, Chang Cheh was roughly halfway through a career that already included such milestones as "The One-Armed Swordsman", "The Heroic Ones" and "Blood Brothers". While it can be argued that all martial arts movies are fantasies, Chang's films ("Blood Brothers", especially) were peopled by vividly wrought, three-dimensional characters that the viewer cared about. But, despite assembling a stellar cast for "Five Shaolin Masters", it is here that the veteran director begins to eschew character development. Of the titular masters, only Fu Sheng has any humanity; the remaining heroes (David Chiang, Ti Lung, Chi Kuan-chun, Meng Fei) and all of the villains (Wang Lung-wei, Chiang Tao, Fung Hark-on, Tsai Hung, Liang Chia-jen) are emotionless comic book figures, boldly but crudely drawn. From this point forward, Chang's characters and plots would become increasingly stylized until he was directing what were essentially live-action cartoons, like "Five Element Ninja". The films were still entertaining, but with rare exceptions (such as "The Chinatown Kid") were no longer engrossing. But hey, I won't get too stuffy in my analysis of what is undeniably an entertaining movie. There are lots of fights, both empty-handed and with weapons, and they're beautifully choreographed by Liu Chia-liang--soon to become a director in his own right--and Liu Chia-yung. (Look for brief cameos by the latter and by the Lius' adopted brother, "Master Killer" Gordon Liu.) Judged strictly on action, "Five Shaolin Masters" is a winner, and fans of the genre will want to see it more than once.

No pun intended - I don't think the number 5 has a special meaning to it. Like the number 7 that is supposed to be ... well magnificent (sorry for the pun). But it works quite well for the movie right here. You have 5 good guys and 5 bad guys ... actually it is way more than that, but supposedly the main people ... who'll have to fight each other ... and fight they do ... a lot! Maybe even too much for some.

I remember watching a lot of Shaw Brothers movies when I was little - I don't remember most of them. So I don't know if I already had seen this. If I did, I don't remember them having so much blood in them - I assume that German censors cut quite a bit out of them ... but that's stuff for another story. A really amazing cast here - one of my all time favorites ... with the director that discovered him ... David Chiang that is ... good fighting and as I said, maybe even too much ... a sort of ... well overkill (to end with a pun)

Five students escape from the destruction of their beloved Shaolin Temple...now each must take revenge and train in their own separate fighting styles...they will become The Five Shaolin Masters!! The film focuses on Shaolin's historic rivalries with the Qing Dynasty, and in fact this is made clear in the prequel, "Shaolin Temple" (1976). Trying to keep the films straight is a challenge in itself, especially considering how many name changes tend to happen.

Among the Cheh Chang films, this may have the most epic battles. I love the gimmicks of other films (such as the different "venom" styles), but here we have a great one-on-one fight that rivals anything you would see from Bruce Lee.

Five Shaolin Brothers distinguishes itself from other Shaw Brothers movies I've watched recently in several ways:

• Lots of it's filmed outdoors (mind you, I don't mind the soundstages so much anymore, as I've gotten used to them).

• It's apparently linked to another Shaw Brothers movie called Shaolin Temple, which is apparently a prequel, seeing as it takes place before this film, but was released two years later. This kind of confused me at first.

• The action is just constant, even in the first and second acts, which tend to be more low-key in most martial arts movies. Maybe it feels like quantity over quality at times, but I also loved how there seemed to be a new fight scene every five minutes.

• The characters say "among us" several times.

It's a little rough around the edges, but that also gives it a scrappy kind of charm that makes it endearing and fun. I enjoyed it quite a lot.