Les 36 poings vengeurs de Shaolin

I liked it well it was a dollar-DVD so this is kinda what you would expect. It actually was more than I thought it was it was funny in places were it wasn't supposed to be and my favorite character was the Drunken Master. I'd give give it a 6-8 but there were 3 things that bothered me. 1.The were'd dubbing-it sounded like every one was talking at once and It sounded like it was ad-libbed. 2.The quality-The first time I watched it, on there are certain spots were it turned all rainbow colored and a line showed up like someone recorded off of a bad tape on to a DVD. 3.Were's Jackie-I didn't see him at all and thats all it said on the cover Jackie Chan In, Jackie Chan Starring, but he did some directing and that was it.

Well that's it.

While far from terrible, this kung fu comedy boasts an impressive cast as well as having the talents of director Chan Chi Hwa and Jackie Chan behind the camera. Chan Chi Hwa had already directed Jackie in the fun Shaolin Wooden Men for Lo Lei, then would go on to work together in 1978 with the awesome Snake And Crane Arts Of Shaolin, and the hilarious Half A Loaf Of Kung Fu!

Interestingly enough, the 2 Chan's would continue a great working relationship for many years to come with Hwa working as assistant director for Jackie on films such as The Young Master, Police Story 1 & 2, and Operation Condor...

I can understand the mixed reviews online for 36 Crazy Fists. While its cast impresses, and choreography is quite fun and inventive, there does seem to be a lag or something in the direction that just stops the film from being the hit it deserves to be.

Yes the story is typically cliched for a late 70's kung fu flick - although if we are to believe the production dates listed, this similarly themed tale beats Jackie's own Drunken Master by a year, complete with a master beggar (played by Chiang Cheng aka Rambo Kong from Shaolin Drunk Fighter, and Monkey Kung Fu) who looks extremely like Sam Seed himself - Simon Yuen. But that cliché allows for many fun kung fu fights as the great Tony Leung Siu Hung trains and battles his way throughout against the great Fung Hak On (Police Story), Yen Shi Kwan (Iron Monkey) and many more!

Tony of course would go on to be a top HK choreographer and director for films such as Blood Moon; Superfights; Magic Crystal; In The Line Of Duty 3 and much more...

Of course, I haven't even got talking yet about Tony's co-star Lau Kar Yung - nephew of the incredible Lau Kar Leung and Lau Kar Wing. He's a fantastic mover in this, and has always impressed me on-screen going on to star alongside Jackie in Drunken Master 2 and directing another fave of mine with Moon Lee - New Kids In Town! I like 36 Crazy Fists! While it wouldn't be one I'd hurry back to for repeated viewings, it is a fun watch and a nice showcase for everyone involved in seeing what they have achieved today.

Overall: Not amazing, but still great fun - 36 Crazy Fists is worth seeing at least once!

I recently watched The 36 Crazy Fists (1977) on Prime. The storyline follows a persistent young man seeking revenge after his father is killed by local gangsters for not paying them protection money. Despite being turned down by every martial arts school, he receives help from some students and a new friend he meets at a restaurant. Together, they teach him what they know so he can track down the gangsters one by one and give them what they deserve.

This film was directed by Chi-Hwa Chen (Police Story) and stars Jackie Chan (Rush Hour), Hark-On Fung (Police Story), Siu-Hung Leung (Ip Man), Lau Kar Yung (The Grandmaster), and Michelle Yim (Seven Swords).

This is a classic 1970s martial arts film with a low budget, grainy footage, and a straightforward storyline. However, young Jackie Chan films are always fun. I love the infusion of comedy in every segment. The training scenes are enjoyable, as are the character interactions. The villains are easy to root against, and the choreography is outstanding. All of the action scenes are entertaining, with a great final showdown.

In conclusion, The 36 Crazy Fists is a solid addition to the martial arts genre. I'd give it a 7/10 and recommend it to fans of Jackie Chan films.

I usually come on this site before I rent / buy a movie, but this time I actually rented "Jackie Chan and the 36 Crazy Fists" without reading anything about it, only to discover that Jackie is nowhere to be seen; he just choreographed the fight scenes! Anyway, when you get past this initial shock, the film is pretty close to most people's idea of a typical mid-70's martial arts flick: minimal plot, no production values, bad dubbing, poor picture quality, cartoonish sound effects, acting that mostly consists of twitching and eyeball-rolling, and lots and lots of action (one thing that's not so typical is the brief female toplessness). The action itself is a bit too choreographed, too "coordinated" for my tastes (the fighters seem to want to demonstrate their kung fu techniques more than to actually fight), but for old-school kung fu fans it will be a treat; others beware. (**)

Jackie Chan directed this fairly typical parodic plagiarism of several of his own films (and a few from before his time). A few Chan's regulars show up, including the master from the masterpiece Drunken Master playing essentially the same role, but Jackie himself is nowhere to be found. I got the feeling that this film was tossed together as a vehicle for one or two of the younger actors in it. The plot is not very clever, and though some of the characters are interesting (particularly the male lead and his two masters), they all dissolve into not very clever and not-as-funny-as-they-could-have-been stereotypes once the central plot comes into focus. Thankfully, there is very little pseudo-philosophical pretentiousness here.

The plot is a story of family revenge - where a hopelessly sensitive tiny young man (smaller than Bruce Lee, even) wants to exact revenge on s band of thugs who have terrorized his village, leaving him and his sister orphaned. So he seeks a master at a Kung Fu gym and is treated ruelly for a while, until he meets another master (a drunken old vagabond in the woods), and suddenly starts to show some promise. Plenty of poorly realized comedic opportunities arise and there is some good fighting (and some miserably acted fighting as well). ho hum. Bottom line is - it took me three nights to get through this and I only laughed a couple of times.

For fans only.