The Chinese Godfather

The Chinese Godfather (1974)
Director: Chien Lai
Starring: Chan Wai-Man, Cheng Lui, Betty Ting Pei
Rating: 3/5

"This kung fu classic starts when a fatally wounded burglar, Ting Chow Ming, stumbling from behind some bushes and with his last breath asks Chow Yin (Chan Wai-Man) who is passing to give the stolen goods to his wife. Chow Yin with his kung fu brother Si Fong goes looking for Ting Chow Ming's wife (Betty Ting Pei) and her daughter to fulfill a dying man's wish. As soon as they have located the pair they are suddenly attacked by thugs who have been sent by their boss to reclaim the stolen jewels, and the two innocent kung fu fighters defend themselves and beat their ambushers but immediately get involved in a war beween two criminal gangs."

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The Chinese Boxer

The Chinese Boxer (1970)
Director: Jimmy Wang Yu
Starring: Jimmy Wang Yu, Lo Lieh
Rating: 4.5/5

"A group of Japanese fighters kill most of Lei Ming's schoolmates. He barely escapes to a retreat to learn Iron Palm--the only technique that can defeat the Japanese karate. After his rigorous training, he returns to face his foes in a series of duels."

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Chinese Hercules

Chinese Hercules (1973)
Director: Ta Huang
Starring: Bolo Yeung, Chiang Fan, Fang Yeh
Personal Rating: 4/5

"Fang Yeh stars as a man who flees town after accidentally killing his fiance's brother. He turns up in a small village working on a dock for a corrupt local boss whose thugs continually cheat, abuse, and in some cases, kill the workers. Chan can't continue to turn a blind eye to the frequent injustices and decides to unleash his arsenal of supernatural strength."

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Brothers Five

Brothers Five (1970)
Director: Lo Wei
Starring: Cheng Pei-Pei, Chin Han, Chang I, Yueh Hua, Lo Lieh
Personal Rating: 4/5

"Fist of Fury director Lo Wei keeps the action flowing and the body blows flying in this epic tale of revenge and brotherly love featuring Cheng Pei-Pei as Yen Lai. The same killers who murdered Yen Lai's father have overrun the Teng Lung Manor, and now Lai's only hope for revenge is to reunite her five brothers. But her siblings have all been separated since childhood, and brining them back together promises to be nearly as formidable a task as defeating the nefarious Lung-Chen feng and his gang. As the fight gets underway, however, old bonds are soon strengthened through the mutual hunger for revenge."

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My Young Auntie

My Young Auntie (1981)
Director: Liu Chia-Liang
Starring: Liu Chia Liang, Kara Hui, Hsiao Hou, Wang Lung Wei
Personal Rating: 4/5

"Set sometime in the early twentieth century, My Young Auntie tells the story of Jing Dai-Nan (Kara Hui), a loyal student who marries her elderly master as a favor to him. Why? Well, for plot purposes, it’s important for Dai-Nan to take control of her master’s assets when he croaks (and he does) and keep them away from the dastardly Yu Wing-Sang (Wang Lung-Wei). Now newly widowed, it’s up to Dai-Nan to rightfully bestow her master’s property upon his most deserving, yet slightly meek nephew, Yu Jing-Chuen (Liu Chia Liang). Thanks to Chinese custom, the fact that she’s the wife of a family elder--hasty as the marriage was--makes her a “senior” in the family hierarchy, a distinction she uses to her full advantage. Naturally, things get a little crazy when Jing-Chuen’s son, Ah Tao, returns home from school. Although she and Ah Tao (who’s rechristened himself “Charlie”) are about the same age, custom dictates that Ah Tao and his father must defer to “their young auntie”. Naturally, plenty of hijinks ensue."

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Five Shaolin Masters

Five Shaolin Masters (1974)
Director: Chang Cheh
Starring: David Chiang, Ti Lung, Alexander Fu Sheng
Personal Rating: 4/5

"After the destruction of the Shaolin Temple and suffering continuous defeats at the hands of Qing kung fu experts, Five Shaolin patriots return to the temple ruins to perfect their kung fu and take revenge for their destroyed temple and dead comrades."

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The Thunderbolt Fist

The Thunderbolt Fist (1972)
Director: Cheung Yat Woo
Starring: Chuen Yuen, Shih Szu, James Nam
Personal Rating: 4/5

"The time: just after the Chinese Revolution. The place: Northeast China, as Japanese invaders start to infiltrate. The situation: a vicious judo expert sets out to prove that Chinese are the "sick people of Asia" by killing all their best martial artists in corrupt, dangerous tournaments. To save his son, the head of the Ping Pai Boxing Institute sends to the mountain hideout of the master fighter Red Butterfly. There's only one thing which will set things right: the powerful Thunderbolt Fist kung-fu technique"

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The Black Tavern

The Black Tavern (1972)
Director: Yeh Yung-tsu
Starring: Shih Szu, Kang Hua, Ku Feng
Personal Rating: 3.5/5

"This sword-filled thriller centers on the title location - an inn where the down and dirty meet to plot nefarious doings. Award winning actor Ku Feng stars as the "Whip Devil," while the luminous and lethal Shih Szu plays "The Lady Hermit" who has a surprise in store for all the double-crossing masters of mayhem."

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The Young Avenger

The Young Avenger (1972)
Director: Yueh Feng
Starring: Shih Szu
Personal Rating: 4.5/5

"After a career spanning more than forty years and dozens of films as director or writer, Yueh Feng used everything he learned on a final few martial arts epics, of which this is one of the most memorable. It's not easy to forget a hunchbacked, one-armed protagonist, nor the "Poisonous Dragon Sword" style, nor the luminous and lethal Shih Szu as the title swordsman, who is out to avenge her father's death at the mid-autumn festival."

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Lady With A Sword

Lady With A Sword (1971)
Director: Kao Pao-Shu
Starring: Lily Ho
Personal Rating: 4.5/5

"In Lady With A Sword, Kao Pao-Shu showed that women could successfully direct a "heroic swordsman" film using a swordswoman bent on revenge. Kao cast Shaw's darling Lily Ho as the embittered swordswoman searching for the man who murdered her sister. The man turns out to be her fiance' but her nihilistic fate stays true to lone swordswoman form."

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Masked Avengers

Masked Avengers (1981)
Director: Chang Cheh
Starring: Phillip Kwok, Chiang Sheng,
Personal Rating: 4/5

"The "godfather of the kung-fu film," Chang Cheh, started a winning streak by making the internationally renowned The Five Venoms. He followed that hit with many more high-flying "bloody good" entertainments featuring the same cast in new roles. But of all the "Venom" movies, this one stands out as perhaps the most chilling. Masked killers are wreaking havoc and instilling terror with their vicious weapons of choice: razor-sharp, gut-shattering tridents. Only three fearless fighters dare investigate, leading to mass murder and magnificent martial arts." © Xploited Cinema

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Portrait In Crystal

Portrait In Crystal (1983)
Director: Hua Shan
Starring: Jason Pai Piao
Personal Rating: 4/5

"Hua Shan combined the skills of directing both The Criminals trilogy as well as the superheroic Super Inframan in this "Martial Arts World" adventure of a mystical mass murderer loose in the underworld.

Noble Pai Piao discovers that the killings are the work of a living statue trained to assassinate by the title demon … and that more murderous statues are on their way if he doesn't stop them. The poison darts and booby traps keep flying in this unusual and popular epic."

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Bat Without Wings

Bat Without Wings (1980)
Director: Chor Yuen
Starring: Derek Yee Tung-Sing, Ching Li
Personal Rating: 3/5

"When a notorious fiend known as the "Bat Without Wings" returns to his small village after a five-year absence and snatches up a prominent young maiden, it's up to her family and a resourceful swordsmen to brave the horrors of the underworld to bring her back home alive. With ghosts, a bamboo labyrinth, and a series of treacherous bat traps to contend with, these brave souls will be lucky just to make it out of the diabolical villain's lair alive."-© Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

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Bloody Parrot

Bloody Parrot (1981)
Director: Hua Shan
Starring: Pai Piao, Liu Yung, Jenny Liang
Personal Rating: 3/5

"Let’s get one thing straight right away. There is no blood-splattered bird in this fast paced fantasy kung-fu film, but there is a swashbuckling mercenary of that nickname, who seems to be helping the Chief of the Imperial Vault recover the Emperor’s stolen riches until the Chief is stabbed to death by the imperial concubine. Then it’s up to mercenary swordsman Pai Piao to brave blades, poison pins, and several booby-trapped mazes to save the royal jewels."

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Human Lanterns

Human Lanterns (1982)
Director: Sun Chung
Starring: Liu Yung, Chen Kuan_Tai, Lo Lieh
Personal Rating: 3/5

"Chao Chun-fang (Lo Lieh), a mentally unbalanced lantern maker gets a chance to avenge his mistreatment by two rich and powerful men when one of the men (who are enemies, in fact) asks him to make special lanterns for an approaching festival. Chao then methodically kills three female family members of the two wealthy men and peels off their skin to use as a covering for the lanterns."-© Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

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Return of the Street Fighter

Return of the Street Fighter (1974)
Director: Shigehiro Ozawa
Starring: Sonny Chiba, Hiroshi Tanaka, Masafumi Suzuki, Masashi Ishibashi
Personal Rating: 4.5/5

"After attracting notoriety at movie theaters around the world (along with plenty of profits) with the brutal kung-fu hit The Street Fighter, the character of Takuma Tsurugi (Sonny Chiba) was quickly revived for Return of the Street Fighter. This time, Tsurugi is hired by Japanese mobster Otaguro (Hiroshi Tanaka) to kill a pair of captured employees so they cannot inform on his activities (he has teamed with the American mafia under the guise of building a martial arts center). When Otaguru orders Tsurugi to kill his old friend Masoaka (Masafumi Suzuki), Tsurugi refuses and is forced to go on the run with. To make matters worse, Junjo (Masashi Ishibashi), Tsurugi's old nemesis, has reappeared and set his sights on revenge. Tsurugi takes a vicious beating from Junjo, but recovers in time to punch, kick, and gouge his way through everyone who has crossed him during the finale. Although critics considered it to be little more than a hyper-violent cartoon, Return of the Street Fighter found favor with action fans who loved the first installment and its success inspired another sequel, The Street Fighter's Last Revenge."-© Donald Guarisco, All Movie Guide

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Dragon Princess

Dragon Princess (1976)
Directors: Yataka Kodaira, Yutaka Kohira
Starring: Etsuko Shihomi, Sonny Chiba
Personal Rating: 4/5

"When Yumi (Etsuko Shihomi) was a child she witnessed her father Kazuma (Sonny Chiba) ambushed by Nikaido (Bin Amatsu), and his thugs, who want control of the karate world. He spares his life on the condition that he leaves Tokyo. Blinded in one eye, Kazuma flees to New York City with Yumi and trains her himself so she can one day return to Japan and get revenge."

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Police Story

Police Story (1985)
Director: Jackie Chan
Starring: Jackie Chan
Personal Rating: 5/5

"This was internationally famous Jackie Chans breakthrough action film, the work that got him past the ethnic boundaries of Hong Kong and into competition at the New York Film Festival in 1986. It also got him into the hospital after performing a stunt in which he fell through a glass canopy -- and stopped breathing. The story itself is not particularly profound. Ka Kui (Jackie Chan) is an honest, self-effacing cop who manages to capture drug lord Cho (Cho Leung) almost single-handedly. A reluctant Kevin is then assigned the job of protecting Cho's secretary Selena (Brigitte Lin) who is going to testify against him. Sure enough, the trial date comes, and Selena disappears, while Cho has to be set free for lack of evidence. The next thing he knows, Kevin is framed by Cho for the murder of a fellow (dirty) cop and is running from the bad guys as well as the police. Some incredible stunts in this film include Chan being dragged behind a double-decker bus. One of Jackie Chan's trademarks are hilarious outtakes shown during the end credits, and they are among the best here. Police Story picked up "Best Picture" and "Best Action Choreography" at the 1986 Hong Kong Film Festival and was nominated for several other awards that year." -© Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

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Sister Street Fighter: Fifth Level Fist

Sister Street Fighter: Fifth Level Fist (1976)
Director: Shigehiro Ozawa
Starring: Etsuko Shihomi
Personal Rating: 2/5

"Kiku (Etsuko Shihomi) is the only child and her parents run a kimono shop in Kyoto. Her parents desperately want her to find a man and settle down while she is more interested in practicing her marital arts. Drugs are being smuggled into Japan and then sent out of the country via Buddha statues. After her friend Michi’s brother Jim is killed because of this drug trafficking Kiku decides to help Michi avenge her brothers death."

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Born To Fight

Born To Fight (2004)
Director: Panna Rittikrai
Starring: Dan Chupong
Personal Rating: 3.5/5

"Deaw (Dan Chupong), an undercover cop, having just lost his mentor in a raid on an arch-criminal's hideout, decides to take a trip with his sister Nui – a national taekwondo champion – to a rural village with a group of other national athletes of various sports. The bucolic retreat turns ugly when the athletes and villagers are taken hostage by the brutal, heavily armed militia of a drug lord. After learning of the criminals' shocking plans, the cop, the athletes and villagers of all ages resolve to fight back using their unique skills."

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