Director Chang Cheh and actors Ti Lung & David Chiang give Shaw Bros a contemporary facelift with this gangster melodrama revealing the painful experiences of today's youth.
With the 007 craze at its height, it is little wonder that Interpol operative "009" is as adept with casinos and cars as he is with girls and guns. For "Bond" fans, this film is truly "From Hong Kong, with love...!"
Margareg Tu Chuan , Tang Ching , Shen Yi , Chang Pei-shan
Veteran director Lu Chun-ku leads handsome Liu Yung, pretty Liang Yun-hsin, and “Thundering Mantis,” Liang Chia-jen on a madcap mixup filled with cons, double crosses, and triple plots. It’s starts in sickly comic style as the trio’s fathers are poisoned by Lady Wu so she could steal the rare artifact known as the Double-Faced God. Extracting a deathbed promise from their wives to train their children to take back what is rightfully theirs, the siblings grow up to exact a vengeance that is more hilarious than horrific.
Martial arts hero Ti Lung gets to flex his dramatic muscle in this horror movie about evil magic spells. In a departure from his normal roles, Ti plays Hsu Lo who runs up against an evil black magic practitioner San Kan-mi (Ku Feng). San Kan-mi wants to seduce Hsu's fiancee Wang Chu-ying (Lily Li) and places a death spell on Hsu and a love spell on Wang, hoping to kill two birds with one stone. Matters are further complicated when sexy widow Lo Yin (Tanny Tien Ni) casts her lascivious eyes on the tall and handsome Hsu. Fortunately for the spellbound lovers, Wang's friends manage to find another veteran witch doctor to take on the evil San Kan-mi. Supernatural battles of epic proportions ensue as this bone-chilling tale of good versus evil races to a heart-stopping ending.
This film was actually a lively forerunner to the gambling film craze, which eventually swept Asian cinema. Here, it's cardsharp versus cardsharp with a lot more kung-fu action, in a battle of wits and fists to become the king of the casino. The double stings and triple crosses raise in complexity and imagination until what started as an unusual box office risk became a top ten hit of 1976.
The crazy bumpkin returns in a sequel for more bittersweet laughs and heart-wrenching misfortune, as his true love becomes the wife of an abusive husband and his uncle further exploits his naïve nature.
Pao Hseuh-li started his film career as a cinematographer, beautifully lensing such important films as Golden Swallow. This was one of his films as director. Lo Lieh, soon to be Shaw Brothers' first international star, stars as Sung Dynasty patriot Chin Liang, who runs afoul of a corrupt and ambitious ex-friend. To avenge the villains' treachery, he must make an oath of death, purposely maiming himself to accomplish his ultimate triumph.
Chang Chih-kang (Liu Yung) and Chang Chih-chiang (Danny Lee) are two brothers whose destinies are poles apart in principles. Liu Yung wants to become the top man in the triad kingdom whereas Danny is fated to become a cop. The Brothers presents an action kaleidoscope complete with blood, sweat and tears.
Laughter and action come fast and furious in Doubles Cause Troubles with Dodo Cheng and Maggie Cheung Man-yuk - two of Hong Kong's best actresses - as squabbling cousins who find themselves in over their heads after their tenant ends up dead. The gangsters are after them, the law suspects them, and they still don't know what they've done wrong! As the girls get more confused, they get drawn deeper into trouble. Will they be able to climb out again?
Carol Cheng, Maggie Cheung, Wilson Lam, Chan Pak-cheung
Agent 009 Lily Ho is back! Hong Kong's female James Bond returns to fight evil with this outlandish sequel to The Angel with the Iron Fists. This time Lily is on vacation when she is brought back to chase down the crazy Bomb Gang. They want money... lots of it. If they don't get it, they plant their sticky bombs in planes, stores and factories... Only 009 can save the world!
Ting Chih-hua, pert and pretty, plans to steal a fabulous diamond ring from a shop. She orders the ring and tells the manager, Tang Chi-tu, to deliver it to psychiatrist Chow Tung-ming. He is to impersonate her husband. At the same time, Chih-hua calls on Chow and tells him that Tang, whom she claims is her husband, will be visiting him for treatment. Tang takes the ring to the psychiatrist's clinic. In the waiting room, Chih-hua receives the ring. Tang enters the psychiatrist's office to collect payment for the ring. Since Chow is under the impression that Tang has come to him for consultation, a series of misunderstandings ensue before the two men realize that they have been duped. Chih-hua, in possession of the ring, flies with her brother Wen-hua, from Hongkong to Singapore. To by-pass customs, Chih-hua slips the ring into the pocket of wealthy Chang Chih-yen. In the city Chih-hua and her brother lose Chih-yen and search frantically but unsuccessfully for him. One day, they spot Chih-yen and attractive Jennie Wang by a swimming pool. Chih-hua goes to search Chih-yen's car. Chih-yen and Jennie enter the car and drive off. Chih-hua is discovered inside and she lies that she is an old friend of Chih-yen's. Jennie, jealous and angry, pushes Chih-yen out of the car and drives Chih-hua home. Later, Chih-hua breaks into and ransacks Chih-yen's home for the ring. She is discovered by Chih-yen who hands her a jewel box supposedly containing the ring. On returning home, she finds only a razor in the box. Meanwhile, Chih-yen learns that the ring is stolen property and that Chih-hua's responsible for the theft. Chih-hua again visits Chih-yen at home. There is an amusing incident in which coffee is spilt on Chih-hua's dress and just as she is changing it, Jennie enters the house. Ever suspicion, Jennie dashes out of the place in a huff. Chih-hua and Chih-yen spend the night together. The following day, Chih-hua once more calls on Chih-yen. She reveals that her father is ill and the family is in financial difficulty. She had lied to them that she had gone on a tour of Europe. By now, Chih-yen has fallen for Chih-hua. He contacts Tang and tells him to go to Singapore for payment of the diamond ring. Tang collects his money, everything's settled and Chih-yen and Chih-hua are wed.
Director Wang Feng (Carry On Conmen) gets back into the madness with Old Mr. Funnybone (Wang Sham) back in this belly-splitting sequel to the wildly popular live action version of Hong Kong's most beloved modern cartoon character. This time, Mr. Funnybone's nice-but-dim sidekick, Big Potato (Ngai Tung-kwa),opens an old fashioned Chinese clinic, but finds that his traditional approach to health and medicine is not welcomed in ultra modern Hong Kong. His treatments actually seem to be driving business away, no matter how hard he tries.. there's only one thing to do... Mr. Funnybone to the rescue!
When super director Chang Cheh found new talent and blood with "The Five Venoms" actors, most of which were trained in the highly acrobatic Chinese opera and well versed with exotic martial arts weapons, this created a new spark for his use of bizarre weapons in his films. The Flag Of Iron is one of 20 movies that he directed featuring the utterly flabbergasting and physically exhausting action bits created by these five dudes. You have the good guys from the righteous clan versus the bad guys from the villainous clan and it's so filled with "don't-blink-or-you-will-miss-something" gags, you will need to watch it over and over again so you can see the things you missed.
Kuo Chui , Chang Sheng , Wang Li , Lu Feng , Lung Tien-chiang
One of Shaw Brothers' highly successful film series based on the classic Chinese novel Journey To The West, this takes up where The Monkey Goes West, Princess Iron Fan, and The Cave Of The Silken Web left off. The Monk, Monkey and Pigsy find themselves in the title realm, where women can only give birth to women, unless loved by a man...
