Five Fingers Of Death

Five Fingers of Death (Tian Xia Di Yi Quan) (1972)

Runtime: 104 minutes

Directed by: Walter Chung Chang-Hwa

Starring: Lo Lieh, Wang Ping, Chan Shen, Hsiung Chao

From: Shaw Brothers

Here's one of the most famous Shaw Brothers movies, and yet this was a first time watch for me. It's not my favorite from the studio yet it was definitely still enjoyable. I explain why in my Letterboxd review below: 

I figured it was about time I saw one of the most famous Shaw Brothers movies, one that is noteworthy in the United States as when Warner Brothers released a dubbed version in '73, it was something that along with the Kung Fu TV show and Enter the Dragon made kung fu a craze at the time; among other things, this is one of Tarantino's favorite films. When it showed up on the El Rey Network Thursday night, there was my opportunity.

The plot is rather sparse: a fighter is sent to train with a master not only to win a tournament but also to defend his town against a band of thugs that think they are the ones who run things in the city. But there's a lot more... things like starting at the bottom at a school before rising up in the ranks, a singer love interest, defending your master's honor, jealousy... and oh yeah, the Iron Fist technique, which is quite zany as it causes a person's fist to glow red and you hear the opening to the theme from the old Ironside show, which everyone now knows as “The Kill Bill siren” as this movie borrows that and Tarantino borrowed it from this movie.

Anyway, it has what you expect from the Shaw Brothers... nice sets and scenery, badass moments, quality fight scenes, bloody moments, detestable villains, and all the rest. With all this-and such things as eye gouging on display-it's no wonder that this caused a stir when released in America, as nothing quite like this had gotten a decent release in the United States before. There are other Shaw Brothers movies I rate higher, yet I am still glad this is something I finally watched.