Paula Hammond - Features EditorFrom its seemingly effortless fight sequences, to it timeless tale of the good guy versus local tyrant, Shaolin Boxers is a frenetic beat-em-up in classic 1970s style.
In Fuquan, the people are terrified of the local Security Chief, He Rong (Chu Mu, The Invincible Iron Palm), who gained his position by bribing the referee in an annual martial arts tournament held between four villages. In order to wrestle control from this band of tyrants, Lin Zhi-gang (James Tien) – a student of the Dragon Village Shaolin school – enters the competition to prove his worth and free the villagers from their obligation to pay for He’s protection. But He Rong does not plan on relinquishing his power so easily, and teams up with Lei Biao (Li Min-lang, The Shadow Boxer) – a mysterious and morally-dark kung fu adept– to ensure that Lin does not emerge victorious.
Directed by Ta Huang (Chinese Hercules) and released at the height of the 1970s kung fu craze, Shaolin Boxers offers a rare leading role to James Tien – who more often played supporting roles in films such as Fist of Fury, The Iron-Fisted Monk and The Magnificent Bodyguards. And what a cracking job Huang does!
Released in the aftermath of Bruce Lee’s breakout films, The Big Boss, Fist of Fury, and Enter the Dragon, Shaolin Boxers is a slice of martial arts mayhem that draws on all the most enduring elements of the Hong Kong action film.
Eureka Classics’ new release presents this classic title on blu-ray for the first time in the UK from a 2K restoration. The result is crisp (or at least as crisp as 1970s film stock gets), bright, and eminently watchable.
