Hsiao Hou Movies
- 1985
Hong Kong filmmaker Yau Kar-hung directed this standard Shaw Brothers historical action-comedy released at the tail end of the famous studio's mid-'80s decline. It tells yet another story about the oft-filmed heroes Hung Hei-kwun and Fong Sai-yuk, played here by Lo Mang and Wong Yue. Hung gets in trouble for offending the Ching chieftain Chih (genre veteran Lo Lieh), so he and Fong seek refuge in the Shaolin Temple, where they join the newly arrived South Pupils to learn the martial arts disciplines. Many of the students seem more interested in chasing girls and fooling around, upsetting the North Pupils (the Shaolin monks). Chief Chih shows up looking for Hung and Fong with fighters in tow, and the obligatory battle scene results, with the men of the Shaolin emerging victorious. Afterward, however, the monks come to the conclusion that Hung should be expelled from the temple because his primary goal in coming there was not to study, but to hide from Chief Chih. Naturally, Hung affirms his devotion to the ways of Shaolin and they let him stay, setting up yet another raid by Chief Chih and the obligatory final battle. Some interesting fight sequences are dragged out to feature length with extended comic scenes featuring the students playing pranks on the monks, but genre enthusiasts will still find enough to keep them interested. Also released in a drastically cut 84-minute version as Enter the 36th Chamber of Shaolin, the film co-stars Gordon Lau, Chin Siu-ho, and Phillip Kwok. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gordon Liu, Hsiao Hou, (more)
- 1984
Hong Kong filmmaker Lau Kar-Leung directed this excellent period-action film, one of the most highly acclaimed productions of the Shaw Brothers studio's later years. Its success is rather remarkable considering its troubled production. Young martial arts star Alexander Fu-Sheng -- who plays the sixth son of the Yang family -- died tragically in the middle of production, causing a hasty rewrite which shifted the film's heroics to the fifth son (Gordon Lau). The flow of the story doesn't suffer much, if at all, but it tends to veer from accepted legend as it tells the supposedly true story of a Sung dynasty-era massacre perpetrated on the Yang family by General Pan Mai (Ku Ming) and his Mongol allies which leaves only two of the large family's males alive. The sixth son manages to get home to tell the horrifying tale, but has been driven mad by his experiences (the plot device used to write out Fu Sheng). The fifth son has been aimlessly traveling the countryside, where he has another encounter with General Pan's troops and barely escapes with his life. Hungry for revenge, he decides to wait and become a Buddhist monk at the Ching Ling Temple in the meantime. As might be expected, his burning fury and lust for blood don't sit very well with Buddhist philosophy, and he is quickly asked to leave the temple. Yang number five is not so willing to do so, and promptly shaves his head and insists that he is staying, much to the monks' chagrin. It isn't long before word of her son's survival reaches Lady Yang (Lily Li), who orders her daughter (Kara Hui), the eighth Yang, to disguise herself as a man and bring the fifth Yang home. Yang number eight does as she is told, but is captured by General Pan's troops on her way to the temple, causing Yang number five to leave his hiding place and try to save her. The family's legendary pole-fighting technique is amply demonstrated throughout in superbly choreographed martial arts scenes orchestrated by the director, Ching Chu, and Hsiao Hou. Johnny Wang co-stars with Phillip Ko and Lau Kar-wing. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide
Lau Kar-leung directs this martial arts yarn about competing kung fu schools locked in a bitter rivalry. Meanwhile, the master of one school Huang Chi-ying (Ku Feng) is having a hard time controlling his son Wong Fei-hung (Gordon Lau Kar-fai) and his son's friend Yin-lin (Mai Te-lo) who get their kicks by posing a kung fu masters. Even after getting drubbed in a match with a real kung fu ace, the two continue to play the part, going so far as to hire opponents to take a dive. Soon Master Shan (Johnny Wang Lung-wei) of the rival Jing Wu school gets wind of Fei-hung's bragging and subsequently breaks Yin-lin's leg. Soon Fei-hung realizes that he must get serious and fight Shan in order to save his repudiation and that of his father's school. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gordon Lau, Ku Feng, (more)
Lau Kar-leung spins this high-flying kung-fu saga about a Peking opera actor named Chen (played by the director), who, along with his beautiful sister (Kara Hui Ying-hung), is invited to dine with the dastardly and powerful Mr. Tuan (Lo Lieh). There Chen is slipped a mickey and when he comes to is accused of trying to rape Tuan's wife. Tuan offers to spare Chen's life if his sister becomes his concubine. The dealt is struck and Chen is cast into the street after getting his hands smashed by Tuan's henchmen. Years later, we find Chen struggling as a street performer with a trained monkey named Ah Mo. When Chen runs afoul of some gangsters, they kill his monkey. Just before Chen decides to snuff his own candle, he realizes that energetic street urchin known as Monkey (Hsiao Ho) would make a decent substitute for his former simian partner. After the two again run afoul of the same gangsters, Chen vows to teach Monkey kung-fu and soon thwarts the thugs. Later, he along with Monkey decides to take on Tuan and break his sibling out of sexual bondage. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lau Kar-Leung, Hsiao Hou, (more)
