Lily Li Movies
- 1994
Prolific Hong Kong filmmaker Wu Ma directed and acted in this standard martial-arts actioner about a circus troupe which is chased out of Shanghai after the attacking Japanese force destroys their circus in 1942. Master Shen's Shanfu Circus moves to Canton, China, but can't get any work and are forced to perform in the streets for handouts. The local policeman, Tang Fa (Donnie Yen), constantly harasses fiery young acrobat Lo Yitung (Yuen Biao), but is restrained somewhat by his crush on Yitung's sister, Lan (Irene Wan). The plot moves into action-crime territory when some members of the troupe take jobs at a factory which is serving as a front for foreign opium smugglers. Three different choreographers worked on the fight sequences, but were not able to create any particularly noteworthy sequences. Lam Wai co-stars with Lily Li, Ken Lo, and Bey Logan. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Donnie Yen, Yuen Biao, (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
- 1979
This fast-paced kung-fu actioner only flags slightly in the last half hour but is otherwise exciting with far-out trick stunts (ie., jumping backwards up some stairs, carrying buckets). The setting is the beginning of the Qing (Ch'ing) -- a foreign dynasty -- when loyalists to the preceding Chinese Ming royal house were still around. Qisan (David Chiang) has been a monk at the Shaolin temple for two decades. The abbot asks him to get plans for making weapons from a priest at another monastery (these are Buddhists?) so they can fight to restore the Ming dynasty. Qisan does as he is told. While staying with the other priest, he learns the art of kung-fu which turns out to come in handy. After he gets back to the Shaolin Temple with the plans for making weapons, he finds that the monks have been slaughtered by Qing troops and the abbot is dying. With his last breath, the abbot asks Qisan to restore the temple. He is more than willing, but first, there is a matter of avenging his fellow monks' deaths. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Chiang, Lo Lieh, (more)
This classic kung-fu flick, directed by Lau Kar-leung, opens with the legendary Shaolin temple getting burned to the ground by Manchu troops and its head monk, Chi San, getting murdered by treacherous priest Pai Mei (Lo Lieh). The surviving Shaolin follows escape, posing as an itinerate opera troupe. Along the way, ace Shaolin student Hong Hsi-guan (Chen Kuan-tai) marries the beautiful though deadly Fang Yung-chun (Lily Li). Soon the couple gives birth to a son named Wen-ding. As Hong practices the Tiger style, Fang teaches her son the finer points of the Crane style. Ten years later, Hong challenges Pai, but manages to barely escape with his life. Seven years later, Hong is a much improved fighter, but sadly, so is Pai. Soon Hong's son, Wen-ding (Wong Yue), vows vengeance and starts training in earnest. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Chen Kuan-Tai, Lo Lieh, (more)
- 1977
Following the runaway success of the Shaw Brothers' Hong Kong hit Black Magic, a sequel was quickly made with an entirely different cast of characters. In this story, set largely in Singapore, a black magician who stays eternally youthful by drinking human milk, and Lo Lieh (Kang Chung), a warlock who resurrects female zombies by pounding magical nails into the corpses' heads, battle the good guys. In one particularly disgusting scene, a magician afflicts one of his enemies with a plague of worms and centipedes -- living under the poor man's skin. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- 1976
The organizational history of underworld gangs and secret societies among the Chinese goes back at least 500 years and has its roots in the politics of resistance, as the loyal members of one Imperial dynasty joined together to survive and try to get the best of succeeding dynasties. These groups formed the nucleus for the "tongs," or "triads" which still fill an important role in Chinese culture around the world. In this martial arts thriller, using some actual (though obsolete) triad codes, passwords and gestures, Liu Tachiang (Liu Yung) tries to live as well as he can on the tightrope between his own code of honor and what is required of him as a triad member. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- 1976
Moments before his uncle is taken to be executed, Shen Yuan (Li Hsiu-hsien) writes down the cryptic words tattooed on the man's back...they are an invocation of some sort. Himself a crippled plantation manager, Yuan cannot win the attention of the girl next door whom he fancies, nor can he stem the abuses of his unpleasant boss. One day, pushed beyond his limits, Yuan remembers his uncle's invocation and utters it. He is immediately transformed into the Oily Maniac, an avenger of wrongs and hot-tempered foe of evil. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Li Hsiu-hsien, Chen Ping, (more)
- 1974
- R
This ultra-low budget, vintage kung fu flick was produced by none other than the Shaw Brothers, and revolves around an ambitious martial arts protégé who must infiltrate a murderous gang in hopes of finding the men who killed his father. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
- 1974
- R
Mr. Shatter (Stuart Whitman) is an international assassin, hired to bump off a top government official. He is compelled to fend off a host of Oriental kung-fu and karate experts. Peter Cushing and Anton Diffring make brief appearances. The film -- shot simultaneously with Legend of the Seven Golden Vampires, which also co-starred Peter Cushing -- was something of an experiment for the ailing Hammer studios in the mid-'70s, shortly before they expired, attempting to mix an Oriental style with their own distinctly British brand of filmmaking. In most markets, Call Him Mr. Shatter was released simply as Shatter. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Stuart Whitman, Ti Lung, (more)
Produced by the legendary chop-socky maestros Sir Run Run Shaw and Tan Sri Runme Shaw (better known as The Shaw Brothers), the martial arts / horror cross-pollinate Black Magic (1975) grabs the audience by the throat and refuses to let go. The story opens with newlyweds Hsu Lo (Ti Lung) and Wang Chu-ying (Lily Li) relentlessly tormented by widow Lo Yin (Tanny Tien Ni), who has sexual designs on Hsu and draws on the power of a necromancer to entrance the young bridegroom. But the Necromancer defies Lo's orders and enacts a wicked scheme of his own designs, which brings everyone to a gruesome end and then erupts into an apocalyptic battle between sorcerers, where light and darkness go to head-to-head. Lo Lieh co-stars; Ho Meng-Hua (Shaolin Handlock) directs. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
Cheh Chang directs David Chiang in the Shaw brothers Martial Arts epic Wandering Swordsman, a variation on the legend of Robin Hood that finds a brave warrior unburdening bad guys of their stolen riches and returning it to the victims. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
