Alexander Fu-Sheng Movies

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

Kung fu master Alexander Fu Sheng stars as Romantic Sheng in this slight comedy about Hong Kong's most notorious lothario. Sheng's free-lovin' shenanigans are hampered when his mother shows up unexpectedly along with her business-like nurse Mei (Cherie Chung Cho-hung), demanding that he settle down and marry a woman of her choosing. Not letting filial ultimatums get in the way of his womanizing, Sheng tries to court a beautiful actress by pretending that he's blind. When that inevitably fails, he pursues another lass who not only is being also courted by middle-aged stud but who is also protected by a hateful chaperon. Later, Sheng inevitably finds true love has been literally staring him in the face all along. This film proved to be Alexander Fu Sheng's last film; he died in a car wreck not long after the shoot. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide

Liu Chia-Liang spins this Shaw Brothers period kung-fu flick about a pair of scalawags -- Chi Ta-po (Alexander Fu-Sheng) and Chau Chu-chi (Chan Chang-peng) -- who decide to track down some ill-gotten booty from a long-dead pirate named Chang Po-chu. They first manage to find a letter written by Chang and owned by a sly old antique collector who also happens to be a kung-fu whiz himself. From the letter, they learn of an evil priest named Wu Sheng (Gordon Lau) and a wicked lord named Mo Chung (Johnny Wang) who systematically killed anyone claiming a piece of the treasure. Wild high-flying kung-fu fights ensue. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide

When his father is killed in the Valley of the Villains, the young boy is taken away by his father's best friend Yen Nan Tien. Yen seeks to find out why his friend was killed. The boy also has a twin brother, who has a variety of foster parents after the death of this father - some of them are villains, some of them are benign. The last set of foster parents were strange, cynical and cunning villains. The boy, by now an accomplished martial artist, kills them and sets out in search of the answer to the riddle of his father's death. In the course of his searches, he encounters his twin. At first they seem likely to fight one another, but they eventually join forces. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

This delightfully dated Hong Kong martial arts film from Shaw Brothers Studios stalwart Chang Cheh is a visual feast for fans of polyester, funky music, and bad haircuts. The main reason for less camp-oriented genre devotees to watch is another outstandingly charismatic performance from the late Alexander Fu Sheng as Tan Tung, an ambitious young man who falls under the influence of the triad crimelord Chu Ho (Johnny Wang). Chu Ho is impressed by Tung's martial arts skills and also realizes how easily he can be manipulated. Tung, however, betrays Ho by helping one of the kingpin's hookers escape from captivity, so Ho has the young man framed for drug possession. Tung flees to America, where he meets a college student from Taiwan named Yang Ching-wen (Sun Chien). The pair get a room in San Francisco's Chinatown and work illegally in a local restaurant, where the brash young Tung soon crosses paths with the leader of the Green Tiger gang (Lo Mang). Tung beats up most of the gang in the street, impressing their competitors, the White Dragon gang, whose boss (Phillip Kwok) quickly enlists his aid in wiping out the Green Tiger completely. As the White Dragon grows in power, Tung grows in status, at least until he discovers that Yang has become a hopeless drug addict, and begins to have second thoughts about his participation in the White Dragon's narcotics trade. Tung's efforts to end the gang's drug business mark him as a target for elimination, setting up the climactic final battle between the principled young fighter and his ruthless employers. Ha Ping co-stars with Kara Hui and Dick Wei. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide

In this martial arts movie, Marco Polo (Richard Harrison) has already had his famous encounter with Kublai Khan, the Mongol ruler of China, and has been appointed the governor of Yangchow. When some men loyal to the previous Chinese dynasty attack the new emperor, Marco and his aide Li Hsiung-feng (Alexander Fu Sheng) track them down. Kung-fu fighting follows. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

In this martial-arts actioner, two kung fu acolytes find themselves engaging in mortal combat. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

A vicious despot embarks upon a violent reign of terror, with horrific results for the oppressed populace. A number of highly skilled kung fu experts join forces in an effort to overturn the tyrant in this blood-soaked martial arts adventure. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide