Five Shaolin Masters (1974)

Opening Chase/Fights: 2.5/5



Tea House Fight: 2.75/5



Cai/Rebels vs Bao/Manchus: 3/5



Li/Rebels vs Zhang/Manchus: 3/5



Jiang/Fang vs Shan/Manchus: 3/5



Ma Chao-Hsing vs 2 Manchus: 2.75/5



Ma Chao Sing/Rebel vs Ma Fu Yi: 2.5/5



Prison Break: 3.25/5



Ma/Li Sparring: 2.25/5



End Fight: 4/5



I really dug this movie. It shows its age in parts, but there is some screen fighting in this that holds up to this day. Also, I was very invested in the stakes of the film. It follows a very simple structure, but executes it well. We see a lot of younger guys here that would go on to become stars in the 80's, like Leung Kar Yan (Beardy), Fung Hak On, and even a cameo by Gordon Liu. Of the 5 leads, Sheng Fu steals the show as Ma Chao Sing, he's got a Jackie Chan-like charisma to him. Admittedly I'm not as well versed in knowledge of martial arts actors in the 70's, besides Bruce Lee, so although these men were all top stars in this period they were new to me.

Anyway, there were no blow away fights but the final fight is great and satisfying when watched in context of the film. If you watched it as a standalone clip on youtube it wouldn't hold the same weight. There have been faster and more fluid fight scenes since then, but the finale carries emotional weight and displays various martial arts styles as a 5 part set piece that later films would adopt and follow.

Recommended.

The Shaolin Temple (1982)

Kicker Chang/Jue Yuan vs Emperor/Guards: 2.75/5


Bai vs Jue Yuan: 2/5


Bai vs Guards: 3/5


Jue Yuan vs Guards: 3/5


Jue Yuan vs Emperor: 3.5/5


Monks vs Guards: 4/5



Jue Yuan vs Monks: 3.25/5


Battle Of Shaolin Temple: 4.25/5


Monk/Bai vs Officer: 4/5



Jue Yuan vs Emperor: 3.75/5



This is a great movie. The action doesn't pick up until the second half of the film. But there are some great training montages to hold you over till then. Jet Li, though quite young here, really carries the emotional weight of the movie. His facial expressions convey such deep, sincere meaning. Oh and also, the man can fight. But this is one of his better acting performances.

The meat of this movie's action comes when all of the monks take up arms and do battle. It is glorious. Watching them fight with different weapons and styles is truly something to behold.

This movie is really all about what it means to be a monk. Which I found quite interesting. If you're into that sort of thing, you'll enjoy this too.

The movie has some gorgeous shots. Beautiful landscapes. It's the first Hong Kong film shot on mainland China. It's kind of legendary, in that way.

There are flaws with the film. It's paced a bit strangely, though that's an echo of the genre and time. Occasionally it feels almost like a series of vignettes. Some of the comedic beats don't hold up. But these are minor concerns.

I really liked this movie. Recommended.