King Boxer (Five Fingers of Death) DVD review
Here it is – the film that launched the kung fu movie craze in the United States. Before even the rise of Bruce Lee, King Boxer (Tian xia di yi quan, 1972), also known as Five Fingers of Death, was a surprise hit on the drive-in and grindhouse circuit.
In June 2007, Dragon Dynasty released a superbly presented DVD as part of its growing Shaw Brothers collection. The result is a classic example of chop socky history and an excellent kung fu flick in its own right. Its relatively complex plot combines popular themes of honor, betrayal, revenge and the handing out of righteous beat-downs.
The late Lieh Lo turns in a strong leading performance as Chao Chih-Hao, a young kung fu student. Lieh would go on to play a bad guy countless times in memorable films like 36th Chamber of Shaolin, Bandits, Prostitutes and Silver and Police Story 3 / Supercop, but here he shines in the hero’s role. (You can tell he’s the good guy in this flick because he isn’t wearing a moustache).
Chao leads a modest but satisfying life studying kung fu with an aging master. Of course, he also happens to be in love with the master’s beautiful daughter, Sung Ying Ying (Ping Wang). One of the master’s former students, who has been studying with another master in an adjacent province, returns for a visit and bests Chao at a friendly sparring match. The old master realizes his teachings aren’t helping Chao reach his full potential, so he sends Chao to study with the other sifu.
The other sifu doesn’t seem to think much of Chao’s ability, and so lets him stay but puts him to work at menial tasks. No points for guessing that these chores are intended to hone Chao’s strength and discipline in preparation for his training. Chao soon flourishes, to the point where the sifu decides to pass on the secret of the deadly Iron Hand technique. (In one of the all-time great signature moves, this technique is signaled by shining a red spotlight on Lieh Lo’s hands while a musical cue from the TV show Ironside blares on the soundtrack.)
Unfortunately, Chao gets mixed up in one of those deadly school rivalries that are the subject of so many chop-socky flicks. An upcoming tournament will determine who gets the most prestige in the martial arts world. A wicked rival teacher and his minions – led by his son, who seems decadent with his cigarette holder but is in reality a deadly, dirty fighter – are determined to win, and don’t scruple at staging a few ambushes, or hiring a ruthless Japanese karate master (Hsiung Chiao) and his two disciples to do some dirty work.
Chao endures some vicious taunting when picking up a jar of wine for his master at the local wine house, but ignores it, earning him a reputation as a coward and a weakling. When his errand is done, though, he returns to challenge the master’s minions and defeats one of the rival teacher’s key men, Chen Lang (Chi Chu Chin), who has mastered the Iron Head technique. Of course, this embarrassing defeat puts Chao’s school at the top of the wicked master’s rivals list.
Korean-born director Chang-hwa Jeong (aka Cheng Chang Ho) throws in some twists to this hackneyed plot setup: Chao is betrayed by one of his own fellow students, who is jealous of Chao’s being given the Iron Hand technique, and humiliated at his own defeats at sparring. The Japanese trio overpowers Chao, but instead of killing him, they beat his hands to jelly with wooden clubs. Then the rotten son shows Chao’s rival what treachery is really all about by ripping the poor guy’s eyes out with a finger spear!
Chao is nursed back to health by a pretty singer he once saved from the amorous attentions of the evil master’s rotten son, but he feels useless and humiliated. His former love Ying Ying appears with the news that the evil master’s men murdered her father – Chao’s old teacher – and the thirst for revenge motivates him to resume his training, eventually regaining the power of the Iron Hand through sheer force of will. The rivalry between the two schools lurches to a bloody climax as the wicked master and his minions murder their rivals, culminating in a violent showdown with Chao.
This film has everything, even a great appearance by man-mountain Bolo Yeung as a muscular Mongolian fighter who takes on all comers as a traveling street performer, and who provides the first demonstration of Chen Lang’s Iron Head technique. There’s no end of cool moments – one of the evil teacher’s main men gets to play the classic Former Enemy Who Turns Honorable and Dies a Noble Death role (see also: Mad Dog in Hard-Boiled), and even the disgraced rival gets a shot at revenge by ambushing the evil master in a darkened room.
King Boxer exemplifies Shaw Brothers flicks at their finest. The acting, sets, costumes, and martial arts are all superb. Chang-hwa Jeong maintains tension and skillfully balances the pacing of both the many fighting sequences and the exposition. He also throws in some innovative touches, such as adding puffs of dust when a luckless fighter is thrown to the floor, to signify the impact. In addition to the signature bright red lighting of the Iron Palm technique, Chang-hwa Jeong washes several key scenes in color to convey strong emotional content.
Dragon Dynasty gives the film its usual top-notch treatment with it DVD release. The disc presents the film in widescreen with Mandarin and English mono language tracks and optional English and Spanish subtitles. A special bonus is the commentary track with film scholars David Chute and Elvis Mitchell and writer/director/Asian action film buff Quentin Tarantino. There are also interviews with Chute and Andy Klein, subtitled interviews with Chang-hwa Jeong and action director/performer Lau Kar-Wing (aka Chia Yung Liu; Killer from Shantung), a poster and stills gallery, a nice collection of original Shaw Brothers trailers and more.
Shaw Brothers films were never better than King Boxer. Like many trend-setting films before it, King Boxer may have inspired hordes of feeble imitators, but this film, with its excellent action and acting, belongs on any list of the top ten must-see kung fu flicks. Dragon Dynasty’s DVD release is worthy of such a landmark title.
King Boxer (Five Fingers of Death)
Directed by: Chang-hwa Jeong
Starring: Lieh Lo, Ping Wang, Hsiung Chiao, Chin-Feng Wang
Released by: Dragon Dynasty
Related links:
Second opinion at Kung Fu Cinema
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