By 1976 Fu Sheng was one of the Shaw Brothers Studio’s biggest stars after a string of hits for director Chang Cheh including Shaolin Temple, Marco Polo and Disciples of Shaolin.
The title New Shaolin Boxers is
The story is about a young man who cannot stand to see injustice in his village and upon saving a young lady from a rapist makes enemies with the local gang headed by Wang Lung Wei. After one too many battles with them and being banished from his kung fu school for starting trouble, he is sent away to learn the art of Choy Li Fut. Upon returning to his village and finding out his master was brutally killed by the gang he sets out for revenge but at what cost?
While the story is very familiar to anyone who has watched kung fu movies over the years the performance from Fu Sheng brings it way above the normal, with a great screen charisma and excellent fighting skills, his kicking techniques seem very strong in this film, you cannot help but go along with his quest for justice. The first half of the film does seem to plod along at times, from one fight to another, but when it gets to his training and revenge section it picks up a lot with a suitably violent and gory climax.
The film has been released on region 3 DVD in Hong Kong with a nice remastered print but is now out of print.
FILM – 7.5 OUT OF 10
