This early Shaw Brothers outing (which features a plot that's very similar to the ones found in THE ONE-ARMED BOXER and THE Chinese BOXER) proved to be a hugely successful release for the studio and ended up sparking a trend that saw hundreds of imitations made over the next five years. As kung fu films go, the plot is strictly per functionary, as we watch an escalating feud between rival kung fu schools that can end in only one way – death for most of the cast. Still, these films are never about the plot and on a technical level this is top notch stuff – a strong cast with acting as well as fighting skills, great fight choreography and sumptuous filming that looks absolutely great on DVD.
Lo Lieh, typically cast as the bad guy in these productions, is a breath of fresh air playing a hero for once. He plays the stock character – impetuous, fearless, hot-headed et all – but I found the screen alive whenever he was present. Tons of familiar faces, like Tien Feng and James Nam, make up the cast of bad guys.
The plentiful fight sequences are quite wonderful and sometimes extraordinarily violent for the era, with one or two literally eye-popping interludes that have to be seen to be believed. Our hero ends up learning the 'iron palm' technique, signified by some hilarious siren-style music on the soundtrack that Tarantino lifted to memorable effect in KILL BILL, which leads to some strong showdowns against sinister Japanese fighters and huge numbers of unfortunate henchmen. Compared to the rest of the genre, KING BOXER is nothing new – but this trend-setting classic ushered in a new type of martial arts film and remains a hugely enjoyable outing to this day.
Lo Lieh, typically cast as the bad guy in these productions, is a breath of fresh air playing a hero for once. He plays the stock character – impetuous, fearless, hot-headed et all – but I found the screen alive whenever he was present. Tons of familiar faces, like Tien Feng and James Nam, make up the cast of bad guys.
The plentiful fight sequences are quite wonderful and sometimes extraordinarily violent for the era, with one or two literally eye-popping interludes that have to be seen to be believed. Our hero ends up learning the 'iron palm' technique, signified by some hilarious siren-style music on the soundtrack that Tarantino lifted to memorable effect in KILL BILL, which leads to some strong showdowns against sinister Japanese fighters and huge numbers of unfortunate henchmen. Compared to the rest of the genre, KING BOXER is nothing new – but this trend-setting classic ushered in a new type of martial arts film and remains a hugely enjoyable outing to this day.