Shaw Brothers The New Shaolin Boxers (1976) Review

The mid 70s was when Chang Cheh absolutely peaked as a director. Combining him with Ni Kuang as the screenwriter generally made for an unmatched pair and adding legends Fu Sheng and Wang Lung-Wei as foes would guarantee a classic. This is no exception as another Fu Sheng type of movie where Fu Sheng plays Zhong Jian as a brash, naive but good hearted youth who has a distinct taste for bullies in a town beset by a group of scoundrels led by Wang Lung-Wei as Feng Tian-Shan.

The New Shaolin Boxers starts off in showing the key focus of the kung fu that would be used in the movie called the Choy Lee Fut style. Fu Sheng demonstrates some of the key moves early on with a description of each key section. To my surprise, the action director was not Lau Kar-Yeung here but three others (mostly people I didn’t recognize as action directors). That would play a part later on but the thing here is that the kung fu wasn’t the overriding theme for the movie.

Zhong Jian drives a horse carriage as taxi service around the town and immediately gets himself into a fight with Leung Kar-Yan (aka Beardie) who lacks a name along with Feng’s other thugs. Nonetheless, Beardie (as we’ll call him to make it easier on me) attempts highway robbery on a young lady Ms. Huang, played by Fu Sheng’s real life gf/wife Jenny Tseng, and has evil notions until Zhong Jian had interred. Just when Jian thinks he has Beardie beat, Beardie pulls out a hidden knife and stabs Jian before running off.

From there the movie establishes the town and his neighbors find Jian distasteful as he’s frequently getting into fights. Jian lives with his uncle Zhong Zhi-Mun, played by Lu Ti, who frequently admonishes Jian’s hotheaded behavior. Next to him lives the owner, a young girl (Xiao Li) and Li Ting as well as Li Ting’s father. The residents mostly are peaceful people who prefer to stay out of trouble and have a conservative world view. On the surface, Li Ting appears as a respectable young gentleman and is admired by the others in the complex and is dating Xiao Li.

On the other side of town, Feng runs a school of thugs where most practice a knife technique. They focus on running the town through bullying, robbery and other nefarious tactics, including prostitution. Beardie practices his knife style but Feng appears and dismisses Beardie for failing to stop Jian, thus embarrassing the group. Effectively, Feng establishes his ruthless, win-at-all-cost mentality where his reputation is at stake.

The other major training facility is run by Jian’s teacher Master Zhou, played by Shan Mao. Master Zhou is level headed and tries to instill in Jian a sense of self-awareness regarding his naivety. However, Master Zhou realizes that Jian’s actions will continue to get him into trouble especially at his skill level where he believes Beardie should not have been able to wound him with the knife deception. As a result, he kicks Jian out of his school and refuses to teach him any longer. Discouraged, Jian leaves while the other students wonder what happened.

At night, Jian goes to see his uncle, who runs a food stand and serves noodles. Some of Feng’s thugs are nearby eating while a young lady walks on by. They make lewd remarks which gets Jian’s attention. Immediately, the thugs tell Jian off for which his uncle glares at Jian to keep his cool. Deciding that they’re finished, the thugs tell Zhong’s uncle to charge the bill to Jian, which provokes a fight. Jian manages to beat the thugs off but not before causing immense destruction for the other food vendors and decreasing his already low reputation in town. The other vendors demand reparation, which makes it tough for the poor Jian.

The following day, Jian goes to his boss to ask for an advance to help with paying back the vendors. The boss gives him the money and Jian runs his route, once again encountering another group of bandits and beats them up while rescuing yet another damsel. This time, the bandits take note of the carriage’s brand and go to dismantle other carriages owned by Jian’s boss. Jian is fired but owes his boss. So his friend from the service takes him for a meal and tries to settle him down.

At the restaurant, more of Feng’s thugs eat, which causes Jian’s interest to perk up. He knows none of them will pay and the friend tries to get him to mind his own business. The thugs play a game with match sticks to see which person is going to do the deed. The losers go out to find someone to rob. Jian investigates and follows the pair as they hunt down someone who leaves a bank. However, the two realize they’re being followed by Jian and have another one of their buds intercept Jian as they pursue their target. They corner him in a quiet section of town and force him to hand over his money and bank seal. Jian arrives in time to repel the pair and give the target his money back.

Eventually, the pair wake up from being knocked out and run back towards the restaurant, encountering Feng and Beardie. Feng realizes something is wrong but doesn’t say much. At the restaurant, Jian also returns as the other two report their failings. In turn, that forces the thugs to use one of their girls to target another restaurant patron. The patron sees what he’s getting into and hands over the money before fleeing. That infuriates Jian while his friend pleads to keep out of trouble.

As they leave the restaurant, Jian and his friend are intercepted by Feng’s gang. A new fight breaks out where Jian beats the crap out of the thugs. Thereafter, Beardie comes out of a building followed by Feng and his assistant. Recognizing Beardie as the one who stabbed him, Jian goes on the attack while Feng observes. Once again, Jian fends off Beardie and avoid Beardie’s sneak attack with the knife. Feng impressed by Jian and offers Jian a position in his group by being his cab driver. Naturally, Jian repudiates Feng as nothing more than the top scoundrel/bully but that simply insults Feng into showing him why he’s the top guy. At this point, Jian has no chance against Feng and is beaten up until Master Zhou steps in. Feng gives Master Zhou a warning but retreats with his thugs.

It becomes clear that Jian needs additional aid as he doesn’t change his ways. Rather than teaching Jian himself, Master Zhou offers to take Jian to meet with an old Shaolin monk master. At the same time, Master Zhou reveals that he intends to close the school down because Feng will eventually seek his revenge in private. The pair leave for the mountains where Jian can train with this monk Master Zhu played by Chen Hui-Lou.

The training isn’t as rigorous nor meaningful compared to Lau Kar-Yeung. Besides, the kung fu exercises themselves, Jian only’s training involves him carrying heavy buckets of water for Master Zhu up long flights of stairs. Here’s where Lau Kar-Yeung manages to be the best martial arts director ever. Normally, Lau connects the training portions to the kung fu where you can see a person build up strength, dexterity, etc. such as in the Master Killer. In this movie, they never unify how running with water up stairs is related to Choy Lee Fut kung fu. But each time Master Zhu is displeased, he grows angry and shoves over this huge pot of water at Jian. When Jian tries to move the pot himself, he realizes that it’s far too heavy. He also is humbled when he playfully assaults Master Zhu and is outmatched, which changes his attitude towards his situation.

At some point while Master Zhou closes his school and packs up ready to leave town, he is confronted by Feng and his assistant. Just as Master Zhou predicted, the fight last a while, which is why Feng decides to pick Master Zhou off in private. Master Zhou manages to fight off Feng, which forces Feng to brandish his secret weapon carried inside of the case held by the assistant. Feng tears Master Zhou up, leaving Master Zhou’s blood splattered near the entrance to his school.

Eventually, Jian manages to bring the perfect among and he begins the actual Choy Lee Fut training along with some unknown. What I like about the training sequences used here is that they seem authentic. In truth, I’m sure if you wanted to practice along, this movie could serve as a kind of intro instructional video. The main problem with these training sequences is that we don’t see how they’re actually meaningful because they only demonstrate the kung fu itself but not tie them into a named movement the way the intro did.

At any rate, Jian takes leave to see his uncle and learns that Master Zhou has been murdered. Jian heads to Master Zhou’s old school where it has become run down and the front was destroyed after his fight with Feng. Several other old students (including a young Philip Kwok) meet with Jian where he inquires how Master Zhou had been slain. Oddly, Jian’s uncle mysteriously appears and begs Jian to stay away, despite how Jian knows implicitly that Feng was responsible.

At night in a different section of town, Jian goes back to be with the girl he rescued at the start of the movie and we learn they’re dating. They discuss philosophy about being a coward, hiding from ones problems and how most people prefer sticking their head in the sand like an ostrich rather than confronting their issues. Nearby, Xiao Li and Li Ting are on a date outside but are intercepted by Feng’s thugs, who accuse Li Ting of withholding money from them and reveal that they’re old friends. Li Ting send Xiao Li away as the thugs attempt to wring some money for old gambling debts from Li Ting. Because Li Ting and his family are poor, he cannot think of any method for monetary reparation whereas the thugs hint at using his girlfriend. Li Ting gives in to their machination reluctantly.

Here, we see that Li Ting isn’t pure and that his own background has shade, despite what his father and the others in his living quarters believe of him. We don’t know how nor why he was involved with Feng’s thugs but it’s clear that he not only has a gambling issue but he’s a coward too. So the suit wearing, handsome youth type is nothing more than all show.

Regardless, Jian returns to the mountains and tells the Master Zhu about Master Zhou’s murder, for which Master Zhu oddly shows no emotion (well, I guess he is a Buddhist monk after all) and Master Zhu begins training Jian in the double sword technique, which is only briefly shown. Once his training is completed (briefly), Jian returns to town and asks for help from his uncle for money to purchase a new horse carriage. To his credit, the uncle gives Jian money and Jian swears that he’ll pay his uncle back “even if it kills him.” His uncle tries to dismiss Jian’s verbiage before Jian goes to purchase the carriage.

The carriage and horse are old and broken down so Jian spends some time fixing it underneath. As Jian is working on the carriage, the thugs chase some people into a restaurant (I think these were police people) and kill all but one of them with their knives. The one is stabbed by Beardie. Then Jian notices the thugs and fights them off, using a long pole that gets hacked in two. In turn, he employs his recently acquired double swords technique to beat back the thugs and tries to help the injured man. The town authorities continue to admonish Jian’s efforts, even though it’s clear that he’s got a wounded and dying person in his arms that he rescued.

Jian returns to his living complex where his clothes are splattered by the dying man’s blood. The owner’s wife nearly faints at the sight of the blood, wishing it was Jian’s instead. Jian washes his stained attire and realizes that the money his uncle gave him is in the shirt. So he pulls out the money and tosses it against some towels to dry before retiring. Just then Li Ting appears and sees the money, realizing that his money issues are solved. However, Jian returns and accosts the weak Li Ting but telling him to not disappoint his father. Nonetheless, it does return Li Ting to his original issue of figuring out how to pay back his debts.

Over at Feng’s school, Feng is upset at Beardie’s inability to handle Jian. Also, we learn that it was Beardie’s incompetence leading to how the murder was linked back to Feng. However, Beardie mentions that Jian’s kung fu has greatly improved without realizing why. He also tries to appease the impatient Feng about a new girl they acquired that they believe can sell for several thousand. Unimpressed, Feng leaves. In turn, we go back to Li Ting and Xiao Li as they tell Xiao Li’s father that they’re going on a date at a theater. Xiao Li’s father believes that being with Li Ting will ensure her safety because he sees Li Ting as an outstanding young man.

Instead, Li Ting takes Xiao Li to a hotel where they have sex. Xiao Li reveals that her father will kill her if he finds out and tells Li Ting that she thinks they should marry. Unfortunately, Li Ting has other plans and leaves to meet some other “friends” while Xiao Li stays in the room. As he goes downstairs, Li Ting is greeted by some of Feng’s thugs who have ill intentions towards Xiao Li. Li Ting stays below helpless while the thugs rape Xiao Li. After they’re finished, they disgustingly tell Li Ting that there’s time for more so he rushes upstairs and gets slapped by a traumatized Xiao Li.

Both return home late and are scolded by their families. However, it’s clear something happened where Xiao Li refuses to talk to anyone. Li Ting lies about the situation, telling his father that they had an argument. The following morning Jian overhears Xiao Li’s parents arguing over Xiao Li’s altered disposition. Her mother notices that something is wrong but her father ignorantly refuses to help, believing his daughter is a grown woman and can deal with problems on her own. Jian tells them that he’ll handle any bullies but they don’t want him involved, even though Jian is friends with Xiao Li.

Later, as Jian takes a customer on his new carriage, Xiao Li, Li Ting and Feng’s thugs go to a restaurant. Concerned about Xiao Li being with the thugs, Jian tries to investigate but the customer demands to be taken to his destination. Jian goes back later and investigates the restaurant but the group is long gone. He monitors the area on his carriage when Xiao Li and Li Ting walk back without the thugs. Jian apprehends the pair while Xiao Li’s father sees this as an act of kidnapping. Jian takes the pair to an isolated spot where he can interrogate Li Ting. Both are merciless towards Li Ting where he buckles up like a coward in admitting how he was forced into the situation.

However, Feng’s thugs round the corner and a new fight breaks out. Jian chases a pair of them into the restaurant where a major fight breaks out. One of Feng’s thugs throws them their knives and Jian uses a limping thug’s crutches as a weapon. This time Jian is out for blood and he kills the group except the lead thug who retreats and informs Beardie. Jian manages to kill the thug leader and fights Beardie, subduing him and ordering the surviving gang to report back to Feng for a showdown at Master Zhou’s school.

Feng takes Beardie as a hostage to the school where they await Feng and his assistant. Jian tries to get Beardie to admit how Master Zhou was killed but Beardie only tells him, “You’ll soon find out.” Feng shows up with his assistant and the secretive briefcase. With Jian back turned, Beardie makes a last ditch attempt at redemption with a sword on the ground only to have it turned back on him.

As Feng and Jian prepare for the fight, Jian shows his own technique which Feng immediately recognizes as the Choy Lee Fut style. He tells Jian that Beardie deserved to die for not understanding Jian’s ability but Jian says he didn’t even need to use it on Beardie (which just shows how useless most of Feng’s thugs were). Also, it’s worth noting that Master Zhu warned Jian that he should not show off his style to alert Feng so we see how Jian still is too confident and naive.

The fight breaks out where we get the famous Chang Cheh sepia kung fu flashback sequences to show all the lessons Jian acquired in thwarting Feng. Feng though is merciless and does get his blows in too, which further demonstrates that Jian is not really a master yet and gives some doubts about Jian’s actual abilities. Gradually, Jian wears Feng down and kills the assistant. Feng lands on the briefcase as Jian demands that Feng accompany him to the police. However, Feng feigns exhaustion and rest over the suitcase, causing Jian to try and pull Feng up. When Feng stands, he reveals that he covertly slid on his fang (Feng?) claw weapon and stabs Jian in the gut.

Jian avoids some of Feng’s attacks and retrieves the pair of swords on the ground that he earlier had conveniently discarded. This part of the fight is briefer and more intense as Jian is critically wounded and having a harder time concentrating. At some point, he backs Feng against the door, allowing Feng to brutally kick Jian in his wounded gut. Jian continues the assault but his injuries catch up, leaving Jian open for Feng to stab him one more time in the wound. Jian inflicts a debilitating blow on Feng in chopping Feng’s claw arm off then extracting the dead piece of meat from his chest. Feng pleads for Jian for mercy but Jian knows that he has no choice but to…stab Feng in the leg. Well, we don’t know what Jian did exactly because the frame freezes and this has been sanitized to a degree.

At any rate, the scene changes to a temple where a monk gives a sermon on Jian. The town key members gather, including Jian’s uncle, his girlfriend, Xiao Li and Li Ting in mourning Jian’s loss. An overlay of Jian in his final moments shown where Master Zhu talks about Buddha’s sacrifice just as Jian is about to fall over. Jian’s uncle recalls the fatal words Jian promised on how he would repay him “even if he dies” as he tearfully accepts the same amount of money. Jian’s girlfriend cries as she walks towards the sunset while Xiao Li observes helplessly in the background and the lugubrious western type of ending music plays as a gong blares out.

So this movie was fairly standard in the Chang Cheh vengeful hero movie where Jian ends up dying but not before slaying his arch-nemesis. It has the qualities that made a lot of Chang Cheh’s more youth oriented movies with the headstrong hero as the anti-authority, James Dean type of character, who not only has the clear villain to deal with by the surrounding society who want to avoid trouble. The crux of the movie’s theme occurs when Jian and his girlfriend discuss the philosophy of dealing with challenges and confronting them head on.

We contrast Jian’s character with the weaker Li Ting, who appears to be an upstanding citizen, only to learn that he’s a cowardly scumbag. You could see that Li Ting probably felt guilty as he realizes that he’s incapable of doing anything but lost a good friend who protected him with his own life at the end and even course corrected Li Ting from further falling by stealing. But the image of this suit wearing, soft spoken, seemingly upright person is deceiving and further illustrates the general blindness of the people in town, who refuse to acknowledge the major problems and let them happen by turning their heads away.

Then there’s the issue of violence and solutions that the film attempts to address as a result of an unrepentant villain. Even though Feng’s arm was chopped off and how he’s become nearly helpless, Jian recognizes just before he dies the necessity of purging this evil character. He attempted to get Beardie to reform only to nearly be backstabbed while giving Feng a chance to accompany him to the police. But Feng has shown to be a wily type, willing to deceive at all cost, which implies that the only result must be his death. It’s a dark statement to make, even though we’re given the sermon by the Buddhist monk/teacher figure but it shows that sometimes you cannot forgive nor give another more chances than they deserve because they’re unchangeable.

Next, let me address the pacing of this movie. While the story is generally tight to me, the pacing has an ebb and flow type of momentum. There’s many lulls and some redundant pieces, despite how the story is fairly logical in how it’s escalating the violence and issues. Compared to similar movies, I felt that this story slowed down too much or had scenes that were too similar like Jian’s constant fights with the gang. The issue there was that until Jian starts to improve with his kung fu, the fights amalgamate in a manner that overlap. Maybe the best way to put it is that you don’t see either side actually growing that much until Jian uses the sticks.

And while the subplot with Xiao Li and Li Ting was necessary to contrast against Jian’s character, the problem is that Li Ting comes off as very boring with no personality. I think this might’ve been this actor’s biggest role that I’ve seen him in for the Shaw Brothers. He has been in other movies but mostly used as a jabronie going to get killed off. And Xiao Li is equally bland compared to Kara Hui or some of the better actresses around this period. I can’t recall anything else she might’ve been in for the Shaw Brothers. So these parts became like molasses to me.

The interesting tidbits though is seeing some of the Venoms appear. Philip Kwok makes an early cameo as a kung fu student (he might’ve even shown a flip or two when we are introduced to Master Zhou’s school), Lu Feng, Chiang Sheng, Wong Lik and Ricky Sheng show up as nameless thugs (aka fodder) while Lam Fai-Wong plays one of the key sleaze balls in that gang to round out the supporting cast.

Finally, let’s address the kung fu aspects. Without Leung Kar-Yan as the main action director, the kung fu bits lose a lot of focus. The movie does have Chang Cheh’s signature sepia colored flash back sequences as well as the pumping accompanying music he would use. However, the way the Choy Lee Fut style was used here seemed less integral to the plot outside of how it was supposed to be a “new style” (as opposed to perhaps the Hung Gar ones frequently used by Leung Kar-Yan). And while it’s cast in a legimated manner, there’s something missing where the philosophy behind the style or training doesn’t tie in as closely to the plot. Like why was it important for Jian to learn the Choy Lee Fut to defeat Feng especially with his claw? Maybe one could argue that the double sword technique was a necessity but why couldn’t Jian use some other weapon technique? I think those little nuances typically give Leung Kar-Yan’s kung fu portrayals deeper meaning at times.

At the end, this is certainly a classic movie. The characters mostly are great, the plot is tight and the action when it happens is good. If you’re a Fu Sheng and Wang Lung-Wei fan, this definitely is another must see.