Cheh Chang

Chin Siu Ho grew up an orphan, never sure of who his real parents were. Until one rainy day, when he meets a mysterious stranger, who reveals Ho's parents were two legendary martial artists. When Ho finally discovers who is responsible for the dead of his parents, he starts working out and begins to plan his revenge.

The plot is basic, but Chang takes his time to flesh out the legend. It's still a little bumpy in places, but compared to many of his other films it feels a lot meatier. The action is on point too, but that's no surprise, with more than 15 years experience and countless more martial arts films under his belt. One of Chang's best films.

The plot probably couldn't be any more basic. A malicious general tries to divide North and South Shaolin in order to seize the power. Once they see through his little plan, the best and brightest start their training to put an end to his coup, after which they face off in a rather lengthy and action-packed finale.

Usually these training scenes mess with the pacing, but they are actually pretty fun and inventive here. The film is filled with familiar Shaw Bros faces, the action is varied and well executed and once the final battle has a winner, the wrap-up of the film takes less than a minute. It's all very basic and predictable, but when the execution is on point that's hardly a problem. Martial arts/Shaw Bros fans are bound to have a good time with this one.

A jade jewel is the big prize of a gambling competition. The jewel attracts many interested parties, each sporting their own underhanded tricks to get to the jewel. To stand a chance, Feng approaches an old blacksmith to forge him seven daggers, the problem is that the blacksmith doesn't feel like coming out of retirement.

The film is slightly less focused on classic martial arts scenes, the fights are a bit sneaker and more subverted here. It's also interesting to see a more prominent female cast featured, not just in minor secondary roles either. It's these little things that create a somewhat different vibe, though very much within the confines of Chang's typical output. Good fun.

The plot is simple, but that's hardly a surprise. Once a year Feng travels to the big city with a shipment of silver. Due to his declining health he hires two bodyguards, but they don't get along too well, even after Feng saves one of them. When they are attacked by the Flying Tiger gang, they have no choice but to work together.

This is one of those films where nothing in particular stands out, but everything just feels solid and accomplished. The action is decent, the location adds a bit of flair and the pacing is perfect. The film never drags (except maybe during what is no doubt one of the longest death scenes ever) and the finale is done and dusted before you know it. Good genre fun.

Five martial arts experts are unjustly thrown into hell. Not willing to give up, they struggle through the various levels of hell in order to reach Buddha. Once there, they plead to be resurrected. Buddha grants them their wish, but each of them has to fight and conquer the men who got them thrown into hell.

The hell scenes are the obvious stand-outs, though it's clear Chang isn't quite as gifted as Chor. The action is decent but not that remarkable, the musical bits early on feel superfluous. Luckily the film gets better as time passes and the second half is pretty fun, sporting some rather atypical Shaw Bros scenes.

Jin has a pretty boring life. He is employed by a tofu store, so he tries to make his job more interesting by incorporating martial arts exercises into his work. His life takes a turn when he meets Xiguan, a refugee who is looking for a place to hide. Jin takes him in and promises to help him, even when he discovers Xiguan is being trailed by a gang of lethal killers.

The start of the film is a bit funnier, an obvious attempt to adapt to the popular martial arts films of that time (with people like Jackie Chan and Woo-Ping Yuen driving the changing dynamic). After a somewhat promising starts it's back to the regular Shaw Bros formula. Which is done well, it's just not all that exciting or special.

The Magnificent Ruffians is a somewhat inconspicuous entry in Chang's oeuvre. It plays like a sort of blueprint of Chang's work, sporting a rather basic setup, followed by a bunch of training scenes and pre-finale brawls that lead up to a long and excessive showdown at the end of the film.

Performances are a little weaker than usually the case, the variety in fight choreographies makes up for that though. At 105 minutes, the film is a bit too long (these Shaw Bros films work best when they stay within the 90-minute limit), but overall this is another fun and entertaining film that is sure to appeal to any Shaw Bros fans out there.

Not able to cope with the loss of his wife and the mutilation of his son, a wealthy martial arts master goes berserk in a small village. Four survivors band together and call in the help of another martial arts master, who teaches them how to fight and make the best of their handicaps, so they can take proper revenge on their assailant.

It's a very typical setup (something bad happens, the victims regroup, go into training and find their revenge after a lengthy but rewarding fight). Cheh Chang has made these films by the dozens (literally), but people who appreciate the genre (the training are fun and the final fight is pretty creative) are sure to have a lot of fun with it.

A young orphan finds shelter with five martial arts masters. They try to teach him their skills, but the boy just isn't very good at martial arts. Unsure of what to do with him, they send him out into the world to gather experience. On his quest he bumps into a peculiar beggar, who turns out to be a skilled, young girl.

The plot is all over the place and the lengthy introduction is a bit much. But there's lots of action, the performances are spirited and sets do look better than usual. The film feels like all Shaw Bros films wrapped up into one. The ending is a little unfulfilling, then again that's why there are three more sequels. Good fun.

China is tearing at the seams and Western nations are readying themselves to increase their power in Chinese territories. Five martial artists join forces, thinking themselves untouchable by Western weapons. They inspire a group of young fighters to help them, but their first encounter with real guns is not what they'd hoped.

There are some truly impressive action scenes, it's just that there's way too much padding in between. The film is overflowing with familiar Shaw Bros faces and the quality of the production is pretty solid, but it's not good enough that it should be stretched beyond the 2-hour mark. Still, for fans of Chang's oeuvre this is a must-see.

One of the emperor's generals successfully double-crosses him and claims his spot on the throne, banishing the emperor from his country. One of the emperor's slaves escapes and seeks out the Shaolin monks. They accept his request and train him to become a worthy fighter, after which he returns to the castle to take on the general.

At two hours, the film is probably a bit too long. The amusing intro and the lengthy final fight (close to half an hour) make the time pass a little quicker though. There are also more characters dying in this film, which ups the stakes and make the plot a bit more interesting to follow. Shaolin Temple is a solid entry in Chang's crazy big oeuvre, but nothing too out of the ordinary.

Recently I've been watching some lesser known Chang films, films that often found Chang dabbling in different genres and settings. It's nice to return to his classic martial arts fare after that, because the different in quality is significant. There's a little drama here, but the majority of the film is spent on action scenes.

It's not just the classic martial arts stuff either, the ending has a bona fide pole fight, a personal favorite of mine. It's scenes like these that elevate this above about the countless other Shaw Bros offerings. While not a truly exceptional or spectacular film, The Shaolin Avengers is solid fun that is sure to appeal to fans of the Shaw Bros offerings.

A bunch of rebels are holed up in a fortified base. The emperor has sent his best men to break through their defenses, but this turns out to be quite a bit harder than expected. The rebels even manage to capture some heroes, the others devise a plan to attack the base from the inside.

There's a bunch of familiar Shaw Bros faces here, the film is pretty action-packed, and it's nice to see Chang shot quite a bit on location. In the end though, it's just another typical Shaw Bros/Chang production that doesn't do quite enough to set itself apart from the rest. Not a bad film, but not really a standout either.

The famous Italian adventurer Marco Polo finds himself in China. There he is recruited by the Chinese government to track down some rebels in the south. Tracking the rebels down is easy enough, but when they face Polo, they persuade him to join their cause instead. The rebels want revenge for the death of one of their friends.

The first third of the film is spent on the setup, the middle part sees the heroes start their training, the final part has them testing their newly acquired skills on the bad guys. The fact that a white dude with a well-known name happens to be amidst all that is just an inconsequential detail. This is solid but predictable martial arts fare, nothing more, nothing less.

Hui is a member of a gang of ethical robbers. They don't kill their victims and only steal half their possessions. When the leader of the gang dies, new rules are established and their robberies are suddenly a lot more violent. Hui doesn't feel at home in the gang anymore and leaves them behind, but by doing so he made himself some new enemies.

It's not often that you see a Shaw Bros production shot on location, so that's a nice detail. Other than that, the somewhat stricter focus on action stands out, but in the end this is just another vintage Shaw Bros martial arts flick. It's fun and entertaining, not a minute too long, but it's also pretty expected and by the numbers.

The titular monastery is the Shaolin temple, where four individuals come to train and learn from the local monks. They all have qualms with their Manchu oppressors and seek help from the teachers to take their revenge. It's not much of a plot, but it suffices for this type of film.

There are quite a few scenes shot on location, which is always a plus (I'm not the biggest fan of Chang's studio work), the finale has some nice visual touches and the fights are somewhat more brutal than usually the case. These are shifts I'm sure only dedicated Shaw Bros followers will notice, but they make that this film does stand out in Chang's oeuvre. Solid martial arts filler.

The story revolves around the camaraderie between Ma, an army man, and two small-time bandits. Ma trains the bandits to become veritable warriors, and together they rid the land of rebels and robbers. When Ma is eventually promoted to general, he feels beyond reprimand and starts an affair with the wife of one of his friends.

Two hours is long for a Cheh Chang film, but I can't say the film felt slow or stretched. The fights scenes are a bit stilted though and the film doesn't try too hard to set itself apart from all the other Chang productions, but fans of the Shaw studio will find a fun and entertaining martial arts romp here. Pretty much what could be expected from a film like this.

This film revolves around Wu Sung, a sword fighter who is exiled after he was found guilty of murdering his adulterous sister-in-law. When he arrives at the prison camp one of the guards decides to cut him some slack. When the guard get swindled by a local brute a little later, Wu Sung wants to return the favor.

The film is a bit bloodier than usual, it's always nice when the action is shot on location and there are some fun action choreographies, other than that this was a pretty regular Cheh Chang martial arts flick. Revenge is the keyword, the cast feels familiar and the pacing is solid. Generic but fun.

The first film has a local general vying for the hand of an innkeeper, she is more interested in the mysterious stranger visiting her inn. The second film tells the story of a soldier and courtesan who can only be together when they catch a criminal, the third film is about a hero who fights a corrupt government. Nothing out of the ordinary in other words.

Anthologies are an ideal format to try out some new things, Trilogy of Swordsmanship isn't the least bit interesting in exploring that avenue. The film is little more than a trio of shortened Shaw Bros productions. It's no better or worse than a run-of-the-mill Shaw Bros production, so this one is for fans only.

Chieh is a young recruit who messes up when he kills the boss of his own gang. He is banished from the group and leaves his village. When he returns one year later, he learns that two rivaling gangs have joined forces. Once they're made aware that Chieh is back, he becomes their main target.

It's a bit bloodier compared to most other Shaw Bros releases, apart from that it's a very standard release. The only issue I had is with the runtime, which is a bit excessive for a simple film like this. Otherwise, this is another quality Cheh Chang film that is sure to please his fans, though it won't win him any new ones.

The one-armed swordsman has left the world of martial arts to live a quiet life with this wife, but of course he can't escape his past. It doesn't take long before he is invited to a tournament organized by a shady clan boss. All the other clans in the vicinity are invited too, so it's obvious the man is up to something.

There's quite a lot of action in this one, there's also quite a few different weapons that make the fights more interesting. The drama in between is rather cheesy and the plot is pretty basic, 15 minutes shorter would've been much better, but there are enough memorable moments in here to make it worth your time. Not bad.

Lo Lieh is tasked with battling a criminal gang. Hoping to learn more about them, he infiltrates the gang. What he doesn't know is that they have moles too, and Lieh soon becomes their target. To make matters even more complex, Lieh falls in love with the blind daughter of the gang's boss.

The film is nothing more than a bunch of familiar scenes and plot points stringed together. But the fight scenes in the rain do look extraordinary, there is some very cool weaponry and there's an actual post-climax finale, a true rarity. Not the best Cheh Chang film out there, but Shaw Bros fans have plenty to look forward to.

After avenging his father, Li goes into hiding. There he meets Fang, a capable martial artist who gets mixed up in a bitter fight with some goons. Li tries to stay out of Fang's affairs, but as he grows closer to Fang it becomes increasingly difficult to turn a blind eye, especially since Fang's adversaries don't care for a fair fight.

The cinematography (including the scenes shot on location) look better than Chang's later work (as is typical for the Shaw Bros productions), the fights on the other hand can still feel a little flaky. Still, Trail of the Broken Blade is an entertaining film and no doubt part of the blueprint that would lead the Shaw Bros to big success in the following decade, so well worth a watch.

Like other early Chang films, the direction is surprisingly solid. It's probably a mix of the inability to quickly skip through yet to be established genre clichés and the lack of pressure to deliver multiple films per year, but these older films often feel more finished and detailed than the 70s and early 80s ones.

That sounds great, but it also means the pacing is a bit slower and the martial arts scenes aren't that elaborate yet, which is kind of the reason why I like the Shaw Bros martial arts catalogue. It's the classic contradiction between good cinema and good genre cinema. That said, Chang films will still find plenty to like here.

A corrupt prince orders the theft of a valuable jade relic. Once he has the object in his possession, he hides it in the House of Traps, a place nobody ever returned from alive. Min and his crew aren't afraid to take on this dangerous mission, and they plan a pretty risky operation to retrieve the jade relic. It will take all their strength and wits to return in one piece.

It sure sounded like a lot of fun, but the traps are a bit too DIY for my taste. If you have to rely on sound effects to make a trap appear more dangerous, you're not doing it right. Other than that this is a short and amusing SB filler flick. Maybe it's because I expected more from this one that it left me behind slightly disappointed. Cheh Chang fans should definitely give it a go though.

A brutal gang of masked robbers is terrorizing the land. Wherever they go, they leave behind a trail of death and destruction. Yuen is a young clan leader who is fed up with the masked gang. Rather than wait for his town's inevitable demise, he finds out where their headquarters are located and goes there with a troupe of local fighters.

Masked Avengers is a bit bloodier than your average Shaw Bros film, but that's hardly a selling point (with blood looking like cheap red paint). The fight choreographies are a notch above average and the pacing is on point, so at least that makes this film worth a watch. Pretty basic Shaw Bros filler, but if you're in the mood for a simple and entertaining martial arts flick, it's a decent enough option.

When the Kwangtung Tigers kill one of Tung's family members, Tung gathers all his nephews and vows to take revenge. The Tigers are a fearsome bunch though and the only way to get to them is to separate them, which is easier said than done. To help them out, Tung calls in the help of 5 Shaolin masters.

Expect a slew of familiar Shaw Bros actors doing their usual thing. There's a lot of kicking, punching, hurling weapons at each other and some brutal murders. What there isn't much of is coherence or creativity. I'd probably like this film better if I'd seen it a bit earlier in my exploration of Chang's oeuvre, but as a 60th+ plus film it's just a bit too expected.

The Iron Flag Clan and the Eagle Clan are age-old rivals. When the Eagles get thoroughly beaten by the Iron Flags, they want to call a truce. It's really just a trap to mess with the Iron Flags. To keep the peace, the Iron Flags agree to send away one of their strongest fighters. He discovers what really happened to his clan and vows to set things right.

Deceit, revenge and martial arts, the classic ingredients for the most core Shaw Bros films are all present here. The weapons add something new to the action scenes, but I wasn't too impressed with these somewhat unwieldy weapons. All that remains then is a simple but somewhat amusing film, fun for fans of the studio, others can probably skip it.

The Shaolin are facing the Wu Tangs once again. Two Shaolin fighters are sent on the mission one after the other, to aid the Qing empire in their struggle with the Wu Tang. They meet up and form a strong duo, but they somewhat underestimate the power of their adversaries.

Everything is done by the book, the film doesn't even make an effort to set itself apart. That's probably why it feels a little stale and unadventurous. There's a decent enough finale, some familiar faces and the pacing is fine, but if you're like me, and you've seen 70+ Chang films already, there's just no way I'll be able to distinguish between this one and about 25 others two weeks from now.

A martial arts master trains five pupils and teaches each of them a different style of fighting. When they move out into the world, the master receives word that one of them might be abusing his powers. To find out who isn't behaving, he trains a sixth fighter who knows all their techniques. He has to find out who is bringing dishonor to his master.

The quest to find the culprit takes up a lot of time, which sucks because the performances aren't that great, neither is Chang's direction. The action looks a bit crummy compared to this other films, even though all the elements are there for some good old martial arts fun. I ended up a little disappointed, though Shaw Bros fans are sure to find something here.

There's plenty of martial arts action in New Shaolin Boxers, which is always a plus. The synchronized training sequences in particular jump out, but the fights themselves are nicely choreographed too. Add to that some familiar faces and most Cheng/Shaw Bros fans will have plenty to look forward to.

The romance and bits of drama in between though are of much lower quality, and slow the film down. Like many of Chang's films, the middle part drags a little, luckily it's a short film and it doesn't take too long before the finale kicks in. A pretty typical Cheh Chang film in other words, not bad, but not all that remarkable either.

Five elite fighters band together and decide to rebel against their Manchu oppressors, whose reign has taken a severe toll on the Ming people. Each of the five warriors sets out to recruit some strong fighters, hoping to train them into well-oiled fighting machines, so they can take on the Manchu leaders with a small army of their own.

The martial arts scenes aren't quite as good here, but the training scenes are pretty cool, and it's fun to see such a broad cast of varied individuals wage a miniature war. It's a welcome diversion in an oeuvre defined by similarities, though the impact remains quite limited. Ultimately, this is just another Shaw Bros/Cheh Chang collab.

Ne Zha is a brat with his heart in the right place. Though he teases his teachers and angers his parents, he cannot stand injustice. It's a trait that will land him in a lot of trouble. When he kills one of the dragon people (who was harassing an innocent passerby), he is forced to take responsibility and end his own life.

Ne Zha is fantasy-based martial arts, clearly not Chang's strong point. The dragons look iffy, the effects in general aren't all that great and the cinematography can't quite cover it up. The rest of the film is pretty fun though. Decently paced, some nice fights and a handful of memorable scenes, the early Eric Tsang cameo is just the icing on the cake. Amusing Shaw Bros production, but far from Chang's best work.

Tan is trying to fight the corruption in the Chinese government, but they are on to him and manage to arrest him before he can do any real damage. Right before his arrest, Tan did get Wang on board, a skilled martial artist who will do his very best to keep Tan from becoming a martyr.

The Iron Bodyguard is a film with a slightly stronger focus on the narrative. There are still the usual Shaw Bros fights, but they are fewer and shorter. The story isn't all that exciting though and performances don't really stand out either. It's decent enough when you're pining for some Shaw Bros action, but only when you've seen all of their more prominent films.

Man of Iron is a sequel to The Boxer From Shantung, with Shaw Bros legend Kuan Tai Chen reprising the role of Wan. Wan has amassed a large group of followers, but he isn't the only bad boy in Shanghai. It doesn't take too long before he butts heads with some of the more established gangs. And they're not too happy with this new kid on the block.

The plot isn't too interesting, the film also takes a little too long to get going. The martial arts is decent, but not the best Chang has put on screen. But he compensates with plenty of martial arts scenes in the second half of the film. It gets a lot better from there on out, though I still wouldn't recommend this film unless you're dedicated to completing Chang's entire oeuvre.

The Water Margin tells the epic story of 108 unique fighters banding together to battle the corrupt government, this film zooms in on the plan to kill the Liang Shan clan by hiring Golden Spear. When they hear of the plan, they go look for Jade Dragon, an equally skilled warrior, and the only one with a fighting chance to stop Golden Spear.

It's not a bad film, but these Shaw Bros productions are rarely good enough to support a 2-hour runtime. It's nice that Chang moved his camera out of the studio and there are some pretty solid fight scenes, but there's also too much filler and dead moments. Core Shaw Bros fans won't be too disappointed, but I'd hoped for something a bit more exciting.

When Tong starts to lose control over his men, his second in command sees an opportunity to seize control. He traps Tong and tries to kill him, but Tong manages to escape, though heavily wounded. He does disclose the identity of the traitor to one of his loyal disciples, who makes it his mission to plan Tong's revenge.

If you've seen Chang's more famous production, you'll know exactly what to expect from this one. Some decent martial arts scenes, somewhat limited decors and performances and a plot that revolves around betrayal and revenge. It's filler in the most literal sense of the word, but Shaw Bros fans probably won't mind too much.

After some back and forth at the start of the film, a group of heroes tries to infiltrate an impregnable fortress. They have a map that shows them a secret route at the backside of the fortress, but to get there there they have to cross a dangerous bridge first. Not the most elaborate plot ever, but it does the job.

It's nice that Chang shot on location, the bridge scenes in particular stand out. Performances are mediocre though and the battles aren't all that exciting. The film is quite short, still the pacing feels a little sluggish at times. There simply isn't much plot and with the action being slightly subpar, the film fails to set itself apart.

Nie Zheng comes from a poor family, but he performs well in school, and he's an excellent sword fighter. He wants to live a simple life with his girlfriend Xia Ying, but fate decides otherwise. His school becomes the setting for a big bloodbath, only Zheng and his best friend manage to escape. They decide to move far away, but not before bringing the one who caused the bloodbath to justice.

The cinematography is pretty stylish, performances are also well above the Shaw Bros norm. The action isn't quite as vibrant though and for a simple story like this, the 110-minute plus runtime is a bit excessive. These early Chang films are well worth exploring, even when they can be a bit long-winded.

Performances aren't great, which is a problem when the action only makes up a small part of the film. The comedy isn't all that great either and the soundtrack is just plain terrible. Lame and cheesy songs that make the film a little too ridiculous (beyond what was intended to be funny).

I think a different director could've made something better of this film, as other films have shown that there is potential in mixing martial arts and dance. But Chang simply isn't the man for the job, especially not since he was nearing the end of his career when he made this film. There is some fun to be had, but overall it's not all that great.

Chen, a simple man, finds himself in the way of a female demon. A Taoist priest intervenes and manages to save Chen, but this just angers the demons even more, after which they launch a full-scale attack. They target Chen's son and manage to possess him, luckily the priest has a couple of tricks left up his sleeve.

I usually welcome more fantasy elements in Shaw Bros productions, but it's not really Chang's strong suit. The effects are ridiculous, and the film is rather loud and screamy, making the first hour quite tough to sit through. The final 30 minutes offer more straightforward martial arts action and are notably better, just not enough to make this is a good or safe recommend.

A violent gang attacks Kuo's martial arts school, killing his respected master in the process. He vows to track down whoever brought disrespect to his school, but he suddenly finds himself in a world of deceit and corruption. It's a good thing Kuo is a rather venerable martial artist himself, as he'll need all his power and skills to bring the culprits to justice.

There's quite a bit more time spent on fleshing out the plot, but that's not why I care to watch these films. There's no lack of action scenes, even so the quality is rather mediocre and though there's a wealth of familiar faces, the performances are lackluster. It's not Chang's worst film, but it does feel incredibly generic and somewhat outdated for an 80s film.

A group of five ninjas murder Shao Tien-hao's brother and master, leaving him behind to fend for himself. Shao goes on a quest to find a new master, someone who can teach him some special tricks to carry out his revenge. As you can see, they didn't spend too much time on the plot, this is just regular Shaw Bros fare, only with ninjas.

The structure of the film is quite repetitive (first you see each ninja kick some martial artist ass, then Shao returns the favor and kicks each of their asses). The ninja weapons look cheap, the blood is fake, and the fights are rather dull. Not really what you want from an action film with the most enigmatic brand of fighter known to man.

No revenge this time, but a simple plot about a gold heist. A group of ragtag fighters comes together to target a gold transport, Yang's mission is to make sure it arrives at its destination. With the help of a sword fighter, a woman with an axe and a drunken master he has to defend the transport, which is easier said than done.

Familiar faces, a familiar plot, lots of studio scenes and a long-winded action finale that should've been the cherry on the cake. But as the lead fighter is somewhat of a bust, it simply doesn't impress all that much. What remains is pretty basic but somewhat amusing Shaw Bros filler, for those who can't get enough of the studio's output.

Though quite a bit of time is spent on the story, it isn't all that complex. A young martial artist starts a job at a textile factory. One of his colleagues is a Shaolin disciple and warns him about a rival Manchu clan, who operates a nearby mill. It should come as no surprise that tensions rise quickly between the rivals.

Whatever time is spent on the plot and characters isn't spent on action, and that's rarely a good thing in a Chang film. The somewhat more modern soundtrack isn't too helpful either, and even the action scenes feel a bit drab. There are some decent scenes, but they are few and far between. A film for hardcore Chang fans only.

I've seen so many adaptations of this book already, but I keep running into parts of the stories I'm unfamiliar with (I guess I'll have to bite the bullet and read it myself one day). In this film, the Monkey King and the Goddess of Mercy band together to fight the child god Hung Hai-erh, a nasty little bugger.

The effects, settings and costumes are all rather low-key, which is a shame for a fantasy/adventure film. I think Yuen Chor would've been a better match for this material, but Chang tries to make the best of it. Sadly, not even the martial arts scenes look very convincing. It's a short film and the pacing is decent, it's also rather amusing to watch, but it's far from Chang's best.

Every year there's a festival that unites the different martial arts schools. They come together, and their best fighters show off their most impressive skills. This is the first year the Manchu are allowed to join, so everyone is one edge. Especially when the Manchu leader starts getting involved in the proceedings of the gathering.

The action choreography is a little basic, the training are fun enough but nothing you haven't seen before, and the studio scenes look a little underwhelming. It's perfectly fine Shaw Bros martial arts filler, certainly if you have a strong craving for this type of film. Looking at the rest of Chang's oeuvre, there are many other films to plow through first.

We're following a capable but fair pirate here. Though he steals at sea, he also protects people who are in need. When his crew has to go on land to repair the ship, they find a little fishing community that's being oppressed by a local gang. Our hero sides with the fishermen and stands up to the gang on their behalf.

There are some decent martial arts scenes, the scenes on locations are pretty cool (no studio-fake sea) and the ending has somewhat of a twist, but it's not enough to give the film a real swashbuckler feel. The whole pirate setup feels a little forced and poorly executed, which is a shame as there was some potential there.

Two young fighters make a name for themselves fighting against and beating some of Shanghai's most renowned fighters. The two seem to be doing well for themselves, but one of the biggest gangs in town is only interested in recruiting Cheng. This starts a rivalry between the two, making their rise to the top quite a bit more challenging.

At 120 minutes long, there is simply too much cruft here. The great martial arts choreographies are saved until the very end (which takes longer than usual) and the more contemporary setting feels a bit awkward with Chang in the director chair. Not a very remarkable film, even though it did garner quite a reputation. The finale is pretty cool, other than that I was left somewhat disappointed.

It's almost too clean and neat, which isn't ideal for an action film. It's nice that Chang tries to incorporate some social critique for example, but it feels out of place and ends up slowing things down unnecessarily. The action scenes are decent, but nothing too spectacular and too far apart to keep the film interesting.

The bottom line is that Chang doesn't do serious very well. He's at his best when martial arts heroes are flying around while taking revenge on some illustrious bad guy. Four Riders is a film that tries to tackle a little extra, but ends up poorer for it. I wouldn't be surprised though if John Woo considers this one of his favorites.

A mighty king has 13 loyal generals. He is tired off all the scuffles and wants to get rid of all his enemies in one big swoop. He deploys 9 of his 13 generals to complete the mission, but his selectiveness breeds discontent among his loyal servants, and the mission doesn't quite go as planned. Or what else did you expect?

This is a slightly older Chang film, so the fights aren't quite as elaborate and impressive yet. That's more decisive for the quality than the body count, which is quite high, just not that interesting. All the other usual Shaw Bros caveats apply to this film, but it's the excessive runtime that ends up making this one of Chang's lesser films.

Fang's father defended the honor of his master and school with his own life. His final request is that his son is allowed to enter the school. Fang joins the school, but the other kids don't treat him as their equal. A prank gone wrong results in Fang losing his arm. He leaves, but the gang who originally plagued the school is planning a new attack.

The film feels more solid than many of Chang's later films. The camera work is a tad more polished, performances are a bit more involved and the plot slightly more structured. These aren't reasons why I put on a Shaw Bros film though. The action feels a bit meager still, so I was a bit disappointed this film couldn't honor its reputation of martial arts classic.

No matter how many Journey to the West adaptations I see, the plots always seem to be different, the only constant being the main characters. This film is no exception. The Monkey King is there, other than that the plot didn't feel familiar at all. Maybe Chang picked some less popular side stories though.

The costumes are cheap, the cinematography is amateurish, even the fights don't translate all that well. And that's from a man who made more than 50 martial arts flicks in the preceding three decades. Comparing this to other high quality martial arts productions of the early 90s makes it even worse. For true completionists only.

A crafty thief decides it's time for a career change, and becomes a suave singer. An ideal setup for combining cheesy songs with a more crime-inspired story, though the two never really mesh together. In the end the thief's past catches up with him and changing jobs will prove a lot harder than expected.

Having seen a couple of these early Hong Kong musicals, it's quite clear I'm not a fan. Luckily the songs are mostly contained to the first half of the film, which makes the second part a little easier to stomach. Cheh never reaches the heights of his martial arts films though. He took a rather bold risk with The Singing Thief, but it just didn't pay off.

As Yu Quan notices an old fisherman being attacked by a rude official, he jumps in and inadvertently kills the fisherman's assailant. The district officials chase Yu Quan, but with the help of the fisherman's daughter he manages to escape. To commemorate her good deed and their eternal friendship, Yu Quan gifts her a butterfly chalice.

What's nice about these older Shaw Bros film is that they're not all studio work, which generally makes for better-looking films. Chang's potential for action already shines through, but that's only a small part of the film. I'm not a big fan of Chinese opera and that really stands in the way of enjoying The Butterfly Chalice. Still, it's interesting to see how Chang got started.

Casting a martial arts icon in a dramatic role is always a risk, but it's David Chiang's love interest who really messes things up. Not only is Agnes Chan a pretty bad actress, she's also a terrible singer. And this films features quite a few English pop songs covered by Chan. To call it grating is actually an understatement.

The plot about a forbidden (or at least frowned upon) love isn't very interesting either, especially not without any good performances to support it. The titular generation gap is never properly explored and the few action scenes that are here only underline the complete incompetence of this film. For completists only.

Several school clubs are caught up in minor feuds. Things get a bit more heated when several of the boys are interested in Princess, Ho Tai's girlfriend. The athletes, martial artists and performance club start to butt heads. After some back and forth, the rivalry comes to a conclusion during the school's cart racing competition.

Chang spends way too much time on uninteresting (and unrealistic-looking) games. Performances are pretty poor, at two hours the film is way too long and the comedy doesn't really work either. On the one hand it's a shame Chang wasted his time on films like this, on the other hand it's not like we're really lacking Shaw Bros martial arts features. This film is only for the real completists.