Battle of Shaolin (1977)
Review by Doc Ezra
Film:
DVD:

Directed by Kao Pao Shu
Starring Angela Mao, Don Wang Tao, Lo Lieh, and Philip Kao Fei

Released by Crash Cinema
Region: 1
Rating: NR, suitable for audiences 12+
Anamorphic: No

My advice: Rent it.

The Sparrow (Fei) is a legendary wandering martial artist and thief with big plans. He wants to jack a silver shipment, but he’s fairly certain that he’s going to need some help. To this end, he recruits a humble wagoneer (Tao) to assist him. The wagon driver wants a big score so that he can buy his lady love out of her unfortunate surroundings as a prostitute.

What neither of them knows is that others have their eyes on the precious silver. The Three Scars gang, led by their ruthless female gang leader (Mao), also wants the loot, as does a dangerous lone wolf killer proficient with the notorious flying guillotine (Lieh)--a weapon of unparalleled cruelty that decapitates foes with ease in the hands of an expert wielder. The resulting collision of the three interests leads to a non-stop battle royale full of treachery, intigue, and more whoopass than a single can could contain.

With a stronger story than most kung fu fare, Battle of Shaolin manages to serve up a righteous dose of furious fighting with a healthy side of plot and characterization. The performances are outstanding, particularly from Mao, Tao, and Fei (though Lieh turns in a pretty decent bad guy himself). Any one of the principals would have been sufficient to carry a run-of-the-mill chop socky feature, and the combination of this quartet makes a great ensemble.

The DVD transfer is pretty solid, given the likely sketchy state of the original 16mm stock. There are significantly fewer scratches and spots than in other films of its age, and the audio is pretty clear. The dub also suffers from less overwrought melodrama than many of the voiceovers of the era. The DVD’s got no features to speak of, but this is hardly surprising. In most cases, it’s a miracle the cheap film stock survived long enough to get transferred, so hoping for lots of bonus features is probably a bit much.

This one makes a solid addition to anybody’s classic kung fu library. Casual fans should probably stick to a rental, but the film is inexpensive enough to warrant purchasing even if it’s not in your “top 10 kung fu films of all time” list.