Shao Lin xiao zi

Ah, those mid-'80s golden days of VHS rental...you could find all sorts of obscure films. Many of them are unavailable now, but thankfully "Shaolin Death Squad" has been released on DVD! Starring Polly Shang Kwan (Shang Kwan Ling Fung, the gorgeous female lead in King Hu's "Dragon Gate Inn"), Carter Wong, and Chang Yi, this is one of the nicer faux-Shaw Brothers productions. The costumes are gaudy, the weapons are exotic, and the action is irresistible! Particularly memorable are the villain's two henchmen, who have a seemingly endless supply of "golden pills"; when they are injured in battle, they simply pop one of these babies and it magically heals their wounds! This makes for one hell of a scene near the end of the film. The storyline of "Shaolin Death Squad" actually has nothing to do with the Shaolin Temple. Joseph Kuo had directed a long series of successful Shaolin-themed movies prior to this, so that's probably why they threw the magic word into the title.