HEROES TWO (1973) was the first in a series of kung fu movies directed by Chang Cheh to focus on a group of legendary fighters from the famous Shaolin Temple. Alexander Fu Sheng appears here for the first time in his signature role of Fong Si Yu, a fighter trained at Shaolin who was involved with a group of Ming patriots opposing Manchu rule during the Qing dynasty. Chen Kuan Tai (fresh from Chang Cheh's BOXER FROM SHANTUNG and DYNASTY OF BLOOD) appears in the pivotal role of Hung Si Kwan, a Shaolin survivor who went on to teach his Southern Chinese style of martial arts, dubbed Hung boxing, to an illustrious line of students and their descendants, extending all the way down to this film's martial arts director, Lau Kar Leung (Liu Chia Liang), who used this film to infuse the kung fu genre with more authentic styles of fighting.
HEROES TWO opens with the burning of Shaolin Temple and deals with its aftermath, focusing on a misunderstanding that pits two heroes, Fong Si Yu and Hung Si Kwan, against each other to the benefit of their enemies. Curiously, the two characters don't seem to know each other even though later films depict them as friends both during and after their tenure at Shaolin. There are only a handful of brief kung fu bouts in the film before the spectacular final battle in which the heroes take on the `the four red-robed fighters from Tibet.' Up until this fight, however, the villains are not too formidable and don't represent much of a challenge to the two leads. Subsequent films would feature much better actor-fighters in the villain roles.
Although this is a weak entry in the Shaolin series, it remains an important film for its introduction of the stars in these roles and the use of authentic Shaolin martial arts styles in the fight scenes. The tape reviewed includes a 9-minute prologue entitled `Three Styles of Hung School's Kung Fu,' in which Fu Sheng, Chen Kuan Tai and Chi Kuan-Chun demonstrate different techniques of Hung boxing. Later films in the Shaolin series include MEN FROM THE MONASTERY (aka DISCIPLES OF DEATH), SHAOLIN AVENGERS (aka THE INVINCIBLE KUNG FU BROTHERS), SHAOLIN MARTIAL ARTS (listed on IMDB as SHAO LIN MARTIAL ARTS), FIVE MASTERS OF DEATH and DEATH CHAMBER (aka SHAOLIN TEMPLE), all from the years 1974-76.
HEROES TWO opens with the burning of Shaolin Temple and deals with its aftermath, focusing on a misunderstanding that pits two heroes, Fong Si Yu and Hung Si Kwan, against each other to the benefit of their enemies. Curiously, the two characters don't seem to know each other even though later films depict them as friends both during and after their tenure at Shaolin. There are only a handful of brief kung fu bouts in the film before the spectacular final battle in which the heroes take on the `the four red-robed fighters from Tibet.' Up until this fight, however, the villains are not too formidable and don't represent much of a challenge to the two leads. Subsequent films would feature much better actor-fighters in the villain roles.
Although this is a weak entry in the Shaolin series, it remains an important film for its introduction of the stars in these roles and the use of authentic Shaolin martial arts styles in the fight scenes. The tape reviewed includes a 9-minute prologue entitled `Three Styles of Hung School's Kung Fu,' in which Fu Sheng, Chen Kuan Tai and Chi Kuan-Chun demonstrate different techniques of Hung boxing. Later films in the Shaolin series include MEN FROM THE MONASTERY (aka DISCIPLES OF DEATH), SHAOLIN AVENGERS (aka THE INVINCIBLE KUNG FU BROTHERS), SHAOLIN MARTIAL ARTS (listed on IMDB as SHAO LIN MARTIAL ARTS), FIVE MASTERS OF DEATH and DEATH CHAMBER (aka SHAOLIN TEMPLE), all from the years 1974-76.