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Craig Lines May 3, 2017

For fans of 80s action cinema, No Retreat No Surrender holds a special place. We've been speaking to the man behind the series...

If you were a kid in the 1980s and you liked action movies, chances are you rented No Retreat No Surrender at some point. It was like a more violent, high-octane take on The Karate Kid, with all-American teen Jason (Kurt McKinney) getting martial arts tutelage from no less than The Ghost Of Bruce Lee so he could kick the ass of a muscly Russian (Jean-Claude Van Damme in his first major role). As a kid, this movie was everything to me. It was a 15 cert so a little bit edgy, but still simple and wholesome enough for young me to totally ‘get it’. I had tears streaming down my face the first time I watched it, I was so invested in the final fight.

Ti Lung is known for his awesome catalogue of movies, over the years he was a leading star at The Shaw Brothers Studio and appeared in well over a 100 movies. I have put together a list of movies, which i have enjoyed over the years. *This is not a Top 40 list.

1.Have Sword, Will Travel (1969)

Cast:David Chiang, Li Ching, Ku Feng, Cheng Miu,

Director:Chang Cheh

Fight Choreographer:Tong Gaai, Yuen Cheung Yan

 

2.The Duel (1971)

Cast:David Chiang, Yeung Chi Hing, Yue Wai, Ku Feng

Director:Chang Cheh

Fight Choreographer:Tong Gaai, Yuen Cheung Yan

 

3.Blood Brothers (1973)

Cast:Chen Kuan Tai, David Chiang, Cheng Li, Cheng Miu, Tin Ching

Director:Chang Cheh

Fight Choreographer:Lau Kar Leung, Tong Gaai

 

4.The Sentimental Swordsman (1977)

Cast:Cheng Li, Yueh Hua, Derek Yee, Ku Feng, Fan Mei Sheng

Director:Chu Yuan

Fight Choreographer:Tong Gaai, Wong Pau Gei

 

5.The Retuen of The Sentimental Swordsman (1981)

Cast:Fu Sheng, Derek Yee,...

When it comes to making features like this one, i love the idea of coming up with my own personal “100 Great Kung Fu Movies” of all time. It is tough choosing just 100 because you know there are many more great Kung Fu movies that are not on the list.

I have decided that to make the list, a movie must have a few hand to hand moments during fight scenes in the movies chosen. If for example its mainly sword play with one fight scene hand to hand it won’t make the list. Its old school “style” Kung Fu movies, not modern day settings.

I understand everyone will have their own personal favorites and some may not agree with my list and that’s fine because it’s nice to have different opinions on this genre which keeps it fresh and alive when having good debates.

Anyway, thank you...

Like millions of you around the world, i love Kung Fu movies. It is the only real genre that keeps me going back for more and that is why i will always love Kung Fu movies.

I know many of you have probably seen many of the movies i will post about, but this is also for anyone new to the genre of Kung Fu and even Swordplay and looking for other movies to enjoy. I hope you enjoy the movies i have listed and please feel free to comment about any of the movies.

1.Heroes Two (1974)

Director: Chang Cheh

Cast: Fu Sheng, Chen Kuan Tai, Bruce Tong, Wong Ching, Fong Sam, Fung Hak On, Lau Kar Wing

Fight Choreographer(s): Tong Gaai, Lau Kar Leung

Studio: Shaw Brothers

2.Shaolin Plot (1977)

Director: Huang Feng

Cast: James Tien, Chan Sing, Casanova Wong, Sammo Hung

Fight Choreographer(s): Sammo Hung...

Anita Mui 1963-2003

Anita Mui had a fantastic screen presence, an actress and a musician, she also did lots of work for charity. In the 80′s she became a household name within the music world and was dubbed the “Madonna of Asia”. She had a series of shows entitled the “Anita Classic Moment Live Concert” that consisted of eight shows at the Hong Kong Coliseum from 6 to 11 November and 14 to 15 November 2003, which were to be her last concerts before her death.

Anita made some great movies and was always surrounded by a great cast. Some movies you should check out are Behind the Yellow Line, Rouge, The Heroic Trio, Drunken Master 2, Miracles, Saviour of the Soul, Moon Warriors and many more.

Mui was originally cast in Zhang Yimou’s House of Flying Daggers (2004), but she resigned only two weeks before her death. Zhang had reserved her scenes to be shot...

With the passing of Lau Kar-leung (the common Cantonese spelling, he was also often credited in Mandarin as Liu Chia-liang), one of the great chapters of Hong Kong cinema comes to a close. Justly famous as martial arts choreographer and action director for many kung fu and wu xia films—the last was Tsui Hark's Seven Swords (2005), in which he also acted—Lau was also one of the outstanding filmmakers of Hong Kong cinema. His most important period was during the final heyday of Shaw Brothers, Asia's biggest studio: In the late 70s and early 80s, before Shaw Bros. closed their doors, Lau proved himself the biggest proponent of the martial arts tradition in Hong Kong cinema, as well as its chief modernizing force, hiding sublime layers beneath ultra-robust exterior appearance. (Fittingly, in 2003 he also directed the studio's comeback movie, more or less coinciding with the inauguration of belated...

Fu Sheng is a legend in the Kung Fu world, if you like all the old Shaw Brothers movies then you will certainly know who Fu Sheng is and why he is loved all over the world. He as made some excellent Kung Fu movies and was the Shaw Brothers equivalent to Jackie Chan.

Selected Filmography

1974:Shaolin Martial Arts

1974:Heroes Two

1975:Marco Polo

1975:Disciples Of Shaolin

1977:Chinatown Kid

1977:The Brave Archer

1978:Avenging Eagle

Biography

Alexander was born as Cheung Fu-Sheng in 20 October 1954 in Hong Kong, the son of a wealthy New Territories indigenous inhabitant businessman. His youth was characterized by his quick temper, disinterest in school, and fighting in the streets. As a child, his family lived in Hawaii for a few years and there he began training in judo and karate.

In 1971, he enrolled at Shaw Brothers Southern Drama School and instantly drew the attention of director Cheung Cheh.

Over the years having watched many kung fu movies, one person as stood out above the rest as my favorite villain, his name is Fung Hak On.

His presence on screen was fantastic, not only a great fighter and villain, but he is also a very good actor and could show lots of emotion with even one single look (Most look’s ended with someone getting killed though).

Birth-date : 18/9/1949

At the start of his career, Fung started off more as a stuntman and also having brief appearances in movies such as Vengeance, Heroic Ones, Water Margin plus many others. A few years later, the director he was working with at the time Chang Cheh, also had an assistant working with him, going by the name of John Woo. John Woo was just learning the process back then, but Fung was glad to work with Woo on his first ever directorial movie The Young dragons.

This is a run down of my Top 40 kung fu movies of the 1970′s. There were so many great films in this era, i just hope i do this list some justice. The movies chosen are just my personal choice, i understand others might have different views.

40.Boxer From Shantung (1972) Starring – Chen Kuan Tai, David Chiang, Cheng Hong Yip, Ku Feng

Boxer From Shantung follows Ma Yongzhen and Xiao Jiangbei. Ma and Xiao are manual laborers busting their tails in Shanghai at the beginning of the film, and Ma’s first encounter with the crime lord Tan Si starts him off on the underworld influence ladder. Step by step, he earns the respect of everyone he meets, either with his strength of character or by beating them up. When he gets a really big break by defeating a Russian strongman, he indulges himself in a fancy cigarette holder, much...