(Hong Kong 1972) 

Original Title: Ma Yong Zhen 馬永貞 (aka) The Killer From Shantung

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Directed by Chang Cheh, Pao Hsueh Li Produced by Runme Shaw Action by Lau K. Leung, Lau K. Wing, Tong Gai, Chan Chuen Starring: Chen Kuan Tai, Ching Li, David Chiang, Tien Ching, Ku Feng, Chiang Nan, Feng I, Cheng Kang Yeh, Chen Hao Reviewing: Arrow Video Shaw Scope Blu-ray Release Genres: Martial Arts / Drama

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Rating - 5 / 5

Arrow Video Blu-ray Synopsis (Book): Ma Yongzhen, a modest young patriot, leaves Shantung to seek his fortune in Shanghai. On arrival he is befriended by Xiao Jiangbei. When the two are involved in a fight, underworld leader Tan Si sees and notes Ma's fighting techniques and tries to entice him into evil ways. Though impressed, Ma is sceptical, but soon, in another fight, he sides with Tan Si's men against gangster Yang Shuang's thugs. When he hears that a foreign wrestler is challenging the public to floor him, Ma decides to try his luck. He defeats the wrestler and angers Yang Shuang. A fight starts, and Ma routs the thugs and collects his winnings. Later he incurs the displeasure of his girlfriend, Jin Lingzi when he gains more territory and his reputation as a boxer increases. The feud between Yang Shuang and Tan Si continues, and Tan is murdered by Yang's men. Ma plans to avenge his death, but Yang is aware of this and lures the unsuspecting Ma into a trap, where he is fatally wounded by Yang's thugs. Ma kills Yang before he himself dies, and his dreams of fortune in Shanghai are ended. Saddened by the death of their friend, both Xiao Jiangbei and Jin Lingzi leave Shanghai. (134 Mins)

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Views: Loosely based on the story of the real Ma Yong Zhen, The Boxer From Shantung shifts its settings forward a century to a time when China's warlords were wreaking havoc across the land. The incredible Chen Kuan Tai solidifies his place as a leading man in the role of Ma, lighting-up the screen with his strong performance and energetic martial arts that gives fans one of Cheh's more epic pieces. It was evident to see that Chen knew just how much of an impact he made as Ma, as he went on to reinvent the story for his 4th directorial piece in 1979 with Big Boss Of Shanghai – a film which is actually just as exciting. Interestingly enough, both films were penned by prolific screen-writer Ni Kuang, a jman who made his debut in 1967 with the Chang Cheh directed classic, One-Armed Swordsman. By the time this film had come about, Kuang had written over 20 films – most of which were for the Shaw Brothers studio, and many that were for director Chang Cheh including Have Sword Will Travel, Vengeance, The Heroic Ones, The New One-Armed Swordsman, The Deadly Duo, and The Angry Guest. As well as a few small roles in Hong Kong movies over the years, Ni Kuang has proven to be one of the industries most successful writers with over 300 published novels and 400 films scripts completed over a few decades, and has delivered the scripts for some of the greatest Hong Kong movies since the late 60s...

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In a classic rags-to-riches story, Ma Yong Zhen arrives in town with his good friend Xiao where he soon finds himself caught-up in a turf war between warring gangs, the Tans and the Yangs. Although he is seen as a bum, Ma quickly makes a name for himself thanks to his cool attitude and strong martial arts abilities. While respected by Tan Si, Ma finds himself constantly harassed and attacked by the Yang clan – more famously known about town as the Axe Gang – although proves to handle himself well enough. But as Ma climbs the ranks and makes a name for himself, master Yang conspires with his men to get rid of master Tan and entrap Ma so they can bring him down once and for all. It all boils down to a violent and bloody 20 minute finale that sees the lone warrior taking on hundreds of men single-handedly with an axe lodged in his stomach, and hardly a single piece of furniture left intact!

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Due to the great success of The Boxer From Shantung, there were many sequels released soon after – although none of which were truly official in the sense. The first would be Man Of Iron (released in the US as Warrior Of Steel) which would be directed once again by Chang Cheh and Pao Hsueh Li. The film opens with a narration of what happened in Boxer From Shantung, although it actually takes place 20 years later with Chen playing a different character this time, as do the majority of the main cast who also returned. An unofficial sequel of sorts was made the same year that saw the wonderful Judy Lee in her debut role in the brilliant Queen Boxer (aka The Avenger). Here, she plays the sister of Ma who comes to town to avenge his death and takes on the deadly Axe Gang in an equally brutal finale. A similar film was made in 1973 called The Sister Of The Shantung Boxer, that saw King Boxer co-star Wang Ping play Ma's sister. Both films would be made independently along with another title called Queen Of Fist, a story that tells the tale of Ma's mother and siblings seeking revenge for his death – known more famously as Kung Fu Mama. There have no doubt been more iterations of the film and other spin-off titles made over the years, with the renowned Axe Gang showing up in numerous titles over the years including Jackie Chan's Drunken Master 2 and Chow Sing Chi's Kung Fu Hustle.

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It was also interesting to note that The Boxer From Shantung was supported by two assistant directors, who each went on to become major names of Hong Kong cinema themselves. These guys were John Woo and Godfrey Ho, both of whom became renowned for their own different styles and contributions to the film world in the decades to follow. The film also benefited from having no less than 4 of the Shaw Brothers top fight choreographers with Lau Kar Leung, Lau Kar Wing, Tong Gai, and Chan Chuen. Of course, these guys had already been working together for some time on many Shaw Brothers movies as action-directors, but had been involved in the business for many years before. Tong was a martial arts student of Yuen Woo Ping's father, the late Simon Yuen Hsiao Tieng, and started his career as an actor in the mid-50s before going on to star in over 130 films through to the late 90s. He made his debut as a choreographer in 1962's The Flaming Mountain going-on to work as the action-director of almost 200 films through to the early 90s, with Tsui Hark's Green Snake being his final project. Tong also directed a few of his own titles for Shaw Brothers in 1983 and 84 such as Shaolin Prince, Shaolin Intruders, and the awesome Opium & The Kung Fu Master. Lau Kar Leung started on a similar path as Tong, although began his role as a martial-arts director at the same time and went onto star in well over 200 films, choreograph over 170, and become one of the most famous Hong Kong directors of his time with titles such as 36th Chamber Of Shaolin to 8 Diagram Pole Fighter, and Tiger On The Beat to Drunken Master 2 delivering some of his finest moments. Leung passed in 2013 at 77 years of age, due to cancer. Lau Kar Wing joined the industry a decade later and quickly followed in his big brothers footsteps in every department, starring alongside him in many classic titles and directing hit films such as Odd Couple, Treasure Hunters, The Dragon Family, and the fantastic Skinny Tiger, Fatty Dragon with his good friend Sammo Hung. And last but not least, actor Chan Chuen started with the Shaw Brothers in the late 60s and made his debut as a martial-arts director on Wu Ma's The Protectors in 1971. The same year would see him team-up with Kar Wing on The Swift Knight and The Oath Of Death, before everyone came together on this the following year. Later that decade, Chan would make his debut as a director with the fun Kung Fu Vs Yoga, going on to deliver films like Two Fists Against The Law, Energetic 21, Fearless Hyena 2, and Friendly Ghost. Between the four of them, fans get to enjoy a host of exciting fight scenes throughout The Boxer From Shantung – with the choreography getting stronger and better as the film rolls along. Of course, the best of it comes during the grand finale as Ma takes on a small army of gang members and uses everything (and anything) around him as a weapon. It's a brutal and bloody battle, and one of my favourite closing scenes of any kung-fu movie!

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As mentioned, Chen Kuan Tai is just brilliant as Ma Yong Zhen, the heroic boxer who lets no-one walk over him. As one of the Shaw Brothers first real, true martial-arts trained actors, Chen started of as a bit-player before getting his big break with The Boxer From Shantung. Around the same time, he tried his hand as both a producer and fight choreographer on films like The Crazy Instructor, Cold Blade, The Chase, and Invincible Iron Palm. As the roles came flooding in after the success of The Boxer From Shantung, Chen soon got round to making his directorial debut with The Simple Minded Fellow – a comedy starring James Yi Lui and Dean Shek – but it would be his second film as a director that would anger the bosses back at Shaw Brothers, with Iron Monkey proving to be quite the hit. Chen's next directional effort was Invincible Monkey Fist, that saw him star alongside the brilliant Billy Chong as well as starring in Tough Guy – a loose sequel to his Iron Monkey feature also known as Iron Monkey Strikes Back. To settle things with his old bosses, Chen agreed to return to the studios for a role in Crippled Avengers and continued to jump between his independent titles and Shaw Brothers to deliver films such as the fantastic Shaolin Kingboxer (aka Iron Fists), Killer Constable, The Master, his aforementioned Big Boss From Shanghai, and many more. To date, Kuan Tai has starred in over 160 features – even appearing in modern hits such as Derek Kwok's Gallants, 14 Blades, Dragon Tiger Gate, 7 Assassins, Once Upon A Time In Shanghai, and more. The wonderful Alan Cheng Kang Yeh, who is probably more recognisable to fans of Hong Kong cinema for his roles in Jackie Chan's Young Master and Dragon Lord, stars as Ma's best friend and loyal man-at-arms. Cheng made his debut with Shaw Brothers in The Dancing Millionairess in1964, before going onto have a lengthy career appearing in many of their greatest titles – and quite a few that were alongside Chen Kuan Tai. David Chiang stars in an extended cameo (of sorts) as Boss Tan Si, the good natured gang boss that appreciates Ma for who he is, with the two soon becoming friends further down the line. While I enjoyed him in the role, I did feel that he was only cast here as a back-up name to help sell some tickets – just in case Kuan Tai wasn't enough to draw a crowd. After all, Chiang was one of the studio's most bankable stars and had already been acting for a good 20 years (albeit from the age of 5), but Chen was most definitely the star of the show. Prolific actor Chiang Nan stars as Boss Yang, the twisted leader of the Axe Gang which also included Shaw Brothers stars Ku Feng, Fung Ngai, Tin Ching, and Wong Ching. The wonderful Fung Hak On stars as David Chiang's coachman, with Bruce Tong, Hsu Hsia, and Yuen Yat Chor staring as friends of Chen Kuan Tai also. Shaw's regulars Shum Lo, Lee Man Tai, and Mama Hung make an appearance as well as Yen Shi Kwan, Yuen Shun Yi, Danny Chow, Brandy Yuen, Philip Ko Fei, Yuen Cheung Yan, and Yuen Woo Ping who pop-up throughout as extras...

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Released as part of the gorgeous Shaw Scope Vol.1 box set from Arrow Video, this full uncut version runs for a strong 2 hours and 14 minutes – the first time I have been able to see the film in its entire glory. In the past, the US release was cut by a good 30 minutes which lost many important plot points, as well as many moments of graphic violence. But the German version was initially released even shorter at 80 minutes, which is almost missing half of the film (madness!!). Personally, I believe that any true fan of kung-fu cinema should aim to see The Boxer From Shantung in its uncut glory and for those that do, you'll most certainly not be disappointed!

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Overall: A classic Shaw Brothers title and one of my favourite Chen Kuan Tai films, The Boxer From Shantung is an epic piece of kung-fu cinema and well worth the watch!

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Blu-ray Extras: 2K Restoration of 4K Scan, Interview with Chen Kuan Tai, Interview with Assistant Director John Woo, Conversation between Chen Kuan Tai and Ku Feng, Trailers, TV Spot, Image Gallery

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Watch my unboxing video of this Arrow Video release HERE

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Buy your copy HERE