VHS Synopsis: In this exciting fight-packed adventure, a kung-fu fighter seeks only one thing – supreme authority in the martial arts. On being asked to leave his school the student kills his master in a rage, provoking events which lead to his own downfall and leave a disorientated martial arts school to fend off their adversaries, the Fu brothers. With the return of the Abbott, Wong and Su Ching find renewed vigour with which to avenge the impending death of the monk and the theft of the idol Buddha. A vigorous climax when the roaring tiger encounters the furious dragon in a unique showdown. (95 Mins)

 

Views: I initially got this IFD video release in the early 90's – a period of my life where any and all kung-fu movies were like gold to me. I had seen its main stars in a couple of flicks before, but wasn't all that clued in on Asian cinema as I am today. Back then, I enjoyed 5 Pattern Dragon Claws with its typical kung-fu film clichés of an evil kung-fu tyrant, stolen books, revenge and all that nonsense, but watching it again today (for the first time in 25 years) I was surprised to find just how much fun is actually still is!

​

Opening in the middle of a tournament being held at a temple, some monks are competing with a local kung-fu school to see which 5 are worthy of being accepted as students under their leading warrior monk. Of course, the great Dragon Lee is one of the five picked. But once in, one of the other students, and close friend of Dragon's, decides to kill the head monk so that he can steal the treasured books under his pillow and become the best fighter of the martial world. With the monk now gone, the head gangster of the town, Kam Fu, vows to let nothing get in his way and soon has his men out causing trouble – which leads to some fantastic fight scenes. Unfortunately, after a fight with Kam himself, the Dragon is left for dead but he is soon discovered by a silver-haired old man in the forest (who turns out to be his monk teacher) and nursed back to health. From there, its just fight-after-fight as Hwang and his men try to take over the town, and Dragon's brothers are defeated in a battle for justice. There is an odd moment right-on the 1 hour mark, that seemed slightly out-of-place, when Dragon's monk-master attacks him wearing a leopard mask (which is actually a piece of yellow material painted with black stripes). It's accompanied by some funky music before quickly returning back to the serious drama it was and, while a fun fight, was somewhat unexpected. The final 10 or 15 minutes sees some of the films finest moments though, as Kam Fu takes on the master monk and a furious Dragon Lee in a blistering end battle that totally impresses with powerful, thunder-kicks and great choreography!

​

Starting film-life in the late 1970s as a Bruce Lee clone, the South Korean born Dragon Lee has always been an interesting character to me. His wild, over acting, manic style of kung-fu is highly entertaining, and I honestly find him to be a more exciting actor and fighter than Bruce himself to some degree. While he looks like he's only about knee-high, Dragon Lee is a martial arts powerhouse and beats his way through this 90 minute fight scene without hardly resting. Interestingly enough, the guy only starred in about 20 titles from The Last Fist Of Fury to Dragon On Fire, and The Clones Of Bruce Lee to Martial Monks Of Shaolin Temple, but he rarely fails to entertain and is always fun to watch. The same can most certainly be said for legendary super-kicker Hwang Jang Lee, who plays the main villain Kam Fu and whose kicks are accompanied by the sound of thunder. I've long been a fan of Hwang's since seeing him in Ng See Yuen's Secret Rivals when I was a young teen, although 5 Pattern Dragon Claws and the aforementioned Martial Monks Of Shaolin Temple were also probably some of the first films I caught him in. Soon after that I managed to get my hands on many other great Hong Kong titles from Drunken Master to Iron Angels, and Shanghai Express to No Retreat, No Surrender 2: Raging Thunder. Here, both stars shine with the 30 minute mark giving us a great battle between Dragon and Hwang Jang Lee that showcases some impressive moves. It actually comes across like the battle of a grand finale, that many other kung-fu flicks of this era would be proud of. Korean actor Mun Jong Geum plays the double-crossing best friend of Dragon Lee's, and had actually starred alongside both Lee and Hwang in the likes of Martial Monks Of Shaolin Temple and Dragon Claws made around the same time...

​

Although most fans in the west will acknowledge this as a Godfrey Ho movie, 5 Pattern Dragon Claws is actually credited to the director of the original South Korean production, Kim Si Hyeon – the same man behind titles such as Close Kung Fu Encounter, The Last Fist Of Fury, Golden Dragon Silver Snake, Dragon's Snake Fist, and Dragon Claws – to name but a few. He is joined by action-choreographer Baek Hwang-Ki, a familiar face to fans of early kung-fu films who appeared in classics such as The Dragon's Showdown, Martial Monks Of Shaolin Temple, Tower Of Death, and Hitman In The Hand Of Buddha. Here, he plays Hwang's right-hand man, who quite happily guides his men around town to fight and beat anyone who gets in their way. And while it may not be as polished as much of the classics coming out of Hong Kong around the same time (mainly coming from the Golden Harvest and Shaw Brothers studios), 5 Pattern Dragon Claws still delivers and wins-over its audience with constant kung-fu action which highlights a host of fantastic kicks and wonderfully choreographed fights, thanks to its cast of taekwondo trained performers – most of who are recognisable to fans of old-school kung-fu cinema.

​

Overall: While not a classic to many, 5 Pattern Dragon Claws delivers the action and still holds up well today!