Chang Cheh's FIVE MASTERS OF DEATH (aka, FIVE SHAOLIN MASTERS, 1974) is an all-star kung fu film with five stars playing survivors of the burning of Shaolin Temple and five others as the villains who pursue them and track them down. The heroes split up and travel the Chinese countryside rallying the people to support the faction opposing the Manchus and then reunite about an hour into the film to re-train at the burned-out temple. Then the five villains, joined by three henchmen, arrive for the sprawling final brawl, all staged on a series of Taiwanese locations.
Unlike the same director's SHAOLIN MARTIAL ARTS (1974, listed on IMDb as SHAO LIN MARTIAL ARTS) and SHAOLIN TEMPLE (aka DEATH CHAMBER, 1976), this is a fairly low-budget production and offers no shots of Shaolin or the burning of the temple. At one point, the heroes return to the charred 'temple,' which looks more like a burned-out storefront. This film forms a trilogy of sorts with SHAOLIN MARTIAL ARTS and SHAOLIN TEMPLE, although it takes place immediately following the events depicted in SHAOLIN TEMPLE.
The five heroes are played by Alexander Fu Sheng, Chi Kuan-Chun, David Chiang, Ti Lung, and newcomer Meng Fei. Fu Sheng and Chi Kuan-Chun starred in SHAOLIN MARTIAL ARTS. All but Meng Fei returned for SHAOLIN TEMPLE. The five villains are played by Liang Chia Jen (aka Leung Kar Yan), Wang Lung Wei, Feng Ko-An (aka Fung Hak On), Chiang Tao and Tsai Hung. The first four were also the villains in SHAOLIN MARTIAL ARTS, although only Wang Lung Wei returned for SHAOLIN TEMPLE (where he played the same character, Ma Fu Yi). Not yet directing films himself, Liu Chia Liang (aka Lau Kar Leung) was co-fight choreographer on this one with his brother, Liu Chia Yung (Lau Kar Wing).
Clocking in at 109 minutes, FIVE MASTERS is not quite as elaborate or full of spectacle as the other two films in Chang Cheh's Shaolin trilogy, but it's got a great cast of fighting stars and nonstop kung fu action and is a cut above the same director's other, lower-budgeted Shaolin films from 1973-76: HEROES TWO, MEN FROM THE MONASTERY, DISCIPLES OF SHAOLIN, and SHAOLIN AVENGERS.
ADDENDUM (6/24/12): I finally watched the R3 DVD edition of this film from Celestial Pictures, which is in Mandarin with English subtitles. It clocks in at 105 minutes. I don't know if that's because four minutes were cut or because it was slightly sped up because of the transfer from the PAL encoding system. The latter's more likely. I was pretty amazed at the sheer number of fight scenes in this. It probably has more fight scenes spread out through it than any other Shaw Bros. kung fu movie I can think of.
Also, I made a few corrections in my earlier review. I still don't understand why a "spoiler" warning was posted on it.
Unlike the same director's SHAOLIN MARTIAL ARTS (1974, listed on IMDb as SHAO LIN MARTIAL ARTS) and SHAOLIN TEMPLE (aka DEATH CHAMBER, 1976), this is a fairly low-budget production and offers no shots of Shaolin or the burning of the temple. At one point, the heroes return to the charred 'temple,' which looks more like a burned-out storefront. This film forms a trilogy of sorts with SHAOLIN MARTIAL ARTS and SHAOLIN TEMPLE, although it takes place immediately following the events depicted in SHAOLIN TEMPLE.
The five heroes are played by Alexander Fu Sheng, Chi Kuan-Chun, David Chiang, Ti Lung, and newcomer Meng Fei. Fu Sheng and Chi Kuan-Chun starred in SHAOLIN MARTIAL ARTS. All but Meng Fei returned for SHAOLIN TEMPLE. The five villains are played by Liang Chia Jen (aka Leung Kar Yan), Wang Lung Wei, Feng Ko-An (aka Fung Hak On), Chiang Tao and Tsai Hung. The first four were also the villains in SHAOLIN MARTIAL ARTS, although only Wang Lung Wei returned for SHAOLIN TEMPLE (where he played the same character, Ma Fu Yi). Not yet directing films himself, Liu Chia Liang (aka Lau Kar Leung) was co-fight choreographer on this one with his brother, Liu Chia Yung (Lau Kar Wing).
Clocking in at 109 minutes, FIVE MASTERS is not quite as elaborate or full of spectacle as the other two films in Chang Cheh's Shaolin trilogy, but it's got a great cast of fighting stars and nonstop kung fu action and is a cut above the same director's other, lower-budgeted Shaolin films from 1973-76: HEROES TWO, MEN FROM THE MONASTERY, DISCIPLES OF SHAOLIN, and SHAOLIN AVENGERS.
ADDENDUM (6/24/12): I finally watched the R3 DVD edition of this film from Celestial Pictures, which is in Mandarin with English subtitles. It clocks in at 105 minutes. I don't know if that's because four minutes were cut or because it was slightly sped up because of the transfer from the PAL encoding system. The latter's more likely. I was pretty amazed at the sheer number of fight scenes in this. It probably has more fight scenes spread out through it than any other Shaw Bros. kung fu movie I can think of.
Also, I made a few corrections in my earlier review. I still don't understand why a "spoiler" warning was posted on it.