Available at Amazon.comRating:8
AKA: Five Fingers of Death, The Five Fingers of Death, 5 Fingers of Death, Iron Palm, Hand of Death, Invincible Boxer
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King Boxer King Boxer (aka Five Fingers of Death) has a permanent place in Hong Kong history, since it was the first film produced in the region to receive a wide theatrical distribution in the United States. It would come to be highly influential in creating a template for many of the other kung fu pictures that followed it, most recently and obviously with the Kill Bill films, which re-used King Boxer's theme music (which, oddly enough, was itself taken from the "Ironside" TV series). Thankfully, unlike some other historically important films, King Boxer has held up very well. The story, which features Lo Lieh learning the "iron palm" technique to get revenge for his school, is standard stuff. But the director, Jeng Cheong Woh, knows exactly how to give the audience enough information to propel the story along, but not so much as to bog the movie down, as was the case with far too many kung fu pictures of this time. And even though the acting is frankly nothing special, the actors do a good enough job and manage to create some likeable characters, which helps tremendously in making the viewer care about what's going on with the story. But what really makes King Boxer stand the test of time are the fighting sequences. They're probably most notable for their violence, from arterial sprays to gouged eyeballs, but its' Woh's style which really sets them apart. Unlike many of the Shaw Brothers kung fu pictures which followed it that featured fairly static camera movement, King Boxer's fight scenes showcase dynamic camera angles and staccato editing. This could have produced a disorienting effect with other directors, but Woh makes these techniques into cohesive and exciting scenes which should please any martial arts fan.
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