Blu-ray Synopsis: In Shaolin Kung Fu, a young rickshaw driver uses his lethal martial arts skills to cut a path of bloody revenge when criminals target his family.

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Views: Rickshaw driver Lin Fong tirelessly carries people around town, working himself to the bone to try and provide for his blind wife. But when a new team of rickshaw pullers arrive, trouble soon kicks-off for him as big boss Tong Yan tries to drive every other rickshaw puller off the streets. Although Fong stands up for himself, Tong and his men takes things to another level when they attack his wife which results in her death. Before she dies, Fong promises her that he would stay out of trouble and no longer fight – but as more of his friends die around him, the young hero is forced to breaking point and puts his martial arts skills to use as he brings vengeance upon the house of Tong Yan!

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Joseph Kuo's Shaolin Kung Fu is probably one of the more enjoyable straight-laced kung fu movies I've seen. With only a few chuckles throughout and some pretty serious performances, the film wastes no time in getting into the nitty-gritty – bringing it's antagonist to the screen quick and delivering a host of non-stop kung fu battles. I'd never managed to see this 1974 classic until now, released as part of the Cinematic Vengeance box set of Joseph Kuo movies from Eureka Video, but the stunning print just makes it even better and I have to admit that I thoroughly enjoyed it. Perhaps inspired by Bruce Lee's Big Boss to some degree, Shaolin Kung Fu is a simple tale of good versus bad and was penned by first-time writer Siao Se – who only went on to write Tiger Jungle the same year for director Ting Chung, a film that also starred Wen Chiang Long, was also choreographed by He Ming Hsiao, and also shot by Chujiro Shintaro (all of whom worked the same roles here). Of course, by the time Shaolin Kung Fu came about the same lot of talent had been working together on Joseph Kuo movies for the past couple of years already, starting with 1972's The Death Duel before going onto Rikiksha Kuri, Iron Man, and Hero Of Kwangtong. From there, Japanese born cinematographer Shintaro would work with Kuo on many of his films including other kung-fu classics such as 18 Shaolin Riders, The Rebel Of Shaolin, and 18 Jade Arhats, that would see him re-join many of the same cast and crew members over the years. The film was co-directed by Lau Sau Wa, a name that appears on the opening credits with Kuo as the main director. With Joseph on-board as the producer and keeping himself busy with a few other productions that year, it's not clear just how much he actually did himself on Shaolin Kung Fu – with the film itself giving a different feel and flow to his later projects. That said, it still comes across very well done, though it does make me wonder why Eureka Video choose this as one of their titles for Cinematic Vengeance and not Hero Of Kwantong, The Death Duel, Blazing Temple, or even the very fun 8 Masters (which would have completed his Bronzemen Trilogy). Regardless, Lau does a pretty good job and had been an assistant director to Kuo from the later 60s on films like King Of Kings, Superior Darter, Sorrowful To A Ghost, and Mission Impossible. In 1972, Lau made his directorial debut (albeit alongside another co-director, Lee Chi Sin) with Chivalrous Robber Lee San, before going on to direct The Beauty Heroine before this.

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I have to say that I really enjoyed Wen Chiang Long as the hero. With his good looks and great moves, he fit the part pretty well and delivered quite a good performance. Over the years, Wen headlined quite a number of films racking-up almost 60 film credits to his name. Starting off in the industry with a role in Fly Swallow Vs One Eyed Knight, the young star joined forces with Joseph Kuo only a few years later to star in The Death Duel and Triangular Duel – going on to star in Tiger Boxer, Rikisha Kuri, Iron Man, and Hero Of Kwantong before this. Many fun films would soon follow such as Tiger Jungle, Mars Men, Eight Hundred Heroes, 18 Shaolin Riders, Fight For Shaolin Tamo Mystique, Idiot Swordsman, Shaolin Invincible Guys, The Master & The Kid, and much more including The Super Rider series of films which were a Taiwanese take on the popular Kamen Rider from Japan. Prolific actor Yi Yuan stars as the final big boss of the flick, taking everything from Wen after his son dies from injuries caused in a fight with the hero. Yi started his career in the late 1950s, and went onto star in almost 230 films including a host of Jimmy Wang Yu titles over the years – even a brief role in Island Of Fire – and worked with both Joseph Kuo and Wen Chiang Long a number of times also. The other villain of the piece is played by Lu Ping, a very recognisable face to fans of kung-fu cinema having starred in almost 200 titles over the decades. In the early 70s, Lu would flit between the mighty Shaw Brothers, Golden Harvest, and Joseph Kuo starring in films like The Ghost's Sword, The Invincible Sword, and Swordsman At Large. While he would appear in many of the aforementioned movies here along with his Shaolin Kung Fu co-stars, Lu Ping would also show up in Jackie Chan's New Fist Of Fury, Shaolin Wooden Men, Snake & Crane Arts Of Shaolin, and Kuo's later kung-fu titles. Yeung San San, who played alongside Wen the very same year in Hero Of Kwantong, does a great job as his blind wife, and the egg-selling kid is just brilliant. Plenty of other noticeable Taiwanese kung-fu actors help fill things out such as Yuan Shen, Tseng Chao, Hu Chiu Ping, Chang Peng, a young Mark Long, and even Ko Pao pops up as one of the rickshaw drivers. Ko Pao, of course, went on to become a brilliant director in his own right at the end of the 70s with films such as Shaolin Iron Claws, 7 Commandments Of Kung Fu, 5 Fighters From Shaolin, and Ninja Kids: Kiss Of Death with Alexander Lo Rei...

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Fight choreographer He Ming Hsiao also joins the cast, and helps bring some fantastic martial arts action to the screen. Ming Hsiao joined the Kuo party almost immediately as he made his debut in Joseph's very own film, The Matchless Conqueror and would continue to act from there, but also work behind the scenes as a choreographer or assistant director. His career would start to fizzle out by the late 70s after appearing in titles such as New Fist Of Fury, 10 Brother Of Shaolin, and The Lady Constables – as well as choreographing the likes of 18 Shaolin Riders, Iron Swallow, and finally Moonlight Murderer in 1980. Apart from a few clichés as seen in many kung-fu movies of this period, Shaolin Kung Fu proves to be a highly entertaining and well made movie and is worthy of the watch by any fans of old-school kung-fu cinema!

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Overall: A well-made and entertaining old-school flick, Shaolin Kung Fu is a non-stop fight-fest that makes for a fun watch!

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Blu-ray Extras: Audio Commentary by Mike Leeder & Arne Venema

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Watch my unboxing video of this Eureka Video release HERE