Hong Xi Guan (1977)
Genre: Action
Duration: 90 minuten
Alternative titles: Executioners from Shaolin / 洪熙官
Country:
Hong-Kong
Directed by: Chia-Liang Liu
Stars: Kuan Tai Chen, Lieh Lo and Wong Yu
IMDb score:
6,9 (2.157)
Releasedate: 16 February 1977
Hong Xi Guan plot
When almost all Shaolin monks are destroyed by 'White Eye-Brow Monk' Pak Mei, a number of monks led by Hung Hsi Kwan manage to escape. Of course they are out for revenge on Pak Mei and his students...
Actors and actresses
Hung Hsi Kuan
Fang Yung Chun
Priest Pai Mei
Hung Wen Ting
Hong Wen Ding, age 10
Xiao Hu
Uncle Fang
Tong Qia
Monk Zhi Shan
His Highness
Reviews & comments
Onderhond
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- 87698 messages
- 13083 votes
I actually thought it was just average Shaw Bros work.
It is nice that the film spans multiple generations. It gives the final battle that little something extra. But otherwise, there isn't much to enjoy: a standard revenge story, some training sessions, and the occasional joke.
The martial arts, in particular, disappointed me somewhat. In terms of choreography, it isn't much to speak of yet, and there isn't much spectacle either. Fairly rehearsed and somewhat slow fights that revolve mainly around hand-to-hand combat.
It does sag a bit halfway through; the humor isn't always successful. But apart from that dip, the film remains quite fast-paced, and the entire second part is over in no time.
By the way, I thought this was going to be my last 70s Liu, but IMDb lists an older film that hasn't been added to MM yet. Not that I expect much from it, as he made his better work later in life anyway.
2.5*, it was entertaining, but really typical fan fare.
Translated from Dutch · View original
Filmkriebel
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- 10207 messages
- 4775 votes
Movies like that are fun. I actually saw one on TV back in the 80s (on a French channel). They used to show it on Saturday afternoons. My father was quite fond of this genre... The choreography and spectacle are indeed rather rudimentary, but you can still see that the fight scenes are quite fluid at times. Nowadays, films like this rely far too much on cut-and-paste work.
A typical kung-fu film from that era, with a disturbing slapstick sequence on the red boat as the low point. That son also looked a bit too effeminate to me. It's a shame that the finale is a duel between the son and Master White Brows . And what an abrupt ending... the film stops while both are rolling down the stairs . It was certainly a pleasure to experience such clumsy 70s kung-fu again. In the meantime, I am looking forward to seeing 36th Chamber of Shaolin again, which is considered a milestone in the genre.
Translated from Dutch · View original
80&90’s Nostalgia
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- 673 messages
- 740 votes
Revised on Blu-ray from the Shawscope Vol. 1 box set by Arrow.
The film follows Shaolin Master Hong Xiguan (Chen Kuan-tai) seeking revenge after the Manchus destroy the Shaolin Temple and White Brow Hermit Pai Mei kills their grandmaster. Hong marries Crane-style fighter Lily Li, they have a son, and he focuses on the Tiger style to challenge the invincible Taoist Pai Mei. The film spans several years and eventually follows his son Wending, who learns a hybrid style from his parents to complete his father's revenge mission.
Eunuch Priest Pai Mei sacrificed his masculinity to gain extra psychological power. The idea behind this is that no energy is wasted on sexual feelings, but everything is channeled into physical strength, which would make him a superior and invincible master.
The ideology behind the eunuch Pai Mei resonated extremely well with the public, and this became a huge hit. Three years later, the remake Clan of the White Lotus was released, in which Lo Lieh once again portrays Mai Mei.
We see Gordon Liu in the opening scene sacrificing himself so that Chen Kuan-tai can escape. Furthermore, Lau Kar-Leung has a cameo as one of the palace guards in a fight with the three saction staff.
Despite the film's status and the big names involved, it still disappoints me a bit. The fight scenes often feel somewhat slow, and the finale with the son is disappointing.
Translated from Dutch · View original
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