Crippled Avengers is a Shaw Brothers kung fu film directed by Chang Cheh and starring four members of the Venom Mob. It has been released in North America as Mortal Combat and '''Return of the 5 Deadly Venoms.
The film follows a group of martial artists seeking revenge after being crippled by Tu Tin-To , a martial arts master, and his son .
Return of the 5 Deadly Venoms sets the tone of vengeance from the opening scene. Chu Twin, a master of tiger style Kung Fu, returns home to find his wife murdered and his son crippled having his arms cut off from the elbows down. Chu Twin has iron arms constructed for his son and trains him in the art of Kung Fu. Even though Chu Twin and his son, Chu Cho Chang, got murderous vengeance against their wrong doers they were still filled with bitterness and evil. During Chu Twin’s reign over his village, he and his son crippled four men. These atrocities would set the stage for a classic Kung Fu film about brotherhood and bloody revenge.
The town blacksmith, Mr. Wei, was forced to drink a liquid to make him mute, then was deafened by a two-handed ear clap delivered by Chu Twin himself. Mr. Way had mouthed off earlier in the tavern because he wanted to sit upstairs but Chu Twin and his entourage occupied it. After Wei was forced to leave the tavern, a traveling hawker was blinded by the iron fingers of Chu Cho Chang for supporting the same sentiments as Wei. Another traveler who wishes to hire the blacksmith has his legs chopped off below the knee at the orders of Chu Twin, who had declared the blacksmith’s business off limits.
One day a young Kung Fu master known as Yuan Yi comes to town and discovers the tortures committed by Chu Twin and goes to avenge the three crippled men. Yuan Yi is good, but he is young master, and alone is no match for Master Twin, his son, and his best strong arm, Mr. Wan. Yuan Yi is defeated, and bound in chains. Chu Twin turns him into an idiot by crushing his head in an iron head vice.
Together the now four disabled men travel to Yuan Yi’s master’s temple, where they are trained in Kung Fu. Each heightening his remaining senses to compensate for his individual disability. Wei, deaf and mute, learns sign language to communicate and wears reflective bands so he can see what he can’t hear. The hawker’s ears become his eyes, with the pin point accuracy to hear a leaf falling and stick it with a dart. Mr. Way outfits the leg less gimp with prosthetic iron legs and feet. Yuan Yi needed no further training, for he was already a master, however his Kung Fu was now more like Idiot Fu, constantly laughing and playing while fighting as if he were playing a child’s game. The four men make plans to return to town on Chu Twin’s 45th birthday and exact their revenge. Mr. Wan, Chu Twin’s enforcer, hires other Kung Fu masters to stop the unlikely heroes. The other masters, though very strong, underestimate and cannot stop the four.
In the final fight extra long fight scene the four misfit masters defeat Chu Twin and Chu Cho Chang, however Yuan Yi, the master of Idiot Fu, is killed sacrificing himself for another, all the while giddily laughing like a child.
Return of the 5 Deadly Venoms is a classic Hong Kong Kung Fu film, making full use of the genres tell tale qualities of vengeance, loyalty, and brotherhood. Produced by Sir Run Run Shaw this film if Kung Fu through and through. With the theme of revenge, long fight scenes, training and the overcoming of strife, comic relief, and the final freeze frame shot symbolizing brotherhood and loyalty with the three remaining heroes walking away, hands joined and raised in victory.
''Crippled Avengers'' is characterized by its long, uninterrupted action sequences, and its campy storyline and dialogue. The characters are examples of disabled fighters , a popular motif in many martial arts films of the period.
Friday, October 17, 2008
Venom Mob
The Venom Mob is a group of actors from the Shaw Brothers Studio, popular creators of martial arts films in the 1970s and 1980s. Most were friends since childhood and attended the Peking Opera School in Taiwan before meeting director Chang Cheh and moving on to the Shaw Brothers studio in Hong Kong.
They appeared in numerous Shaw films at younger ages but did not become a group in high demand until Five Deadly Venoms. They were the main choreographers in all of their films, highly skilled Chinese weapon experts, excellent actors , and excellent acrobats. Most famous of them being Kuo Chui who always played the hero in their films.
As with most groups, time saw their talents being pulled in different directions, not to mention in-fighting for starring roles and production credits.
This is the main 5 .
Those listed usually were the supporting villains with Lu Feng, if Lu Feng had a rare hero role the lead villain was usually either Wang Lung-Wei or Wang Li. Lung Tung-Sheng was usually a questionable character in a film who ended up siding with the hero's in the end. Females listed were usually "eye-candy" and got little fighting time in Venom films.
Johnny Wang Lung-Wei- The villain in several early Venom films. Made his debut in Chang Cheh's Shaolin Martial-Arts filmed in Taiwan during 1974.
- Appeared in later Venom films replacing the absent Wei Pai, usually as a villain, and great with weapons. Wang Li was also recruited in Taiwan and appeared in bit parts in New Shaolin Boxer and The Chinatown Kid before his official debut in Shaolin Rescuers.Best known as the #2 Chief in Masked Avengers
Sun Shu-Pei - Usually a villain with minimal Kung-Fu skills but very conniving and sneaky. Only heroic role was as "Long Axe" in the Kid With The Golden Arms.
Yang Hsuing - Better known as 'Brass Head' in Kid with the Golden Arms. Appeared throughout Chang Cheh's Venom cycle of films in various heroic and villainous roles.
Lau Shi Kwong - The cowardly type, best known as the snitch Wong Fa in "Five Deadly Venoms" and as "The Dangerous Kid" in The Flag Of Iron.
Cheng Tien-Chi - Another master of Peking Opera. Made his debut in Brave Archer Part 3 followed by House Of Traps and Ode To Gallantry and would later take the lead roles in Five Element Ninja, The Weird Man and The 9 Demons.
Chu Ko - Also debut in Brave Archer Part 3 and continued into the 80s replacing Sun Chien, usually as an insidious villain. Would later achieve heroic status in later films Five Element Ninja and The Weird Man
Lung Tung-Sheng - Best known as "The Spearman" from Flag of Iron, usually a misguided anti-hero.
Wen Hsueh-Erh - Lead female in Sword Stained With Royal Blood and Ode To Gallantry, as well as Two Champions Of Shaolin. Usually plays the spoiled daughter role.
Yu Tai Ping – The lead henchman in earlier Venom films, would later swith sides during 1981's The Flag Of Iron as his appearances afterwards were usually of the second-tier heroic nature in the films Masked Avengers and The Weird Man. He was one of the lead 'Super Ninjas' in Chang Cheh's gore-filled opus Five Element Ninja alongside Cheng Tien-Chi, Wang Li and Chu Ko.
Shirley Yu - Shaw's leading sexpot, appeared in The Chinatown Kid, Life Gamble, and The Brave Archer Part 2.
Pan Ping-Chang – Usually the lead female in Venom films. Played Kuo's wife in Brave Archer 4 and the swordswoman in Kid With The Golden Arm.
Chin Siu-Ho - First appeared in small bit roles in Rebel Intruders and 10 Tigers Of Kwangtung and made his official credited debut in Two Champions of Shaolin. Would also co-star in Legend of a Fox and Masked Avengers as well as films for other directors at Shaws after Chang Cheh's cohorts disbanded. He is still very much active in HK films today.
Original Hong Kong movie titles, followed by original Hong Kong release date and alias titles also known as.
aka Death Chamber
Naval Commandos
Brave Archer aka Kung-Fu Warlords
Chinatown Kid
Brave Archer Part 2 aka Kung-Fu Warlords Part II
Five Deadly Venoms aka 5 Deadly Venoms, aka Shaolin Deadly Poisons
Invincible Shaolin aka Unbeatable Dragon, aka Shaolin Bloodshed
Crippled Avengers aka Mortal Combat
Life Gamble
Shaolin Rescuers aka Avenging Warriors Of Shaolin
Shaolin Daredevils aka The Magnificent Acrobats
Magnificent Ruffians aka The Destroyers
Kid With The Golden Arm
House Of Traps
Heaven and Hell aka Shaolin Hell Gate
Brave Archer And His Mate aka Mysterious Island
2 Champions Of Shaolin aka Shaolin And Wu-Tong
Flag Of Iron aka Spearman Of Death
Rebel Intruders aka Killer Army, aka The Guerillas
Brave Archer Part 3 aka Blast Of The Iron Palm
Legend Of A Fox
Ode To Gallantry
10 Tigers Of Kwangtung
Sword Stained With Royal Blood
Ruthless Tactics aka Ninja In The Deadly Trap
They appeared in numerous Shaw films at younger ages but did not become a group in high demand until Five Deadly Venoms. They were the main choreographers in all of their films, highly skilled Chinese weapon experts, excellent actors , and excellent acrobats. Most famous of them being Kuo Chui who always played the hero in their films.
As with most groups, time saw their talents being pulled in different directions, not to mention in-fighting for starring roles and production credits.
Pick Your Poison
This is the main 5 .
2nd Tier Venoms
Those listed usually were the supporting villains with Lu Feng, if Lu Feng had a rare hero role the lead villain was usually either Wang Lung-Wei or Wang Li. Lung Tung-Sheng was usually a questionable character in a film who ended up siding with the hero's in the end. Females listed were usually "eye-candy" and got little fighting time in Venom films.
Johnny Wang Lung-Wei- The villain in several early Venom films. Made his debut in Chang Cheh's Shaolin Martial-Arts filmed in Taiwan during 1974.
- Appeared in later Venom films replacing the absent Wei Pai, usually as a villain, and great with weapons. Wang Li was also recruited in Taiwan and appeared in bit parts in New Shaolin Boxer and The Chinatown Kid before his official debut in Shaolin Rescuers.Best known as the #2 Chief in Masked Avengers
Sun Shu-Pei - Usually a villain with minimal Kung-Fu skills but very conniving and sneaky. Only heroic role was as "Long Axe" in the Kid With The Golden Arms.
Yang Hsuing - Better known as 'Brass Head' in Kid with the Golden Arms. Appeared throughout Chang Cheh's Venom cycle of films in various heroic and villainous roles.
Lau Shi Kwong - The cowardly type, best known as the snitch Wong Fa in "Five Deadly Venoms" and as "The Dangerous Kid" in The Flag Of Iron.
Cheng Tien-Chi - Another master of Peking Opera. Made his debut in Brave Archer Part 3 followed by House Of Traps and Ode To Gallantry and would later take the lead roles in Five Element Ninja, The Weird Man and The 9 Demons.
Chu Ko - Also debut in Brave Archer Part 3 and continued into the 80s replacing Sun Chien, usually as an insidious villain. Would later achieve heroic status in later films Five Element Ninja and The Weird Man
Lung Tung-Sheng - Best known as "The Spearman" from Flag of Iron, usually a misguided anti-hero.
Wen Hsueh-Erh - Lead female in Sword Stained With Royal Blood and Ode To Gallantry, as well as Two Champions Of Shaolin. Usually plays the spoiled daughter role.
Yu Tai Ping – The lead henchman in earlier Venom films, would later swith sides during 1981's The Flag Of Iron as his appearances afterwards were usually of the second-tier heroic nature in the films Masked Avengers and The Weird Man. He was one of the lead 'Super Ninjas' in Chang Cheh's gore-filled opus Five Element Ninja alongside Cheng Tien-Chi, Wang Li and Chu Ko.
Shirley Yu - Shaw's leading sexpot, appeared in The Chinatown Kid, Life Gamble, and The Brave Archer Part 2.
Pan Ping-Chang – Usually the lead female in Venom films. Played Kuo's wife in Brave Archer 4 and the swordswoman in Kid With The Golden Arm.
Chin Siu-Ho - First appeared in small bit roles in Rebel Intruders and 10 Tigers Of Kwangtung and made his official credited debut in Two Champions of Shaolin. Would also co-star in Legend of a Fox and Masked Avengers as well as films for other directors at Shaws after Chang Cheh's cohorts disbanded. He is still very much active in HK films today.
Venom Films
Original Hong Kong movie titles, followed by original Hong Kong release date and alias titles also known as.
aka Death Chamber
Naval Commandos
Brave Archer aka Kung-Fu Warlords
Chinatown Kid
Brave Archer Part 2 aka Kung-Fu Warlords Part II
Five Deadly Venoms aka 5 Deadly Venoms, aka Shaolin Deadly Poisons
Invincible Shaolin aka Unbeatable Dragon, aka Shaolin Bloodshed
Crippled Avengers aka Mortal Combat
Life Gamble
Shaolin Rescuers aka Avenging Warriors Of Shaolin
Shaolin Daredevils aka The Magnificent Acrobats
Magnificent Ruffians aka The Destroyers
Kid With The Golden Arm
House Of Traps
Heaven and Hell aka Shaolin Hell Gate
Brave Archer And His Mate aka Mysterious Island
2 Champions Of Shaolin aka Shaolin And Wu-Tong
Flag Of Iron aka Spearman Of Death
Rebel Intruders aka Killer Army, aka The Guerillas
Brave Archer Part 3 aka Blast Of The Iron Palm
Legend Of A Fox
Ode To Gallantry
10 Tigers Of Kwangtung
Sword Stained With Royal Blood
Ruthless Tactics aka Ninja In The Deadly Trap
Vengeful Beauty
The Vengeful Beauty is a Shaw Brothers film directed by Meng Hua Ho, starring Lo Lieh, Chen Ping and Norman Chu.
As the trained Flying Guillotine assassins secretly working for the Emperor begin their attacks, one of the assassins is caught by local security forces. Flying Guillotine leader Jin Gang-feng is ordered to kill every witness including the prison interrogator and his family to keep the assassins a secret. Rong Qiu-yan returns home to find her dead husband and immediately fingers Gang-feng. With her superior kung fu, she nearly kills him, but retreats to protect her unborn child. Now Gang-feng is in deep trouble. He's told the Emperor under threat of execution that all witnesses are dead. In order to keep his head, Gang-feng turns to his three adult children to quickly hunt down and kill Qiu-yan who is now attempting to reach her uncle. As the hunt begins, Qiu-yan hooks up with a former Flying Guillotine member named Ma Seng and her old martial brother Wang-jun who both help her along the way and become rivals in their love for her.
*Norman Chu
*Chen Ping
*Wang Lung Wei
*Lo Lieh
*Yueh Hua
Plot
As the trained Flying Guillotine assassins secretly working for the Emperor begin their attacks, one of the assassins is caught by local security forces. Flying Guillotine leader Jin Gang-feng is ordered to kill every witness including the prison interrogator and his family to keep the assassins a secret. Rong Qiu-yan returns home to find her dead husband and immediately fingers Gang-feng. With her superior kung fu, she nearly kills him, but retreats to protect her unborn child. Now Gang-feng is in deep trouble. He's told the Emperor under threat of execution that all witnesses are dead. In order to keep his head, Gang-feng turns to his three adult children to quickly hunt down and kill Qiu-yan who is now attempting to reach her uncle. As the hunt begins, Qiu-yan hooks up with a former Flying Guillotine member named Ma Seng and her old martial brother Wang-jun who both help her along the way and become rivals in their love for her.
Cast
*Norman Chu
*Chen Ping
*Wang Lung Wei
*Lo Lieh
*Yueh Hua
Treasure Hunters (1981 film)
Treasure Hunters aka “Master of Disaster” is a Shaw Brothers film directed by Chu Yuan, starring Alexander Fu Sheng and Gordon Liu.
This kung-fu comedy combines Fu Sheng with his real-life brother Chang Chan Peng. The former stars as a wily kung-fu conman who uses all of his skills to trick an important official of his wares during the film's opening. Now on the run from the law, he runs into a wealthy yet bored young socialite who wants the chance to prove himself to his family. Bearing this in mind, the spoilt son proposes a venture to his new associate: to find the fabled treasure of Chan Po Chu and satisfy their respective needs for wealth and acceptance. With a tenuous agreement put into action, the two adventurers set out in search of the very sought after treasure. Also hunting down the Chan Po Chu booty is a small band of kung fu fighting monks and, the most fearsome of all, the ruthless Lord Mo. Through a series of intricate escapades and minor battles, the dynamic duo form a unique bond that helps them in their final confrontation with the dreaded Lord Mo. In the temple that is said to house Chan Po Chu's legacy, the various parties reveal their motives and the heroic forces are once and for all pitted against Lord Mo and his deadly female cohort.
*Fu Sheng – Chut Do Bo
*Chang Chan Peng – Jue Gow
*Wang Lung Wei – Lord Mok
*Gordon Liu - Mo Seung
*Wilson Tong
Plot
This kung-fu comedy combines Fu Sheng with his real-life brother Chang Chan Peng. The former stars as a wily kung-fu conman who uses all of his skills to trick an important official of his wares during the film's opening. Now on the run from the law, he runs into a wealthy yet bored young socialite who wants the chance to prove himself to his family. Bearing this in mind, the spoilt son proposes a venture to his new associate: to find the fabled treasure of Chan Po Chu and satisfy their respective needs for wealth and acceptance. With a tenuous agreement put into action, the two adventurers set out in search of the very sought after treasure. Also hunting down the Chan Po Chu booty is a small band of kung fu fighting monks and, the most fearsome of all, the ruthless Lord Mo. Through a series of intricate escapades and minor battles, the dynamic duo form a unique bond that helps them in their final confrontation with the dreaded Lord Mo. In the temple that is said to house Chan Po Chu's legacy, the various parties reveal their motives and the heroic forces are once and for all pitted against Lord Mo and his deadly female cohort.
Cast
*Fu Sheng – Chut Do Bo
*Chang Chan Peng – Jue Gow
*Wang Lung Wei – Lord Mok
*Gordon Liu - Mo Seung
*Wilson Tong
Too Late for Love (film)
Too Late For Love is a 1968 contemporary Hong Kong movie written and directed by Zhen Luo.
Su Fen, a young and frail girl, looked forward to her wedding with her fiancé, Li Kuo-liang. The happy couple's bliss was cut short when war broke out. Kuo-liang was summoned to fight at the front lines. In his absence, Su Fen discovered she had tuberculosis. This did not please her mother-in-law who was looking for a healthy daughter-in-law to bear sons to continue the family name. She forced Su Fen to divorce her son and leave. When Kuo-liang returned on leave, he was angry and in despair for he still loved Su Fen very much. He went to look for her and was prevented from seeing her by her furious father. To his father-in-law, he swore his undying love for Su Fen, vowing never to marry another and left to return to the front lines. Su Fen suffered a lapse after failing to see Kuo-liang in time.
Months passed and Kuo-liang returned to Su Fen's home to see her. However, her father had brought her out on a trip. Incidentally, Su Fen was returning that day and saw him as both their trains left and arrived respectively. At this second failure to meet Kuo-liang, Su Fen's illness took a turn for the worse. As the war drew to an end, Kuo-liang took a serious injury to his leg which left him half-crippled. After the war, he visited Su Fen once more.
Best Actress : Ivy Ling Po
Best Supporting Actor : Ching Miao
Best Supporting Actress : Ouyang Sha-fei
Best Music Score : Wang Fook Ling
Honorable Mention For Dramatic Feature
Ivy Ling Po as Su Fen
Kwan Shan as Kuo-liang
Ching Miao as General
Ouyang Sha-fei as Mdm
Synopsis
Su Fen, a young and frail girl, looked forward to her wedding with her fiancé, Li Kuo-liang. The happy couple's bliss was cut short when war broke out. Kuo-liang was summoned to fight at the front lines. In his absence, Su Fen discovered she had tuberculosis. This did not please her mother-in-law who was looking for a healthy daughter-in-law to bear sons to continue the family name. She forced Su Fen to divorce her son and leave. When Kuo-liang returned on leave, he was angry and in despair for he still loved Su Fen very much. He went to look for her and was prevented from seeing her by her furious father. To his father-in-law, he swore his undying love for Su Fen, vowing never to marry another and left to return to the front lines. Su Fen suffered a lapse after failing to see Kuo-liang in time.
Months passed and Kuo-liang returned to Su Fen's home to see her. However, her father had brought her out on a trip. Incidentally, Su Fen was returning that day and saw him as both their trains left and arrived respectively. At this second failure to meet Kuo-liang, Su Fen's illness took a turn for the worse. As the war drew to an end, Kuo-liang took a serious injury to his leg which left him half-crippled. After the war, he visited Su Fen once more.
Golden Horse Award
Best Actress : Ivy Ling Po
Best Supporting Actor : Ching Miao
Best Supporting Actress : Ouyang Sha-fei
Best Music Score : Wang Fook Ling
Honorable Mention For Dramatic Feature
Cast
Ivy Ling Po as Su Fen
Kwan Shan as Kuo-liang
Ching Miao as General
Ouyang Sha-fei as Mdm
The Super Inframan
The Super Inframan is a Hong Kong tokusatsu-style superhero movie produced by Shaw Brothers Studio in 1975. Based upon the huge success of the Japanese tokusatsu shows, ''Ultraman'' and ''Kamen Rider'', in Hong Kong, this film features the same type of "henshin" action and costumed derring-do, coupled with Chinese kung fu action.
This film also has some historical importance:
*The first superhero movie in China
*The first movie promotion in Hong Kong using a hot air balloon
*The first Shaw Brothers production using a storyboard
The film was directed by Hua Shan, written by science fiction writer Ni Kuang, produced by Runme Shaw and the cinematography was by Tadashi Nishimoto . There was a little help from Japan, also; Music from ''Ultra Seven'' and '''' is used here. And the Inframan/Science Headquarters/monster costumes were provided by Ekisu Productions, which had done costumes for many shows of the same period. The film also starred Danny Lee as the superhero himself, and Bruceploitation star Bruce Le in a supporting role .
The following year, Joseph Brenner brought this film to the US, and retitled it simply Infra-Man , upon ''Ultraman'''s success on syndicated television at the time.
The Demon Princess Elzebub plots to conquer the Earth. She destroys a few major cities in Hong Kong to prove her power to a terror-stricken humanity. Returning to her lair in Inner-Earth, she awakens her army of Skeleton Ghosts and her various Ice Monsters to wreak havoc. But there is hope . . .
The high-tech Science Headquarters, run by Professor Liu Ying De. In view of the current crisis, he has at long last completed and is prepared to use the BDX Project: In the HQ's secret laboratory, he transforms Lei Ma, a high-ranking SH officer, into the bionic kung fu superhero, the Inframan! Able to perform impossible feats, as well as being equipped with death-dealing weapons, the solar-powered red & silver armored Inframan is mankind's only hope against Elzebub and her army of devils.
Lei Ma/Inframan The hero. Played by Danny Lee
Professor Liu Ying De Propietor of Science Headquarters, and the inventor of the Inframan. Played by Wang Hsieh
Mei Mei The Professor's daughter. Played by Yuen Man Chi
Xiao Hu Mei Mei's younger brother.
Lin Lin Mei Mei's little sister.
Zhu Qi Guang The lieutenant of Science Headquarters.
Lu Xiao Long The seargent of Science Headquarters, and a tough fighter. Played by Bruce Le
Zhu Ming The awkward member of Science Headquarters, who is captured and turned by Elzebub into an evil spy. Played by Lam Man Wai
*Demon Princess Elzebub The main villainess, ruler of Inner-Earth. Armed with a whip, and can turn into a winged dragon creature. Her name is a pun on "Beelzebub".
**Played by Terry Lau Wai Yue
*Witch Eye Elzebub's beautiful but deadly servant. Has a horned helmet and eyes on her palms that shoot green beams .
*Skeleton Ghosts The obligatory generic henchmen . Dressed in black and white skeleton suits and wear horned crash helmets. They also carry staffs.
*Fire Dragon A green humanoid dragon that shoots fire from his mouth.
*Spider Monster A fat red spider creature that shoots web-bombs and acid from its mouth, and grows to giant size.
*Plant Monster A teal vine-like monster that plants itself into the ground and grows into giant killer vines.
*Drill Arm A horned blue mole-like monster with a drill for a hand and a shovel-like claw for another.
*Long-Haired Monster A red witch-like demon with long hair and huge horns that shoot yellow beams.
*Iron Armor Monsters Two mechanical knight-like monsters, whose heads and right-hands spring forth to strike their enemy and retract again.
Lei Ma throws his arms into a Kamen Rider-like "henshin" pose, and says:
*"Change! Inframan!"
His powers & attacks are :
*噴火彈 Erupting Bullet
**The missiles stored below Inframan's ribs. He throws them like darts, and they can also thaw him out when he's frozen.
*太陽甲 Solar Armor
**The stream of light that Inframan shoots from his wrist .
*追魂腿 Guided Kick
**Inframan's kick attack; This can also locate its targeted enemy like a guided missile.
*能量發揮 Capacity Transmission
**Inframan activates his backup power source, in case of lack of solar power.
*閃電拳 Flashing Thunder Fists
**Later attachments for Inframan; Shiny black & metallic gloves that go over his regular ones. They also shoot right off his fists and retract again . They also have the following weapons:
***死光刀 Deadly Light Blades
****The red moon-shaped energy blades that stream from the Flashing Thunder Fists.
***雷電光 Thunder & Lighting Aura
****Like the Solar Armor, but more bold and powerful.
*Inframan also has the amazing power to grow to giant size.
On April 23, 1999, Quentin Tarantino re-released Mighty Peking Man in North America through his Rolling Thunder Pictures distribution company with Miramax. Roger Ebert gave the film three stars out of a possible four in the Chicago Sun-Times, and, amusingly, actually upgraded his rating for the thematically similar Infra-Man:
"Mighty Peking Man is very funny, although a shade off the high mark of Infra-Man, which was made a year earlier, and is my favorite Hong Kong monster film. Both were produced by the legendary Runme Shaw, who, having tasted greatness, obviously hoped to repeat. I find to my astonishment that I gave Infra-Man only two and a half stars when I reviewed it. That was 22 years ago, but a fellow will remember a lot of things you wouldn't think he'd remember. I'll bet a month hasn't gone by since that I haven't thought of that film. I am awarding Mighty Peking Man three stars, for general goofiness and a certain level of insane genius, but I cannot in good conscience rate it higher than Infra-Man. So, in answer to those correspondents who ask if I have ever changed a rating on a movie: Yes, Infra-Man moves up to three stars.
This film also has some historical importance:
*The first superhero movie in China
*The first movie promotion in Hong Kong using a hot air balloon
*The first Shaw Brothers production using a storyboard
The film was directed by Hua Shan, written by science fiction writer Ni Kuang, produced by Runme Shaw and the cinematography was by Tadashi Nishimoto . There was a little help from Japan, also; Music from ''Ultra Seven'' and '''' is used here. And the Inframan/Science Headquarters/monster costumes were provided by Ekisu Productions, which had done costumes for many shows of the same period. The film also starred Danny Lee as the superhero himself, and Bruceploitation star Bruce Le in a supporting role .
The following year, Joseph Brenner brought this film to the US, and retitled it simply Infra-Man , upon ''Ultraman'''s success on syndicated television at the time.
The plot
The Demon Princess Elzebub plots to conquer the Earth. She destroys a few major cities in Hong Kong to prove her power to a terror-stricken humanity. Returning to her lair in Inner-Earth, she awakens her army of Skeleton Ghosts and her various Ice Monsters to wreak havoc. But there is hope . . .
The high-tech Science Headquarters, run by Professor Liu Ying De. In view of the current crisis, he has at long last completed and is prepared to use the BDX Project: In the HQ's secret laboratory, he transforms Lei Ma, a high-ranking SH officer, into the bionic kung fu superhero, the Inframan! Able to perform impossible feats, as well as being equipped with death-dealing weapons, the solar-powered red & silver armored Inframan is mankind's only hope against Elzebub and her army of devils.
Characters
The Protagonists
Lei Ma/Inframan The hero. Played by Danny Lee
Professor Liu Ying De Propietor of Science Headquarters, and the inventor of the Inframan. Played by Wang Hsieh
Mei Mei The Professor's daughter. Played by Yuen Man Chi
Xiao Hu Mei Mei's younger brother.
Lin Lin Mei Mei's little sister.
Zhu Qi Guang The lieutenant of Science Headquarters.
Lu Xiao Long The seargent of Science Headquarters, and a tough fighter. Played by Bruce Le
Zhu Ming The awkward member of Science Headquarters, who is captured and turned by Elzebub into an evil spy. Played by Lam Man Wai
The Antagonists
*Demon Princess Elzebub The main villainess, ruler of Inner-Earth. Armed with a whip, and can turn into a winged dragon creature. Her name is a pun on "Beelzebub".
**Played by Terry Lau Wai Yue
*Witch Eye Elzebub's beautiful but deadly servant. Has a horned helmet and eyes on her palms that shoot green beams .
*Skeleton Ghosts The obligatory generic henchmen . Dressed in black and white skeleton suits and wear horned crash helmets. They also carry staffs.
Ice Monsters
*Fire Dragon A green humanoid dragon that shoots fire from his mouth.
*Spider Monster A fat red spider creature that shoots web-bombs and acid from its mouth, and grows to giant size.
*Plant Monster A teal vine-like monster that plants itself into the ground and grows into giant killer vines.
*Drill Arm A horned blue mole-like monster with a drill for a hand and a shovel-like claw for another.
*Long-Haired Monster A red witch-like demon with long hair and huge horns that shoot yellow beams.
*Iron Armor Monsters Two mechanical knight-like monsters, whose heads and right-hands spring forth to strike their enemy and retract again.
The Powers of Inframan
Lei Ma throws his arms into a Kamen Rider-like "henshin" pose, and says:
*"Change! Inframan!"
His powers & attacks are :
*噴火彈 Erupting Bullet
**The missiles stored below Inframan's ribs. He throws them like darts, and they can also thaw him out when he's frozen.
*太陽甲 Solar Armor
**The stream of light that Inframan shoots from his wrist .
*追魂腿 Guided Kick
**Inframan's kick attack; This can also locate its targeted enemy like a guided missile.
*能量發揮 Capacity Transmission
**Inframan activates his backup power source, in case of lack of solar power.
*閃電拳 Flashing Thunder Fists
**Later attachments for Inframan; Shiny black & metallic gloves that go over his regular ones. They also shoot right off his fists and retract again . They also have the following weapons:
***死光刀 Deadly Light Blades
****The red moon-shaped energy blades that stream from the Flashing Thunder Fists.
***雷電光 Thunder & Lighting Aura
****Like the Solar Armor, but more bold and powerful.
*Inframan also has the amazing power to grow to giant size.
Critical Reception
On April 23, 1999, Quentin Tarantino re-released Mighty Peking Man in North America through his Rolling Thunder Pictures distribution company with Miramax. Roger Ebert gave the film three stars out of a possible four in the Chicago Sun-Times, and, amusingly, actually upgraded his rating for the thematically similar Infra-Man:
"Mighty Peking Man is very funny, although a shade off the high mark of Infra-Man, which was made a year earlier, and is my favorite Hong Kong monster film. Both were produced by the legendary Runme Shaw, who, having tasted greatness, obviously hoped to repeat. I find to my astonishment that I gave Infra-Man only two and a half stars when I reviewed it. That was 22 years ago, but a fellow will remember a lot of things you wouldn't think he'd remember. I'll bet a month hasn't gone by since that I haven't thought of that film. I am awarding Mighty Peking Man three stars, for general goofiness and a certain level of insane genius, but I cannot in good conscience rate it higher than Infra-Man. So, in answer to those correspondents who ask if I have ever changed a rating on a movie: Yes, Infra-Man moves up to three stars.
The Mirror (1967 film)
The Mirror is a 1967 horror film directed by Qin Tao.
It Was Lin Dai 's Last Film
Property company chairman Hu Zian was attracted to his secretary Sun Yuxia's beauty and competence. One day after dinner when Hu was escorting Sun home, he received from a child on the street a box containing a mirror and two silver coins engraved with dragons. He was so frightened that he was absent from the office the following day.
Sun went to visit him at home and Hu asked her to stay. Sun refused and left. In another occasion Hu asked Sun to follow him to inspection outside, during which there was a heavy downpour which soaked them both.They were forced to stay in a hotel, where Hu tried to force his intentions on Sun. Sun resisted with vigour and threatened to resign from office.
Enraged at Sun's stubbornness, Hu urged his driver to spread the rumour in the office that Sun had stayed with him in a hotel. As Sun was annoyed and embarrassed Hu proposed to her. Sun laid down a list of conditions and demanded his acceptance before marriage. Hu agreed.
On the first night of their wedding Hu found that Sun had divided their bedroom into two partitions with an unlocked sliding door. Hu and Sun lived in one of these, and Sun's partition was decorated with mirrors. This frightened Hu so much that he remembered an early episode of his life:
More than two decades ago when the Second Sino-Japanese War was still going on, Hu worked in an inn with the name Hu Amao. One day he picked up two silver coins engraved with dragons and took them in possession, without knowing that they actually belonged to a traitor. One day a friend of the inn owner Tao Ajiu came and stayed in the inn. The inner owner and Hu collaborated to put him in trouble so that they could grab his valuables.
As the police were tracking down the traitor, they found the two silver coins under Tao's pillow. Tao could not prove his innocence but plunged to death. Hu was so horrified that he could never forget Tao's dead face as reflected in a mirror. At midnight Hu escaped with the inn owner, who wanted to kill Hu but was instead injured badly. Seeing that Hu was so panic that Sun asked him to tell her what happened, but Hu did not utter a word.
On the second night Hu made his way to Sun's partition, where he heard a terrible voice calling his old name. Hu was so scared that he fell fainted.
When Hu recovered his consciousness he was suspicious of Sun. He made an excuse to send her out and investigated into the matter. Finally he found that it was all Sun's plot and locked her up in the basement. Knowing that she could conceal no more Sun admitted that she had approached Hu in revenge for her father, Tao. Furious at her plot Hu wanted to kill her but Uncle Fan, the inn owner, appeared and fought with him. Eventually both men die, leaving Sun lost in her thoughts in front of the mirror.
It Was Lin Dai 's Last Film
Plot
Property company chairman Hu Zian was attracted to his secretary Sun Yuxia's beauty and competence. One day after dinner when Hu was escorting Sun home, he received from a child on the street a box containing a mirror and two silver coins engraved with dragons. He was so frightened that he was absent from the office the following day.
Sun went to visit him at home and Hu asked her to stay. Sun refused and left. In another occasion Hu asked Sun to follow him to inspection outside, during which there was a heavy downpour which soaked them both.They were forced to stay in a hotel, where Hu tried to force his intentions on Sun. Sun resisted with vigour and threatened to resign from office.
Enraged at Sun's stubbornness, Hu urged his driver to spread the rumour in the office that Sun had stayed with him in a hotel. As Sun was annoyed and embarrassed Hu proposed to her. Sun laid down a list of conditions and demanded his acceptance before marriage. Hu agreed.
On the first night of their wedding Hu found that Sun had divided their bedroom into two partitions with an unlocked sliding door. Hu and Sun lived in one of these, and Sun's partition was decorated with mirrors. This frightened Hu so much that he remembered an early episode of his life:
More than two decades ago when the Second Sino-Japanese War was still going on, Hu worked in an inn with the name Hu Amao. One day he picked up two silver coins engraved with dragons and took them in possession, without knowing that they actually belonged to a traitor. One day a friend of the inn owner Tao Ajiu came and stayed in the inn. The inner owner and Hu collaborated to put him in trouble so that they could grab his valuables.
As the police were tracking down the traitor, they found the two silver coins under Tao's pillow. Tao could not prove his innocence but plunged to death. Hu was so horrified that he could never forget Tao's dead face as reflected in a mirror. At midnight Hu escaped with the inn owner, who wanted to kill Hu but was instead injured badly. Seeing that Hu was so panic that Sun asked him to tell her what happened, but Hu did not utter a word.
On the second night Hu made his way to Sun's partition, where he heard a terrible voice calling his old name. Hu was so scared that he fell fainted.
When Hu recovered his consciousness he was suspicious of Sun. He made an excuse to send her out and investigated into the matter. Finally he found that it was all Sun's plot and locked her up in the basement. Knowing that she could conceal no more Sun admitted that she had approached Hu in revenge for her father, Tao. Furious at her plot Hu wanted to kill her but Uncle Fan, the inn owner, appeared and fought with him. Eventually both men die, leaving Sun lost in her thoughts in front of the mirror.
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