King Boxer | |
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Traditional | 天下第一拳 |
Simplified | 天下第一拳 |
Mandarin | Tiān xià dì yī quán |
Cantonese | Tin1 haa6 dai6 jat1 kyun4 |
Directed by | Jeong Chang-hwa (Chang Chang-ho) |
Produced by | Run-run Shaw |
Screenplay by | Chiang Yang |
Starring | |
Music by | Chen Yung-yu |
Cinematography | Wang Yung-lung |
Edited by | |
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Release date
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Running time
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97 minutes |
Country | Hong Kong |
Language | Mandarin |
King Boxer (Chinese: Tiān xià dì yī quán, lit. "Number One Fist in the World"), aka The Five Fingers of Death, is a 1972 martial arts film directed by Jeong Chang-hwa (鄭昌和 정창화) and starring Lo Lieh. It was produced by Shaw Brothers (HK) Ltd. (Chinese: 邵氏兄弟(香港)公司), the largest Hong Kong movie production studio at the time. The script was written by Chiang Yang (江陽). Made in Hong Kong, it is one of many kung fu-themed movies with Lo Lieh (羅烈) in the lead. He appeared in many similar efforts from the 1960s, pre-dating the more internationally successful Bruce Lee.
A promising young martial arts student named Chi-Hao has spent most of his life studying under a master and has fallen in love with the master's daughter Yin-Yin. After the master fails to properly fight off a group of thugs, he sends Chi-Hao to study under a superior master, Shen Chin-Pei. He instructs Chi-Hao to learn from Chin-Pei and defeat the local martial arts tyrant, Ming Dung-Shun, in an upcoming tournament in order to earn Yin-Yin's hand.
Chi-Hao meets a young female singer, Yen Chu Hung, on the road to the city and rescues her from Dung-Shun's thugs. She falls in love with him, but he resists her advances with difficulty. He reaches town and begins studying under Suen Chin-Pei. After an initial beating by Chin-Pei's star pupil, Han Lung, Chi-Hao improves rapidly. One day, another thug of Dung-Shun's, Chen Lang, breaks into the school and beats all of Chin-Pei's students. Chin-Pei finally arrives and fights him, but is struck by a dishonorable blow and severely wounded. Chi-Hao tracks Chen Lang down and defeats him. When Chin-Pei hears of this, he selects Chi-Hao to receive his most deadly secret, the Iron Fist.
Han Lung discovers that Chi-Hao has been chosen as Chin-Pei's successor and becomes intensely jealous. He conspires with Dung-Shun to have Chi-Hao crippled. He lures Chi-Hao into the forest, where Dung-Shun's three new Japanese thugs ambush him. They overpower him and break his hands. Later, they visit his old master's school and kill him as well. Yen helps Chi-Hao recuperate and again tries to woo him, but he resists her. Finally, Chi-Hao's fellow students locate him and encourage him to regain his fighting spirit. He begins training and soon overcomes his wounds. Yin-Yin arrives, but withholds the news of her father's death. A rejuvenated Chi-Hao successfully defeats all the other students to become Chin-Pei's representative for the upcoming tournament. Han Lung returns to Dung-Shun with the news, but Dung-Shun's son blinds him and casts him out.