Hailed as the ultimate Chinese martial arts film, Lau Kar-leung’s exhilarating classic argues for realistic kung fu over fakery and spectacle. With a compendium of 18 classic weaponry and combat styles, it reiterates a favorite theme of the martial arts cinema—the training of a disciple by a master—though it shifts the usual focus on the pupil to the teacher and his ethical responsibilities. 1982, Hong Kong, color, 35mm, in Cantonese with English subtitles, 35mm, 101 minutes.
