In 1974, The Shaw Brothers production of FIVE FINGERS OF DEATH (TIAN XIA DI YI QUAN) exploded across U.S. screens. The movie debuted in the wake of Bruce Lee’s death, when the martial arts were firmly entrenched in the subconscience of mainstream America. The film broke box office records (for a foreign production), and opened the floodgates for an ensuing deluge of chop-sockey flicks. Surprisingly, Warner Brothers was the studio responsible for bringing FIVE FINGERS OF DEATH to U.S. screens. The film has since become a household name, second only in mainstream awareness next to the films of Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan. In the year 2000, Steeplechase (a company known for its dramas) released this Kung Fu classic to DVD without much fanfare.

An old Kung Fu teacher, Shen Wu, is assaulted by a group of thugs from a rival school. He fights them off, but is concerned after the attack. There is an upcoming prestigious martial arts tournament and Shen Wu does not want his rivals to win. So Shen Wu sends his best pupil, Chao Chi-hao (Lo Lieh), for additional training at the respected martial arts school run by master Shen Jin Pei. Chao Chi-hao also happens to be engaged to Shen Wu’s beautiful daughter, Ying Ying (Wang Ping). Chao Chi-hao and Ying Ying say goodbye, and he leaves to make the journey to Shen Jin Pei’s martial arts school.

Meanwhile, the evil leader Meng (Tien Feng) is grooming his son to win the tournament. Meng uses his thugs to eliminate anyone who gets in the way of his sons chances to win the tournament. Meng enlists the aid of a powerful martial arts bully named Chen Leung. Chao Chi-hao finally arrives at Shen Jin Pei’s school and appeals to the old master for guidance. Instead of allowing him into the school right away, he assigns Chao Chi-hao menial tasks such as cleaning, cooking, and errands. One day during martial arts classes, Chen Leung breaks into the school and beats up the pupils, until old master Shen drives him away. Chao Chi-hao is sent on an errand to a nearby tavern (which happens to be a hang-out for Meng’s goons), and bumps into Chen Leung. They immediately get into a fight, with Chao Chi-hao getting the best of Chen Leung.

After seeing his top dog, Chen Leung, get beat by Chao Chi-hao, Meng recruits the skills of a group of Japanese assassins, led by Mr. Okada, (Chao Hsiung). This deadly trio perform Meng’s bidding, and go around murdering anyone connected to Chao Chi-hao, including his future father-in-law, Shen Wu. After master Shen Jin Pei is injured by Meng’s thugs, he decides to teach Chao Chi-hao the secret of the Iron Fist. With this new technique, Chao Chi-hao will be unstoppable. A jealous student of Shen Jin Pei hears this revelation, and runs to inform Meng. Knowing that if Chao Chi-hao learns the Iron Fist technique, he will easily win the tournament, they set a trap for him. Chao Chi-hao falls right into their trap, and after he is overwhelmed by Meng’s thugs, they crush and mangle both his hands. This assault not only breaks Chao Chi-hao’s hands, but it breaks his spirit as well. The tournament is rapidly approaching, and his will to compete is gone. Of course, there is more at stake here than just the tournment; Meng’s thugs and the Japanese assassins must pay for all the people they have killed. Master Shen Jin Pei must find a way to motivate him, so that Chao Chi-hao can use his five fingers of death to win the tournament, and stop the multitude of villains.

Despite the lack of a Bruce Lee or a Jackie Chan, FIVE FINGERS OF DEATH struck gold at the U.S. box office. The star, Lo Lieh, was not a big box office draw like Lee or Chan, because he does not have the charisma of those stars. But he does possess a certain steely presence. Lo Lien also received a screenplay credit for the film, so he is talented beyond the martial arts. Lo Lieh went on to star in some genre films such as MASTER OF DEATH (1975), BLACK MAGIC (1975), THE 36^th CHAMBER OF SHAOLIN (1978) and has appeared in modern Hong Kong films like SEX AND ZEN (1992). The supporting performances are also better than average, and the actors and actresses emotions are not lost in the translations.

Being a Shaw Brothers film meant that the budget was higher than most martial arts films of the time. The higher budget really shows here, with the largest cast of characters ever assembled for a martial arts production. The set design and art direction are also first rate. All of this means nothing without a decent story, and the scriptwriters really come though with an intriguing premise that comes off more like an ensemble piece, compared to the singular narrative that the Bruce Lee films have. The villains all get as much screen time as the heroes, and by the end of the film, you really want to see them dead. The filmmakers manage to give the film an epic scope, while retaining the human aspects like Chao Chi-hao’s relationship with his fiancee. Besides the violence and action, there are also underlying themes of devotion, loyalty, and sacrifice.

The fights are fast and furious. Whether it’s a critical life-or-death struggle, or just a student practicing Kung Fu, the fight choreography is inspired. There is plenty of leaping and jumping mixed in with the combat scenes, and it's all believably presented without any cuts. Speaking of cuts, the amount of violence and bloodshed in the movie is staggering. There are decapitations, bloody knife fights, eyeball plucking, sword-slashing that spews blood, flying headbutts, bloody faces and foreheads, people getting thrown though walls, and arterial spraying. You probably don’t want to watch this one with the kiddies.