Another all-star effort from one of the best directors of independent Kung Fu films, Lee Tso Nam. Director Nam is also responsible for the standout martial arts epics, CHALLENGE OF DEATH, EAGLE’S CLAW, and THE HOT, THE COOL, AND THE VICIOUS. The director recruited his favorite martial arts performer, Wang Dao (who also starred in those movies mentioned above) to headline SHAOLIN INVINCIBLE STICKS. Nam also hired Chang Yi, who by this phase of his career played mostly villains. The female lead is played by the high-kicking Hsia Kwan Lee, who starred in FATAL CLAWS AND DEADLY KICKS, THE LEG FIGHTERS, and even ZU: WARRIORS OF THE MAGIC MOUNTAIN. SHAOLIN INVINCIBLE STICKS also features an appearance by Kam Kong in a rare heroic role! Kam Kong played menacing villains in IRON MONKEY (1977), THE INVINCIBLE KUNG FU TRIO, and MASTER OF THE FLYING GUILLOTINE. Interestingly, SHAOLIN INVINCIBLE STICKS is titled as FISTS OF SHAOLIN during the opening credits sequence. This movie is available on DVD from a new company on the DVD scene called PanMedia International. The packaging is attractive, but the mistake-ridden text appears to be written by a second-grader leading me to question the integrity of this company.

The white-haired Liu Ta Yeh (Chang Yi) is an evil master of the Zu Wu stick, who seeks to eradicate fellow masters of stick fighting so no one will be able to stand against him. Liu Ta Yeh invades the House of Chan, where the late Lord Chan established a successful school for stick fighters. Lord Chan’s brothers oversee the day-to-day activities of the school and guard Lord Chan’s own sacred fighting staff, which is to be passed down to his son, Ku Yung Chan (Wang Dao) when the young man is deemed worthy. The problem is Ku Yung Chan is a cocky and overconfident fighter, with a chip on his shoulder. When Liu Ta Yeh’s henchmen invade the House of Chan, Ku Yung Chan’s uncles put him through a test of combat, which he quickly fails. His uncles banish him from the clan, but in reality they are saving their nephew from Liu Ta Yeh, who was Lord Chan’s chief rival. Ku Yung Chan takes to the streets where he runs into warrior-monk Tai Li Leh (Kam Kong). After Ku Yung Chan defeats Tai Li Leh, the monk begs Ku Yung Chan to train him. Ku Yung Chan agrees, and accompanies his new friend to his current master, a skinny old man with a drinking problem.

The old master’s daughter is Madam Yu (Hsai Kwan Lee), who is as beautiful and spirited as she is lethal in the martial arts. She was trained by her father, who is now pretty much ineffectual in Kung Fu himself. Madam Yu is desired by an imbecilic young man named Shao Hai. She often resorts to manhandling the kid to keep him from bothering her. This prompts Shao Hai’s father Mr. Chang--a teacher of the martial arts himself--to kidnap Madam Yu and force her to marry Shao Hai. Ku Yung Chan and Tai Li Leh go to Mr. Chang’s school and must fight off the kidnappers to rescue her. After Mr. Chang is defeated, his impressed students quit the Chang school and vow to join the one run by Madam Yu’s father. Mr. Chang is shamed by this abandonment and leaves his school to live in the mountains in peace with his son, Shao Hai. There Mr. Chang crosses paths with Liu Ta Yeh. Mr. Chang is a competent fighter, but no match for Liu Ta Yeh. Meanwhile, Ku Yung Chan lands a job at a restaurant in the village. Liu Ta Yeh and his men invade the home of Madam Yu, try to kill her father, and engage Tai Li Leh in combat. Ku Yung Chan and Madam Yu come to her father’s aid, but Liu Ta Yeh and his men overpower every one of our heroes. Tai Li Leh sacrifices himself so his friends can escape to fight again another day. Ku Yung Chan embarks on a crash-course in stick fighting, while Liu Ta Yeh invades the House of Chan and polishes off the uncles one-by-one. Liu Ta Yeh succeeds in eliminating all opposing stick fighters, and claims Ku Yung Chan’s legacy stick for himself. An enlightened Ku Yung Chan arrives and challenges his hated enemy for mastery of the art of stick fighting!

Despite Lee Tso Nam being the top director of independent Kung Fu films, SHAOLIN INVINCIBLE STICKS does not live up to Nam’s high standards. The major problem with the movie is the addition of humor, something you normally don’t expect to see in his martial arts epics. The humor gets lost in the translation (thanks to the mediocre dubbing), and only serves to grate the nerves of the viewer. The entire subplot of Shao Hai attempting to woo the hand of Madam Yu goes nowhere, quickly leaving the audience scratching their heads. The characterizations put forth by the principal cast are commendable, with Chang Yi and Kam Kong garnering high raves in character roles. Wang Dao is a little blander than usual; chalk it up to a flat script that spends little time building character for it’s male lead. Hsia Kwan Lee is an amazing performer with beauty and grace, who can kick higher than John Liu. However, her presence in the film is limited. She goes back and forth between heroine and victim, and is quickly forgotten by the end of the movie. A romance between Hsia Kwan Lee and Wang Dao is hinted at, but never comes to fruition.

What elevates SHAOLIN INVINCIBLE STICKS above other crappy Kung Fu comedies is the sheer amount of stick fighting—there is no hand-to-hand combat in the entire film. From the opening moments of SHAOLIN INVINCIBLE STICKS, we get the complete history of stick fighting (provided through narration) in the martial arts world, and get to observe each variation of the stick weapons, such as staffs, spears, and bi-sectional weaponry. The opening credits is an exciting montage of Wang Dao, Chang Yi, Kam Kong, and Hsia Kwan Lee in action with traditional (and untraditional stick weapons). Lee Tso Nam goes to great lengths to establish those who embrace stick fighting as a special breed of fighter. The fight choreography is often spectacular, delivered with such precise authenticity, and never lapsing into overdrive or photography tricks. It’s all very natural, but even superb combat action like this can’t save the entire film from the major flaws. The weak production values also hinder the viewing experience.