Once again director Liu Chia-Liang manages to pull it out of the bag with this Shaw Brothers mini-epic focused around the different styles of Chinese martial arts, particularly the gulf between northern and southern styles. By 1981 you might expect Shaw films to start becoming a little derivative and repetitive but by contrast MARTIAL CLUB is one of the freshest-feeling films I've watched from the studio.

This inventive story is unlike anything else I've seen from the studio. The plot is nothing special, about three rival kung fu schools and their attempts to get one up on each other. However, MARTIAL CLUB is in reality a thematic film exploring subjects such as honour, rivalry, and chivalry and as such it becomes a mature and enthralling piece of film-making. It's the total opposite of the kind of bloody and visceral entertainment that Chang Cheh was putting out during the era, instead feeling graceful and even profound in places.

Elsewhere, there's very little to dislike about any of the film's ingredients. With Chia-Liang directing and doing the fight choreography, the action is admittedly spectacular and never repeats itself. There are the usual one-on-one and one-on-many duels and bouts and one great riotous moment in a theatre that reminded me of similar greatness in the likes of JASON BOURNE; Chia-Liang certainly know how to direct chaotic action well. Inevitably the best stuff is saved for the climax with the alley fight perhaps being one of the greatest Shaw Brothers action scenes ever.

The cast is also exemplary. Gordon Liu does his erstwhile hero bit very well, convincing as the headstrong youth. Kara Hui impresses yet again as his rival and it's hard to take your eyes off her whenever she's on screen. Hsiao Hou is excellent in support and the likes of Ku Feng round out the cast nicely. However, by far the best actor in the whole thing is Wang Lung Wei in an excellent turn as a true martial arts expert. Lung Wei is so often cast as a stock villain and his honourable turn here sees him playing a good guy for once and he's absolutely brilliant in it; his character dominates the story and he gives the performance of his life. He really makes you wish he could have played more than stock villain types all the time.

This is a small wonder from the canon of Liu Chia Liang. The martial arts are absolutely excellent and the only reason that this isn't as well known as 36th Chamber or Dirty Ho is the story. The film is about three kung fu schools in Guangdong and the efforts of the "evil" school to disrupt and discredit the two "good" schools. A lot of yelling and fighting goes on but no-one is killed. The film is lighthearted with little of the seriousness of 36th Chamber or other films. Also, the film sort of stops with out much of a resolution.

The director appears at the beginning to give the audience a little lesson about the etiquette of Lion Dancing. The rest of the film he spends behind the camera directing some of the most chaotic fight scenes I've seen. The scene in the theater is unbelievable at times. There is so much going on it's hard to focus. Liu Chia Hui, Kara Hui and Wang Lung Wei dominate the film with their martial skills. Usually playing a villain, Wang Lung Wei is great as a northern Chinese Kung Fu master who is being used by the bad kung fu school. His intensity is unusual among his cohorts at the Shaw Bros. studios. It shows that he was an actual kung fu master outside the movie set.

A slow start with a lion dance is the only real problem. After that, it's a great kung fu film. The final dual in an alley is an absolute classic.

This movie is why we have kung fu movie fans. It stands as an excellent example of genre. First we have the fights. Lui Chia Liang is such a master of fight direction I believe he could put my grandmother on stage and choreograph an entertaining fight with her beating up Bruce Lee and it would be believable. The fights here are masterpieces. Gordon against Lung Wei Wang in the alley was a classic. Gordon and Kara and Lung Wei Wang can all both act and demonstrate real skills. The spirit of martial arts is also respected. Chivalry and respect is emphasised. Lung Wei Wang does not portray his usual one dimensional bad guy but respects the rules. All the technicalities aside it's just a fun film to watch.