Centuries ago, the Shaolin orders outlawed the Seven Deadly Fists techniques of Kung Fu. Now someone has stolen the scroll with the techniques that the monastery has lying around, and everyone blames Jackie Chan because he's blamed for everything. He doesn't care too much. He's used to it. So when ghosts are reported in the scroll room, he goes to deal with them, and discovers five ghosts, He makes friends with them, and they train him in give sets of techniques. Then a guy shows up who has studied the Seven Deadly Fists, and he's demanding power. So since it's Jackie's fault, somehow -- at this point I'm wondering why they kept the scroll around at all -- he has to go fight the guy.

Although it starts out humorously, and the final fight has some funny parts to it, when the ghosts cheat, most of it is standard, albeit very elaborate and beautifully executed fight choreography. Jackie is listed as chief stunt coordinator, and he does a very nice job of it. It's the penultimate directorial job of Wei Lo, the Grand Old Man of Kung Fu flicks.

This is a not bad Kung Fu film, that has plenty of good fight scenes, and an amazing performance from Jackie Chan, however Wei Lo's direction is terrible!. All the characters are decent, and while the story is bizarre, is not too bad either, plus Jackie Chan is simply amazing in this!. I bought this for under 2$ at the video store i rent, and i was surprised that it was a pretty decent watch, and the twist at the end somewhat shocked me, however that dubbing is god awful!. Wei Lo injects this bizarre humor that were supposed to laugh at, but i just didn't find any of it funny, However Jackie has the talent, to make any film watchable, and this movie is no different!, plus the 2 end fights are fantastic!. It's incredible low budget and Wei Lo's terrible direction hamper it quite a bit but Jackie manages to make this a watchable time, and i certainly have no regrets picking this up for under 2$!, plus the setting is cool. I wish Wei Lo didn't put those 5 fist weird looking ghosts in at the end to help Jackie though. This is a not bad Kung film, that has plenty of good fight scenes and an amazing performance from Jackie Chan however Wei Lo's direction is terrible!, worth the watch if you can find it. The Direction is terrible!. Wei Lo does a terrible job here, with shoddy camera work, bad angles, however at least he kept the film at a fast enough pace!. The Acting is OK for this sort of film. Jackie Chan is amazing as always, and is amazing here, he is very funny, extremely likable, had this great cocky character, carried this film completely, is incredible in his fight scenes as usual, and just did an amazing job overall! (Jackie Rules!!!!). James Tien and Ching Wong do good as the father and son, and are both terrific martial artists. Biao Yuen is good in his small role. Rest of the cast do fine. Overall worth the watch. **1/2 out of 5

An absolutely hilarious comedy/kung fu outing for Jackie Chan and Lo Wei which has one of the most bizarre premises I've seen in a Hong Kong movie (and there are a lot, trust me). The story goes that a sacred book containing instructions for the deadly Seven Fist technique is stolen from the Shaolin Temple by bad guys and used to train a new super fighter. Years later, a meteorite (a sparkler on a wire) hits the Temple and unearths a long-lost book containing the art of the Five Fist technique, the only technique powerful enough to beat the Seven Fist fighter. The book is found by a lowly student (played, of course, by Jackie Chan),who learns the arts and finally takes on all of the bad guys come the finale.

Sounds straightforward enough, doesn't it? Well if you thought so, you'd be right. The plot has been done a million times in countless kung fu films and aside from the cheesy dubbing – always amusing, especially when solemn Shaolin monks are concerned – the plot is pretty forgettable stuff. Things benefit hugely from Chan's starring role and there are some fantastic fight scenes in the film, especially towards the end when all hell breaks loose. In fact the film gets more violent and brutal as it progresses, ending in a massive bloody battle, excellent filmed by the innovative Lo Wei who often breaks the fourth wall by having Chan and co. punching and kicking into the camera.

But where the film really hits the mark is in the comedy antics of the five ghosts who help train Chan up on his new style. The ghosts are simply a bunch of guys (one of them apparently played by Yuen Biao) in white face paint and sparkly skirts (not forgetting the red clown wigs) who play around like kids and do stupid stuff. If you're a fan of lowbrow Chinese humour then you'll have a field day with the antics that Chan and his ghostly companions get up to – my favourite scenes are the "I'm not queer!" trouser-pulling and the side-splitting moment where Jackie urinates on the (miniature) ghosts. It certainly wins points for originality in any case. Despite the ultra-cheap budget, pitiful effects work and predictable narrative, KARATE GHOSTBUSTER is a whole heap of fun and provides some of the best laughs I've had in ages. Forget those insipid teen comedies, this is the real deal.