The 80s of the last century was the golden age of Chinese martial arts films. A large number of highly sought-after, gripping and exciting martial arts movies have become the protagonists of the screen. And the rise of a large number of martial arts superstars such as Jet Li, Wang Qun, Hu Jianqiang, Ding Lan, Xu Xiangdong and Yu Rongguang.
For many post-70s and post-80s audiences, these martial arts movies have not only become a part of their lives, but have even affected their lives. Despite the decades that have passed, these films are still etched in their memories and unforgettable. Today, let's take a look at the ten most classic martial arts movies.
The first "Mysterious Buddha"
When it comes to martial arts films, you can't fail to mention "The Mysterious Buddha", because it is the first action movie filmed since the founding of New China. The storyline of this film is also relatively simple, it is the story of a group of patriots protecting treasures before liberation. It was released in 1981.
The film has a very commercial eye. The film not only incorporated the more popular anti-special suspense elements of the year, but also added a lot of martial arts scenes, which can be said to be a precedent. Sure enough, the film became a big hit after its release, and it was hard to find a ticket. The box office generated hundreds of millions of yuan.
The second "Shaolin Temple"
"Shaolin Temple" is the pinnacle of martial arts movies in the 80s, and it is also the most internationally influential Chinese kung fu film. The story tells the story of the famous martial artist Xiaohu who was framed and killed during the Sui and Tang dynasties, avenged his father, joined Shaolin and became a novice, and practiced martial arts Shaolin to eradicate evil. It was released in 1982.
This drama made Jet Li, a five-time national martial arts champion, a martial arts star and famous all over the world. Many of the supporting roles Yu Hai, Yu Chenghui, Ji Chunhua, Sun Jiankui, etc. also became the main force of martial arts movies in that era.
This movie was unprecedentedly popular that year and was hailed as "a wonderful Shaolin martial arts feast". After the film was released at home and abroad, it caused huge repercussions and quickly led the Shaolin Kung Fu trend. Moreover, it also made Shaolin Temple from unknown to a famous tourist attraction all over the world. "Shaolin Temple" created a box office myth of up to 160 million yuan in the era when the ticket price was one or two cents. The classic theme songs in the film, "Shaolin Shaolin" and "Shepherd Song" are still widely sung today.
The third "Wulin Zhi"
Taking advantage of the fire of "Shaolin Temple", two movies were launched in 1983, namely "Wudang" and "Wulin Zhi". But what I didn't expect was that the response to "Wudang" was mediocre after its release, while "Wulin Zhi" was a classic. This film tells the story of Dongfang Xu, a martial arts master who was originally indisputable with the world, in order to maintain the national righteousness, he endured the pain of losing his daughter, fought desperately with the Russian wrestler Dadlov, and finally won the story with Baguazhang.
The director of "Wulin Zhi" is Zhang Huaxun, who filmed "The Mysterious Buddha" and was a big hit, but it also caused controversy because the film's martial arts action was too rough. So when Zhang Huaxun was casting in "Wulin Zhi", the actors were all from a practicing family, and they starred in their true kung fu colors. There are no special effects in the film, no gorgeous fights, and some of them are solid "fights" with one move and one style. Few films can surpass this film in the combination of technical realism and action beauty.
This film was selected by CCTV to be broadcast as a promotional film for the Spring Festival Gala, not only because of the positive energy of the creative ideas conveyed by the film, but also because of the truth, allowing the audience to deeply appreciate the charm of Chinese martial arts. It can be said that this is a classic movie that witnesses the development of Chinese martial arts.
The fourth "Shaolin Kid"
With the huge influence of "Shaolin Temple", director Zhang Xinyan struck while the iron was hot, gathered the original crew to shoot by the Li River, and filmed "Shaolin Kid", which was released in 1984. This is Jet Li and Ding Lan's second collaboration, but Ding Lan became a supporting role this time, and the heroine was Huang Qiuyan, who later became Jet Li's younger sister, and later she became Jet Li's wife.
This one mainly tells the humorous struggle between Shaolin disciples and the Wudang family. Compared with the theme of confrontation between good and evil and revenge in "Shaolin Temple", the atmosphere of "Shaolin Kid" is more relaxed and pleasant, and it incorporates rich comedy elements, and the storyline is more interesting. This also has the prototype of Jet Li's film style.
The martial arts design of "Shaolin Kid" is cleverly matched with the style of the film, the plot and environment are also very coordinated, the performances of the big and small actors are more vivid, the narrative style is very relaxed and lively, suitable for all ages, and it is a good film for both the elegant and the vulgar. After the film was released, it swept Hong Kong, Kowloon and Southeast Asia in one fell swoop, ranking third at the annual box office in Hong Kong, surpassing "Shaolin Temple".
The fifth "Southern Boxing King"
In 1984, "The King of Southern Boxing" starring Qiu Jianguo, the national champion of southern boxing, was released. The film not only presents the unique charm of Nanquan, dragon boat racing and other elements of traditional Guangdong folk culture, but also another masterpiece after "Shaolin Temple" and "Shaolin Kid".
The story tells the story of Lin Hainan, an anti-Qing righteous warrior who brought 100,000 taels of silver to support the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom during the Xianfeng period of the Qing Dynasty. This film shows the unique charm of martial arts movies in the 80s. In stark contrast to the northern martial arts of "Shaolin Temple", it brings a new visual experience to the audience. The violent dragon boat battle scene in the film is spectacular, and the martial arts such as "breaking bones and poisonous snakes" and "anti-whirlwind pullback legs" are mutually reinforcing, making the martial arts scenes more ornamental. In particular, the final battle martial arts design is exquisite, and the fight of the five golden flowers is particularly exciting.
The leading actor Qiu Jianguo also went to Hong Kong to develop in the 90s like Jet Li, and also played some roles, but the impact was not great. Unfortunately, he died young due to a recurrence of nasopharyngeal cancer.
The sixth "Kapok Robe"
"Kapok Robe" is the first film shot after Xu Xiaoming moved to the mainland. He boldly chose Xu Xiangdong and Yu Rongguang to play the starring roles. tells the story of the last years of the Ming Dynasty, the leader of Jinyiwei tried to snatch the Shaolin token kapok robe to achieve the purpose of being in charge of Shaolin. Huineng, the eldest disciple of Luohan Hall, fled with a kapok robe, and Wudang Mountain learned from Wu Dacheng, and finally succeeded in defeating Jinyiwei and defending Shaolin Temple. It was released in 1984.
The story of this movie is compact, the plot is bright, especially the action design is very particular about real kung fu, and the duel between the two heroes is presented to the audience through the battle for the Bodhidharma token kapok robe. It carries many people's strong childhood memories.
"Kapok Robe" has become a masterpiece of martial arts in the "post-Shaolin era". After its release, the response was enthusiastic. and successfully created the villain Yu Rongguang, and also made him successfully out of the circle, and he is still active in the film and television industry.
The seventh "Divine Whip"
"Divine Whip" is adapted from Feng Jicai's novel of the same name, directed by Zhang Zien, starring Wang Yawei, Chen Baoguo, Xu Shouli and others. tells the story of the honest man Silly Er, who defeated the bully ruffian Glass Flower, joined the Boxers during the invasion of the Eight-Nation Alliance, and the "Divine Whip" destroyed countless enemies and made great achievements. It has a strong sense of irony and relevance. It was released in 1986.
The film uses a unique style, through the portrayal of legendary characters, to reveal historical fables and illustrate profound philosophies. Non-historical themes reflect on historical phenomena, while non-kung fu films ridicule the deification of kung fu, absurd and real, hilarious and tragic, bright and deep.
Wang Yawei, who starred in the second silly game, once won the national wushu sanda championship, has a strong physique and amazing strength, but his performance in the film failed to fully show his acting skills, but because the role is set as a fool of Mu Ne, it is not embarrassing. I remember when I was a child, many people's walls were pasted with hand-painted movie New Year's pictures of "Divine Whip", which shows how popular it is.
The eighth "North and South Shaolin"
"North and South Shaolin" is directed by Liu Jialiang, which tells the story of Zhiming, a warrior monk in Northern Shaolin, and Sima Yan, a lay disciple of Southern Shaolin, who coincidentally assassinated the prince on the birthday of Prince Hesso to avenge their father. The starring lineup is still composed of the original cast of "Shaolin Temple", which is the second collaboration between Jet Li and Huang Qiuyan. It was released in 1986.
It is still a classic Shaolin theme, with action scenes accounting for most of it, and both weapons and fists and feet are known for their toughness and dazzling. The group portrait fighting in the rivers and lakes is even more exciting.
It is worth noting that this film is based on the excavation of South Shaolin in Putian in 1986, showing an accurate grasp of the hot spots of the times. At that time, the scenery of the mainland was very beautiful and fascinating. The film received a box office of HK$18.11 million in Hong Kong, a remarkable achievement. It has also caused a sensation in China. Among them, the wonderful martial arts scenes that occupy 2/3 of the space make the audience addicted.
Part 9 "Mirage"
After the success of "Kapok Robe", Xu Xiaoming released the western adventure action film "Mirage" again in 1987. The film is adapted from Ni Kuang's novel "Virtual Image", which tells the story of Tang Tingxuan who finally defeated his "dream girl" with the help of a caravan. This time, Yu Rongguang became the leading actor in the movie.
On the basis of martial arts films, this movie adds elements such as exploration, demolition, and equestrianism. Xu Xiaoming not only personally starred in the supporting actor Mao Dewei, but also was responsible for the shooting of stunt shots. Many of the special effects were done by him himself. Therefore, the action scenes and special effects scenes are wonderful and shocking.
Yu Rongguang's outstanding performance showed his potential to become an icon of mainland action films, and the heroine was played by Uyghur actress Pasha Umar, who came from the dance team. The setting of the goddess turning villain in the film is refreshing to the audience. "Mirage" has had a wide impact in the mainland, is one of Yu Rongguang's masterpieces, and is also a classic in the hearts of the post-70s and post-80s generations.
The tenth "Invincible Mandarin Duck Legs"
"Invincible Mandarin Duck Legs" is the first 70mm widescreen action blockbuster in mainland China. An action movie directed by Li Wenhua and starring Wang Qun and others. The film is based on the Chaozhou folklore "Mandarin Duck Iron Peach". tells the story of the last years of the Qing Dynasty, the boxer Wu Laodong Road was uneven and suffered a tragic death. Learn the story of "Mandarin Duck Legs" and revenge on the bully "Black Sand Palm".
The plot of this film is still the traditional mode of revenge by apprenticeship. But the good thing is that it's an outdoor live action shot. The footage is expansive, the action is plain, and the editing is smooth. It truly restores the essence of martial arts movies. Moreover, the film has deeply influenced many teenagers, and actions such as drawing circles on the ground and applying ink on the palms of their hands before getting up have become the signature actions that post-80s children are keen to imitate.
Wang Qun is Jet Li's senior brother and got involved in the film and television industry earlier. But there has been no masterpiece, and it was not until "Invincible Mandarin Duck Legs" appeared that the audience remembered him. A total of 273 copies of the film were distributed in the mainland, and more than 30 copies were sold overseas, which can be called a good story in the history of Chinese cinema.
How many of these ten martial arts movies have you watched, and how many can you remember? As popular works in the 80s, they carry too many good memories of the post-70s and post-80s.
Which martial arts movie is the most exciting in your mind?