The black-hearted crime leader Shu Yin Shen (played by the legendary, Liu Chia Liang- 18 Legendary Weapons of China, Drunken Master 2) is liberated from prison by the members of his gang, and, now free, he only has one thing on his mind. Shu and his henchmen (including Leng Kar Yan- Sleeping Fist, The Victim as Pau, and Wilson Tong- Daggers 8, Snake Deadly Act as Slasher Pete) pay a visit to the man that imprisoned him, Captain Siu (Chen Kun Tai- Crippled Avengers, Executioners from Shaolin). The Captain attempts to defend himself and his wife and daughter, but hopelessly outnumbered, Shu's men kill, his wife and child and cut off his thumb, crippling Captain Siu, making him unable to ever hold a weapon again. Without family or a way to defend himself, the evil Shu decides, better to leave Captain Siu alive so he can suffer.

Shu and his gang move on to Black Town, where they have hatched a plan to steal the riches of the wealthy but well guarded Kou family. However, hot on their trail are two men, Captain Siu, who has outfitted himself with a steel glove to replace his crippled hand, and the young and wily Ting (Meng Fei- Prodigal Boxer, 5 Masters of Shaolin) who wants the bounty on Shu's head. Both use the same informant to try and find out where Shu is and what he is up to, and subsequently the two form an unsteady alliance, contrasted by the two personalities, one a blank vehicle of revenge, the other a happy-go-lucky bounty hunter. Shu finds out about the two and rather than have his plans spoiled, he sets up traps to try and kill them (such as, Ting fighting off several men throwing blinding powder at him), and when that fails, even attempts to take advantage of the profit seeking Ting by offering a bigger bounty for Captain Siu's head. Eventually, the day of the robbery comes, and Captain Siu and Ting must deal with a pair of swordweilding assassins, before trying to stop the raid on the Kou family compound and defeat Shu and his wicked henchmen.

Basically, Shaolin King Boxer (1979, aka. Iron Fists) is the kung fu equivalent to Sergio Leone's For Few Dollars More- a tale of two men after a villain, and the two having distinctly different motivations, one out of personal revenge, the other for pure profit. And, it is a classic structure of the kung fu revenge tale that goes all the way back to the genre defining One-Armed Swordsman(1967) and Five Fingers of Death(1972)- the crippling of the hero, leaving him to die or suffer, only to have him be motivated by his disability and fueled by it in his revenge. Chen Kuan Tai's deadly cold, black hand is one of the best symbolic devices of angry revenge since William Devane's hook in Rolling Thunder.

Director Karl Maka, best known for his silly HK comedies like Dirty Tiger, Crazy Frog, His name is Nobody and By Hook or by Crook, presents a well told, classic kung fu tale, with little hint to the goofier nature of his reputation. Shaolin King Boxer is typically violent and dark, filled with lots of motivation, and story, as well as fights (though they don't really kick it into high gear until the end). The film features weapons like double daggers, spear, fan, and broadswords. The cast is who's who of kung fu cinema, with Liu Chia Liang, Chen Kuan Tai, Wilson Tong, Leung Kar Yan, and Meng Fei all giving very good performances, particularly Lui Chai Liang's standout role as the evil gang leader Shu. There are many simple, beautiful things in this world, snowfall on a full-moonlit night, water running over smooth river stones, the look on a woman's face when she's in ecstasy, and the way Liu Chia Liang can fight with two broadswords.

So far, for me, at least filmwise, this is probably the best film in the Ground Zero Wu Tang releases.

DVD Quality: Ground Zero presents another feature packed and budget minded addition to their superior Wu Tang Hidden Chambers collection of DVDs. Picture- Once again, like all their releases, another fullframe well worn print of the film, with typical washed out colors, softness, and dull blackness levels. It is acceptable, but unfortunately the only way Ground Zero goes wrong is in their picture presentation. But, fans know good sources are tricky to come by, and this is the best we can expect from tape masters. Sound- 2,0 mono, English dub (and not a great one) with some audio wear, but overall clear and distinct. Extras- Another fantastic, feature packed addition, including- Wu Tang Music video, interview, and audio interview sound bite. Temple of Knowledge breif interview with two kung fu practitioners. A Ground Zero commercial and weblink. And, the good stuff, 18 Fatal Previews, totaling around 20 mins of fight footage from various films (including Mysterious Footwork, Chess Boxing Vs Buddhist Fist, Shaolin Chastity Kung Fu, and Enter the Invincible Hero to name a few- this feature is the same on every Hidden Chamber release), and finally the fantastic Cast and Crew Bios with Bonus Fight Footage and, this time, Interviews with the stars- Wilson Tong (5 fights 10 ½ mins, and 2 1/2 min interview), Leung Kar Yan (5 fights 6 mins, and 1 min interview), Meng Fei (5 fights 8 mins, 1 ½ min interview), and Chen Kuan Tai (4 fights 61/2 mins). It is another Hidden Chambers DVD packed with enough extras to make a fan drool and priced so low it's hard to pass up.