Invincible Shaolin

1978 "Expert in the fine art of killing."
6.8| 1h46m| en
Details

Three North Shaolin teachers are called on by the Manchus to teach their soldiers and are urged to challenge the current South Shaolin teachers. They defeat the South Shaolin teachers and, that night, the head general kills the South Shaolin teachers and blames their death on the North Shaolin teachers. The South Shaolin master sends more of his pupils, who are killed accidentally by the North Shaolin teachers. He finally sends two more of his students to train with old masters and trains one student himself with the goal of finally defeating the North Shaolin experts.

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Reviews

Softwing Most undeservingly overhyped movie of all time??
Afouotos Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.
ChicDragon It's a mild crowd pleaser for people who are exhausted by blockbusters.
Billie Morin This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows
BA_Harrison Three kung fu experts (Feng Lu, Chiang Sheng, and Sun Chien) from the North Shaolin temple are summoned to train the Qing army, but must first prove themselves in a friendly fight against the current South Shaolin trainers. North wipe the floor with their cocksure opponents. Later that day, in a move designed to pit North vs South and destroy Shaolin once and for all, devious Qing General Pu (Wang Lung-wei) kills the shamed South Shaolin trainers, pinning the blame on the new arrivals from the North.On hearing of his students' deaths, the South Shaolin master sends three more of his men to exact revenge, but this time around, two of them are accidentally killed by the Northerners, the third injured fighter returning to his temple to relay the bad news. Realising that none of his students are good enough to beat the North Shaolin, the South Shaolin teacher picks three more men (played by Lo Mang, Kuo Chui and Pai Wei), each to train under a different kung fu master. Six months later, the trio leave to face the North Shaolin, even though both North and South now suspect that they are being manipulated.With the Five Venoms on top form, kung fu fans can rightfully expect some astonishing old school martial arts action in Chang Cheh's Invincible Shaolin, including an entertaining training sequence that shows off the impressive skills of Lo Mang, Kuo Chui and Pai Wei (Lo Mang does one finger press-ups with a large polystyrene rock placed on his back!!!) and a wonderfully bloody final battle that makes use of lots of red paint as North and South battle it out before joining forces to kick some well-deserving Qing butt. Be warned though, even though evil General Pu gets his comeuppance, it's not without several of the supposedly invincible Shaolin fighters also buying the farm (the Northern fighters dying in front of their helpless fiancées).
gavin6942 Three North Shaolin teachers (Lu Feng, Chang Sheng, and Sun Chien) are called on by the Manchus to teach their soldiers and are urged to challenge the current South Shaolin teachers. They defeat the South Shaolin teachers and, that night, the head general (Wang Lung Wei) kills the South Shaolin teachers and blames their death on the North Shaolin teachers.What does this film have going for it? For one, this is one of the few Venom films featuring Wei Pai (the Snake). And as another reviewer points out, "Sometimes dramatic and rarely violent, the action is carefully choreographed and edited for maximum visceral and emotional entertainment." Cinematography is key in kung fu movies, because it is all about the action and choreography... which is captured perfectly here.Another reviewer notes that this was made "while a drunken Jackie Chan was farting in people's faces and sticking frogs down his underpants." Indeed! Maybe the Shaw Brothers and Chang Cheh are not as respected as John Woo, looking back now it seems that their films are the more authentic -- and more fun -- martial arts films of the time.
poe426 The crafty General Pu (Wang Lung Wei) invites 3 Northern Shaolin kung fu practitioners, Bao (Lu Feng), Fang (Sun Chien) and Yang (Chiang Sheng) to his palatial estate to demonstrate their skills. He's ostensibly looking for someone to train his troops and he convinces our heroes to engage in a show of skill against 3 Southern Shaolin fighters. The Northerners easily best the 3 Southerners. Adding injury to insult, Pu secretly kills the 3 Southerners and lets the blame for their deaths fall on the 3 Northerners. Three MORE Southerners are dispatched to do battle with the Northerners and two of the three are inadvertently killed; the survivor returns to his Master, Mai, and it's decided that Wing Yu (Kuo Chui), Feng, and Zhu (Lo Meng), will undergo special training to overcome the Northerners. The school, Mai informs his students, will be shut down; the sole survivor of the second confrontation, feeling guilty, kills himself. Yu will be taught by Mai himself; Feng by Liang, "the Gardener," and Zhu by "the Woodcutter." Meanwhile, the 3 Northerners are planning to get married. The elderly Master Mai dies and it's time for the Big Showdown. It's interesting to see these particular actors pitted against one another (especially Kuo Chui against Chiang Sheng, though there ain't nothing' wrong with Lu Feng's hand-to-hand fight with Lo Meng nor Sun Chien's always spectacular kicking). INVINCIBLE SHAOLIN begins and ends with some solid action and there's enough training in between to keep things interesting. Another Chang Cheh classic.
gwerq This Kung Fu film from the Shaw brothers is quite entertaining, but lacks the self-sufficiency and consistence of their earlier "Five Venoms" and now seems dated and slow-paced. However, there are some classic moments, such as the final battle and one of the most hysterically funny death scenes ever! Otherwise, this is merely an okay addition to the Kung Fu genre.