Agreement:76% of 52 voters agree with Roger Judd, Jr.'s reviews Gender: Male Age: 48 Location: Brossard, Quebec, Canada
Bio: I grew up watching martial arts movies in the 70's.Practised Taekwon-Do (ITF) from 71 to 83.Also trained with friends in Shotokan Karate,Hapkido,Tang Soo Do and some Chinese styles.Martial arts movies are my favourite hobby & I own over 4000.Favourite actors:Bruce Lee,Hwang Jang Lee,John Liu,Jimmy Wang Yu,Cheng Pei Pei,Shih Szu,Tan Tao Liang,Chen Kuan Tai,Lo Lieh,Ti Lung,Leung Kar Yan,Venoms + more!Not crazy about modern KF movies. Always ready to trade movies with KF fans. r.judd@videotron.ca
YOU ARE HERE:INTERACT HOME / ROGER JUDD, JR.'S PROFILE
Five Fingers Of Death (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure That's probably the movie that put Kung Fu movie on the map in the USA. Very fun to watch, not necessarily for the quality of the martial arts, but mostly for entertainment--and also one of the first Kung Fu movies I saw back then in the 1970's. Plenty of fights. Good old school classic involving school rivalry!
AGREE?
READER COMMENTS
AUTHOR
Y
Sgt. T isn't wrong very often, and this is no exception to the rule. This is an entertaining and important film.
Pursuit Of Vengeance (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure Not Ti Lung's best. I love him but I could not rate this higher. The second part of the movie is so-so with too much comedy/humour and I hated the end. The action is alright, above average, but nothing commemorable. Lo Lieh plays a secondary role and is a good guy. Worth watching once.
AGREE?
READER COMMENTS
AUTHOR
N
never seen the film huh? Well I highly recommend this film. Trust me you'll like it!
Lady With A Sword (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure Great movie. It has everything you want from a Shaw swordplayer: a beautiful heroine (Lily Ho) who's majestic in this movie, great villains, a good storyline, great action, bloodshed, great choreography, old school revenge stuff, and honor, great sets and costumes... I just can't find anything negative to say about it. A true gem to be discovered. Highly recommended.
I totally agree with this reviewer. Directed by a woman and starring a woman this revenge flick is filled with very evil men who get whats coming to them but not without a very steep price to the ladies involved. I say well worth buying from HK Flix.
The Magnificent Swordsman (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure Not a spectacular movie, but well made. Wong Chung Shun is the Magnificent Swordsman. It is very difficult to see him as the hero (one of his very rare role as a good guy). He just does not have the looks for it! But he delivers a very credible performance here. All about honour and respect. His style with the sword is not spectacular but efficient: 1 or 2 moves and the bad guy is dead. More of what you see in Japanese movies. It just takes awhile to get used to seeing him as the good guy! Very simple storyline. Shu Pei Pei does not fight here and her role is quite annoying as the poor girl victim. Tien Feng shows up at the end as a bad hired killer and uses the whip (like in Shadow Whip). I did not expect much from this movie and I was very pleased at the end. Entertaining.
The Flag Of Iron (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure Another excellent Venoms movie. Lu Feng is the deceitful madman and he kicks some serious ass at the end! The movie is a bit slow to start but picks up well after. Nice authentic Chinese choreography with the use of the flags and spears. Very colorful and well choreographed. Definitely a must-see.
Disciples Of The 36th Chamber (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure Wonderful performance by Hsiao Hou. You gotta see him here. Beautiful choreography by Liu Chia-Liang. Exceptional fights. A good mix of comedy and martial arts. The last 20 minutes are fantastic. Gordon Liu reprises his role of the 36th Chamber of Shaolin. He has a supporting role here but gives a brilliant performance. I only wish they would have add an extra 10 minutes of action! If you love martial arts movies, you must add this one to your collection. A true classic.
Fatal Needles vs. Fatal Fists (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure Excellent movie and a must-have for all Wong Tao fans. The villain here is again a white-haired Chang Yi (Tao and Yi played together in several movies). Great fights (wish there would have a bit more though). This is not a Lo Lieh movie: he only plays in a few minutes. This is a true old school classic. You can't go wrong with this one!
AGREE?
READER COMMENTS
AUTHOR
Y
I agree buddy, being a Wong Tao fan myself, I highly recommend this classic.
Fighting Ace (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure John Liu at his best. Known for his flashy kicks, Liu's hand techniques are very good here. Actually, Liu is almost in the same category of Hwang Jang Lee for his kicks: his kicks are more flexible but less powerful than HJL. Old school classic and plenty of good hand to hand action. This is absolutely a must see for all martial arts movie fans. I'd love to see this film remastered.
One Man Army [1980] (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure Good and bad. Fun and stupid. One of those that I don't know if like or hate. Lots of stars here. But none of which their best movie. Chen Sing shows is usual tiger claw stuff. Does a good job at it. Yueh Hua is himself, he's fun to watch. Always play a noble character. The storyline is typical revenge stuff. Leung Kar Yan has a small role and is OK. It's worth watching I guess. I can't rate it for sure. Maybe 3* is too much...2.8* perhaps?
AGREE?
READER COMMENTS
AUTHOR
Y
A little too much cheese (dummies, wirework, etc) to be a classic, but that is also exactly what makes it so fun!
Snake In The Monkey's Shadow (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure Classic train/revenge/kill story. Overall an entertaining martial arts movie with a good cast (no prominent star except maybe Wilson Tong). Prominent styles are Monkey and Snake and well performed. Good choreography. Plenty of action. Low budget movie but definitely worth watching.
AGREE?
READER COMMENTS
AUTHOR
Y
I agree that monkey and snake style are performed very well, but don't forget the drunken style which is displayed quite nicely by Cheung and Hau Chiu Sing! There's something about when Wilson Tong shows up in a movie that makes that movie seem better.
Brothers Five (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure What a great cast! Cheng Pei-Pei, Yueh Hua, Chang Yi, Lo Lieh, Tien Feng and many more! A true classic of brotherhood and honor! Plenty of great action (mostly weapons). Great storyline. Beautiful sets. The only reason I did not give a 5 star rating is that I did not like the "special technique" at the end of the movie. As mentioned, great cast and well-directed. Great choreography. Look for Sammo Hung in a secondary role. A true must-have. I would have given it a 4.75* if possible. Highly recommended. A true gem!
AGREE?
READER COMMENTS
AUTHOR
Y
100% agree with your review, especially the part about the special technique at the end. The cast is superb and so is the story. This is a great old school flick.
Shaolin Daredevils (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure Definitely worth watching, especially if you are a Venoms fan (I am). But it is not their best action/fight movie. Also, there's not enough action in this movie, which Venoms fans are not used to. If you never saw a Venoms movie, don't start with this one. Go with their classic "Five Venoms" first.
AGREE?
READER COMMENTS
AUTHOR
Y
Once again gentlemen I agree action was lacking almost more of a drama flick and someone said lets hire the Venoms for this one. The worst venoms film in my opinion. Well I take that back but it is bad.
The Lady Assassin (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure Wonderful cast very well directed. Fantastic swordsplay action, very well chorographed, and a great storyline to keep you entertained. A true Classic Shaw movie at their best. Definitely a must-see.
AGREE?
READER COMMENTS
AUTHOR
Y
Roger I have to say you are acurate all the way but, I gave it 5 stars.
Sun Dragon (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure Probably Billy Chong's best movie (the other decent one being "Fistful of Talons"), although he was never a big star in my book. It is an old school revenge story and the action is pretty good--kicks and hand techniques. Awful dubbing, but it's not the first movie like it! Overall, not a bad way to spend your martial arts movie evening! And if you like it, watch "Fistful of Talons". But you can forget about Chong's other movies.
AGREE?
READER COMMENTS
AUTHOR
N
I think Superpower is Billy's best, followed by Fist Full of Talons and then Crystal Fist. It's just my opinion but I didn't think was as good as you did.
I do agree with you about the action in this movie being pretty good. However, this is not Billy Chong's best movie. I think Cyrstal Fist is some of his best work. As far as a much better film, Fist full of Talons is also a much better film.
The Secret Rivals (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure This is a great martial arts movie. Should be on anyone's top ten list. Beautiful display of kicks by John Liu and Hwang Jang Lee. Wong Tao is also excellent and his role--reminded me a bit of Bruce Lee in "Enter The Dragon". Actually, he has the same haircut and acts the same way without really trying to imitate. Wonderful, well-choreographed fights even though that movie did not have Shaw Brothers' budget! A true delight! If you haven't seen this movie yet, what are you waiting for?????????? The sequel is almost as good!
AGREE?
READER COMMENTS
AUTHOR
Y
This movie is definitely top shelf. My only issue is that in a lot of these old schoolers the northern Chinese kicking expert is usually played by Korean stylists. But ,oh well, Hwang Jang Lee is the man.
The Master (product link) Action/Adventure / Martial Arts Overall not very good. Cheap comedy. Yuen Wah is OK as Jet Li's teacher (only the fight scenes). Jerry Trimble play's the bad guy. The acting is awful. Jet Li is pitiful in his first fight scene but gets better after. Seriously, the kind of movie that you can skip everything straight to the fight scenes. The training scenes are weird, very weird!. At 2½ stars [out of 5], I am generous...
AGREE?
READER COMMENTS
AUTHOR
Y
i could not agree more i was very disappointed in this film i cant think of another jet li film thats so bad as this one.
Shaolin Challenges Ninja (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure In my view, Gordon Liu's best movie ever. Classic old school story line of Japanese vs. Chinese but done within remarkable class and mutual respect. The fights are very well choreographed and Gordon Liu's shows an excellent arsenal of weapons. The comedy between Liu and his Japanese wife is hilarious (even though she sometimes got on my nerves!). Very entertaining! You cannot go wrong here! Just sit, watch and enjoy!
AGREE?
READER COMMENTS
AUTHOR
Y
i agree this movie is awesome if you like weapon fights then you've come to the right place.
The Twelve Gold Medallions (product link) Action/Adventure / Martial Arts Very entertaining Shaw classic. Great performance by Yueh Hua. Plenty of good action and bloodshed. The two old masters are really fun to watch and fight each other at the end. The only downer is that some wirework is just over the board. But being a Shaw movie, not totally unusual. Great sets and sceneries. Some fight scenes could have been filmed less close. Great old school movie!
AGREE?
READER COMMENTS
AUTHOR
Y
i'm with you on that one this is very entertaining a must own film.
The Silent Swordsman (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure Not a great swordlay movie. Early 1967 Shaw so the action is often slow and way too much choreographed (you can guess the moves). Young Chang Yi is not very convincing in his leader role. He does get better through the years! The storyline goes everywhere: politics, love, patriotism, history, some musical singing scenes. Too many ingredients that don't always mix well if not well directed. Great Shaw sets and costumes. I've seen much worse but overall this is a very average movie, even boring sometimes. The finale is nothing to make you jump from your seat. Very close to a 2½*. Only recommended to die hard Chang Yi fans who woud like to see him in his early age.
My Rebellious Son (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure Well, if you like comedy/kung fu movies, you may consider it a 4*. But I am more into the martial arts quality and quantity in the movies I watch and like. The fight scenes are good not great. Maybe the last 10-minute finale is better. Not enough fights. Alex Fu Sheng is his usual clowny self with some good kung fu action. But the movie drags here and there. The European fighters are a joke (but this is kung fu mixed with comedy). Ku Feng is Fu Sheng's dad and his role is more comedy than action. Not my favourite from Fu Sheng. Interesting extra on the [HK DVD by IVL] about Fu Sheng's life with comments from his wife.
Ma Su Chen (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure 3 stars because I love Jimmy Wang Yu. But that's it! The fights are average, JWY using his typical unorthodox style. Not really one of his best movies, but most of his fans should like it enough.
Long Road To Gallantry (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure The fights are sped-up and there's way too much use of wires and flying. Enough action though. Some comedy. When they stay on the ground, the fight scenes are alright. Pretty Kara Hui Ying-Yung gives a good performance, but I liked her more in "My Young Auntie". Chen Kuan Tai is much older here and does okay. Pretty lame storyline. Definitely not old school genre. If you like wired kung fu, you'll most likely like it more than I did.
The Supreme Swordsman (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure Too much flying wire work--almost super powers. Never really liked those. In the 1980's Shaw started to overuse spectacular unrealistic wireworks. Some love it, some don't. I don't mind jumping over fences, on top of roofs to escape, etc... But when you start flying in sitting position like a whirlwind or making mutiple back flips 30 feet backward and coming back with a boomerang effect, you lose me! Jason Pai Piao plays the villain collecting swords from the swordsmen he kills to open his House of 100 Swords. Ku Feng is a famous swords maker; and Derek Yee, his son, is the young hero. Overall the storyline is okay and the fights (take away the ridiculous flying) are alright. The ending is....I won't tell you, but is a bit "stretched". Mostly recommended for those who enjoy super powers and flying like Superman.
Iron Bodyguard (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure This is an epic movie. I always like Chen Kuan Tai, and that's why I give it a 3½*. If not for him, overall a 3* at best because the movie (patriotic type) drags and there are not enough fights. Even the finale is not great because CKT's opponent is simply not good enough. CKT does very well in his fight scenes, both hand to hand and with the sword, deserving a 4½*. Yueh Hua is way under used and I did not like the faith of his character and did not like the ending. Also the use of rifles on two occasions takes a bit away from the martial arts. Great Shaw sets as usual. I waited long to put my hand on this title and and it left me disappointed. I was expecting more. CKT's fans will like it, but will wish there were more fights.
AGREE?
READER COMMENTS
AUTHOR
N
should be rated higher than 3 and half stars- this is an all time classic fu film.
A true classic by Jimmy Wang Yu. He had already left Shaw Brothers by that time. Probably one his last great movies before he started to play in second class movies. Great Chinese vs. Japanese storyline. Jimmy Wang Yu was a master in these kind of movies (Chinese vs. Japanese). Although I find Jimmy Wang Yu was not a great technician (martial arts wise), his screen charisma was almost second to none! That's why I always enjoyed him (even in the mediocre movies which somehow tarnished the end of his career). He was always better with weapons (sword and spear). For example: "One-Armed Swordsman", "Return Of The One-Armed Swordsman" and "The Assassin" are true classics that must be seen! In this one he plays a swordsman reuniting top fighters to fight Japanese invaders. A true old-school classic and one of my favorite starring Jimmy Wang Yu. Plenty of action. Maybe not as flashy as some 1960-70's Shaw Brothers classics, and certainly not the same quality sets of the Shaws, but very entertaining. Highly recommended.
AGREE?
READER COMMENTS
AUTHOR
Y
Could not have said it better myself! His fighting style was not as polished as some, but he fought with Gusto!
The Eunuch (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure Yeung Chi Hing, usually a great villain, plays an old master hero here and does it well with a touch of humour. Pay Ying is the bad Eunuch and is good at it! The hero (Chung Wa) and the heroine (Lisa Chiao Chiao) give a good performance. The only annoying thing is that they become "experts" within a few weeks or months of training--not too credible. Ouyang Shafei plays the wife of the old master and the pair is funny together as they each have their own student. Look for a young Sammo Hung in a short fight scene. Great sets and costumes. Worth watching.
The One Armed Boxer (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure This is a true old school classic. It was one of the first martial arts movies I saw as a kid back in the '70s and it will always remain one of my favorites! Plenty of fights. Jimmy Wang Yu at his best! Very entertaining movie! Not that the martial arts styles in the movie are that great (like the Taekwon-Do guy played by Shan Mao--and believe me he was nothing of a Taekwon-Do stylist!--or the Lama's priest who inflates his body--fun but ridiculous--or the Yoga guy, etc.), but JWY carries the movie with his charisma, fighting this army of bad guys with different styles! You cannot go wrong with this movie. This is a true classic.
The main star is Chen Wo-Fu, who was a Tai Chi champion who committed suicide at 24 just before the release of this movie, according to his biography on the DVD. This movie is really slow to begin and for the first hour all you see is the hero and a few of his friends get beaten up by second class fighters (Frankie Wei and Chan Shen are not great villains!). The fights are of poor quality and the martial arts skills showed are way below average. More of what you would see in a brawl. Chen Wo-Fu (he also had a few minor roles in other Shaw movies) is simply not a good screen fighter (maybe we can blame the choreographer for this?) and does not have much charisma either, if any. We wait an hour for the 20-minute finale where Chen Wo-Fu releases all his "fury", but the action is really not worth the wait! Very ordinary skill techniques and the special Tai Chi moves are done in slo-mo. Shih Zsu, who's great with the sword, plays the old teacher's daughter. Her performance here is very average and her techniques slow. She's way better in sword flicks. If you want to see real Tai Chi Chuan, I would suggest you see "The Secret of Tai Chi"--a low budget film with an unknown cast, but you'll get the surprise of your life! That's Tai Chi Chuan, not what's shown in this movie (although the old teacher does show a few basic moves in the beginning).
AGREE?
READER COMMENTS
AUTHOR
Y
Could not have put it any better myself! After the villains do everything imaginable to wreck this guys life, the pay off was mediocre at best.
The Magnificent Ruffians (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure Not the greatest plotline but the Venoms give a good display of their usual stuff. All Venoms fans will enjoy it. To be seen at least once.
AGREE?
READER COMMENTS
AUTHOR
Y
Hey Rog! Great display of Venom fighting skills, this film is a must see for all Venom fans like Shaolin Dare Devils, only with lots more fighting!
Mad Monkey Kung Fu (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure Great movie! What a display of this complicated Monkey style! Fantastic performance by Liu Chia Liang and Hsiao Hou! Lo Lieh plays a great villain as usual. Kung fu with some comedy. If you're looking for a top movie featuring the Monkey style, that's the one to get! Another one also would be "Iron Monkey" (with Chen Kuan Tai)--probably the top two movies featuring this unusual style, "Iron Monkey" being more old school. You'll love to look at the beautiful Kara Hui Ying-Hung (who also starred with Liu Chia Liang in "My Young Auntie"). Get it!
AGREE?
READER COMMENTS
AUTHOR
Y
could not have said it any better myself; excellent movie and so was Iron Monkey starring Chen Kuan Tai!
That movie is a headache for me. Lots of flying stuff. Some crazy magic stuff and super powers crap...A bit of speed up fights. A crazy technique called the silkworm style that you only really discover at the end (and which is ridiculous that you van only laugh! But overall, I have to admit that the movie is entertaining! There is many good fights with excellent techniques and great swords play. But also many many stupidities. Excellent performance by Tsui Sui Keung. Normally, a movie like this gets a 2* rating or less from me because of the magic, super powers and stupidities. But like I said before, I could not help but being entertained and I did not use the FF button! So I'm giving it 3½* and I do consider myself a tough critic! LOL! To watch with an opened mind though. At one point it's like watching Spiderman with early special effects.....I am not sure if I'll watch the sequel though (Return of the Bastard Swordsman).
AGREE?
READER COMMENTS
AUTHOR
Y
I agree. There is not a plausible bone in this film's body, but it is still very entertaining.
Legend Of The Fox (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure Great Venoms movie. The sword action is fantastic. Lu Feng plays a good guy here and Chiang Sheng is the bad guy! Typical old school revenge story. Plenty of action. Not too much wirework. If you are a Venoms fan and have not seen this movie yet, rush and buy it!
AGREE?
READER COMMENTS
AUTHOR
Y
Excellent film. And it was great to see a reversal of the usual roles with Lu Feng being the good guy; it's nice being to root for him for once.
Kung Fu Hustle (product link) Comedy / Action/Adventure This is just a comedy/parody of martial arts movies. My guess is that you will either love it or hate it. I hated it! Way too cartoonish for my tastes.
AGREE?
READER COMMENTS
AUTHOR
Y
I totally agree. I don't understand the fascination with the unbelievably annoying Chow, and this movie was just plain awful
You have to see some Stephen Chow movies before this one. He's a clown, but he loves his kung fu. I agree it's over-done in parts, but if you are at all into the supernatural powers and skills in kung fu movies, you'll like it.
Shaolin Challenges Ninja (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure This is Gordon Liu's best movie ever. Classic old school Japanese -vs.- Chinese but done more in respect than hate. Some comedy, specially the scenes with Gordon Liu's wife who's a Japanese girl who always try to prove that Japanese martial arts are superior to Chinese's. Many great fights. Overall a very entertaining movie. In my humble view, Shaolin Challenges Ninja is one of the best 10 martial arts movie ever.
AGREE?
READER COMMENTS
AUTHOR
Y
This is indeed Gordon Liu's greatest film, and perhaps the greatest old-school movie ever.
Incredible Kung Fu Mission (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure Interesting but not John Liu's best. The choreography of some fights is poor (you can see the kick miss by 2 feet...). Overall good but not excellent. Worth watching if you are a Liu's fan.
AGREE?
READER COMMENTS
AUTHOR
Y
I have to say, I was disappointed in this movie after all the hype. You're right, some of the choreography is poorly done.
SECURE CREDIT CARD PROCESSING BY VERISIGN.
771 users online right now / 533112 visitors since 11/29/2009 5:34:49 AM All content copyright 2000+ HKFlix.com, not to be used without written permission.
