Chen Kuan Tai's performance in the film is astounding, and his portrayal as the poor, down and out Ma, makes for an engaging experience. Ma is full of pride, almost to a fault - he will not take handouts (even when starving) and will not stoop down to pick up money, or bow to those who do not deserve it. When he first meets Mr. Tan (David Chiang), one of the local wealthy and affluent gang bosses, Ma keeps his chin up and his chest pumped. He looks at Tan with respect and admiration - not with jealousy and envy. Ma tells his close buddy that one day they will have money and power, and will attain it with pride and honor. Throughout the film, Brother Ma maintains his poise, dignity and integrity, while pushing through with determination that is almost superhuman.

Speaking of superhuman, Cheng Cheh's direction here is second to none. The skill Cheh displays behind the camera is masterful, and the way he executes the narrative is in sheer brilliance. Every moment of the film is captured and framed in the most perfect way possible - each close up, introduction, transition and action set piece serves a purpose: to drive the narrative. I sat watching this film with a look of perpetual astonishment on my face, as each sequence continued to build and strengthen the narrative - nothing seemed superfluous or out of place, and every moment down to the smallest detail was needed. And, even though the film clocks in at two-hours, an epic length for a kung fu film, it never seems long nor does it wear out its welcome.

The Boxer From Shantung continues to stay fresh and engaging throughout, all due to the great performances, wonderful direction and amazing pacing coupled with Lau Kar Leung's and Tong Gaai's masterful action choreography. Together, along with the physical performers, they crafted action sequences that are hard-hitting and chaotic, becoming more brawl-like in nature rather than the precise demonstrations of kung fu stances typical to the genre. This detail was never lost on Lau Kar Leung, and is why he is such a top-notch choreographer. Rather than have the same style of fighting and set-ups in every film, Lau Kar Leung would adapt the style of the choreography to meld with the narrative of each particular film and with each of the combatants' strengths and weaknesses. The bouts of highflying fisticuffs in Boxer feel dangerous, and are full of tension and power - the raw emotion can be felt oozing from the screen.

Emotion is what drives this film, in each and every possible facet of its execution. Each performance carries weight, and the performers perfectly capture the personas of the characters, and the gravitas of the situations. The direction is meticulously calculated, and each shot and sequence perfectly invokes the energy of the drama and the immediacy of the overall conflict. Even the action scenes are charged with emotion, and although they are bloody and somewhat brutal, the violence does not feel gratuitous, but only bolsters the narrative and the drive of the combatants. And, through Chen Kuan Tai's turn as Brother Ma, Cheh shows us that even a man with good intentions full of respect and well-deserved power can be beaten down by the very world he sought to conquer.

I am still at a loss for words to describe my frustration that Cheng Cheh's name is not mentioned in tandem with other great directors. With The Boxer From Shantung, Cheh tackled the same themes that filmmakers such as Scorsese, Copolla, and De Palma did, but did so with even more skill and emotion, and less cussing and seediness. While western genre fans continue to turn to films such as The Godfather, Goodfellas and Scarface to quench their "gangster" thirsts, Cheh's filmography continues to be praised by only a small minority of dedicated followers. I feel confidant in declaring that The Boxer From Shantung is a better film than any of those previously mentioned, and I hope that one day Cheh's work truly gets the respect it so rightfully deserves. But until that day, I will continue to give praise where praise is due.

The films story involves a young kung fu fighter from the country named Ma Yongzhen (Chen Kuan-tai) who travels to the city of Shanghai to become a prize fighter. At this time in the early 20th century the crime underworld ruyled the streets, so Ma has to figure out a way to up the ladder to become somebody. Ma doesnt know anyone in the city, but one day he meets Xiao Jiangbei (Cheng Hong-yip) who helps him out by becoming his personal carriage driver. While making his way through the city he then encounters a gangster named Tan Si (David Chiang) who agrees the help him out by bringing him into the inner circle. While Ma makes friends with Tan Si he also makes enemies out of some rival gang lead by Boss Yang (Chiang Nan).

This is the beginning of Ma's apprenticeship so to speak under Tan Si. He even manages to get a small piece of territory for himself with Tan Si's help. Ma becomes his own small boss and he begins his own rivalry with Boss Yang. Yang begins to plan a way to get rid of Tan Si and Ma along with him. There are some truly breathtaking fights between Ma and Boss Yangs thugs, especially the big fight in the auditorium. Its one of my favorite kung fu battles ever.

The strengths of Boxer from Shantung lie in the wonderful screen martial arts, Kuan-tai's performance, and the directors' subtler touches. This film came out at a time when Chang Cheh was experimenting with artsy elements like dream sequences and symbolism. It can be be seen very well in Vengeance! (1970). Here, Chang visually uses stairs as a metaphor for Kuan-tai's attempt to rise up from poverty. His first success is being offered a job by Yang's men. This results in Kuan-tai being offered a nicer room at the hostel he lives at. Chang goes out of his way to show the importance of Kuan-tai ascension to this place of privilege, which is on the coveted second floor. This also acts as foreshadowing of events to come for in Kuan-tai's climatic struggle against Yang in the final reel, he repeatedly attempts to reach the top of a staircase where Yang hides behind his men. Rather than reach the top which is something he will never be able to do in a larger sense, he topples the staircase and brings Yang down to him. Chang Cheh would elect to discard such thought-provoking imagery in his latter career to focus on simpler and campier themes, but this shows that in his prime, Chang was truly one of the genre's finest filmmakers for being able to bring meaning to action.

The choreography of Lau Kar-leung and Tong Gaai gain additional assistance from Lau's brother Kar-wing and Chan Chuen. The quartet craft excellent screen action. I must admit to being extremely fond of the early '70s style of kung fu action. It varies quite a bit from the acrobatic and forms-specific Chinese opera influences that dominated the latter half of the decade. Both styles have their strengths, but this earlier boxing form is generally more raw and frenzied, which suits Chang Cheh's depictions of heavy bloodletting and provides a nice break from the prim and proper swordplay of wuxia films. Chen Kuan-tai is simply incredible to watch as he takes on rooms full of knife or hatchet-wielding thugs. He was one of Hong Kong's first real martial arts stars who came to the studio already well versed in kung fu, unlike other top stars of the day like Lo Lieh, Jimmy Wang Yu, and David Chiang. Interestingly, this role also paved the way for Kuan-tai to become a successful dramatic actor as well in films like The Tea House and Big Brother Cheng. David Chiang has what amounts to an extended cameo, probably meant to draw in theater audiences unfamiliar with Kuan-tai. But it's a good role since he gets to lay on his trademark charm and dole out some decent kung fu in two key scenes.

While not the best fight in the film, the most memorable one is easily Kuan-tai's match with Italian-Australian, Pro-wrestling champion Mario Milano. While Ng See-yuen would make a habit of casting foreigners in his movies in years to come, gweilos in Hong Kong kung fu movies were a rarity in 1972. It isn't critical to the story, but provides a great opportunity to watch Kuan-tai's iron-fisted kung fu match the massive girth of Milano's frame, although I wouldn't place bets on a real fight between the two.

Apart from Cheng Lee's disappearance midway through, Boxer from Shantung is a well-crafted film with a classic premise, good performances, and gritty kung fu action. Chen Kuan-tai isn't as strong an actor as say Ti Lung, but makes up for it with an understated performance that transforms into animal fury backed up with his heroic looks and skilled form. Arguably, the Chang Cheh heroic bloodshed motif gets a little out of control at times with blood being unnaturally smeared on victims, but that's part of the fun. It's a good reminder that this is still Chang Cheh's wacky world of exaggerated destruction. Overall, the film ranks with King Boxer and Fist of Fury as one of the most influential and important Chinese boxing films of the era.

Pure and simple, this movie is a direct lift of the "Godfather." Warring factions, young upstart who carves out his own territory, ambushes, backstabbings, etc. The only difference is, there isn't a gun in sight in Boxer from Shantung, and no horse heads magically appear in beds. This is one of those movies where everyone wears the same sort of clothing throughout the film: those old-style, bathrobe-looking Chinese outfits. Only David Chiang dresses differently, wearing a Western three-piece suit. The problem with this is that everyone in the movie looks the same, and also these costumes aren't as aesthetically pleasing as the later, eccentric Shaw Brothers costumes.

Knives and hatchets are the weapons of choice. The evil, old boss employs a legion of axe-carrying goons, who for some reason, no matter the opportunity, refuse to throw their axes. Instead, they use them more like knives. If you're carrying a throwing axe, throw the damn thing! There are a few fights before the finale, but they aren't that fast, and poorly choreographed, when compared to later kung-fu movies. Throughout this film I kept comparing it to "Way of the Dragon," the Bruce Lee movie that was produced the same year as this. It's amazing how much faster Bruce was than any of these guys. No wonder his movies were such a lightning bold in Asia.

Things meander for a couple of hours as the plot builds. Ma gets some power after beating a foreign wrestler in a tournament. He then goes on to face down challenges from other bosses, but there's no real spark until the final twenty minutes of the movie. Ma goes to a restaurant to meet with a rival boss, but it's an ambush. Everyone in the restaurant is under the boss's control, and carries either a knife or a hatchet.

The fight starts out badly for Ma, as he takes a hatchet to the gut. But he's just gotten started. Ma proceeds to fight every person in the restaurant, even though he bleeds enough for two men. Gallons pour out of him. The lower half of his body is literally drenched in crimson. This end fight is pure Shaw Brothers material, a big step up from the preceding two hours of boredom. Chen Kuan Tai moves fast, and finally lets loose. The ending of Boxer from Shantung is without a doubt the bloodiest finale I've ever seen in a kung-fu movie.

So if you're looking for the usual Shaw Brothers flick, this will leave you uninspired. But if you're looking for an old-school kung-fu film that was made back in the days when kung-fu movies were more like "real" movies with some martial arts thrown in, you'll be in for a treat. Either way, the ending will blow you away.

David Chiang appears as Tan Wei, the leader of a rival gang, who provides the inspiration for Ma's rise. Tan and Ma come to blows in their first meeting but as a result of this fight the two give each other respect and Ma regards Tan as a friend. When Tan is murdered by the four champions' gang Ma sets out for revenge and the film culminates in an awesome bloodbath.

Chen Kuan Tai looks terrific in this early role taking on small armies in increasingly violent encounters. The final showdown sees Ma drenched in blood slaughtering wave after wave of attackers in an scene that can only be described as frenzied.

Chang Cheh takes great care in developing the story line and characters and this coupled with excellent choreography (provided in part by Liu Chia Liang) makes for a classic kung fu movie.

REVIEW:
I have to admit to not really being interested in Shaw Brothers films previously. They're the sort of films that you either love or hate. I guess the biggest criticism that's aimed at them is that their fight scene's are too slow. Not really knowing where to start, I decided to go with a film called Boxer from Shantung and did it ever kick my ass.

The story starts out as two young men from a poverty stricken background come upon the town of Shantung in hope of earning money and riches. The elder of the two men, Mai Yung Jung (Chen Kuan Tai) is an expert practitioner of kung fu and also a philosopher. He believes they will both make it rich through hard work and perseverance. They come upon a local gangster (David Chiang) who has some connection with Mai Yung Jung and he gives them some advice. Mai Yung Jung then comes upon a group of men who are fighting and is immediately told to mind his own business. Mai tells them he doesn't like to fight but if they insist on doing so then he'll oblige them. He then duly opens up a can of whoop ass, breaking their leaders arm and kicking the ass of his right hand man.

It is not long before Mai Yung Jung proves himself as a force to be reckoned with and is elevated to the status of gang leader as he begins to inspire a few followers. The leader of the other criminals has plans though, that don't include Mai Yung Jung so he set's about killing off the competition and finally killing off Mai Yung Jung in what may be the bloodiest kung fu fight of all time.

I'll save time by saying that this is an absolute CLASSIC. Shaw Brothers have many of them I know but this film will kick your ass HARD. The final bloody fight is a wonder to behold as Mai Yung Jung just won't die, even after taking an axe to the stomach for chrissakes. Just when you think he's going to die he somehow manages to find the energy from GOD knows where to keep going. I mean, this guy was Bruce Lee on speed, it's possible this would've been the kind of film Bruce Lee would've made had he joined Shaw Brothers. Either way, it's brutal, bloody and must be seen to be believed by any kung fu fanatic.