After the former Shaolin monk passes away, his prodigal apprentice takes control of the school and brings it to China. This student, Sze (Philip Ko), is incredibly arrogant and oppressive, but he possesses great skill as a martial artist. When no one can beat him in a duel, Sze bullies the local schools of kung fu to close down.

One of the instructors of these schools (Pomson Shi) is afraid to stand up to Sze, but he sees no reason to let the antagonist continue his reign of terror unchecked. The kung fu masters hold a meeting and agree to award anyone who can beat Sze with 2000 gold pieces. After enlisting the aid of a local kung fu expert (Han Chieh Ying), his daughter (Yang Pan Pan), and five other martial arts champions, the time comes to see if anyone has the power to bring an end to Sze before the name of Chinese kung fu is ruined forever.

REVIEW:
Sitting down to write this "movie review" is presenting itself to be a pain in the ass. The problem here is that 'Shadow of the Tiger' is not a movie, in the theatrical sense, that everyone would expect to see if they viewed it at their local cineplex. In essence, this film is nothing more than a display of kung fu battles sewn together with a really weak plot. The story comes across as an indirect rip off of Akira Kurosawa's masterpiece 'Seven Samurai', and even then it is very, very shallow.

For a total no-brainer, 'Shadow of the Tiger' is a pretty fun movie to watch. The kung fu, as it is demonstrated by, according to the DVD jacket, "no less than nine masters of the worlds greatest kung fu and karate exponents" is quite breathtaking. Unfortunately, there are plenty of documentary style movies a person can pick up if they are looking for an exhibition film of martial arts. When I bought this DVD, I was expecting a full on movie with a decent plot interspersed between impressive battle sequences. This flick just doesn't deliver the goods, and the story was just wasted filler.

The acting isn't bad, but it doesn't do anything to stick the parts you could consider movie-esque on a level above bland. Taking into account who comprised the cast, I certainly wasn't expecting award winning contention. The cinematography and camera work are merely average as well. With the sum of its parts, there isn't anything about the movie that can make up for its lack of a halfway enjoyable story.

FINAL VERDICT:
I suppose I can't complain too hard about a DVD I scored for 99 cents in the "bin for cheap-asses" at one of my local video stores. Anyone who picks it up for the average going price of a regular DVD, however, should receive a forewarning by anyone who is selling it. Better yet, there should be a big, fat warning on the DVD explaining what the movie does, or doesn't, contain.

So, in summary, If you like top-notch kung fu but have a hard time staying awake when the action isn't on screen, then 'Shadow of the Tiger' could easilly become a prize addition to your DVD collection.