Host Jason Gonzales
At last, kung fu has arrived at The Screening Room, where barista extraordinaire and wuxia scholar Jason Gonzales hosts a weekend of two golden-age martial arts classics.
This is the film that started the kung fu movie craze in the U.S. Originally released as King Boxer, then retitled Five Fingers of Death (a much better title, right?), the film became a surprise hit and started the kung fu onslaught of 1973, which saw 13 different Hong Kong action movies top the weekly box office.
A young boxer joins a martial arts school to increase his skill so he can enter a martial arts competition. He leaves the school when he hears that a local gangster is terrorizing the town. He comes to the aid of a young singer and brings on the wrath of the local gang. He eventually enters the martial arts competition after learning iron palm technique and takes out all competition.
Plot is one thing, but it’s really all about the action, and director Jeong Chang-hwa and lead actor Lo Lieh deliver an all-time, revolutionary classic. You can’t claim to be knowledgeable in the field of Hong Kong action and kung fu movies if you haven’t seen Five Fingers of Death.