The Boxer from Shantung

The Boxer From Shan Tung (1972) is a rags to riches story about a country bumpkin who aspires to become the greatest gangster of his era. Ma Yong Zhen makes a name for himself from the ground up by getting the poor and the down trodden to become a part of his "empire". But like all fast rising gangsters they have to fall sometime. The battle in the Tea House has to be the single greatest piece of action film-making I have ever seen. The usual Shaw Brothers players can be found in this two hour plus epic of bloodletting proportions. Kuan Tai Chen stars as Ma Yong Zhen. As usual he makes a great lead actor. He always sports a smile and never let his personal situations bring him down. Kuan also makes a credible butt kicking fighter. David Chiang has an extended cameo as Tan Si, a fellow gangster who becomes a mentor/friend to Ma. Feng Ku co-stars as one of the 4 Champions of Shan Tung, Wang Chung and Hark-On Fung have small roles as Tan Si's henchmen. Ching Li co-stars as the Tea House singer who falls for the mack-daddy charm of Ma Yong Zhen.

Check out the remastered print from Celestial Films. Not only is the film restored to it's original running time but the picture is in pristine condition and the English subs are excellent. Get ready for some action packed, bone crunching excitement!! Another winner from Chang Cheh and the Shaw Brothers!

Highest recommendation possible.

No pun intended - you have to give it to our main character. He seems to be able to fight anyone ... and get away with it. Nothing really new of course when it comes to movies like this. Also the people waiting their turn to get ... well what's coming for and to them.

That all being said, our main character is quite ... how do I put it? He thinks very highly of himself - I guess you could say he has reason to, seeing how he fights. He is not the only one to think so - and his heart is in the right place after all. Still could it be he might bite more off than he can chew? The final climax will be the one to see ... of course all fights before that are well choreographed too.

There's also a lot of red paint here - well some call it Ketchup, but it does look more like paint to me. And it is another stable factor in movies like this, especially from that era. Although way more than I remember seeing back when I was little. Maybe they were cut in Germany when I watched them. The ending may be a bit too long too - it could have done with some trimming ... and the drama is ... well almost too much. There are others movies that are attached to the main character here - though I have no idea if they are supposed to be spin offs, prequels or sequels or just reimagination ... maybe something completely different? Won't be able to watch any of them any time soon for sure ...

Pre-Venom Mob martial arts film from director Cheh Chang finds the film's hero working his way out of poverty by traveling to Shanghai, only to find himself drawn into the criminal underworld. The Shanghai underworld looks pretty much like every other Shaw Brothers backlot set and the story and characters are not particularly compelling, but the fight sequences are excellent, particularly a wildly bloody finale, where the hero battles the main villain's minions with a hatchet lodged in his side!

'Ma yong zhen' or 'Boxer from Shantung' in the dubbed videocassette version I viewed is a long film but engrossing, showing the rise of Ma Yung Chen from lowly labourer to gang boss.

The film has a strange melancholy air, ending with some of the characters fleeing from Shanghai as war approaches. The music has also a sad feel to it. Avarice is the main driving force of most of the characters as they go about their business but over all there is a doomed air.

Kuan Tai Chen who plays Ma Yung Chen (very well) has a pleasant appealing smile but there is something sad in him too. His yearning to be somebody is touching. He is plausible in the fight scenes too, particularly the tremendous gory fight at the end, which seems to go on endlessly like a nightmare you can't wake up from. David Chiang as usual is great, though not on the screen long enough. The 'four champions' in the film include the Shaw Brothers regular Feng Ku who is always good value.

I believe John Woo worked as an assistant director on the film and is a fan of the director, Cheh Chang. Compare the end of this film with the end of Woo's 'The Killer'.

There is a lot of combat in this film but it sits well with the narrative and the characters. Some martial art films are all fighting and no plot but 'Boxer from Shantung' has both in equally good measures.

This 1970's Shaw Brothers studio epic from legendary director Chang Cheh still seems to be as increasingly watchable to this day.

Chen Kuan Tai stars as Ma Yong Zhen, a street urchin in 1930's Shanghai who gets by washing carriages for the upper-class. But he desires more, he wants to have his own power, wealth and status in the city of Shanghai. After a couple of errands with the Four Dragon's gang, Ma gets the recognition he yearns for and is seen as a saviour to the poor and begins his parade by taking over districts in Shanghai. Soon the power and status he has craved for begins to crumble the inner-happiness he has longed for.

The film has proved to be very influential to this day, as John Woo was assistant director and the Four Dragon's gang was also used in Stephen Chow's 'Kung Fu Hustle' (but known as the Axe Gang), the finale of Ryo Seung Wan's 'City of Violence' also bears resemblance to the finale of 'Ma Yong Zhen'. Chen proves to be a worthy lead as his appearance and performance comes as very empathetic and proves quite adequately in fight sequences. Chang Cheh regular David Chiang plays a small role but sadly shows very little martial arts skills. The fights are somewhat average, if not very bloody but the story line, the central performances, the cinematography and the music score make this film stand out as an evergreen classic. What drew me into this film was it's cool and slick opening sequence (kind of like Chang Cheh's 'Vengeance') it creates the atmosphere of mystery, danger, rage and excitement.

All I can say is if you can see a worthy version of this movie (sadly there's no DVD released in the UK yet) go and see it. But I'm sure other DVD distributors in other countries have released the full uncut version of this classic.