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Heroes of the East

Original title: Zhong hua zhang fu
  • 1978
  • R
  • 1h 45m
IMDb RATING
7.5/10
3K
YOUR RATING
Heroes of the East (1978)
A Chinese man (Liu) marries a Japanese woman through an arranged marriage and manages to insult all of her Japanese martial arts family by issuing a challenge to her that is misinterpreted by the others. He must then prove how good Chinese Kung Fu really is through a series of duels with the seven Japanese martial artists who come to meet the challenge.
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MandarinKung FuActionComedy

A Chinese man marries a Japanese martial artist, and they begin to bicker over which country has the better martial arts. It reaches a point where he has to go against Japanese martial artis... Read allA Chinese man marries a Japanese martial artist, and they begin to bicker over which country has the better martial arts. It reaches a point where he has to go against Japanese martial artists in different styles to prove who's the best.A Chinese man marries a Japanese martial artist, and they begin to bicker over which country has the better martial arts. It reaches a point where he has to go against Japanese martial artists in different styles to prove who's the best.

  • Director
    • Chia-Liang Liu
  • Writer
    • Kuang Ni
  • Stars
    • Chia-Hui Liu
    • Yuka Mizuno
    • Yasuaki Kurata
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.5/10
    3K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Chia-Liang Liu
    • Writer
      • Kuang Ni
    • Stars
      • Chia-Hui Liu
      • Yuka Mizuno
      • Yasuaki Kurata
    • 33User reviews
    • 36Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Videos1

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    Trailer 4:17
    Trailer

    Photos34

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    Top Cast43

    Edit
    Chia-Hui Liu
    Chia-Hui Liu
    • Ho Tao
    Yuka Mizuno
    • Yumiko Koda
    Yasuaki Kurata
    Yasuaki Kurata
    • Takeno, Japanese ninjutsu expert
    • (as Kurata Yasuaki)
    Naozo Kato
    • Dojo Grandmaster
    Tsutomu Harada
    • Japanese Kendo expert
    • (as Riki Harada)
    Yujiro Sumi
    • Karate expert
    Hayato Ryuzaki
    • Nunchaku expert
    Nobuo Yana
    • Japanese spear expert
    Yasutaka Nakazaki
    • Japanese Sai expert
    Hitoshi Ômae
    • Japanese judo expert
    Chia-Liang Liu
    Chia-Liang Liu
    • Drunken Master Su (Guest star)
    Ho Bao-Hsing
      Lung Chan
      Lung Chan
      Ming-Wai Chan
      Ming-Wai Chan
        Kang-Yeh Cheng
        Kang-Yeh Cheng
        • Chow Kan
        Chok-Chow Cheung
        Chok-Chow Cheung
        Tien-Chu Chin
        Tien-Chu Chin
        • Wedding guest
        Miao Ching
        Miao Ching
        • Mr. Ho
        • Director
          • Chia-Liang Liu
        • Writer
          • Kuang Ni
        • All cast & crew
        • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

        User reviews33

        7.53K
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        Featured reviews

        Kosmonaut-x

        Excellent old-school kung-fu film

        Most Shaw-Brothers films are pretty lacking kung-fu-wise, the fight scenes are usually pretty low quality simply not fun to watch. There is one exception however, and that exception is Shaolin Challenges Ninja. This film isn't a classic because of its plot or acting (both are merely "ok"), but because of the high quality of its _many_ kung-fu fights. Right from the start all the way to the bizarre final fight the film offers great "my style is better than yours" -type fight scenes one after another. If you like old-school kung-fu don't miss this one!
        10the_grip

        Excellent Kung Fu Movie... Comedy, Action... it's got it all

        Gordon Liu... what else should be said?

        This movie is great... from Liu slapping around his servant to his servant eying up Liu's wife's open top to the excellent fight scenes, this is without a doubt excellent entertainment. Quite fun, and quite funny!

        Note: the ninja at the end is the same actor that appears as the master in Jet Li's Fist of Legend (the guy who cuts paper (or leaves? can't remember) with his swipes).

        If you can find this one, it's a gem. Don't miss it, esp. if you're a Liu fan.
        10hmmdrmike

        The Title Says It All...

        With a title like Shaolin Challenges Ninja... how could this movie not be amazing? With excellently choreographed fight scenes, a decent storyline (horrible translation... but that just adds to its reputation as a classic), and a great assortment of fighting styles and weaponry, this movie is amazing.

        And there's not that much more to say. Watch this movie if you're a fan of classic Shaw Brother's martial arts mayhem. The only disappointment would come in how easily the hero defeats each villain. But his reasons for non-violence fit the storyline and thus, can't be avoided.

        A non-violent action movie? Yes it is... and it still rules. Enjoy.
        9Stofft

        Just awesome!

        This movie is awesome!

        don't let the old year scare you away! This movie truly has it all, nice scenery and exciting fights.

        Shaw Brothers did have a nose for great martial arts flicks and this one is one of them (one of the better they have released I would say)

        the film centers around man named Liu that marries a Japanese girl. They early in their marriage argue about which martial arts styles that are the best; Chinese or Japanese. He of course speaks for the Chinese arts and she for the Japanese. He insults here that hard that she leaves him and goes back to China. In an attempt to win her back he writes a letter and sends off to her, but are misunderstood and so he insults HER family so they seeks him up to have a duel.

        Now here is where this film becomes really interesting; Every Japanese that he fights has different styles and weapons so this movie really shows off various styles in Martial Arts.

        And it shows it off well. the actors really knows their stuff; they all move and fight AMASING!

        don't hesitate to wait, rent/buy it know!

        I shall also add: IVL (Intercontinental Video Limited) has re-released this film on DVD with re-mastered video and sound quality! and it truly looks good! so I recommend looking this version up.

        9/10
        10Steve K.

        An excellent but overlooked classic

        If you've ever enjoyed the classic Kung-fu films of the 70's, I'm sure you remember The 5 Deadly Venoms, Master Killer, 10 Dragons from Canton, etc, etc... But this classic is almost always overlooked for the simple reason that it wasn't aired too many times in the states. And this title is impossible to find on VHS, DVD, LD or any other medium. But if you ever have the chance, see this movie!!! This movie is as good as it gets when it comes to showing off the difference between Chinese Kung-fu and various Japanese techniques. And this movie is very humorous at the same time.

        You see, as the Japanese challenger comes one by one to duel, the wife of our star tells him of the exact style of fighting that the challenger will use (i.e. sword, spear, throwing stars, Ninjitsu etc...) . It is upto our hero (Gordon Liu of Master Killer) to counter each particular Japanese style with a similar Chinese technique. Chinese sword vs Japanese sword, Chinese spear vs Japanese spear. You get the idea. Now bearing in mind that this movie is Chinese made, of course the Chinese techniques prove to be superior. But really the best part of the movie is seeing how each weapon and techniques match up against each other.

        And look at the ratings the people who have seen this movie gave. Check it out.

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        Related interests

        Jonathan Chang in Yi Yi (2000)
        Mandarin
        Donnie Yen in Ip Man 3 (2015)
        Kung Fu
        Bruce Willis and Taniel in Die Hard (1988)
        Action
        Will Ferrell in Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004)
        Comedy

        Storyline

        Edit

        Did you know

        Edit
        • Trivia
          When the Japanese fighters arrive in Hong Kong they walk past, possible arrive on, the Norwegian ship MS Halldis.
        • Alternate versions
          The UK VHS release is cut by over 5 minutes for a '15' rating.
        • Connections
          Featured in WatchMojo: Top 10 Best Kung Fu Movies of All Time (2020)

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        FAQ14

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        Details

        Edit
        • Release date
          • December 30, 1978 (Hong Kong)
        • Country of origin
          • Hong Kong
        • Languages
          • Mandarin
          • Cantonese
          • Japanese
        • Also known as
          • Challenge of the Ninja
        • Filming locations
          • Yokohama Harbour, Kanagawa, Japan(Yumiko returns home)
        • Production companies
          • Film Workshop
          • Shaw Brothers
        • See more company credits at IMDbPro

        Tech specs

        Edit
        • Runtime
          • 1h 45m(105 min)
        • Sound mix
          • Mono
        • Aspect ratio
          • 2.35 : 1

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