The 7 Grandmasters

Joseph Kuo made a great movie here and as previous poster pointed out sans any Chans or Lis it's awesome.The fights are realistic yet the moves are just to kool.The story could use a little polish here and there though.Aside from that it's a winner.So if you like any kind of Kung Fu vid don't miss this one.

You won't be disappointed by the stylish fights and solid footwork.And even though the story is a little rough it works well.The acting in this is also excellent.The dubbed version I seen was good no bad Cockney accents or really terrible translations.All in all this movie will leave you satisfied.

T

This really defines a blueprint for this kind of movie: 1) Guy with ridiculous facial hair and/or silly hat wonders through the wilderness,happens upon another guy practicing Kung Fu 2) Brief conversation involving a) a particular technique of one of the silly-haired-guys, b) the number of provinces in which the other silly-haired guy is undefeated 3) Fight, preferably involving some kind of animal-style Kung Fu. 4) Repeat as many times as you can squeeze into a couple of hours.

Throw in a grueling training sequence (though this maybe isn't quite grueling enough in this movie), a bit of betrayal (ideally involving someone killing someone else's master), some slapstick comedy, some bad dubbing (this genre is really the only one where dubbing should be allowed) and there you have it - the perfect Kung Fu movie. I defy anyone not to enjoy it.

This movie is so excellent. It has the best kung fu action, and the fights are good and long. The story is actually okay, and the dialogue, while dubbed, is still good. The actors do not speak the typical stupid kung fu movies lines. Watch this.

Joseph Kuo - you may not have heard the name or be as familiar with it or you may be a fan already. Though I would be surprised why you would need to read a review if that were the case. I have to admit, I have my problems with names. As most martial arts fans, I am more than aware of the big names (Bruce Lee, Jet Li, Sammo Hung and Jackie Chan to mention just a few) and also the Shaw Brothers, who made some crazy movies in their time.

That being said, there were others who made really good movies too and Kuo is one of them. He may be copying a lot of things or you may feel that you have seen certain tropes in other movies, but that is just the way it is. Thankful that certain companies do release the movies I grew up with on Blu Ray - so I was able to watch this one too. It has plenty of action - and while some stunts may feel outdated or aged (especially compared to some recent stuff like what you may have seen from Tony Jaa or Donnie Yen), it still is nice to look at. Especially when it seems that (almost) everyone involved in the fights here, does it for honor and not to kill the opponent.

You have to have a heart for old school kung fu movies - because this is what this is. The pacing and the style may seem uneven at times, but it does work out in the end - no pun intended.

Lee I Min is one of those kung fu actors who never quite made it to the first rank, but combined here with the great direction of Joseph Kuo and action by Corey Yuen it produced a classy film to make kung fu addicts drool. The story has been told above but it can not be emphasised enough that the fights (of which there are many) are superb and wonderfully staged. The ending is fairly obvious but still exciting - with one of the best end fights on film. I liked the understated attraction between Lee I Min and the Masters daughter (the beautiful Nancy Yen) and the believable jealously of the other students. There are a few weaknesses but the story sweeps you along and you look forward to the next fight and twist. The Monkey Kung Fu exponent (Chin Yuet Sang) is an absolute classic. According to the liner notes by Linn Haynes (Media Blasters) this film is based on the life of a real Pai Mei kung fu expert named Cheung Lai-chun who fought and bested top mainland kung fu experts in the mid-1940s at the age of 66. Pai Mei is famous from the Kill Bill films (played by Gordon Liu) but the real story / legend is worth seeking out. One of the best and really worth watching.