Good Shaolin monk story. Actually contains some interesting Buddhist thought. Martial arts directed by Yuen Biao, and it shows. Impressive wu shu performances throughout. Lengthy training scenes, excellent finale. Story has a dead spot in the middle in which the hero (the annointed Shaolin successor) wanders the country in disguise and saves a town from being overrun by bandits.
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Action
C.C. and Company (1970) Seymour Robbie, Joe Namath, Ann-Margret, William Smith, Action, Comedy, Drama
Motorcycle mechanic C.C. Ryder joins “The Heads,” an outlaw biker gang. Fellow gang members menace fashion journalist Ann when her limo breaks down in the desert, but C.C. comes to her rescue. The bikers disrupt a motorcross event tied in with a fashion shoot, but C.C. enters the competition under Ann’s admiring eye. His win puts him at odds with Moon, leader of “The Heads.” When C.C. leaves with his cut of the purse, the bikers kidnap Ann, and C.C. races Moon to win her freedom.
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Violent Cop / Sono otoko, kyôbô ni tsuki (1989) Takeshi Kitano, Maiko Kawakami, Makoto Ashikawa, Action, Crime, Drama
Detective Azuma is a Dirty-Harry style rogue cop who often uses violence and unethical methods to get results. While investigating a series of drug-related homicides, Azuma discovers that his friend and colleague, Iwaki, is supplying drugs from within the police force. After Iwaki is murdered and Azuma’s sister is kidnapped, he breaks all the rules to dish out his particular form of justice.
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Rikisha Kuri / Da che fu (1974) Joseph Kuo, Chiang-Lung Wen, Yan-Yung Tso, Ping Lu, Action, Adventure
An action-packed film about a rickshaw boy who works to support his mother using his kung fu power to change the course of his life. This is over the top violent and a clear high point in the grimier vein of mid-70s martial arts flicks.
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Omega Syndrome (1986) Joseph Manduke, Ken Wahl, George DiCenzo, Xander Berkeley, Action, Drama
An ex-GI’s daughter is abducted by a gang of white supremacists. He calls on one of his former Army buddies, and together they set out to track down the gang and rescue his daughter.
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No Retreat, No Surrender 3: Blood Brothers (1990) Lucas Lowe, Loren Avedon, Keith Vitali, Joseph Campanella, Action
Two feuding brothers (one a policeman, the other a martial arts expert) of different political views, join forces to avenge the death of their father, a retired agent, killed by the mafia.
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Double Dragon (1994) James Yukich, Robert Patrick, Mark Dacascos, Scott Wolf, Action, Adventure, Comedy
Set 15 years in the future in post-earthquake California, where San Diego and Los Angeles are merged into one city, two teenage brothers have half of a powerful ancient Chinese talisman. Millionaire Koga Shuko (a.k.a. Guisman) has the other half and determines to get the brothers’ half in order to have the complete medallion and the absolute power of the magical Double Dragon talisman.
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Mask of the Ninja (2008) Bradford May, Casper Van Dien, Anthony Brandon Wong, Bellamy Young, Action, Crime, Thriller
Their vengeance is relentless, their method is ritual, their weapon is secret, and the motive is in their blood. In a heavily wooded private estate in the Malibu Hills, towering above the tumbling Pacific, millionaire CEO Kenji Takeo and his daughter, Miko, prepare for the arrival from Japan of Takeo’s wife, Kumiko. But the calm of Solstice Canyon is shattered by a meticulously planned stealth attack on the Takeo home by a masked band of ninja assassins. In a flash, Takeo’s guards are killed.
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Hong Kong Godfather / Tian zi men sheng (1991) Cheuk-Wing Ho, Andy Lau, Roy Cheung, Kwong Leung Wong, Action, Crime, Thriller
When the boss of a highly profitable Triad family is forced to flee from Hong Kong, rival gangs swoop in to steal any piece of the action they can. York Koo (Andy Lau) becomes the family’s acting boss, and must do what he can to handle the difficult situation, with mounting pressure from both the Hong Kong police, and rival families.
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Ruckus (1980) Max Kleven, Dirk Benedict, Linda Blair, Richard Farnsworth, Action, Drama, Thriller
Kyle Hanson is a Vietnam veteran whose traumatic war-time experiences have left him unable to rejoin mainstream society. When Kyle, unkempt and in dirty fatigues, stops in a small town for some food, the local bullies can’t wait for an opportunity to harass him. After Kyle uses his Special Forces training to escape the bullies, he becomes the subject of a community-wide manhunt. Only Jenny Bellows, a local girl whose husband was declared missing in action in Vietnam, is willing to give Kyle a chance.
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