Overview: In 1977, fight choreographer Sammo Hung made one last film under his mentor, director Huang Feng (Lady Whirlwind, Hapkido) before graduating to the director’s chair himself with The Iron-Fisted Monk. That film was the rarely-seen martial arts ensemble thriller The Shaolin Plot, which sees the pair reunite with Hong Kong heavy Chan Sing (New Fist of Fury).

Prince Daglen (Sing) is hellbent on completing his comprehensive collection of Chinese martial arts manuals and mastering each form against his opponents. With only two manuals left to obtain, he sends his most dangerous henchman, a renegade monk (Hung) armed with two golden cymbals acting as flying guillotines, to steal the manual of Wu-Tang. To steal the sacred texts of Shaolin, however, the wicked Daglen will have to infiltrate the temple himself.

The stage is set for a clash between Daglen, his cronies and surviving Wu-Tang student Little Tiger (James Tien, The Big Boss), alongside a lethal duo of Shaolin warrior monks (Casanova Wong, Warriors Two and Kwan Yung Moon, My Young Auntie).

Based on a story by legendary storyteller Ni Kuang (The 36th Chamber of Shaolin), The Shaolin Plot is a classic tale of martial arts intrigue and deception, combining the incoming new wave of action with the old, resulting in one of the most overlooked and underrated kung fu classics from one of the most prolific Hong Kong film studios of all time!

Blu-ray Verdict: After his work directing the action sequences for King Hu’s Palme D’or winning A Touch of Zen, Sammo Hung worked with director Huang Feng (Lady Whirlwind, Hapkido) on a series of martial arts masterpieces which continuously broke new ground for action cinema, the culmination of which was The Shaolin Plot.

After the release of this film, Sammo (who also has one of his first major acting roles here, playing a deadly monk with an unusual choice of weaponry) began his own career as a director and would play a huge role in the “Golden Age” of Hong Kong cinema – an era which revolutionized action filmmaking around the world.

Hong Kong movie veteran Chen Hsing (The Iron-Fisted Monk) plays a tyrannical ruler with the aim of collecting all existing Chinese martial arts manuals in order to obtain ultimate power. After obtaining the Wu Tang manual, he sets his sights on the Shaolin Temple and the secrets of their fighting style. Two Shaolin Monks (Casanova Wong and Yeong-moon Kwon) must team up with a Wu Tang fighter (James Tien) to defeat the villainous despot.

This 1977 Hong Kong action film gave Sammo Hung his first starring role. A sinister martial arts master moves violently through Hong Kong. The only person standing in his way is his best student.

The Shaolin Plot is remarkable for its inclusion of Sammo Hung in his first starring role (an unscrupulous baddie, here, hurdling golden cymbal boomerangs or multiple razor-sharp daggers!) and his early role as an action director. It really stands out as a superior Wushu classic with excellent cast and endless flying kicks and sharp, whiplash-filled conflicts that push the narrative to lesser-importance.

It revolves around obtaining the Wu Tang, Shaolin manual of clandestine martial arts distinction. The secrets serving as a trigger for the unrelenting friction. I really enjoyed it and given all you could ever ask for is now fully realized here in this marvelous Arrow Films production, this rarely seen gem should now receive a much wider audience.

This is a Widescreen Presentation (1.85:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs and comes with the Special Features of:

2K restoration from the original film elements by Fortune Star
High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentation
Original lossless Mandarin and English mono options
Optional English subtitles
Commentary by martial arts film experts Frank Djeng & Michael Worth
Commentary by action cinema experts Mike Leeder & Arne Venema
Alternate English credits
Original theatrical trailers
Double-sided fold-out poster featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Ilan Sheady
Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Ilan Sheady
Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing by Peter Glagowski

www.arrowfilms.com