Ten Tigers from Kwangtung (1980)

"Don't blame me if I don't fight fair"

Ten Tigers from Kwangtung is a kung fu cult classic. It boasted an all-star cast, had non-stop kung fu action from the beginning to the end and…meh. Maybe I was in the wrong mood, but I need a little story to break up the continuous fists and kicks.

Five young Tiger apprentices are being hunted by two Qings bent on revenge. The Ten Tigers of Kwangtung had killed a general so his son and an official are looking to even the score. Though the five young men had nothing to do with with the death, if you can’t kill the one you want, then kill the one you’re with (a rif on the Stephen Stills song from 1970). The story rewinds to show how the Ten Tigers formed their rebellious band.

This cast was loaded. Ti Lung played the leader of the Ten. Alexander Fu Sheng was the annoying Tam Ming who tested the members’ skills and patience. All six Venoms eventually joined the Ten. Johnny Wang played the Qing general in an understated performance for him. Ku Feng was the rebel leader being protected by the numerical crew. Wong Lik shone as the menacing Qing official in the present who had a variety of lethal weapons hidden on his person and wasn’t afraid to fight dirty. “Don’t blame me for not fighting fair.” The always maligned Qings lost their head when confronted with the Venoms and learned that a spear will go through two as easy as one.

Fair warning, this was a Chang Cheh film which meant the blood spewed freely and forcefully. Many of the fighters were stuck in bad Bruce Lee wigs with pigtails awkwardly tacked on. The dubbing was atrocious, lips and dialogue didn’t always match up. That often happened when scripts were written on the fly and the actual dialogue was dubbed in later, but seemed rather egregious in this bigger budget flick. I recognized several of the sets which hadn’t been demolished in previous CC movies serving as murder scenes in this one.

The martial arts choreography was okay and standard for the time in the flashbacks, though some of the action bordered on kung fu posing. Fortunately, Phillip Kwok and Lu Feng could be counted on to bring the acrobatic charm. Ti Lung and Johnny Wang had a battle with a weapon I’d never seen before—a mermaid cudgel. During the present, the youngsters’ fights against Wong Lik and Chen Shu Chi in the final 30 minutes were the fastest and most creative.

Ten Tigers from Kwangtung would have benefited from some white space on the page to give the viewers a mental breather from the constant kung fu. Despite my complaints, it was fun to see this festival of favorites in one film. And it gave several smaller players with skills who were often relegated to bit roles time to shine. I wasn’t as crazy about this film as kung fu film aficionados tend to be, but if you enjoy these old films, it’s one to try. As always, I grade kung fu flicks on a curve.

22 August 2025
Trigger Warnings: Dismemberments and lots of spewing blood.

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