Five Shaolin Masters (1974)

A long fought battle

Carrying with it those familiar themes of brothers-at-arms and the bonds of fellowship that run through so many Shaw Brothers films, Five Shaolin Masters is certainly a long fought battle amidst this struggle for survival. It's certainly a tipping point for its creative team, serving as a relatively lean martial arts showcase for its stars while also marking the last collaboration between director Chang Cheh and action choreographer Lau Kar-Leung before they went their separate ways. It undoubtedly spreads its attention too thin in attempting to balance the five main leads' screen time; it unfortunately drags its feet for a lot of the runtime with long stretches of minimal activity occasionally interspersed with extended martial arts sequences that, while impressive, border on the repetitive, even exhausting. Thankfully, it's a well-shot picture with some wonderful photography, aesthetically pleasing training scenes and lovely camerawork throughout, with even the occasional bit of comedy, although it veers quite heavily into gallows humour. The heroes aren't that deeply explored, but their dedication to Shaolin traditions and mutual trust creates a strong sense of camaraderie with each master representing a different martial style and personality, which gradually converge in the film's climactic confrontation. It almost gives the film a sense of strategic buildup, like pieces moving into position before the final strike. The performances are mostly solid, with maybe the sole exception of Alexander Fu Sheng, who looked like he was suffering from the heat sweats throughout. I just found his antics rather grating, more than endearing, but that seems to have been by design, given he was nearly always accompanied by childish music. Despite my niggles, Five Shaolin Masters is still very much worth a watch; it may stand as a rather influential piece of kung fu cinema, but it takes ages to really hit the ground and go.

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