The Kung-Fu Instructor

1979 • 99 minutes

About this movie

The Kung-fu Instructor is martial arts film director Sun Chung's loose homage to Akira Kurosawa's Yojimbo where unlike Toshiro Mifune's Sanjuro character being a snarling, bastard, drunk swordsman looking for a drink, popular actor Ti Lung's Huang Yang role, is an upright, righteous, weapon instructor looking to keep his limbs. Huang is a famous martial artist trapped into teaching kung-fu to the wrong clan while the opposing "good" clan tries to save him so he can instruct their members. Besides kung-fu comedienne Wang Yu starring in one of his few serious roles, Sun became the first Shaw Brothers' director to use a Steadicam which gives the film's action and editing style a unique brand of tension and rhythm. The pole fights are also out of this world.

Ratings and reviews

Ti Lung has always been a favorite Shaw Brother's actor. This movie is solid in usage of Shaolin pole technique and fighting. I had forgotten how it showed how skilled he is with the pole. While he's used the pole in Five Shaolin Masters, I think he is given a wider display of his technique with the pole in this move. The is pretty decent and his display of hand to hand and against other style of weapons is awesome.

This is one of the best Ti Lung films ever produced by Shaw Brothers. The storyline is intriguing, the Hero is spectacular, the Villains are cunning, the action sequences well choreographed. It's a terrific film for any Kung-Fu fan.

Brilliant! I didn't realise that the action scenes are so good.