Maniacal Manchurian Pai Mei (Lo Lieh) is so adept at kung fu that he can even retract his meat and two veg at will to avoid being crippled by a swift crack to the goolies; so when he and his henchmen attack the Jiu Lian Shan Shaolin temple and kill priest Chih Shan (Lai Hai-Shen), the rest of the Shaolin disciples wisely opt to run for the hills. The Manchurians give chase and many Shaolin men are killed, including brave brother Tong (Chia-Hui Liu), who sacrifices his own life (taking about a dozen arrows to the torso) in order to enable brother Hong Xi-guan (Kuan Tai Chen) to lead a group to safety.These survivors take to the river on boats, posing as travelling performers. At a riverside village, Hong meets and falls for pretty martial artist Fang Yungchun (Lily Li) and the pair are wed. After an attack on the boats by Manchurian soldiers, Hong goes into hiding with his wife; the years pass and the couple have a son, Wending, who grows up learning his mother's style of kung fu: crane style. But when Hong eventually faces Pai Mei and is killed, Wending decides to learn Tiger style and uses it to avenge his father.Executioners From Shaolin starts off in fine style with the Manchurian slaughter of the Shaolin disciples, which is nice and bloody, after which things really start to drag: while Hong and his men are in hiding, the film focuses more on comedy and romance than action, which soon gets tiresome. Once Wending is born, there are some reasonably fun training scenes, including Hong practising his martial arts on a bizarre metal statue that drops ball bearings from its groin, but the film is still lacking in decent fight action. Things look set to pick up when Hong faces Pai Mei, but apart from the unforgettable sight of the old Manchurian trapping his foe's foot with his groin (having shifted his wedding tackle elsewhere), there isn't much worthy of mention.Sadly, the same goes for Wending's final smack-down with Pai Mei: after ascending the steps to the temple, knocking down numerous guards on the way (including Chia-Liang Liu reappearing as a fighter armed with a 3-sectional staff), Wending finally meets Pai Mei, killing him in one of the most abrupt endings I've ever seen in a martial arts film.

Thank God for Celestial Entertainment's re-releasing of this classic! Okay, the plot is rather straightforward, and not terribly original (a revenge theme in a Martial arts movie. Nope, never seen that before!) But it is very well acted, very well directed and damn if the fight scenes aren't excellent. Basically, it follows the historic destruction of the Shaolin Temple by the Manchus. The assault is led by Pai Mei, (yup, the same Pai Mei from Kill Bill 2, in fact, Bill even talks about this in that movie) played by Lo Lieh. Gordon Liu who played Pai Mei in Kill Bill 2, appears briefly as a Shaolin student who informs Hong Xiguan (played by Chen Kuan Ti) that Pai Mei killed their master. Gordon Liu sacrifices himself so that Hong and some of the other students may escape.A few years later, Hong, hiding out as a Peking Opera performer, meets and marries another Martial Artist, played by Lily Li. They eventually have a child. But Hong cannot enjoy married life for too long, because he still has to train to avenge his master and his fellow students.A good example of vintage Kung Fu films. Not to be missed by any Kung Fu film connoisseur.

This movie is a great Shaw Bros. pic, except I liked the remake Fists of the White Lotus a bit better. Still they're both great, especially Master White Brows aka Pai Mai and Lau Kar Leung's intense choreography.This movie is dark and there's little comedy which effectively sets up the revenge theme (a revenge theme in a kung fu flick?) to help motivate our hero from Shaolin. Tai Chen Kuan as Hung Hsi Kuan shows formidable Tiger Claws style and some neat training sequences with bronze statues and vital point strikes. BUT, I really loved watching Ying Chun (Li Li) and her crane style. Man, if you're going out with her, you better be able to break her leg stance! Plus, her effort and grace in movements are as good as Kara Hui's in Fists of the White Lotus. It's a strange, yet wonderfully hypnotic combination of kung fu and dance.Now, the action. What do you expect from the real deal kung fu master Lau Kar Leung? Countless opponents, one on many battles, quick strikes, and amazing choreography are the strong points here. Pai Mai's battles are so awesome that he really seems invincible. I can't get enough of him dragging guys along with his groin! One of the strangest, yet highly entertaining kung fu villains ever. Plus, Lo Lieh mastered that menacing look that says, "You want to fight me? Are you kidding??" Strangely enough, I wasn't really rooting against him.The only downside I can find with this one is that Gordon Liu only makes a brief cameo. However, Gordon Liu is the main star in Fists of the White Lotus AND he battles Lo Lieh as the menacing White Lotus. So, watch both films because they're the great stuff that SB movies are made of.

Kung Fu movies always seem to refer to a bewildering array of styles. this film highlights the Tiger and Crane styles and you really can see the difference in the 2 approaches.It gives a real insight into the idea of 1 style not being able to beat another because it's too rigid and inflexible and the practioner is not as good as his opponent, hence he WILL be beaten.Apparently this movie is about the evolution of the Huang Gar fiststyle but I'm no expert so don't know much more than that!Liu Chia Liang directs some great sequences, the earlier ones being better (the main fights between the father/son and the priest Pei Mei seem to automated to really flow smoothly)Some really good acting as well let down by the usual rushed dubbing.See it but would not buy it (go for Legendary weapons of kung fu/China for a classic movie)