The martial arts action in "Shaolin Hellgate" is awfully good--you cannot deny that. The kicking, punching and swordplay are all at the high level you'd expect from a Shaw Brothers film. However,...you won't believe this film!!! It is bizarre and my describing it to you won't do the film justice....but I'll try.The film starts off in Heaven--but probably not the sort of Heaven you'd envisioned. Two heavenly beings are in love but are apparently not allowed to be (wow...Heaven sucks in this film) and try to run away with each other. But, they are pursued and almost caught until a sympathetic heavenly being helps them. They are now on Earth--reincarnated. Okay. Well, the film then soon switches to Hell--where it remains for about 90% of the movie. And this Hell is a fascinating place--sort of like if Bosch, Salvador Dali and the Marquis de Sade came up with Hell. There, you'll see all kinds of crazy tortures. Some are pretty gruesome (after all, it IS Hell) and some are pretty funny (such as the gossips). There, our two lovers want to escape and they call upon the Buddha of Mercy to hear their pleas. He not only gives them a chance but helps them find several warriors who were unfairly dispatched to the Netherworld--and the team fights their way back to Earth! As you probably noticed from the plot, this is no ordinary martial arts film! It's got some silly moments (what is with the big tongues?!) but it always is exciting and worth watching. Strange but worth your time.

Ever find yourself twiddling your thumbs, or stretched out flat on your back just staring at the cracks in the ceiling and wondering what Life's really all about? I do and, just to break the routine, I decided to give HEAVEN AND HELL a look. What appears at first to be a cross between ROMEO AND JULIET and WEST SIDE STORY by way of HERCULES IN THE UNDERWORLD and every kung fu movie ever made, finally settles into a very theatrical underworld romp. David Chiang makes a cameo early on, but is quickly lost in the shuffle. At several points, HEAVEN AND HELL threatens to become an out and out musical (people lapse suddenly into song, and some mercifully brief dance numbers break out, but quickly subside). There is a series of very well done flashbacks showing how our five venoms- uh, heroes- came to be in Hell (though it's never explained why they ended up There, as all were innocent victims) before a series of long but much-needed martial arts slugfests with the Denizens of the Underworld. Fast forward to the good stuff, and you'll be okay.

Heaven and Hell (1980) was a strange film from director Chang Cheh and Shaw Brothers in general. Comedies and fantasies were becoming popular in Hong Kong. The straight forward kung-fu films were falling out of favor with the viewing public. So a time for change was needed at Shaw Brothers. Many of their productions were turning to more light hearted fare (Wong Jing was becoming a rising star as a film maker in the Shaw Brothers company). Chang Cheh released this weird hybrid film onto the public. Heaven and Hell!!The movie takes place in three different sections. The first part takes place in heaven. David Chiang plays a spirit who wants to return to the land of the living. Part two takes place on Earth with Alexander Fu and his bride Jenny Tsang. The final part takes place in hell as several spirits who were supposed to go to heaven accidentally wind up in hell. In order to leave they have to fight there way out. The spirits of the damned have to live out their sins and vices for the rest of their lives.A bizarre film that'll even be weirder to those who know nothing about Asian and Chinese culture. But if you know a little then you'll get the film. Fun stuff from the usual dark and gritty Chang Cheh. What's even more eerier is the fact that this was one of Alexander Fu's last films. His life would be cut short from a tragic auto accident. Even though he's dead and gone, he'll live forever through cinema!Restored by Celestial Pictures to it's original glory.

So you've got that urge to watch a good, old Shaw Bros. picture, but you can't make up your mind between a period kung-fu movie and a modern actioner... or maybe a fantasy thing ... or maybe a light love story. Well, if you don't mind a somewhat disjointed story told jarringly and a psychedelic edge to the cheesier-than-usual effects, then this movie might be for you. It's at least three movies -- one each involving heaven, earth and hell -- rolled (roughly) into one, with a musical interlude featuring Alexander Fu Sheng and his lovely wife Jenny. Certainly you don't have to settle on any one actor for this viewing selection, as just about everyone turns up in it -- though they're not always sure why. There are a couple of good action scenes and a couple of flashes of comedy, maybe even on purpose. The strangest thing about this film is that you kind of have to watch it through once you start because you're kind of enjoying it. So it's one of Chang Cheh's weirder contributions; it's still a Chang Cheh film!