Probably one of the oddest sub-genres in cinema is the kung fu spaghetti western. THE FIGHTING FISTS OF SHANGHAI JOE is one of the best and most popular of this genre, which saw Italian producers deciding to combine the then-popular martial arts film with the spaghetti western, which like the peplum ten years previously, was crying out for fresh ideas and imagination. The result was about half-a-dozen productions which mixed chop-socky action with grizzly cowboys and desert town locations to unique effect. THE FIGHTING FISTS OF SHANGHAI JOE is actually a very well-made movie, benefiting from strong direction from Mario Caiano, a rather overlooked genre personality from the period, who could usually be relied upon to deliver a watchable movie. The plot is simple and straightforward and a basis for the never-ending scenes of action which are hard-hitting and often violent.Although the premise is silly and could be played for laughs, this is actually a very dark film in which the hard-edged action is often punctuated by merciless violence and surprising gore effects. The main themes that the film explores are racism and oppression; our hero Shanghai Joe must suffer both of these throughout the film. First come the expected encounters with racist cowboys, whose vocabulary usually seems to contain only racist taunts, before Joe teaches them a lesson in manners. Later, he defeats a gang of slave labourers quite happy using Mexican peasants to do their dirty work, thus invoking the wrath of a criminal boss and setting the latter half of the film in motion.Whereas the first half of the movie spends a fair amount of time developing Joe's character and the new landscape in which he finds himself, also exploring his relationships with other people, the second half loses all exposition in favour of a series of fight sequences against increasingly difficult opponents (thus reminding one of a computer game). The first baddie for Joe to fight is a guy named Cannibal! The second villain is Italian regular Gordon Mitchell in a blond wig. The third villain is all brains and no brawn, as played by Giacomo Rossi-Stuart. The final villain is a scalp-hunter played by the inimitably sleazy Klaus Kinski at his manic best.The final battle of the film is the only one with any memorable choreography, seeing as Shanghai Joe gets to fight a fellow martial artist instead of an unskilled cowboy. Caiano throws in some good use of slow-motion leaping (not as silly as it sounds), some creepy music which comes as a surprise after the rest of the jolly Morricone-style score, and a wonderful 360 sweep around Joe as he searches for his opponent. The film's hero is played by Chen Lee, who is pretty decent in the part and succeeds because he's actually an actor as well as a martial artist, and seems charismatic in his role. Tons of action, arm-lopping gore, memorably deranged characters, and steadfast direction combine to make this one a whole lotta fun.

In 1882, spunky Chinese man Shanghai Joe hops atop a stagecoach from San Francisco (subtitle says St. Francisco!) to Texas in order to become a cowboy and ends up having to defend himself against a seemingly endless stream of trash-talking rednecks.Soon Joe runs afoul of a group of nasty human smugglers who send four colorful hired killers to do him in, including Gordon Mitchell, a cannibal, and scalp-collector Klaus Kinski!Coming out on the heels of the hit television show "Kung Fu", The Fighting Fists Of Shanghai Joe is a lot better than it's Italian knock-off status would suggest.It's almost all non-stop action with loads of flying fists and flying lead. Blood, a bit of gore, and a great Ennio Morricone sounding score by Bruno Nicolai all fit the comic book nature of the film quite nicely!In the title role, Chen Lee is really good and should have been in more movies than he was.

The Fighting Fists of Shanghai Joe is easily one of the best Spaghetti Western / Kung Fu movies I've ever seen. Wait a minute . . . it's the only Spaghetti Western / Kung Fu movie I've ever seen. It's a strange mix of genres that actually works.Joe is a Chinese immigrant in the Old West. All Joe wants is a job and a chance to make a new life for himself. He faces continual racial prejudices and injustice. Being a peace loving man, he takes it all in stride. But when pushed too far, he turns into a butt-kicking machine. When Joe sets a group of Mexican slaves free, the local "Big Man" hires four killers to get Joe. Can Joe's Kung Fu skills save him from these gun-toting, knife-throwing bounty hunters? The Fighting Fists of Shanghai Joe has a lot of things working against it. Chen Lee, in the title role, isn't the most engaging sort of actor. He's actually rather bland. Klaus Kinski, who gets top billing, is on screen for less than 10 minutes. Mario Caiano brings nothing inventive of note to the direction. And the score by Bruno Nicolai, while entertaining, is not very original. But none of that really matters. This isn't art - it's about having a good time. And on that level, The Fighting Fists of Shanghai Joe works. Watching Joe kick the crap out of a bunch of cowboys is a real blast. The fight scene between Lee and Kinski is the highlight. If you've ever wanted to see a Kung Fu master fight after being shot in both legs, this is your movie.

This one is a real oddity, a martial arts western, with a small role for the ever evil Klaus Kinski as the bounty hunter set to go and kill our Hero Joe.Joe arrives in San Francisco, and instead of meeting the people of the land of the free he meets the land of the racists, and his troubles only just start to begin.Joe is far to nice for his own good, polite and well-mannered, thats until he needs to defend his life and then his fists of fury unleash some retribution.A lot of fun.