Das Höllentor der Shaolin (1978)

Das Höllentor der Shaolin: Directed by Cheh Chang. With Feng Lu, Sheng Chiang, Chien Sun, Phillip Chung-Fung Kwok. Critically acclaimed director Chang Cheh has The Five Venoms turn Shaolin fighters as they challenge the authority of the evil Chings in Invincible Shaolin. Per usual, the fights will knock your socks off.

“Three North Shaolin teachers (Lu Feng, Chang Sheng, and Sun Chien) are called on by the Manchus to teach their soldiers and are urged to challenge the current South Shaolin teachers. They defeat the South Shaolin teachers and, that night, the head general (Wang Lung Wei) kills the South Shaolin teachers and blames their death on the North Shaolin teachers.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eWhat does this film have going for it? For one, this is one of the few Venom films featuring Wei Pai (the Snake). And as another reviewer points out, u0026quot;Sometimes dramatic and rarely violent, the action is carefully choreographed and edited for maximum visceral and emotional entertainment.u0026quot; Cinematography is key in kung fu movies, because it is all about the action and choreography… which is captured perfectly here.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eAnother reviewer notes that this was made u0026quot;while a drunken Jackie Chan was farting in peopleu0026#39;s faces and sticking frogs down his underpants.u0026quot; Indeed! Maybe the Shaw Brothers and Chang Cheh are not as respected as John Woo, looking back now it seems that their films are the more authentic — and more fun — martial arts films of the time.”