There are no movie production companies as closely tied to the martial arts genre as Shaw Brothers Studio. It was a well-known production company based in Hong Kong from 1925 to 2011, and while it didn't solely produce martial arts movies, that was the genre most closely associated with Shaw Brothers. Most of the studio's action-heavy and exciting martial arts films were made throughout the 1960s, 70s, and well into the 80s.
There are close to 300 martial arts movies made by Shaw Brothers, with many earning high ratings from the users of the film-related social media website Letterboxd. The following are the highest-rated Shaw Brothers martial arts movies on the site, ranked in ascending order from high to highest.
'Five Element Ninjas' (1982)
Letterboxd Rating: 3.8/5
After watching a handful of Shaw Brothers martial arts movies, it's easy to notice a pattern when it comes to the premises most follow. Released when the studio had been well-established for its kung-fu movies for years, Five Element Ninjas deals with a popular Shaw Brothers theme: revenge.
Essentially, a group of martial artists gets almost entirely wiped out by evil ninjas, and so the lone survivor has to train in the ninjas' unique styles of combat to get revenge. Five Element Ninjas' main strength is its pacing: it feels like half the movie is pure action, and there's very little downtime. Perhaps some of the fight sequences bleed together a little, but it's also hard to complain about too much action.
'Killer Constable' (1980)
Letterboxd Rating: 3.8/5
Essentially, Killer Constable is a movie about a dude with a massive sword who's also massively skilled at fighting. The "killer constable" referenced in the title is a man named Leng Tian-Ying, and the film follows him after he's assigned to track down a gang of robbers who've made off with a substantial amount of gold from China's Forbidden City.
The protagonist's ruthless take-no-prisoners approach leads to plenty of high-octane action, with each big fight sequence feeling a little more explosive than the last. It's maximalist action filmmaking at its very best, and though it does sneak into the top 10 Shaw Brothers martial arts movies on Letterboxd, it's arguably good enough to deserve a spot in the top 5.
'The Black Tavern' (1972)
Letterboxd Rating: 3.8/5
Browsing the reviews on Letterboxd for The Black Tavern shows that more than a few viewers believe it to be an influence on Quentin Tarantino's epic 2015 Western The Hateful Eight, and such comparisons make sense. While the martial arts and Western genres are quite different, each film takes place during a snowstorm, is mostly set inside a tavern, and features a cast of shady characters who are all suspicious of one another, with explosions of bloody violence erupting throughout.
While Shaw Brothers movies often get surprisingly bloody, The Black Tavern takes things to another level. A huge amount of blood gets spilled throughout, and multiple heads get lopped off in the main villain's introductory scene alone. For anyone who wants to see martial arts action combined with horror-movie-level blood and guts, The Black Tavern delivers.
'Vengeance!' (1970)
Letterboxd Rating: 3.8/5
Vengeance! stands out among Shaw Brothers movies for having a slightly more modern setting than most. While many martial arts movies by the studio were set hundreds of years in the past, Vengeance! is set in the 1920s, and with the setting comes a grittier, crime-focused story than what might be expected from Shaw Brothers.
Instead of an evil martial arts school or gang of outlaws getting on the protagonist's bad side, the antagonists in Vengeance! are gangsters, making the film feel like an interesting hybrid of martial arts and crime genres. And as the title promises, the hero does indeed want vengeance after someone close to him is killed. It's incredibly simple - like its title - but remarkably satisfying, being more hard-edged and intense than many other martial arts movies made around the same time.
'Heroes of the East' (1978)
Letterboxd Rating: 3.8/5
In contrast to the often bloody Shaw Brothers movies that deal with constant life-or-death stakes, Heroes of the East is a breezier affair. It involves a slightly comedic premise where the hero gets on the bad side of a group of martial artists from Japan, and is made to compete in a series of showdowns with seven different experts who each specialize in a different style of combat.
Lacking a bodycount and characters battling to the death doesn't mean Heroes of the East skimps on the action, as there's still a great deal of exciting choreography and stunts on display. As one of the less brutal and more accessible Shaw Brothers movies, it's a good starting point for those interested in dipping their toes into the studio's output.
'Crippled Avengers' (1978)
Letterboxd Rating: 3.8/5
The premise of Crippled Avengers is one of the most ambitious (and outlandish) of the Shaw Brothers' martial arts movies that don't feature sci-fi or fantasy elements. It has a brutal and downbeat first act, with the main villain terrorizing a town, and injuring four individuals in various ways that are all permanent and devastating.
Thankfully, the last hour of the movie offers catharsis, as the four main characters band together and train to be great martial artists, so they can seek revenge for the main villain's brutality. The training and fight scenes are all kung-fu movie perfection, and worth sitting through the film's sometimes unpleasant opening scenes to witness.
'Holy Flame of the Martial World' (1983)
Letterboxd Rating: 3.8/5
It's easy to see Holy Flame of the Martial World influencing an iconic martial arts comedy like 2005's Kung Fu Hustle. Each is edited in an absolutely breakneck way, offering so much goofy comedy that they both feel like they're parodying the martial arts genre while also offering great action, and therefore being genuinely great martial arts movies.
Holy Flame of the Martial World introduces fantasy elements to a familiar storyline involving two siblings getting revenge for the deaths of their parents. This makes the fight scenes even wilder than expected, with crazy special effects and a ridiculously fast pace making this film work as both a comedy and an action movie. It's very silly and often overwhelming, but undeniably a ton of fun.
'Dirty Ho' (1979)
Letterboxd Rating: 3.9/5
Slightly awkward title aside, Dirty Ho deserves its reputation as one of the best Shaw Brothers martial arts movies. It successfully blends comedy and action into its story about a thief being employed by a member of royalty as a bodyguard, with plenty of ridiculous action and physical comedy coming from such a premise.
It's an enjoyable ride, and one of the most joke-heavy movies from the studio. It's also notable for starring Gordon Liu, who led numerous Shaw Brothers movies in the late 1970s and early 1980s, yet might be best known to western audiences for the two roles he played in Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill.
'The 36th Chamber of Shaolin' (1978)
Letterboxd Rating: 4.0/5
The 36th Chamber of Shaolin is a martial arts film that dedicates more time than usual to the process of training and refining one's fighting skills to perfection. The plot follows a young martial arts student whose school is wiped out in a brutal attack. He manages to survive, and immediately devotes himself to getting revenge, honing his skills in a series of entertaining training sequences.
Because of the various chambers/endurance tests the hero needs to complete to finish his training, The 36th Chamber of Shaolin is the rare kung-fu movie where the training sequences are actually more exciting than the hand-to-hand fight scenes. This simple but satisfying narrative makes The 36th Chamber of Shaolin one of the most famous martial arts movies of all time, and deservingly so.
'The Eight Diagram Pole Fighter' (1984)
Letterboxd Rating: 4.1/5
Once again, revenge rears its head as the primary theme of another Shaw Brothers movie. In this case, it's what its highest-rated on Letterboxd - The Eight Diagram Pole Fighter - is all about, with two sons going on the run after their family is wiped out in a massacre, each vowing to take revenge.
The reason for the acclaim on Letterboxd is likely because of just how good the action on offer is. It takes things to a whole other level in every regard, and its climactic action sequence is one of the greatest - and most brutal - large-scale fight scenes of all time. Martial arts movies don't get much better than The Eight Diagram Pole Fighter, making it essential viewing for all action movie fans.