Supelice Dreadfully Boring

ChicDragon It's a mild crowd pleaser for people who are exhausted by blockbusters.

Lollivan It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

Leoni Haney Yes, absolutely, there is fun to be had, as well as many, many things to go boom, all amid an atmospheric urban jungle.

stikfigureman Walking through my local DVD shop I wasn't intending to buy anything and definitely not something I had never heard of before but I saw this for real cheap so I picked it up. I just wanted something different to watch and review for my website. I don't regret purchasing and watching this film. Besides my mate that watched it with me I can safely say that out of everybody I know I am the only person who has seen this movie. So onto reviewing The 18 Bronzemen: Part 1.The story in itself is quite confusing and most of it does not get explained until towards the end but I'll try my best. So there is a government known as the Ching government and they decide to kill anybody that supports this guy called Ming. A baby (later called Shao Lung) is rescued and brought to the Ming friendly Shaolin Temple where he is brought up in the art of kung fu to exact revenge upon his family. At the same time another child is taken to the Temple and the two grow extremely close. After many hardships they two enter the "line of 18 bronzemen" which is the final task to graduate from the Temple. Here they fight men literally made from bronze. If they fail they die. After failing the first time and helping each other to escape they try again and succeed. Shao Lung then decides to track down the evil tyrannical ruler to avenge his family.The movie was directed by Joseph Kuo and starred Peng Tien as Shao Lung and Carter Wong as Brother Wan (the kid that was sent at the same time as Shao Lung). The movie even has a decent twist which took me by surprise. A complete laughable part however is when a woman is apparently disguised as a man and everybody thinks she is (but it is clearly obvious it is a woman).So despite its flaws, most likely because of being something that is completely different to me, I found this to be an enjoyable movie. This is a hard movie to recommend as it would have a fine niche market but hey, if you find yourself bored, why not? I look forward to watching part two.originally posted on my blog www.comikkazee.com

winner55 After having made kung-fu films for nearly a decade, Joseph Kuo at last received international attention with the release of The Mystery of chess Boxing (made famous by the Wu Tang Clan, one of whom adopted the name of the film's villain, Ghost Face Killer). I've always thought this unfortunate, first because Chess Boxing is clearly derivative of the Jackiee Chan film Snake in Eagle's Shadow (which is much better paced), and secondly because Kuo was close to the closure of his Chop-socky period and only had one more great film in him, Shaolin Temple (AKA Shaolin Temple Strikes Back).At any rate, 18 bronzemen is without question Kuo's real masterpiece. Well-produced, lovingly photographed in a manner to pay homage to the golden era of Shaw bros. studios of the 1960s; the MeiAh DVD appears to be a mint condition restoration of the original film - it is really beautiful to look at.This is, indeed, one of those films that demands the audience think hard before dismissing any genre movie, just because it is a genre movie. (Another example from a different genre is John Ford's Stagecoach.) Yes, the story is of your "typical" historically-oriented kung-fu flick of the 1970s. But everyone connected to the film has dedicated enormous amounts of effort to bring together a vision of this martial-arts universe that makes it not only believable, but sensually pleasing and intellectually stimulating as well. Of course we're not talking about grand drama - but film is an art of motion, and a visually beautiful film doesn't necessarily need grand drama.However, those dramatically inclined should be aware that the actors in this film are really giving us their best - This is certainly Carter Wong's finest performance, and it may be Tien Peng's as well. The reason for such commitment is clear - the film's story carries a theme of loyalty and courage which the Chinese value very highly.The long training sequences at the beginning of the film (which are among the best on film) are actually reflective of this theme - Shaolin Temple has a very demanding martial arts program, demanding full commitment. Dedication to training is a loyalty as well, and the film is quite clear on that point.I suppose those unwilling to give any genre film (or at least any kung-fu film) a viewing with an open mind should be warned away. Otherwisedon't hesitate to view this film given the opportunity. And if you do find the dubbed American release out on VHS during the 1980s, be aware that the Amereican dub version is badly panned-and-scanned, using a an old runny-color print for transfer, and that a good 10 minutes of the film were hacked off (to no purpose that I can tell), leaving the plotting difficult to follow at times. But even that version can leave a positive impression of the main line of the story, the acting, and the performance of the martial-arts.One last word: The film utilizes two child-actors at the beginning of the film; these are among the very few child-actors that I can watch without disappointment or disgust. (My sense is that this is actually due to Kuo's direction.) Bottomline: Classic of its genre - and maybe a little more.

JoeytheBrit 18 Bronzemen is something of a paradox in that it typifies so many of the weaknesses of the Hong Kong chop-socky genre of the 70s, and yet stands head and shoulders above most of its contemporaries. While there is more than enough kung-fu action to keep the most avid fan happy, there is also an entertaining story (in the first half, anyway) and an attempt at some character development beyond the usual boy-becomes-a-man-by-facing-adversity-and-beating-up-lots-of-people variety.Ting Peng plays Shao Lung (which sounds like an ad for a table-tennis match), the son of a high-ranking Ming official brought to a Shaolin temple by his granny after his father has been murdered by the wicked General Kwan (Chang Li). As he grows into a young man, Shao Lung undergoes the rigorous training of the shaolin monks (who seem to be holding some kind of eyebrow-growing competition) in preparation for his confrontation with the eponymous bronzemen that he must undertake if he is to earn his stripes and leave the temple. Having successfully passed the tests, Shao Lung and his friend, Brother Wan (Carter Wong), head off into the wide world to avenge the deaths of Shao Lun's mother and father.18 Bronzemen is really two different movies in one; the first, in which Shao Lung overcomes his apparent limitations to hold his own against the bronzemen, is hugely entertaining, but the second, during which the two friends hook up with Miss Lu (Polly Shang Kuan), drags very badly until the climactic fight which, while undeniably entertaining, is rather sloppily mounted. One of the near-constant aspects of this movie genre is the unintentional comedic elements that, while initially amusing, quickly become an irritation; 18 Bronzemen contains them all – extremely dodgy translation and dubbing, amateurish acting (both voice and action); laughable sound effects (each fighter's movement is accompanied by a sound effect that resembles a heavy chest of drawers being dragged across a concrete floor) – but the quality of its fight scenes, together with a reasonable storyline, allow the viewer to overlook its more common failings. And the fight scenes – especially those featuring the human bronzemen (some of them are sort of crude animated robots that resemble that little one in Buck Rogers in the 25th Century – but about thirty years older and eighteen stone heavier) – are pretty damn cool, even if a lot of the bronzemen do look like the Tango man painted gold instead of orange. At least in this movie we don't have to put up with half-a dozen villainous henchman surrounding the hero as they patiently await their turn to step forward and be savagely beaten – here they all pile in at the same time.Unfortunately the pace begins to flag the moment the two boys leave the temple and run into Miss Lu. Upon meeting her, Shao Lung and Wan are supposedly fooled by Miss Lu's 'disguise' into believing she is a man – which must have something to do with their monastic upbringing because a blind man with no hands would make her as a woman in an instant: mascara, rouge, plucked eyebrows, high-pitched voice, lumpy chest – they're all a bit of a giveaway. Kuan's character adds nothing at all to the plot of the story, slowing it to a crawl as she proceeds to annoy both the heroes and the audience – and even her romance with Shao Lung, which is presumably the reason for her inclusion, is barely touched upon. Nevertheless, things pick up for the film's climax, and it's always refreshing to find a movie that refuses to take itself seriously but which still manages to establish its own character and, for the most part, entertain you into the bargain.

Brian Camp THE 18 BRONZEMEN is a celebrated 1976 kung fu film from the prolific hand of producer/director Joseph Kuo who operated in Taiwan in the 1970s. It stars Carter Wong, Tien Peng, and Polly Shang Kwan in a tale of Shaolin training, lifelong friendship, and a mission of revenge during the early days of the Qing Dynasty. The uneven plot structure suffers from the lack of a suitable payoff at the end after the powerful setup of the film's stunning first half. Also, the presence of three strong heroes is not matched by any villain formidable enough to provide a satisfying final battle.The first section follows two dedicated Shaolin students through rigorous training, leading up to a sequence of challenges posed by the Bronze Men of the title whose function is to test the combat skills of the students in order to graduate them from Shaolin. This sequence is a fanciful addition to Shaolin cinematic lore and would be repeated in different variations in Kuo's later Shaolin films. (The Bronze Men include men in head-to-toe robotic outfits, more gold than bronze, and men whose skin is painted gold who fight with swords, sticks and kung fu.)During their travels, the two friends, Carter Wong and Tien Peng, are joined by a female fighter who was betrothed to Tien Peng as a child and is played by Polly Shang Kwan. The scenes which introduce her are clever and funny and feature her dressed as a man who deliberately pesters Tien until the opportune time to reveal her identity. Eventually, after various attempts on Tien's life and the revelation of his family background, the stage is set for a final confrontation with Hei Chu Ying, the traitor who had Tien's father killed.The fight choreography is less robust than it should be and, of the three leads, only Carter comes off as a powerful fighter. Polly is energetic and offers a strong, engaging presence, but her kung fu relies as much on superhuman (trampoline-assisted) leaps as it does on kicks. Tien Peng is a polished male lead and a good actor but he's not the fighter Carter is. The actor who plays the chief villain is never seen in combat until the very end, so is never presented as much of a fighting threat to the heroes.The photography and production design are visually impressive and well above average for this kind of film. There is an original Chinese music score, even in the U.S. English-dubbed version. I watched both the English dub and the Hong Kong import DVD for this review. The HK version is completely reedited and includes footage from EIGHT MASTERS (aka 18 BRONZEMEN 3) and another, unrelated Kuo film, UNBEATEN 28. It also shortens scenes showcasing Polly Shang Kwan and Tien Peng and plays up Carter Wong's role. I actually found the English dub, despite being available only on full-frame VHS, the more effective version.This film was followed by various follow-ups that were not exactly sequels, but more like variations on a theme. These included RETURN OF THE EIGHTEEN BRONZEMEN (aka 18 BRONZEMEN 2), BLAZING TEMPLE, and, arguably the best of the group, EIGHT MASTERS, all of which are also reviewed on this site.