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King Boxer (aka 'Five Fingers Of Death')
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List Price: $19.95
Our Price: $14.99
Your Save: $ 4.96 ( 25% )
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Manufacturer: Weinstein Company
Starring: Lo Lieh, Tien Feng
Directed By: Cheng Chang Ho
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Average Customer Rating:  
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Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Binding: DVD
Brand: WELLSPRING/GENIUS
EAN: 0796019796965
Format: Anamorphic
Label: Weinstein Company
Manufacturer: Weinstein Company
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: Weinstein Company
Region Code: 1
Release Date: 2007-06-19
Running Time: 98
Studio: Weinstein Company
Theatrical Release Date: 1973-03-21
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Editorial Reviews:
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Better known in the United States as Five Fingers of Death, this spectacular mix of martial arts action and Western-style melodrama from the legendary Shaw Brothers Studios helped to light the fuse for the kung fu movie explosion in the early '70s. Indonesian actor Lo Lieh is the young acolyte caught up in a struggle between rival martial arts schools; after one villainous outfit murders several of Lieh's classmates with the help of hired killers, he trains to develop the invincible "Iron Palm" technique and defeat the opposing school. Korean director Chang-hwa Jeong delivers stunning (and very violent) action set pieces (set to a dizzying array of American library music cues, most notably Quincy Jones' theme to Ironside) but also manages to create a compelling and dramatic sub-story about loyalty and honor. The result is a martial arts film that can be enjoyed by viewers who aren't fanatical about the genre and diehard kung fu heads alike. The widescreen DVD (which surpasses all previous VHS and DVD versions of the film) includes an interesting commentary track by Quentin Tarantino (who aided Dragon Dynasty in assembling its Shaw Brothers library) and critics Elvis Mitchell and David Chute, who discuss King Boxer's appeal and thematic similarities to Hollywood product; Chute is also featured with critic Andy Klein in one of three short supplements about the film's production and history, with director Jeong and martial arts choreographer Liu Chia-Liang taking center stage for the others. - Paul Gaita
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: can't miss
Comment: with King Boxer and all the action and fighting that goes on throughout this movie. You won't want to miss a single moment of it and make sure if you have anyone that's kinda squeamish around violence and blood. They might want to skip this especially with a couple senses one involving someone losing a body part. I'll leave it at that. But i love the "Iron Fist" techinique that the hero learns in the movie and the cool effect/music whenever he activates it. It's lethal and leaves his misguided foes in a heap.
Great movie for its time and now as well. If your a fan of Bruce Lee movies or kungfu, karate then you need to check out King Boxer, it won't disappoint.
Customer Rating: 
Summary: Martial Arts Fan
Comment: To all you martial arts fans out there, this movie is not the greatest you'll ever see but it is a good one. You won't see people flying across roof tops or up into trees, but you will see some very interesting styles. The story line is great and the fighting scenes are well done.
Customer Rating:
Summary: 5 fingers of death
Comment: Loved it, it was one of the first kung fu movies ever to come to North America, in the early 70's, it was a lot of fun then, and seeing it again
brought that back,very cool,.
Customer Rating:
Summary: The Original Kung Fu Movie.
Comment: King Boxer[Five Fingers Of Death]is the original and the best Kung Fu movie ever made that does not stsr Bruce Lee.It was the first film of its kind to come to the West.Its characters are spectacularly memorable,its action builds and builds as the characters do.The story has excellent twists and heart stopping moments.You really care what happens.The acting is worthy of Oscars.I cant praise this film enough.Love Kung Fu movies?This is the movie that started it all!Then came Bruce Lee,and the rest as they say is History.King Boxer (aka 'Five Fingers Of Death')
Customer Rating:
Summary: Lo Lieh's gonna take ya to school.
Comment: The first martial arts film released in America (under the title, "5 Fingers of Death" in about 1972) should not be missed by kung fu fans, and not just as "the film that started it all". I think the choreography in this movie (while a little over-edited) is better than most of the movies that followed. At least 'til the Venoms, Lau Kar Leung, and Sammo Hung came into their prime. Body slams and blood and general nastiness are all here. Along with good, old-fashioned, grain-fed, prime-cut revenge.
Around the same time as "King Boxer", Bruce Lee's "Chinese Connection" and "Enter the Dragon" had fast and precise fight scenes. After his death, Hong Kong cinema churned out countless pieces of crap, trying to cash in, obviously choreographed by Zatoichi & Stevie Wonder, and produced in some guy's Dad's garage for $20 (U.S.) and a pack of smokes. Yet they were so popular that the level and speed of the fight scenes really didn't need to change. If you don't believe how much slower fights in movies got, watch "King Boxer", and then put in Chan's "Drunken Master". The fights in this are WAY faster, and this was made 6-7 years prior. I don't know if they're quite as creative or fluid but they're far more entertaining.
I'll try and keep the synopsis lean. Lo Lieh is a student chosen to represent his school in a tournament and is plagued by human obstacles, both in house, and from a rival school. The rival school is populated by some really mean jerks. And when they're not mean enough, they import some even bigger jerks from Japan.
After years of cheap prints, Dragon Dynasty (God bless them) has given us a beautifully remastered, English-dubbed (if you so choose), widescreen DVD, packed with special features. If you have ever been curious about this one, this is the version to get. Are there better martial arts movies out there? Well, yes, but this one is pretty cool. I don't know if I've ever seen another flick quite like it. It definitely has its own sense of style. Yeah, you should probably see this.
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