Customer Reviews

The Master

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I remember first seeing this in the mid-80s as a kid on Channel 5's now-defunct "Drive-In Movie" under the title "3 Evil Masters". Under any title, this is a classic from the latter-days of the Shaw Brothers. This is arguably the best movie director Lu Chun-Ku has done. Hsu "King of Sticks" Hsia's choreography, along with his "Five Superfighters", is absolutely amazing. Not only are Chen Kuan-Tai & Wang Lung-Wei in top form (their fight near the end of the movie is a definite highlight for me), but Yuan Tak (a.k.a. Chiang Lin) is amazing. He ought to be though, he was one of the "Seven Little Fortunes" along with Jackie Chan, Samo Hung & Yuan Biao. His climatic end fights with each of the "3 Evils" are incredible.

Great supporting performances by Candy Wen Hsueh-Erh, Lin Hui-Huang, Liu Hok-Nien, Wang Ching-Ho & Ching "knife-thrower" Chu; look for him in a crazy, "jiggly" brothel scene (cut from TV prints, 'natch). There's also great music here; I know it's stock music, but Eddie H. Wang (as usual) picked out the best tracks. Great story, awesome old-school fu, incredible acting & impressive directing.

Tokyo Shock/Media Blasters did a fantastic job with the transfer, some people are complaining that it's not enhanced for 16:9 televisions. Look, before this version came out I had to settle for a bootleg, pan & scan, edited VHS copy of this classic. Now, there's this remastered, widescreen, uncut DVD complete with subtitles or a decent English dub, so stop complaining and buy this. I read that Media Blasters has three more Shaw classics in the works; Chang Cheh's "Deadly Duo" & Lau Kar-Leung's "Challenge of the Masters" & "Martial Club", can't wait. It was great to see my old friend, Tom Fardy, in the "special thanks" list at the end. It was touching to see the dedication to the late Linn Haynes, who unfortunately couldn't grace this DVD with the same excellent commentary he did with "Heroes Two" due to his untimely passing from this world. Rest in peace.

The great Chen Kuan Tai ("Heroes Two", "Executioners From Shaolin") plays Chin Tien Yun, the title character in this nifty little Shaw Brothers classic. After he is injured by 3 nefarious fighters, he comes into the care of young kung fu student Kao Chien (Yuen Tak). After he feels better, he realizes that the boy's master (Lau Hok Nin) isn't doing a very good job at martial instruction and teaches the lad a thing or two. Meanwhile, the bad guys are searching the nearby town for clues to his whereabouts.

Though some of the fights are a little slow, most of them are excellent. I don't know that Chen Kuan Tai's kung fu has ever looked this solid. Johnny Wang Lung Wei ("Return of the Master Killer", "Instructors of Death") is great as the main bad guy who sports the obligatory white wig. I didn't recognize his two cohorts, but they both do a great job. Yuen Tak is also more than capable of handling his role, even when it requires a little cross-dressing. Which reminds me that this movie has some nudity and a fair amount of blood. Not for the kiddies.

Now for the drawbacks: A lame sense of humor (standard issue); a couple of annoying and sycophantic characters; a musical score that ranges from excellent to completely absurd; and Yuen Tak's immense improvement in fighting techniques just by punching ceramic tiles in a bucket of water. If you can get past these things, you're in for a treat. Those of us who love old school kung fu movies have learned to deal with, and eventually even appreciate, the genre's less desirable proclivities.

I love owning legitimate Shaw Brothers' releases, this one courtesy of Media Blasters/Tokyo Shock. Celestial's beautiful remastering job (as per usual) and widescreen presentation is more than adequate for my modest television set. The English dub is pretty good, and the sound can also be heard in Mandarin and Cantonese. Special features are limited to a couple of trailers (including one for "Heroes Two") and a brief, informative interview with Chen Kuan Tai. RECOMMENDED.

1980. aka: 3 Evil Masters

It's a shame Chen Kuan Tai wasn't the main star of this film, but what scenes he does grace are superb. As morgoth alludes to in regards to the opening scene fighting, he's dead on. Simply outstanding choreographing in the beginning of this film. Chen Kuan Tai (Iron Monkey 77 The Killer Constable and Shaolin King Boxer)was in reality King Boxer of South East Asia (monkey style and deflecting elbow were his specialties) when he was discovered by Shaws Brothers and this film showcases some of his abilities. Great film. A must own for any Chen Kuan Tai fan.

Chen Kuan Tai is the master, on the run from the 3 Evils (including the man with a blade in the braid!), who have severely injured him in a scuffle. Yuen Tak (aka Yuan Tak on the back of the MediaBlaster's dvd case) plays the student who takes him in, and after being bullied continuously, the Master takes him under his wing. Overall, very good story, with some of the best actors in the genre. Lau Hok Nin is excellent as the school master who hates Chen Kuan Tai and takes it out on Yuen Tak.

Directed by Lu Chun Ku, 1980. aka 3 Evil Masters

I own the Media Blasters/ Tokyo Shock/ Celestial version that contains two dvds, Heroes Two and The Master (aka 3 Evil Masters). The version is presented beautifully in 16:9 widescreen, with excellent audio in either English dubbing or Chinese, and there's also subtitles available. 96 minutes. The dvd quality gets a 5 out of 5. These are the best of the best-- anything by Celestial is top-notch.

The film is very good, and stars Chen Kuan Tai- one of my favorite kung fu actors (also in Opium and the Kung Fu Master with Ti Lung). Some of the dialogue is very clever, and the English dubbing made me laugh out loud more than once.

Overall, the film deserves a 4.0 out of 5 stars, but if you get the Celestial version, it's really a 4.5 out of 5. Watching old kung fu in pristine quality is what really does it for me. I highly recommend. A top 25 kung fu film in my book, and a staple of the genre.

I am glad I bought this movie, since I keep watching it over and over. They have the most incredible kung-fu fight scenes in this movie. Full of martial spirits. Wang Lung Wai (Wei?) plays the leading bad guy, but he is simply awesome both empty-hand as well as with the pudao. The final fight scene between Wang Lung Wai (pudao) and Yuen Tak (straight sword) is just incredible.

It's pretty funny also to see how this movie pokes fun of kung-fu schools who pride themselves as being righteous, however they were anything but. The "righteous" sifu is only good at beating up his own students. But when the really bad guys showed up, he just gave up the entire school to them, since he was no match for the bad guys.

Did I mention that Wang Lung Wai and Yuen Tak are simply incredible in this movie? :)

Solid five stars for both outstanding kung fu actions and some good philosophy as well... This movie is a true classic!

Chen Kuan Tai plays a kung fu master on the run from a gang called the 3 Evils. Johnny Wang Lung Wei is their leader and these 3 are super tough. After getting injured, Kuan Tai looks for shelter at a young man's house. Yuen Tak plays the young man and stays at a kung fu school. He was taken in as an orphan and has lived there for about 3 years. He gladly takes Kuan Tai in and they begin a very friendly teacher and student relationship. Yuen Tak is not an actor and would never fit in at playing a serious role, but this is a comedy and he does a great job as the lead actor. Lau Hok Nin plays the school's master and he is not exactly a fan of Kuan Tai because of their troubles in the past. The story is well done and more than enjoyable all the way through. It's not surprising since it is directed by Lu Chun Ku who has done many good movies including 'The Master Strikes Back' with Ti Lung and 'Holy Fame of the Martial World'. He has worked together with Lau Hok Nin and action director Hsu Hsia before. Lau Hok Nin is even better in this than he was in 'Hell'z Widstaff' and 'Tiger Over Wall', both being directed by Lu Chun Ku. Not only is he a wonderful character actor, but he is no slouch in the kung fu department either. The action is absolutely superb and the entire movie is fight filled. Not a single scene looks rushed, and I always love it when they save the best for last.

While the story is well done, it also has a lot of unique touches to it. One of the 3 evil masters is a ladies man and his scene in a brothel is not one you will soon forget. The nudity does get a bit excessive, but Yuen Tak steals the show by dressing up as a woman. I was amazed to see all the jiggling, but I had no idea the scene would turn out to be so funny.

To go along with the amazing action scenes and great acting and directing job, there is also a very fun soundtrack and beautiful cinematography. It is always nice to see the Shaw Brothers outdoor sets. I could have used a little more comedy out of Chan Lau, but other than that, I can only think of one other fault. Wang Lung Wei uses a hair braid very effectively as a weapon, but it only seems to cut up clothes rather than cut up the body or face. It's a minor gripe, but there are some good blood effects for death scenes, and Wang Lung Wei is an absolute madman with a spear in his hands. There is a lot to be happy about. If you are not a fan of the genre, it may get boring at times, but all hardcore kung fu fans will be delighted with this classic.

4.5/5


Special features aren't quite as plentiful as Heroes Two. There's another great interview with Chen Kuan Tai. 7 minutes long. This movie may have the best opening credits scene of alltime, and as a special feature you can watch this scene without the credits blocking your view. Picture quality is perfect as can be. It's not anamorphic, and Media Blasters has said that this will be a one time thing, but it didn't bother me since I have a 24 or so inch TV. English dub sounds great, as do the Cantonese and Mandarin tracks. Subtitles are very well written.

Great Movie. Poor execution. The disc is letterboxed and is NOT anamorphic. To bad for me as I preordered it. To my surprise it is not 16x9 enhanced. If I knew that before ordering I would have passed on this purchase. If Media Blasters continues this practice when their Shaw Brothers titles they will not only loose me as a customer, I am sure they will loose many more. Hint hint.

Heroes Two is a great disc, they got it right. How that managed to drop the ball on this fun title escapes me.

I suggest to PASS on this as this is 2008 and EVERY movie should be released as an anamorphic disc.

How can a company go so wrong in this day and age.

I own a 50" tv and with the tv's zoom this appears to be anamorphic. It might hurt pic quality alittle but thats okay by me. If you own letterboxed dvd's and your tv's zoom makes it look okay then buy it. This movie is a kung fu fan's dream. Awesome action and characters. One of my fav kung fu movies.