Review: The Chinese Boxer aka The Hammer of God (1970)
Martial arts superstar Jimmy Wang Yu makes a splash in 1970's The Chinese Boxer for The Shaw Brothers! This spectacle of flying fists is a showcase for Wang Yu, who wrote the film, stars in it, and helmed it in his directorial debut. Wang Yu had been known for a series of sword-based action movies throughout the latter half of the 1960s, but this is the beginning of the hand-to-hand combat kung fu movie as we know it, predating even Bruce Lee, who would add elaborate kicking techniques to his big screen battle repertoire. The plot isn't all that different from many other Shaw Brothers action spectacles: a Chinese martial arts school is invaded by a loud-mouthed bad guy. He's beaten by Master Li and his students, but vows to return in one month for revenge. And return he does, with three Japanese karate masters who lay waste to the school, kill Master Li, and leave most of the students either dead or severely injured. One survivor (Lei Ming, played by Jimmy Wang Yu) must tr...