Shaolin Iron Claws (1978) Review

Rating: 4 out 5

Director: Shih-Hao Ko

Year: 1978

Plot:

“Shaolin Iron Claws” comes through with a plot that is a little involved, and I had to read up on it to get the whole thing. Though the movie does flow well, it’s still a little bit much to follow if you’re not used to things. There’s a change in Chinese government, and regional warlords want to overthrow the new government. One chief, however, doesn’t want in on the overthrow and leaks a document that outlines the new plan to overthrow things to local law enforcement. When the evil warlords find out, they send two assassins to gain revenge, and then that leads to a secondary love story, cause a shift in the story to a revenge plot to avenge the death of a girlfriend. Not only that, we have a main hero that fights for the honor of the government, and well, things go off the rails at points, mixing story with kung fu action.

Thoughts:

“Shaolin Iron Claws” is a plot heavy kung fu movie, and a lot hinges on the story, as much as the brawling. I noticed that the transfer is VHS quality, but the dubbing left a little to be desired. That knocked off a couple of points for me, especially when the sound design put the voices way loud compared to the music. The sound design is bad, with echoing dubbing mixed with symphonic musical styles.

The above plot is something, but there are side plots that aren’t too bad, but lead to brawling. The movie is clunky in terms of plotting, and that’s something that kind of made me a little turned off overall. I thought some of it was unnecessary, but I understand what the director and writer was going for, giving the audience a little more than just straightforward kung fu. That is going to either hit or miss your likes, but it’s something that I noticed for sure. It’s a little convoluted.

The brawling is good, and you’ll be in for some classic moves, and kung fu style overall. However, they are often interrupted by interludes, and story. There’s also a focus on cuts and close ups which can be a little off putting as well. However, despite that, there’s some good boxing found here. 30 minutes into the movie and the plot really starts to flow. There’s a lot of stop gaps, and some comedy here and there too, with a focus on secondary characters more than our hero at times.

As for the brawling, as I said, it’s good, and has a great sense of pacing. The fighting will have you enjoying the slow parts too, because they build tension to larger elements. I found myself intrigued with the story at points and really liked the fighting, including weapons of martial arts at times too. This is a standout movie for sure, and has some great fights, elevating the ranking. I give this movie a 4 out of 5.

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