“The Dynamite Shaolin Heroes” Theatrical Poster
Director: Lee Hyeok-Su
Co-director: Godfrey Ho
Cast: Lo Lieh, Kim Young-In, Choi Sung-Kyu, Kim Ki-Bum, Choe Bong, Kwan Yung-Moon, Roman Lee Kang-Jo, Kwon Il-Soo, Kim Wang-Kuk, Kim Min-Jeong
Running Time: 77 min.
By Henry McKeand
It’s not always easy to find behind-the-scenes information on the more obscure martial arts flicks from the 70s, but it’s almost impossible when Godfrey Ho is involved. Ho is perhaps best known for his low-budget ninja films in the 80s, such as Ninja Terminator and Ninja The Protector, but his filmmaking techniques are what have turned him into a source of fascination for Asian film fans. For those who don’t know, Ho would purchase small or unfinished films before splicing in his own scenes and recording an English dub to tie the patchwork narrative together. The results were sometimes better than others, and it would be almost impossible to get your hands on all the movies he was involved in (iMDB lists 153 director credits alone).
It’s difficult to think of a more brazenly cynical way to make movies, so why are there still fans who seek out Ho’s Frankenstein Monster creations? Probably because there’s a certain level of perverse ingenuity to Ho’s cut-and-paste technique, and admirers of low-budget movie magic can’t help but respect his ability to release three or four movies for the price of one. So while some may label Ho as an opportunist who viewed cinema as soulless corporate product, it’s not entirely a stretch to compare him to a hip-hop producer creating something new by sampling the dusty records hiding in the local record shop. Think of him like Roger Corman meets RZA (who I’m sure has seen more than a few Godfrey Ho films in his time).
This brings us to The Dynamite Shaolin Heroes, a relatively early Godfrey Ho production released in 1977, pre-dating the ninja craze that he would later capitalize on. This means that some of Ho’s staples, such as goofy ninja outfits and white American leads, are absent. In many ways, this plays like standard late-70s wuxia, but there are a few elements that give it away as being different from Hong Kong releases of the time. For one, it was filmed in Korea and features a predominantly Korean cast. The opening titles credit “Walter Lee” as the director; this is the Americanized name of Korean filmmaker Lee Hyeok-Su, who filmed mostly everything before Ho got ahold of the project. This Korean influence means that there are Tae Kwon Do moves incorporated into the action, separating it from most films with “Shaolin” in the title.
The plot, however, is classic Hong Kong. Set after the fall of the Ming Dynasty, it focuses on several Ming loyalists attempting to overthrow the current government. The Ming supporters are the heroes, but they never really unite to fight as a team. In this sense, The Dynamite Shaolin Heroes is a misleading title, and not only because Shaolin is never mentioned.
Choe Bong plays one of the Ming leaders, while Kim Min-Jeong plays his daughter and Kwan Yung-Moon plays his son-in-law. The most recognizable cast member is the legendary Lo Lieh, who plays a morally flawed martial artist attempting to steal the daughter from the son-in-law.
The real “hero” of the film is the awesomely named “Lotus Man,” who spends most of his scenes wearing a large straw hat that obscures his face. He always seems to appear out of nowhere whenever a Ming loyalist is in trouble, and his incredible fighting skills are responsible for almost every action sequence. In a sense, The Dynamite Shaolin Heroes is a hybrid between a political thriller and a superhero adventure film in which “good guy” spies are saved by a masked vigilante at the last minute.
This is a good thing, as the film is packed with propulsive fights. Lotus Man, who wears all-white and flies around his enemies with some impressive wire work, feels almost iconic despite the film existing in relative obscurity. In just a few fight scenes, he’s established as an instantly recognizable symbol for justice, and his unique appearance makes the fights especially easy to follow.
The choreography itself is impressive, too. The Tae Kwon Do moves ensure that there is plenty of dazzling leg work and powerful kicking. Outside of Lotus Man himself, there isn’t much in the way of wires or supernatural abilities, but the film makes use of every 70s camera trick to boost the excitement: zoom-ins, slow-motion, and first-person angles appear throughout. Plus, the combat is all filmed outdoors, which is refreshing if you’ve seen a million Shaw Brothers productions that use the same sets.
It doesn’t hurt that the story itself isn’t bad. The intrigue moves along at a nice pace, and there are some cool twists in the second half. Despite the Godfrey Ho involvement, the narrative is surprisingly coherent and restrained. Ho’s largest contribution is the awesome English dub, which hits levels of stilted cheesiness that might surprise even HK action aficionados (Ho must have loved that the hero’s mouth is basically never visible). In the end, though, the movie excels thanks to the cast and Korean filmmakers. The Dynamite Shaolin Heroes is a more than worthwhile way to spend an afternoon, and Lee Hyeok-Su deserves credit for crafting a fun slice of 70s martial arts absurdity.
Henry McKeand’s Rating: 7/10
“It’s difficult to think of a more brazenly cynical way to make movies, so why are there still fans who seek out Ho’s Frankenstein Monster creations?”
As a huge fan of Korean cinema, for me it’s a sad but true fact that Ho’s dubbed and edited versions of these Korean kung-fu flicks are often the only way to see them (although hats off the the Korean Film Archive that’s shown a few of them in their original language on their youtube channel over the years). Even though they’re usually far away from their original versions, I take some small solace in the fact that the vast majority (we won’t talk about ‘Ninja Terminator’) of the Korean ‘fu flicks that Ho and Tomas Tang picked up at least didn’t suffer from the randomly inserted gweilo ninja footage.
“This brings us to The Dynamite Shaolin Heroes, a relatively early Godfrey Ho production released in 1977, pre-dating the ninja craze that he would later capitalize on.”
This one’s original title is ‘Master Mok-ryun’ – here’s the link to its entry over at the kmdb.
“The opening titles credit “Walter Lee” as the director; this is the Americanized name of Korean filmmaker Lee Hyeok-Su, who filmed mostly everything before Ho got ahold of the project.”
Hyeok-su would also direct 1981’s ‘Buddhist Fist and Tiger Claws’, which offers up the rare opportunity to witness Han Yong-cheol and Hawng Jang Lee facing off against each other!
“The most recognizable cast member is the legendary Lo Lieh, who plays a morally flawed martial artist attempting to steal the daughter from the son-in-law.”
Lo Lieh showed up in a hat trick of Korean productions during ’76 and ’77, the other 2 being the Bobby Kim flicks ‘The Deadly Kick’ and ‘International Police’.
This was my first true brush with Korean martial arts flicks from this period, so it was a treat to see something a little different. I’ll have to check out Buddhist Fist and Tiger Claws and those Bobby Kim films.