# The essential Shaw Brothers martial arts films

Chang Cheh, King Hu, Chor Yuen, Lau Kar-leung: wuxia and kung fu classics from the Shaw Brothers golden age, compiled from Zhihu, KKNews and a Douban list.

- 31 votes · 14 items
- Oct 6, 2024 · jiaying_saucy
- https://even.best/en/l/4084/the-essential-shaw-brothers-martial-arts-films

## Top 10

1. **Five Deadly Venoms (1978)** (3 · ▲3 ▼0) — Five masked students of the Venom clan.
2. **Clans of Intrigue (1977)** (3 · ▲3 ▼0) — Chor Yuen's take on Gu Long's famous hero.
3. **The One-Armed Swordsman (1967)** (2 · ▲3 ▼1) — Directed by Chang Cheh, starring Jimmy Wang Yu: it redefined wuxia.
4. **The Flying Guillotine (1975)** (2 · ▲2 ▼0) — Emperor Yongzheng's assassination squad.
5. **The 36th Chamber of Shaolin (1978)** (1 · ▲2 ▼1) — Lau Kar-leung's kung fu classic starring Gordon Liu.
6. **Legendary Weapons of China (1982)** (1 · ▲2 ▼1) — Lau Kar-leung's catalogue of weapons.
7. **Come Drink with Me (1966)** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — Directed by King Hu, starring Cheng Pei-pei: the dawn of colour wuxia.
8. **King Boxer (1972)** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — The film that started the kung fu craze in the West.
9. **Executioners from Shaolin (1977)** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — The tale of a Shaolin hero.
10. **The Blood Brothers (1973)** (0 · ▲1 ▼1) — The peak of Chang Cheh's violent aesthetic.
11. **Killer Clans (1976)** (0 · ▲1 ▼1) — Chor Yuen's adaptation of a Gu Long novel.
12. **The Eight Diagram Pole Fighter (1984)** (0 · ▲1 ▼1) — The Yang clan's revenge: Lau Kar-leung's martial arts masterpiece.
13. **Golden Swallow (1968)** (0 · ▲1 ▼1) — Cheng Pei-pei's swordswoman sequel.
14. **The Magic Blade (1976)** (0 · ▲1 ▼1) — Another Gu Long adaptation by Chor Yuen.

How is this ranking ordered? By people's votes: each ▲ adds a point and each ▼ takes one away. Anyone can vote and add what is missing.