Kung Fu Theater: Two Champions of Shaolin (Aka – Two Champions of Death) Review (1978)

Posted by The Marksman at 29 June, at 07 : 31 AM Print

The movie starts out with Chi-San telling Tung Chien-Chen that he has taught him all he can, and that he is ready to leave the Shaolin temple. He gives him one warning that he must avoid getting into fights, but Chien-Chen tells him he must avenge his families death, his master tells him he must wait on the correct time to go after the Manchu’s. Master Chi-San then asks him to leave along with several other students, and ask him to find Wei-chen, and for them to gather with the other leaving students and do nothing rash.

Wei-chen killed two Manchu teachers, and the Manchu are waiting for an opportunity to get their revenge. The Master of the Wu-Tang feels that Chi-San and the Shaolin are stupid for trying to cross the chings, and feel that Wu-tang should show loyalty to the Chings against the Shaolin. Wu-tang dispatches three teams to go and fight Shaolin men in Canton among other places in order to show Wu-Tang’s strength and loyalty.

The first team runs into Tung Chien-Chen and they attempt to ambush him, but he smells the trap and then goes through an impressive display of strength by carrying two hug jars filled with water and moving them with ease. A fight ensues and the Wu-Tang team injures Tung Chien-Chen, but he gets away and falls into a house where the family living there takes him in. He finds that the people that took him in are a brother and sister who are familiar with the throwing knives technique and how to counter it, as the Wu-Tang warrior he fought specializes in it.

They teach him how to counter the throwing knives technique, and Tung Chien-Chen leaves to go find the knife throwing Wu-Tang Fighter. He goes back to the place they fought before, but the fighter is not there. Then a big commotion happens as Hu Wei-Chen is coming into town, which has all of the restaurant patrons starting to flee. Hu Wei-Chen turns out to be the other Shaolin fighter that Chi-San asked Tung Chien-Chen to meet up with, so they head back to the house where the brother and sister live. The Wu-Tang knife fighter sees them leaving and throws a knife, Tung Chien-Chen catches the knife and keeps it, the fighter gives chase and when they get to the house he is challenged by Tung Chien-Chen. He is quickly beaten by Tung Chien-Chen who then allows the cronies he brought with him to take the body back to Wu-Tang with a message for them to check their skill before challenging Shaolin.

Two Wu-Tang fighters put up a poster challenging the two Shaolin fighters to a fight, and they have to come to the Wu-Tang rather than fighting on the Shaolins turf. Tung Chien-Chen is up first and he makes quick work of the first Wu-Tang fighter knocking him on his ass, and making him walk away from the fight and quit. As the second Qu-Tang fighter jumps into the fight, Hu wi-Chen jumps in and he takes him on; which was not a good idea for the Wu-Tang fighter. He battles with Hu Wei-Chen who ends up ripping his manhood off and killing him, just as the first Wu-Tang fighter comes back with reinforcements. The brother and sister show up and stop the fight because Shaolin won fair and square, and the poster said man on man, they left with the Shaolin fighters.

The Wu-tang upset with the fact that the brother and sister taught the Shaolin how to counter knives hatch a plan to murder the sister, who happens to be marrying Tung Chien-Chen. The Wu-Tang raid the wedding and end up kidnapping Tung Chien-Chen, along with murdering the brother and the sister in a classic Shaw Brothers brawl. They end up kidnapping Tung Chien-Chen while Hu Wei-Chen is sleeping off his hangover in the store room.

The Manchu’s attack the Shaolin stronghold, and several Shaolin experts meet up with Hu Wei-Chen in order to regroup. They Wu-Tang hold off killing Tung Chien-Chen until they receive word from their higher leaders. In the meantime a Wu-Tang style fighter named Wei Sing Hung shows up at the Shaolin base, and asks to speak to Hu Wei Chen alone. Wei Sing opposes the Manchu government, and does not want to be a part of the Wu-Tang although he was raised in it, he promises to help Tung Chien-Chen escape.

Wei Sing helps Tung escape from his Wu-Tang captors, and he returns back to the Shaolin base where Hu is waiting. The Wu-Tang discover Tun has escaped, and Wei Sing indicates that it must have been Shaolin men. As Tung is paying his respects he runs into the Wu-Tang fighters Kao and the monkey style brothers. Kao invites them to feast with him as he gives them food and drink, Hu Wei was warned about Kao, so it seems he is playing the dumb role.

One of the females discovers that Wei Sing freed Tung Chien-Chen, but she says she will not report him. Kao heads back to the Shaolin base bearing food and gifts, and tells them he appreciated their company. Kao has all of the Shaolin fooled, and he goes back to the Wu-Tang and hatches a plan on how to wipe out the Shaolin once and for all. Kao leaves with Tung planning to kill him, Wei Sing goes to warn Hu Wei and they leave to catch up with Tung and Kao.

Kao stabs Tung in the back at a pressure point to immobilize him as he attempted to show him how strong he was by uprooting a tree, and they are laying a trap for Hu Wei. Hu Wei shows up, and Wei Sing reveals his betrayal to Kao as he tries to take the needles out of Tung Chien-Chen’s back during the fight with a magnet. Kao attempts to finish off Tung, but the other Shaolin get in his way as Hu Wei takes on all three Yun brothers and their monkey style Kung Fu.

Wei Sing removes the needles from Tungs back and Tung proceeds to start fighting Kao while; Wei Sing fights the Wu Tang leader who raised him. Wei Sing defeats the Wu Tang leader, but spares him and starts to walk away. The Wu Tang leader annoyed with Wei Sings betrayal to the clan goes to stab him, Hu Wei warns Wei Sing who turns and stabs the Wu Tang leader with his sword killing him. The female assassin who killed Tung’s wife shows up and asks Wei Sing why he betrayed the clan and murdered her uncle, Wei Sing has a soft spot for her as they have flirted several times in the past. Unfortunately Wei feels guilty and conflicted, so he stabs himself with his sword ending his misery.

Hu Wei was injured when he warned Wei Sing, but he dispatches the Yun brothers after a lengthy excited battle. He is bleeding all over the place and he joins Tung in fighting Kao who have fought fairly even at this point, but Kao mortally injures Hu Wei and he stabs Tung with his spiked staff as well. Hu lays on the ground bleeding, but grabs the legs of of Kao and holds him in place while Tung basically snaps Kao in half with his tremendous strength. Hu Wei and Tung lay on the ground laughing then both die from their wounds, there are bodies laying everywhere. But two Shaolin fighters survive and leave the area in order to fight against the ching another day.

This movie was very good and enjoyable, a great installment in the Shaw Brothers line of movies. The fighting scenes were good, and you would expect no less from the Venoms. With it being the Venoms the characters were all likeable and well developed, that includes the villains in the movie as well. The DVD quality was actually good, and the sound and dubbing were not too bad as well. The choreography is not the best I have seen, but above average for movies of this type and you will enjoy the fight sequences. I would recommend this movie.