Opium and Kung Fu Master [DVD]

Love this movie. Back cover says it's in English. It is not. Only English subtitles. Really disappointed about that. Want to exchange for the Chinatown Kid.

In the description it says the language is English but it is not. Be aware if the dub is what you are looking for. This is NOT it.

What do you get when you combine a social commentary on the danger of drug addiction + a brave student fighting that danger + a revered teacher hooked on that danger + a competent villain perpetuating that danger + top-tier martial arts? You get an arresting film that's relevant to this day.

Finally, a Chinese kung-fu movie that is a fable, lessons to be learned about drug addictions (opium in this case) based on a period in China when opium addiction was wide spread that brought about the Opium War in the 1800s. However, China lost that war against westerners, which resulted in foreign occupations of Chinese cities after the war that included Hong Kong, so it's nice to see that this movie is in Cantonese with English subtitles.In this particular town, there is a kung-fu master who is new and has helped driven out bandits and other bad guys. Opium became a new pass time, and rich folks smoke them at home, while poor folks smoked them in opium dens, which are historical facts. Westerners brought opium to China in large quantities while taking spices and financial gains after doping the Chinese. At first the Chinese had no idea that opium was an addictive substance until many families were destroyed from financial ruins after the Chinese were hooked and were willing to pay any amount of money to continue their addiction. Rich folks became poor, poor folks committed suicides, etc. It was so out of control that the Chinese government deemed this to be a manipulation by western foreign interference of the Chinese culture and family structure that they declared war on imports of opium by western countries. At the thought of huge revenue lost if the imports stopped, the British and other western nations sent ships to Chinese ports. The emperor's army and weak navy were no match against the guns and cannons of the British navy. Opium continued to flow into China and the Chinese always hated those who made loads of money off of a destructive import. This is no different than the Colombian drug cartels importing cocaine into the U.S., but imagine if they had the backing of the Colombian government, which then sends their Navy into the U.S. and wins. That's what it was like during this time in China.So, this movie is based on that period of China when the Chinese were ruined by opium. Most people could not stop their addiction and there were no drug addiction clinics. The only way they knew how to stop opium addiction was by locking individuals in rooms or tied them up in beds. They had to be isolated for a few days or weeks until they overcame the addiction cold turkey. The opium addiction caused people to lose jobs, their mental health and families, and in this movie, their kung-fu skills/strength. The master himself was being taught by his own student that he needed to admit to his addiction and stop ruining his life and the lives of others who count on him. Though the kung-fu weapon fights were well choreographed, you have to like the plot to like the movie as it's not the old good vs. bad kung-fu movies. This story has a bit of humor, a bit of romance/flirtation, a bit of Chinese family and community culture, and a bit of just the good vs. bad, a bit of right and wrong, and most of all a bit of what life was like when opium was brought to China. Great fable based on a real period in China.

its not in English if you know the languages it is absolutely wonderful I wish I could share it with others but I can not find an English version of thisand thers no subtitles so its my own little secret language skills

Slow plot, difficult to understand. The action parts were all right.

Deadly kung fu skill and a reverberating moral message combine to make this a must see masterpiece! Break out your favorite comfort food and settle in for an entertaining uplifting kick azz flick! 5 stars all day!

Good movie & plot

Very good for the time it was mad.

This is a Classic and has great Martial Art fight Sequences and the story line rings true to what really happened in China back in a day,All in all a good Movie.

Great Shaw bros Film released by a great company! It combined great fighting sequences with the tale of how opium ruined china. Can the hero kick the habit? Will he bring those who use the drugs to exploit the people (including himself) to justice? Find out!

I just love Ti Lung. I think he is one of the best kung fu fighters. Good movie with a good plot, theme, whatever. Tells about the evils of opium addiction and how it can take you down just like any other illegal drug can.

Grest kung fu action in this movie.

Outstanding movie I have ever seen. It's a must see. One master had to overcome his greatest habit opium. He must get off of it to kill his slain student enemies.

This movie had a lot going for it, but got so tedious that I bailed on it half-way through. Picture and sound quality of this version is excellent. Good/skilled stars, and what appears to be an interesting concept (good guy character gets slowly hooked on drugs after the movie starts). A couple neat scenes, but they can't save the film in the end.Although I own about 25 Shaw Bros, I only consider a handful to be "bad", and this one the only I could not finish despite how much I anticipated getting it. For completists only, and if you can pick it up cheap (I unfortunately did not). If you are just starting your collection, there are many better ones to start with.

A must have to complete any Shaw Bros. Collection and a hard find at that. Celestial Pictures did a fantastic job with the film transfer as well. Worth every penny!

Ti Lung and Chen Kuan Tai star in this movie about the opium problem in China during the 1800's. The choreography and fight sequences were good as well as the storyline.

IF YOU ARE 55 AND OLDER AND LOVE THE OLD SCHOOL KUNG FU MOVIES,THIS IS AS GOOD AS IT GETS.LUNG TI CREATED A NAME AS ONE LEADING EXPONENT OF THE SHAW BROTHERS STABLE OF TALENTED ACTORS.IN THIS CLASSIC HE IS A WELL ESTABISHED INSTRUCTOR WITH A REPUTATION OF HAVING AN INVINCIBLE POLE TECHNIQUE.HE IS WELL LOVED AND RESPECTED AND STANDS FOR VIRTUE AND GOODNESS,YET HE SUCUMS TO TEMPTATION WHEN AN OLD FRIEND INTRODUCES HIM TO THE USE OF SMOKING OPIUM,BEING A MASTER HE TRULY BELIEVES IT WONT AFFECT HIM LIKE IT DOES TO ALL WHO USE IT AND THAT HE CAN QUIT THE USE WHEN EVER HE WANTS.HE TRIES TO ACT NORMAL AND HIDE THE FACT THAT HE IS SLOWLY BECOMING AN OPIUM ADICT HIS STUDENTS START TO NOTICE AND TRY TO WARN HIM HE WILL NOT HAVE A STUDENT PASS JUDGEMENT OVER HIM BECAUSE HE IS IN DENIEL BUT ITS NOT TILL THE GREEDY ELDORS OF THE VILLAGE START BACKING A MALLICIOUS GANG OF GAMBLERS. THAT END UP KILLING ONE OF HIS BEST STUDENT THAT STANDS UP TO THE GANG,WHEN THE MASTER FINDS OUT HE TRIES TO MAKE THINGS RIGHT CHALLENGING THE LEADERS AND THE ELDERS WHO IN THIS TOWN ARE NOW SPLIT IN TWO AND THE GOOD TOWN PEOPLE ONLY HAVE THE MASTER STANDING INBETWEEN TOTAL CORRUPTION OF THE TOWN.TI LUNG DOES NOT REALIZE HIS MASTERY OF THE MARTIAL ARTS IS AFFECTED UNTIL HE ENGAGES IN ONE TO ONE DUEL WITH A TWO SPEAR SPECIALST ASSASIN HIRED TO CONFRONT HIM.THE DUAL IS GOING LUNG TI WAYS UNTIL HIS STAMINA STARTS WARERING DOWN DUE TO THE INACTIVITY OF NOT TRAINING BECAUSE OF HIS OPIUM ADDICTION.ALTHOUGH TECHNICALLY HE DID NOT LOOSE THE FIGHT THE OTHER MASTER HUMILIATES HIM IN PUBLIC BY SAYING HE WONT FIGHTING IN THESE CONDITIONS SO HE WILL NOT LEAVE DOUBGHT THAT HES THE BETTER MASTER AND THAT LUNG TI MUST BOW DOWN AND ADMIT IT.THE RESULT IS LUNG TI LEAVES TARNISHED AND HUMILIATED,BUT NOT FOR LONG HE GOES INTO ISOLATION TO BRAKE THE OPIUM HABIT WITH THE HELP OF HIS BELOVED STUDENTS WHO STAND BY HIM NO MATER WHAT THEN HE SERIOUS TRAINING PAYS OFF, AT THE END HE CHALLENGES THEM AGAIN THE FINAL BATTLE IS EPIC AND ONE OF THE BEST EVER.IN THIS MOVIE HE IS A MASTER INSTRUCTOR (A ROLE HE PLAYED ON MANY MOVIES) SPECIALICES IN POLE TECHNIQUE .THE FIGHTS ARE EPICTHE ENDING FIGHT IS AWESOME.A MUST SEE AND HAVE FOR SERIOUS FU NUTS LIKE MY SELF. ENJOY

For a Ti Lung Shaw brother movie that I have never seen before it was pretty good. The transfer does have a few grain issues but overall it looks really good.To me this was just not one of the better of the Shaw Brothers movies.It deals with the Opium issues that China went thru during the western invasion. However, I just did not feel for the characters. I also thought there was not enough KF action.Ti Lung always gives a good performance, however, this is not one of his better movies.

If you are looking for a lot of martial arts action that is well choreographed, it's worth spending the money to get this relatively inexpensive blu ray. I'd never heard of this movie until I read the review on bluray.com and since the price was so reasonable on Amazon, I decided to buy it.The plot is predictable and laughingly melodramatic - my wife and I sat there cracking up at the cheesy acting - but the fight scenes are very well executed. And there are plenty of fight scenes, starting up at the slightest provocation.The picture quality in blu ray is excellent, especially considering the age of the movie. Sound quality is okay, about as good as you can expect. The sound effects of things like swords clinking against each other are pretty repetitive, just the same effect used over and over no matter what part of the swords hit each other.If you want a good martial arts action flick and aren't looking for something deep, plus you want good picture quality, this movie would be a good choice.