Film

Executioners from Shaolin

Name: Executioners from Shaolin
Genre: Action, Drama, Romance, Comedy
Released: 1977
Cast: Lo Lieh, Lee Hoi-Sang, Chen Kuan-Tai, Cheng Kang-Yeh, Gordon Liu

Martial arts action

A 1977 Shaw Brothers masterpiece where a Shaolin survivor trains obsessively in Tiger style to avenge his slain teacher, while his Crane-specialist wife suspects he's missing something crucial. It's a propulsive revenge narrative that uses martial arts philosophy as genuine character drama—acrobatic, brutal, and surprisingly tender about partnership and sacrifice.

TMDb rating

3.4

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you enjoy 1970s Hong Kong kung fu where the training is as absorbing as the brawls, and where a revenge plot is happy to be playful and a little romantic along the way.

Skip it if you want a tight, fast revenge thriller, since this one wanders into comic side business and lets its slower passages drag between bouts.

What it asks of you: Expect a patient build across its hundred minutes, with the mood swinging between earnest and goofy, so settle in rather than skim.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

The 36th Chamber of Shaolin1978

Gordon Liu's iconic origin story of a student infiltrating the temple to learn fighting techniques. It's the essential Shaolin film—methodical, inventive, and deeply satisfying in its escalation from student to master.

But The training sequences are long and repetitive by design; if you want constant action, the middle hour moves at meditation pace rather than combat pace.

Duel to the Death1983

A visually audacious samurai-versus-kung-fu showdown that treats two fighting styles with equal reverence. The final battle is legitimately transcendent, mixing practical stunts with painterly framing that feels almost balletic.

But The plot is essentially an excuse strung between set pieces. If you need character development or emotional stakes, you'll find them thin.

The Killer1989

John Woo's Hong Kong noir about a hitman bound by honor and guilt. Every action sequence is a conversation; the violence is beautiful and it breaks your heart. Essential cinema that proved action films could be art.

But It's slower and more meditative than the title suggests—long stretches of quiet dialogue. The 1989 Hong Kong sensibility may feel dated to some.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Executioners from Shaolin

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Blow Out1981

Both films center on a protagonist whose specialized mastery becomes a trap—they've perfected their art, but it doesn't save them. Both explore whether one discipline, however perfect, can solve a problem that requires compromise or collaboration.

Brian De Palma's thriller about a sound engineer who records evidence of political conspiracy. It's obsessive, propulsive, and technically dazzling. The hero's skill is both his gift and his curse—he sees too much, knows too much, can't unsee. Completely different genre, same moral structure: a specialist must decide if mastery is enough.

But It's glacially paced thriller plotting, not action cinema. If you want martial arts or clear payoff, this is patient 70s paranoia cinema instead.

Come Drink with Me1966

King Hu's wuxia landmark. A masterwork of spatial choreography, mood, and visual storytelling. The action is poetry; every frame is composed like a painting. This is where modern martial arts cinema learned to think.

But It's in black and white and deliberately paced. If you're used to frenetic cutting, the deliberation can feel glacial on first viewing.

The Prodigal Son1981

Sammo Hung's autobiographical tale of a cocky fighter humbled and rebuilt by an unlikely mentor. It's funny, moving, and contains some of the most intricate hand-to-hand choreography ever filmed. Pure craft.

But The tone whipsaws between slapstick comedy and genuine violence in ways that can feel jarring. Some sequences feel more like variety show than drama.

Ninja Scroll1993

An animated action film that captures the anarchic energy and practical stunts of live-action Shaw Brothers. Gorgeously grotesque and unafraid to let gore and humor coexist. A hidden gem that respects its own world.

But It's aggressively 1990s in its aesthetic—the character designs and soundtrack feel dated. The sexual assault subplot exists and is uncomfortable.

The Heroic Trio1993

Three superpowered women navigate a dystopian Hong Kong with style and wit. Action-comedy that treats its female leads as complete people, not decorations. Wildly imaginative and genuinely funny.

But The plot is deliberately silly and never coheres; some viewers will find the tone too campy, others the action too scattered.

Police Story1985

Jackie Chan's masterpiece of practical stunt work and innovative choreography. He fights through glass, on moving buses, in department stores. The action is comedy and the comedy is action. Pure filmmaking joy.

But The plot is generic cop-drama boilerplate. The dubbing (even in better versions) can pull you out, and Chan's comedic timing is very specific—not everyone finds it funny.

Fist of Fury1972

Bruce Lee's most personal film: a Chinese martial artist avenging his teacher in occupied Shanghai. Direct, furious, and deeply political beneath the fights. It's about dignity as much as technique.

But It's barely ninety minutes and feels incomplete—Lee was planning a sequel when he died. The film has a rough, unfinished quality some find frustrating.

Sword of the Stranger2007

Both are meditations on how single combat styles—pursued to perfection—crash against the reality of human connection. Both end with the realization that technique alone cannot answer the deepest question.

A Japanese anime film about a wanderer and orphan pursued by a mysterious swordsman. Exquisite hand-drawn animation of combat, philosophical about violence and training, emotionally devastating. The final duel rivals any live-action film for pure craft and consequence.

But It's anime, so some dismiss it preemptively. The pacing is deliberately slow and reflective; the payoff comes late. It asks patience for contemplation, not adrenaline.

Satantango1994

Like Executioners, it's about a devotion that consumes someone—here, faith replacing action. Both films ask whether single-minded pursuit of an ideal—mastery, belief, revenge—can lead anywhere but spiritual emptiness. Both are griefs masquerading as journeys.

Béla Tarr's seven-hour Hungarian masterpiece about a community that believed a man dead, who returns. It's desolation and hope in extreme slow cinema. Grainy black-and-white, minimal dialogue, long takes that make you see differently. A film about the cost of devotion and waiting. It will stay with you.

But Seven hours. Monochromatic. Almost no action. Long static shots of rain and mud. If you need plot momentum or entertainment velocity, this will destroy you with boredom. It is not for casual viewing.