A young Chinese immigrant named Joe arrives in the United States in 1882 to look for work. At every turn he is confronted by racial bigotry which forces him to use his superior karate skills to teach a group of bitter cowboys a lesson. Joe eventually finds work at the ranch of sadistic land baron Spencer, who has enslaved the local Mexican population. After seeing Spencer's men ruthlessly murder a large group of Mexicans, Joe goes on the run. His ordeal is far from over however as Spencer sends four of the most dangerous killers in the territory after him...
Made at a time when uber-violent Kung Fu films were box office draw, Mario Caiano's brutal chop socky pastafest is rich on the sauce and high on the sleaze. The unknown Chen Lee(no relation of Bruce)is our hero taking the fight to the evil slave traders. The Fighting Fists of Shanghai Joe is really just a cash in as well as an attempt to revive the dying Italo western. Alas it may not have been fresh enough, but that doesn't mean that there isn't fun to be had here. Eyeballs are viciously torn from skulls, hands are gorily chopped off and lots of racist thugs get beaten up in superb fashion, so what's not to like?. Said effects do look cheap, but the Kung Fu fights are brilliantly choreographed, particularly the melee in the saloon. The movie starts off routine but gets more exciting in the second half. The climatic fight sees Joe facing off against a fellow Kung Fu student which is a welcome departure from your usual wild west showdown. There's also some cool slow motion to jazz the film up. Bruno Nicoli delivers what is in my opinion one of his best scores, in fact the main theme is reused from 1970s Have A Good Funeral, My Friend...Sartana Will Pay. I don't know how proficient Chen Lee was in karate but the way in which he executed himself during the fight sequences was highly impressive. Gordon Mitchell and a creepy Klaus Kinski were terrific as hired killers Burying Sam and Scalper Jack respectively. Piero Lulli also made for a charismatic villain.
Enjoyable east-meets-west fare that will pass the time of day. 8/10
Made at a time when uber-violent Kung Fu films were box office draw, Mario Caiano's brutal chop socky pastafest is rich on the sauce and high on the sleaze. The unknown Chen Lee(no relation of Bruce)is our hero taking the fight to the evil slave traders. The Fighting Fists of Shanghai Joe is really just a cash in as well as an attempt to revive the dying Italo western. Alas it may not have been fresh enough, but that doesn't mean that there isn't fun to be had here. Eyeballs are viciously torn from skulls, hands are gorily chopped off and lots of racist thugs get beaten up in superb fashion, so what's not to like?. Said effects do look cheap, but the Kung Fu fights are brilliantly choreographed, particularly the melee in the saloon. The movie starts off routine but gets more exciting in the second half. The climatic fight sees Joe facing off against a fellow Kung Fu student which is a welcome departure from your usual wild west showdown. There's also some cool slow motion to jazz the film up. Bruno Nicoli delivers what is in my opinion one of his best scores, in fact the main theme is reused from 1970s Have A Good Funeral, My Friend...Sartana Will Pay. I don't know how proficient Chen Lee was in karate but the way in which he executed himself during the fight sequences was highly impressive. Gordon Mitchell and a creepy Klaus Kinski were terrific as hired killers Burying Sam and Scalper Jack respectively. Piero Lulli also made for a charismatic villain.
Enjoyable east-meets-west fare that will pass the time of day. 8/10