Reviewed by: Chungking_Cash Date: 04/10/2007 Aimless and virtually plotless gung fu flick with a memorable ensemble cast (Ti Lung, Alexander Fu Sheng, Sun Chien, Lu Feng, Philip Kwok, Chiang Sheng, Lo Meng, Yuen Hung, Wai Pak, and Dick Wei) that thankfully deliver the goods saving this over hyped Shaw Brothers "classic." Reviewer Score: 7

Reviewed by: Gaijin84 Date: 12/10/2006 Summary: Tons of talent but average results... Ten Tigers of Kawntung is a star-studded martial arts drama about the forming of the historical group of rebels during the Ching (Qing) dynasty. The movie starts with the son of a murdered general seeking revenge on the offspring and disciples of the Ten Tigers, but shifts with flashbacks to the story of how the group came together. When a rebel leader (Ku Feng) is pursued in the Kwantung province, a local pawnshop owner (Ti Lung) and his friend Tam Ming (Alexander Fu Sheng) decide to shelter him, but soon realize that they need to recruit other martial arts masters to their cause. Soon there are six in the group, but a rival pawn shop owner senses something fishy is going on and goes to the authorities. He also hires four masters who have arrived in town, including the famous Beggar Su (Phillip Kwok), and convinces them that the six are criminals that have to be brought to justice. Eventually the four learn of the deceit and join with the six, creating the Ten Tigers. Flashing back to the present, the son of the murdered Ching general (Chan Shu-Kei) and a Ching officer (Wong Lik) are still in pursuit of the ten and decide to kill their relatives, drawing the ten into the open. As expected, a Chang Cheh bloodfest ensues. If it weren't for the cast and the director, this would probably be another run-of-the-mill revenge-oriented kung fu flick. However, because of the wealth of talent on screen, the film gets raised to a slightly higher level. The five venoms are together again and all are fun to watch as usual. The ten tigers themselves are a who's who in 70s Shaw Brothers stable, including Ti Lung, Lo Meng, Lu Feng, Chiang Sheng and Sun Chien. The fight choreography is a bit weak, with some slow and calculated looking moves, but there are a couple of real winners, including the battle between Wong Lik and Siao Yuk in which Siao uses everything in a restaurant to defend himself against Wong and a bevy of exotic weapons, including a 7-ring whip and a sword belt. There is also the strangest weapon I've ever seen used in a movie when Johnny Wang battles Ti Lung with what seems to be a gold mermaid statue. It's hard to even describe and has to be seen to be believed. The Chang Cheh brutality is also in full effect here with death by the most excruciating and bloody means, which always lends to the excitement. Overall though, the story is a bit muddled and the amount of characters starts to get confusing. This, along with some pretty shoddy set work lends to a feeling of cheapness to the film, which is a shame considering the talent involved. Recommended, but not whole heartedly. 7/10 Reviewer Score: 7

Reviewed by: MrBooth Date: 05/01/2006 Summary: 6/10 - disposable kung fu The main draw for TEN TIGERS OF KWANG TUNG is the cast, which brings together many of Chang Cheh's favourite martial artists from Ti Lung through to the Venoms, along with then-newcomers like Chin Siu-Ho and Siao Yuk. With such a lot of talent you can expect some good fights, though the choreography is not particularly imaginative or intricate compared to the work Lau Kar Leung or Sammo were doing at the time. What you shouldn't expect (and won't get) is good acting, high production values or a very satisfying story. The structure is weird, with a flashback taking up well over half the running time and introducing a new set of characters... such that you pretty much forget about those you saw at the start, until it cuts back to "present day" for the finale, which robs it of its dramatic impact because you stopped caring ages ago. Should probably have been two separate films! The film has that cheap feel that latter day Chang Cheh films tended to have (as he became more studio bound), and some of the film feels kind of sloppy, as if not too much time, money or effort was being spent on it. Worth a watch for the cast and the action, with a few great moments, but mostly it feels like a pretty disposable film from the Chang Cheh assembly line. Reviewer Score: 6

Reviewed by: Sydneyguy Date: 01/18/2006 Summary: Stars gallore There are many stars to watch out for here, and i think because there are 2 inter-twining stories, the movie should of been made a little longer, the one major issue i have with this movie is that there is only one main bad guy in the "past" story, i think u can guess what happens!! Nothing new here but the star power is the real reason you watch this movie Reviewer Score: 6

Reviewed by: pjshimmer Date: 08/31/2002 Summary: Not bad, but short One of the most famous Shaw Brothers movies, Ten Tigers of Kwantung certainly has a name in old school kung fu. It has virtually every one of Shaw's famed stars. One would indeed have to be crazy to not have great expectations for the movie. So how did it turn out? Not too good, but not too bad either. First, let's talk action. The veteran actors who play the first generation are going to get all the credits -- Fu Sheng, Ti Lung, the Venoms, Wang Lung Wei, et al. However, in my opinion, the glorious moments truly belong to the younger generation, who are cast by Lung Tien Hsiang, Chin Siu Ho, and some other unknowns. Add Wang Li to that list, have them go at eachother, and you have the best action sequences in the entire film. Wang Li is very much underrated, but luckily he does get a chance to show his incredible speedy skills. Ti Lung and Wang Lung Wei are a bit slow as usual. Fu Sheng is quite good, but Sun Chien is just not. His style is way too slow and soft, and he seems to be playing opera rather than fighting. Wei Pai, Dick Wei, and Ku Feng simply don't get to do much. Although slightly disappointing--it doesn't satisfy the expectation from such an all star cast--you will find plenty of good things in this movie. I enjoyed it more than I didn't. [7/10]

Reviewed by: kurama_tengu Date: 06/07/2002 Summary: Should Have Been a Classic..... "Ten Tigers of Kwantung" tells the story of the formation of the legendary group of rebels, the Ten Tigers. This movie contains an all-star cast of Shaw Brothers stars, similar to Cheh's "Shaolin Temple(1976)". Ti Lung, Fu Sheng, all five Venom actors, Wang Lung Wei and Wei Pei are among those most recognizable. Where Cheh errs in this film as opposed to "Shaolin Temple" is the cluttered storyline. The story is told in a series of flashbacks, from the beginning of the group's formation to after the group has become famous. In the latter instance, it appears Cheh was attempting to introduce another team of actors for future productions. These younger actors come complete with the terrible-looking Bruce Lee clone haircuts, which look out of place given the timeline. Most noticable of this group is Lung Tien Hsiang, the Spearman from "Flag of Iron". Here, his appearance can best be described as a "70's Elvis" look-alike, complete with the sideburns. The back and forths between timelines confuses the movie, and while I can see Cheh's purpose, it really deters from the end product. It would have been best to stick with the earlier timeline and the experienced crew. Fight-wise, there are many entertaining battles. With such a great cast, this is the least that should have been expected. Once again, the veterans shine here. The new crew just lacks a certain charisma needed to make their fights exciting to watch. Overall, "Ten Tigers of Kwantung" is a decent pic. Not one of Cheh's best, but not his worst either. The biggest disappointment is knowing that this could have been an all-time classic if given a better storyline, maybe by keeping the entire focus on one of the adventures the group encountered during the revolution. [7/10] Reviewer Score: 7

Reviewed by: Ryoga Date: 12/24/2001 I am so glad that I found this movie in Suncoast. All star cast with the Venoms, Ti Lung, Chin Siu Ho, Dick Wei and Fu Sheng! This is a Shaw Classic.

Reviewed by: rzach Date: 07/24/2001 Summary: A summary from the old class of the 70's It's 2001 and this is a 1979's movie. After so long, I am glad to have the opportunity to review for such a good movie. Again, this is a Ti Lung-Fhu Shen collaboration with a number of "heavy weight" such as the venoms, etc and indeed it creates a patriotic environment. I have seen this movie in 1979 (when I still a boy)and now I saw it again (with my children). I still miss this formula in which today's movie could not even reach 1 cm to create a memorable movie. You tell me that I am sentimentil. Not really, I am just miss a good happy time when every Saturday night we could see Ti Lung, Fhu Shen, etc in a cinema. Ti Lung played as a patriotic brother, while Fhu Shen like usual characterized as the naughty boy. Well, I am just waiting for another 10 years should there is a good movie like the 70s.