Shaolin Deadly Kicks (1977)

A sacred treasure map is stolen by a group of thieves. They go underground and split the map into eight pieces between them all, agreeing to reconvene in three years and only then will they collectively seek out the treasure. Unfortunately for them, a kung fu fighting policemen pursues them and takes them out one by one.Shaolin Deadly Kicks is a fairly typical Hong Kong action flick from back in the day. I quite liked the simple plot-line that set up a neat excuse for several martial arts encounters. Like most films of this type, the action scenes are pretty well delivered but it all gets a little monotonous after a while and by the end I was actively tired of it. There are some good things to be found here admittedly but it's ultimately one mainly for martial art nuts I reckon.

When passing judgement on a movie (and let's not kid ourselves here: that's exactly what these comments are- judgements), it's vital that we factor in all the pertinent information. Like GENRE. There are givens in "kung fu movies." Story, for instance, isn't much of a consideration. Nor should it be: we don't line up to see these movies to be blown away by plot twists or long-winded monologues about the ethereal. We go see these movies to see Chinese gung fu (or, in this particular case, tae kwon do). The more, the better. And logic rarely rears its ugly head. Nor should it. SHAOLIN DEADLY KICKS features some spectacular kicking by Tao-Liang Tan. His left leg- like that of former full contact middleweight champion Bill Wallace- snaps back and forth like a striking snake, seemingly effortlessly. This makes for some great fight scenes. Tan also happens to be a pretty good actor (something that never hurts). Tired of WALKER, Texas RANGER? Check out SHAOLIN DEADLY KICKS. It kicks a whole lotta a**.

Shaolin Deadly Kicks offers a spaghetti western plot nicely adapted to the Martial Arts genre and a lot of well-choreographed and nicely filmed high-kicking action.A group of hardened criminals have stolen a treasure map in a widely publicized attack on a temple. To prevent their capture, they divide the map into eight pieces and agree to regroup in three years to locate the treasure. However, before they can do this, Tao-liang Tan shows up with other plans. This young man begins methodically taking out each member of the gang, until he meets his own weakness - which ironically turns out to be the Achilles heal of the gang-leader as well.Despite some of the opinions expressed here on IMDb, Shaolin Deadly Kicks' plot is actually quite strong for the genre. Unlike many martial arts films, SDK does not wander aimlessly and none of the scenes come across as simple excuses for violence. The voice-talent is typically mediocre, but the physical acting and evocation of the pan-southeast Asian cast compensates for it.Loke many non-American martial arts films, Shaolin Deadly Kicks has a fantastic/folkloric feel. Though it may not appeal to the standard American audience, it will certainly satisfy the martial arts film enthusiast.

This was the first movie I watched out a recent purchase, the "Martial Arts Classics" 50 movie DVD collection. It was almost exactly what I was hoping for: a pure recreation of the "Kung Fu Theater" experience...with all that implies about the pros and cons of the form. First of all, the hero actually had some acting talent and charisma. He was capable of conveying fairly complex emotions (for an old school Kung fu flick) and he had that all important ability to let you see what the character is thinking. So many actors just try to radiate an attitude and think their work is done...but this guy was able to "be in the moment" in the non-action scenes. Second, the fight choreography was pretty good. Everyone jumped and kicked and punched with admirable energy and conviction, and the so called "Deadly Kicks" were quite impressive. You could actually sort of believe that a person who could kick that fast and accurately might actually be able to fight that way (it worked for Bill Wallace, after all). The fight choreographers used the "Flash legs" gimmick a lot, but they didn't over use it to the point of laugh- ability or boredom, and the hero had to work hard to win his fights - he even lost a couple! The dubbing was average for a movie of this sort, but it didn't actively suck so much as to detract from the movie. I've heard a lot worse. The weakest part was the story arc. It just sort of seemed to lose focus as the hero's quest to retrieve eight parts of a stolen map from the eight outlaws who took it progressed...although there was an enjoyable complication about 2/3rd of the way through where the hero is nursed back to health by the (adopted?) daughter of one of the thieves.A lot of the character's action and decisions made very little sense (at least to my modern American sensibility) and the final climactic scene just stops short, like a Roadrunner cartoon instead of a movie, as if the director just ran out of money or time, or both. Still, there was a lot to like about "Deadly Kicks Of Shaolin" and I'm glad it was included in this pack so I got to watch it.