7 Grandmasters [VHS] [1978]

A masterpiece of kung fu filmmaking!!!

There are well over a dozen superb fight scenes. The camerawork is very good although the subtitling is poor and you might not realize when you are watching flashbacks the first time you see it. But by your 2nd or 3rd viewing you will know what is going on. An excellent story, with several twists and superb fight scenes by excellent martial artists makes this one of the best Kung Fu movies of all time. Its made in Taiwan on a low budget, so no cheesy special effects with wires like those Zu Mountain type rubbish...

The emperor of China has sent an award of the Best Kung Fu Man in China to a Pak Mei Master. As the ceremony begins, a letter is delivered, saying that "...he should prove that he and his Pak Mei Kung Fu is the best by challenging the top 7 grandmasters around China." So he stops the ceremony and travels around china with his daughter and 3 students to do just that!

Along the way he acquires a new student. So you get to see him being trained. He uses his Pak Mei to defeat many masters throughout China on this 2 year journey. If you love kung fu films, YOU HAVE to buy this.

This is a must have video. The intense Kung Fu action will not dissapoint!!

Don't expect Dolby Surround sound support, Widescreen or special effects here but what Martial Arts enthusiasts will experince is a well directed low budget and humourous Kung Fu flick with plentiful amounts of Fighting focusing on the Pak Mei style. Where some films of this nature can focus too highly on a boring storyline, 7 Grandmasters provides a welcomed unbalance with action outweighing the story, not by a drastic margin but let's just say you won't be heading for the stop button in a hurry. Surprisingly the storyline is quite interesting and although the subtitles are quite poor you will get the gist of it eventually and come to realise that what's going on does make sense and isn't just there as a glue between the action sequences.

If you like your Kung Fu then this movie is unmissable, although I wouldn't try and recreate some of the moves seen - you could end up with either burns on your bottom or a few bruses to the head, neck, chest, legs and private parts. Buy it and you'll find out what I mean! Also, watch the movie in the dark with a few mates..., it makes all the difference! Honest.