The Shaolin Kids (1975) User Reviews (6)

Not a barbie girl, still in a plastic world

[kosmasp · 6/10 · 3 September 2022]

No pun intended - and while there is a female in a bigger role in this, my summary line was not even remotely meant to "target" her. No this is about the weapons used in the movie. Which all clearly are not metal! And while you can't really tell maybe during the fights, you can tell when they just hold the "weapons". Yes the movie may look its best since it was released (or maybe even better than it did back then), but it also has the added "bonus" of showing us things like this.

That all aside, the fights are nice and are thrown every once in a while. This may have more story than most movies Joseph Kuo made. He still obviously likes to ... let's call it inspire himself by other movies and actors. But that's ok, when the end result works like a charme ... or something close to it.

The Shaolin Kids

[jddog130 · 6/10 · 13 April 2015]

The Shaolin Kids (aka The Shaolin Death Squad) 1977....

I'm surprised that the reviews aren't screwed up here. There are a few movies (as usual) that can be mixed up in the reviews.

Asian Cinema Guy and InjunNose have it right talking about henchmen taking "golden pills" and "an evil premier who wants to overthrow the ruler", but, james86 mentions Jet Li (which is hilarious) because this movie was made in 1977 and Jet's first movie (Shaolin Temple) was in 1982. James86 is talking about "Shaolin Temple 2: Kids from Shaolin" from 1984 (aka Kids from Shaolin) which indeed has Jet Li but shouldn't be reviewed here. Once again an easy mistake to be made.

There's another movie that I thought would be mistaken here called "Shaolin Death Squads" from 1976 starring Polly Kuan, Carter Wong, Lung Fei and Cliff Lok which could easily get screwed up unless you look at the directors. Both of these movies can be found with the title "Shaolin Death Squad".

This movie was enjoyable.... I give it a 6

Shaolin Kids

[BandSAboutMovies · 4/10 · 7 December 2021]

Lui is a powerful ex-minister who opposes the ambitious premier Hu Wei Yen. After Lui is assassinated, his daughter Lui Sin (Polly Shang Kwan) and an assorted group of those loyal to the emperor seek revenge and justice.

Also known as Shaolin Death Squad and Shaolin Posse - none of these titles are correct as there are no kids, a death squad or a posse - this Joseph Kuo-directed film is about revenge. As Lui dies, he demands that Lui Sin find revenge for him. Meanwhile, Hu Wei Yung has started expanding his empire by working with tha Japanese.

But Lui has something special beyond her martial arts skills. She has a series of battle orders and letters that prove that Hu Wei Yung has killed her father and been treasonous to the emperor.

Keep an eye out for Carter Wong - Thunder from Big Trouble in Little China - amongst the wuxia battles. It's not the best martial arts movie ever, but it does have a combattant so tough that he cuts his own arm off and goes right back into the fight.

Wild and wacky kung-fu flick...

[InjunNose · 5 January 2005]

Ah, those mid-'80s golden days of VHS rental...you could find all sorts of obscure films. Many of them are unavailable now, but thankfully "Shaolin Death Squad" has been released on DVD! Starring Polly Shang Kwan (Shang Kwan Ling Fung, the gorgeous female lead in King Hu's "Dragon Gate Inn"), Carter Wong, and Chang Yi, this is one of the nicer faux-Shaw Brothers productions. The costumes are gaudy, the weapons are exotic, and the action is irresistible! Particularly memorable are the villain's two henchmen, who have a seemingly endless supply of "golden pills"; when they are injured in battle, they simply pop one of these babies and it magically heals their wounds! This makes for one hell of a scene near the end of the film. The storyline of "Shaolin Death Squad" actually has nothing to do with the Shaolin Temple. Joseph Kuo had directed a long series of successful Shaolin-themed movies prior to this, so that's probably why they threw the magic word into the title.

The Man Who Would Be King...

[poe-48833 · 9/10 · 4 January 2016]

When a ruthless Premier writes a self-incriminating letter that ends up in the wrong hands (the delicate but deadly hands of the lovely Su Lin), he will stop at nothing to get it back. The Premier kidnaps Miss Lin's father and she risks everything to free him. She poses as a male guard to access the castle where he's being held (an improbable occurrence in many Martial Arts movies, where the female is just TOO CUTE to ever be mistaken for a man); aided by General Lu, they find and rescue the old man- but the good General is killed by "Earth and Sky," a pair of assassins who seem to draw their strength(s) from their namesakes. Meanwhile, the dastardly Premier lures the King to his hometown "to taste the sweet spring water." Shaolin warriors are recruited to try to stop the Premier... A nice costume drama, with some neat little (minor) twists at the end.

About the film

[james86 · 10/10 · 22 July 2000]

A great film with excellent comedy based about the conflict between the shaolin and wudong groups. jet li plays an excellent role, as usual, and goes brilliantly with the movie, the shaolin temple. 10/10 for me