english title | Legendary Weapons of China |
original title | 十八般武藝 |
aka | Legendary weapons of kung fu |
french title | Les 18 Armes Légendaires du Kung Fu |
year | 1982 |
country | Hong-Kong |
genres | comedy kung-fu |
duration | 1h42 |
production studio | Shaw Brothers 邵氏 |
This production is clearly the culmination of the visionary director's work, which used the theme of trying to defeat the gun years before Once Upon A Time In China. The innovative, ingenious film also features rarely seen Chinese magician-spies (who would inspire the Japanese ninja). But most importantly, it is a beautifully realized action comedy – showcasing international fan favorites Alexander Fu Sheng and Gordon Liu – which the groundbreaking book on the genre, Martial Arts Movies, called "the quintessential martial arts movie" and perhaps the greatest kung-fu movie ever made.