HERO FROM SHANGHAI is an efficient little kung fu movie with a Chinese-against-Japanese theme and a fine hero performance from the underrated Chen Kuan Tai, an actor who excelled during his roles for the Shaw Brothers studio and who continues to excel after them. The plot is pretty standard stuff, it has to be said, but there's a wealth of action throughout to keep it exciting and well-paced.
Essentially Kuan Tai works his way through a massive organisation of Japanese criminals in his bid to liberate Shanghai from their foreign oppressors. The action scenes are hard-hitting and fast-paced, culminating in a bloody brawl that deliberately harks back to the roles that made Kuan Tai's name with Shaw: namely BOXER FROM SHANTUNG and its follow-up, MAN OF IRON. Whichever title you see it under, HERO FROM SHANGHAI delivers.
Essentially Kuan Tai works his way through a massive organisation of Japanese criminals in his bid to liberate Shanghai from their foreign oppressors. The action scenes are hard-hitting and fast-paced, culminating in a bloody brawl that deliberately harks back to the roles that made Kuan Tai's name with Shaw: namely BOXER FROM SHANTUNG and its follow-up, MAN OF IRON. Whichever title you see it under, HERO FROM SHANGHAI delivers.
