Boxer From Shantung

Boxer from Shantung - 1972

Yes, I know that Spring is over, but I had to get this last Shaw Brothers classic up on site; for one, it will round off the number of Shaw Films we have reviewed for our special up to a magical twelve.

Now for our twelfth film, I'm looking at one of the most influential films from the studio; it's also the basis for another review of a newly released film which is based on this very film.

1972 saw some of the best martial arts action grace the big screen; it was also the year Bruce Lee'sFist of Fury ( Chinese Connection in the USA) was released, which sent Bruce's fame into the stratosphere. But it was also the year another Shaw Classic came out, which originally kick-started the Kung Fu craze in the USA: that film was King Boxer ( Five Fingers of Death in the USA); it starred Lo Lieh, a well-established star at Shaw's and an expert Martial artist.

1972 also saw the release of ''Boxer from Shantung'', this film, directed by legendary film director Chang Cheh, starred David Chiang in a supporting role and Shaw's new leading man Chen Kuan Tai, as Ma Yongzhen.

Ma Yongzhen is a countryman who comes to Shanghai with his friend to find his fortune.

Versed in the Martial arts, he is quite tough and does not like bullies; he also has a calm demeanour about him, which might give the impression that he is a pushover.

Sleeping in a local Inn where all the new arrivals sleep, grabbing whatever piece of floor they can to get a roof over their head for the night.

By day, Ma and his friend Xaobing wash the carriages of a local gangster by the name of Tan -Si( David Chiang) , when Ma gets insulted by Tan -Si's men, he fights with them, much to the amusement of Tan -Si..

Tan-Sioffers Ma a dollar ( a weeks wages for Ma),it's all a ploy to get Ma to fight him , the men dual ,but part on good terms ,each withdrawing with a mutual respect for each other.

Later that day, Ma and his friend decide to go to the local tea house, "Pot of Spring." Now Tan -Si controls the area around the tea house and collects protection fees from the local businesses.

Now, when they arrive, they happen upon a brawl where rival gangsters are trying to take over the tea house area.

When a victim is killed and thrown, and lands on Ma, Ma decides to teach the attacker a lesson. What he doesn't know is that the man is one of the Four Champions, but Ma's strict training back home has set him in good stead, and he easily defeats the man, but not without alerting the man's brothers in crime.

Challenging the next two men who approach him, Ma becomes victorious, the Gang leaves, and Ma is thought of as the saviour of the tea house area.

Ching Li plays a local singer; she gives the impression that she feels Ma is a good man, but this all changes when Tan-Sig gives control of the area to Ma as he defended it so well.

Ma has stepped up the ladder, and his rags-to-riches story is about to get dangerous.

Of course, the men he fought, who were three of the four champions, want revenge; they work for Mr Chin, and they have other plans; they plan to steal the Opium trade Tan -Si has in the works and then deal with Ma.

Ma knows he can't make loads of money controlling the tea house area; also, he does not like the way the locals are pressured into paying money just to do business in the area by the men Tan -Si has assigned to Ma to help him.

Ma plans to take over the casino area, in particular the area run by Chang Chin Fa – Champion No. 2 ( Ku Feng). Ma goes it alone and challenges Chang for control of the area and battles Chang and his men single-handedly for most of the battle.

But once Ma's men turn up, it looks like Chang is set to be defeated, but when his brothers arrive, he's persuaded to give up and leave.

This is, of course, a ploy to give Ma a sense of false confidence. Mr Chin plans to get rid of Tan -Si and then rid Shanghai of Ma Yongzhen.

Of course, this is the film's build-up to the end confrontation between Ma and Mr Chin's gang.

Boxer from Shantung is one of those films that have eluded many for years, and when available outside of the East it's often of poor quality or savagely cut.

Of course, with the re-release of the film fully uncut on the Celestial Pictures Label back in 2003, it can now be purchased for those lucky enough to own a multi-region DVD player and access to import films.

This epic film is a great piece of entertainment that offers thought-provoking scenes and adrenaline-filled combat that's not just about unarmed combat; here we have gangs with knives, axes, and whatever they can get hold of .

It's a seedy, violent world Ma has entered, and he has to fight to keep his place.

But what also makes this film is that the brutality is very in your face, making it shocking as well as exciting.

It's said that the end fight scene took 10 days to film, and the film was filmed in total in a month.

Assistant director John Woo ( The Killer ) has acknowledged the film's influence on Hong Kong Cinema, and if you study the film, you can see many of John Woo's trademarks seen in his more recent films; of course, a lot of this he learnt working with Chang Cheh

Chen Kuan Tai went on to become one of Shaw's biggest assets and also established himself as a character actor with films like 'The Teahouse.' ..

Of the three films I mentioned, it's hard to say which one to see first if you have not seen any. That's because to get the full picture of Hong Kong cinema circa 1972, you need to see all three.

Boxer from Shantung is as much a groundbreaking piece of Hong Kong cinema as Fist of Fury or King Boxer. Unfortunately, all three lead stars are no longer with us, but they live on on the big screen.

Chen Kuan Tai sadly passed away at age 80 in September 2026, and his last film was 2022’s Legendary in Action! where he played Master Dragon. The same year, I did this review (2014): he appeared as the character Baldy Bai in the film ''Once Upon a Time in Shanghai,'' which is a remake of this very film we're reviewing.

For us at K.I.T.G., there's only one Ma Yongzhen, and he's played by Chen Kuan Tai.

Review Date: August 2014

Reviewer: Sertes Nake

Updated October 2026

Version reviewed: Region 3 DVD on the Celestial Pictures Label

Film Still (C) Shaw Brothers 1972 (c) Celestial Pictures 2000