Brotherhood, Blood, and Blades Reforged

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MOVIE REVIEW
Furious Swords And Fantastic Warriors: The Heroic Cinema Of Chang Cheh [5-Disc Limited Edition Collection]

Genre: Action, Adventure, Martial Arts, Wuxia
Year Released: 1967-1983, Eureka Entertainment Blu-ray 2025
Runtime: 1h 41m / 1h 46m / 1h 20m / 1h 34m / 1h 36m / 1h 27m / 1h 44m / 1h 43m / 1h 48m / 1h 36m
Director(s): various
Writer(s): various
Cast: Chen Kuan-Tai, Alexander Fu Sheng, Chi Kuan-Chun, Bruce Tong Yim-Chaan / Alexander Fu Sheng, Chi Kuan-Chun, Liu Chia-Hui, Yi Ling Chen / Ti Lung, Li Ching, Cheung Pooi-Saan, Miao Ching / Chen Kuan-Tai, Yueh Hua, Lily Li, Betty Pei Ti / Ting Wa-Chung, Lau Chung-Chun, Chiang Tao, Woo Gam / Cheng Tien-Chi, Kuo Chui, Yu Pu-Liu, Min-Yi Huang / Jimmy Wang Yu, Chin Ping, Chiao Chiao, Chuang Chiao / David Chiang, Lily Li, Chang Pei-Shan, Cheng Lei / Ti Lung, David Chiang, Shih Szu, Lo Lieh / Alexander Fu Sheng, Jenny Tseng, Hsia Hui Wu, Lung-Wei Wang
Where to Watch: available October 21, 2025, pre-order your copy here: www.eurekavideo.co.uk, www.mvdshop.com, or www.amazon.com

RAVING REVIEW: FURIOUS SWORDS AND FANTASTIC WARRIORS is less a collection than a statement—a towering monument to one of Hong Kong cinema’s most defining storytellers. Spanning over fifteen hours across ten films, this five-disc limited edition release from Eureka Entertainment celebrates Chang Cheh’s unique command of action, heroism, and mythology. It’s the cinematic equivalent of stepping into a time capsule, a comprehensive look at a director whose fingerprints shaped an entire genre.

Cheh’s name carries weight for a reason. Known as the “Godfather of Hong Kong Cinema,” he redefined martial arts storytelling by trading pure choreography for passion and bloodshed, loyalty and loss. This collection, subtitled THE HEROIC CINEMA OF CHANG CHEH, gathers a decade of filmmaking—from 1967’s TRAIL OF THE BROKEN BLADE to 1983’s THE WEIRD MAN—and distills his themes: brotherhood, sacrifice, and honor. Every frame bleeds with those obsessions, yet the real magic of this set is seeing how they evolve.

The presentation itself feels like a gift to long-time Shaw Brothers devotees. Ten films, restored in HD and each with optional English subtitles newly revised for this release, are divided across five discs. The packaging alone shines with collector appeal: a double-walled slipcase with original art by Darren Wheeling and a booklet by critic James Oliver that contextualizes each entry. For purists, the inclusion of new commentaries by experts like Frank Djeng, Mike Leeder, Arne Venema, and David West makes this a treasure. It’s clear Eureka wanted this to be more than a reissue—it’s an act of preservation.

The films themselves showcase the full range of Chang’s creativity. MEN FROM THE MONASTERY and SHAOLIN MARTIAL ARTS are raw and spiritual, drawing from his famed Shaolin cycle and choreographed by Lau Kar-leung. KING EAGLE and TRAIL OF THE BROKEN BLADE lean into the swordplay and righteousness of the wuxia tradition, while IRON BODYGUARD hints at the dawn of the modern kung fu era. Then there’s the eccentric brilliance of THE FANTASTIC MAGIC BABY and THE WEIRD MAN, where the supernatural collides with operatic spectacle. Watching these side by side is like charting a filmmaker’s restless mind—unwilling to be confined to one idea of heroism.

Each movie carries its own heart and temperament, but what ties them together is Chang’s eye for physical storytelling. Long before wirework became the standard, he understood how to make motion itself emotional. A fighter’s hesitation, a brother’s final glance, a blade’s slow descent—these moments transcend language. Even when the dialogue falters or the pacing sags, there’s an intensity to his worlds that modern action rarely matches. The fights are beautifully structured but never mechanical; they’re extensions of character, not just demonstrations of skill.

Still, not every film hits the same. As with any anthology of this scale, the highs and lows are stark. THE WANDERING SWORDSMAN remains one of the most complete and emotionally charged entries, while NEW SHAOLIN BOXERS feels like an echo of earlier works. The operatic tone of THE FANTASTIC MAGIC BABY may alienate some viewers, but it also reveals how willing Chang was to experiment, even when the results were strange or polarizing. In some ways, those eccentricities make the set more interesting—it refuses to flatten his career into a single style.

One of the most striking takeaways is how deeply Chang’s influence runs. The violence, camaraderie, and tragic fatalism here ripple through later filmmakers like John Woo and Tsui Hark. His heroes fight for loyalty as if it’s a physical force; his tragedies hinge on the cost of pride. By packaging so many of these films together, Eureka’s release underlines that continuity—how one man’s vision shaped generations of martial arts storytelling.

From a technical standpoint, the restoration work is impressive. Everything pops without feeling artificial, grain remains intact, and the new subtitles are sharper and more idiomatic than older Shaw transfers. Having English dubs on select titles—MEN FROM THE MONASTERY, SHAOLIN MARTIAL ARTS, IRON BODYGUARD, THE WEIRD MAN, TRAIL OF THE BROKEN BLADE, and NEW SHAOLIN BOXERS—adds accessibility for newer audiences. The bonus content is where the set transcends nostalgia: detailed commentaries, two video essays by Jonathan Clements, and a new interview with scholar Wayne Wong provide context that’s often missing from international releases.

For casual viewers, sixteen hours of Shaw Brothers might sound daunting, and that’s fair. This is not a sampler platter; it’s a banquet. But for those who crave substance and context, the collection is priceless. It demonstrates how Cheh used martial arts as moral theater—a stage for questioning power, pride, and loyalty. His characters live and die by codes of honor that border on spiritual belief, yet his films never feel preachy. They’re kinetic morality plays, as bloody as they are poetic.

It’s that duality that defines FURIOUS SWORDS AND FANTASTIC WARRIORS. Each story, whether a fable or a Shaolin saga, revolves around the same nucleus: devotion. Even when production values vary or pacing drags, that conviction holds it together. Chang’s obsession with masculine vulnerability—men who destroy themselves out of loyalty—is as relevant now as it was fifty years ago. Watching them today, they feel less like relics and more like reflections on identity, purpose, and legacy. This isn’t just a collection of movies; it’s a portrait of evolution—of a filmmaker constantly refining what it means to fight, to fail, and to honor those who stand beside you.

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[photo courtesy of EUREKA ENTERTAINMENT, MVD ENTERTAINMENT]

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