Leofwine_draca A classic kung fu film from the Shaw Brothers studio in that it depicts the similarities and differences between Chinese and Japanese styles of fighting - as well as weaponry - in a thoughtful and intelligent way. As well as this, the film offers up plenty of humour amid the chop-socky fighting bits, and the fights themselves are superbly choreographed and a delight to watch. As well as being accomplished fighters in themselves, the actors are actually good in their various roles too; whether it be Chia Hui Liu (or "Gordon" as he is called in the West) as the provoked hero, or Yuko Mizuno as his beautiful Japanese wife (she's particularly good), or the various Japanese challengers up against him.The martial arts bouts are genuinely exciting, each different from the last as various areas - karate, judo, ninjitsu, even a "drunken god" tale - are explored. My only complaint is that the sets are a little boring, with only the finale - set in a field of straw men! - offering any interest in the backdrop. For a martial arts movie, the film is refreshingly free of blood and violence for a change (not that I'm against that, but often it's just unnecessary) making it a wholesome tale for the whole family to enjoy. Little more is left to be said about SHAOLIN CHALLENGES NINJA, other than it's a fine example of the martial arts genre at its most professionally made and intelligent, and a lot different - and thus better - than most low-budget repetitive kickfests.

directorscut HEROES OF THE EAST is most probably the greatest martial arts film I have seen. A terrific story of marital dysfunctional and rivalry between nations plays host to some of the most vivid, thrilling fight scenes ever filmed. Amazingly every fight scene in this film is on par with the others. Usually martial art films will have one or two stand out set pieces and smaller scenes peppered about, but in Heroes of the East each fight scene is handled with the same amount of care and attention, which is no small deal as the majority of the film is the fight scenes. For a film that is mostly action scenes, amazingly no one dies or gets seriously injured in the entire movie. This film is about two nation's warriors learning to respect each other's technique and culture not about striking down the opponent. The marital dysfunction scenes that set the film in motion are also hugely entertaining. One scene in particular in which husband and wive throw down their country's hidden weapons on a table recalls the great Hollywood comedies of the 30s and 40s. Combining the best of both worlds Heroes of the East becomes a relentlessly entertaining, inventive masterpiece.

hmmdrmike With a title like Shaolin Challenges Ninja... how could this movie not be amazing? With excellently choreographed fight scenes, a decent storyline (horrible translation... but that just adds to its reputation as a classic), and a great assortment of fighting styles and weaponry, this movie is amazing.And there's not that much more to say. Watch this movie if you're a fan of classic Shaw Brother's martial arts mayhem. The only disappointment would come in how easily the hero defeats each villain. But his reasons for non-violence fit the storyline and thus, can't be avoided.A non-violent action movie? Yes it is... and it still rules. Enjoy.

Kosmonaut-x Most Shaw-Brothers films are pretty lacking kung-fu-wise, the fight scenes are usually pretty low quality simply not fun to watch. There is one exception however, and that exception is Shaolin Challenges Ninja. This film isn't a classic because of its plot or acting (both are merely "ok"), but because of the high quality of its _many_ kung-fu fights. Right from the start all the way to the bizarre final fight the film offers great "my style is better than yours" -type fight scenes one after another. If you like old-school kung-fu don't miss this one!