BA_Harrison Three kung fu experts (Feng Lu, Chiang Sheng, and Sun Chien) from the North Shaolin temple are summoned to train the Qing army, but must first prove themselves in a friendly fight against the current South Shaolin trainers. North wipe the floor with their cocksure opponents. Later that day, in a move designed to pit North vs South and destroy Shaolin once and for all, devious Qing General Pu (Wang Lung-wei) kills the shamed South Shaolin trainers, pinning the blame on the new arrivals from the North.On hearing of his students' deaths, the South Shaolin master sends three more of his men to exact revenge, but this time around, two of them are accidentally killed by the Northerners, the third injured fighter returning to his temple to relay the bad news. Realising that none of his students are good enough to beat the North Shaolin, the South Shaolin teacher picks three more men (played by Lo Mang, Kuo Chui and Pai Wei), each to train under a different kung fu master. Six months later, the trio leave to face the North Shaolin, even though both North and South now suspect that they are being manipulated.With the Five Venoms on top form, kung fu fans can rightfully expect some astonishing old school martial arts action in Chang Cheh's Invincible Shaolin, including an entertaining training sequence that shows off the impressive skills of Lo Mang, Kuo Chui and Pai Wei (Lo Mang does one finger press-ups with a large polystyrene rock placed on his back!!!) and a wonderfully bloody final battle that makes use of lots of red paint as North and South battle it out before joining forces to kick some well-deserving Qing butt. Be warned though, even though evil General Pu gets his comeuppance, it's not without several of the supposedly invincible Shaolin fighters also buying the farm (the Northern fighters dying in front of their helpless fiancées).

poe426 The crafty General Pu (Wang Lung Wei) invites 3 Northern Shaolin kung fu practitioners, Bao (Lu Feng), Fang (Sun Chien) and Yang (Chiang Sheng) to his palatial estate to demonstrate their skills. He's ostensibly looking for someone to train his troops and he convinces our heroes to engage in a show of skill against 3 Southern Shaolin fighters. The Northerners easily best the 3 Southerners. Adding injury to insult, Pu secretly kills the 3 Southerners and lets the blame for their deaths fall on the 3 Northerners. Three MORE Southerners are dispatched to do battle with the Northerners and two of the three are inadvertently killed; the survivor returns to his Master, Mai, and it's decided that Wing Yu (Kuo Chui), Feng, and Zhu (Lo Meng), will undergo special training to overcome the Northerners. The school, Mai informs his students, will be shut down; the sole survivor of the second confrontation, feeling guilty, kills himself. Yu will be taught by Mai himself; Feng by Liang, "the Gardener," and Zhu by "the Woodcutter." Meanwhile, the 3 Northerners are planning to get married. The elderly Master Mai dies and it's time for the Big Showdown. It's interesting to see these particular actors pitted against one another (especially Kuo Chui against Chiang Sheng, though there ain't nothing' wrong with Lu Feng's hand-to-hand fight with Lo Meng nor Sun Chien's always spectacular kicking). INVINCIBLE SHAOLIN begins and ends with some solid action and there's enough training in between to keep things interesting. Another Chang Cheh classic.

macnjnc If you are a big Chang Cheh movie fan this movie is one of his better directorial jobs. Somehow this movie saddens you because most of the major characters (the venoms) are pitted against each other. Because of a cunning plot by the Ching government North Shaolin and South Shaolin are against one another when they are really factions of the same school operating individually. Because of a court order the Ching government uses the best teachers from both the North and South Shaolin to train it's guards. A head Ching official arranges a contest at Ching headquarters to see which school teachers are superior to the other. North Shaolin proves to be far better in this friendly duel. The head Ching official then kills the 3 South Shaolin teachers and frames the North Shaolin teachers for their death, returning their bodies to South Shaolin. South Shaolin is now furious and sends 3 more students to try and defeat the North Shaolin teachers. Another "friendly" duel is arranged and tempers flare. Two more South Shaolin students are killed by North Shaolin teachers. Realizing that South Shaolin is obviously no match for North Shaolin the teacher appoints 3 more students to undergo intense training on particular styles to offset the strengths of the North Shaolin students. These training scenes are some of the best ever to grace the martial arts screen. One South Sholin student (Lo Mang) learns Mantis style, another student (Phillip Kwok) learns Lightskill and the Pole and the last student (Wei Pei, snake) learns a style that specializes in combat in close to the opponent. After they master these skills they are now ready to take revenge they swore to their dying master. At the last minute the two schools realize there is a plot by the Chings to destroy both the schools; but because they swore to their teacher they fight anyway. A classic martial arts film, one of the best Chang Cheh movies ever made. 8/10 on the scale.

gwerq This Kung Fu film from the Shaw brothers is quite entertaining, but lacks the self-sufficiency and consistence of their earlier "Five Venoms" and now seems dated and slow-paced. However, there are some classic moments, such as the final battle and one of the most hysterically funny death scenes ever! Otherwise, this is merely an okay addition to the Kung Fu genre.