Bandits from Shantung

1972 1h 18m ZH

👍

6.8

SOLID

★6.8TMDB · 4

ActionDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

It starts off well enough with some nice build-up in a sprawling deserted farm town (a nice backlot on a Taiwan location) as various motley characters show up at the town's only open establishment, a tavern/inn, with some evil doings in mind. When advance men for the title bandits show up to lay the groundwork for a raid, they round up all available hostages but one. That one is the film's lone hero (Chang Yi), whose motivation is simply stated—he's there to check up on family—but no one believes him. At the thirty-minute mark, he launches into an eight-minute battle with the two bandit chieftains, hand-to-hand with one (Sammo Hung) and swordplay with the other (an actor I didn't recognize). It's a well-staged brawl and it spreads all over the empty town.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Chang Yi
Yan Tie-Yi
Pai Ying
Bandit Chief
Hu Chin
Lotus Shi
Wilson Tong Wai-Shing
Xi brother
Sammo Hung
5th boss

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Huang Feng
Writers: Huang Feng
Languages: Mandarin
Countries: Hong Kong

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 6

RUNTIME

Did you know

Tight 78-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 6

ERA

Did you know

54 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 6

RUNTIME

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 6

CAST

Did you know

Chang Yi and Pai Ying and Hu Chin carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 6

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0078242 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 6

WILD

Did you know

Only 4 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Huang Feng directs. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Hong Kong. Dialogue in Mandarin.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Tight 78-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.
254 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
4Chang Yi and Pai Ying and Hu Chin carry the top of the cast.
5IMDB entry: tt0078242 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
6Only 4 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.