Rating: 
Summary: You Drinking in a Fight?!
Review: Boy oh boy is this the greatest Shaw Brothers movie ever.Directed by Liu Chia Liang (Drunken Master 2, Mad Monkey, Legendary Weapons) and starring Gordon Liu Chia Hui (Master Killer, White Lotus) comes a classic that changed all rules in the kung fu movie world. This movie is about a Chinese Kung Fu expert (Gordon Liu) who marries a Japanese Karate expert and they get along happily until it comes down to the martial arts. They argue over their own cultures and tecniques, but Liu wins every time. The wife gets angry and goes back to Japan then comes back with great karate masters after further provoking from Liu. The rest of the movie is just greatly-choreographed fights... Kendo vs. Chinese Sword, Karate vs. Drunken Boxing, Ninjitsu and Japanese Crab Style vs. Shaolin white crane, ninchucku vs. 3 section staff, kung fu vs. judo, japanese spear vs. chinese spear, and japanese sais vs. chinese butterfly knives. Great choreography. What was so great about this movie was the fact that a kung fu movie doesn't have to be bloody to be great. All the violence is in just fun. The whole family can watch! Also, no one dies in this masterpiece. The reason why the movie was never popular is because it was never aired in the US as much as "Master Killer (36 Chambers)" and "5 Deadly Venoms" but many belive this is better than the both. Now it is availible on DVD! But unlike "Kid with the Golden Arm" and "Dirty Ho", this DVD is cropped so there is no widescreen. Sound is mono. Oh well, it's great. On top of that, there are "bonus fights" from "Return of Master Killer" and "Challenge of the Masters". For other Liu Classics, see "Legendary Weapons of China", "Fists of the White Lotus", "Dirty Ho", and "Mad Monkey Kung Fu". All easy to find on video and DVD now.....
Rating: 
Summary: Lighthearted Gordon Liu film
Review: Gordon Liu plays a young Chinese Kung Fu master whose father has arranged for him to marry Kuda, the daughter of his Japanese business associate. At first, he doesn't want to marry the girl (played by Yuka Mizuno), but when he sees how beautiful she is, he quickly falls for her. What he doesn't count on, however, is that Kuda is a Bushido expert, and she soon begins to tear the house apart with all her different Japanese fighting techniques. The couple get into several arguments as to whether Chinese Kung Fu is better than Japanese Martial Arts, and Kuda soon begins to take it personally, using all kinds of Japanese fighting techniques and weapons to prove her point, finally resorting to the secret art of Ninjitsu and nearly killing her husband. But Gordon beats her time and time again, and eventually she leaves him and returns to Japan, where she confides in her old Master (played by Yusuaki Kurata), who also happens to be in love with her.Kuda's husband and his friends devise a plan to get Kuda back to China- they write her a letter offering her a contest to prove that Chinese fighting is better than Japanese fighting. Unfortunately, Kuda's master gets hold of the letter, and enraged, he gathers his best men to go to China and settle things once and for all. Each day, Gordon Liu must fight a different Japanese expert, using different weapons and techniques. Some of the styles used are drunken boxing, Japanese crab style, Judo, Ninjitsu, and all manner of different and interesting weapons. All of the fighting in this movie is exhilarating, but it is the secret tactics of Ninjitsu that are really clever and exciting to watch, and the final fight scenes between Gordon Liu and Yusuaki Karata are just amazing to witness. Yuka Mizuno does a terrific job as one of the only females ever to get a large, positive role in a Shaw Brothers production, and she displays some serious fighting skills as well. Moreover, no one dies in this film- it is basically just an over the top, awesome showcase of all of the best weaponry and fighting techniques that both China and Japan have to offer, and is an excellent resource for anyone who wants to learn a little about the Martial Arts of both cultures.This movie would be five stars for sure, if I could get past the terrible rug Gordon Liu has glued to his head throughout this film....
Rating:
Summary: Story? Maybe not too good of one. Fighting? The best
Review: Gordon Liu. Martials arts champion of China (in the Number One Under the Heavens Tournament). He came a little bit after Bruce Lee. Shaolin Challenges Ninja delivers what most people wanna see. Lots of fights, exotic weapons, and different fighting styles. A chinese man (Liu) gets married to Japanese woman. The woman knows Japanese Martial arts, but Liu claims that her style is too rough for a woman especially. They fight, Liu winning constantly. His wife returns to Japan, Liu inadvertantly sent a challenge to his wife's teacher. The Japanese accept and Liu must face 7 (i think) Japanese men and 7 major different fighting styles. Some of the fights close to the end are a bit strange. Most likely, the director ran out of ideas. The very end fight is excellent though. The end is okay, but could have been better. Great for watching exotic weapons. extremely bad sound quality, i could not realy understand what was being said. only english dubbed, bad video quality. The use of the weapons is really what redeems this movie
Rating:
Summary: Story? Maybe not too good of one. Fighting? The best
Review: Gordon Liu. Martials arts champion of China (in the Number One Under the Heavens Tournament). He came a little bit after Bruce Lee. Shaolin Challenges Ninja delivers what most people wanna see. Lots of fights, exotic weapons, and different fighting styles. A chinese man (Liu) gets married to Japanese woman. The woman knows Japanese Martial arts, but Liu claims that her style is too rough for a woman especially. They fight, Liu winning constantly. His wife returns to Japan, Liu inadvertantly sent a challenge to his wife's teacher. The Japanese accept and Liu must face 7 (i think) Japanese men and 7 major different fighting styles. Some of the fights close to the end are a bit strange. Most likely, the director ran out of ideas. The very end fight is excellent though. The end is okay, but could have been better. Great for watching exotic weapons. extremely bad sound quality, i could not realy understand what was being said. only english dubbed, bad video quality. The use of the weapons is really what redeems this movie
Rating:
Summary: The best kung-fu movie I've ever seen.
Review: Great action, great martial arts, great choreography. I've never seen anything in the genre that beats this movie!
Rating:
Summary: Saturday Kung Fu Theater
Review: I was surprised how much I liked this movie when I first watched it. The styles are awesome and very authentic. The story is so watchable, too. I didn't get bored at all, and I enjoyed both the plot and the martial arts displays. This is a movie I can watch repeatedly. One of my all time favorite old-school flicks. Great choreography. Hilarious to see the "marital spats." Definitely get it if you love Shaw Brothers films.
Rating:
Summary: Definite Classic
Review: I was surprised how much I liked this movie when I first watched it. The styles are awesome and very authentic. The story is so watchable, too. I didn't get bored at all, and I enjoyed both the plot and the martial arts displays. This is a movie I can watch repeatedly. One of my all time favorite old-school flicks. Great choreography. Hilarious to see the "marital spats." Definitely get it if you love Shaw Brothers films.
Rating:
Summary: Take My Sword!
Review: Movie Summary: Ho Tao is forced to marry a pretty Japanese girl named Kuda in an arranged business marriage. Kuda spends a lot of time practicing her Japanese martial arts. Eventually Ho Tao shows her the Chinese martial arts and they argue over which is best. They end up fighting and Ho Tao wins. When she finally gets the best of him using the sneaky ninjitsu method, he calls it evil and she is insulted. Kuda returns to Japan and Ho Tao is heart broken. In an attempt to bring her home, Ho Tao is talked into sending her a challenge, Chinese versus Japanese styles, to settle once and for all which is best. The letter falls into the hands of Kuda’s martial arts teachers and they take it as a challenge to all of Japan. Seven of Japan’s best fighters escort Kuda back to China to take up the challenge. Ho Tao is very surprised. He goes to his master to find out what to do. In a highly political decision the master decides that Ho Tao must take up the challenge on his own. So Ho Tao, student of the Chinese Martial Arts, must face seven of the best fighters from Japan. He does so with grace and honor. My Opinion: This has been my favorite Martial Arts movie since the first time I saw it on TV as a kid. I managed to tape it the next time it was on and watched it over and over. Now finally it is available to buy and on DVD no less. Everything about this movie is great. The plot is filled out and easy to follow (not always a given with this genre). The story flows from the beginning to the end without any scenes that don’t make any sense. The relationship between Ho Tao and Kuda is very believable. The way she returns to help her husband is a very nice touch. The theme of honor above winning at any cost is refreshing as well. The characters are well fleshed out and likeable. Gordon Liu is great as Ho Tao. I found myself liking this character a lot. The fact that he was just a student and an underdog in each fight made every victory that much sweeter. Last but not least, the fighting is great. With seven Japanese fighters for Ho Tao to fight, we get to see a lot of different styles and different weapons. All of the matches are great. This is a movie that can be watched over and over without getting tired of it. DVD Quality: Full Screen 1.33:1. A Widescreen print could not be found from which to make the DVD. Dubbed English Mono Sound Track. Video is better than the washed out VHS copies that were the only versions available up until now. What You Should Do: Buy this DVD. I am so crazy about this movie that I bought two copies!! One to loan out and one to keep safe just for me. This is an awesome Kung Fu movie. Related Movies To Check Out: Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Dirty Ho, The Kid With the Golden Arm, Master Killer, Legendary Weapons of China
Rating:
Summary: Chinese kung fu vs. Japanese budo
Review: SHAOLIN CHALLENGES NINJA (1979) is as close to a pure martial arts movie as any Hong Kong kung fu movie, with the possible exception of the same director's MASTER KILLER (aka THE 36TH CHAMBER OF SHAOLIN). Director Lau Kar Leung strips away all subplots to focus directly on contests of skill between a Chinese kung fu expert and seven Japanese martial artists who travel to Hong Kong to challenge him. Ah To (MASTER KILLER'S Gordon Liu) is the son of a Chinese merchant in early 20th century Hong Kong and is newly married to a bride from Japan, Kudo (Yuko Mizuno). Kudo's attachment to her country's fighting arts irritates Ah To who proves Chinese kung fu's superiority by beating her in a series of not-so-friendly bouts. Her feelings of humiliation set into motion a chain of events leading to a direct challenge to Ah To by Kudo's handsome Japanese sensei, Sanzo (Yasuaki Kurata), who brings his fellow champions from Japan, each a master of a different specialty, all of whom schedule bouts with Ah To. The specific challenge for Ah To is to find the appropriate Chinese style or weapon to use in each bout, e.g. Drunken Fist boxing to counter Karate, a 3-section staff to fight nunchakus. The emphasis is always on training, strategy and a flexible approach. Director Lau Kar Leung (aka Liu Chia Liang) was the chief fight choreographer at Hong Kong's Shaw Bros. studio in the 1960s and early 70s before becoming a director in his own right with SPIRITUAL BOXER and CHALLENGE OF THE MASTERS. More than any man, he infused the Hong Kong kung fu film with authentic martial arts and strove to fill his casts with performers who were genuine martial artists. SHAOLIN CHALLENGES NINJA is almost a perfect model of how to shoot kung fu sequences in a studio setting-with spacious sets, long shots, fewer cuts, and a mobile camera to follow the combatants. Lau himself appears in one scene as a drunken boxing expert who inadvertently teaches his moves to Ah To. Also appearing, as Ah To's teacher, is the original Drunken Master himself, Simon Yuen, the title character in Jackie Chan's original DRUNKEN MASTER (1978) and the father of that film's director, Yuen Wo Ping. SHAOLIN CHALLENGES NINJA is also known as CHALLENGE OF THE NINJA, DRUNK SHAOLIN CHALLENGES NINJA and HEROES OF THE EAST. If there's any flaw in this film, it's in the final battle (on outdoor locations) between Gordon Liu and Yasuaki Kurata which relies too much on ninja gimmicks (smoke bombs, rope tricks, acrobatic leaps, flying darts and needles), undercutting the authenticity displayed in all the previous bouts. It's still an exciting fight, however. Kurata, a Japanese actor/martial artist, was a regular fixture of Hong Kong kung fu films and turned up 15 years later to fight Jet Li in the similarly themed FIST OF LEGEND (1994).
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely Spectacular!!!
Review: Shaolin challenges Ninja is one of the coolest kung-fu flicks I have ever seen. (And I have seen and own quite a lot) The beginning of the movie can get a little boring. Not ridiculously bad, but definetly a little bit on the boring side. From the second half of the movie til the end, it's nothing but awesome kung-fu. There's kung-fu vs. everything japanese. Karate, Akido, Ninjitsu and then some. One of the fist chinese martial arts movies to depict the Japanese martial arts with any respect. Gordon Liu is amazing as always and the film is very entertaining. The fight scenes are clean, crisp and tight. The storyline is not the greatest in the world, but you don't buy these movies for the storyline do you? Get this one without hesitation, as it is easily one of my favs.
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