The 18 Bronzemen (1975) User Reviews

Some unique ideas amid a whole lot of mundanity

[Leofwine_draca · 5/10 · 20 January 2013]

18 Bronze Men is a film of two halves. The first half is, to put it simply, spectacular. The second half is, to be frank, agonisingly dull. If the film had continued in the vein of the first half it would have been a top film. If the first half had been like the second half it would have been appalling. As it is, the two halves cancel each other out to make 18 Bronze Men a pretty much middling movie, worth watching for fans of the concept but not something to really go out of your way to see. Basically the plot involves an orphaned child who is sent to some kind of weird martial arts monastery. The only way people can leave this place is to become so highly skilled in the martial arts that they can pass a series of deadly tests before they can pass through the door. Said tests take up the entire first half of the movie.

As the title would suggest, during these tests the boy (now a young man played by Tien Pens, accompanied by pal Carter Wong) must battle with a series of colourful and crazy Bronze Men. Some of the men are just naked guys covered in gold paint, others go the whole hog and have really bizarre, almost robotic-like looking gold plated armour complete with faces that make them look like Buddha. As well as these tough dudes, the passages and chambers of the temple in which the action takes place are full of spikes that fly out of statues, heavy doors that must be lifted, flaming "dragon" pots and more booby traps than Indiana Jones could ever hope to handle. The kung-fu action as the two heroes attempt to pass the Bronze Men makes for a truly unique viewing experience (at least until the sequels and rip-offs followed) which is a lot of fun.

Unfortunately, as soon as these guys do manage to escape, the film goes downhill. It turns into a run-of-the-mill revenge drama with a serious lack of decent action, at least until the breathtaking three-on-one fight in an old quarry at the end which comes as too little, too late. A woman appears who disguises herself as a man by hiding her long hair, thus deceiving all and sundry although her voice is still high-pitched and her face is unmistakably female! Those gullible Chinese folk, I don't know. Meanwhile the subtitles on the version I saw were often misspelt or simply wrong, which is kind of amusing but not really.

Tien Pens isn't to fault as the hero, creating a quite likable persona and proving himself in the action stakes without being really spectacular like some of his counterparts. Meanwhile the shaven-headed Carter Wong is probably the hardest-looking and toughest guy in the film, although sadly his is but a supporting role. The bad guys (sometimes dressed as ninjas) are a clichéd bunch and not very interesting either. 18 BRONZE MEN proved to be quite a disappointment in my mind, as aside from the fighting with the Bronze Men (for which it gets that extra star alone) it doesn't really offer much apart from a very old, tired plot and some routine action. However, the film proved to be so popular that a sequel was hastily cobbled together and released in the same year!

The 18 Bronzemen won't let anyone pass

[unbrokenmetal · 7/10 · 29 May 2009]

With the help of a good friend, an orphan becomes a Shaolin master after many years of training. He wants to find the murderer of his parents some day and have his revenge. The most interesting bit is the training, though, when he needs to stand against 18 bronze men! The movie is known for making Carter Wong a star, but it was an influential movie beyond that. The villain needs to be mentioned; he has several bodyguards dressing just like him to confuse his enemies.

The difference in running time between the German version (77 minutes) and the Hong Kong version (93 minutes) is mostly due to a different beginning of the movie. The rather cruel early years of the boy's training were added to the Hong Kong version, although that footage was shot for "The 8 Masters" by the same director.

18 Bronzemen

[JoeytheBrit · 6/10 · 23 September 2005]

18 Bronzemen is something of a paradox in that it typifies so many of the weaknesses of the Hong Kong chop-socky genre of the 70s, and yet stands head and shoulders above most of its contemporaries. While there is more than enough kung-fu action to keep the most avid fan happy, there is also an entertaining story (in the first half, anyway) and an attempt at some character development beyond the usual boy-becomes-a-man-by-facing-adversity-and-beating-up-lots-of-people variety.

Ting Peng plays Shao Lung (which sounds like an ad for a table-tennis match), the son of a high-ranking Ming official brought to a Shaolin temple by his granny after his father has been murdered by the wicked General Kwan (Chang Li). As he grows into a young man, Shao Lung undergoes the rigorous training of the shaolin monks (who seem to be holding some kind of eyebrow-growing competition) in preparation for his confrontation with the eponymous bronzemen that he must undertake if he is to earn his stripes and leave the temple. Having successfully passed the tests, Shao Lung and his friend, Brother Wan (Carter Wong), head off into the wide world to avenge the deaths of Shao Lun's mother and father.

18 Bronzemen is really two different movies in one; the first, in which Shao Lung overcomes his apparent limitations to hold his own against the bronzemen, is hugely entertaining, but the second, during which the two friends hook up with Miss Lu (Polly Shang Kuan), drags very badly until the climactic fight which, while undeniably entertaining, is rather sloppily mounted. One of the near-constant aspects of this movie genre is the unintentional comedic elements that, while initially amusing, quickly become an irritation; 18 Bronzemen contains them all – extremely dodgy translation and dubbing, amateurish acting (both voice and action); laughable sound effects (each fighter's movement is accompanied by a sound effect that resembles a heavy chest of drawers being dragged across a concrete floor) – but the quality of its fight scenes, together with a reasonable storyline, allow the viewer to overlook its more common failings. And the fight scenes – especially those featuring the human bronzemen (some of them are sort of crude animated robots that resemble that little one in Buck Rogers in the 25th Century – but about thirty years older and eighteen stone heavier) – are pretty damn cool, even if a lot of the bronzemen do look like the Tango man painted gold instead of orange. At least in this movie we don't have to put up with half-a dozen villainous henchman surrounding the hero as they patiently await their turn to step forward and be savagely beaten – here they all pile in at the same time.

Unfortunately the pace begins to flag the moment the two boys leave the temple and run into Miss Lu. Upon meeting her, Shao Lung and Wan are supposedly fooled by Miss Lu's 'disguise' into believing she is a man – which must have something to do with their monastic upbringing because a blind man with no hands would make her as a woman in an instant: mascara, rouge, plucked eyebrows, high-pitched voice, lumpy chest – they're all a bit of a giveaway. Kuan's character adds nothing at all to the plot of the story, slowing it to a crawl as she proceeds to annoy both the heroes and the audience – and even her romance with Shao Lung, which is presumably the reason for her inclusion, is barely touched upon. Nevertheless, things pick up for the film's climax, and it's always refreshing to find a movie that refuses to take itself seriously but which still manages to establish its own character and, for the most part, entertain you into the bargain.

Carter Wong and the Shaolin Monks fight THE 18 BRONZEMEN

[BrianDanaCamp · 10 November 2001]

THE 18 BRONZEMEN is a celebrated 1976 kung fu film from the prolific hand of producer/director Joseph Kuo who operated in Taiwan in the 1970s. It stars Carter Wong, Tien Peng, and Polly Shang Kwan in a tale of Shaolin training, lifelong friendship, and a mission of revenge during the early days of the Qing Dynasty. The uneven plot structure suffers from the lack of a suitable payoff at the end after the powerful setup of the film's stunning first half. Also, the presence of three strong heroes is not matched by any villain formidable enough to provide a satisfying final battle.

The first section follows two dedicated Shaolin students through rigorous training, leading up to a sequence of challenges posed by the Bronze Men of the title whose function is to test the combat skills of the students in order to graduate them from Shaolin. This sequence is a fanciful addition to Shaolin cinematic lore and would be repeated in different variations in Kuo's later Shaolin films. (The Bronze Men include men in head-to-toe robotic outfits, more gold than bronze, and men whose skin is painted gold who fight with swords, sticks and kung fu.)

During their travels, the two friends, Carter Wong and Tien Peng, are joined by a female fighter who was betrothed to Tien Peng as a child and is played by Polly Shang Kwan. The scenes which introduce her are clever and funny and feature her dressed as a man who deliberately pesters Tien until the opportune time to reveal her identity. Eventually, after various attempts on Tien's life and the revelation of his family background, the stage is set for a final confrontation with Hei Chu Ying, the traitor who had Tien's father killed.

The fight choreography is less robust than it should be and, of the three leads, only Carter comes off as a powerful fighter. Polly is energetic and offers a strong, engaging presence, but her kung fu relies as much on superhuman (trampoline-assisted) leaps as it does on kicks. Tien Peng is a polished male lead and a good actor but he's not the fighter Carter is. The actor who plays the chief villain is never seen in combat until the very end, so is never presented as much of a fighting threat to the heroes.

The photography and production design are visually impressive and well above average for this kind of film. There is an original Chinese music score, even in the U.S. English-dubbed version.

I watched both the English dub and the Hong Kong import DVD for this review. The HK version is completely reedited and includes footage from EIGHT MASTERS (aka 18 BRONZEMEN 3) and another, unrelated Kuo film, UNBEATEN 28. It also shortens scenes showcasing Polly Shang Kwan and Tien Peng and plays up Carter Wong's role. I actually found the English dub, despite being available only on full-frame VHS, the more effective version.

This film was followed by various follow-ups that were not exactly sequels, but more like variations on a theme. These included RETURN OF THE EIGHTEEN BRONZEMEN (aka 18 BRONZEMEN 2), BLAZING TEMPLE, and, arguably the best of the group, EIGHT MASTERS, all of which are also reviewed on this site.

Testing, testing

[kosmasp · 6/10 · 2 September 2022]

Not your patience, there are other movies out there that actually do that. One of which I will review a bit later. But the characters in this movie. We have more tests in this than other movies. Though I do not remember how many there were in the 36 chambers of Shaolin. Before you say duh, 36 obviously ... nope, apparently they did not do the whole chambers. Hey you have to give the guys (and viewers) a few breaks of course.

18 Bronzemen - I did not count how many in people we saw in this - covered in Gold or painted Gold rather than Bronze, but as you may have figured out yourself, Goldmen does not have the same ring to it. The movie itself has quite the strange story to it. It did not make it to the US cinemas - the sequel did. Being called part 1 when it did at first.

History of that aside, this also had different versions flying around. No pun intended. The two main ones (Japanese was the one that went international) are on a recent UK release. The real cut is being cut together from many sources so may not have the highest standards.

The Japanese cut is quite strange, integrating stuff from other movies from Kuo. If you are into the Kung Fu stuff, you could do far worse than this. Of course you could also do better. Still more than fine movie, even if you only watch the bit uncomprehensible international cut - with added/other kid actors at the beginning and other editing choices that may seem curious.

The 18 Bronzemen Part 1 - Review

[stikfigureman · 6/10 · 6 October 2011]

Walking through my local DVD shop I wasn't intending to buy anything and definitely not something I had never heard of before but I saw this for real cheap so I picked it up. I just wanted something different to watch and review for my website. I don't regret purchasing and watching this film. Besides my mate that watched it with me I can safely say that out of everybody I know I am the only person who has seen this movie. So onto reviewing The 18 Bronzemen: Part 1.

The story in itself is quite confusing and most of it does not get explained until towards the end but I'll try my best. So there is a government known as the Ching government and they decide to kill anybody that supports this guy called Ming. A baby (later called Shao Lung) is rescued and brought to the Ming friendly Shaolin Temple where he is brought up in the art of kung fu to exact revenge upon his family. At the same time another child is taken to the Temple and the two grow extremely close. After many hardships they two enter the "line of 18 bronzemen" which is the final task to graduate from the Temple. Here they fight men literally made from bronze. If they fail they die. After failing the first time and helping each other to escape they try again and succeed. Shao Lung then decides to track down the evil tyrannical ruler to avenge his family.

The movie was directed by Joseph Kuo and starred Peng Tien as Shao Lung and Carter Wong as Brother Wan (the kid that was sent at the same time as Shao Lung). The movie even has a decent twist which took me by surprise. A complete laughable part however is when a woman is apparently disguised as a man and everybody thinks she is (but it is clearly obvious it is a woman).

So despite its flaws, most likely because of being something that is completely different to me, I found this to be an enjoyable movie. This is a hard movie to recommend as it would have a fine niche market but hey, if you find yourself bored, why not? I look forward to watching part two.

originally posted on my blog www.comikkazee.com

Beyond great!

[BandSAboutMovies · 7/10 · 6 December 2021]

Shaolung's family was murdered before he was able to escape to the Shaolin Temple, a place where he has learned to become a pretty strong fighter. Before he can get the revenge that he needs, he must face one final challenge: battling and defeating the titular 18 men of bronze.

What makes this movie - beyond how great it always is to see Carter Wong - is the battle scenes between the students of the Shaolin and the golden army. Some of them look like robots, others look like men just painted gold and no matter how silly that sounds, it's completely awesome. So is Polly Shang Kwan, who plays the potential future wife of Shaolung who instead dresses as a man and continually defends his life.

This has the best budget I've seen in a Joseph Kuo film and he makes the best use of it possible. What an absolute blast.

Classic of its genre - and maybe a little more

[winner55 · 9/10 · 23 July 2006]

After having made kung-fu films for nearly a decade, Joseph Kuo at last received international attention with the release of The Mystery of chess Boxing (made famous by the Wu Tang Clan, one of whom adopted the name of the film's villain, Ghost Face Killer). I've always thought this unfortunate, first because Chess Boxing is clearly derivative of the Jackiee Chan film Snake in Eagle's Shadow (which is much better paced), and secondly because Kuo was close to the closure of his Chop-socky period and only had one more great film in him, Shaolin Temple (AKA Shaolin Temple Strikes Back).

At any rate, 18 bronzemen is without question Kuo's real masterpiece. Well-produced, lovingly photographed in a manner to pay homage to the golden era of Shaw bros. studios of the 1960s; the MeiAh DVD appears to be a mint condition restoration of the original film - it is really beautiful to look at.

This is, indeed, one of those films that demands the audience think hard before dismissing any genre movie, just because it is a genre movie. (Another example from a different genre is John Ford's Stagecoach.) Yes, the story is of your "typical" historically-oriented kung-fu flick of the 1970s. But everyone connected to the film has dedicated enormous amounts of effort to bring together a vision of this martial-arts universe that makes it not only believable, but sensually pleasing and intellectually stimulating as well. Of course we're not talking about grand drama - but film is an art of motion, and a visually beautiful film doesn't necessarily need grand drama.

However, those dramatically inclined should be aware that the actors in this film are really giving us their best - This is certainly Carter Wong's finest performance, and it may be Tien Peng's as well. The reason for such commitment is clear - the film's story carries a theme of loyalty and courage which the Chinese value very highly.

The long training sequences at the beginning of the film (which are among the best on film) are actually reflective of this theme - Shaolin Temple has a very demanding martial arts program, demanding full commitment. Dedication to training is a loyalty as well, and the film is quite clear on that point.

I suppose those unwilling to give any genre film (or at least any kung-fu film) a viewing with an open mind should be warned away. Otherwisedon't hesitate to view this film given the opportunity. And if you do find the dubbed American release out on VHS during the 1980s, be aware that the Amereican dub version is badly panned-and-scanned, using a an old runny-color print for transfer, and that a good 10 minutes of the film were hacked off (to no purpose that I can tell), leaving the plotting difficult to follow at times. But even that version can leave a positive impression of the main line of the story, the acting, and the performance of the martial-arts.

One last word: The film utilizes two child-actors at the beginning of the film; these are among the very few child-actors that I can watch without disappointment or disgust. (My sense is that this is actually due to Kuo's direction.) Bottomline: Classic of its genre - and maybe a little more.

Unnecessarily disappointing

[genji-hth-106-891191 · 3/10 · 16 February 2017]

Being a Kung Fu practitioner and cameraman I naturally watch a lot of old Kung Fu flicks. But until recently I've never even heard of "The 18 Bronzemen". I stumbled across it due to a reference in the game "Sleeping Dogs" and found the title and imagery very intriguing so I figured I'd give it a try. Unfortunately I could only get my hands on the cropped 4:3 release which really ruins the composition of every shot and makes the fight scenes nearly incomprehensible. Nevertheless the first half was just what I imagined and highly entertaining. Which is why I kept on watching despite the horrible cropping. Those bronze warriors are an amazing Idea and also pretty well executed. Combined with the mostly gray scenery this produces a very unique and aesthetic visual appeal. Sure, the costumes could've been more detailed but still, it works. The fights against Bronzemen are like the final exam for our protagonist and are intercut with training sequences. I was always looking forward for the next scene with the Bronzemen. I mean, this is basically the title of the whole movie so there have to be more scenes with them, right? Right?!

After what felt like 10mins. with the Bronzemen the protagonist leaves the temple behind and the whole ordeal is never mentioned again. What we get now is a standard revenge plot and sub par choreographies. This drags on for the rest of the film....

Why would you do that? Why would you throw away such a great idea that worked so well? They obviously knew the value of what they had - they named the movie after it!

Personally I would recut it. Focus on the training in the temple and the quest of beating the Bronzemen. And after the Protagonist and his friend have mastered this challenge the abbot sends them on their way to serve their country and the people. They wander off down the mountain while the credits roll. MUCH better movie just like that. Instead we get this....

One Of Joseph Kuo's Finest And A Classic Of Kung Fu Cinema!

[Movie-Misfit · 8/10 · 5 October 2019]

The ever reliable Joseph Kuo gives us one of the most iconic and trend setting kung fu films in the shape of The 18 Bronzemen, the film that thrust star Carter Wong into leading man status and sits comfortably along side the likes of the 36th Chamber series as a Shaolin themed classic!

18 Bronzemen is one film I would love to see cleaned up and 4K restored in widescreen. I'm a huge fan of director Joseph Kuo. His film career spanned almost 60 films as a director, most of which where very well received and most of which were highly entertaining. 18 Bronzemen is definitely one of his best, and of course most famous - but its not just because of the shiny men in gold. The film is actually very well made.

From the acting to the cinematography, the sets to the nicely choreographed fight scenes, this little gem is a kung fu classic in every sense. In the same year Lo Wei had released 4 Jackie Chan movies, even competing against the Bronzemen with his own version - Shaolin Wooden Men. The mighty Shaw Studios were also dishing out hit after hit of course, so any film from a smaller more independent studio releasing films at this period, certainly had their work cut out for them!

While the awesome 36th Chamber trilogy carried a lot of comedy throughout, the Bronzemen trilogy is a must more serious matter. Running with a similar storyline of Manchurian villains and revenge, there is a fair amount of drama driving the film forward - along with great training and fight scenes of course. But it isn't done in a cheesy way unlike many other kung fu films from that era, it is in fact, very well acted.

Even the original English dub respects it enough not to throw in some stupid sounding voice-actors!

By the halfway point you feel you have already sat through a full film (in a positive way) having had so much happen, but it is at this mark our heroes ( Wong and Tien) get to leave Shaolin and their intensive training to continue their story. Around the hour mark, we get introduced to the fantastic Polly Shang Kwan who helps bring a little more energy to the last 30-40 minutes and at the same time adding to the story.

The film ends in a great climatic battle as Wong, Tien and Kwan put a stop to the bad guys and the film comes to an end with a montage of the friends time together. Classic cliché...

Overall: Well produced, full of emotion, kung fu and great cinematography, this is one of Kuo's finest moments!

Good action improves on the tired tale

[ckormos1 · 5/10 · 11 February 2020]

The movie is about a young boy enters Shaolin temple to train for revenge for his father's death. This is also to overthrow the Ming and return the Ching dynasty. He has a lot on his plate for a youngster . After much training he and a friend try to pass the 18 bronze men. They fail because they need to go back and read books for three years. The next time they succeed and get their forearm scars just like Caine in the US TV series "Kung Fu". They meet Polly and as usual the girl is mistaken for a man initially. She follows them everywhere and finally the piece of jade pops out. Secrets from the past are revealed.

I first watched this movie about five years ago but didn't post my review. I simply did not like the movie because this same story has been told many times and this movie did not make anything better or different. I watched it again because I was checking if my copy was the best quality and the opening fight sequence caught my attention. Yes, that was a good sword fight at the beginning. All the fights were above average for 1976.

Carter Wong did some excellent fight sequences in this movie. When he started in 1972 "Hap Ki Do" my nickname for him was "Stone Face" because he was incapable of showing any expression except surprise. In this movie his lack of acting ability improved to the point that it was no longer a distraction.

Yi Yuan played villains in these movies since the 1960s. I never remarked on his fighting but in this movie he did a good job in the final fight especially considering it was three against one.

I still only rate the movie as average for the year and genre based on the fights making up for the worn out story.

Carter Wong and co take on the multi-chambered labyrinth of the 18 bronze men

[modius · 11 September 2006]

As a young orphan, Shao Lung was raised in a Shaolin Temple after his grandmother abandons him there, fearing that an evil General will kill him after killing Lung's father.

Lung spends countless years perfecting his kung fu in order to gain revenge against the cruel General. As he reaches adulthood, Shao Lung decides he must leave the temple to discover the truth about his past and get revenge.

But in order to do this he must he must pass the Shaolin monks most sternest test; the 18 Bronzemen.

The 18 bronze men is a collection of fighters, some of them wearing super thick armour which make them look like robots, others painted in Bronze/Gold paint and fight in different styles within a multi-chambered labyrinth filled with a mixture of deadly traps and deadly fighters.

Once Shao Lung passes the tests (with Carter Wong in exceptional form), the film becomes less entertaining and incredibly boring.

Whilst Tin Peng (Shao Lung) is cast as the leading man, it's clear that Carter Wong is the main man and out-acts, outperforms and outfights Tin Peng at every turn. Indeed, Wong is enjoyable as the star pupil of the Shaolin monastery, barking insults and pushing students to their limit and beyond.

After Shao Lung and Tai Chung are out in the real world there's no more bronze action – instead we have the discovery that Shao Lung is in fact the son of a Ming general who was slaughtered by Fei-Lung's evil Ching General (realised in a blistering swordplay flashback).

There's also a poorly developed love interest in the pretty form of Polly Shang Kwan. Polly gets to do some kung fu, and seems to be blessed with an amazing leaping ability.

In addition to this, there is a good sub-plot of a mole within the Shaolin monastery; who feeds the Evil Ching general with information - especially the styles of kung fu that the 18 bronze men use as well a super secret kung fu found by Shao Lung in a book.

When the mole is uncovered to be Lung's childhood best friend, he is aghast and demands to know why his best friend betrayed him -- then comes the most convoluted twist of the movie; the best friend explains that he is the child of a high-ranking Ching soldier and gave an oath to his father, and presumably the Ching empire, that he would kill the child who showed the most zeal for destroying the Ching empire (ie: Lung).

Adding to the twist, Carter Wong explains that he was raised by a bodyguard who saved Lung's father and Wong, like the mole, gave an oath to protect Lung until he got revenge.

This plot twist I found to be confusing, it seemed like Lung's destiny was to remove the General from power; sorta like Luke Skywalker. But it did seem a bit strange that Lung was predestined to do all this, and all the people surrounding him were predestined to help Lung achieve his goal. Maybe the scriptwriters wanted to portray Lung as a Prodigal Son -- it didn't really work out.

The end has an excellent, climatic four-way showdown with the Evil Ching General (and, for some reason, his many clones); who has learnt the skills of the Shaolin monks and constantly changes his style until Carter sacrifices himself, leaving the General open to be killed.

The 18 Bronzemen has impressive production values and looks pretty expensive in places, and although the outcome is never in much doubt, the climatic four-way showdown is well-staged by Kuo.

My issue with this movie is that that 18 bronze men do not offer any real threat to the heroes in this movie. They should have been the personal bodyguards of the Ching General, or at least try to kill the heroes; too many times you hear a voice boom "PASS!" as the Bronzemen stop fighting and let the heroes move to the next room.

Although a reasonable fun film, this 70's kung fu movie lacks real danger and wasn't the classic all-out kung fu movie I was lead to believe.

Overall: 4/10

Underrated Gem From Kuo

[bickeler · 9/10 · 16 March 2012]

While not perfect I find this to be a highly entertaining film with excellent performances by the four main characters. Some complained of bad acting(Uh yeah and Jackie Chan can act?),bad dubs(watch the subbed version) and poor effects. I suspect there is a rather bad dubbed version out there. The subbed version I watched I got a while back and watching it for the second time my only critique is the Shaolin set (model lol)and the ending was little kooky(Doubles of the Villain everywhere ha.) it still delivered however at the very end. The story of three friends in Shaolin all sent there by their fathers for different reasons is one of the best I can remember in any Martial Arts flick.a young Carter Wong is fantastic as the serious Big brother.All I can say is I wish more Martial Arts movies were as well made as this one.