The Big Fight

The plot for this actioner involves a Lei Tai competition held by the occupying World War II era Japanese Soldiers in order to cripple the local martial arts masters and thereby prevent them from joining the resistance. Fans of this genre will recognize the plotline as standard anti-Japanese fare that
 portrays the the Japanese occupiers as total monsters who kill children and rape all women. What makes this film so enjoyable is the variety of weapons and martial arts styles that feature prominently throughout. Weapoms range from a scale mail cloak, to Japanese and Chinese swords, to knives and bayonets on rifles and numerous makeshift items (in one scene, the female lead uses a cloak lined with sharp discs as a weapon). Fighters include Japanese specialists in judo, karate and sumo wrestling who take on the local Shaolin elite. The choreography is excellent and has a streak of realism built into it. The finale, and final tournament fills the last 30 minutes of the film and features some interesting contrasts in styles, pitting Chinese Boxers against judo, karate, and sumo stylists. Very cool Kung Fu Film.