Monkey Kung Fu (a.k.a., Stroke of Death)
This film is NOT to be confused with Monkey Fist, Floating Snake, which also carries the alternate title of Monkey Kung Fu. Directed by Lo Mar, this kung fu comedy has the look and feel of a non-Shaw independent film. Starring Ching Siu-Tung (now known more for his choreography/directing than his onscreen work), Hau Chiu-Sing, and Kuan Feng. Ching also co-choreographed the action, and it carries his early signature; fast-paced, manic, acrobatic kung fu, similar to his work in The Master Strikes. This was before his choreography abandoned good physical action in favor of fanciful wire work.
Villain Kuan Feng rarely got to showcase his skills, and this movie, along with The Five Superfighters, is a rare treat to his true potential. His staff play here is among the best ever committed to film. I consider Kuan Feng the most underrated performer in kung fu cinema; why he was so underused and wasted in so many films is a real mystery to me.
New Shaolin Boxers (a.k.a., The Choy Lee Fut Kid)
Directed by Chang Cheh and starring the late Alexander Fu Sheng, Jenny (his real-life wife), Chen Hui-Lou, Shan Mao, Wang Lung-Wei, Lin Hui-Huang, Leung Kar-Yan, etc. Made when Fu Sheng was still at the height of his physical powers, before the serious injuries a couple years later, after which his kung fu performances were never quite the same for the rest of his career. About an impulsive youth who cannot stand idly by while a criminal gang wreaks havoc in his town. One of the few movies that showcases the Choy Lee Fut style of kung fu (the style I practice), I would have preferred the movie set during the Ching Dynasty instead of the early Chinese Republic, but this still remains the best cinematic treatment of the CLF style. Though I would have also liked to have seen more to the training sequences. The action is very well-done, and the cowardice of the ordinary townspeople is appropriately frustrating, which makes you root even more for the young hero they vilify.