Sometimes all it takes is a great villain to make a film incredible. That’s the case with several old-school kung fu movies, with many boasting some truly unforgettable antagonists. Top-notch fight choreography, campy action, and stories set in historical China were staples of this martial arts subgenre, which gave the 1970s and 1980s a long list of noteworthy films.
Of course, many of them doubtfully would have been the cult classics that they are today without the foes chosen to menace the heroes. Thanks to the likes of Lo Lieh, Wang Lung Wei, Hwang Jang Lee, and Ku Feng, the villains have been a huge part of the charm found in old-school kung fu movies.
Whether it’s because of their fearsome personas and mind-blowing talents in kung fu, some of these characters are so compelling that their movies deserve to be seen if for no other reason than to see the actors in action.
Clan Of The White Lotus
Made by Shaw Brothers in 1980, Clan of the White Lotus is easily one of Gordon Liu’s best movies, but the best part of it isn’t the star, but Lo Lieh. In the movie, Lo Lieh plays Priest Pai Mai, an old, white-haired kung fu master. Right away, Pai Mai demonstrates that he’s a force to be reckoned with by cruising to victory against the hero and his brother – setting up a quest for revenge at the end.
His arrogant and menacing demeanor does well to back up his fighting prowess; Pai Mai is shown to be so powerful that he only has one weak spot on his entire body. Bringing his natural charisma to the role, Lo Lieh plays the part perfectly, underscoring why famed Hollywood director Quentin Tarantino labeled him “the greatest actor” in the martial arts genre.
The One-Armed Boxer
A large portion of the cast in Jimmy Wang Yu’s The One-Armed Boxer is made up of villains, each of which being an assassin that represents a specific martial arts style in Asia. All of them have a great campy feel, but none steal the show more often than the leader, Wong Fei-lung’s Erh Ku Da Leung.
Wong Fei-lung’s character is a wild addition to The One-Armed Boxer, with his vampire-like appearance going a long way toward making him a standout villain. Interestingly, his onscreen antics match his over-the-top looks, as evidenced by the scene when he cuts off the main character’s with a well-placed karate chop.
Master Of The Flying Guillotine
The One-Armed Boxer’s director and writer, Jimmy Wang Yu, illustrated how effective he was at creating great villains when he developed another all-time great kung fu movie antagonist for the sequel, Master of the Flying Guillotine. In the 1976 film, Kam Kong steps into the role of Fung Sheng Wu Chi, a blind assassin who poses as a Buddhist monk and wields “the flying guillotine,” a weapon designed to remove heads from afar.
Master of the Flying Guillotine offers a great deal of screen time to the personal journey of Fung Sheng Wu Chi, as he works to find and kill the One-Armed Boxer, cutting off the heads of any one-armed men he comes across in the meantime. Master of the Flying Guillotine effectively plays to the deadly and sinister nature of the character, even going as far as to essentially give him his own theme that accompanies his grand entrances.
Mystery Of Chess Boxing
Released in 1979 and directed by Joseph Kuo, Mystery of Chess Boxing has emerged as a cult favorite despite being a low-budget kung fu film from Hong Kong. Much of its reputation stems from its depiciton of the Ghost Faced Killer, who has an unusual role when it comes to the expectations for a kung fu movie villain.
Many kung fu movies have villains who are almost laughable in their black-and-white devotion to commiting evil acts. Mystery of Chess Boxing offers something much more nuanced through the Ghost Faced Killer, who has a legitimately good reason to be angry at the people on his enemies list: they tried to murder him years ago.
It’s not often that you find a sympathetic villain in an old-school kung fu movie, but that’s exactly what happens when you understand the surprisingly compelling backstory of the now-iconic Ghost Faced Killer.
Challenge Of The Masters
Challenge of the Masters is one of countless fictionalized tales about the story of real-life kung fu master Wong Fei-hung. To get the hero (Gordon Liu) on that path, Challenge of the Masters kills off his peers to prompt a journey of training and revenge. The catalyst for all this is Yuan Zhen, an evil martial arts master played by none other than Lau Kar-leung.
One of the greatest movies in the filmography of martial arts legend Lau Kar-leung, Challenge of the Masters stands out as a film where the talented kung fu expert gets to put his talents to use as a villain. Whether he’s choreographing the action himself or simply performing the fights, Lau Kar-leung reliably puts together thrilling and beautifully crafted fight scenes.
That expertise is utilized to the benefit of Challenge of the Masters’ villain, as the decision to have Lau play the character ensures that he looks every bit as skilled as the audience is meant to think he is. Lau Kar-leung excels here, easily outshining fellow martial arts stars Chen Kuan-tai and Gordon Liu.
The Avenging Eagle
The Avenging Eagle is a 1978 martial arts film from Shaw Brothers that features three of the studio’s most recognizable stars, Ti Lung, Alexander Fu Sheng, and Ku Feng. In a rare example of a kung fu film where the storytelling is on par with the action, The Avenging Eagle creates a pair of memorable protagonists for Ti Lung and Fu Sheng, but its greatest character is easily its villain, played by Ku Feng.
Complete with a cartoonishly evil laugh, cruel stare, a brutally effective fighting style, a devious mind, and a white beard, Ku Feng’s portrayal of Yoh Xi-hung is the epitome of the kung fu movie villain. Ku Feng chews up the scenery every time he’s on the screen, seemingly relishing the opportunity to play an unapologetic villain.
This story originally appeared on Screenrant
