Believe it or not, Bruce Lee wasn't the guy who first broke the door down for martial arts in America. Most people think Enter the Dragon was the spark, but honestly, that’s not quite how it went down. Months before Bruce became a household name, a gritty, hyper-violent flick called Five Fingers of Death (originally titled King Boxer) landed in U.S. theaters in March 1973 and absolutely blew the roof off the place.
It was the first time a Hong Kong kung fu movie got a massive, mainstream release in the States. Warner Bros. took a gamble on this Shaw Brothers production, and it paid off big time. We’re talking about a movie that topped the North American box office. It beat out Hollywood heavyweights.
Why Five Fingers of Death still hits hard today
If you’ve seen Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill, you’ve already felt the DNA of this movie. You know that high-pitched siren that blares whenever Uma Thurman gets really pissed off? Tarantino lifted that straight from Five Fingers of Death. In the original film, that sound triggers every time the protagonist, Chao Chih-Hao (played by the legendary Lo Lieh), prepares his "Iron Palm" technique. His hands literally glow red. It’s peak 70s cinema.
The plot is basically the blueprint for every tournament movie you’ve ever loved. You’ve got the humble student. You’ve got the corrupt rival school. There are Japanese mercenaries, eye-gouging, and a lot of "Technicolor" blood that looks more like red paint than actual hemoglobin. But there's a soul to it. Director Jeong Chang-hwa, who was actually South Korean, brought a visual style that felt more like a Spaghetti Western than a traditional Chinese period piece.
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The Lo Lieh factor
Lo Lieh was the first real kung fu superstar of that era. Before Bruce Lee’s intensity redefined the genre, Lo Lieh brought a sort of "everyman" grit to the screen. He wasn't a untouchable god of war; he gets his hands absolutely crushed by the villains halfway through the movie. Seeing him rebuild himself and master the Iron Palm is why the movie works. It’s an underdog story that feels earned.
The supporting cast is just as wild. You have Pai Mei-style villains and treacherous classmates. It’s a soap opera with broken bones.
The impact on 1973 pop culture
When Five Fingers of Death hit Times Square, it wasn't just a movie release; it was an event. Variety reported at the time that audiences were literally screaming at the screen. People were calling the hero "Georgie Howe" because they couldn't quite pronounce Chao Chih-Hao, but they didn't care. They just wanted to see him hit people.
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- Box Office: It earned roughly $4 million in U.S. rentals, which was huge for 1973.
- The Wave: Its success led to over 30 martial arts films being dumped into U.S. theaters that same year.
- The Sound: Beyond the Ironside siren (written by Quincy Jones!), the foley work set the standard for the "whoosh-crack" sounds we associate with kung fu.
Forget the "shoddy dubbing" myths
Critics at the time, like the guy from The New York Times, kind of turned their noses up at it. They called it "bottom of the barrel." They were wrong. Sure, the English dubbing is a little clunky, and the dialogue can be goofy, but the choreography by Lau Kar-wing (Gordon Liu's brother) is genuinely sophisticated. It uses "power-lines" and trampoline jumps that paved the way for the wire-work of the 90s.
If you watch the restored 2K versions available now, the cinematography is actually gorgeous. The Shaw Brothers’ "Movietown" studio in Hong Kong had production values that rivaled Hollywood’s backlots. The lighting in the final night-time duel is atmospheric and genuinely tense. It’s not just "chop-socky" trash; it’s a well-crafted piece of action filmmaking.
How to watch it like an expert
If you’re going to dive into Five Fingers of Death for the first time, don't just find a grainy clip on YouTube. Look for the Arrow Video restorations. They kept the original Mandarin audio but also included the classic English dub that played in American grindhouses in '73.
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The movie serves as a perfect time capsule. It represents the moment when Eastern philosophy and Western exploitation cinema collided to create something entirely new. Without this film, there is no Karate Kid. There is no Mortal Kombat. There might not even be an Iron Fist comic book.
Basically, it’s the grandfather of the modern action movie.
Take action:
- Track down the Blu-ray: Specifically the "Shawscope" collections if you want the best visual quality.
- Listen for the cues: Watch Kill Bill: Vol 1 right after to see exactly how much Tarantino borrowed—it's eye-opening.
- Compare the styles: Watch this and then Bruce Lee’s The Big Boss. You’ll see the immediate transition from the "theatrical" Shaw Brothers style to the "realistic" Lee style.