The Eighteen Jade Arhats

                                                      
Director: Chang Jen-chieg
Year: 1978
Rating: 7.0
Dubbed

Aka: 18 Jade Pearls

Aka: Jade Killer

Aka: 18 Claws of Shaolin

Aka: Dragon Zombies Return

Alias: The Eighteen Claws of Shaolin

Aka: 18 Jade Arhats

Aka: Jaws of the Black Dragon

And if that isn't enough for you, my video titled it Bruce Lee: The Flying Dragon. But there is no Bruce Lee and no zombies.


By whatever name you want to call this, it is a solid kung fu film with a fine cast, more action than you can shake a stick at and a murder mystery. Not very straightforward though. Late in the film Polly Shang-kuan says to her compatriot, " I'm getting really confused". Ya, me too. There are a large cast of characters that you need to keep track of - or not since most of them get killed fairly quickly. The why of all these folks trying to kill others is unknown - people just seemed to want to challenge others to a duel or just kill others. It begins early on in the film - after a short prelude of Polly and Li Lung-hua practicing against a mechanical creature with more arms than Shiva. Sort of an updated version of the Wing Chun wooden dummy.



Polly is on her way to Old Town late at night and a man begins bothering her and when she beats off his advances, a bunch of minions appear and get beaten up as well. Then a stranger in white shows up and saves her from a sneak attack. This may be a town to stay home at night. The man in white is Lung-hua who seems to be passing through but nothing is that simple. People keep trying to kill him just because he is a stranger. Or they just don't like his face. One is played by Phillip Ko who challenges him to a game. I will tell you who is behind this if you win and I will have your head if I win. Hmmm. Not my sort of bet but Lung-hua agrees only to have Polly butt in and say she will take his place. But I want his head, not yours. Don't worry he will give you his head if I lose. He agrees again. The game is that they stand on a large silver ball that rolls and try to knock the other off. Nicely done scene.



Then Chang Yi in a white beard is murdered - stabbed in the back - and his wife and daughter try and find professional killers to get revenge - and they point their fingers at Lo Lieh who then has to fend off killers - even while taking a bath. They convince Lung-hua to kill him - but Lo Lieh swears it wasn't him and they believe him. He and Polly keep looking for the real killer and people keep trying to kill him and take his head - a Buddhist, then a nun and even a room full of women playing instruments. So, what about those Eighteen Arhats, some might ask. Turns out both Polly and Lung-hua are looking for some missing ones that were stolen years ago. And just in case you have no clue what an Arhat is - I sure didn't - here is what the Internet tells us.

"The Eighteen Arhats are depicted in Chinese Buddhism as the original followers of Gautama Buddha who have followed the Noble Eightfold Path and attained the four stages of enlightenment. They have reached the state of Nirvana and are free of worldly cravings."

See, you come here for kung fu and gain knowledge. That is Buddhism.  The kung-fu choreography is fairly basic but well done with Polly getting her share of action. Good parts to Lo Lieh, Phillip Ko as well. Thanks again to HKMDB for these lobby cards.