“Opium and the Kung Fu Master” is an exciting martial arts movie starring Ti Lung and Chen Kuan-tai from director Tang Chia. “Opium and the Kung Fu Master” is also known as Lightning Fists of Shaolin and was released in 1984 towards the tail end of the Shaw Brothers martial arts movie era. The film was recently released on Blu-ray from Shout Factory as part of their Shaw Brothers Classics Collection Volume 4.
In the movie, Ti Lung and his school are the ‘good guys’ in town, often up to silly shenanigans. But Chen Kuan-tai and his clan are trying to build an Opium dynasty, and they’ll do anything to take over the town and make profits.
The first half of the movie is filled with group fighting between the warring clans, with Ti Lung stepping in to show his martial arts skills and break things up. Unfortunately, Ti Lung is also addicted to Opium, which weakens his kung fu and allows Chen Kuan-tai to beat him halfway through the movie.
However, Ti Lung manages to recover and overcome his addiction, leading to a rematch at the end. The conclusion is thrilling but ends all too briefly.
The movie is packed with action and has a simple story to follow, with some side characters adding romance and comedy. There are epic music, hero poses, and even villain poses that make the movie seem even grander.