John Woo Kung Fu Double Feature

Join us for this special one-off double feature event March 29th!

A decade before he would change action film making forever with A Better Tomorrow and The Killer, director John Woo was directing martial-arts films for the two biggest studios in Hong Kong, Shaw Brothers and Golden Harvest. Under the mentor ship of the great Chang Cheh (five Deadly Venoms), Woo began to develop his signature style, films that featured slick, stylish and often violent choreography, with dramatic plots that revolved around brotherhood, honour and redemption.

Presented here are two of his early works from this period.

In Last Hurrah for Chivalry, two killers (Pai Wei and Damian Lau) agree to help a man exact vengeance upon a kung fu master. Woo’s first cinematic masterpiece, Last Hurrah for Chivalry is a dark and violent revenge film, featuring lightning fast swordplay and stylish cinematography.

In Hand of Death, a young Shaolin monk must train to defeat a dangerous Manchu warlord (James Tien) who is intent on wiping out the Shaolin once and for all. Featuring early performances from Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung (both also handled the film’s stunts, along with third “brother” Yuen Biao), Hand of Death is an exquisitely stylish example of old school kung fu filmmaking.