Ho To, an unrivalled Chinese martial-arts expert, is about to wed the Japanese girl Kung Zi, in a marriage arranged by his father, a businessman eager to to use the bond to build an economic bridge between the two cultures. Ho To, naturally, wants nothing to do with the matter—at least, until he first lays eyes on the young woman’s extraordinary beauty. The union thus takes place. Seemingly docile, calm and devoted, Kung Zi appears to be a prize wife. But as soon as the honeymoon is over, problems begin to intrude on the pair’s wedded bliss. Turns out that Kung Zi is also a martial-arts expert—karate, judo, ninjutsu, none of these dangerous techniques harbour any secrets for her. And thus begins not only a magnificent clash between Chinese kung fu and the Japanese way of the ninja, but also between the two cultures in every detail and, more than anything, between the oldest rivals of all, the man and woman who have chosen to share their lives and must now negotiate the barriers and pitfalls of love and domestic life together.

At the heart of the long and admirable filmography of the master martial-arts filmmaker Liu Chia-Liang, who chose the cinema as his way of promoting and teaching the world about kung fu, the kung fu comedy Heroes of the East is one of his most exemplary and significant works. It is very clearly the perfect, grandiose demonstration of what the master was trying to communicate throughout his career. Heroes of the East is as much a superb lesson in the martial arts (myriad styles are touched upon, from the Japanese to the Chinese, the femine techniques to the masculine, and more) as it is a wild, jubilant burst of entertainment. Each domestic episode, and lord knows they’re abundant here, turns into a confrontation, behind which hides another little lesson in history and culture. Satisfaction guaranteed, folks, with this gem to be seen alone or, ideally, as a couple, which also happens to boast the kung fu superstar of the era (and the director’s brother!), Gordon Liu (The 36th Chamber of Shaolin and more recently Kill Bill 2).

—Julien Fonfrède (translated by Rupert Bottenberg)

"A near-perfect conglomeration of Chinese/Japanese conflict, martial arts styles, and legendary talent. For both hardcore and casual genre viewers, the enjoyment factor... is through the roof" - Mark Pollard, KUNGFUCINEMA.COM

Director: Liu Chia-Liang
Screenplay: Ni Kuang
Cast: Gordon Liu, Yasuaki Kurata, Simon Yuen, Liu Chia-Liang, Wilson Tong, Norman Tsui, Cheng Miu, Lee Hoi Sang, Ouyang Shafei, Cheng Hong-Yip, Yuko Mizuno, Poon Bing-Seung, Ha Ping
Producers: Runme Shaw, Mona Fong
Distributor: Celestial