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Executioners from Shaolin

Executioners from Shaolin is a 1977 film from Hong Kong, directed by Lau Kar-leung, running 98 minutes. reelscum files it under martial arts.

Poster for Executioners from Shaolin
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Year
1977 · 1970s films
Country
Hong Kong
Runtime
98 min
Updated
29 Oct 2026
Obscurity
cult (47/100)
Also known as
The Executioners of Death · Shaolin Executioners

Defined in the glossary: Martial arts

Lau Kar-leung's revenge epic. A survivor spends years learning the one style that can beat the villain.

Lau Kar-leung's meticulous kung fu revenge film, in which a survivor of the Shaolin massacre spends years, and a generation, trying to develop a technique capable of defeating the white-browed traitor who destroyed the temple. The villain's invulnerable body is a genuine puzzle the film takes seriously.

Lau's respect for the mechanics of the styles, crane versus tiger, sets it apart, and the training and research are the story rather than filler. It is one of the great Shaw Brothers kung fu films, patient and precise where others are just fast.

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