Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Simple
- Violence
- Graphic
- propulsive
- melodramatic
- flamboyant
- martial arts movie night
- grindhouse double feature
What critics said
Critics broadly found the film visually colorful and fast-moving, with exciting fight choreography offset by melodramatic clichés, poor dubbing, and exaggerated violence.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Chao Chih-Hao trains specifically to win a tournament and deny local thugs the prestige and power attached to victory.
The film uses slow-motion leaps, explosive punches, grunts, whooshing fists, and elaborate stunt effects as defining formal features.
Chao-Hao is sent away to train under a new master before facing the tournament and its violent challengers.
The rural early twentieth-century setting, horse-drawn travel, local thugs, and isolated masters give the Shaw Brothers action formula a Western-like frontier atmosphere.
Films like Five Fingers of Death, and why
The Chinese Connection
classic Hong Kong martial arts spectacle centered on a tournament, rival schools, revenge, and highly stylized fight choreography
King Boxer
Shaw Brothers-era kung fu action combining melodrama, training, betrayal, and colorful period production design
Enter the Dragon
high-energy martial arts tournament narrative with charismatic fighters, ruthless villains, and internationally accessible action
The One-Armed Swordsman
stylized wuxia-influenced combat, master-student bonds, and dramatic rivalries within a period Chinese setting
Movie Details
- Director
- Jeong Chang-hwa
- Release Date
- 1972-04-28
- Runtime
- 106 min
- Rating
- 6.7 / 10 (121)
Cast
- Lo Lieh
- Wang Ping
- Huang Chin-feng
- Tien Feng
- Tung Lin
- Fang Mian
- Ku Wen-Chung
- James Nam Seok-Hoon
- Yau Lung
- Jin Bong-jin
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Amazon Prime Video, IndieFlix, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, IndieFlix Shorts Amazon Channel, ARROW
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Five Fingers of Death about?
- A determined young fighter enters a brutal martial arts tournament to protect his community from thugs seeking power through victory.
- What is Five Fingers of Death like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Five Fingers of Death as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as simple.
- Is Five Fingers of Death violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Five Fingers of Death as graphic.
- What did critics think of Five Fingers of Death?
- Critics broadly found the film visually colorful and fast-moving, with exciting fight choreography offset by melodramatic clichés, poor dubbing, and exaggerated violence.
- Which films are like Five Fingers of Death?
- Films with a similar feel include The Chinese Connection, King Boxer, Enter the Dragon, and The One-Armed Swordsman.
- How long is Five Fingers of Death?
- Five Fingers of Death runs 106 minutes.
- Where can I watch Five Fingers of Death?
- In United States, Five Fingers of Death streams on Amazon Prime Video, IndieFlix, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, IndieFlix Shorts Amazon Channel, ARROW.
