In retrospect, this is indeed a mediocre example of early '70s kung fu product. However, fans of the genre should not forget that this was the film that began the martial arts craze. It established the typical themes of later films: Chinese/Japanese antipathy, over-the-top cartoonish violence (the eye gouge!), as well as the "rival school" conflicts. Not anywhere in the quality of later films such as "Enter the Dragon" or the unusual "Challenge of the Ninja", it still remains a rich piece of nostalgia for those who sat entranced in theatres watching men fight and fly around movie screens during the early '70s.
Review of Five Fingers of Death
