What good are codes of honor in an unchivalrous world? It’s the key question for director Chang Cheh in this period crime epic. With action staging by choreographer supreme Lau Kar-leung, The Boxer from Shantung builds to a pyrrhic last stand that ranks among the bloodiest battles in the Shaw canon.

One of the screenwriters on Wong Kar Wai’s kung fu epic The Grandmaster, director Xu Haofeng knows a thing or two about the art of the fight. With dynamic choreography and a breathtaking, weapons-heavy climax, The Final Master is a period action film with a killer eye for clarity in combat.