With an iconic turn from Cheng Pei-Pei (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon), this female-centric masterwork kickstarted the wuxia resurgence of the 1960s. Making astonishing use of confined spaces, director King Hu fashions a cinema of movement impelled by the balletic virtuosity of his leading lady.

A pivotal classic that marked the rise of the 1970s kung fu craze, Jeong Chang-hwa’s international crossover hit ruled box-office charts upon its release in America. Starring martial arts legend Lo Lieh, this audacious tale of red-hot vengeance punctuates gravity-defying battles with startling gore.

A profoundly influential wuxia classic, this opus of dismemberment and revenge made a star of its leading man Jimmy Wang Yu. Stunningly shot on studio soundstages, The One-armed Swordsman sees director Chang Cheh elevate the Shaw Brothers house style to operatic levels of artifice and abstraction.