Yojimbo led to A Fistful of Dollars which led here. I’ve been watching so many Sun Chung movies over the last week and this one may have been one of my favorites.

Since, well, forever, the Mong clan and the Chows have fought over who owns Ho Si. The Chows want to unite the city, while Mong Fan (Ku Feng) wants them all dead. He hires the greatest martial arts teacher in the world, Wong Yang (Ti Lung), to train his family, but the fighter refuses, knowing that only selfishness will come from his teachings. Mong Fan angrily sets up Wong, having a farmer attack him, who soon falls onto a spike and dies. The town then turns against the hero.

Wong goes on the run, hoping to prove that he is innocent. Yet Mong Fan claims that if he teaches his men, he will clear his name. As this happens, Chow Ping (Wang Yu) sneaks into the training area and starts to learn all he can, yet he is captured and about to be killed when Wong saves him. As he takes him back home, Wong starts to train him until he’s attacked by Mong’s men and nearly killed.

Nursed back to health by Chao Cheh (Therea Chu), he teaches Chow his most perfect style, the Shaolin Pole. Now that he has a student who is nearly his equal, it’s time to clear his name as well as the Chows, who have been accused of killing monks.

While this has the two clans at war aspect of the aforementioned movies that inspired it, it has a more noble hero and one who chooses a side and remains on the side of good. As always, Ti Lung is incredible, but if you’ve been watching Shaw Brothers movies, you already know that.

The 88 Films blu ray release of The Kung Fu Instructor has a gorgeous cover by 17th and Oak. You can get it from MVD.