Shout! Factory Continue To Empty Wallets With Another Fantastic Shaw Brothers Box-Set

Shout! Factory continues to surprise martial arts cinema fans with their extensive catalog of Shaw Brothers titles as they deliver SHAW BROTHERS CLASSICS, VOL. 5 in early 2025. This time we get a slew of films spanning from 1967 to 1971, an era of Shaw Studios that some – including myself – may be somewhat unfamilar with. Mission Impossible, for example, has only ever been avaialble on the Zii Eagle (look it up!) prior to this release. This is a special one folks.

From Shout!:

TWELVE DEADLY COINS (1080p High-Definition Widescreen (2.35:1) / Mandarin DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Dual Mono / 89 min.)
A treacherous ambush on a cargo team, the theft of a fortune’s worth of gold, and the quest to retrieve it have roots in a twenty-year-old feud between two brothers, and the seemingly unstoppable martial arts technique known as “Twelve Deadly Coins.”

VENGEANCE IS A GOLDEN BLADE (1080p High-Definition Widescreen (2.35:1) / Mandarin DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Dual Mono / 104 min.)
A man betrayed by his wife is attacked by the vicious Long Brothers, who steal his treasured Golden Dragon blade and leave him a broken man. Years later, the man’s daughter sets off to avenge her father and reclaim her family’s sword. This spectacular tale of vengeance was directed by Meng-Hua Ho (The Mighty Peking Man, The Flying Guillotine).

A TASTE OF COLD STEEL (1080p High-Definition Widescreen (2.35:1) / Mandarin DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Dual Mono / 84 min.)
A sequel to this boxset’s Rape Of The Sword, A Taste Of Cold Steel finds three sisters and their swordsman cousin taking on all comers to defend and secure their family’s most treasured heirloom … a powerful and mystical blade.

THE IRON BUDDHA (1080p High-Definition Widescreen (2.35:1) / Mandarin DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Dual Mono / 88 min.)
When a notorious and odious villain kills his master and entire clan, the stalwart warrior known as The Iron Buddha sets out on an unquenchable quest for revenge. This engrossing film features fight choreography from the legendary Sammo Hung, who also appears in a small role.

THE JADE FACED ASSASSIN (1080p High-Definition Widescreen (2.35:1) / Mandarin DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Dual Mono / 110 min.)
When a woman’s love is rejected by a master swordsman, it leads to an insidious and vengeful plot in which his two children are separated, raised by rival clans, and set up to kill each other in battle.

MISSION IMPOSSIBLE (1080p High-Definition Widescreen (2.35:1) / Mandarin DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Dual Mono / 101 min.)
The daughter of a slain, respected hero embarks on a desperate, heroic odyssey to take the highly coveted Golden Dragon Sword, a weapon of immense spiritual power, back to the Capitol to keep it safe from those who would abuse its might.

SIX ASSASSINS (1080p High-Definition Widescreen (2.35:1) / Mandarin DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Dual Mono / 83 min.)
A tyrannical feudal lord has ruled his domain with an iron fist and cold, hard steel. Determined to end his dark reign, a heroic swordsman enlists a band of warriors to join him in a last-ditch effort to take down the villain once and for all.

Bonus Features for Blu-ray

DISC ONE: THE SILENT SWORDSMAN (1967)

• Audio: Mandarin DTS-HD Master Audio Dual Mono
• NEW Optional English Subtitles Newly Translated For This Release
• NEW Silence is Golden: An Appreciation By Hong King Film Critic Andrew Heskins
• NEW Audio Commentary With Cult Film Critic Ian Jane

DISC TWO: RAPE OF THE SWORD (1967)

• Audio: Mandarin DTS-HD Master Audio Dual Mono
• NEW Optional English Subtitles Newly Translated For This Release
• NEW Audio Commentary With James Mudge, Hong Kong Film Critic At easternKicks
• Image Gallery

DISC THREE: THE FASTEST SWORD (1968)

• Audio: Mandarin DTS-HD Master Audio Dual Mono
• NEW Optional English Subtitles Newly Translated For This Release
• NEW Audio Commentary With James Mudge, Hong Kong Film Critic At easternKicks
• NEW Audio Commentary With Film Historian Brian Bankston

DISC FOUR: TWIN BLADES OF DOOM (1969)

• Audio: Mandarin DTS-HD Master Audio Dual Mono
• NEW Optional English Subtitles Newly Translated For This Release
• NEW Audio Commentary With James Mudge, Hong Kong Film Critic At easternKicks
• Celestial Trailer

DISC FIVE: TWELVE DEADLY COINS (1969)

• Audio: Mandarin DTS-HD Master Audio Dual Mono
• NEW Optional English Subtitles Newly Translated For This Release
• NEW Audio Commentary With James Mudge, Hong Kong Film Critic At easternKicks
• NEW Audio Commentary With Film Historian Brian Bankston

DISC SIX: VENGEANCE IS A GOLDEN BLADE (1969)

• Audio: Mandarin DTS-HD Master Audio Dual Mono
• NEW Optional English Subtitles Newly Translated For This Release
• NEW Audio Commentary With James Mudge, Hong Kong Film Critic At easternKicks
• NEW Audio Commentary With Film Historian Brian Bankston
• Celestial Trailer

DISC SEVEN: A TASTE OF COLD STEEL (1970)

• Audio: Mandarin DTS-HD Master Audio Dual Mono
• NEW Optional English Subtitles Newly Translated For This Release
• NEW Audio Commentary With James Mudge, Hong Kong Film Critic At easternKicks
• NEW Audio Commentary With Film Historian Brian Bankston

DISC EIGHT: THE IRON BUDDHA (1970)

• Audio: Mandarin DTS-HD Master Audio Dual Mono
• NEW Optional English Subtitles Newly Translated For This Release
• NEW Audio Commentary With James Mudge, Hong Kong Film Critic At easternKicks

DISC NINE: THE JADE FACED ASSASSIN (1971)

• Audio: Mandarin DTS-HD Master Audio Dual Mono
• NEW Optional English Subtitles Newly Translated For This Release
• NEW Audio Commentary With Cult Film Expert Ian Jane
• NEW Facing The Fury: Chinese History Academic Doctor Lars Laamann On The Period Provocations of The Jade Faced Assassin

DISC TEN: MISSION IMPOSSIBLE (1970)

• Audio: Mandarin DTS-HD Master Audio Dual Mono
• NEW Optional English Subtitles Newly Translated For This Release
• NEW Audio Commentary With James Mudge, Hong Kong Film Critic At easternKicks
• NEW Audio Commentary With Film Historian Brian Bankston
• NEW Impossibly Awesome: An Extensive Interview With Mission Impossible Director Joseph Kuo, In His First Ever On-Camera Retrospective

DISC ELEVEN: SIX ASSASSINS (1971)

• • Audio: Mandarin DTS-HD Master Audio Dual Mono
  • NEW Optional English Subtitles Newly Translated For This Release
  • NEW Audio Commentary With James Mudge, Hong Kong Film Critic At easternKicks
  • Image Gallery

• NEW A Team Effort: Leon Hunt, Author of Kung Fu Masters, On Six Assassins

The set drops on January 14th so you have time to save your pennies!