''Kung Fu Cult Master'' () is a 1993 Hong Kong

wuxia ( , literally "martial arts and chivalry") is a genre of Chinese literature, Chinese fiction concerning the adventures of martial artists in ancient China. Although is traditionally a form of historical fantasy literature, its popularity ha ...

film adapted from

Louis Cha Louis Cha Leung-yung (; 10 March 1924 – 30 October 2018), better known by his pen name Jin Yong (), was a Hong Kong wuxia novelist and co-founder of ''Ming Pao.'' Cha authored 15 novels between 1955 and 1972 and became one of the most popul ...

's novel ''

The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber ''The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber'', also translated as ''The Sword and the Knife'', is a wuxia novel by Jin Yong, Jin Yong (Louis Cha) and the third part of the ''Condor Trilogy'', preceded by ''The Legend of the Condor Heroes'' and ''The Re ...

''. Directed by

Wong Jing Wong Yat-cheong, known professionally as Wong Jing (, born 3 May 1955), is a Hong Kong filmmaker and actor. A prolific filmmaker with strong instincts for crowd-pleasing and publicity, he played a prominent role in Hong Kong cinema during ...

, it featured fight choreography by

Sammo Hung Samuel "Sammo" Hung Kam-bo ( zh, t=洪金寶, j=Hung4 Gam1-bou2; born 7 January 1952) is a Hong Kong actor, martial artist, film producer and Film director, director, known for his work in martial arts films, Hong Kong action cinema, and as a figh ...

and starred

Jet Li Li Lianjie (courtesy name Yangzhong; born 26 April 1963), better known by his stage name Jet Li, is a Chinese-born Singaporean Martial arts, martial artist and actor. With a Jet Li filmography, film career spanning more than forty years, Li is re ...

Sharla Cheung Sharla Cheung Man (born 7 February 1968) is a Hong Kong actress and film producer. Career Cheung was discovered by Wong Jing, who cast her in her first film role in the 1986 film '' The Magic Crystal''. She continued to work with the director o ...

Chingmy Yau Chingmy Yau Suk-zing (born 16 May 1968) is a former Hong Kong actress. A sex symbol during the golden age of Hong Kong cinema in the 1990s, Yau is known for films such as '' Royal Tramp'' (1992), '' Naked Killer'' (1992) and '' Hold You Tight ...

, and

Gigi Lai Gigi Lai (born 1 October 1971) is a Hong Kong actress and singer. Entering the entertainment industry in 1985, Lai was under a contract with the television station TVB from 1991 until she retired in 2008. Nicknamed by the Hong Kong media as the " ...

in the lead roles. The controversy of the film was changing the protagonist's character from a righteous hero to a power-hungry and vengeful hypocrite, and thus not faithful to the novel. As the film performed poorly at the box office, plans for its sequels were cancelled, hence its cliffhanger ending was left unresolved.

Plot

Zhang Wuji Zhang Wuji () is the fictional protagonist of the ''wuxia'' novel ''The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber'' by Jin Yong. Fictional character biography Zhang Wuji's parents are from opposing sides of the ''wulin'' (martial artists' community). His ...

and his parents return from an isolated island and travel to Mount Wudang to celebrate his grandteacher's

Zhang Sanfeng Zhang Sanfeng (also spelled Zhang San Feng, Chang San-Feng) refers to a legendary Chinese Taoist who many believe invented the Chinese martial art tai chi. However, other sources point to earlier versions of tai chi predating Sanfeng. He is ...

100th birthday. Several martial artists attempt to force Zhang Wuji's parents to reveal the whereabouts of his godfather, Xie Xun, but they refuse and commit suicide in defiance. Zhang Wuji has been seriously injured by the Xuanming Elders and almost dies, but Zhang Sanfeng shows special care towards him and attempts to preserve his life. However, that incurs the jealousy of his senior, Song Qingshu, who collaborates with

Zhou Zhiruo Zhou Zhiruo () is one of the two female lead characters in the wuxia novel ''The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber'' by Jin Yong. Jin Yong describes Zhou Zhiruo's physical appearance as "beautiful, pure and free of worldly traits".Quote: 清麗秀� ...

of the

Emei School The Emei School is a fictional martial arts school mentioned in several works of ''wuxia'' fiction. It is commonly featured as one of the leading orthodox schools in the '' jianghu'' (martial artists' community). It is named after the place wher ...

to harm him. One day, Zhang Wuji is bullied by Song Qingshu and falls off a cliff together with Xiaozhao, a girl who helped him. They meet Huogong Toutuo by coincidence and Zhang recovers from his wounds completely and learns the powerful "Nine Yang Skill" in the process. Zhang discovers later that the

Shaolin School Shaolin Sect is a Shaolin school. It was founded during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period by the Buddhist monk Bodhidharma,Cha, Louis. ''The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber'' (倚天屠龍記). ''Ming Pao'', 1961. who wanted his followers ...

is plotting with five other martial arts schools to attack Bright Peak, the headquarters of the

Ming Cult The Ming Cult is a fictional cult and martial arts school featured in the ''wuxia'' novel ''The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber'' by Jin Yong, first published in serial form from 1961 to 1963. It is also briefly mentioned in '' The Legend of the C ...

, where Zhang's maternal grandfather, Yin Tianzheng, is. Zhang ventures into a forbidden place on the peak and finds the "Heaven and Earth Great Shift" manual, mastering another powerful skill, and he helps the Ming Cult defeat the six schools. The cult members are grateful to Zhang and choose him to be their leader. Zhang Wuji discovers that the conflict between the Ming Cult and the six schools was instigated by his godfather's sworn enemy, Cheng Kun, who has been in disguise as a Shaolin monk all this while. At the same time, he encounters Zhao Min, a Mongol princess who is also an enemy of his cult. She uses a special drug to poison the cult's members. When Zhang demands that she gives him the antidote, she makes him promise to help her do three things in exchange for the antidote. At the same time, Yin Tianzheng and the cult's members, who mistakenly think that the Shaolin School was behind the poisoning, go to

Shaolin Monastery Shaolin Monastery ( zh, labels=no, c=少林寺, p=shàolínsì), also known as Shaolin Temple, is a monastic institution recognized as the birthplace of Chan Buddhism and the cradle of Shaolin kung fu. It is located at the foot of Wuru Peak o ...

to take revenge but, to their surprise, they see corpses everywhere. In fact, Song Qingshu had betrayed the

Wudang School The Wudang School, sometimes also referred to as the Wu-Tang Clan, is a fictional martial arts school mentioned in several works of Chinese ''wuxia'' fiction. It is commonly featured as one of the leading orthodox schools in the '' wulin'' (ma ...

and defected to the Mongol-led Yuan government. He is plotting with Zhao Min and her men to kill Zhang Sanfeng, but Zhang Wuji returns in time and saves his grandteacher. Zhang promises to not use his newly mastered skills and manages to defeat the Xuanming Elders using

taijiquan is a Chinese martial art. Initially developed for combat and self-defense, for most practitioners it has evolved into a sport and form of exercise. As an exercise, tai chi is performed as gentle, low-impact movement in which practitioners p ...

. The film ends on a cliffhanger as Zhao Min leaves after telling Zhang Wuji to go to Dadu to find her if he wants to rescue the missing members of the six schools.

Cast

as Chang Mo-gei (

) *

as Chao Min / Yan So-so ( Zhao Min / Yin Susu) *

as Chow Chi-yu (

) *

as Tsu Chu (Xiaozhao) *

as Chang San-fung (

) *

Francis Ng Francis Ng Chun-yu (; born 21 December 1961) is a Hong Kong actor and director. He is known for his roles in the TVB series '' Old Time Buddy'' (1997) and '' Triumph in the Skies'' (2003), as well as in films such as '' Bullets Over Summer'' ...

as Chang Tsui-san (Zhang Cuishan) * Sun Mengquan as No-mercy (Miejue) *

Bryan Leung Bryan Leung Kar-yan (Chinese: , born 20 January 1948) is a Hong Kong film and television actor and film director who has played roles in numerous acclaimed martial arts films. He is affectionately known as "Beardy" due to his trademark facial ...

as Jinx / Luk Sin-sang / Sung Yuen-kin (Lu Zhangke) *

Collin Chou Collin Chou (born 11 August 1967), sometimes credited as Ngai Sing, is a Taiwanese actor and martial artist. Personal life Chou attended Pierce Community College in Los Angeles, United States. In addition to his native Mandarin Chinese, Mand ...

as Sung Ching-su (Song Qingshu) *

Richard Ng Richard Ng Yiu-hon (27 December 1939 – 9 April 2023), also known as Richard Woo, was a Hongkongers, Hong Kong actor known for playing comedic roles, particularly in Hong Kong films of the 1980s and 1990s. Film and television career Ng a ...

as Wai Yat-siu (Wei Yixiao) * Yan Huaili as Xie Xun * Cho Wing as Shaolin monk fighter * Tenky Tin as

Mount Hua Mount Hua () is a mountain located near the city of Huayin in Shaanxi Province, about east of Xi'an. It is the "Western Mountain" of the Five Great Mountains of China and has a long history of religious significance. Originally classified as ...

priest *

Ekin Cheng Ekin Cheng Yee Kin (born 4 October 1967) is a Hong Kong actor and singer. Early in his career, he used the name Dior as a first name (because that was what it sounded like when his younger sister tried to call him Second Brother ()). He has als ...

Lam Ching-ying Lam Ching-ying (; born Lam Gun-bo (); 27 December 1952 – 8 November 1997) was a Hong Kong stuntman, actor, martial artist and action director. As a practitioner of martial arts Lam starred in a number of notable films that found recognition o ...

* John Ching * Chow Yee-fan

Alternative titles

Alternative titles for the film include: * ''Kung Fu Master (DVD release Oct 9, 1999)'' * ''Evil Cult USA (DVD release Dec 10, 2000)'' * ''Lord of the Wu Tang (DVD release Feb 6, 1996)''

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kung Fu Cult Master 1993 films 1993 action films 1990s Cantonese-language films Films based on works by Jin Yong Hong Kong martial arts films Works based on The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber Wuxia films Films set in 14th-century Yuan dynasty Kung fu films Films about rebels Films set on islands Films directed by Wong Jing 1990s Hong Kong films