Lau Kar-leung

Directing

Lau Kar-leung

Born 1934-07-28 · Xinhui, Guangdong, China

Lau Kar-leung (Chinese: 劉家良, 28 July 1934 – 25 June 2013), also known as Liu Chia-liang, was a Hong Kong-based Chinese actor, filmmaker, choreographer and martial artist. Lau is best known for the films he made in the 1970s and 1980s for the Shaw Brothers Studio. One of his most famous works is The 36th Chamber of Shaolin which starred Gordon Liu, as well as Drunken Master II which starred Jackie Chan.

Acting credits

The Legend of Drunken Master poster
7.5

Returning home with his father after a shopping expedition, Wong Fei-Hong is unwittingly caught up in the battle between foreigners who wish to export ancient Chinese artifacts and loyalists who don't want the pieces to leave the country. Fei-Hong must fight against the foreigners using his Drunken Boxing style, and overcome his father's antagonism as well.

The Legend of Drunken Master

1994

Twin Dragons poster
6.9

Identical twins are separated at birth, one becoming a streetwise mechanic, and the other an acclaimed classical concert conductor. Finally meeting in adulthood, they're mistaken for the other and entangled in each other's worlds.

Twin Dragons

1992

Seven Swords poster
6.2

In the middle of the 17th century, the Manchus conquered China and founded the Ching dynasty. Due to widespread uprisings against the new rulers, the study and practice of traditional martial arts is forbidden and punishable by death. The unscrupulous leader of a troop of mercenaries takes advantage of this situation to make a fortune with the bounty on his head.

Seven Swords

2005

The Amorous Lotus Pan poster
6.7

A woman in an arranged marriage falls in love with her husband's brother.

The Amorous Lotus Pan

1964

The One-Armed Swordsman poster
6.9

A noble swordsman, whose arm had been chopped off, returns to his former teacher to defend him from a villainous gang of rival swordsmen.

The One-Armed Swordsman

1967

Madam White Snake's Reincarnation poster
NR

A fantasy film with an appearance from Huang Fei-hong

Madam White Snake's Reincarnation

1959

Pedicab Driver poster
6.9

Lo Tung and his friend Malted Candy, pedicab drivers working the streets of Macao, have both fallen in love. The problem is that both their objects of affection - one a baker, the other a prostitute - are working under cruel and lecherous bosses. Somehow, the pair must find a way to win the ladies' hearts and free them from their unpleasant jobs.

Pedicab Driver

1989

Operation Scorpio poster
6.4

After an aspiring comic book artist rescues a young girl from a prostitution ring, he submits to the teachings of an aging kung fu master in order to take on the local mob boss' son: a deadly assassin who's a master of the scorpion kung fu technique.

Operation Scorpio

1992

Disciples of the 36th Chamber poster
6.3

Monk San Te tries to support and protect Shaolin and her Fang Shih-yu who purposely attacks corrupt Ching officials.

Disciples of the 36th Chamber

1985

Wong Fei Hung's Battle with the Gorilla poster
10.0

Wong Fei-hung and his disciples hear that a small village is being terrorised by a ferocious gorilla. It turns out that the beast is actually a small-time crook in a gorilla suit under the orders of a precious metal smuggler who wants to intimidate the villagers. The crook takes advantage of his disguise to abduct a beautiful girl and escape to the mountains, but has a surprise in store for him. Just how many gorillas are loose in them there hills?

Wong Fei Hung's Battle with the Gorilla

1960

Drunken Master III poster
5.9

Set around the turn of the century in China, the White Lotus Society plots to put the next Emperor on the throne. To do this they want their protege to marry the Princess Sun Yu who possesses an important jade ring. They dispatch Yueng Kwan to fetch her. However, Yueng Kwan is a patriot, working for the revolutionary forces of Sun Yat Sen. He abducts Sun Yu and finds refuge with the father of the future hero Wong Fei Hung.

Drunken Master III

1994

The Art of Action: Martial Arts in the Movies poster
5.9

Hosted by Samuel L. Jackson, this in-depth documentary offers viewers a behind-the-scenes look at the history of the martial arts film -- from the genre's rebellious beginnings to high-flying modern epics. Jackson takes you through the best moments of 100 movies, including Charlie's Angels and Oscar winner Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Interviews with martial arts film veterans Sammo Hung, John Woo and Ang Lee round out the video.

The Art of Action: Martial Arts in the Movies

2002

Mad Monkey Kung Fu poster
6.7

A disgraced former Kung Fu expert makes a living as a merchant with the help of a hot headed friend. When the men are harassed by gangsters, the merchant decided to teach his friend monkey boxing so they can defend their business.

Mad Monkey Kung Fu

1979

The Sweetest Moment poster
7.0

This is a Cantonese musical from director Wong Yiu

The Sweetest Moment

1967

Return of the One-Armed Swordsman poster
6.6

After the events of The One-Armed Swordsman (1967), a retired Fang Gang is drawn back into the jianghu to protect various young apprentices whose swordsmanship schools have been terrorized by 8 evil swordsmen seeking to rule the jianghu.

Return of the One-Armed Swordsman

1969

The Black Killer poster
NR

A 1967 Cantonese language action film directed by Cheung Wai-Gwong, starring Connie Chan, Adam Cheng and Liu Chia-Liang. Ming-Wai & Ming-Sing, a brother and sister (dual roles played by Connie Chan) who must go undercover in a gang to rescue their uncle.

The Black Killer

1967

The Twin Swords poster
5.6

Gui Wu happens upon a kidnapping with his wife Gan Lian-zhu at the Red Lotus Temple. Lian-zhu sends Wu to go for reinforcements while she stays to fight the kidnappers. Fortunately, the mysterious Scarlet Maid is surreptitiously helping her.

The Twin Swords

1965

Executioners from Shaolin poster
6.8

After the destruction of the Temple, a Shaolin disciple devotes years to mastering the Tiger style in order to defeat the martial arts master who killed his teacher. His wife, a Crane style specialist, has a feeling one style won't be enough.

Executioners from Shaolin

1977

The Banquet poster
5.8

Developer Tsang Siu Chi and his agent have bought two of a group of four properties. Rival developer Boss Hung has secured the other two. Both aim to buy all four so they can knock them down and build hotels.

The Banquet

1991

Heroes of the East poster
7.3

When a series of martial misunderstandings spirals into an international incident, a Chinese martial arts student struggling to relate to his new Japanese wife is forced to take on seven of Japan's most powerful martial arts masters, each an expert in a different discipline, ranging from karate to samurai to ninjitsu.

Heroes of the East

1978

The Thirty Million Dollar Rush poster
7.2

Treasury employee Fatty (Eric Tsang) discovered that bags of used 30 million in Hong Kong Dollars have not been incinerated due to a system error; therefore, he hatches up a plot to grab the doe before they are burned. He seeks his friends Mark (Mark Cheng) and Tomboy (Anglie Leung) to help him with the heist; but, they also enlist actual thief Baldy (Karl Maka), who had just been released from prison, to double the assistance with his thievery skills. But, Baldy wants the money for his own and to share it with love interest Siu-Fung (Paula Tsui). Hot on their trail is a hothead inspector (Ching Wong) and a nun, Sister Maria (Brigitte Lin), who wants to save them for redemption.

The Thirty Million Dollar Rush

1987

Evil Cat poster
6.7

Every 50 years, a member of the Cheung family must kill a cat demon until its nine lives are up. However, Master Cheung is worried cancer will kill him before he can complete his task and decides to give a newcomer the power to defeat the demon.

Evil Cat

1987

The 8 Diagram Pole Fighter poster
7.0

The Yangs are betrayed by a government official conspiring with the Mongols. All of the Yang family males except the 5th and 6th brother are killed. Fu Sheng loses his mind after the death of his family, while the other brother takes refuge in a Buddhist temple.

The 8 Diagram Pole Fighter

1984

The Flying Dagger poster
6.0

The Yu family earn the ire of the Green Dragon clan when the daughter kills the clan chief's son. The Green Dragon chief wounds family head Yu Yuan with his flying daggers, and kills many others who try to protect the noble family. Wandering swordsman Ying Qing saves the family in a fight, using his own flying dagger skills, but his allegiances and motives are unclear.

The Flying Dagger

1969

Behind the camera

The Legend of Drunken Master poster
7.5

Returning home with his father after a shopping expedition, Wong Fei-Hong is unwittingly caught up in the battle between foreigners who wish to export ancient Chinese artifacts and loyalists who don't want the pieces to leave the country. Fei-Hong must fight against the foreigners using his Drunken Boxing style, and overcome his father's antagonism as well.

The Legend of Drunken Master

1994

The 36th Chamber of Shaolin poster
7.5

During the Qing Dynasty, a fishmonger is killed by the reigning Manchu government for supporting the anti-government movement; his son manages to escape to Shaolin Temple, where he plans to learn its secretive brand of martial arts to seek revenge.

The 36th Chamber of Shaolin

1978

Tiger on the Beat 2 poster
6.5

Lam, a middle-aged cop on the verge of retirement, is asked by his sister to find his nephew, Buffalo, a suitable wife, but Buffalo already has designs on an escort, who becomes the target of a drug smuggling syndicate after she witnesses a murder.

Tiger on the Beat 2

1990

Tiger on the Beat poster
6.5

A seasoned cop and his rookie partner try to solve the murder of a heroin trafficker.

Tiger on the Beat

1988

Martial Arts of Shaolin poster
6.3

In ancient China, Zhi Ming trains at the legendary Northern Shaolin temple to avenge the death of his father at the hands of a nefarious magistrate.

Martial Arts of Shaolin

1986

Return to the 36th Chamber poster
6.8

The workers of a dye factory have their pay cut by 20% when the factory owner brings in some Manchu thugs to try and increase production. Desperate to reclaim their full wages, the workers hire an actor to impersonate a priest and kung-fu expert from the temple of Shaolin. The factory owner proves the actor a fraud, and punishes all those involved. The young actor feels he has let the workers down, and promises to atone. He sets out for Shaolin, determined to be accepted as a kung-fu pupil at the elite temple.

Return to the 36th Chamber

1980

Disciples of the 36th Chamber poster
6.3

Monk San Te tries to support and protect Shaolin and her Fang Shih-yu who purposely attacks corrupt Ching officials.

Disciples of the 36th Chamber

1985

Disciples of the 36th Chamber poster
6.3

Monk San Te tries to support and protect Shaolin and her Fang Shih-yu who purposely attacks corrupt Ching officials.

Disciples of the 36th Chamber

1985

Drunken Master III poster
5.9

Set around the turn of the century in China, the White Lotus Society plots to put the next Emperor on the throne. To do this they want their protege to marry the Princess Sun Yu who possesses an important jade ring. They dispatch Yueng Kwan to fetch her. However, Yueng Kwan is a patriot, working for the revolutionary forces of Sun Yat Sen. He abducts Sun Yu and finds refuge with the father of the future hero Wong Fei Hung.

Drunken Master III

1994

Mad Monkey Kung Fu poster
6.7

A disgraced former Kung Fu expert makes a living as a merchant with the help of a hot headed friend. When the men are harassed by gangsters, the merchant decided to teach his friend monkey boxing so they can defend their business.

Mad Monkey Kung Fu

1979

Executioners from Shaolin poster
6.8

After the destruction of the Temple, a Shaolin disciple devotes years to mastering the Tiger style in order to defeat the martial arts master who killed his teacher. His wife, a Crane style specialist, has a feeling one style won't be enough.

Executioners from Shaolin

1977

Heroes of the East poster
7.3

When a series of martial misunderstandings spirals into an international incident, a Chinese martial arts student struggling to relate to his new Japanese wife is forced to take on seven of Japan's most powerful martial arts masters, each an expert in a different discipline, ranging from karate to samurai to ninjitsu.

Heroes of the East

1978

Shaolin Mantis poster
6.5

When scholar Wei Fung is forcibly hired by the Manchu Emperor to infiltrate a clan of rebellious Ming Loyalists, his mission goes adrift when he falls in love with the clan's leader's granddaughter. Wei Fung must choose between his new love and his family, who will be put to death if he doesn't return to the palace successfully.

Shaolin Mantis

1978

The 8 Diagram Pole Fighter poster
7.0

The Yangs are betrayed by a government official conspiring with the Mongols. All of the Yang family males except the 5th and 6th brother are killed. Fu Sheng loses his mind after the death of his family, while the other brother takes refuge in a Buddhist temple.

The 8 Diagram Pole Fighter

1984

The 8 Diagram Pole Fighter poster
7.0

The Yangs are betrayed by a government official conspiring with the Mongols. All of the Yang family males except the 5th and 6th brother are killed. Fu Sheng loses his mind after the death of his family, while the other brother takes refuge in a Buddhist temple.

The 8 Diagram Pole Fighter

1984

Aces Go Places V: The Terracotta Hit poster
5.3

Two friends who own an investment firm turn to a policeman friend for help when they are framed for robbery by a gang of antiquities smugglers.

Aces Go Places V: The Terracotta Hit

1989

Cat vs. Rat poster
5.5

Pai 'The Rat' always gets into trouble with Chan 'The Cat'. They always try to outsmart each other even when it threatens the lives of other people.

Cat vs. Rat

1982

The Lady Is the Boss poster
6.4

Wong Hsia Yuan is an old-fashioned martial arts master who's so behind the times that he'd rather his school be destroyed than change its ways. He may get his wish, thanks to the young, beautiful, intelligent Chan Mei Ling, who arrives from the states to open a new branch of the school. Armed with an unfamiliar, modern way of thinking, Mei Ling goes about recruiting new students in strange, and sometimes questionably legal ways. Yuan is furious, but when the local triads enter the picture, the two put their differences aside to take back the neighborhood.

The Lady Is the Boss

1983

The Lady Is the Boss poster
6.4

Wong Hsia Yuan is an old-fashioned martial arts master who's so behind the times that he'd rather his school be destroyed than change its ways. He may get his wish, thanks to the young, beautiful, intelligent Chan Mei Ling, who arrives from the states to open a new branch of the school. Armed with an unfamiliar, modern way of thinking, Mei Ling goes about recruiting new students in strange, and sometimes questionably legal ways. Yuan is furious, but when the local triads enter the picture, the two put their differences aside to take back the neighborhood.

The Lady Is the Boss

1983

Martial Club poster
6.6

Wong Fei Hung and his friend are constantly having contests to see who has the better martial arts skill. After getting in trouble with their fathers, Wong Fei Hung settles down and starts to train seriously, while his friend still horses around. After his friend is hurt by a rival school, Wong goes to the school for retribution. Instead his skill is tested through a series of events which climax with him taking on a Northern martial artist. In an excellent battle of skill, he earns the respect of the rival school. Also stars Mai Te Lo and Hui Ying Hung.

Martial Club

1981

Dirty Ho poster
7.3

A prince enlists a thief to serve as his bodyguard to protect him from assassins.

Dirty Ho

1979

My Young Auntie poster
6.5

Cheng Tai-nun is a young martial-arts champion. She marries an elderly landowner so that he can keep his estate from falling into the greedy and corrupt hands of his brother, Yu Yung-Sheng.

My Young Auntie

1981

My Young Auntie poster
6.5

Cheng Tai-nun is a young martial-arts champion. She marries an elderly landowner so that he can keep his estate from falling into the greedy and corrupt hands of his brother, Yu Yung-Sheng.

My Young Auntie

1981

Shaolin and Wu Tang poster
6.9

Master Liu and Master Law are rival masters of Shaolin style kung fu, and Wudang style sword fighting, running schools in the same city. Their top students, Chao Fung-wu, and Hung Jun-kit, are actually close friends. After observing the two students fighting at a brothel, the Lord determines that the two styles are dangerous, and he must learn both.

Shaolin and Wu Tang

1983