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Kung fu meets spaghetti western in a fever dream of flying fists and racist mustaches.
TMDB
50
IMDb
57
Google
80
Watch(US)

The Fighting Fists of Shanghai Joe (1973)

SchlockyExploitation grindhouseCult oddity

Overview

ActionWestern

A Chinese immigrant, recently arrived in America, fights to free Mexican slaves from their cruel master.

Flag of ITITItalian
Content warning
kung fuspaghetti western

Standout Aspects

Practical Effects

Gloriously unconvincing fight choreography that becomes accidentally hypnotic.

Costume

Klaus Kinski's mustache deserves its own billing.

Direction

Caiano commits to every absurd genre collision with straight-faced gusto.

Best for:Friends: Drunken midnight viewing with people who appreciate beautiful disasters.·Binge: Double-feature with other spaghetti westerns for maximum cognitive whiplash.·Background: Fold laundry to flying kicks and questionable dubbing.
Heads up:Triggers: Racist caricatures and yellowface-adjacent casting of Italian lead as Chinese immigrant.·Violence: Gratuitous whip-cracking villainy and cartoonish eye-gouging.
Mario Caiano

Director

Mario Caiano

ReleasedDec 28, 1973
Runtime1h 32m
StatusReleased

Vibe

Pacefast
Intensityhigh
Tonemixed
Feelmedium
C. C. Champion
C.B.A. Produttori e Distributori Associati

Top Cast

Chen Lee

Chen Lee

Shanghai Joe

Klaus Kinski

Klaus Kinski

Scalper Jack

Gordon Mitchell

Gordon Mitchell

Burying Sam

Claudio Undari

Claudio Undari

Pedro

Carla Mancini

Carla Mancini

Conchita

Carla Romanelli

Carla Romanelli

Cristina

Giacomo Rossi Stuart

Giacomo Rossi Stuart

Tricky

George Wang

George Wang

Yang

Federico Boido

Federico Boido

Slim

Piero Lulli

Piero Lulli

Stanley Spencer

Umberto D'Orsi

Umberto D'Orsi

Poker Player

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Deep Dive

Trivia, insights & behind the scenes

Trivia

Chen Lee was actually Italian actor Antonio Ciani in his only credited role, part of a bizarre trend of 'Eastern' heroes in European exploitation films.

Cultural

This film exemplifies the 1970s 'shambolic east' subgenre where Western filmmakers mashed kung fu tropes into European settings with zero cultural consultation, creating accidentally surreal results.

YouTube

Shanghai Joe (1973) BLU-RAY TRAILER [FHD]

Shanghai Joe (1973) BLU-RAY TRAILER [FHD]

Gallery

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Shanghai Joe Collection(2 films)
The Fighting Fists of Shanghai Joe poster
Now Viewing

The Fighting Fists of Shanghai Joe

1973

Return of Shanghai Joe poster5.2

Return of Shanghai Joe

1975

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