''Kung Fu Cult Master'' (Chinese: 倚天屠龍記之魔教教主) is a 1993 Hong Kong

wuxia ( ), which literally means "martial heroes", is a genre of Chinese fiction concerning the adventures of martial artists in ancient China. Although is traditionally a form of historical fiction, its popularity has caused it to be adapted f ...

film adapted from

Louis Cha Louis Cha Leung-yung (; 10 March 1924 – 30 October 2018), better known by his pen name Jin Yong (), pronounced "Gum Yoong" in Cantonese, was a Chinese wuxia ("martial arts and chivalry") novelist and essayist who co-founded the Hong Kong dail ...

'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 (Louis Cha). It is the third and final installment in the ''Condor Trilogy'', preceded by ''The Legend of the Condor Heroes ...

''. Directed by

Wong Jing Wong Jing ( born 3 May 1955) is a Hong Kong film director, producer, actor, presenter, and screenwriter. A prolific filmmaker with strong instincts for crowd-pleasing and publicity, Wong Jing played a prominent role in Hong Kong cinema duri ...

, it featured fight choreography by

Sammo Hung 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 fight choreog ...

, and starred

Jet Li Li Lianjie (courtesy name Yangzhong; born 26 April 1963), better known by his stage name Jet Li, is a Chinese film actor, film producer, Chinese martial arts, martial artist, and retired wushu (sport), Wushu champion. He is a naturalized Singapo ...

Sharla Cheung Sharla Cheung Man (born 7 February 1968) is a Hong Kong actress and film producer. Career Cheung's acting career began in 1986 in The Magic Crystal. Cheung was discovered by Wong Jing, with whom she worked on many of his productions in the early ...

Chingmy Yau Chingmy Yau Suk-zing (born 16 May 1968) is a retired Hong Kong actress. Background She entered the Hong Kong film industry after competing secondary school in the 1987 Miss Hong Kong Beauty Pageant. She was one of the leading actresses in the ...

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 and 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 The Wudang Mountains () consist of a mountain range in the northwestern part of Hubei, China, just south of Shiyan. They are home to a famous complex of Taoist temples and monasteries associated with the Lord of the North, Xuantian Shangdi. The ...

to celebrate his grandteacher

Zhang Sanfeng Zhang Sanfeng (also spelled Zhang San Feng, Chang San-Feng) refers to a legendary Chinese Taoist who many believe invented T'ai chi ch'üan. However, other sources point to early versions of Tai Chi predating Sanfeng. He was purported to hav ...

's 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 Sect The Emei Sect is a fictional martial arts sect mentioned in several works of ''wuxia'' fiction. It is commonly featured as one of the leading orthodox sects in the '' wulin'' (martial artists' community). It is named after the place where it is b ...

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 Sect The Shaolin Sect is a fictional martial arts sect mentioned in several works of ''wuxia'' fiction. It is one of the largest and best known orthodox sects in the '' wulin'' (martial artists' community). Its base is in Shaolin Monastery, Henan, Chi ...

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

Ming Cult The Ming Cult is a fictional cult and martial arts sect 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 Cond ...

, 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 sects. 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 sects 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 Zhao Min (), birth name Minmin Temür (), formally Commanderial Princess Shaomin (), is one of the two female lead characters in the wuxia novel ''The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber'' by Jin Yong. Jin Yong describes her appearance as "natu ...

, 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 Sect was behind the poisoning, go to

Shaolin Monastery Shaolin Monastery (少林寺 ''Shàolínsì''), also known as Shaolin Temple, is a renowned 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 of the So ...

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

Wudang Sect The Wudang Sect, sometimes also referred to as the Wu-tang Sect or Wu-Tang Clan, is a fictional martial arts sect mentioned in several works of ''wuxia'' fiction. It is commonly featured as one of the leading orthodox sects in the '' wulin'' (mar ...

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 Tai chi (), short for Tai chi ch'üan ( zh, s=太极拳, t=太極拳, first=t, p=Tàijíquán, labels=no), sometimes called "shadowboxing", is an internal Chinese martial art practiced for defense training, health benefits and meditation. Ta ...

. 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 sects.

Cast

as Chang Mo-Gei (

) *

as Chao Min / Yan So-so (

/ 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 ''Triumph in the Skies'' and in films such as ''Young and Dangerous'', '' Once Upon a Time in Triad Society'', ''A Ma ...

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, he also spea ...

as Sung Ching Su (Song Qingshu) *

Richard Ng Richard Ng Yiu-hon (born 17 December 1939), also known as Richard Woo, is a Hong Kong actor known for playing comedic roles, particularly in Hong Kong films of the 1980s and 1990s. Film and television career Ng has appeared in 80 films to da ...

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 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 二哥 in Cantonese). He has also been referred to as Noodl ...

Lam Ching-ying Lam Ching-ying (; born Lam Gun-bo (); 27 December 1947 – 8 November 1997) was a Hong Kong stuntman, actor, and action director. As a practitioner of martial arts Lam starred in a number of notable films that found recognition outside Hong Kong ...

* John Ching * Chow Yee-fan

Alternate titles

Alternate 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 the 14th century Films set in the Yuan dynasty Kung fu films Films about rebels Films set on islands Films directed by Wong Jing 1990s Hong Kong films