''Shanghai 13'', also known as ''The Shanghai Thirteen'', is a 1984 Hong Kong-Taiwanese
martial arts film
Martial arts films are a subgenre of action films that feature numerous martial arts combat between characters. These combats are usually the films' primary appeal and entertainment value, and often are a method of storytelling and character expres ...
written and directed by
Chang Cheh
Chang Cheh (; 10 February 1923 – 22 June 2002) was a Chinese people, Chinese filmmaker, screenwriter, lyricist and producer active in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. Chang Cheh directed more than 90 films in Greater China, the majority of them wi ...
and starring an
ensemble cast
In a dramatic production, an ensemble cast is one that is composed of multiple principal actors and performers who are typically assigned roughly equal amounts of screen time.Random House: ensemble acting Linked 2013-07-17
Structure
In contrast to ...
of notable film stars such as
Andy Lau
Andy Lau Tak-wah (; born 27 September 1961) is a Hong Kong actor, singer-songwriter and film producer. He has been one of Hong Kong's most commercially successful film actors since the mid-1980s, performing in more than 160 films while maint ...
,
Jimmy Wang Yu
Jimmy Wang Yu (; born Wang Zheng Quan; 28 March 1943 – 5 April 2022) was a Hong Kong-Taiwanese martial artist, actor, film director, producer, and screenwriter. Initially a contract player for Shaw Brothers, he rose to fame for his starring ...
,
Ti Lung
Ti Lung (born 19 August 1946) is a Hong Kong actor, known for his numerous starring roles in a string of Shaw Brothers Studio's films, particularly '' The Blood Brothers'', ''The Avenging Eagle'', ''Clans of Intrigue'', '' The Duel'', ''The Sentim ...
,
Chen Kuan-tai
Chen Kuan-tai (born 24 September 1945) is a martial artist and Hong Kong martial arts film star.
Background
A former fireman, he won a world's kungfu Championship in 1969. He has primarily appeared in Shaw Brothers productions, and was one of th ...
,
Danny Lee,
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 ...
,
David Chiang
use both this parameter and , birth_date to display the person's date of birth, date of death, and age at death) -->
, death_place =
, death_cause =
, body_discovered =
, resting_place =
, resting_place_coordinate ...
,
Chiang Sheng
Chiang Sheng was a martial arts actor, one of the '' Venom Mob'', renowned for their acrobatic and martial arts skills. He joined the ''Chang Cheh's Cohorts'' as an actor, and also worked with Chang Cheh as an assistant director and choreographe ...
,
Chi Kuan-chun
Chi Kuan-Chun (born June 14, 1949), also known as Chik Goon-Gwan, is a Hong Kong-based Chinese actor, martial artist, and Hung Ga practitioner. He is best known for playing Shaolin rebel Hu Huei Chien (Hu Hui Gan) in several martial arts films in ...
,
Chan Sing
Chan may refer to:
Places
*Chan (commune), Cambodia
*Chan Lake, by Chan Lake Territorial Park in Northwest Territories, Canada
People
*Chan (surname), romanization of various Chinese surnames (including 陳, 曾, 詹, 戰, and 田)
* Chan Caldwe ...
,
Lu Feng
Lu Feng (; born 12 November 1981 in Luoyang) is a former Chinese professional footballer who played as a midfielder, he spent the majority of his playing career at Henan Jianye, led them to 2 promotions to Chinese Super League in 2006 and 2013 ...
and more.
Despite not being a
Shaw Brothers
Shaw Brothers (HK) Ltd. () was the largest film production company in Hong Kong, and operated from 1925 to 2011.
In 1925, three Shaw brothers— Runje, Runme, and Runde—founded Tianyi Film Company (also called "Unique") in Shangh ...
production, most of the casts and the crew are Shaw alumni.
Plot
During the
Second Sino-Japanese War
The Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945) or War of Resistance (Chinese term) was a military conflict that was primarily waged between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. The war made up the Chinese theater of the wider Pacific Th ...
era in
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
, patriot Mr. Gao (Chiang Ming) is dissatisfied with the traitorous acts of the
Reorganized National Government of China
The Wang Jingwei regime or the Wang Ching-wei regime is the common name of the Reorganized National Government of the Republic of China ( zh , t = 中華民國國民政府 , p = Zhōnghuá Mínguó Guómín Zhèngfǔ ), the government of the pup ...
and together with thief Black Hat (
Jimmy Wang Yu
Jimmy Wang Yu (; born Wang Zheng Quan; 28 March 1943 – 5 April 2022) was a Hong Kong-Taiwanese martial artist, actor, film director, producer, and screenwriter. Initially a contract player for Shaw Brothers, he rose to fame for his starring ...
), he steals a traitorous contract set up by the government for the Japanese. Gao plans to bring the contract from
Shanghai
Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flow ...
to
Hong Kong
Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...
and break it to the public, in hopes of exposing the traitorous acts of the Reorganized Government. Gao becomes the assassination target of the Reorganized Government's interior minister Hung Xu-wu (Seung Fung).
In order to ensure a smooth arrival of Mr. Gao and the contract to Hong Kong, Shanghai Tycoon Shen Gang-fu (
Chen Kuan-tai
Chen Kuan-tai (born 24 September 1945) is a martial artist and Hong Kong martial arts film star.
Background
A former fireman, he won a world's kungfu Championship in 1969. He has primarily appeared in Shaw Brothers productions, and was one of th ...
) decides to send his underlings, the Shanghai 13, to protect Gao while on his way to the dock. Unexpectedly, there are moles among the 13 men who betray Gao and Shen. With obstacles ahead and pursuers behind, under the condition of obstruction by the traitors, can Mr. Gao successfully arrive to the dock? Are the Shanghai 13 loyal or evil? On the road to the dock, there are murderous traps everywhere and bloody battles appear one after another.
Cast
*
Andy Lau
Andy Lau Tak-wah (; born 27 September 1961) is a Hong Kong actor, singer-songwriter and film producer. He has been one of Hong Kong's most commercially successful film actors since the mid-1980s, performing in more than 160 films while maint ...
as Guan Wei, the Student
*
Jimmy Wang Yu
Jimmy Wang Yu (; born Wang Zheng Quan; 28 March 1943 – 5 April 2022) was a Hong Kong-Taiwanese martial artist, actor, film director, producer, and screenwriter. Initially a contract player for Shaw Brothers, he rose to fame for his starring ...
as Black Hat
*
Ti Lung
Ti Lung (born 19 August 1946) is a Hong Kong actor, known for his numerous starring roles in a string of Shaw Brothers Studio's films, particularly '' The Blood Brothers'', ''The Avenging Eagle'', ''Clans of Intrigue'', '' The Duel'', ''The Sentim ...
as Dock boss
*
Chen Kuan-tai
Chen Kuan-tai (born 24 September 1945) is a martial artist and Hong Kong martial arts film star.
Background
A former fireman, he won a world's kungfu Championship in 1969. He has primarily appeared in Shaw Brothers productions, and was one of th ...
as Shen Gang-fu
*
Danny Lee as Xiao Yang, the Black Sniper
*
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 Tao Da-ye, the Millionaire
*
David Chiang
use both this parameter and , birth_date to display the person's date of birth, date of death, and age at death) -->
, death_place =
, death_cause =
, body_discovered =
, resting_place =
, resting_place_coordinate ...
as Wanderer Ye Bu-fan
*
Chiang Sheng
Chiang Sheng was a martial arts actor, one of the '' Venom Mob'', renowned for their acrobatic and martial arts skills. He joined the ''Chang Cheh's Cohorts'' as an actor, and also worked with Chang Cheh as an assistant director and choreographe ...
as Feng Jin-bang, the Smoker
*
Chi Kuan-chun
Chi Kuan-Chun (born June 14, 1949), also known as Chik Goon-Gwan, is a Hong Kong-based Chinese actor, martial artist, and Hung Ga practitioner. He is best known for playing Shaolin rebel Hu Huei Chien (Hu Hui Gan) in several martial arts films in ...
as Big Leopard Yuan Hai
*
Chan Sing
Chan may refer to:
Places
*Chan (commune), Cambodia
*Chan Lake, by Chan Lake Territorial Park in Northwest Territories, Canada
People
*Chan (surname), romanization of various Chinese surnames (including 陳, 曾, 詹, 戰, and 田)
* Chan Caldwe ...
as Black Eagle Wu Da-li
*
Lu Feng
Lu Feng (; born 12 November 1981 in Luoyang) is a former Chinese professional footballer who played as a midfielder, he spent the majority of his playing career at Henan Jianye, led them to 2 promotions to Chinese Super League in 2006 and 2013 ...
as Tiger
*Wong Chung as Laundry owner
*Ricky Cheng as Dagger
*Wong Ching as Bear Lee
*Ga Hoi as Cheater at casino
*Yu Chung-chiu
*Chiang Ming as Mr. Gao
*
Chang Feng
Chang Feng (6 April 1923 – 6 February 2022) was a Chinese actor based in Taiwan. He died on 6 February 2022, at the age of 98.Lau Kar-wing
Lau Kar-wing (born 1944) is a Martial Artist, Hong Kong people, Hong Kong Chinese martial arts, martial arts film director, Stage combat, action choreographer and actor.
Background
Born in the Xinhui District of Jiangmen in Guangdong, People's R ...
*
Chiang Sheng
Chiang Sheng was a martial arts actor, one of the '' Venom Mob'', renowned for their acrobatic and martial arts skills. He joined the ''Chang Cheh's Cohorts'' as an actor, and also worked with Chang Cheh as an assistant director and choreographe ...
*
Lu Feng
Lu Feng (; born 12 November 1981 in Luoyang) is a former Chinese professional footballer who played as a midfielder, he spent the majority of his playing career at Henan Jianye, led them to 2 promotions to Chinese Super League in 2006 and 2013 ...
*Wong Kwok-chue
*
Ricky Cheng Tien-Chi
See also
*
Andy Lau filmography
External links
*
*
Shanghai 13' at
Hong Kong Cinemagic
Hong Kong Cinemagic, sometimes referred to as HKCinemagic, is a bilingual ( French and English) website providing a repository for information about Chinese language films from Hong Kong, China and Taiwan, and the people who created them. The websi ...
*
{{Chang Cheh
1984 films
1984 action films
1984 martial arts films
1980s chase films
Films about revolutionaries
Films directed by Chang Cheh
Films set in Nanjing
Films set in Shanghai
Hong Kong action films
Hong Kong martial arts films
Kung fu films
1980s Mandarin-language films
Second Sino-Japanese War films
Taiwanese action films
Taiwanese martial arts films
Wushu films
1980s Hong Kong films