The story is one you’ve most likely seen before, country bumpkin comes to the big city and dreams of making it big after seeing the local gangsters living life high on the hog. In this version, Ma Yung Chen (Chen Kuan-Tai) uses his fighting skills to start advancing up the ranks in early-30s Shanghai and take over a small bit of turf between two warring gangs led by Boss Yang (Chiang Nan) and Boss Tan Si (David Chiang). Eventually, Ma decides to take on Boss Yang and vie for control of the whole territory, even if it means taking his gang on single handedly.
Boxer from Shantung is a classic Chang Cheh story, with lots of fighting and extra amounts of crimson blood splattering heros wearing white. The battles are mediocre for the first three quarters of the film, with Chen doing his best to make each fight exciting.even though it for the most part is basher choreography. The finale is spectacular though, with the hero using every weapon and broken pieces of furniture to destroy each member of the rival gang. The sheer ferocity in which Kuan-Tai dismantles the restaurant and people within is made more effective by the constant splintering wood and bones and by the end the entire set looks to be covered in a layer of blood. If you’re looking for a bloody finale, look no further.