5 Kung-Fu Flicks That Inspired Rza

November 5, 2012 - 9:13 pm by J. Pablo

RZA gave the Wu-Tang Clan a very distinct sound when he began incorporating samples from some of his favorite kung fu movies in their music. But it was more than just cool soundbites and swords swinging and clashing that served as preludes to some of the grittiest rhymes ever composed. RZA and many of the Clansmen adopted a lot of the philosophies and ideas behind these classic movies to create their own world of allies and foes, battles and victory.

In support of The Man With The Iron Fists, VIBE asked RZA about his top 5 influences when it comes to kung fu flicks. Unable to name the top five influential movies due to the high volume of movies he takes in, he did agree to name five in no particular order. He earned a lot from these movies mostly that when his talent is properly used... it's almost invincible.

CLICK BELOW TO BEGIN!

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1) The Five Deadly Venoms (1978): A tale of a dying teacher who instructs his final student to check on five former pupils, each of whom he taught a unique and special style of kung-fu to: The Centipede, Snake, Scorpion, Lizard, and Toad. His final student, who knows a little of each style must team up with one of the other good students to defeat the evil ones.
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2) The 36th Chamber Of Shaolin (1978): During a brutal Manchu attack, Lui manages to escape and devotes himself to learning the martial arts in order to seek revenge. In a short period of time he masters the deadly art of fighting. With his learning complete, he takes on the Manchus.
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3) The Mystery of Chessboxing (1979) : Young Ah Pao wants to avenge his father's death at the hands of the Ghost Faced Killer. Ah Pao learns from several teachers until he makes the link between chess and fighting. He teams up with his boy and together they take on the Ghost Faced Killer.
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4) World Of Drunken Master (1979): After thirty years apart, two old heads meet up and begin reminiscing about the good old days when they worked at a winery. Eventually the owner they work for teaches the two young men the art of drunken style. After long months of training the two master the style. Then something transpires that informs the viewer why they were apart for 30 years and how it was they linked back up.
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5) Once Upon A Time In China (1991): Rza said the setting for this film takes place 40 years after TMWTIF. It was during a time in Canton where the Eastern and Western worlds were colliding. Based on legendary Kung Fu hero Wong Fei-Hung, the story takes us through the plundering of China by Western forces. Eventually Fei-Hung is forced to stand against these outside forces, even if it means using his kung fu against guns.
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