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Although it looks more like an independent kung fu film of the era, this film was one of a long string of kung fu programmers from Shaw Brothers. Shaolin Handlock takes a traditional kung fu plot and spices it up with some novel gimmickry. When Li Bai (Dick Wei) is murdered in China, his son Cheng-ying (David Chiang) tracks the killer to Thailand and discovers that the murder was ordered by wealthy businessman Lin Hao (Lo Lieh). Cheng-ying gets a job as Lin Hao's bodyguard as he plots his revenge, only to find himself regularly thwarted by Kun Shi (Hui-Min Chen), a jealous rival guard. Things get more complex when Cheng-ying's sister Meng-ping (Chen Ping) comes to Thailand to join in the revenge plot and Cheng-ying discovers some hidden secrets about Lin Hao's marriage. Shaolin Handlock derives its title from a secret kung fu technique developed by Cheng-ying's father. This technique combined with some of the weapons used by Lin Hao and his operatives give the film a comic book feel that has endeared it to many a kung fu film fan.