The owner of Kung Fu Video & DVD recommends five films everyone should see for a guaranteed high
East of the Boston Common, atop a Downtown Crossing jewelry store stands James Bennett. To find him, you must walk through the jewelry store, take a right to get to the stairs, and climb to the second floor. Once upstairs, you’ll find Kung Fu Video & DVD, a store Bennett, known simply as “B” to friends and loyal customers, has owned for the past 25 years. Even in the face of at-home streaming, which has dominated the film industry since he entered the game, the store is going strong — due to a very particular strategy.
As streaming services continued to dominate the scene throughout the 2010s, Bennett feared his store would not survive the large-scale shift away from physical media. Despite maintaining over 500 titles at any given time (mostly kung fu, samurai and general action films), Bennett sells more than just DVDs.
“I thought I would have to close down sooner or later,” Bennett says, “but it turns out kung fu and kush go together.”
Pipes, bongs and rolling papers fill every display case that isn’t crowded by DVDs. Bennett credits smoking paraphernalia with saving his business, curating a store where you can buy a movie and grab the tools necessary to enhance the viewing experience.
On a February afternoon, standing behind a display case stocked with lighters and herb grinders, Bennett says that recommending films to newcomers is one of the most important parts of his job. He characterizes the massive collection as a physical list of his favorite films, and chose the following five as his absolute favorites.
“Fist of Fury” (1972) directed by Lo Wei “If you like kung fu movies and never watch Bruce Lee, I have to take your kung fu card from you,” says Bennett. “Everybody loves Bruce Lee.”
“Fist of Fury” follows Chinese martial arts student Chen Zhen (Lee), looking to enact revenge on the Japanese dojo tarnishing the name of his recently deceased master. The second of Lee’s five major movies, “Fist of Fury” follows up “The Big Boss,” his wildly popular kung fu debut.
“Clan of the White Lotus” (1980) directed by Lo Lieh “Gordon Liu is trying to fight the Priest White Lotus,” Bennett describes, “but he keeps losing.”
In the film, Liu’s character, Hung Wen-Ting, is one of the only survivors of an onslaught that targeted Shaolin disciples like himself. In retaliation, he sets off to fight the perpetrator of the attack, the Priest White Lotus (Lo Lieh). After multiple failed attempts, he realizes he must change his techniques in order to defeat the expert priest.
“Finally, his girl teaches him the soft style, how a woman fights,” Bennett says. “Sometimes you gotta get that hard and soft, that yin and yang… and that’s how he wins.”
“Five Deadly Venoms” (1978) directed by Chang Cheh “It comes from the Venom Mob,” Bennett says about the film. “Can’t go wrong with that.”
The Venom Mob is a group of actors consisting of the six stars of “The Five Venoms,” all of whom were assigned specific archetypes for the following martial arts movies they would act in. The movie follows a group of villainous kung fu experts, each with their own specialized fighting style. Bennett praises the unique fight choreography and stunt work, “It’s the bomb.”
“Oldboy” (2003) directed by Park Chan-wook “Anybody who comes in here, it’s the first movie I ask them about,” Bennett says about “Oldboy.”
The South Korean cult classic follows Oh Dae-su (Choi Min-sik), a man seeking revenge on the mystery man who kidnapped and tortured him for over 15 years. Having no knowledge on why he was imprisoned, he must explore his past, eventually finding a man he unknowingly crossed in his youth. Written and directed by cinematic legend Park Chan-wook, the action-packed “Oldboy” serves both as a thrilling modern mystery and a heartfelt homage to kung fu films of decades past.
“The 36th Chamber of Shaolin” (1978) directed by Lau Kar-leung Starring the previously mentioned Gordon Liu and Loh Lieh, “The 36th Chamber of Shaolin” (also known as “The Master Killer”) is the story of school student Liu Yu-de (Liu), who swears vengeance on the oppressive Qing dynasty after they kill his loved ones. In an attempt to liberate his people, Yu-de goes to the Shaolin temple to train in martial arts. After developing his skills and earning the title Monk San Te, he returns to his hometown to fight alongside those resisting the Qing dynasty.
Bennett credits his success to a simple formula that always seems to satisfy the demands of his customers. “People like kung fu movies, people like kush,” he says proudly. With that unbeatable combo, Bennett has seen unprecedented success in a business he once thought would die out. As physical media regains popularity amongst young collectors, and with local film students from Emerson College and Suffolk University showing continued interest in his collection, Bennett sees nothing but green grass ahead.
Regions: Boston