The Black Panther of Shaolin Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		3.0
Audio		3.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.0

The Black Panther of Shaolin Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf October 23, 2025

Martial arts activity hits the streets of Manila in 1975’s “The Black Panther of Shaolin” (also know as “Bamboo Trap,” which is the title on the print). The Philippines-based production is directed by Ernesto Ventura, who seeks to compete with all the action films of the era, mounting his own take on heroes and villains in the feature, looking to cash in on the frenzy for martial arts movies after the rise of Bruce Lee. “The Black Panther of Shaolin” intends to be a kidnapping drama of some sort, but Ventura isn’t that committed to storytelling, launching a somewhat baffling tale of escalation between the bad guys and the men hired to save the day, also working in a couple of cultural ceremonies, big turns of character, and oddball editing to bring the picture to life. It’s not a terribly exciting movie, and incoherence is a major issue, but as an offering of violence from the Philippines, the endeavor has select moments of excitement. Just not enough of them.

In Manila, young Trish is kidnapped, leaving her mother distraught. Local police learn more about the situation, as Trish has a rich grandfather, Dexter, in America she has no real relationship with. However, Dexter is prepared to do something about the situation, learning more about a kidnapping syndicate responsible for the vanishing, led by Ayana. Dexter hires muscle to rescue his granddaughter, paying for the services of Peter and Foler, two martial art masters ready to fight. Traveling to the Philippines, Peter and Foler try to extract Trish from captivity, coming up against Ayana’s forces and the mastermind himself, who manages to outwit his pursuers, also finding an unlikely ally in Trish, who doesn’t want to be found.

“The Black Panther of Shaolin” doesn’t actually reach any scenes of fighting for 30 minutes, which is an eternity for this type of movie. Instead, there’s a lot of planning, following the formation of Ayana’s “Operation One Million,” hiring an “elite” team of assassins to help take possession of Trish as she walks to her house late one night. Oddly, Ventura spends screen time setting up the trio of enforcers hired to complete the job, including a wrestler, martial arts master, and knife expert, but he doesn’t do anything with them. This type of unfocused filmmaking is common in “The Black Panther of Shaolin,” which means to launch a major story in the loss of Trish and the rise of Anaya, but never really gets around to it, only playing attention to the crisis on occasion.

Most of “The Black Panther of Shaolin” is devoted to planning and investigation, with operative Rosa joining the hunt for suspects, even outwitting Peter, who’s mostly interested in bedding her. In fact, Rosa is awkwardly used in a few sexual encounters, most amusingly after she’s been beaten by the villains, which doesn’t stop a local cop from trying his luck with a bruised, bleeding, and openly pained woman. As for Peter and Foler, they work on infiltrating Anaya’s hideouts, finally bringing some physical action to the movie as they take on the kidnapper’s goons. Action choreography is stiff, lacking fists of fury, but there’s entertainment value in watching the duo kick around challengers. Strangely, Foler disappears midway through “The Black Panther of Shaolin,” replaced by another sidekick for a few scenes before he returns, though his absence isn’t addressed.

The Black Panther of Shaolin Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The image presentation (1.85:1 aspect ratio) for "The Black Panther of Shaolin" is listed as "preserved from the only known 35mm print in existence." Wear and tear is all over the viewing experience, finding scratches swarming the image, damage is sustained throughout, and assorted blemishes and reel changes are encountered. Also prevalent are missing footage and frames, which contribute to the overall puzzling story as pieces of dialogue are lost. Color is aged, putting AGFA to work fighting fade. Hues are inconsistent, but mostly remain appreciable, exploring the greenery of the Philippines and costuming style of the era. However, redness dominates, blasting out some skin tones. Detail is modest, but a milder sense of skin particulars is present, especially with close-ups. Distances are also passably deep, visiting ceremonial events and embarking on city tours. Blacks are largely flat due to the quality of the source.

The Black Panther of Shaolin Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA mix also deals with age and source condition. Dialogue exchanges battle the limits of recording technology, also hit with damage (reaching a point where even subtitling gives up trying to understand what the characters are saying), but a modest level of intelligibility remains. Some sibilance issues are present as well. Music supports with a weaker orchestral sound, but dramatic moods are understood. Sound effects are blunt and somewhat fuzzy.

The Black Panther of Shaolin Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary features film historians Chris Poggiali and Andrew Leavold.

• A Trailer has not been included on this release.

The Black Panther of Shaolin Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"The Black Panther of Shaolin" has select sequences where interesting things happen, including a public showdown during a religious ceremony, where Peter and his team destroy their enemies in front of crowds who don't always seem to be aware there's a movie being made. And the picture stops to take in a cultural event, allowing viewers to sample a bit of Filipino tradition before moving on to the next part of the hunt. These touches are welcome, adding a bit of the unexpected to a feature that needs the help. Also of interest is Trish's sudden need to stick with Ayana, which could be a wonderfully dark turn for the endeavor. Sadly, the production doesn't do anything of value with it, casually tossing the development aside, like a few other ones in the offering. However, beatings do increase as Ventura tries to find an ending (spoiler alert: he doesn't), giving subgenre fans some brutality to enjoy, sold with era-specific filmmaking moves (and a little dab of racism to seal the deal). It's not much, but "The Black Panther of Shaolin" doesn't care to offer much in the way of story or cohesion.