Killer Clans
1976 1h 37m movie Film Hong Kong

Killer Clans

流星.蝴蝶.劍

Synopsis

流星.蝴蝶.劍

Based on a popular swordplay novel, this colorful and complex saga (whose Chinese title literally translates into the poetic Meteor, Butterfly, Sword) has enough conspiracies, stratagems, and sword fights to fascinate even novice kung-fu cinema viewers. The cast of Shaw Brothers' leading swordsmen and swordswomen are masterfully staged by Yuen Cheung-yan, the brother of Matrix and Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon martial arts choreographer Yuen Woo-ping. The result is both a great action movie and an exceptional dramatic film.

Other Titles From Shaw Brothers

Action + Drama in Hong Kong

136 Hong Kong titles in our catalog blend the Action and Drama genres. Below: the top-rated of them (excluding Killer Clans itself).

The 1975–1977 Hong Kong Window

Killer Clans holds position #14 of 38 Hong Kong films in the 1975–1977 window, below highlighted by audience rating.

  1. The Man from Hong Kong
    #1

    The Man from Hong Kong

    ★ 6.9 · 1975
  2. Shaolin Wooden Men
    #2

    Shaolin Wooden Men

    ★ 6.8 · 1976
  3. Executioners from Shaolin
    #3

    Executioners from Shaolin

    ★ 6.7 · 1977
  4. The Flying Guillotine
    #4

    The Flying Guillotine

    ★ 6.7 · 1975
  5. The Magic Blade
    #5

    The Magic Blade

    ★ 6.6 · 1976
  6. The Invincible Armour
    #6

    The Invincible Armour

    ★ 6.6 · 1977
  7. Disciples of Shaolin
    #7

    Disciples of Shaolin

    ★ 6.6 · 1975
  8. All Men Are Brothers
    #8

    All Men Are Brothers

    ★ 6.6 · 1975

The 1970s Hong Kong Landscape

Catalog density by release year across the 1970s in Hong Kong, 122 titles in total. Highlighted year (yellow) is when Killer Clans premiered alongside 17 others.

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Position in Catalog

Released alongside 17 other Hong Kong films in 1976.

The 61st Hong Kong title from Hong Kong we index (earliest catalogued entry: 1955).

Our Hong Kong catalog contains 836 titles in total (828 films).

Audience Engagement

20
Reviews
42nd
Review-volume percentile
41st
Popularity percentile

20 audience reviews — more than 42% of Hong Kong films in our index.

Popularity sits at the 41th percentile among Hong Kong films.

Thematic Fingerprint

Tags on Killer Clans, grouped by how common each theme is across the full Asian catalog. Rare tags are more distinctive signals.

Distinctive themes · rare across catalog
  • literary adaptation · 4
  • gu long fiction · 1
  • the godfather's influence · 1
Mainstream tags · widely used across catalog
  • assassin · 47
  • wuxia · 35

Reception Benchmarks

6.2
TMDB Rating
20
Audience Reviews
Well Received
Critical Tier

Ranked #479 of 836 Hong Kong films indexed here (43rd percentile by TMDB audience score).

Among Hong Kong Action productions specifically: #317 of 516 (top 61%).

Production Details

Primary CountryHong Kong
Original LanguageChinese
Production CompaniesShaw Brothers
Runtime1h 37m
Release DateMarch 20, 1976
IMDbtt0074745
Official Sitemcms.lcsd.gov.hk

External Catalogs