Hong Kong 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.
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.
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 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.
- literary adaptation · 4
- gu long fiction · 1
- the godfather's influence · 1
- assassin · 47
- wuxia · 35
Reception Benchmarks
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 Country | Hong Kong |
|---|---|
| Original Language | Chinese |
| Production Companies | Shaw Brothers |
| Runtime | 1h 37m |
| Release Date | March 20, 1976 |
| IMDb | tt0074745 |
| Official Site | mcms.lcsd.gov.hk |