[1] Orphans Si Ming and Ah Hsiang are raised my monks, who train them in the variations of the Buddhist Fist technique.

When Ah Hsiang grows up, he leaves the temple to work for a barber in the city, but loses his job for fighting with a customer.

[1] Reviewer Tony Ryan of fareastfilms.com gave the film a rating of 3 out of 5 stars, writing, "The most consistently good action director in Hong Kong’s history – whatever the genre – has arguably been Yuen Woo-Ping, and this old-school classic is just another typical example of why he is perceived as such.

"[2] Reviewer Andrew Borntreger of badmovies.org gave the film a rating of 3 out of 5, writing, "A number of 'item fu' fight scenes are scattered throughout the movie.

"[3] Reviewer Ben Johnson of kungfumovieguide.com gave the film a rating of 4 out of 5 stars, writing, "There is little in the way of surprises in this early Yuen Clan romp, but Woo-ping‘s sensitive side does seep through via the boys’ playful affections and the monk's complex psychology.

"[4] The review concludes, "His sense of humour would later get much broader and the kung fu more eccentric (Dreadnaught, Drunken Tai Chi), but The Buddhist Fist sees Yuen Woo-ping in a wonderfully reflective mood and his feet still firmly on the ground.

"[6] The review concludes, "Starting with a simple but solid plot, Wong Jing (yes, yes) and Tsui Siu-Ming added too many useless passages to the screenplay, pretexts for fight scenes in order to fill a significant void.

"[6] Reviewer Sean Gilman of thechinesecinema.com wrote that "the film is plagued by a half-baked mystery, wildly broad supporting performances, and leads that simply lack the star charisma to carry a plot like this.