Judge Kirby is being blackmailed and forced to let outlaws go free. He was once the partner of Roy's father and when Roy reads in the paper that he is in trouble he heads out to help him. Arriving, Roy quickly realizes he has been mistaken for one of the outlaws and is not wanted in town. However he stays, and now posing as that outlaw, hopes to learn who is causing all the problems.
The young Bruce Lee (Ho Tsung-Tao AKA Bruce Li) has studied the philosophy and art of kung fu since boyhood, but his girlfriend says that he lives in a world of his own and all he thinks of is fighting. She begs him to change his ways, yet after a humiliating defeat Bruce vows that it will never happen again, and while witnessing street thugs preying on innocent people, he is driven to defend them. Things appear to be no better when Bruce comes to the United States to begin teaching, and is under constant attack by rival martial artists, but all the while his unorthodox style is beginning to catch on. Finally he becomes an international sensation as a movie star with a wife, kids, money, and everything he's always wanted - who then must fight for both his life and his reputation back home in Hong Kong.
Traveling from California to Houston, a martial arts expert suffers a motorcycle breakdown in a small Texas town. But his bad luck proves to be a blessing in disguise for the local townspeople when he discovers the corrupt sheriff and his KKK cronies beating a young black student to death. Following the code of the ninja, the mysterious warrior embarks on a one-man crusade to clean up the streets. But his quest is complicated by a strong-willed young woman who insists on helping him.
Nell is a young mother convicted of accidentally killing her alcoholic husband. When given the opportunity to serve his sentence as a forest firefighter, demonstrates his courage and discipline in an exceptional way.
The plans of a moonshine runner trying to make a better life by becoming a stock car racer go awry when the local sheriff is determined to kill the driver over an affair with his wife.
The Crane Fighter is set just after the majority of the Shaolin monks have been outlawed and killed by the, I think, Ching Dynasty. A few have escaped, and live secretly among the common people. One old guy has a daughter that he has forbidden to learn kung fu, but she does so anyway, by watching some other monks in a nearby temple.
Japan, ten years after World War II. Boy detective Shotaro solves mysteries and fights crime with the help of Tetsujin 28, the 50-foot tall giant robot left for him by his late genius father. But one day he's shocked to learn that his father also adopted and raised another boy named Shotaro, now a repatriated soldier. Just as surprising to our young hero is the fact that his “big brother” can also control Tetsujin, even better than he can. But with the emergence of this elder brother comes danger, as a mysterious assassin, Morning Moon, closes in on the boy for being unworthy of controlling the robot. Meanwhile, the capital faces destruction when multiple bombs are discovered, planted by the two Shotaros' father himself!
Raymond's father is the leader of the Scorpios and he is preparing to hand over the business to his son. Other gang leaders, Phoenix and Anders, know this too well.
The plot is a standard revenge tale told in a concise manner that involves a boy witnessing his parents' murder at the hands of corrupt officials and growing up to achieve vengeance. The boy goes to Shaolin Temple to learn kung fu in a superb training sequence that ranks with some of the better-known Shaolin Temple scenes in kung fu cinema. By the time the boy has completed his training, he has grown up to be Carter Wong and soon sets out on his mission. He meets Polly Shang Kwan along the way and, after some initial antagonism, the two become allies and confront the villains. The bad guys employ a particularly clever maneuver involving dozens of imperial guardsmen performing a variety of formations on cue (including standing on each other's shoulders, three men high) as Sammo Hung bangs out different drumbeats. Sammo and Carter engage in a particularly exciting bout against the backdrop of a mountainous landscape midway through the film.
An Easterner Inherits a cattle ranch, only to discover that thousands of cattle have been stolen. He secretly signs on as a hired hand at his own ranch to discover who's stealing them.
Sundararajan prepares for a trip to Saudi Arabia but is shocked to learn that he cannot drink or meet women there. He teams up with his agent and decides to have his share of fun in Chennai.
Trouble in Colorado is tying up Union troops needed back east during the Civil War and Lieut. Burke is sent to investigate. Macklin and his gang are causing the problems and Capt. Mason joins them. When Burke catches up with them he also finds Mason, his brother.
The film was created by re-dubbing footage filmed for the 1986 Taiwanese kung fu film Ren zhe da (known in English as Ninja: The Final Duel). Ren zhe da producer Robert Tai had reportedly filmed 10 hours of footage for the film that was cut to 90 minutes for release. Much of the footage that was not included in the release of Ren zhe da is included in Shaolin Dolemite as well as original footage of Moore observing the story of the film and making obscenity-laced comments. Other new footage includes a segment portraying Moore's long time friend Jimmy Lynch as a Drunken Master named Sam the Spliff.