Without a doubt, one of my favourite Shaw Brothers movies, and one of my all-time favourite kung-fu films overall, the classic 8 Diagram Pole Fighters finally gets a release it deserves from 88 Films in the cleanest, crispest print I've seen yet, and more stunning artwork by Kung Fu Bob!
Infamously known as superstar Alexander Fu Sheng's last movie, due to his untimely death in a car crash during production, the script was quickly rewritten to have Gordon Liu's character go on Fu Sheng's journey making him the hero, and in my opinion, the better man for the job. While I like Fu Sheng, and more-so in his comedy roles, this to me is definitely a role made for Gordon Liu. He is outstanding in his performance and pulls off some of his best on-screen fighting in many different fight scenes.
Loosely based on historical Yang Family, the film opens with an impressive battle scene where the Yang brothers and their father have been ambushed by the enemy due to a set-up by a jealous General. The line-up of the sons is pretty damn good, leading you to believe you're in for a big named cast throughout. Unfortunately, due to the high numbers and powerful weapons of the enemy, Shaw Brothers stars such as Lau Kar Wing, Wong Yu, Robert Mak, Hsiao Ho and others, don't get to stick around for long...
Surviving the attack is Fu Sheng and Gordon Liu, with the latter disappearing mid-battle and Fu Sheng returning home to his kick-ass mum, played by Lily Lee, and sisters Kara Hui and Yeung Jing Jing, only to have lost his mind after seeing the tragic loss of his father and brothers!
Lost and injured, Liu stumbles upon an old shack in the mountains and soon meets a hunter, played by director Lau Kar Leung. It doesn't take long for the enemy to catch up though, so Lau helps the injured Yang member escape as he takes them on, sacrificing himself in battle. Alone, Liu makes his way to the nearest Shaolin Temple - putting him back in familiar territory (ala the hit 36th Chamber Of Shaolin) where he must convince the monks to let him in.
Of course, from there, we all know its about training him in heart, mind and moves so that when the time comes, he can take revenge for the murder of his family...
8 Diagram Pole Fighter is quite simply, astounding! One of Lau Kar Leung's final films for the mighty Shaw Brothers, we are treated to a fantastically dark tale packed with beautiful sets and costumes, incredible kung-fu battles, and emotional performances from all involved, especially Gordon Liu who quite clearly shows his pain at the loss of his good friend Fu Sheng in the second half of the film.
I just love this movie! It is quite possibly Lau Kar Leung's finest moment as a director and choreographer with many incredible battles, one-to-one fights, both with weapons and hand-to-hand. Everyone looks amazing during their fights, including the great Philip Ko as a monk, Kara Hui as Sister Eight, and even Yuen Tak gets to show off a few moves as he tries to help the Yang's. As usual, Shaw Brothers have an amazing array of villains and one of their best is Johnny Wang Lung Wei, who as usual, kicks ass and shows why he is one of Hong Kong cinema's best bad guys.
It all leads to an amazing finale, with some incredible weapons work, stunt work, and acrobatics that show all involved at the top of their game. Amazing!
More recently adapted in the fantastic Ronny Yu epic, Saving General Yang...
Overall: One of Hong Kong cinema's finest!
Infamously known as superstar Alexander Fu Sheng's last movie, due to his untimely death in a car crash during production, the script was quickly rewritten to have Gordon Liu's character go on Fu Sheng's journey making him the hero, and in my opinion, the better man for the job. While I like Fu Sheng, and more-so in his comedy roles, this to me is definitely a role made for Gordon Liu. He is outstanding in his performance and pulls off some of his best on-screen fighting in many different fight scenes.
Loosely based on historical Yang Family, the film opens with an impressive battle scene where the Yang brothers and their father have been ambushed by the enemy due to a set-up by a jealous General. The line-up of the sons is pretty damn good, leading you to believe you're in for a big named cast throughout. Unfortunately, due to the high numbers and powerful weapons of the enemy, Shaw Brothers stars such as Lau Kar Wing, Wong Yu, Robert Mak, Hsiao Ho and others, don't get to stick around for long...
Surviving the attack is Fu Sheng and Gordon Liu, with the latter disappearing mid-battle and Fu Sheng returning home to his kick-ass mum, played by Lily Lee, and sisters Kara Hui and Yeung Jing Jing, only to have lost his mind after seeing the tragic loss of his father and brothers!
Lost and injured, Liu stumbles upon an old shack in the mountains and soon meets a hunter, played by director Lau Kar Leung. It doesn't take long for the enemy to catch up though, so Lau helps the injured Yang member escape as he takes them on, sacrificing himself in battle. Alone, Liu makes his way to the nearest Shaolin Temple - putting him back in familiar territory (ala the hit 36th Chamber Of Shaolin) where he must convince the monks to let him in.
Of course, from there, we all know its about training him in heart, mind and moves so that when the time comes, he can take revenge for the murder of his family...
8 Diagram Pole Fighter is quite simply, astounding! One of Lau Kar Leung's final films for the mighty Shaw Brothers, we are treated to a fantastically dark tale packed with beautiful sets and costumes, incredible kung-fu battles, and emotional performances from all involved, especially Gordon Liu who quite clearly shows his pain at the loss of his good friend Fu Sheng in the second half of the film.
I just love this movie! It is quite possibly Lau Kar Leung's finest moment as a director and choreographer with many incredible battles, one-to-one fights, both with weapons and hand-to-hand. Everyone looks amazing during their fights, including the great Philip Ko as a monk, Kara Hui as Sister Eight, and even Yuen Tak gets to show off a few moves as he tries to help the Yang's. As usual, Shaw Brothers have an amazing array of villains and one of their best is Johnny Wang Lung Wei, who as usual, kicks ass and shows why he is one of Hong Kong cinema's best bad guys.
It all leads to an amazing finale, with some incredible weapons work, stunt work, and acrobatics that show all involved at the top of their game. Amazing!
More recently adapted in the fantastic Ronny Yu epic, Saving General Yang...
Overall: One of Hong Kong cinema's finest!