KING EAGLE (1971) #058

KING EAGLE (1971)

Our first movie of 1971 is KING EAGLE (1971) released on January first it is an all-out fight fest featuring Ti Lung for what (I am guessing) is the hunt for Wang Yu's successor based on the one-note characterization of the protagonist. Sir Run Run Shaw is the producer, Chang Cheh is the director, I Kuang is the script writer, and action directors are Tang Chia teaming up yet again with Yuen Cheung-Yan   (VENGEANCE 1970). King Eagle is basically a murder mystery without the mystery!  Let's get busy!

TIEN YI TONG

TIEN YI TONG HEADQUARTERS

Tien Yi Tung is a orthodox clan that has done many good deeds for the common people. It is a clan with a headmaster and 8 chiefs. But one of the chiefs, First Chief Hung Sing Tien, wants to be the headmaster himself. He wants to be the headmaster for his own personal gain and not to continue the good work of the Tien Yi Tung. To that end he has assassinated the current headmaster and has arranged partnerships with heretic clans to support his take-over by murdering his own clan brothers. Unfortunately Jin Fei, known as King Eagle witnessed the death of the Sixth Chief, Chu Hung. Jin Fei is not a member of any clan and wants nothing to do with the politics of the Jiang Hu and he makes this quite clear. However, First Chief Hung Sing Tien, has decided that Jin Fei might get in the way in the future and decides to kill Jin Fei anyway. Dude, bad idea! 

CAST REPORT

the good: Ti Lung as King Eagle Jin Fei. Li Ching as Seventh Chief An Yuk Lin. Lee Sau-Kei as Headmaster of Tien Yi Tong. Wang Kuang-Yu as Fang Shing. Wang Chung as Second Chief Fan. Yau Lung as Sixth Chief Chu Hung. Cheng Lui as Chief Koon.

the bad: Chang Pei-Shan as First Chief Hung Sing Tien. Li Ching as Eighth Chief An Bing Er. Cheng Miu as Deadly Fingers Wan Hau Ba. Chen Sing as Fifth Chief Chen Tang.

HONORABLE MENTION:  Bruce Tong Yim-Chaan, Tang Chia, Tung Li, David Chiang and Yuen Shun Yi have minor roles and Li Ching plays two roles as younger and older sisters. 

FIGHT TIME: KING EAGLE (1971) is action-packed! I counted nine (9) fight scenes including the finale. Tang Chia and Yuen Cheung-Yan are the action directors. They have worked together before [VENGEANCE (1970) and HAVE SWORD WILL TRAVEL (1969)] and once again do an excellent job here with mostly sabre (dao) fights that are really fast paced and not just under-cranked. I was thrilled to watch this movie and it was very hard to capture a fight still without any blurr. Kudos!

RECOMMENDATION:

KING EAGLE (1971) is Ti Lung's first movie where he is dominate for the entire movie and is not sharing the lead role with Wang Yu nor David Chiang. In fact HKMD credits David Chiang with a very small role as an extra or stuntman but I could not spot him. It also introduces Bruce Tong Yim-Chaan in a featured role above extra or stuntman. As I have stated earlier the action is spot on and the only flaw in this movie is with its story. I called it "a murder mystery without the mystery" which you will understand in the first five minutes of the film but there is another point not made clear. Why don't they just leave him alone? Why murder the people in the restaurant? Who were they waiting for in the restaurant if not him? Anyway these questions are forgivable if you are just looking for a good time and I certainly recommend KING EAGLE (1971) for a good time and, any film with Ti Lung in it from Shaw Brothers Studios is an automatic collector's item. That's all for now, see you next time! 

If you liked this review please comment on the blog, become a follower of the blog, join me on my Facebook account by sending me a message first and then a friend request so I know who I am friending (  https://www.facebook.com/Michael529P   ) and like my Facebook page: SHAW Brothers Kung Fu Movies 1965-1986. I thank you and would appreciate it very much!

NEXT UP: THE LADY HERMIT (1971)

VALLEY OF THE FANGS (1970) #053

VALLEY OF THE FANGS (1970)

VALLEY OF THE FANGS (1970) was released October 6th produced by both Sir Run Run Shaw and Lee Ji-Ryong. Written by Wong Po-I and directed by the very talented Walter Chung Chang-Hwa it is a mission wuxia tale with the oft used tale of the Ming Dynasty during the rule of a child emperor and a corrupt eunuch and a corrupt prime minister. A loyal subject is unjustly accused of treason and his loved ones must find a way to save them. The action choreography is handled by Liu Chia Yung the younger brother of Liu Chia Liang. Let's get busy!

Song Yuan is the senior lecturer in the Imperial Academy. He was honored by the emperor with an Iron Shield Pardon for his loyalty and contributions to the empire. The person presenting this small token can even be pardoned a death sentence. When the emperor died, his very young son became emperor and  Prime Minister Jia Shoudao took advantage of the child and oppressed the common people. Song Yuan refused to go along with the abuse of power by the prime minister and so was framed for treason, imprisoned and tortured with the prospects of being put to death. 

The Head Of Punishment, Geng Shangde visits the child emperor to ask for a pardon of Song Yuan as a favor to him (Geng Shangde) but is rebuffed. He then goes and tells Song Yuan's wife and daughter they must use the Iron Shield Pardon as it is the only way to gain Song Yuan's release. Unfortunately the child emperor's eunuch has followed The Head Of Punishment and alerts Prime Minister Jia Shoudao of the Song's plan to use The Iron Shield Pardon. Prime Minister Jia Shoudao assigns Commander Gao Sixian of the Jin Yi Wei to confiscate the Iron Shield Pardon but it must be done in secret because Song Yuan's loyalty to the previous emperor is well known and he is loved by the people. 

Song Yuan's wife and daughter disguise themselves as street entertainers and hide the Iron Shield Pardon on their person as they make their journey to the capital to save the head of their family.  The journey is dangerous enough as it is but to make it to the capitol they must pass through the dreaded Valley Of The Fangs where the emperor's new palace is under construction. Will they make it? 

CAST REPORT

the good: Li Ching as Song Jie. Lo Lieh as You Rulong. Chan Leung as Chin Shikai. Chen Yan-Yan as Song Jie's mother. Tung Li as Boss kiln worker. 

the bad: Wang Hsieh as Commander Gao Sixian. Fan Mei-Sheng as Instructor Ma. Wang Kuang-Yu as Instructor Niu.

HONORABLE MENTION: Paul Wei Pin-Ao as Hu San shows his skills as an excellent character actor.  In fact, the moment the movie gets to "THE VALLEY OF THE FANGS" with the workers in the kiln it hits a higher note of drama than the rest of the film and the actors in it rise to the occasion! Chen Sing, Luk Chuen, Someno Yukio, and Cheng Lui have small roles in this movie.  

FIGHT TIME: Liu Chia-Yung handles the fight choreography all by himself for the first time so that alone makes this a collectible film. I counted a total of nine (9) fight scenes making for an action-packed movie. The techniques were good and added to the excitement of the film. Bravo. 
HONORABLE MENTION: Liu Chia-Yung's choreography (especially with Paul Wei Pin-Ao) during the kiln sequence shows his skills as in putting the right technique with the correct character for maximum entertainment value, double bravo!!

RECOMMENDATION:

VALLEY OF THE FANGS (1970) is certainly good entertainment but it is a showcase for the action choreography talents of Liu Chia-Yung and that makes this first solo job from him a collectible and must have. Watching some of the faces on the actors here make for a good time if group watching as well. So please see this film if you have the opportunity to do so. See you next time!

If you liked this review please comment on the blog, become a follower of the blog, join me on my Facebook account by sending me a message first and then a friend request so I know who I am friending (  https://www.facebook.com/Michael529P   ) and like my Facebook page: SHAW Brothers Kung Fu Movies 1965-1986. I thank you and would appreciate it very much!

NEXT UP: THE SECRET OF THE DIRK (1970)

HAVE SWORD WILL TRAVEL (1969)

HAVE SWORD, WILL TRAVEL (1969)

HAVE SWORD, WILL TRAVEL (1969) is an eastern-western / wuxia extravaganza with an all-star cast of the next generation of knight errant stars in the Shaw Brothers stable of extraordinary talent. Produced by the elder brother Runme Shaw, script written by the prolific novelist I Kuang, the action directed by Tang Chia and Yuen Cheung-Yan and directed by the master himself Chang Cheh. Let's get busy!

Swordmaster In Ko-Fong and his security company escorts the government's newly minted silver from Yaman to the capitol every year about 200.000 taels. This year will be particularly dangerous as the government has heard rumors that the Flying Tigers Stockade have plans to rob the next shipment and has stressed Master In accordingly. What the government does not know is Master In has been quite ill and unable to use his kung fu for months. What Master In does know is no matter how ill he is, he has no choice but to escort the silver or be charged with treason. 

Knowing he is in dire straits, Master In has sent for Master Yun Chi-Nian, a swordswoman known throughout the Jiang Hu as a master of the sword and flying darts. The problem is his message to her arrived too late as she had already left for the Miao Territories and would be gone for months, much too late for the time the government allotted Master In to begin the transport.

Enter Yin Siang Master Yun's prize disciple and her niece Yun Piau Piau. They received Master In's message but only learn of his dilemma upon arriving at Invincible Village. Once there, Yin Siang decides that they must help Master In and should be able to escort the silver safely.  

Top  billed stars Li Ching and Ti Lung

Lo Yi is a wandering knight errant. A stranger we only know two things about. One thing is, he is down on his luck and out of work. The other thing is he is very skilled in the martial arts. He is hoping to be picked up by one of the many security escort companies in Loyang however, he carries no letter of recommendation from a former employer nor does he claim to be a disciple of a famous master. Yeah, he is going to have a problem.

From this scenario, master storyteller I Kuang lays out a memorable wuxia tale of heroic bloodshed.  

CAST REPORT 

The good: Cheng Miu as Swordmaster In Ko-Fong (he absolutely nails the feeble, weakness of his dilemma when facing the Flying Tigers), Ti Lung as Yin Siang (comes off justifiably snobbish and entitled and he and David Chiang have great chemistry as rivals), Li Ching as Yun Piau Piau (she plays it reserved and kind and not at all haughty), David Chiang as Lo Yi (a young swordsman that seems angry at himself for being down on his luck). 

The bad: Ku Feng as Jiau Hong, Chief of the Flying Tigers (superbly powerful and menacing), Chen Sing as Pestilence, and introducing: Wang Chung as "Mute Buddy"

HONORABLE MENTION: plenty of eye candy here with many extras that will become famous in movies to come such as:  Cliff Lok, Wong Kwong Yue, and Cheng Hong Yip. 

FIGHT TIME: HAVE SWORD, WILL TRAVEL (1969) boasts Tang Chia and Yuen Cheung-Yan as action directors. When Chang Cheh directs it is usually the team of Tang Chia and Liu Chia-Liang but this time Yuen Cheung-Yan (brother of Yuen Woo-Ping) steps in and, I cannot front, does a bang up job on this movie. I wish I had some inside info on why this happened, but I don't so this is all I can write on this detail. I counted four (4) fights scenes but it is an over twenty minute action filled finale so I was fine with it.

HONORABLE MENTION: while no one individually stands out in this movie it can be considered the one where the action choreography steps out above everything that has gone on before it ushering in a higher quality of fights in the Shaw Brothers wuxia genre. At least it is so in my humble opinion. 

Like THE FASTEST SWORD (1968) one year earlier, HAVE SWORD, WILL TRAVEL (1969) shows the Shaw Brothers' love and willingness to adapt the United States western cinematic themes to their own unique wuxia themed movies to great benefit and I am very excited to see a whole new generation of American people discovering what we loved about these movies growing up thanks to Celestial Pictures through Netflix and Itunes and the like. I wholeheartedly recommend this movie to collectors and movie-goers of all ages! See you next time!

If you liked this review please comment on the blog, become a follower of the blog, join me on my Facebook account by sending me a message first and then a friend request so I know who I am friending (  https://www.facebook.com/Michael529P   ) and like my Facebook page: SHAW Brothers Kung Fu Movies 1965-1986. I thank you and would appreciate it very much!

NEXT UP: TWELVE GOLD MEDALLIONS (1970)

THE INVINCIBLE FIST (1969)

THE INVINCIBLE FIST (1969)

Our next movie in 1969 is once again a Sir Run Run Shaw produced, Chang Cheh directed pursuit film but this time the script is by popular wuxia novelist I Kuang and the criminals are the ones on the run. THE INVINCIBLE FIST (1969) is once again action directed by the team of Tang Chia and Liu Chia-Liang. In spite of the similarities on paper these two movies clearly show how much more skilled all of the people involved making these movies became by comparing, the also released in 1969, THE FLYING DAGGER to it. Although they were both released in 1969, THE FLYING DAGGER is clearly the older work and THE INVINCIBLE FIST is clearly the superior product (in my opinion). Let's get busy!

There is a robbery and slaughter at the Gung Bai Wan Residence. Thousands in gold taels are stolen and every single member of the residence, including the servants are murdered. The only clue is a horse drawn cart with several masked men on it, seen leaving the general area. The provincial bounty hunter, Master Tien Wu Ching of Tsang Chou also known as The Invincible Fist is in pursuit of the unknown number of villains. With him is his little brother Tieh Er Long, his four assistants known as The Four Little Iron Men and a small squad of deputies. THE INVINCIBLE FIST (1969) is the action-packed telling of a group of heroes determined to capture an equally determined group of villains that will not only resist capture but also identification!

THE INVINCIBLE FIST (1969) has a fantastic cast of skilled actors that do a great job of story telling. Li Ching is Kuei Ku and she captures the essences of being lonely that is only magnified by the handicap of blindness. Fang Mian is Ma Wai-Jia filled with the good intentions of a loving father whose daughter's blindness must make him a very desperate man who must face everyday the one thing he cannot give to his only child. Lo Lieh is Tien Wu-Ching, the Invincible Fist, master bounty hunter who can never show compassion to the killers he must hunt down and very often kill for the sake of the common people that count on him for their safety. David Chiang (in his first co-starring role) is Tieh Er-Long, the dutiful younger brother devoted to his older brother even to the extent of his own life.

HONORABLE MENTION: Chen Sing, Ku Feng and Chang Pei-Shan play their parts equally well in I Kuang's fabulously crafted story of criminals on the run. 

FIGHT TIME: The action direction team of Tang Chia and Liu Chia-Liang are back for THE INVINCIBLE FIST (1969) and right of the bat I noticed two things: number one, neither one of the directors is in front of the camera for their usual cameo on this project as they usually are but that is fine, it does not effect the movie at all. Number two, there are nearly twice as many action scenes as there have been in past movies. I counted nine (9) fight scenes that makes this an unquestionably action packed movie (for people that like that sort of thing). I got the impression that Chang Cheh and his crew were trying to make a statement about the direction they want to take this relatively new genre of wuxia. The action is very clean and easy to follow, there is some camera movement but it is NOT the dreaded "shaky-cam" that I hate so much. Give me more movies like this, please!

HONORABLE MENTION: The casting of this movie really helps sell the story and the fighting styles of the individuals. Excellent selection of actors. 

THE INVINCIBLE FIST (1969) starts off fast and the action keeps coming but there is no shortage of story in this movie. It is certainly the type of movie that could form film study courses in college about the techniques of the masters (Chang Cheh, I Kuang, Tang Chia and Liu Chia-Liang) and can still go head to head with any popcorn / guilty pleasure flick of its day. So certainly it is getting a very enthusiastic "don't miss" for all movie goers and collectors alike from yours truly. See you next time! 

If you liked this review please comment on the blog, become a follower of the blog, join me on my Facebook account by sending me a message first and then a friend request so I know who I am friending (  https://www.facebook.com/Michael529P   ) and like my Facebook page: SHAW Brothers Kung Fu Movies 1965-1986. I thank you and would appreciate it very much!

NEXT UP: VENGEANCE IS A GOLDEN BLADE (1969)

KILLERS FIVE (1969)

KILLERS FIVE (1969)

Our second movie for 1969 is KILLERS FIVE (1969) an ensemble cast "mission impossible movie" directed by Cheng Kang and co-scripted by Cheng Kang and Sung Hoi-Leng. Han Ying-Chieh is credited with being the action director and Runme Shaw is the producer that brings it all together. Let's get busy!

Cao Qinsheng, the daughter of Duke of Ping Xi, Cao Guowei, who is just recently engaged to the Prince of Jin, makes a miscalculation and goes to town without her escorts to visit her nanny. This misstep gives the villainous Jin Tianlong the opportunity to kidnap Qinsheng and hold her for one hundred thousand taels of gold in his fortress on Mount Jinlong. The Duke is given a ten day deadline to pay the ransom --or else! 

The Duke of Ping Xi, Cao Guowei decides against using troops to storm Jin Tianlong's fortress in Mount Jinlong to rescue his daughter. He sends a letter to summon Yue Zhenbei, the son of an old friend to rendezvous at a discreet location and arrange a surgical strike to free his daughter hoping to avoid a possible war with the nation of Jin should the Prince of Jin find out his future wife has been so poorly protected as to have been kidnapped. 

Yue Zhangbei has accepted Duke Cao Guowei's request to rescue his daughter. Zhangbei's plan is to recruit the Water Rat: Li Xiaoqi, the Climbing Tiger: Niu and the Master Archer: Ma to go in, secret the lady out and get her back to the duke even if he has to sacrifice himself in the process. Along the way they meet the King of Burglary Liang Shangfei who is willing to help --for a price! Killers Five (1969) has some small twists and turns on its perilous journey making it a film well worth your time. 

Li Ching, Li Ching, Li Ching, Li Ching, I adore me some Li Ching. Ever since I saw her performance in RAPE OF THE SWORD (1967) whenever I see her do her super to-hip-for-the-room characterization I am so entertained! Her performance here in KILLER FIVE (1969) does not disappoint. Li Ching plays the Master Archer Ma Jin Ling [I got so excited I almost forgot to write this (lol)]. Tang Ching plays the "crew chief" Yue Zhengbei and does a movie standard performance. Ku Feng as The Water Rat and Cheng Miu as Climbing Tiger have a playful chemistry as "bro-friends" that is cool to watch. Wang Kuang-Yu is the villainous Liang Shengfei and Yeung Chi-Hing plays Duke Cao Guowei and his daughter is played by Carrie Ku Mei.

HONORABLE MENTION: Wang Kuang-Yu is the "Five" of the KILLERS FIVE, King of Burglary Liang Shangfei.

FIGHT TIME: The Hong Kong movie website Hong Kong Cinemagic credits Han Ying Chieh as the Action Director for KILLERS FIVE (1969). I counted three (3) full, expertly done fight scenes and enough action in this movie to keep you focused. The big finale is certainly very well done and is bloody enough for a typical Shaw Brothers wuxia movie. 

One of my pet peeves is the overuse of the word "classic". With or without a hashtag the word "classic" is often used as a comment with it being the only word present. While the word does not suit my personal taste because of its overuse, Killers Five (1969) being one of the earlier mission movies (if not the precursor for them) is certainly a classic and is a perfect lesson on how to do it well. I, 100% without reservation, recommend KILLERS FIVE (1969) for all viewers and collectors to enjoy --with or without popcorn! See you next time.

If you liked this review please comment on the blog, become a follower of the blog, join me on my Facebook account by sending me a message first and then a friend request so I know who I am friending (  https://www.facebook.com/Michael529P   ) and like my Facebook page: SHAW Brothers Kung Fu Movies 1965-1986. I thank you and would appreciate it very much!

NEXT UP: TWELVE DEADLY COINS (1969)