(Hong Kong 1971)

Original Title: Tian Long Ba Jiang 天龍八將

 

Directed by Lo Wei Produced by Raymond Chow Action by Han Ying Chieh, Sammo Hung Starring: Nora Miao, Angela Mao Ying, Tang Ching, Paul Chang Chung, Lee Kwan, Pai Ying, Patrick Tse, James Tien, Lydia Shum, Han Ying Chieh, Sammo Hung, Lam Ching Ying, Billy Chan Reviewing: Eureka Video UK Blu-ray Release Genres: Wuxia / Historical / Drama

 

Rating: 3.5 / 5

Eureka Video UK Blu-ray Synopsis: Directed by Lo Wei shortly before he achieved global success with the Bruce Lee vehicles The Big Boss and Fist of Fury, The Invincible Eight was one of the first films produced by Golden Harvest following the company's founding in 1970 – a wuxia tale starring Nora Miao (The Way of the Dragon), Angela Mao (Hapkido), Paul Chang Chung (Police Story) and James Tien (Yes, Madam!). Eight men and women band together for a single purpose: to take their revenge on the military General responsible for killing members of their respective families. They intend to stop at nothing until their adversary is dead, but theirs will not be an easy task. For the General not only has the protection of the Imperial Army, but also an elite group of bodyguards armed with whips and sworn to protect their leader at any cost. Boasting fight choreography by Sammo Hung (who also plays one of the villain's whip-wielding henchmen), The Invincible Eight is a significant film in the history of Hong Kong cinema, notable for helping to establish Golden Harvest as an industry force to be reckoned with. Eureka Classics is proud to present the film on Blu-ray for the first time outside of Asia. (98 Mins)

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Joy Sales HK DVD Synopsis: Everyday when General Xiao and his men ride through the Imperial City, inhabitants have to scatter around in order to keep out of their path. One day when Lei plans to assassinate Xiao but gets hurt, another three fighters He, Jiao and Feng come out boldly to help him out. With the help of Zhu, a cook, He succeeds to escape whereas the other three are seized. Later on, He acquaints himself with the girl Gui. Along with another two girls, Hai and Jiang, these eight youngsters are the descendants of the late patriotic Generals, who have been recently murdered. Gui suspects that Hai and Jiang are controlled by Xiao and sneaks into his manor. She meets the girls successfully, but she is seized. When Wan, Xiao's butler, urges his master to kill Hai and Jiang, Jiang overhears their conversation and tries to rescue all her friends. At last, the eight are united and try their best to fight against General Xiao and his men. (95 Mins)

 

Views: Made in 1971 by the newly formed Golden Harvest studio, as one of their first 3 titles, The Invincible Eight plays like an adaptation of Akira Kurosawa's epic Seven Samurai (1954) but is based on popular writer Ni Kuang's novel, who lends his story here for the screenplay. An exciting historical wuxia adventure, the film is a tale of revenge that sees the 8 adult children of 8 slain Generals of the Ming Dynasty, join forces to avenge their deaths and take down the feared General Hsiao. Basic by today's standards, The Invincible Eight still proves to be an exciting watch and was helmed by prolific director and journeyman Lo Wei, who already had over 35 titles under his belt – many of which were for the famed Shaw Brothers studio such as Angel with the Iron Fists (1967), Dragon Swamp (1969), Brothers Five (1970) and The Shadow Whip (1970). His last film for the studio would be Vengeance of a Snow Girl in 1971, before he followed Raymond Chow in his new venture with Golden Harvest and spent the year delivering hits like this, The Comet Strikes, and The Big Boss that helped launch Bruce Lee as the new king of kung fu. Over the next few years, Lo Wei would deliver a number of classics for the studio such as Lee's Fist of Fury (1972) and a number of Jimmy Wang Yu titles. But in 1975, the film-maker would leave to set up his own production company which would see him try to push a young Jackie Chan as the next Bruce Lee, delivering a slate of exciting titles that didn't do much for either party involved. After their rocky departure, Wei stepped back as a director and went onto produce a number of fun kung fu, horrors, and comedy films through to the early 1990s with Sammo Hung's Blade of Fury (1993) marking his final film before passing just a few years later...

 

One of the great things about The Invincible Eight is the star-studded cast it has on offer. The lovely Nora Miao makes her debut here (if not The Blade Spares None or The Comet Strikes from the same year), and delivers a great performance while getting in on some action scenes. But put next to the wonderful Angela Mao Ying who, herself, had only just launched her own acting career, Miao is left in the dust. Although she had only appeared in The Eight Bandits (1968) and took the lead in The Angry River alongside this, Mao Ying had quickly proved her worth as a true queen of kung-fu cinema. Of course, she would go onto star in over 40 other titles – many of which were for Golden Harvest and alongside Sammo Hung- proving to be a true gem of martial arts and is always a pleasure to watch. The always entertaining Lydia Shum completes the trio of female stars in The Invincible Eight, and the only one of the three that already had an established acting career behind her having starred in almost 90 films before delivering her role here. Before passing in 2008, Shum would have starred in almost 180 films in total, known for her burly comedic approach in later modern comedies such as Cat vs Rat (1982), Drunken Tai Chi (1984), and Millionaires Express (1986), as well as It's a Mad, Mad, Mad World (1987) and it's sequels among many others. Here, Lydia gets in on the action and still holds her own alongside the kung-fu greats of the show.

 

The great Tang Ching, who starred in Shaw Brothers films such as The Jade Raksha (1968), Killers Five (1969), The Proud Twins (1979), and Bat Without Wings (1980), plays another of the leads while the fantastic Patrick Tse – father to the handsome Nicholas Tse – delivers a great role as another of the avenging eight; starting off in the lion's den before joining forces with his fellow warriors. Likewise, the much loved and prolific Paul Chang Chung, who had been acting since 1939 and is probably more recognisable to Western fans for his roles in Winners & Sinners (1983), Wheels on Meals (1984), Police Story (1985), My Lucky Stars (1985) and Millionaires Express (1986) – also co-stars as another of the warriors. The great Lee Kwan turns in another comedy performance; another prolific star who is always a joy to watch, going on to cross paths with the director and many of his co-stars a number of times throughout his career. James Tien, the leading man who never really was, appears as another young fighter out for revenge. Thankfully, with a cast of heroes like that, Lo Wei offers two strong villains in the shape of the brilliant Pai Ying – who had only kicked off his career in King Hu's classic Dragon Inn (1967) and would star alongside Angela Mao Ying in The Angry River the same year as this. He plays Wan Shun, the commander to a gang of whip-wielding henchmen played by future greats like Sammo Hung, Lam Ching Ying, Bruce Leung and others such as Billy Chan, Tong Kam Tong, Lee Ka Ting, Leung Lung and Cham Siu Hung. And finally, we get the legendary Han Ying Chieh who stars as the tyrant General Hsiao while doubling-up duties as the fight-choreographer alongside a young Sammo Hung – together, delivering a wide range of exciting battles throughout the movie, with Sammo doubling Lydia Shum for her more demanding moves and both saving the best of the action till last!

 

Shot in Taiwan, The Invincible Eight is an impressive piece and polished production for the new studio, although it doesn't quite reach the quality of the finer Shaw Brothers titles from this period that it was aspiring to be. That said, it's still quite beautiful to watch with popular cinematographer Lam Kwok Cheung capturing the stunning locations and set-pieces perfectly. Of course, Lam himself would go onto direct a number of his own features including Ironside 426 (1977), Enter the Game of Death (1978), The Hellfire Angel (1979) and Bruce vs Bill (1981) among others. Co-directed by the late-great Teddy Yip, popular actor and director of films such as The Blade Spares None (1971), The Black Tavern (1972), Sleeping Fist (1979) and The Thundering Mantis (1980), The Invincible Eight was a great debut film for Golden Harvest showcasing a new team of heroes, inventive weapons, and nods to past classics while showing that they were ready to move forward. Recently restored in 2K and released on Blu-ray by Eureka Video with a limited edition O-card slipcase and collectors booklet, The Invincible Eight has never looked better and comes with a great 10 minute breakdown on the film by the handsome Wayne Wong. Frank Djeng delivers a decent audio commentary, although maybe pauses a little too much throughout while complaining about trivial matters such a people having to walk and other silly things. And finally, an unrestored version of the original theatrical trailer (coming in at just under 4 minutes) lets us see how this classic looked before getting the 2K treatment – a bonus that should be viewed before going straight into the feature.

 

Overall: A wonderful return to an early 70s classic of kung fu cinema, The Invincible Eight delivers excitement, nostalgia, and plenty of entertainment.

 

Eureka Video Blu-ray Extras: 2K Restoration, Audio Commentary with Frank Djeng, Wayne Wong on The Invincible Eight, Trailer

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Joy Sales HK DVD Extras: Trailers