The 8 Diagram Pole Fighter [Blu-ray]

Director: Lau Kar-leung, Liu Chia-Liang Lau Kar-leung

Overview

Hong Kong filmmaker Lau Kar-Leung directed this excellent period-action film, one of the most highly acclaimed productions of the Shaw Brothers studio's later years. Its success is rather remarkable considering its troubled production. Young martial arts star Alexander Fu-Sheng -- who plays the sixth son of the Yang family -- died tragically in the middle of production, causing a hasty rewrite which shifted the film's heroics to the fifth son (Gordon Lau). The flow of the story doesn't suffer much, if at all, but it tends to veer from accepted legend as it tells the supposedly true story of a Sung dynasty-era massacre perpetrated on the Yang family by General Pan Mai (Ku Ming) and his Mongol allies which leaves only two of the large family's males alive. The sixth son manages to get home to tell the horrifying tale, but has been driven mad by his experiences (the plot device used to write out Fu Sheng). The fifth son has been aimlessly traveling the countryside, where he has another encounter with General Pan's troops and barely escapes with his life. Hungry for revenge, he decides to wait and become a Buddhist monk at the Ching Ling Temple in the meantime. As might be expected, his burning fury and lust for blood don't sit very well with Buddhist philosophy, and he is quickly asked to leave the temple. Yang number five is not so willing to do so, and promptly shaves his head and insists that he is staying, much to the monks' chagrin. It isn't long before word of her son's survival reaches Lady Yang (Lily Li), who orders her daughter (Kara Hui), the eighth Yang, to disguise herself as a man and bring the fifth Yang home. Yang number eight does as she is told, but is captured by General Pan's troops on her way to the temple, causing Yang number five to leave his hiding place and try to save her. The family's legendary pole-fighting technique is amply demonstrated throughout in superbly choreographed martial arts scenes orchestrated by the director, Ching Chu, and Hsiao Hou. Johnny Wang co-stars with Phillip Ko and Lau Kar-wing.

Product Details

Release Date:	04/05/2022
UPC:	0760137100775
Original Release:	1984
Source:	Arrow Video
Language:	English
Time:	1:38:00
Sales rank:	11,796

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Lily Li	Se Choi-fa
Wong Yue	Yeung Ping
Lau Kar-Wing	Yeung Ding
Mak Tak-law	Yeung On
Hsiao Ho	Yeung Fai
Gordon Liu	Yeung Dak,Actor
Alexander Fu	Yeung Chiu
Ku Ming	General Pan Mai
Kara Hui	Actor
Ching Chu	Actor
Hou Hsiao	Actor
Lung Wang	Actor
Phillip Ko	Actor
Chia-Yung	Actor
Chang Chan-Peng	Actor
Stephen Shing	Composer
So Chun-Hou	Composer

Technical Credits

Lau Kar-leung

Ni Kuang

Lau Kar-leung	Director,Screenwriter
Mona Fong	Producer
Run Me Shaw	Producer,Producer
Lawrence Wong	Producer
Ni Kuang	Screenwriter
Liu Chia-Liang	Director

Editorial Reviews

The Invincible Pole Fighter is an unusually angry and grim film from Liu Chia-Liang, a director better known for more light-hearted and comedic kung fu fare. This film is a powerful drama that uses familiar kung fu film plot elements to create a dark meditation on the price people pay for patriotism (and how little such a concept can mean when it costs human lives). Accordingly, The Invincible Pole Fighter is grim in all aspects: the script avoids any humorous touches and the action choreography is intense and often quite bloody, particularly in the brutal finale. The actors match the film's overall tone with suitably intense performances: Gordon Liu is fierce as a tragic hero who learns to use his rage as a weapon and Alexander Fu-Sheng is both heartbreaking and terrifying as a brave warrior driven over the edge by the massacre of his father and brothers. In short, The Invincible Pole Fighter is a demanding piece of work due to its uncompromisingly bleak tone, but it remains quite powerful and is a must-see classic for Shaw Brothers fans.