It would be a crying shame to omit this terrific 1983 Shaw Brothers flick from a top 100 Kung Fu films list.
Why?
How about the tone of the film? The story and beat is relentlessly somber; it spellbinds with its pain and fury.
Gordon Liu loses most of his brothers and his father in a battle against a double-crossing government official.
Alexander Fu Sheng, another survivor, is driven to madness by the defeat. Liu escapes to a temple, and trains to achieve mastery in martial arts, to seek his revenge.
Director Lau Kar Leung really focuses on the anguish of Liu, and his determination to avenge the deaths of his family members.
Perhaps the mood is dictated by the fact that Fu Sheng died in a car crash during production, meaning the story had to be re-written with Liu as the central character.
The final product is a powerful, focused, well-paced film. Note the stoic determination in Liu's eyes as he enters initiation into the temple. Touching stuff.
What about the martial arts on show? The kung fu styles are high-level in their own right, such as the fight on the stack of boxes, but this film's mastery is evident in two other scenes.
The wooden wolf is a fantastic invention: quick, powerful and excruciating. But perhaps the pinnacle of the film is Liu's unbelievable pole battle with Phillip Ko.
It's not unreasonable, as others have done, to pinpoint this duel as one of the best staff battles ever filmed.
It is exhilaratingly kinetic, and features two talents at the top of their game. The choreography in this film is first class.
If you're still not convinced ... how about the lavish production values, with quintessential Shaw Brothers sets?
Or, the stellar cast, with Liu and Ko phenomenally good?
Or, the well-suited soundtrack, adding color and texture to the visual feast?
"Eight Diagram Pole Fighter" is a powerful film. The story carries a strong emotional weight, complemented perfectly by thrilling martial arts.
Subscribe To This Site
