Movielogr
The Invincible Eight (1971)
Directed by Lo Wei
Twitter Facebook Google+Overview
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.
Length 95 minutes
Actors
Nora Miao | Angela Mao | Paul Chang Chung | James Tien | Tang Ching | Kun Li | Lydia Shum | Patrick Tse | Han Ying-Chieh | Pai Ying | Teddy Yip Wing-Cho | Sammo Hung Kam-Bo | Siu-Lung Leung | Lam Ching-Ying | Leung Lung | Lee Ka-Ting | Cham Siu-Hung | Billy Chan | Tong Kam-Tong | Tsang Choh-Lam | Lam Hak-Ming | Yeung Sai-Gwan | Chi Fu-Chiang | Robert Tai | Wilson Tong
Viewing History (seen 1 time)
| Date Viewed | Device | Format | Source | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01/17/2015 | TV | Streaming | Video on Demand | 6.5 stars |
| (Average) 6.5 stars |
Viewing Notes
An ensemble affair as the title would indicate. Disjointed Golden Harvest Shaw Brothers wannabe that occasionally works despite being all over the place. Definitely has flourishes of excellence but tonally a mishmash of revenge actioner that fails to highlight what makes this ragtag group of martial artists so awesome. Also establishes rules that doesn’t uphold. For example, the ability to jump great heights and yet when in danger / trapped the heroes don’t just jump the walls and escape. They’re easily captured.
A cross-dressing comedy bit is out of place in an otherwise very serious film. The real star is Nora Miao who exhibits hyper speed and needle throwing yet in the final fight these abilities aren’t utilized. Sorry, spoiler?
Angela Mao was around 20 years old and still getting her start in the business at the time. She has one fight that isn’t all that. Of course she’s in the big brawl at the end. Lydia Shum is also one of the Invincible Eight which was nice to see.
The Nine Whips (actually only 8 total) are formidable when eight on one or a few but against the entire “Invincible Eight” should be easier to take down esp. with the “Whip-lock Sword” invention. But that fight is drawn out for added drama I suppose. Funny that Sammo Hung is one of the Nine Whips. Crazy that in these early roles in his career he’s cast as a henchman or thug.
Viewed via YouTube on my TV but this would’ve been a better one to watch on my phone as it’s pretty muddy blown up on the TV. I believe this was the Fortune Star release that was uploaded. I may in fact revisit this on a smaller device because it’s a pretty cool film even when it misses.
Overall not an original story but serves as a template for many other similar tales where a gang of misfit warriors team-up to take down the bad guys. I give it credit for a decent final battle that can’t be easy to choreograph with so many skilled fighters. Would’ve been cool if they produced a sequel or two with this cast turning them into a real white knight gang of Robin Hoods because they make a fun team, each very different from each other in both skills and personalities plus with three great female characters.
I’d say this would be ideal for a remake if so many similar films hadn’t already been made like the more recent Seven Swords or the Korean film Kundo, neither of which are great but the concept seems a bit overdone by now even if I love it.
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