This movie is available for purchase at www.sensasian.com

Rating:

7

Year of release: 1978

Genre: martial arts

Director: Sun Chung

Writer: Ni Kuang

Producer: Mona Fong

Action directors: Tong Gaai, Wong Pau Gei

Stars: Ti Lung, Alexander Fu Sheng, Guk Fung, Si Si, Yue Wing, Johnny Wang, Dick Wei, Eddy Ko Hung

Not rated; contains II-level language and violence

VCD Information

Company: Celestial

Format: widescreen

Languages: Cantonese, Mandarin

Subtitles: Chinese/English electronically printed on lower black bar

Extras: trailers

Notes: Much better than the crappy US DVD copies of this movie floating around.

Related links:

Movie Review index
Main Page

The Avenging Eagle

In The Avenging Eagle, Ti Lung plays a man who has been trained since he was a small child to be a cold-hearted thief and killer, and he is quite good at his profession. However, after a robbery attempt when he is wounded and nursed back to health by a friendly family, Ti realizes the error of his ways -- but not before his fellow "troops" (known as "The Eagles") slaughter the family. Vowing revenge, Ti sets out to kill the remaining Eagles and their master (played by Shaw veteran Guk Fung). Along the way, he meets up with a mysterious swordsman (Alexander Fu Sheng) who seems willing to help Ti, but appears to have an agenda of his own. Can the two tenuous friends stay together long enough to bring down the evil sifu?

The Avenging Eagle was Shaw Brothers mainstay Sun Chung's first big hit, and it is widely regarded as his best film. Unfortunately for western viewers, the home video versions that have come out over the years through gray-market companies like Ground Zero have been half-ass to say the least. Sun was known for being one of the more visually inventive directors in the Shaw stable, but his cinematic techniques have been obscured by previous releases, which had horrible pan-and-scanning and/or flaccid center framing. Thankfully, Celestial's re-release remedies this. Sun does try a bit too hard in parts to give this film some added visual flair (such as some poor use of slow-motion), but The Avenging Eagle, in its' new nearly-pristine state, does show how much of a "renegade" Sun was within the tight constraints of the Shaw Brothers' notoriously strict studio system.

As for the rest of the film, the story as a whole isn't that special -- your standard kung fu revenge stuff is on display here. But there are a couple of nice twists, especially at the end, which features a classic Hong Kong tragic ending. There are also a ton of fights displayed; there's rarely time for the viewer to catch their breath before the next brawl begins. Unfortunately, the action sequences fall a bit flat -- there's lots of obvious doubling -- but things are bolstered with the way each of the characters has a unique martial arts technique and weapon; I especially dug Fu Sheng's wrist blades. Combined with some solid performances from the leads (Fu Sheng and Ti Lung -- who won an Asian Film Award for his work here -- have some great chemistry together), The Avenging Eagle ends up being a very solid old-school kung fu picture that fans of the genre will enjoy.