Flag of Iron (1980)

The infamous “Venoms” return under the masterful direction of Chang Cheh in a less ambitious title that still manages to entertain.

A tale of deadly deception and betrayal unfolds when the leader of the respectable Iron Flag clan is assassinated by The Spearman while the clan fights the villainous Eagle clan. Iron Flag’s eldest brother, Lo, the second brother accepts the responsibility for the deaths of the Eagle clan and goes into hiding from the authorities. Meanwhile, Chow Feng takes charge, using his position for disreputable purposes. Seeing Lo, as a potential threat, Feng sends the “nefarious” Ten Killers of the Underworld to finish him. But Lo defeats them and confronts Feng with the aid of The Spearman who hopes to atone for having unwittingly killed a righteous man, Iron Flag’s former leader.

Cheh is almost as well known for his ambitious plots of subterfuge as for his penchant for spilling buckets of red dye number 5. While there is certainly a fair quantity of the later, its the plot that ranks somewhat below Cheh’s standard. Philip Kwok is the noble hero who finds himself on the short end of the stick when it comes to choosing a successor to the Iron Flag crew. He spends the majority of the film fending off members of the Ten Killers of the Underworld which is thankfully the most enjoyable part of the film. These colorful characters include “The Fortune Teller” who poses as a cripple, “The Killer Butcher” who ends up looking like a stuck pig in more ways than one, and “The Bookkeeper” with an abacus you can count on seeing as a weapon. Aside from the prerequisite impalings found in all good Cheh films, the vigorous action sports lots of flag waving kung fu and lethal projectiles similar to those found in Lung Wei Village (1980).

Although missing Venom’s alumni Fu Sheng, Flag of Iron is a solid entry in the Venoms series of films. The other stars all perform well with Philip Kwok (aka Kuo Chui) giving a characteristically strong performance in the lead role. A lackluster plot is likewise bolstered by entertaining fights done the way only Chang Cheh knows best. This is a worthy entry in the Venoms series and certainly worth a look.