REVIEW: ‘King Eagle’ (1971)

Stoic martial arts movie star Ti Lung ably steps into the role of a fiercely independent swordsman reluctantly drawn into clan infighting after falling in love with a swordswoman. While romance is not typical fare for director Chang Cheh, the image of a heroic outsider and the vicious bloodshed he becomes immersed in is.

King Eagle hits the ground running as the leader of the Tien Yi Tong clan finds himself betrayed by Hung Sing-tien (Cheung Pooi-saan), his second in command, who uses darts hidden in a flute as a surprise attack. Joining in this unscrupulous coup is his would-be mistress An Bing-er (Li Ching) and the vicious Chen Tang (Chen Sing). As a loyal representative of the clan chief carrying the seal of command is cut down while racing to call a council of area clan chieftains, along comes a wandering swordsman named Jin Fei (Ti Lung), AKA the King Eagle. He hears the dying man’s final warnings of betrayal, but Jin, well known for staying out of other people’s business, is unmoved and carries on his way. Worried that knowledge of this treacherous act in the hands of Jin could yet pose a threat, Sing-tien begins plotting his death. This is no easy feat, however, for the King Eagle is a supremely skilled swordsman. Sing-tien resorts to hiring a pair of dirty-handed killers to do away with Jin and nearly succeeds, but the plan is foiled by Yuk Lin (also Li Ching), Bing-er’s righteous elder sister. Jin and Yuk are soon dressing each other’s wounds, which is about as intimate as chivalrous lovers are generally allowed to get, and planning to stop Sing-tien’s plot to take over the clan. The stage is set for a deadly confrontation as Sing-tien and Bing-er, now jealous of her sister’s relations with Jin, are joined by another hired killer named Deadly Fingers Wan Hau-ba (Cheng Miu) in taking on the heroic pair.

For a martial arts movie that’s only 80 minutes long, King Eagle moves surprisingly slow. This isn’t a bad thing though, as patient viewers will be rewarded with a slightly more character-driven wuxia tale than one might expect from Chang Cheh. He takes time to develop Jin Fei as a swordsman, who is truly beyond the level of those around him and not just in physical skill. He values common people above heroes and looks straight through the outer beauty of women to see their hearts. This latter example is wonderfully realized by casting screen beauty Li Ching in duel roles. The women may be twins and equally beautiful, but Jin doesn’t need a second glance to tell which one is the better. Chang doesn’t emphasize the relationship between Jin and Yuk much, say by Zhang Yimou standards, but in a way the film is still a tragic love story. For apparently the first time, Jin decides to get involved in the affairs of the boxer world and pays a price for doing so. In this way, comparisons could be drawn between this feature and Chang’s more popular martial arts love story, Golden Swallow.

Shaw Brothers films were always colorful, yet this one looks even more vibrant and attractive than usual. Blue is a dominant color in the costuming and this contrasts nicely with the sets’ earth tones. The camera work is still a little clunky at times. In many Shaw Brothers films the camera jiggles slightly when panning, no doubt due to the modest quality of the studio’s camera rigs.

The level of violence is quite high, although unreal by today’s standards, as most of Chang Cheh’s action films are. A miserably fake limb gets cut off, bright red blood is splattered on clothing like thick, fast-drying paint, and warriors carry on fighting even after being cut to ribbons. The craziest scene is when a leaping fighter gets stuck to a tree by Ti Lung’s flying blade, just like a butterfly pinned to a cork board. It’s ridiculous and laughable, but just happens to be what makes a Chang Cheh movie so much fun.

It’s curious that Tong Gaai’s action directing partner Lau Kar-leung is not involved this time around, but with the Yuen clan backing him up there’s no real loss when it comes to quality screen fighting, particularly by 1970 standards. There’s a bit of basic wirework here and there, but mostly just direct and effective sword cuts as Ti Lung efficiently slices his way through his enemies.

King Eagle is a mildly entertaining, but quite modest swordplay film. It lacks some of the more creative and unusual elements of more fantasy or thriller-oriented swordplay films and won’t be fast-paced enough for action junkies. It may be a little more dramatic, but not done well enough to be taken as seriously as a King Hu classic like A Touch of Zen. The real disappointment is that Ti Lung is portrayed as a highly skilled swordsman, who ends up bested, not by a man or woman, but by a heavily-laden cart.