REVIEW: ‘The 13 Cold-Blooded Eagles’ (1993)

The 13 Eagles are instructed to retrieve the Star-Bleed Skills Book and kill its owner in order to keep it safe from evil men. Unfortunately, the 13 Eagles’ leader is evil himself which leads two of his top pupils to rebel.

Filled to the brim with new wave swordplay and wirework, THE 13 COLD-BLOODED EAGLES competes well with the likes of BLADE OF FURY and A WARRIOR’S TRAGEDY (1993) for portraying a plethora of fantasy-like martial arts skills amid a complex story of heroic deeds and betrayal.

The story contains your typical knight-errantry staples such as good vanquishing evil, brotherly honor and the manifestation of superhuman abilities. Yen Shi-kwan, who had a standout performance as Iron Robe Yim in ONCE UPON A TIME IN CHINA (1991) plays Yu Shihung, the master of the 13 Cold-Blooded Eagles, a group of trained killers sent out into the world to destroy evil or so they think.

When they’re instructed to retrieve a valuable kung fu manuscript known as the Star-Bleed Skills Book, they must contend with the Shinshu monster, played by the film’s director Chui Fat. He sows seeds of dissention in the ears of Yinmin (Waise Lee), one of the Eagles by speaking of Yu’s desire to own the book for his own gain. This theory isn’t hindered much by Yu’s next task which is to kill a righteous man named Au Tinshin and his daughter Quihua (Cynthia Khan), who have the book in their possession. It turns out to be impossible for Yinmin to carry out this task since it was Quihua who had earlier nursed him back to health after his encounter with Shinshu.

Meanwhile, Red Eagle, another one of Yu’s students, learns of his master’s real treachery after meeting his father who had been thrown into a deep cavern. He escapes to kill Au Tinshin (for reasons not all clear to me) and confronts Yu but is defeated.

Yinmin and Quihua attempt to run away together but finds themselves fighting the remaining Eagles who are either evil themselves or refuse to believe in their master’s villainy. The pair chooses to confront Yu and only by learning the Star-Bleed technique herself is Quihua and Yinmin able to defeat Yu.

Chances are you’ll either love this film or hate it. THE 13 COLD-BLOODED EAGLES contains everything diehard old school fans despise, most notably heavy wirework. The film is more similar to the Cantonese wuxia films of old that featured dazzling heroes and powerful villains who fought battles using superpowers derived from their intense focusing of their inner qi energy. These tales have existed for hundreds of years in Chinese folklore and can be compared with the comic book superheroes of today. In this context, the film is a marvelous example of the sub-genre.

The story is well written with the compelling and timeless topic of loyalty. Yu Shilung’s evil nature is not manifested early on, which adds weight to the conflict growing in the minds of his pupils who live in a society that values fidelity above all else.

I will say that not enough time is spent developing the character of the pupils. Being a Hong Kong film, the action takes precedence over drama and its clearly a missed opportunity.

As for action, the film excels with continuous sword fighting throughout with a great performance by Cynthia Khan. She uses one of those flex swords that wraps around your waist for easy concealment. Her moves are clearly the most dynamic. She’s portrayed in the best camera angles and gets to have the final tussle with Yu.

Some of the other editing is frustrating at times as numerous quick shots of fighters twirling in mid-air are repeated which is a cheap way of enhancing their abilities onscreen. This type of densely packed and rapid close-up shooting is reminiscent of ALL MEN ARE BROTHERS (1993), another swordplay picture that suffers from too much editing and not enough skill on the part of the actors.

With decent production values and some gorgeous outdoor backdrops, THE 13 COLD-BLOODED EAGLES is visually appealing. Add to that a solid story and plenty of exciting wirework action, the film manages to be a cut above the competition. Had the editing been more controlled or the characters fleshed out, the film could have been better.