Mongols threaten to overthrow the Sung Dynasty beginning with an ambush that kills all but two of six brothers and their father from the Yang family, all loyalists and sworn protectors of the Dynasty. Brother 6 returns home insane while Brother 5 forces his way into a monastery to improve his pole fighting abilities. When Yang Sister 8 is sent to retrieve her brother brother from the monastery, she is taken captive by the Mongols and its up to Brother 5 to save her.
The Eight Diagram Pole Fighter is without a doubt, one of the all-time greatest kung fu films that features director and fight choreographer Lau Kar Leung at his frenzied best and 36th Chamber of Shaolin star, Gordon Liu in top form.
From the get go the viewer is hit with a classically over-the-top Shaw Brothers-style melee as the Yang family is slowly and brutally cut down by a mob of Mongols (played by Shaw regulars). It turns out that the Yang’s, who are normally capable fighters have fallen into a trap set by the traitorous Sung general, Pan Mei. Raving mad following the carnage, Brother 6 played by the late great Alexander Fu Sheng stubbles home to his mother (Lily Li Li-Li) to report that he is the sole survivor of the ambush. Unbeknownst to him, Brother 5 has also survived.
Gordon Liu plays the second grief-stricken Yang brother who had to step into the starring role originally meant for Fu Sheng who died in a car accident during the film’s production. In an ominous side note, Fu Sheng had been living in the same house that once belonged to Bruce Lee before his death in 1973. To a superstitious film industry, Fu Sheng and Lee had fallen victim to the same curse. Thankfully for filmgoers, the production appears to have suffered little despite Fu Sheng’s obvious disappearance by the second half of the film.
As the story continues, Brother 5 finds his way to a hunter’s home and the first of the film’s greatest fights begins. Director Lau Kar-leung makes an appearance as the general turned hunter who sacrifices himself to save Brother 5. It won’t take long for Jackie Chan fans to see similarities to the choreography in this film in comparison to Drunken Master II which Lau is credited for directing even though he left midway through production. What sets Lau’s best fights apart from the pack is the amount of sheer energy and creativity unleashed as men and props are thrown together in an inconceivably fast and furious display of traditional martial arts and dynamic stunts. This film is even more remarkable because the fights start out strong and just keep getting better.
The story then shifts to Brother 5′s stormy induction into the monastery, leading to the film’s second show-stopping fight and perhaps the best staff fight ever filmed between Gordon Liu and Philip Ko. Shaw regular, Kara Hui displays some good moves as Sister 8 who is sent disguised as a man to bring Brother 5 home. Lau has the Mongols using some unique staffs that are jointed at one end, allowing them to wrap around an enemy’s weapon or limb to subdue them. This is exactly what happens to Sister 8 and it doesn’t take long for Gordon Liu to come racing to the rescue for a massive final fight that earns the film’s title if nothing else does. Liu ends up facing the Mongols with not one, but a whole cart load of bamboo poles. He proceeds to impale, flay and pummel his victims with a cool swagger not seen since Jimmy Wang Yu’s appearance in Return of the Chinese Boxer (1975) and not to be repeated until Jet Li donned shades for Fong Sai Yuk (1993).
If anything is wrong with the films, it’s the heavy-handed acting which is particularly oppressive at the very start. Yet, you’ll soon realize there isn’t any other way to approach a film with such adrenaline-pumping battles. With everyone involved performing to the best of their ability, The Eight Diagram Pole Fighter earns every one of its five stars and more. Don’t miss out on this one!
by Mark PollardRelated Topics:
Genre: Kung Fu
- John Nyberg
