With help from the treacherous Song Dynasty general Pun Mei, the Khitan-ruled Liao Dynasty army succeeded in trapping the loyal Song general Yeung Yip and his 7 sons at Golden Beach. Yeung Yip and his sons were all killed or captured in the ambush, except for the 5th son and the 6th son who managed to escape. The 6th son returned home, but was severely traumatized by the events. Meanwhile, the 5th son sought refuge in a monastery in Mount Wutai, but the monastery leaders initially did not consider him calm enough to be a Buddhist monk. As blades were not allowed inside a monastery, he used his martial arts training in spears to practice with a pole, eventually developing the unique eight diagram pole fighting technique. When he finally appeared to have put his anger and past behind him, news broke that the Khitans had captured his younger sister, Yeung Baat Mui, who was looking for him. Now he must break Buddhist vows (including not kill and not be bothered by worldly affairs) to save Baat Mui and exact his revenge. (Source: Wikipedia) Edit Translation
- English
- 中文(台灣)
- magyar / magyar nyelv
- dansk
- Native Title: 五郎八卦棍
- Also Known As: Wu Lang Ba Gua Gun , The Invincible Pole Fighters , Invincible Pole Fighter , The 8 Diagram Pole Fighter
- Screenwriter: Ni Kuang
- Genres: Wuxia
Cast & Credits
- Gordon Liu Main Role
- Lily LiYu Tai ChunMain Role
- Kara WaiBaat Mui [Yeung Yip's daughter and 8th child]Support Role
- Alexander Fu ShengLuk Long [Yeung Yip's 6th son]Support Role
- Johnny WangYeh Lu LienSupport Role
- Leanne LiuYang San LangSupport Role
Reviews
Famously known as the film Alexander Fu Sheng died while filming, in a car accident off set. The script had to be re-worked leaving him out of the final fight scenes.
The themes of loyalty, family, honor and betrayal are woven throughout the movie. Out of seven sons, only two survived a betrayal by a family friend and ambush. One was driven mad and the other hid in a Buddhist temple and refined his pole fighting skills. The mood is bleak and dark throughout the film as the surviving family members seek justice and revenge.
I look forward to movies directed and choreographed by Lau Kar Leung. His fights are always fast and creative. Brutal, too. Gordon Liu is a gifted fighter and with every film of his I see I am more and more impressed. The pole sparring session between Liu and Phillip Ko Fei is not to be missed. Not to be outdone, Kara Hui shines as the sister who has to fight through her own ambushes and entrapment on her way to find her brother. The final fight is a bit gruesome as the monks practice their non-lethal moves that extract an opponent’s teeth. The action is almost non-stop from the opening credits to the end.
The story didn’t move me as much as I hoped it would. The fight scenes were, however, spectacular and worth watching this movie for.