Director: Lo Wei
Screenplay: David Lo Tai-Wai, Lo Wei
Based on a Novel by: Ni Kuang
Starring: Nora Miao, Angela Mao Ying, Paul Chang Chung, James Tien Chun, Tang Ching, Li Kun, Lydia Shum Tin-Ha, Patrick Tse Yin, Han Ying-Chieh
Country: Hong Kong
Running Time: 99 min
Year: 1971
BBFC Certificate: 15
Golden Harvest was set up in 1970 by former Shaw Brothers employees Raymond Chow and Leonard Ho. They wanted to create a new studio that bred creativity, rather than stifled it, like they believed Shaw Brothers was doing. However, they still needed hits to be able to keep the company running, so Golden Harvest modelled a number of their early films on the Shaw Brothers’ popular wuxia formula, presumably to muscle in on their success. The talent Ho and Chow poached from the studio were already well-trained in the style.
Golden Harvest eventually shifted its focus towards other styles of martial arts and action films, elbowing Shaw Brothers out of the market by the mid-80s. Most of their early wuxia films have since been forgotten, other than those King Hu made for the studio. However, some are worthy of rediscovery, and one such title is Lo Wei’s The Invincible Eight.
The film was released in the same year as Bruce Lee’s Hong Kong breakthrough, The Big Boss, which was also directed by Lo Wei and is, of course, much better known. The Invincible Eight only made a third of what The Big Boss made, but it was still ranked a respectable 11th at the Hong Kong box office, showing Golden Harvest’s wuxia could compete with Shaw Brothers’.
Eureka Classics are releasing The Invincible Eight on Blu-ray. Intrigued, I got hold of a copy, and my thoughts follow.
To sum up the narrative, allow me to quote from Eureka’s press material: “Eight men and women band together for a single purpose: to take their revenge on the military General responsible for killing members of their respective families. They intend to stop at nothing until their adversary is dead, but theirs will not be an easy task. For the General not only has the protection of the Imperial army, but also an elite group of bodyguards armed with whips and sworn to protect their leader at any cost.”
It’s a fairly typical wuxia, but one that I enjoyed quite a lot. There’s a fair amount of action, but it’s not overloaded with fights, as in some early wuxia. Lo Wei knows how to balance drama and action to keep you engaged.
There’s a splash of humour here and there, too, despite the story being taken seriously. This, again, helps keep the audience on side.
The fight choreography was by Sammo Hung. This is not his finest work. It was still relatively early in his career, and he doesn’t seem to have found his voice yet. Also, whilst the whips are a cool twist, they’re often just used to intimidate and stop people getting past, rather than being used as an interesting weapon. The fights are good for the time, though, and get particularly strong in the final act. It gets quite bloody, too, bringing to mind the work of Chang Cheh.
Many wuxia classics had female protagonists, but this time, we have three skilled action heroines, which is a nice touch. Angela Mao is among these, in one of her first starring roles.
It’s particularly refreshing to see Lydia Shum play a skilled swordswoman. She’s heavier set than most, for want of a better description. She was more commonly used in comic roles, due to her size and the lack of sensitivity shown in Hong Kong films of the period. Here, however, she gets to kick arse with the rest of the stars.
Whilst the film had a lower budget than its Shaw Brothers counterparts,The Invincible Eight is still nicely shot and relatively slickly put together, albeit less lavishly designed. Golden Harvest didn’t have a studio yet, at this point, so much of it is shot on location. I think this works in the film’s favour, though. It helps set the film apart from the more studio-bound Shaw Brothers titles of the time.
Overall, then, The Invincible Eight is an enjoyable classic wuxia with a healthy dose of action and well-balanced drama. It’s hardly mould-breaking, but it’s a good watch.
Film: 
The Invincible Eight is out now on Blu-Ray, released by Eureka as part of their Classics series. The transfer is impressive, with a clean and detailed image, along with lovely colours and textures. There’s only a mono Mandarin track available, but I’m guessing that perhaps an English dub was never produced for this. I prefer Mandarin anyway and had no issues with the audio.
SPECIAL FEATURES
– Limited edition O-card slipcase featuring new artwork by Grégory Sacré (Gokaiju) [2000 copies]
– Limited edition collector’s booklet featuring new writing on The Invincible Eight and Golden Harvest by East Asian cinema expert Camille Zaurin) [2000 copies]
– 1080p HD presentation from a new 2K restoration
– Original Mandarin mono audio
– Optional English subtitles, newly translated for this release
– New audio commentary by East Asian cinema expert Frank Djeng (NY Asian Film Festival)
– Whip Smart – new appreciation of The Invincible Eight by Wayne Wong, author of Martial Arts Ecology
– Original theatrical trailer
Frank Djeng provides a commentary over the film. This is excellent, as is usually the case with Djeng. He has a great knowledge of the subject matter and adds valuable cultural insight.
Wayne Wong also talks about the film in an interview, looking at how it straddles the old wuxia period and the soon-to-begin kung-fu boom. It’s a relatively short but interesting piece.
The booklet largely consists of an essay by Camille Zaurin. This looks at the early days of Golden Harvest and where The Invincible Eight fits among them.
So, Eureka have done a good job of resurrecting this wuxia classic and giving it the respect it deserves.
Disc/Package: