KnotStronger This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

Jenna Walter The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

Asad Almond A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

Quiet Muffin This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.

BA_Harrison Two strangers—one seeking revenge, the other looking for redemption—join forces to defeat a common enemy, the Iron Boat Clan, a gang of bloodthirsty bandits raised from childhood by the cruel overlord Yoh Xi-hung (Feng Ku). As the two men (brilliantly played by tragic star Alexander Fu Sheng and martial arts legend Ti Lung) fight side by side, they form an unlikely friendship, but when they finally face their ultimate foe, the despicable Yoh Xi Hung, the tragedy that connects them threatens to divide them.An epic tale of love, revenge, absolution, camaraderie, and intertwined destinies, The Avenging Eagle is classic Shaw Brothers storytelling, told with the utmost skill and style by director Chung Sun, who delivers a visually stunning and throughly engaging masterpiece. Sun also proves to be no slouch when it comes to capturing awesome fight action: featuring an incredible raft of villains, each adept at a different weapon (including spears, rings, axes, swords, and metal claws), this marvellous martial arts spectacular delivers some of the most entertaining fight scenes I've seen in an old-school kung fu movie, with incredible stunts, impressive acrobatics and brutal violence galore, all leading up to a fantastic finale in Yoh Xi Hung's HQ that sees our 'heroes' duking it out with numerous henchmen on their way to the top man, including a duel with a pair of deadly one-armed bandits (the human kind, not the fruit machine variety).

poe426 Chik Ming Sing (Ti Lung) is about as vicious as a cold-blooded killer can be: raised by the bloodthirsty Hung (Ku Feng), leader of the infamous Iron Boat Clan (whose hideout looks like the inside of a giant ship, with a potbellied eagle overlooking the main room), Chik will kill at the drop of a (sedge) hat. In flashbacks, we learn that he was mortally wounded during one raid, but was found and befriended by the "Kwai" family (not the patriarch's real name). For the first time in his life, he has experienced kindness. Once he has recuperated, he leaves and rejoins his wayward companions. Their next raid turns out to be- surprise- the home of the "Kwai" family. Chik tries to stop the slaughter, but fails. Chik later kills a pregnant woman, who turns out to be the wife of Cheuk Yi Fan (Alexander Fu Sheng), before being banished from the Iron Boat Clan. Chik encounters Cheuk (way back at the beginning of the movie) without knowing who he is. As things progress, Cheuk learns that Chik intends to die at his hands. Not your typical tale of vengeance, and an outstanding movie overall.

simonize-1 Sun Chung's AVENGING EAGLE is a martial arts film that transcends the genre; it boasts a superior script and characterization, and achieves a tragic quality of its own.The Shaw Bros. studio churned out a lot of martial arts films in its 25 year heyday. AVENGING EAGLE is one of the most memorable that I have seen. The script takes the viewer back and forth in time, the flashbacks allow the viewer to discover more and more about its two protagonists (played by TI LUNG and Alexander FU SHENG). So interwined are their pasts that it is quickly obvious that they should actually be each other's enemy. But the logic is such that we can also readily accept that they put aside their differences, eliminate as many of the Iron Boat clan sent in pursuit of TI LUNG's character, and finally, take on the evil leader of the clan (KU FENG).I found the dialogue especially good and satisfying, and I am sure that others who have seen the film, can think of at least four or five instances, whether the dialogue demonstrates wonderful irony, quiet sadness, and ensures the two heroes display real qualities of heroism.SUN CHUNG and his crew show a wonderful eye for their locations, the exotic and distinctive costuming and weaponry (of the heroes, and also the thirteen Eagles, and of course, their leader).With the opening shot, it was obvious this film was photographed away from the usual locations. That, the initial meeting of the two leads, their first skirmish with the Iron Boat gang, and much later, the remote inn that they 'rent' for a month to set up an elaborate ambush, and lastly, the lair of the gang, where SUN builds up to and sustains a lengthy climax, demonstrates a lot of imagination.Even the music is effective, despite the mono sound of the Region 3 IVL/Celestial Pictures DVD, and is largely 'original'> This film is so good that I have not even broached the subject of its martial arts. And that alone, I believe, is reason enough that I consider AVENGING EAGLE one of the best martial arts films I have seen.(PS: Consider a quarter century later the Japanese were making films along the same line, ie. AZUMI, which surely lacks the economy of this film, running almost an hour longer).(PSS: I enjoyed the other contributors' comments on AVENGING EAGLE, surely more confirmation, this film deserves repeated viewing).(PSSS: If you enjoyed this film, please take the time to track down and watch KILLER CONSTABLE).

Brian Camp AVENGING EAGLE (1978) stars Fu Sheng and Ti Lung as a pair of kung fu fighters on opposite sides who form an alliance to defeat a common enemy. It's a rousing kung fu film with strong production values, a top-ranked cast, expert fighting, and an engaging storyline. Shot partly on location in Taiwan and partly on lavish studio sets, it's an extremely good-looking film that was not available in the U.S. in a decent copy until 2005. (NOTE: see addendum below)Ti Lung stars as a killer who has deserted his outlaw gang, the Iron Boat Clan, after being forced to slay a pregnant woman during a raid. He and his particular band were called the 13 Eagles and, once he leaves, the other 12 go searching for him. Fu Sheng plays a wanderer who pitches in to help Ti on the road. The other Eagles (all distinguished by large customized eagle medallions worn on their chests) come in successive waves until Ti decides to turn around and go after the clan leader (Ku Feng), who had raised him from childhood. Fu Sheng's identity is a mystery for the first two thirds of the film, and its revelation is a genuine surprise which adds an additional emotional layer to the film.There are a number of excellent scenes, including a lengthy jaw-dropping final battle at the Clan's spacious headquarters, but one deserves singling out. Ti and Fu take over an inn in a nearly-deserted town and wait for the next group of killers to arrive. When they do, Fu poses as a typically obsequious waiter and serves them but, when asked about Ti's whereabouts, he insists that the man they're looking for is working in his kitchen. They don't believe him at first, but it's all a successful ploy to split up the gang to work them over one at a time, until the two heroes each square off against an opponent---Ti fighting Eddy Ko and Fu Sheng fighting his frequent co-star/opponent, Wang Lung-Wei. Ti fights with a three-section staff, while Fu uses blades hidden in his shoe soles that are then strapped to the sides of his hands.Ti and Fu work wonderfully together and give performances that are among the finest of their distinguished careers. The slow build-up of their friendship leading to their alliance to take on the leader of the clan and the twists and turns that develop when Ti learns Fu's true identity are all handled expertly by these two excellent actors. It helps that the English dubbing is well above average.This film marks the first of only two times these two stars teamed up as a pair of heroes, the second being DEADLY BREAKING SWORD in 1979, also directed by Sun Chung. (The two stars did work together in ensemble casts on at least three other occasions, including SHAOLIN TEMPLE, 1976). This film is also that rarity among kung fu films: a Shaw Bros. masterpiece that was not directed by either Chang Cheh or Lau Kar Leung. (Fu Sheng's best work, aside from this, was always for Chang or Lau.) Sun Chung made a number of other kung fu films at Shaw Bros. and, away from the studio, made the impressive A FIST FULL OF TALONS, starring Billy Chong. There is a good deal of attention in AVENGING EAGLE to story and character and the number of main characters is kept to a minimum. The flashback structure works quite well in setting up Ti's current flight from the clan and gradually piecing together his history and the incidents which led to his falling out with the gang. The fights may not be the sprawling, epic battles of Chang Cheh films or the technique-oriented bouts in Lau Kar Leung's work, but they are satisfying and exciting nonetheless.ADDENDUM (5/26/08): Since doing the above review, which I've revised in parts, AVENGING EAGLE has come out in a remastered Region 3 DVD edition from Celestial Pictures, in Mandarin with English subtitles, and is well worth acquiring. I've also since seen other films from Shaw Bros. directed by Sun Chung, including KUNG FU INSTRUCTOR, JUDGMENT OF AN ASSASSIN, THE PROUD YOUTH, RENDEZVOUS WITH DEATH and DEADLY BREAKING SWORD.