This is the one that boosted Sun Chung's directorial fame that was later followed by THE KUNG FU INSTRUCTOR, THE DEADLY BREAKING SWORD, and HUMAN LANTERNS, to name a few.
The plot tells the story of a mysterious wandering swordsman (Fu Sheng) on his way to accomplish a personal mission. On his journey, he meets a renegade assassin of the infamous Eagle Clan (Ti Lung) who is being hunted and marked for death by his clan brothers for insubordination. They befriend each other and eventually discover that they are heading for the same fate: to confront the leader of the Eagle Clan, King Eagle (Ku Feng). However, things do not come easy for them. Before they are able to reach him they have to fight their ways against 12 Eagle Clan assassins, each with their unique fighting weapons, who will stop at nothing to capture their fugitive.
It's always desirable to watch the charismatic Ti Lung in action and surprisingly also likable to watch the comical Fu Sheng act soberly in this particular entry. Watching them fight against the 12 assassins is the main attraction besides the incredible final fight with King Eagle, who seems invincible.
The other 12 eagles, unfortunately, are only given the usual bad-guy stereotypes which give very little to improve the plot.
Playing opposite the heroes are some "familiar faces" of the time: the ultimate Shaw Bros villain - Wang Lung Wei (as eagle no.1 the Vulture), Kao Siung (as eagle no.2 the Owl), Hui Thien Che (as eagle no.6 the Blue Eagle) and Ti Wei (as eagle no.7 the Red Eagle). The remaining eagles are Shaw Bros cameos.
One serious drawback in this film is Sun Chung's crude slow-motion technique he employed in a few fight scenes - jerky freeze frames - which reduces the intensity of the fights that would otherwise deliver more punch.
Despite the minor flaw, Tang Chia's fight choreography is tight, though not as intense as that of the Venoms', particularly in the final duel against the King Eagle, who uses iron claws.
The assassins' weapons of choice are also unique, ranging from something cool like double wrist blades and a chained dagger to something weird like a smoking pipe ! AVENGING EAGLE is one of those Shaw Brothers wuxia flicks that definitely warrants repeat viewings. Highly recommended for old school kungfu film lovers.
The plot tells the story of a mysterious wandering swordsman (Fu Sheng) on his way to accomplish a personal mission. On his journey, he meets a renegade assassin of the infamous Eagle Clan (Ti Lung) who is being hunted and marked for death by his clan brothers for insubordination. They befriend each other and eventually discover that they are heading for the same fate: to confront the leader of the Eagle Clan, King Eagle (Ku Feng). However, things do not come easy for them. Before they are able to reach him they have to fight their ways against 12 Eagle Clan assassins, each with their unique fighting weapons, who will stop at nothing to capture their fugitive.
It's always desirable to watch the charismatic Ti Lung in action and surprisingly also likable to watch the comical Fu Sheng act soberly in this particular entry. Watching them fight against the 12 assassins is the main attraction besides the incredible final fight with King Eagle, who seems invincible.
The other 12 eagles, unfortunately, are only given the usual bad-guy stereotypes which give very little to improve the plot.
Playing opposite the heroes are some "familiar faces" of the time: the ultimate Shaw Bros villain - Wang Lung Wei (as eagle no.1 the Vulture), Kao Siung (as eagle no.2 the Owl), Hui Thien Che (as eagle no.6 the Blue Eagle) and Ti Wei (as eagle no.7 the Red Eagle). The remaining eagles are Shaw Bros cameos.
One serious drawback in this film is Sun Chung's crude slow-motion technique he employed in a few fight scenes - jerky freeze frames - which reduces the intensity of the fights that would otherwise deliver more punch.
Despite the minor flaw, Tang Chia's fight choreography is tight, though not as intense as that of the Venoms', particularly in the final duel against the King Eagle, who uses iron claws.
The assassins' weapons of choice are also unique, ranging from something cool like double wrist blades and a chained dagger to something weird like a smoking pipe ! AVENGING EAGLE is one of those Shaw Brothers wuxia flicks that definitely warrants repeat viewings. Highly recommended for old school kungfu film lovers.