THE ANONYMOUS HEROES is another collaboration between the two biggest Shaw Brothers stars of the era, Ti Lung and David Chiang, and director Chang Cheh, Shaw's number one action director. This one has more of a contemporary setting than many of their other movies, and sees Li and Chiang playing a couple of roguish rebels who decide to help out revolutionary Ku Feng in his battle against some oppressive warlords and their armies.
It's a typically action-packed adventure, filled with the brim with the frenetic fight scenes that Shaw are known and loved for, and a film that's very easy to like. The set-piece dominated narrative seems to have much in common with some of the westerns being made during the era and one train set-piece in particular hammers home those similarities no end. Lung and Chiang are both likable presences and are well supported by Feng, who has a more important role than usual, and actress Ching Li. There are even bit parts for Chen Sing, good old Simon Yuen and his offspring, Phillip Ko, and Fung Hark-On.
THE ANONYMOUS HEROES features a straightforward story and lots of impressive fight scenes. It's also got a surprising lightness of touch, with plenty of comedy and humour thrown in along the way, although of course things develop into a deadly serious climax which is inevitably the highlight of the whole movie. It's solid Shaw; not one of the studio's absolute classics, but a thoroughly entertaining movie nonetheless.
It's a typically action-packed adventure, filled with the brim with the frenetic fight scenes that Shaw are known and loved for, and a film that's very easy to like. The set-piece dominated narrative seems to have much in common with some of the westerns being made during the era and one train set-piece in particular hammers home those similarities no end. Lung and Chiang are both likable presences and are well supported by Feng, who has a more important role than usual, and actress Ching Li. There are even bit parts for Chen Sing, good old Simon Yuen and his offspring, Phillip Ko, and Fung Hark-On.
THE ANONYMOUS HEROES features a straightforward story and lots of impressive fight scenes. It's also got a surprising lightness of touch, with plenty of comedy and humour thrown in along the way, although of course things develop into a deadly serious climax which is inevitably the highlight of the whole movie. It's solid Shaw; not one of the studio's absolute classics, but a thoroughly entertaining movie nonetheless.