The Invincible Eight

This Wuxia classic from 1971, now gloriously restored in Blu-ray format, offers something slightly different than just your average martial arts chops: here, it’s whips which are the weapons of choice! When eight men and women get together to take their revenge on a General responsible for killing some of their respective family members, it can only mean one thing: mayhem galore!

We know that Golden Harvest productions are usually the mark of quality and it’s no different here, with The Invincible Eight one of the company’s very first productions. The opening credits boast the names of ten of Hong Kong’s most popular actors…which none of us will ever have heard of, unless we take a serious interest in early 70’s martial arts flicks. Not that it matters, because it’s the plot and the action which count. To put it upfront, the plot gets slightly convoluted halfway through thanks to the constant addition of ever more characters and who is who and why they (in the end, it’s eight in total) are hell-bent on killing General Hsiao (Han Ying-chieh). Yes, they want to kill him because the dastardly General is responsible for the deaths of some of their family members but each of the eight avengers has their own story and reasons nonetheless.

While most of the avengers are male - including Lei Kuei (James Tien), there’s also comedienne Lydia Shum (as Chiao Hsiu-ku) among them and she’s a force to be reckoned with. Later one, Angela Mao (in a supporting role as Kuei Chian-chin) joins in, while Nora Miao initially is on the other side of the camp. There’s a bit of humour among the violence too, namely when some of the invincible avengers, including Chiao, hide in the abode of a cook who slaughters chickens for meals and they pretend to be his assistant cooks. Will feathers get ruffled? Absolutely! This is only the beginning of the quest for justice and revenge. Suffice to say, even getting close to General Hsiao (never mind killing him) is an almost impossible task, as the General is guarded by his troupe of whip-wielding assassins and his henchman Wan. The showdown is a spectacle to behold and involves not only whips but also double swords.

As expected, the fight scenes were partly choreographed by a young Sammo Hung, who also appears briefly in the film. Costumes and sets are equally first rate but above all, it’s Lo Wei’s direction which would soon establish him as a martial arts director who gained global success, in particular thanks to the iconic Bruce Lee film ‘Fist of Fury’.

Eureka has just released THE INVINCIBLE EIGHT in a Limited Edition (2,000 copies) O-card slipcase, together with a collector’s booklet. Additional bonus material includes various audio options, audio commentaries, ‘Whip Smart’ - an appreciation of the film by author Wayne Wong, plus the original theatrical trailer.