This Carter Wong classic originally debuted in 1978 as TAI JI QI GONG, and was released as BORN INVINCIBLE in English speaking markets. The film was produced and directed by Joseph Kuo, one of the best independent directors outside of Golden Harvest and the Shaw Brothers studios. Kuo got his start directing swordplay films in 1960s, but struck gold with the international success of his 18 BRONZEMEN. He followed up that genre classic with the equally successful films, SEVEN GRANDMASTERS, MYSTERY OF CHESS BOXING, and 36 DEADLY STYLES (those last two are also available on DVD from Xenon). Interestingly, Carter Wong is not the hero, but rather the evil invincible character of the title. The film also marks the debut of two young martial arts talents discovered by Joseph Kuo, Jack Long (Sui Kar) and Mark Long (Kwan Wu). Both men would go on to star in more films by Joseph Kuo, and each enjoyed a successful career. After a long absence from releasing several martial arts classics on DVD in 1998, Xenon is back with BORN INVINCIBLE in 2000. At least on the authoring side of the DVD, Xenon has taken a giant step forward.

BORN INVINCIBLE opens with a montage showing a youth learning the techniques of Tai Chi. A narration explains the rigors of Tai Chi, and the effects it has on the individuals who learn it. When a person masters Tai Chi, their body becomes impregnable to any weapon. But a side effect of mastering Tai Chi is that the person’s hair turns white by age thirty, and their voices attain a high tone. One such Tai Chi master is the villainous Chief Chin (Carter Wong) of the Chin Yin Chi clan. While students of the Lei Ping Kung Fu school go through an early morning training session, they witness two thugs from the Chin Yin Chi clan chase an old man and his daughter over the hill. The thugs start beating the helpless old man, much to the chagrin of his horrified daughter. The lead student, Ming Tu (Jack Long) interrupts the attack and warns the thugs to stop. Of course, they don’t and the first Kung Fu battle of the film begins. Some other students get involved along with Ming Tu, and the thugs use some weapons on the students. Ming Tu manages to fight off the duo, but not before one of his fellow students is mortally wounded. The two thugs warn the students that the Chin Yin Chi clan will be back in force to kill them. Ming Tu escorts the old man and his daughter back to the Lei Ping school, where the wise master takes them under his protection.

The two leaders of the Chin Yin Chi clan, Chief Chin and Chin Pa (Lo Lieh) show up at the Lei Ping school, demanding that the master hand over the old man. He refuses and one of his top pupils offers to go and fight for the schools honor. Despite his magnificent martial arts ability, he is no match against the Chin Yin Chi’s top dogs. Realizing the serious predicament they are in, the master himself goes to face the aggressors. Before doing so, he instructs his students to carry on the school’s name, and he selects Ming Tu as his successor, should he not survive the duel. The master and the Chin Yin Chi fighters engage in mortal combat, and soon the wise one is overpowered and killed. The old man, having taken an oath of peace, picks up a sword for the first time in twenty years and leaps into battle. His skills prove very admirable, but he too is taken down by the powerful duo. The students are horrified, and realize they cannot stand up to the invulnerable Chief Chin. The old man’s daughter is shattered. Ming Tu assumes leadership of the school and promises his students that the school will continue as the master intended, with him in charge. He also promises them that together they will take revenge against the Chin Yin Chi clan. Ming Tu comes up with a plan to take Chin Pa out of the equation, since he is not invulnerable like his cohort. So he walks into the Chin Yin Chi shrine and challenges the jackal-like Chin Pa to a duel. Chin Pa’s weapon of choice is a loaded steel baton with a blade that wounds his opponents. Ming Tu falls victim to this weapon, but escapes from the shrine.

This defeat only makes him more determined to beat Chin Pa. Ming Tu begins undergoing even more rigorous training to prepare for the next confrontation. He thinks up an way to counter Chin Pa’s baton--by covering his sword in oil so his opponent can’t get a grip on it. Sure enough, this works, and Ming Tu is finally able to kill Chin Pa. Chief Chin discovers the death of his comrade and goes looking for Ming Tu. Ming seeks additional training before he can face Chief Chin, but is forced into a confrontation with him. Ming cannot defeat the Tai Chi master, because he has no weak spot. Eventually, Chief Chin beats Ming unmercifully. The next senior pupil of the Wei Ping school, Sa Chien (Mark Long) takes charge since Ming Tu is out of action. He trains hard to beat Chief Chin, but when the inevitable confrontation takes place, Sa Chien cannot get the job done. The next pupil to uphold his school’s good name is Lu Chien (Chang Yu Yu). Lu Chien is wily and faces down the Tai Chi master, with the assistance of his deceased master’s daughter. With the aid of the revenge-driven daughter, Lu Chien discovers that Chief Chin has one invulnerable spot after all--but getting him to expose it is near impossible. Will Lu Chien find a way to defeat the undefeatable, or will Chief Chin crush the Lei Ping school entirely?

The plot of BORN INVINCIBLE is your typical revenge-driven narrative, with a few unexpected twists. Instead of the film focusing on one hero who undergoes special training to defeat the more powerful opponent, the movie has three protagonists. Believe it or not, this makes for more suspense and intrigue because you don’t know which good guy is going to topple the villain. Since BORN INVINCIBLE has three heroic characters, this means the film has three times the training sequences, which are a staple of these films. The training techniques are varied, and Jospeh Kuo is careful not to repeat the same techniques. Kuo perfectly balances the 12 fight sequences with the complex plot, and there is never a dull moment. Yuen Woo Ping’s fight choreography is so breathtaking and relentless that it leaves the viewer exhausted by the final confrontation (and a little jaded). BORN INVINCIBLE also includes plenty of bloody death scenes to please even the most bloodthirsty viewers. To contrast this ugliness, Kuo paints a lush visual canvas with almost-artsy photography in many scenes. The end result is that all areas of the production (action, plot, cinematography, etc.) are much higher than average.

This is easily Carter Wong’s best overall movie. Not because it offers his best fighting, because he fights defensively through most of the picture (if you are invulnerable, you don’t need a high-powered offense). His character has quite a physical presence and I don’t remember him looking so huge and intimidating in any of his other films. In one sequence he draws the Tai Chi Kung Fu symbol on the ground with his feet, in between beating his opponent. Visually, this symbol is seen everywhere throughout BORN INVINCIBLE, a nice touch from Joseph Kuo. What makes Carter Wong’s evil character so memorable (besides his invulnerability) is that his voice is so high. Even though his character is a Tai Chi master, Wong exhibits very little Tai Chi in his fighting techniques. Lo Lieh is equally good as the baton-wielding Chin Pa. Lieh, always typecast as a villain, excels in the role. Jack Long makes quite a debut as the sly, diligent hero who must overcome the impossible. Mark Long on the other hand, does not fare so well as the generic fighter Sa Chien.