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INVINCIBLE
POLE FIGHTER (1983)
Venom
Mob Films
94 Minutes
Directed by Liu Chia Liang
Produced by Mona Fong, Chen Li Hua, and Wong Ka Hee
Written by I Kuang and Liu Chia Liang
Cinematography by Tsao An Sun
Fight Choreography by Liu Chia Liang, Hsaio Ho, and Ging Chu
Music by So Chun Hu and Steven Shing
Cast: Gordon Liu, Alexander Fu Sheng, Lily Li, Kara Hui, Wang Lung Wei,
Phillip Ko, Ging Chu, Hsaio Ho, Ming Ku, Wong Yu, Cheung Chin Pang
Video:
Full Frame (1.33.1)
Audio: Dolby Digital Mono 2.0
Subtitles: None
Packaging:
Keepcase
Chapter Stops: 12
INVINCIBLE
POLE FIGHTER is a standout martial arts epic from director Liu Chia Liang;
his last for the declining Shaw Brothers Studios. Liu Chia Liang and
Gordon Liu came off a string of unsatisfactory Kung Fu comedies like CAT
VS. RAT, RETURN TO THE 36 CHAMBER, and WARRIOR FROM SHAOLIN, to recapture
the glory of their previous efforts, SHAOLIN MASTER KILLER, LEGENDARY
WEAPONS OF CHINA, and DIRTY HO. Of course, INVINCIBLE POLE FIGHTER shall
always be remembered as the final screen appearance of Alexander Fu Sheng.
The Shaw Brothers studio nurtured young Alexander Fu Sheng to become their
own martial arts superstar. Fu Sheng began his career in early 1970s
efforts, MEN FROM THE MONASTERY, FIVE SHAOLIN MASTERS, and the original
SHAOLIN MARTIAL ARTS. He graduated to superstardom with his breakthrough
role in THE CHINATOWN KID, then became a member of Chang Cheh’s stable
and starred in movies like AVENGING EAGLE, TEN TIGERS OF KWANTUNG, and the
BRAVE ARCHER series. Fu Sheng was poised to become the next Jackie Chan
when he was killed in a car accident (driven by his brother) during the
shooting of INVINCIBLE POLE FIGHTER. His death at age 29 cast a gloom over
the production, which infuses atmosphere and tension into the film. The
script also had to be altered to address this tragic event, and Kara Hui’s
character was pushed to center stage alongside Gordon Liu. A new label
dedicated to Shaw Brothers classics, Venom Mob Films, debuted in 2001 with
this stunning martial arts costumer.
INVINCIBLE
POLE FIGHTER opens with an impressive montage of martial arts imagery
depicting the historic Battle of Chih Sha. The cast is introduced as
members of China’s honorable Yang family; but the clan members are
identified not by names but by rank in order of birth. Gordon Liu is Yang
#5, Alexander Fu Sheng is Yang #6, Wang Yu is Yang #1, and Clara Hui is
Yang #8. The Mongol Horde has targeted the Yang Clan for execution because
rogue warlord Pun Mei (Ke Ming) has betrayed them. The Battle of Chih Sha
quickly becomes a massacre for the Yang Clan—only Yang # 5 and Yang #6
survives, the latter driven mad by witnessing the slaughter of his loved
ones. Both brothers escape and go their separate ways. Yang #6 returns
home to deliver the sad news to his matriarch (played by Lily Li). She is
disturbed upon hearing the news, and restrains her remaining warrior
daughters, Yang #8 and Yang #9 (Yeung Jing Jing). Meanwhile, Yang #5,
pursued by the Mongols, seeks shelter inside a trapper’s home. The
Mongol soldiers soon follow, and the trapper (played by the director)
sides with Yang #5 and inspires him to seek revenge when the time is
right. Suddenly, the Mongol soldiers catch up with the number five son who
befriends the trapper (who has a firm knowledge of the martial arts).
The trapper uses his Kung Fu to keep the guards occupied while Yang # 5 escapes to a nearby monastery. He implores the Shaolin monks who inhabit the temple to allow him to join their order. The high Priest (Phillip Ko) refuses, pointing out that Yang #5 desires revenge above all else, and that he is too full of hate. Yang #5 demands he be accepted as a disciple, or he will burn the temple down! Then he shaves his own head and brands himself with the appropriate ranking. The high Priest accepts him as a new student, but he is not trained in the Shaolin martial arts like the other monks. Yang #5 passes the time by perfecting his pole-fighting skills. He is unaware that the Abbot goes to see Mother Yang at their home; which is surrounded by Pun Mei’s soldiers. The Abbot informs her that her #5 son is still alive and well, hiding out at the Shaolin Temple in the guise of a monk. Upon leaving the temple, Pun Mei’s soldiers surround the holy man and beat him to death. Mother Yang holds back her shell-shocked son and instead sends her daughter, Yang # 8, to search for Yang #5.
Pun Mei and his Mongolian superior, Yeh Li Lin (Wang Lung Wei), intercept Yang #8 on her quest. Back at the Shaolin Temple, Yang #5 hears about the death of the Abbot and the kidnapping of his sister. This news catapults him into action. Yang #5 gathers as many poles as he fit into a cart and guides it into the trap set by Pun Mei and Yeh Li Lin. He fights his way into the building determined to liberate Yang #8. However, even the mighty Yang #5 can’t stand up to the entire Mongol army. Help arrives in the form of Shaolin monks, who are angered by the death of the Abbot earlier on!
Besides
the dynamic cast and directorial skills of Liu Chia Liang, INVINCIBLE POLE
FIGHTER features a script by I. Kuang, the writing genius and idea man
behind pretty much every worthwhile Shaw Brothers film. Liu Chia Liang
brings the screenplay to life with a sense of urgency and oppression.
Despite the trouble ridden production problems, the director tightly
controls the pacing and the movie never feels disjointed. A grim aura of
doom permeates every minute of INVINCIBLE POLE FIGHTER (thanks to the
death of Fu Sheng), something that goes against the grain with Liu Chia
Liang, a man known to incorporate humor and enlightenment in all his
pictures. Alexander Fu Sheng is truly memorable in his final role. His
character exhibits madness and he plays this perfectly and the banter
between himself and his mother is classic. Usually Gordon Liu portrays
peaceful holy men, but here we witness Liu at his most bloodthirsty. When
the monks refuse to shave his scalp (a symbol of acceptance), Gordon takes
a sharp blade and cuts off his own hair, mutilating himself in the
process. Then he uses a hot poker to brand himself. The entire cast put
%110 effort into the movie, as a fitting tribute to the fallen star.
Sadly, Venoms Mob Films version of INVINCIBLE POLE FIGHTER is incomplete.
The suicide of the father Yang is missing. The uncut version shows the
depressed elder taking a flying leap onto a stone memorial, where he makes
a painful landing. Perhaps the distribution company felt that this was too
much, considering the death of Fu Sheng.
INVINCIBLE POLE FIGHTER boasts some truly astounding martial arts choreography. Gordon Liu fights off attacking Mongol soldiers with his sister bound to his back. Gordon perfects his pole fighting skills by dueling with sharp-toothed wooden wolves. The monk training him manipulates the wolf to attack Gordon like it’s real-life namesake in a highly impressive scene. Then Phillip Ko engages Gordon Liu in an intense display of stick-fighting. Kara Hui will amaze you with her lightening quick sword fighting techniques. The majority of the fights are graceful and in real time (no overcranking or slow-motion); some primitive wire-work is employed, but only for a few moments. INVINCIBLE POLE FIGHTER also happens to have the most graphic violence ever seen in a martial arts flick, even moreso than Chang Cheh’s pictures. In the climax, the monks use poles to painfully rip out the teeth of their opponents. Spears and arrows pierce through human flesh. Gordon Liu uses staffs and poles to pummel his opponents to death. Lots of close ups of gaping wounds suffered by those who partake in the battles. Together with the overall bleak tone of INVINCIBLE POLE FIGHTER, the violence and bloodshed insure this is a motion picture you will long remember.
SIGHT
Venom
Mob Films presents INVINCIBLE POLE FIGHTER in a controversial full frame
(1.33.1). Gone is the original 2.35.1 Shawscope ratio. I say controversial
because I’ve heard many folks proclaim that this transfer is a washout,
but I must disagree. The source print used by Venom Mob Films is surely
flawed, yet it stands up to the best releases from Tai Seng and World
Video. I find this one better than most Ground Zero and Xenon titles.
INVINCIBLE POLE FIGHTER is a big budget studio film from 1983 (rather
recent by old-school standards) and this transfer exhibits depth, clarity,
and especially superior color. Anyone whose seen this on VHS should be
ecstatic with this DVD. As with most Shaw Brothers productions, a lot of
money was spent on costume designs and sets, and this all comes across
good enough in the image. Keeping this all in mind, Chia Liang Liu still
manages to play with depressing color schemes to get the right mood. The
fight choreography is capably preserved here, except for the climatic
ending where so much fighting is going on that’s its just impossible for
a panner n’ scanner to capture it all. Ideally, a widescreen print for
INVINCIBLE POLE FIGHTER would be perfect, but this will surely do until an
uncut, widescreen print surfaces (if ever).
SOUND
Venoms Mob Films has sidestepped the audio problems suffered by their parent company, Crash Cinema. INVINCIBLE POLE FIGHTER is mastered in Dolby Digital Mono 2.0, which captures the sounds, unorthodox score, and the English dubbed dialog. The soundtrack comes alive with the pole fighting, sword slashing, and other sounds of mortal combat. These sound effects are clearly audible, with a broad range of frequencies. The dialog is well synched and easily understood, but there are no familiar voices that dubbed other Shaw Brothers pictures like AVENGING WARRIROS OF SHAOLIN or MASKED AVENGERS. Which brings us to the patchwork score. The opening title sequence credits the music to So Chun Hu and Steven Shing (never heard of them), but clearly this movie features musical cues lifted from other sources. For instance, I clearly recognize Akira Ifukube themes from the DAIMAJIN series. I can’t agree with this habit of lifting scores, but I admit seeing Gordon Liu mutilating himself to the strains of DAIMAJIN brought awe to my brain. INVINCIBLE POLE FIGHTER offers a rather unique soundtrack which Venom Mob Films preserves well.
FEATURES
The DVD contains filmographies for Gordon Liu, Alexander Fu Sheng, and director Liu Chia Liang. The presentation of this information is poorly laid out however, and is often confusing (especially for Liu Chia Liang). The dates, titles, and cast listings appear incorrect on some of the entries, as if someone merely copied information from the notoriously incorrect Internet Movie Database. There is also a Photo Gallery containing 20 images from INVINCIBLE POLE FIGHTER. The menu designs for these Venom Mobs Films are considerably better than those generic ones used recently by Crash Cinema.
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CONCLUSION
INVINCIBLE POLE FIGHTER is classic I Kuang screenplay, with solid direction by Liu Chia Liang as he outdoes Chang Cheh in both savagery and in establishing a disturbing atmosphere. This movie is Liu Chia Liang’s swansong (and matches the perfectionism of his classic SHOALIN MASTER KILLER) as he turned to trendy Hong Kong new wave, something that his comic skills made him a natural for. He should be commended though for INVINCIBLE POLE FIGHTER which is completely free of humor. The depressing atmosphere in this film lifts it out of the ordinary (even though Fu Sheng’s screen time is limited). This is Gordon Liu’s second best film after that earlier hit that established him as a top star. The supporting cast (Lily Li, Kara Hui, Wang Lung Wei, and Phillip Ko) all give their all to make this one for the history books. The minor cuts to the movie are unfortunate, however this film is unruinable. Venom Mob films provides a colorful full frame transfer that preserves all that INVINCIBLE POLE FIGHTER has to offer.
Gordon Liu mutilates himself with pokers to the strains of Ifukube's DAIMJIN theme!
INVINCIBLE POLE FIGHTER is available from HKFlix.com
-- Tony Mustafa
| Movie: |
4.5 |
| Video: |
3.0 |
| Audio: |
3.0 |
| Extras: |
1.0 |
| Overall: |
4.0 |
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