The Eight Masters
Director: Joseph Kuo
Year: 1977
Rating: 6.0
Dubbed
Here we go again. A father is killed by
the Eight Masters and they are heading for the dead man's house to kill the
young son. Because they fear he will grow up and come looking for them some
day. That is what filial sons do in China. But a friend of the father grabs
the boy, fights off the attackers and gets him to the Shaolin monastery where
the boy finds refuge. And begins to learn martial arts. This is another solid
offering from Taiwanese director Joseph Kuo in which he mixes Buddhist philosophy
and frantic action. He brings on board three of his favorite actors - Carter
Wong, Doris Lung and Chia Ling. In an interview Kuo said he would not hire
actors who did not know martial arts because it was too difficult to fake
it - but preferred martial artists who could learn to act. That is a real
plus of his martial arts films - they may be shot on low-budgets with simple
plots but the action is provided by the real deal. He exaggerates the action
of course with people being knocked ten feet off or into a tree but that
he says is for cinematic purposes. He often has the camera situated so that
the fighters are in full view and you can see what they are capable of.
The boy grows up to be Carter Wong and though
he wants to stay and become a monk, the monks tell him he has to leave. But
first pass a few tests. Nothing hard. Fighting off bronzemen with deadly
spikes below, blowing out candles - from 30 feet away, more bronzemen with
slashing swords, in a room with deadly objects being shot at him, bronzemen
beating him with a thick staff and having to take it without fighting back,
lifting a heavy doorway and finally picking up a burning cauldron of hot
water and moving it. Like I said, easy. On weekends they sell their services
to masochists. He passes and off he goes to visit dear old mom who he hasn't
seen in all these years. She has gone blind and has adopted the daughter
of the man who saved the boy. She is the lovely Doris Lung.
Home sweet home. Some of mom's cooking,
sleep, no more bronzemen trying to kill you and cutie pie Doris flashing
her eyes at you. Well, for about a minute. The Eight Masters have been waiting
all these long years for revenge. Revenge for what I am never quite sure.
His father committed some faux pas against them - perhaps spilling soup or
being late to dinner. But now they keep telling him that he has to pay the
debt of his father and challenge them all to a duel. But as he was about
to leave the temple, the head monk told him he has to live by three rules
- keep the peace, patience and forgive offense. Never was worse advice ever
given - at least for a film hero.
He refuses to fight them and they beat the
hell out of him, time after time. Eventually, he does in a number of one
on one duels - all of them quite good if only a few minutes each. They come
at him with various weapons but he uses only his hands. And he still refuses
to kill them. Forgive offense. One of them with Chia Ling whose father had
been one of the Eight Masters. The last fight is the best in a house of horrors
with hidden doors and zombie like opponents. It takes a long time to get
to the action and we too need patience but once the action arrives it is
fierce and fast with no let up. In fact, Wong is in such a hurry that he
arrives at his next fight with blood still dripping down his face. A man
in a hurry.
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