Absolutely Fantastic

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

Ok... Let's be honest. It cannot be the best movie but is quite enjoyable. The movie has the potential to develop a great plot for future movies

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

Allow me to back-track a bit, if you will, please...A few years ago, I saw "The 36th Chamber of Shaolin" (1978), which I consider to be the next greatest martial arts film after the Bruce Lee masterpiece that is "Enter the Dragon" (1973). I must say that "The 36th Chamber of Shaolin" was the film to introduce me to what I call "straight-up old-school Shaw Brothers kung-fu." A year or so before I saw that, I had seen "Five Fingers of Death" (1972) (widely considered to be the first internationally successful martial arts film) and another Shaw Brothers classic, "Five Deadly Venoms" (1978).Today, I had the pleasure to see yet another Shaw Brothers classic, "The 8 Diagram Pole Fighter," directed in 1984 by Hong Kong kung-fu master Liu Chia-Liang/Lau Kar-Leung (who also directed "The 36th Chamber of Shaolin" just six years earlier). Like the "The 36th Chamber of Shaolin" and many other martial arts classics, "The 8 Diagram Pole Fighter" is a story of revenge and retribution and redemption, with a strong Buddhist philosophical subtext warning against the evils of killing and taking lives under any circumstances.Set during the Song Dynasty in China, the story concerns Fifth Yang (Gordon Liu, held over from "The 36th Chamber of Shaolin"), the only survivor along with Sixth Yang (the late Alexander Fu, who died in a car accident during filming and the film had to be extensively rewritten because of this) of the seven Yang sons, the loyal enforcers for the Song Dynasty. With the exceptions of Fifth Yang and Sixth Yang, all the Yang sons and their father were all either captured or killed by the Khitan-ruled Liao Dynasty army forces.Sixth Yang makes it back home, but he's in a volatile deranged state that will make him unable to positively identify the primary culprit in the slaughter of his brothers and father, the traitorous Song Dynasty general, General Pun Mei (Ming Ku). Fifth Yang, however, now falsely labeled a fugitive and a traitor, makes it to a nearby Buddhist monastery in Mount Wutai, and insists that the monks take him in as their newest disciple. At first they are reluctant, due to his violent nature and revenge motives, but over time they grow impressed by his pole fighting skills and accept him as one of their own. But when he learns that his family is still in danger, he must join them - along with his sister Eighth Yang (Kara Hui, credited here by her birth name Ying Hung Wai) - despite the Buddhist vows of nonviolence that he has taken."The 8 Diagram Pole Fighter" is as exciting and action-packed as a Hong Kong-produced Shaw Brothers kung-fu classic can get. While the film does not approach the epic greatness of "The 36th Chamber of Shaolin" (which this film can probably be considered a companion piece to), "The 8 Diagram Pole Fighter" stands on its own two feet as yet another worthy kung-fu classic.One of my biggest gripes is that I expected to see Gordon Liu's Fifth Yang to actually change his ways, and eventually have his revenge motives tempered by some greater desire to help others in need. That doesn't really happen here. While his character does indeed take his Buddhist vows very seriously (or at least gives the appearance that he does), he doesn't become a better person and still retains his violent nature and revenge motives. The other problem is that the monks sort of accept this and realize that they cannot truly change him. And while the monks do accept him as one of their own, it seems, to me, that the only thing they can really do is to harness his anger and try to channel it into non-lethal means (the whole business with wolves and their teeth, which you'll see if you watch the training sequences at the Buddhist monastery). Liu's character San Te in "The 36th Chamber of Shaolin" did not face these glaring ethical issues.Maybe I'm reading things incorrectly here, so if anybody has any insight, feel free to correct me here.On the plus side, "The 8 Diagram Pole Fighter" has some of the most extraordinary pole-fighting sequences ever filmed. I've never seen anything like it prior to this. And the film is also quite bloody, too, one of the most graphically violent martial arts films I've seen, in fact, since probably "Fists of Fury/The Big Boss" (1971) with Bruce Lee. And while the boys often get the most screen time, Kara Hui's Eighth Yang proves to be a formidable kung-fu presence and can more than handle her own against the legions of disposable of bad guys sent in her general direction. In short, she's no damsel in distress - she's far from it.Gordon Liu also delivers a powerhouse performance here. To know that Alexander Fu was originally supposed to be the lead here and with his tragic passing, the film had to be extensively reworked due to his death. Gordon Liu admirably stepped in his place to finish the film. Admittedly, it would be great to see what would have become of this film had Alexander Fu lived to complete it."The 8 Diagram Pole Fighter" is one of the best martial arts films I've ever seen. I'm glad that I had the opportunity to bask myself in its 97 minutes of epic kung-fu craziness.8/10

Chia-Liang Liu, this film's director, was responsible for Jackie Chan's best film of recent vintage, "Drunken Master 2". This is an earlier effort of his that is like a filmed martial arts stage play with rich design and impeccable choreography. Like most such films, it is about martial arts disciples defending honor and resisting vengeance (but not resisting it for long). I find the story lines of these Shaw films extremely uninvolving because the characters remind me of narrow-minded religious zealots whose thought processes are collective. That gripe aside, this is a feast of fight choreography and holds a special place in the Shaw canon. Its plot turns are incomprehensible at times and its dialog is stilted, but it's still impressive. The Celestial DVD boasts an exceptional, clean print. The colors are strong and the transfer is sharp. I'm just not a big fan of period martial arts films, but I do appreciate their artistry. Chai-Liang Liu's staging and direction is beyond solid.

Since getting into the genre a few years ago I have seen many kung fu films of this era, and I have to say this is one of my favourites. I was lucky enough to find a wide screen, undubbed version.This is a classic Shaw Bros. style film by famed director Lau Kar-Leung and starring Gordon Liu ("6th Brother"), whom Tarantino paid homage to by giving two roles in Kill Bill I & II.The father of the Yang family and his seven sons go to battle to fight the Mongols who are threatening the Sung Dynasty. They are betrayed by a rival family and only two brothers, 6th (Liu) and 5th, survive. "6th" takes refuge at a General-turned-hunter's rural hideout (the General is a cameo by director Kar-Leung), before fleeing to a monastery where his brash personality conflicts with the monks there. At the monastery, he must improve his skills before seeking vengeance on those responsible for his family's betrayal.The first fight scene (the battle) is a little cheesy with an obvious screened backdrop, a setting that doesn't really fit with the rest of the film. If the film was more ambitious this could have been a more impressive outdoor battle. But this is the film's only real drawback. The fights start out great and only get better. Highlights include 8th Sister's really breathtaking swordplay, and 6th Brother's duel with the Abbott which is both acrobatic and beautiful. This fight ends poetically, as during the fight both men had enscribed a yin-yang symbol on the floor of the monastery, symbolic of these two men's conflicting personalities: peaceful monk and warrior General.The final scene is an all-out bloody melee which is really impressive, especially when 6th Brother takes on the horde with 8th Sister strapped to his back. Some of it is overacted (extreme reactions from bad guys as teeth are knocked out!) but used as a source of campy amusement, it only adds to the whole spectacle.The plot is strong and very Shakespearean in scope (family loyal to the ruler is betrayed, family members must communicate in secret to avoid discovery while revenge is planned). The idea of the poles which use a twisty grappling-end to counter the Yang family's poles is unique. I love the fact that (like in many other films of the genre), the women's kung fu skills are as strong as the men's. This 20 years before the whole "girl power" thing in Western movies, music & TV.If you're a fan of kung fu, see this film if you get a chance!

Invincible Pole FighterWhat can I say. This film is brilliant. I first hired it as a joke for a friend. We were looking for the worst possible film with the cheesiest title. Well, the joke was on me. I have since fallen in love with the movie and have seen it dozens of times. The martial arts are staggering in their complexity and showmanship. The plot is intriguing and moves at breakneck pace. The fights are many and varied, with all kinds of eye-popping acrobatics and stunts.The madness of 6th Brother is one of the non-action highlights of this movie. His acting is way over the top, and the English dubbing is appalling. The poor lad has had his mind broken by treachery and despair, and peppers the film with a frenzy of random screaming outbursts. Classic.There are many reasons to hire this film. Humour, tragedy, and of course, mind blowing Pole Fighting.See also `Deadly Weapons of Kung Fu'.