Absolutely the worst movie.

A Masterpiece!

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

What Sergio Corbuccis "The Great Silence" ("Il Grande Silenzio") was to the genre of Spaghetti-Western two years earlier, "The Heroic Ones" is to the Eastern / Kung Fu film: it's breath-taking, ground-breaking and one of the best of it's kind. Like "The Great Silence", "The Heroic Ones" takes place in frozen tundra that, despite being beautiful to behold, makes you shiver just seeing it on the screen. The other similarity is the stylized violence that, despite being gory even by the standards of a genre that lives through violence, seems never quiet realistic, having something of a filmed fairy-tale. (Indeed, had ancient China been only half as violent as director Chang Cheh liked to depict it, the Chinese would today probably be extinct).Yet a third similarity is that both directors seem to have a certain antipathy towards their protagonists: Like in "The Great Silence", the heroes – David Chiang and Ti Lung – actually don't live to see the end of the film. Lung dies one of the most heroic death in Hong Kong film-history and the other, Chiang – as almost always, playing his amiable self, a drunken never-do-gooder with sheer unbeatable martial arts skills – being gorily quartered after being deceived by his villainous brothers.The rest of the cast features almost all of Chehs regulars, all playing as excellent as can be expected from them; if you're a seasoned martial arts fan, this almost is like a joyful family reunion (or, speaking on a more contemporary level, think "The Expendables"). Also watch out for a bald-headed Bolo Yeung (playing a grimacing bandit-chief) who has an (albeit) small, but impressive role.Together with "The New One-Armed Swordsman", "The Heroic Ones" remains one of Chehs most impressive works and one of the finest Martial Arts films ever produced in Hong Kong.Again, mentioning "The Great Silence" one final time: if "The Heroic Ones" struck your fancy, I can highly recommend Corbuccis film, whether you're a Western fan or not.

Made in 1970, the Shaw Brothers really went all out on this one. Ku Feng stars as a Mongolian King who is famous for his great army, and his 13 sons. David Chiang and Ti Lung are his favorite sons. Chen Sing plays a warlord who doesn't like Ku Feng and his sons, at all. I don't really want to give anything away, so I will just say that the story is very well done, and the fight scenes are awesome for 1970. David Chiang looks sloppy, but with all the stuntmen on hand and Tong Gai and the Lau Brothers doing the action, you can expect greatness in a lot of the action scenes. The battle sequences are truly epic. There had to be like 200-300 deaths in this movie. Like I said, David Chiang doesn't look all that good, but luckily Ti lung is on hand and gives an amazing performance. This was one of Ti Lung's first big roles , and he really makes the most out of it. The rest of the cast includes Cliff Lok, Lily Li, Lo Wai, Lau Kong, musclemen Cheng Lui and Bolo Yeung, Bruce Tong, James Nam, Wang Chung, Chin Han... the list goes on and on. David Chiang's last scene of the movie is one you will never forget. The final fight I thought was disappointing with how it was handled, but if they could have made the final fight better then this movie would get a 10 star rating from me.

As mentioned in another review, the quality of the remastered Celestial DVD is truly astounding. And it's no less than a fine movie like this deserves. The Heroic Ones doesn't try to be a kung fu movie in any way shape or form. It's a brutal swords and spears epic on a grand scale, with enough carnage to satisfy even the most bloodthirsty viewer. The body count must be in the high hundreds at least. Without wanting to give too much away, the swoop from victory through treachery to tragedy is carried off with real panache by everyone involved, with enough strategic twists and turns to hold the interest throughout. All in all, a gripping historical drama, finely shot and acted, with great stunt work and battle scenes, and well worthy of repeat viewings. I was reminded of a few classic 50s and 60s westerns, with the noble warrior(s) battling incredible odds amid breathtaking scenery and stirring soundtracks. See it if you can. On the Celestial DVD if you can feasibly manage it.

THE HEROIC ONES (1970) is a large-scale 2-hour historical costume adventure set at the time of the Tang Dynasty in which the 13 sons of Tartar King Id fight on the side of the Emperor against assorted rebels. Directed by Chang Cheh, it's less a kung fu film than a fast-paced swashbuckler with a higher body count than any similar Hollywood epic. King Id is played by frequent Shaw Bros. villain Ku Feng, while his two favorite sons are played by David Chiang and Ti Lung, who would pop up as a team in several later near-epics also directed by Chang. The action centers around a campaign by the 13 sons to wipe out a rebel faction. The family is undermined, however, by treachery within the ranks when two of the sons, jealous of the 13th prince (David Chiang), make a secret alliance with a court member in league with the rebels. The twists and turns which follow culminate in a tragic and bloody ending. It's a spectacular, fabulous-looking production with a large cast, massive sets, lots of action and bloodshed, and a compelling story. While they weren't the Shaw Bros. studio's greatest kung fu stars, Ti Lung and David Chiang were both agile, athletic and energetic, twirling their swords, lances and spears with great flourish and fervor, and making superhuman acrobatic leaps with the help of convenient stuntmen. Other familiar Shaw Bros. actors appear in smaller parts, including Billy Tang, Lily Li and strongman Bolo Yeung (who is subdued and captured by the slender David in one far-fetched encounter). Be aware that subtitled prints have dramatic scenes and extended dance segments missing from the English-dubbed version, while the English-dubbed version has action scenes missing from the subtitled print.