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The Avenging Eagle - 1978

Spring of Shaw Season Review - Film 6

The Avenging Eagle – 1978

Film six in our Shaw Brothers special, this time we look at a classic from 1978 starring the formidable Ti Lung, Alexander Fu Sheng and Ku Feng.

This Wuxia film’s story may seem familiar to many avid film watchers. The reason is the story; if you’re a fan of films like ''Nikita'', The Assassin, or Naked Weapon your know where I'm coming from.

Of course, this being made in 1978, it came first, so much for Luc Besson's Nikita being original, as many thought.

The story is, of course, set in a Wuxia setting; Ku Feng plays the head of a gang of robbers, Yoh Xi-hung.

He recruits orphans from a young age and trains them to be the best fighters; he trains them not to have feelings for the poor, women, or children. No matter who stands in their way, they should set about their mission, which for the most part means robbing and killing anyone who stands in the way of Xi-hung getting richer by the minute.

Over the years, many of the orphans have either been killed or died through not being able to cope with the demands Xi-hung puts on them.

But out of his trainees, thirteen of them become the most feared fighters and killers.

Ti Lung plays Black Eagle Chik Ming Sing, a master of the Three Section Staff, a weapon Ti Lung throws around as if it were an extension of one of his limbs.

The film starts with Chik on the run, for reasons we don't know. He gets stranded in the desert only to be saved by a wanderer who introduces himself as simply 'The Homeless'' ( Alexander Fu Sheng). Not convinced by his newfound friend, Chik makes a play for his saviour’s horse and escapes, only to be found by the same wanderer a time later.

Reluctant to get personal with him, it becomes apparent to Homeless that Chik is in need of some help.

Things start to unfold as the people Chik is running from turn up at the deserted Inn they are sheltering in.

It's also apparent that Chik knows these men very well and that they have been sent to bring him back to their Godfather, Xi-hung.

A battle ensues, and Chik is forced to kill his own brethren.,Homeless also battles one of the men and ends up killing him, which in turn angers Chik.

Avenging Eagle plays out in flashbacks as to how Chik has come to where he is. For a man who has only known bloodshed and death all his life, he finds himself at loggerheads with his own feelings.

He ends up explaining to Homeless how, during a routine assault, he got injured, only to be saved by a family. After two months, Chik returns back to Xi-hung to regain his position, but his mindset has changed and conflicts with what he has been doing.

When a new mission comes up, and it ends up being the very family that helped him, he turns against his own brothers to save the family, to no avail.

This, in turn, torments him, which results in the abandonment of his own upbringing.

What makes this film stand out is the intricate plot twists and some fine weapons action in all parts. Also, director Sun Chung chooses some dynamic camera angles for some of the action. Shaw is known for their long shots, wide-angle views, and long takes, but here mixed in with these are long-distance shots, some from an aerial view.

Also, much of the action is shot in close quarters, fighting inside buildings and forests; there are some cool angles of the action from a lower angle, with the camera shooting up from the floor, something you find in many later Hong Kong films and many of the 80s Jackie or Sammo movies.

There's also a good use of freeze frame for some of the action too.

What's more, each of the Eagles has a unique weapon, apart from one Eagle played by Dick Wei, who has an axe; well, he has a few axes on his belt.

The showdown shows Xi-hung(Ku Feng) is not left out in the fancy weapon department, though I did think that Alexander Fu Sheng's character’s weapon was not very dynamic compared to his acrobatic ability.

Also, I thought Fu Sheng looked fuller in the face compared to most of his films, as if he had put on weight for the role.

One thing is for sure: the showdown is worth it, as Chik and Homeless attack the home of the Eagles and must face Xi-hung and his many men.

Avenging Eagle is another top classic from the Shaw Studio and was loosely remade in 1993, when the New Wave of Kung Fu films took Hong Kong by storm; its title was ''Thirteen Cold Blooded Eagles''.

Of note, it's reported that Celestial and the Weinstein company where in talks about an official remake in 2013.

But if you want to see a classic film with an array of weapons showcased by experts, ''The Avenging Eagle '' won't let you down,

Review date: April 2014

Reviewer Sertes Nake

Updated: October 2026