KING EAGLE is one of the earlier films in the career of prolific Shaw Brothers director Chang Cheh, although one should remember he already had plenty of films including some stone-cold classics in his resume. This one looks like a standard movie on the face of it, with Ti Lung once again playing a wandering hero who gets drawn into the usual murder plot in the martial (or boxer) world. Right from the start, however, you know this is something special. The first ten minutes contains numerous lavish fight scenes and brutal murder and the story really goes on from there. A kid-in-peril sequence involving a runaway cart is the imaginative highlight in the movie, but there's so much action and intrigue that the short running time absolutely blasts past. Other than Lung, who tackles a really interesting character with aplomb, there are good turns from those with lots of screen time (including Ching Li in a double role) and those in smaller parts, such as Chen Sing. There's nothing not to like about this one.
Review of King Eagle
