L'aigle de Shaolin

I recently rewatched the Shaw Brothers classic Invincible Armour (1977) on Tubi. The storyline follows a young man falsely accused of murder by the Ming dynasty leadership. Forced into hiding, he meets a martial arts expert who teaches him the Invincible Armour fighting style. Once he masters the technique, he sets out to seek revenge and clear his name.

Directed by See-Yuen Ng (Secret Rivals 1 & 2), the film stars John Liu (Secret Rivals 1 & 2), Phillip Ko (Eastern Condors), Yuen Biao (The Prodigal Son), Corey Yuen (Fist of Fury), and Hoi-Sang Lee (The 36th Chamber of Shaolin).

This is another fantastic Shaw Brothers production, immersing you in its world with striking sets, authentic costumes, and a great variety of weapons. The villain is perfectly cast, setting the tone for the entire film. The choreography is top-notch, and the sound effects, especially the weapon clashes, always bring a smile to my face. There's clever and diverse use of weapons throughout, adding to the film's entertainment value. The dialogue brings some humor, and as always, anything Yuen Biao is involved in is a treat. The fight in the woods and the final showdown are martial arts gold, exemplifying the best of the genre.

In conclusion, Invincible Armour is an underrated gem in the Shaw Brothers catalog and a must-see for martial arts fans. I'd rate it 9/10 and strongly recommend it to fans of the genre.

John Liu and Hwang Jang Lee star together in this excellent kung fu film. The plot deals with a Ming General being framed for murder. He must then fight off soldiers while looking for the real murderer and with both John Liu and Hwang Jang Lee the fights cannot be anything else but great. Liu's kicks are awesome; it is hard to believe that according to his instructor and fellow Kung fu actor Tan Tao Liang, John Liu had problems with flexibility. When you see him holding his leg up as he stand still it is hard to believe this was ever true. Hwang Jang Lee sadly doesn't kick as much as he should and his skills are underused, we see far more in Secret Rivals of his phenomenal ability. The egg part is really funny although I am sure it wasn't intended to be. Having said that, this is great film for all kung fu fans.

I saw this movie during the bus ride on a school fieldtrip, and couldn't stop enjoying myself. Don't get me wrong, this movie is a bad movie, but that is where it triumphs. The usual cheesiness of these kung fu films makes us wonder if people actually took them seriously sometime in the 1970s. Definately a film to be seen with a crowd, preferably under whichever influence you prefer, "Invincible Armour" contains all the non-stop action and unintentional laughs one would expect from a B-Kung Fu movie. The soundtrack is reminiscent of an early Nintendo Game and the English dubbing highlights the acting. "Invincible Armour" also has possibly one of the most side-splittingly funny (and abrupt) endings ever seen in its genre (including a great allegory which involves a pair of eggs and a fist).

I recommend this movie for anyone looking for a light-hearted laugh and something to talk about the next day with their friends.

THE INVINCIBLE ARMOUR is a solid piece of period fu that doesn't disappoint when it comes to hard-hitting fight action. The storyline is some needlessly convoluted thing that draws in various sub-plots, the most prominent of which involves a man who is framed for murder and must fight to clear his name while the authorities pursue him. As is usual for this period of kung fu, the heroes are all Ming patriots fighting for their country's dynasty.

The complexities of the narrative pale in comparison to the martial arts involved, which is rather complex. There are no less than three styles studied in-depth here: the titular 'iron armour', which renders the human body impervious to strikes; the 'iron finger' strike, which has the power to combat the 'iron armour' technique, and the 'eagle claw' strike, which is just all-round deadly.

The producers in Hong Kong headed to Taiwan to shoot this on the cheap, but cheap production values mean that they could afford to put a whole host of Hong Kong talent up on the screen. Not least of these is the immortal Hwang Jang Lee as the villain; hidden behind his long white hair and beard, Lee remains as deadly as ever and never disappoints in the fighting stakes. I love the sinister music that accompanies his character wherever he goes (elsewhere, the soundtrack of the spaghetti western DAY OF ANGER is ripped off extensively). John Liu is acceptable as the upstanding young hero out for justice, but the supporting cast is even better. We get Phillip Ko as another long-haired master, while Corey Yuen and Yuen Biao team up for cameos as an assassin pair.

The fight action is hugely entertaining and the strikes are all hard-hitting and convincingly staged. As is usual for these films, the action gets better and better as the running time progresses, finishing with a furious final bout. Yuen Woo-ping worked on the choreography, and it shows. Hard-working director/producer Ng See-Yuen has also handled GAME OF DEATH 2 and THE SECRET RIVALS during his lengthy and illustrious career.

The 'script' is hilarious. The kicking is awesome. All the men with beards look the same. The love interest is a bit of a minger, and her brother appears to be retarded.

This is by far my favourite kung fu film, and I believe was also sounded endorsed by Quentin Tarantino when he was doing the rounds for Kill Bill 2.

You will laugh, you will go 'oooooh' you will clasp your face with agony at the dire dubbing and acting and YOU WILL ENJOY THIS.

Also, it has a man defeated by an 'iron finger' attack _down there_ if you know what I mean. Nice.