Se diu ying hung: Dung sing sai jau

This movie has gone cult classic. it was filmed at the same time as another movie. Same actors. Same Costumes. This one was just done for fun. the other movie(the name escapes me), was supposed to be this HUGE hit(like Men In Black by today's standards) and it flopped majorly! but this movie lives on. go fig.

For some odd reason, then I've actually never watched the 1993 movie "Se Diu Ying Hung: Dung Sing Sai Jau" (aka "The Eagle Shooting Heroes") before now in 2025. And it is not because I didn't know that the movie existed, and I even had a DVD version of it laying around since around the mid-2000s. But I just never got around to watching it, which is odd as I am a big fan of Maggie Cheung.

But 2025 would be the year that I finally got around to sit down and watch what director Jeffrey Lau had to offer. Maybe I had been missing out on a great action comedy in Hong Kong cinema here.

While I have indeed not read Louis Cha's novel, upon which the movie was based, then I must say that writers Louis Cha and Jeffrey Lau certainly put together and enjoyable and funny script and storyline. The movie doesn't take itself particularly serious, and you have to sit down to watch this with a very open mind and be prepared for an abundance of silly scenes.

I have to say that I am overwhelmed by the sheer amount of acting talents that starred in the movie. This was most definitely a treat for any fan of the Hong Kong cinema. Sure, I knew that the movie had Maggie Cheung in it, but I wasn't aware that talents such as Leslie Cheung, Tony Leung Chiu-Wai, Brigitte Lin, Tony Ka Fai Leung, Jacky Cheung, Carina Lau, Joey Wang, Veronica Yip and Kenny Bee was also starring in the movie. The sheer amount of great performers on the cast list really took me by surprise. Needless to say that the acting performances were good.

My rating of director Jeffrey Lau's 1993 movie "Se Diu Ying Hung: Dung Sing Sai Jau" lands on a six out of ten stars.

Fast in pace and rich in adventures, extravagance, color and music, "Eagle Shooting Heroes" adopts the same characters of "Ashes of Time" but, unlike Kar-Wai's epic movie, here they stand on the screen with the sole purpose of entertaining... and they fully succeed!

The movie can be roughly divided into 3 parts: in the first part, which takes place over a wide landscape, we get to meet the 9 (!) protagonists one by one, and learn about their quest (it can be love, world domination, revenge or achieving nirvana). Lin Ching Hsia and Chiu-Wai in particular shine and deliver the first ferocious confrontation of the movie, by showing us two terrific kung-fu moves: the "Sea can't be Measured" and the "Toad Shen-Kong".

Once we have met all the characters, the second part gathers them together in the enclosed space of an inn, so we see them interact. Hysterically funny is Joey Wang, who may be Leslie Cheung's sweetheart, but apart from that bears very little that can be referred to as sweet. Highly entertaining are also Ka-Fai and Jacky Cheung, who try to win the resistance of their loved ones with their musical talent.

Finally, the third part shows the ultimate confrontation. The ending may actually be the only flaw of the movie, and I personally agree with the character interpreted by Leslie Cheung, who at one point states "too ridiculous!".

However, apart from the bizarre ending, this is an excellent movie... but be prepared for many surprises! And if you thought the cross-dressing of Ranma and Final Fantasy VII are extreme, be ready to change your rankings, as far as extravagance is concerned! 9/10

PS: The DVD (from Ah-Mei) allows selection of Mandarin or Cantonese language (with English/Chinese subtitles burned on the movie), but other than that, no extra feature is included at all.

Wang Kar Wai Present's...it's absurdly funny, especially after just having watched "Chungking Express" and "In The Mood For Love", because a lot of the same actors, are here at their most ridiculously over the top.

The first scene, is like Kill Bill on a Bollywood stage, and one of the best fight sequences, anywhere in general. Outside of the lightning fast camera moves, and garish bright colors oozing with 70's Kung Fu Fantasy nostalgia, there's a very Stephen Chow type rhythm kept between slapstick gags and zany skits, and flying feet and fists.

The movie does slow down a bit, as it starts mixing together a diverse array of characters and stories, a prince trying to achieve immortality by meeting his true love, a ruthless villain who can't kill a suicide beggar, as a favor, no matter how much the beggar begs, without injuring himself , a cross dressing Kung Fu master determined to avenge her lover or find someone with suitable "pecks" to substitute, and then there's a an ape and a dinosaur in a cave (the worst movie monsters since Ed Wood), which are there because....

It's fun, and immaculately casted. But a bit of a drag of times. It's hard not to smile at the silliness of it all though. Still, Wang Kar Wai and his crazy friends, are alright by me.

It's a rainbow Sake shot of Hong Kong screwball fury, with flying boots and invincible killer bees.

There is a wind that blows and all the good things grow with it. After the wind is gone, the good things turn back and never come any good things alike again.

So this film is from a wind that was blowing during that span of years in Hong Kong, never again you would be able to see those director, actors, screen writers, dress designers, stunt man so passionate and joyfully getting involved for fun, for imagination, for successful results.

The same name, even same director had shot anther one with the same Chinese name in 2011. It's rated very low in IMDb and it's rated like 3 in a Chinese review site. You can see how people hated it because the lack of dedication of the actors, the ridiculous taking-audience-as-a-fool jokes and random involvements of all the celebrities from musical industries into the acting business and they are naively thinking themselves that they are doing a good job. It's a shame, as simple as it is.

But this film has stars in it, real stars. Leslie Cheung, Tony Leung, Carina Lau Brigitte Lin, Jacky Cheung...I just can't name them all here. The director is the same director who 2 years later directed the 2-squeal films (A Chinese Odyssey Part One: Pandora's Box, A Chinese Odyssey Part Two - Cinderella) which turns to absolute classic now and ever and make Stephen Chow an iconic star as well.

The Mandarin voice-over done by Taiwan people is superb so if you are learning mandarin, it's top Mandarin. Originally it's Cantonese.

If you like Gongfu movie, this one is a blast. It's fine nice delicate cut between a flying Gong Fu super power guy and gravity still making sense here. It's a blessing in the 90s when computer is not good enough to make all the digital stuff. I personally prefer a stunt man than GC effect, it's real fake, not fake fake.

Again, the wind was there and people had no intention for fame and fortune because there is none, they made a laugh and take great joy about what they did - this film.