L'aigle de Shaolin

If it's starring Hwang Jang Lee your in for a great movie!This one is a great.This movie is starts out with action and it has very little time to spare with corny comedy like on some kung fu movies.The movies plot is ok.For such a great movie though I thought they could have wrote the movie with a little more drama and twists to keep you guessing on who is good and bad!Great fighting styles,Eagle's claw,Iron finger armor,High leg kicks from John Liu.If you like white long haired masters like me... you will like this movie also.The White haired masters one on one near the end what could be better!The end finishes strong which reminds me of the movie Fist of the white lotus somewhat.Hwang Jang Lee was so strong that you could have thrown a ton brick in his face and he would have still been coming to you!Scary!

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.

This has to be the Best martial arts/ Kung Fu movie of the era! It can be hard to follow though so you must pay attention. There are 3 major guys who look alike and have similar sounding names even and then there are 2, 3 or 4 old master types who all look identical and in fact 2 of them are brothers in the film... LOL. I have to rewatch it of course to see if I have exaggerated too much for this review but as far as bad guys go, this bad master is one of the toughest I've seen in these kinds of movies. There are many fight scenes and most of the fighting is pretty realistic if you can suspend your disbelief of course and all are well choreographed.

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.

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.