Year: 1969
Directed by Chang Cheh
Produced by Raymond Chow,Leonard Ho and Eric Tsang
Written by Ni Kuang
Cast: Lo Lieh, Li Ching, David Chiang, Fang Mian, Ku Feng ,Chan Sing, Wu Ma, Cheng Lui, Cliff Lok, Wang Kuang-Yu, Lau Gong , and Chui Chung-Hok
A famed bounty hunter and his loyal companions search for 4 leaders of a deadly group of bandits.
Chang Cheh delivers another blood-soaked classic. Chang Cheh clearly had an eye for popular westerns since the plot of The Invincible Fist would fit seamlessly in with a western. The Invincible Fist is greatly action-packed as its excellently crafted pacing leaves little room for slow-down. Chang Cheh’s direction is remarkably razor focused through a minimalist approach. The cornerstone of The Invincible Fist being a series of fierce showdowns between the heroes and the bandits. The narrative relying on action set pieces blends the story and action into a cohesive whole due to the plot already being markedly straightforward. Each of the leading bandits all have worthy gimmicks to make them stand out. The gimmicks are transformative enough to spice up the choreography. Battles and fights live up to Chang Cheh’s reputation of being poetically visceral. All of the fights are all pretty well staged, and from which the most memorable one being the one set in a large fields of reeds. Perhaps, it was inspired by the imagery of the ongoing Vietnam War then. The reeds serve as the perfect battleground to transform fights from head on collisions to a quasi guerrilla affair. It is an animalistic brawl that has its warring participants acting like prey and predator. The other battles might be less experimental, yet Chang Cheh surrounds the other battles well in a great deal of suspense or tension. The Invincible Fist’s melodrama feels like it was put on a back burner simply to escalate the final climax. Admittedly, it does connect the fates of the central hero and villain in a decisive poignancy.
The Invincible Fist is Chang Cheh’s blood-soaked classic that is a story of a fierce manhunt that delivers on great action and martial intensity.
A Wretched Hive Of Randomness And Wackiness 