Adapted from “Thirteen Cold-Blooded Eagles”, a wuxia novel written by Chin Hung and scripted by Ni Kuang, this is undoubtedly one of Sun Chung's best works and Shaw Brothers' all-time best sword fighting movie not directed by Chang Cheh or Chu Yuan. The story is a simple tale of revenge and awakening; however, its twists and turns are told mostly in flashbacks.
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Yoh Yi Hung (Ku Feng) is the cruel leader of the Iron Boat Clan who takes in orphans and trains them to become highly skilled killers to do his dirty work of terrorizing and killing people. Since only the very strong can endure his strict training, he's left with only thirteen surviving disciples, the appropriately named “Thirteen Cold-Blooded Eagles”.
The movie only concentrates on one disciple, Chik Ming Sing (Ti Lung) or the Black Eagle whose weapon of choice is the three-sectioned staff. Thirsty and hungry when we first meet him, he's on the run and three Eagles from his clan are on his trail, ordered by Chief Yoh to kill him. Luckily, with the help of a wanderer, Cheuk Yi Fan (Alexander Fu Sheng), who calls himself Homeless instead, they dispatch the attackers and a friendship develops between them. As it turns out, both men are after the same objective of taking down the Iron Boat Clan. However, there's a plot twist at the end which further explains why Homeless is so keen to help Chik.
There's no doubt that this is a Ti Lung movie, from the opening shot of him in the wilderness to the exciting end fight at the Iron Boat Clan hideout. This is a master at work here, full of confidence, with lots of charisma to spare and he holds your attention in every scene. Moreover, he has no problem switching from a being cold-blooded assassin to a broken-down soul struggling with his inner conflict who longs for redemption and atonement.
The inclusion of the equally charming Alexander Fu Sheng as the second lead is the icing on the cake. The character he portrays has to be both goofy and deadly; someone with a secret identity and Fu Sheng is just the perfect choice. Furthemore, the hidden twin blades of his are really cool weapons, but most of the time he fights without them. Additionally, having the prolific Ku Feng on board playing the main villain with the deadly iron talons is another plus. It's a delight to watch these actors interplay with their unique skills and breezing through their roles with ease. Interestingly, Jenny Tseng, Fu Sheng's wife also appears momentarily as his on-screen wife.
However, with the exception of Johnny Wang Lung Wei who plays big brother Vulture, the rest of the supporting actors are there mostly to be killed off in a fight thus having no chance to shine. Johnny's Vulture uses a big iron loop as weapon and has a fair amount of speaking parts and screen time. In fact when he teams up with the Blue Eagle and the Owl, they become so powerful that our protagonists have to resort to strategy to take them down. Chief Yoh's personal guards, the amusing one-armed twins, Grey and Yellow Eagles also stand out; unfortunately, their screen time is tragically short. Choreographed by none other than Tang Chai himself with a little help from Huang Pei Chi, the fight sequences are spectacular throughout.
Visually, Sun Chung has directed a wonderful and striking movie. The colorful long robes favored by the Eagles look amazing and attention to details is present in the set design of their sanctuary. Furthermore, the outdoor location shots of mountains and forests are all well framed and a welcoming bonus. There's a fair bit of slow-motion, freeze frame and long shots during the fight scenes to emphasize moments of tension which look stylish and impressive. The action also has a touch of freshness due to his use of different camera angles and there's hardly any dull moment in this production.
There're many reasons why “The Avenging Eagles” is so highly regarded as a must-watch, the pairing of Ti Lung and Fu Sheng is a good start. Thanks to Sun Chung, this is a masterfully edited production which looks great visually with good character development and a plot line that's intriguing, the weapons are creative and besides, the villains are memorable.
