{"id":53219,"date":"2026-05-25T15:00:37","date_gmt":"2026-05-25T19:00:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/?p=53219"},"modified":"2026-05-23T19:36:12","modified_gmt":"2026-05-23T23:36:12","slug":"the-invincible-eight-1971","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/2026\/05\/25\/the-invincible-eight-1971\/","title":{"rendered":"The Invincible Eight [1971] [88 Films Blu-Ray]"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Eight warriors come together to take down a warlord in Wei Lo’s Invincible Eight. The 1971 Golden Harvest film is now on Blu-Ray via 88 Films.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The Film<\/strong><\/p>\n

The other day, I posted a review for The Angry River. In said review of the awesome fantasy action flick, I noted\u00a0that Golden Harvest<\/a>, the legendary martial-arts-based Hong Kong film studio, made Angry River first,<\/span> but released something else before it. This film, Wei Lo\u2019s Invincible Eight, was the one mentioned first. It\u2019s a ton of fun with some great sequences. It has more than enough to keep going, even if it takes its time with plot, and there is little more than the basics for character. Still, a solid film from a master of the genre.<\/span><\/p>\n

Director Wei Lo would soon make a splash for Golden Harvest with Bruce Lee<\/a> in Big Boss<\/a> and Fist of Fury, but this represents his shift from Shaw Brothers<\/a> to the new Golden Harvest<\/a>, created by Shaw Brothers<\/a>\u2019 producers looking for more freedom from the controlling studio\/family. For the Invincible Eight, he sets about making a small-scale epic via a script by himself and Ta-Wei Lo, from a novel by Kuang Ni.\u00a0 It fits within Shaw Brothers\u2019 style of wuxia, but also opens a precedent for the burgeoning studio.<\/span><\/p>\n

Who are the Invincible Eight of the title? For twenty years, General Hsiao has controlled his region with an iron fist, and these eight are under his thumb in some way, including Angela Mae of Angry River. They all find out he was responsible for murdering their families, and they band together to take him down once and for all.\u00a0 With so many characters, it takes a while for it to come to this since the script sets up each one pretty much separately. So they become the titular group a solid hour into the 98 minutes of the film. It\u2019s a good build, but it also gets a little repetitive in waiting.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Luckily, while we wait for the plot to come together, many people clash in well-developed scenes, designed by Sammo Hung<\/a> (also in a small role) and Han Ying Chieh, who plays the big bad. But there\u2019s great joy to be had. I loved sequences involving whips and the impressive choreography that comes from that. Not to mention the amazing final 25 minutes of pure fight night finale. In said sequence, Lo often avoids cutting, moving the camera around the wide set, showing an impressive continuous fight sequence.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Invincible Eight is a solid action flick with a ton of great fighters working together for impressive fight scenes. It\u2019s a little rote in the story of revenge, but it brings energy with the great fights and competitive direction.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The Package<\/strong><\/p>\n

88 Films<\/a>\u2019 package of The Invincible Eight is similar to their same-day release of The Angry River (also out is The Himalayan, review later). A simplified version of the poster is impressed on the single Blu-ray, found within a clear black case. The reversible sleeve and the fold-out poster contain the same art: a newly commissioned piece by Aurelio Lorenzo and the original art. The cardboard slipcover has the new art.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Presentation<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

88 Films offers a 2k restoration from the original negative. It\u2019s bright and detailed with a great sense of scale (also in DwaliScope), but does blur out a few times in the wider shots. The audio is only in Mandarin 2.0. Sounds great. English subs.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Features<\/strong><\/p>\n

Like the Angry River, the commentary is the only substantial feature.<\/span><\/p>\n

Commentary<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Frank Djeng<\/a> and Michael Worth give a good commentary, but more sparse than normal for Djeng. It gets so sparse that they have a few minutes talking about Djeng getting acupuncture and the results of that. But within, they talk about the various cast members, how Golden Harvest was growing, and the creation of the film. Pretty standard, but interesting.<\/span>\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Image Gallery<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

About two minutes worth of production stills and publicity<\/span><\/p>\n

Trailer<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Final Thoughts<\/strong><\/p>\n

I dug The Invincible Eight. With this and Angry River, it’s cool to see the beginnings of Golden Harvest. Gotta love Sammo Hung any way I can get him, too. With a game cast and a bevy of awesome fights, it’s worth checking out.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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