Director King Hu revolutionized the Hong Kong cinema with the release of Come Drink With Me in 1966. The wuxia film was a major hit locally and around the world. People couldn’t get enough of the dynamic swordfights. The film got the Shaw Brothers on the map with an international market. King Hu left the studio to work in Tawain. He made Dragon Inn and A Touch of Zen. During this time, wuxia found itself being pushed aside by the even more popular martial arts films that focused on fists and feet. King Hu wasn’t done with the genre. The Valiant Ones is a potent blend of martial arts and chivalry.
During the Ming dynasty, pirates from Japan have been raiding small fishing villages on the Chinese coastline. They are also attacking travelling parties on the nearby roads. The situation has gotten so out of control that the emperor calls in General Xu Dong (Fist of Fury‘s Ying-Chieh Han) to bring together a crack team of fighters to eliminate the pirate issue. Yu Da-you (Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom & Game of Death‘s Roy Chiao) recruits a small team includes Wu Ji-yuan (A Touch of Zen‘s Ying Bai) and Wu Ruo-shi (Dragon Inn‘s Feng Hsu). They are a lethal married couple. He is the master of whirlwind sword fighting. She is extremely quiet and deadly. There are a few other folks in their unit including a young flutist (The Fate of Lee Khan‘s Ng Ming-choi) who spies and signals. He’s also learning how to wield weapons to be a bigger help. The crew quickly prove able to handle the pirates in their initial traps. While some want a victory lap, Yu Da-you knows they need to infiltrate the headquarters of the pirates to take out their leaders. Can they pull it off and face the chief of the pirates (played by Sammo Hung)?
While The Valiant Ones is wuxia, we’re we glimpse the future of martial arts movies. Four major faces appear that were relatively unknown at the time. The most noticeable in the film is Sammo Hung who does dual duty as the fight coordinator and the deadliest of the pirates. He has the final battle and keeps up with the whirlwind attack. Mars (Project A) gets a solo fight as a pirate with an attitude. Biao Yuen (The Prodigal Son) pops up as a pirate and stunt man. The biggest name doesn’t get his name in the film. Jackie Chan (Rumble In The Bronx) was part of Sammo’s stunt team on the movie. What’s amazing is even with these four future superstars in minor roles, you don’t wish they’d replaced any of the leading cast. Ying Bai and Feng Hsu are perfect as the husband and wife. Hsu does so much without uttering a word. Bai pulls off the speedy attacks even though there’s a secret to his speed.
King Hu’s final Wuxia movie (coming in the middle of his directorial career) shows him pushing the genre. Supposedly he spent over a year in the editing room making the action scenes pop. The climatic battle is worth immediately repeating. The movie appears mostly shot on locations so it’s so worth watching on 4K UHD. These aren’t exteriors faked on soundstages. The journey to the pirate’s hidden headquarters is so picturesque. The Valiant Ones is a beautiful wuxia film about fighting pirates.
There is also a Blu-ray edition of the movie with all the bonus features found on the 4K UHD edition.
The Video is 2.35:1 anamorphic. The colors look beautiful on the restored negatives. The Audio is LPCM mono in Mandarin. You’ll hear all the clang of metal and the flute notes clearly. The movie is subtitled in English.
Limited edition O-card slipcase features artwork by Grégory Sacré (Gokaiju). This is part of the First Pressing Only.
Audio commentary by Asian film expert Frank Djeng (NY Asian Film Festival) has him explain the historical context to what’s going on in the film and what it took King Hu to produce it. Djeng give the background on so much.
Tony Rayns on The Valiant Ones (23:58) has the critic and Asian film give the background on King Hu and the movie. He explains Hsu Feng’s character’s wardrobe. He gives a breakdown of the original name of the film.
Tsar of All Wuxia (21:44) is a video essay by David Cairns about King Hu. What’s of major interest is how King Hu took his editing style from James Bond editor Peter Hunt. Hunt directed on action (as you can see in his directorial effort on On Her Majesty’s Secret Service). Although King Hu took it to a new level since his flights were gravity defying as the characters clashed. We also learn his trick to making the whirlwind sword fighter look even quicker in the cut.
The Life of a Lucky Stuntman (20:54) catches up with stuntman Billy Chan. He talks about his Being Opera school training in Hong Kong. He points out the masters wouldn’t get away with their techniques today since it would qualify as child abuse. They believe in learned from pain when it came to Kung Fu training. He gets into how Yeun Biao became a star in Japan. He talks about how making The Valient Ones, the stuntmen would get very competitive at pulling off the more dangerous shots. He delves into what he learned from working with King Hu that made him unique at the time including the use of storyboards for the action scenes.
My Father and I (25:50) is a recent with actor Ng Ming-choi. He plays the flute playing member of the pirate attacking crew. He gets into his relationship with King Hu. The director made him feel like a son. He was an action director and working with Sammo Hung. Hu also liked using them on screen.
Archival 2003 interview with actress Hsu Feng (16:54) by Frédéric Ambroisine was recorded at the Cannes Film Festival. She got into acting when she spotted an ad placed by King Hu to work on her film. She’s also applied for a factory job. She was offered both and decided to risk it all for showbiz. She worked on several films with King Hu. She gets into the difference between working in Taiwan and Hong Kong during the ’70s. Feng went on to be a producer. Her film Farewell My Concubine won the top prize at Cannes.
Archival 2003 interview with Roger Garcia of the Hong Kong International Film Festival Society (26:15) by Frédéric Ambroisine. He talks about how he started as an actor in Shaw Brothers before he became a director. He gets into how his Come Drink With Me changed the way action was filmed in Hong King. He kept it going with Dragon Inn and A Touch of Zen. He gets into working on projects with King Hu that didn’t quite happen. This includes making a film in America.
Archival 2016 interview with actor Ng Ming-choi (4:18) by Frédéric Ambroisine was shot at a meal. He points out how King Hu was good at choreography and art direction. It appears King Hu was the Stanley Kubrick of Asian Cinema.
Limited Edition collector’s booklet has an essay by Jonathan Clements addressing the historical aspects of the film. (First Pressing Only)
Eureka! Entertainment presents The Valiant Ones. Directed by King Hu. Screenplay by King Hu. Starring Chao Lei, Sammo Hung, Ng Ming-choi, Tu Kuang-chi, Roy Chiao, Feng Hsu and Han Ying-chieh. Running Time: 107 minutes. Rating: Not Rated. Release Date: June 11, 2024.
