The arrival of Golden Harvest proved popular at Hong Kong movie theaters. Their first film The Angry River starring Angela Mao did well at the box office. Fans didn’t have to wait long for the upstart studio’s sophomore effort. The Invincible Eight arrived a few weeks later and even featured Angela Mao as part of the Eight. This was Golden Harvest’s take on the ensemble wuxia film that The Shaw Brothers had been making for a while. Most importantly it marked director Lo Wei crossing over to the new rival studio. Why this is ultimately important will be explained at the end of this review (as if most of you already don’t know). If you want a sense of what Lo Wei was doing back at Shaw Brothers, Martial Law: Lo Wei’s Wuxia World covers a trio of his sword epics. For The Invincible Eight, Lo Wei cracks the whip on his action stars.
He, Chiao (Drunken Tai Chi‘s Lydia Shum Tin-Ha) and Feng (Bat Without Wings‘ Tang Ching) arrive in the city looking for a meal at a large restaurant. Before they can get served, the staff races around to warn everyone to get away from the front windows. General Hsiao (Fist of Fury‘s Han Ying-Chieh) is about to ride down the road with his men. No one is allowed to be in the street, or they will be killed as assassins. Before you think General Hsiao is paranoid, Lei (The Big Boss‘s James Tien) leaps out of the restaurant and attacks the General’s parade with giant axes. When Lei gets injured, the trio jumps down to help him. The four fighters are overwhelmed. They take shelter in a nearby kitchen when the chef helps them assume identity of cooks. But the disguises don’t help as the soldiers with bull whips sniff the out. There’s more fighting and escaping. What do these fours have in common? Turns out the General has killed their fathers. They’re on a revenge mission. The four including the chef eventually end up hooking up with three more people including Angela Mao (Enter the Dragon) and Nora Miao (The Way of the Dragon) to form the eight. Can they figure out how to take out the General and his whip loving men
The Invincible Eight is an exciting men and women on a mission film. The cast keeps up the energy as they attempt to get at the general. The heavy use of bullwhips separates the film from the usual clanging swordplay of a wuxia movie. It also keeps the film interesting since cast members can get lashed up and elevated by their attackers. Angela Mao isn’t in the movie that much, but you don’t feel cheated. My favorite cast member is Lydia Shum Tin-Ha. She is like the female Sammo Hung as she whirlwinds through fights. She’d later appear in Sammo’s Millionaires Express. Sammo was one of the fight choreographers on The Invincible Eight. Between fights, Lydia Shum Tin-Ha has a fine comic vibe like Melissa McCarthy. Director Lo Wei uses her humor to keep the film from becoming too serious between intense battles of whips and blades.
What’s so important about director Lo Wei coming over to Golden Harvest to make The Invincible Eight? This change allowed him to work with Bruce Lee on The Big Boss and Fist of Fury. These two films made Golden Harvest a major studio not just in Hong Kong, but around the world. Later he’d elevate Jackie Chan to a leading man. Although Lo Wei had Jackie Chan be more serious than the comic kung fu roles that made him a global star. Golden Harvest was quickly proving they were the rival for Shaw Brothers with their early slate of films.
Angela Mao currently runs Nan Bei Ho restaurant in Bayside, Queens. I’ve been told her Stinky Tofu is “excellent.”
The Video is 2.35:1 anamorphic. The 2K restoration from the original negative brings out details in the fights. The Audio is Mandarin LPCM 2.0 mono. The mix sounds great. The movie is subtitled in English.
Mini Poster with the original artwork and a new design. It’s suitable for framing.
Audio Commentary with Frank Djeng and Michael Worth get into how this film got Golden Harvest a great first year. The movie is based on a novel. They released the movie shortly after The Angry River. We learn about the history of the original Golden Harvest logo. They let us know which actor was killed in the opening of John Woo’s The Killer.
Image Gallery (1:41) has the posters and press photos.
Trailer (3:39) sets up the all-star cast for the movie. A lot great clips of the bullwhip fighting.
88 Films present The Invincible Eight: Limited Edition. Directed by Lo Wei. Screenplay Ta-Wei Lo and Lo Wei. Starring Nora Miao, Ching Tang, Angela Mao, Paul Chang Chung, James Tien, Lydia Shum, Ying Baiand Sammo Hung. Running Time: 99 minutes. Rating: Unrated. Release Date: May 12, 2026.
