Xin leng xue shi san ying

During the early 1990s, the wuxia wave filmed Hong Kong cinemas and many remakes of older martial arts classics were made. So we have 13 COLD-BLOODED EAGLES, a very different remake of Shaw's 1978 classic AVENGING EAGLE. While the nub of the plot is the same, in terms of staging and characters this is something else entirely, and it works. The film is relatively low budget and small scaled, but it has a wealth of the typically flamboyant fight sequences you always see in films of this era, with plenty of spinning and wirework on show. Waise Lee and Cynthia Khan are always great additions to the cast, and the whole thing is enjoyably engaging.

THE 13 COLD-BLOODED EAGLES is a rather disappointing wire-fu extravaganza from 1992. While the fights are well-staged, with lots of leaping up huge distances and flying from tree to tree or across bodies of water, the story is too convoluted and the cast notably lackluster, with only Cynthia Khan (DEADEND OF BESIEGERS, BLADE OF FURY) standing out. The Hong Kong production was shot in Taiwan and tells a tale of the title warriors who are manipulated by their leader, "Lifu" (Foster Father), into eliminating his enemies and acquiring their secret martial arts manuals, all in the name of ridding the country of evil. When dissenters question the leader's motives, the other Eagles turn on them and all hell breaks loose.

One of the big problems with the film is its inability to settle on a central hero. Waise Lee (A BULLET IN THE HEAD), as Red Eagle, appears to be taking that role until, less than an hour in, another character moves to center stage. This character, Yinmin, finds his loyalty to the master faltering, but sets out anyway on an assignment to assassinate Quihua (Cynthia Khan), the daughter of the assassinated kung fu master who passed on the "Star-Bleed Skill" book to her. Unbeknownst to Yinmin, Quihua is the mysterious woman who had saved his life earlier in the film. When they meet again, the stage is set for another round of shifting loyalties and internecine wire fu combat.

Foster Father is played by veteran kung fu performer Yen Shi-Kwan (ONCE UPON A TIME IN CHINA). He and Waise Lee are adequate in their roles, but lend little star power to the proceedings. Wild-eyed Chung Fat (ENCOUNTERS OF THE SPOOKY KIND) turns in a lively bit as "Shinshu Monster," but, aside from Cynthia Khan, there are no other familiar faces on hand. The film ultimately comes to rest on Cynthia's pretty shoulders. Fortunately for her fans, she is seen to great effect in a dazzling array of flowing, colorful costumes. She does less kung fu here than swordplay and flying about on wires. Still, she's always a delight to watch and she energizes the film whenever she's on screen, which isn't often enough. The film is well-photographed on a variety of picturesque locations, including a river set against majestic cliffs which serves as the scene for a lengthy fight on a boat.

The film's plot overlaps a bit with that of AVENGING EAGLES, the 1978 Shaw Bros. classic which stars Ti Lung and Fu Sheng and is also reviewed on this site. In that film, Ti Lung is also trying to quit the 13 Eagles and turns against his master. Cynthia and Waise Lee both starred together in another wire fu film from 1992, ZEN OF SWORD, which is also reviewed on this site.

A remake of the 1978 kung fu classic, Avenging Eagle, this underrated gem came at the height of Hong Kong's 'New-wave' of film-makers and is similar to works such as Blade Of Fury, Wing Chun, Iron Monkey and many more that graced the jade screen and won the world over with its crazy wire-fu and frantic swordplay!

Waise Lee and Cynthia Khan weren't exactly strangers to HK film fans at the time, but 13 Cold Blooded Eagles seems to have slipped by most people's 'go-to-lists' for the best of kung fu movies and ones to recommend.

Personally, I think its pretty damn good! It's a nice blend of Blade Of Fury and Kung Fu Cult Master, beautifully shot with plenty of fun action and great acting.

Although she is splashed all over most releases artwork, Cynthia Khan is mainly in a very extended bit-part role really only coming out to play fully for the last half hour. That said, the film runs smoothly up till then anyway and her addition just strengthens things!

Of course, its not just Lee and Khan who impress...

The film is well and cast, with hardly a bad performance from anyone. Director Tsui Fat, more commonly known as Choy Fat, impresses with his first and last film as a director. I'm surprised he didn't go on to direct more. A recognisable face in over 100 Hong Kong films (many of which are pretty well known), Fat would also be well known for his action choreography on many films such as Moon Lee's Killer Angels and Devil Hunters, and also earlier Donnie Yen vehicles such as Crystal Hunt, Cheetah On Fire and Holy Virgin Versus The Evil Dead - of which he also co-directed.

Regular film bad guy and kung fu star Yen Shi Kwan (Once Upon A Time In China, Iron Monkey) kicks ass per usual in what would be one of his last ever movies - and possibly his last action role. Playing the foster father to the eagles, he gets more twisted as the film progresses before becoming the main antagonist of it all and definitely ends his action-packed career in style with a couple of spectacular end battles!

It was refreshing to watch 13 Cold Blooded Eagles again. I'll definitely not be leaving it so long next time...

Overall: If you've never seen it, give it a go - preferably in HD. You won't be disappointed!