The Flag of Iron

1980 [CHINESE]

Action / Drama

4
IMDb Rating 7.0/10 10 551 551

Plot summary

Loyal gang member Iron Panther takes the heat for his boss after a dustup with their rivals, only to end up betrayed in this vintage kung fu yarn.

720p.BluRay 1080p.BluRay
1.02 GB
1280*538
Chinese 2.0
NR
Subtitles us  
23.976 fps
1 hr 53 min
Seeds 2
1.89 GB
1920*808
Chinese 2.0
NR
Subtitles us  
23.976 fps
1 hr 53 min
Seeds 1

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by BrianDanaCamp

3 Venoms plus one Spearman take on a corrupt gang boss in old China

FLAG OF IRON (1980, aka SPEARMAN OF DEATH) is a historical kung fu adventure starring three of the five actors-martial artists collectively known as the Five Venoms. The most versatile of the Venoms, Kuo Chui (aka Philip Kwok), plays a clan member who volunteers to go into exile to take the heat off his group after a fight with a rival gang. When he returns he finds that his old boss (played by Lu Feng, another Venom), for whom he took the rap, has merged with the rival gang and sent a group of ten killers after Kuo, who outfights all of them, sometimes with the help of another Venom, Chiang Sheng. He also finds an ally in the notorious Spearman, who had originally been hired by the corrupt gang boss. Eventually the three heroes take on their old boss in an extended battle involving flag-draped spears which the combatants twirl about in virtuoso displays of skill.The plot is basically a variation on the old gangster plot about a gangster sent into hiding or to prison as a scapegoat for his gang who finds, upon returning, that things have either fallen apart or his old boss has turned on him. In kung fu films, we saw this before in DUEL OF THE SHAOLIN FIST (1971, aka DUEL OF THE IRON FIST), an excellent early kung fu work by director Chang Cheh, who also directed FLAG OF IRON and all the Venoms films.FLAG OF IRON is a well-mounted production with lots of exciting fighting action shot amidst sprawling Shaw Bros. studio sets. It's not as intricate as other Venoms films and suffers from the absence of one key Venom, Lo Meng, but it's a worthy entry nonetheless. Beware the 85-minute cut version currently in distribution. The original running time is 113 minutes.
Reviewed by ChungMo 6 / 10

What's next? Flag Fighting!

Talky and moderately convoluted, this lesser "Venom" film has moments that will make a Shaw fan reasonably happy.Phillip Kuo once again carries another Chang Cheh production with his charm and remarkable acrobatic expertise. This time he plays a cocky martial art clan member, Iron Panther who along with his training brother Iron Monkey (Sheng Chiang) delights in tormenting members of the rival clan who indulge in immoral things like running a gambling parlor and brothel. His trouble making leads to an ambush where his clan master is killed. To protect the clan his elder brother, played by Lu Feng, bribes the police and sends Iron Panther far away until the furor dies down. In the middle of this is a mysterious stranger, the White Robed Rambler (say that fast), who wields a curious set of short spears. This being a rather typical kung fu drama, there are a number of betrayals that lead to the final showdown with flags.Very talky at times but unfortunately without a really interesting set of characters. The White Robed Rambler is very blandly played. Someone like David Chiang would have been perfect in the part. The betrayals are unsurprising and if you have seen this type of film before, very predictable. The fights are well done and the finale is unusual but really a way to show off the Venoms acrobatic training. Flag stunts are typical in Chinese acrobatic troupes.OK but too long at 2 hours.
Read more IMDb reviews

4 Comments

Be the first to leave a comment