The Eight Diagram Pole Fighter

The 36th Chamber of Shaolin’s Liu Chia-liang directs martial arts legends Gordon Liu and Alexander Fu Sheng in this Shaw Brothers classic about two Liao Dynasty brothers out for revenge.

A breathtaking action fable of grief, madness and revenge, this 1983 martial arts rumble from veteran choreographer and director Liu Chia-liang (Drunken Master II) follows two brothers – played by the late, great Alexander Fu Sheng (Five Fingers of Death) and Gordon Liu (Kill Bill) – who survive a slaughter at the hands of a bloodthirsty general during China’s Liao Dynasty.

While Fu Sheng’s Yeung Chiu succumbs to madness, Liu’s Yeung Dak takes up training in the ancient art of pole fighting at a Buddhist monastery, leading to a spectacular, operatic showdown with their sworn enemy. From its stunningly stark and balletic opening sequence to its kinetic tour de force finale, The Eight Diagram Pole Fighter ranks among the Shaw Brothers’ greatest ever productions.

The film screens at MIFF in a double with The 36th Chamber of Shaolin, following the world premiere of the MIFF Premiere Fund-supported documentary Iron Fists and Kung Fu Kicks.

“This late release from the Shaw Brothers Studio in Hong Kong is one of its very best.” – Chicago Reader