Militant Eagle (1978)
Reviewed by: Gaijin84 on 2008-03-11
Summary: Is this a sequel? It would be better if it was...
After serving in the army of a powerful lord, Wang Chi Er (Barry Chan) wanders the land with his troupe of four acrobatic kids. An attempt on his life brings him back in contact with his lord, Lu Hung Chi (Liu Ping), who now has the official capacity of an envoy for the emperor, and is investigating extortion charges against local town officials. It turns out that the officials are secretly working for Lord Fang Shih Kung (Pai Ying) who was thought to have been dead and is now vying to regain power. With the help of his main assassin Hsiao Chu Lang (Ling Yun) and his mercenary team, he looks to take control of the neighboring countryside. However, Hsiao becomes reluctant to assist in this plot after Lord Fang abuses his sister, who also happens to be Fang's wife. In the end, Wang, Hsiao, Lu and others join up to put a stop to Lord Fang's plans.
Militant Eagle is pretty standard fare. Rather lackluster choreography and over-dramatic plot twists mar the story throughout. Some of the actors have obvious fighting skills, namely Ling Yun, Pai Ying and Liu Ping, but they seldom get to truly show their abilities. The film also had a feeling that it was a sequel, with the opening being an elaborate battle scene that only played behind the opening credits. There also appeared to be quite a back-story to the relationship between characters that was never really explained. This clarification might have helped make this film more interesting, but until that seemingly non-existent prequel unearths itself, Militant Eagle cannot be recommended.

3/10
Reviewer Score: 3