Eight Diagram Cudgel (1988)
Reviewed by: STSH on 2001-11-19
Summary: Curiosity value only
I rented this odd little cheapie because I was intrigued by the poster. A mature-looking Bruce Leung, bald, in a yellow monk’s robe with orange squares, holding an octagon enclosing the yin-yang. And it had my main man, Kwan Hoi San, in the cast. Worth a look, eh ?

But my heart sank as two names hit me during the opening credits. One was co-presenter Cheung Git. This person has presented some truly appalling crap, several examples of which I have suffered through (see separate reviews). The other was To Gong Yue, whose only other credit was the dreadul Blood Sorcery.

This oddment is not a total loss. The opening battle scene is fairly impressive, considering what looks like a very tight budget. And Miss Yue Lan is quite pleasing to the eye.

But, really, nothing much happens. There’s some magic zapping (with really cheap special effects) and mean looks from the Lao soldiers (were the Lao ever really so treacherous ?). Much of the monk’s antics seem to have been nicked from Jet Li’s Shaolin Temple trilogy and Fong Sai Yuk, so not much originality there.

Not the worst cheapie ever made, but not recommended for anyone except Bruce Leung completists.
Reviewer Score: 3