Overview: Ti Lung has his first starring solo role without frequent co-star John Chiang in this fight-filled wuxia actioner from director Chang Cheh. Ti Lung plays a fiercely independent sword hero with matchless skill who is drawn into a power struggle within a martial arts clan by a beautiful swordswoman. Shaw Brothers screen siren Li Ching pulls double duty by portraying twin sisters on opposite sides of the conflict. Wang Kuang-yu and Tang Yan-tsan, both frequent supporting actors in Chang’s films, are each showcased in different fight sequences, as is future independent kung fu star Chen Sing. The film is highlighted by several memorable action sequences, the most unique one involving efforts by Ti Lung and Tang Yan-tsan to rescue a child from a runaway cart.
Detailed Synopsis: An act of power-grabbing treachery provides a lively start as the aged leader of the righteous Tien Yi Tong clan is murdered by his own second-in-command, Hung Sing-tien (Chang Pei-shan), with hidden darts shot from a weapon disguised as a flute. To cover up the crime, Sing-tien targets Chu Hung, a senior lieutenant in the clan who knows the truth. Mortally wounded, Chu evades his killers long enough to pass on the secret to a passerby who turns out to be Jin Fei the “King Eagle” (Ti Lung), a young but peerless swordsman in the martial arts world. Well known for his lack of interest in jiang hu politics, Jin Fei is dismissive of the dying swordsman’s plight. He casually walks away from a subsequent fight that breaks out between competing members of the clan. Having learned that Jin Fei may know the truth, Sing-tien first attempts to kill the disinterested hero and failing that, offers a bribe. Jin Fei declines the offer of gold as well as the advances of An Bing-er (Li Ching), Sing-tien’s beautiful co-conspirator and self-described top beauty of the martial world. Jin Fei’s only concern at the moment is the senseless murders of an innkeeper and a cowherd by Sing-tien and his men. Still fearing that his crime will be discovered, Sing-tien hires assassins to kill Jin Fei. The evil brothers of Tai Shan strike first with a dastardly plan that nearly succeeds. They set loose a cart overloaded with sacks of food on a busy, inclined city street. Jin Fei and a friend (Tang Yan-tsan) step in to stop the cart before it runs over a small child caught in its path. With all of his strength required to hold the cart at bay and his friend struggling to fend off the villains, Jin Fei is at the assassins’ mercy until swordswoman Yuk Long (Li Ching) happens by and lends a helping hand. Yuk Long turns out to be another member of the Tien Yi Tong clan and the elder twin sister of An Bing-er. However, she is the complete opposite of her vain, evil sister and Jin Fei quickly falls in love with her. From this point on, Jin Fei decides to put a stop to Sing-tien by confronting him in the clan’s headquarters. After discovering who his target is, Sing-tien’s other hired assassin, “Deadly Fingers” Wan Hau-ba (Ching Miao) demands to become the clan’s new leader in exchange for killing the hero. Sing-tien reluctantly agrees and the two return to the clan’s headquarters to purge the clan of all remaining resistance. Hau-ba concocts a plan to disguise himself as one of the many faceless clansmen and wait until an opportune moment to strike out at the unsuspecting hero as Jin Fei and Yuk Long confront Sing-tien.
AKA: Ying wang, Ying wong, 鹰王
Genre: Wuxia
Companies: Shaw Brothers
Release Date: January 1, 1971
Producer: Run Run Shaw
Director: Chang Cheh
Action Director: Tang Chia, Yuen Cheung-yan
Starring: Ti Lung (Jin Fei), Li Ching (An Bing-er/Yuk Long), Chang Pei-shan (Hung Sing-tien)
