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The 8 Diagram Pole Fighter

The 8 Diagram Pole Fighter

1984
Drama, Action
1h 38m
The Yangs are a well-known family of soldiers in the service of the government but are betrayed by a government official conspiring with the Mongols. All of the Yang family males except the 4th, 5th, and 6th brothers are killed (played by Hsiao Ho (actor), Gordon Liu and Fu Sheng respectively). 4th brother is captured by the Liao and is not mentioned again (in the source story he marries a Liao princess and returns). (Wikipedia)
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The 8 Diagram Pole Fighter

1984
Drama, Action
1h 38m
Your probable score
Avg Percentile 70.23% from 240 total ratings

Ratings & Reviews

(240)
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Rated 08 Feb 2007
100
99th
This is my all time favourite martial arts movie. Stunning work from all involved, especially Gordon Liu, who was at the peak of his powers here. The final fight must be seen to be believed. #10 in my all time top 10.
Rated 23 Apr 2008
92
97th
This movie is a dentist's nightmare.
Rated 03 Jul 2013
93
95th
Even before Tarantino, Lau Kar Leung and Gordon Liu demonstrate here an ability to learn from their past successes and Shaw Brothers classics to put together a film that celebrates its progenitors. While the plot rehashes Liu's past films, this film brings a balletic sensibility to its choreography and blocking along with a gorgeous operatic aesthetic to go even further. A quirky sense of humor tops the whole thing off wonderfully. It teaches a lesson, too: Tartar buildup leads to tooth loss.
Rated 12 Jun 2014
97
93rd
Beautiful! Bellissimo! They knock people's teeth out with their poles! They fight and Gordon Liu has such control he gets his opponent to help him form a yin yang on the floor out of lamps and pillows! This movie, for all its low budget problems (all the better for it) is the best choreographed martial arts movie I've seen. There's such a punch to everything because of how it's timed and how your emotions get built up.
Rated 20 Feb 2007
98
98th
This is a fantastic martial arts movie, and the pole fighting Liu does towards the end is perhaps the finest put on film.
Rated 30 Mar 2010
85
92nd
Even if you just ignore the fact that this has all the usual Shaw Bros set pieces it showcases some truly top notch choreography. The 8 diagram pole fight sequences are ridiculously complex and well conceived. Gordon Liu is charismatic and fantastic as the hero. Probably has the best martial arts action scenes out of any Shaw Bros film. It also features the final appearance by Shaw bros star Alexander Fu Sheng who was killed in a car accident.
Rated 26 Feb 2011
86
84th
Great fight choreography and a fun, if simple, story.
Rated 02 Sep 2011
87
93rd
Holy shitsticks... this was awesome.
Rated 29 Oct 2017
70
45th
I've never appreciated classic kung fu flick choreography: very stylistic, choppy and unrealistic-looking. But while this film was no exception, it also displayed the best I've yet seen. Oddly enough it was the obvious sets that helped me realize this isn't supposed to seem realistic. It's a kung-fu opera. The final fight was especially good, with amazing pole combat, foes popping out of coffins, and monks specializing in tooth-extraction, the ridiculousness of which just added to the charm.
Rated 08 Jun 2009
100
94th
My favourite Chia-Liang Liu film. On the surface it looks like another cheap old Kung Fu movie but, if you give it a good watch, it has more raw, gritty intensity than most action movies ever made. If some geeky white guy made this in the last twenty years and rolled his eyes a lot during interviews it would be hailed as a subversive masterpiece. Seriously give this movie a chance.
Rated 09 Sep 2009
100
99th
Holy Crap, thats the only way to describe it. If you're reading this review instead of watching the movie you just wasted 5- 10 seconds. The final fight scene is amazing
Rated 15 Dec 2010
79
66th
A colourful action, drama, unintentional comedy which is reminiscent of Kurosawa's Ran, the early Technicolor era, chop-socky martial arts flicks and a strong story which could be out of Shakespeare. Although the pole fighting was impressive, I thought the fight scenes were one of the weakest parts of this movie; extremely staged and fake-looking. However the drama and characters were strong and this angle could have been worked even further. But what on earth kind of an ending was that?
Rated 27 Apr 2011
30
19th
The last half hour is awesome; the rest was a bit of a chore to get through.
Rated 07 May 2011
25
23rd
Can't figure out how this gets a PSI of 85.
Rated 27 Mar 2017
76
59th
If you need an emotional recovery after tooth extraction, this one is for you! Or not.
Rated 21 May 2017
72
74th
If you've ever seen one of these movies and thought, "Meh, not enough fighting." then this is the movie for you.
Rated 22 Apr 2020
5
91st
It's a testament to the incredibly deep bench the Shaw Brothers studio had, and what a rich tradition they'd built by then, that production could suffer the loss of its rising star (Sheng Fu) right in the middle of filming and still not miss a beat. The pole-fighting finale is one of their most outrageous and jaw-dropping sequences.
Rated 24 Oct 2009
8
76th
Not as enjoyable as 36th Chamber, honest...
Rated 03 Jun 2012
80
82nd
I know it's considered to be one of the best kung fu flicks ever, but let's be serious - it's one of the best so bad it's good films...
Rated 29 Jun 2012
20
30th
It's a ridiculous film, but mostly in a good way. The story is almost completely irrelevant, it's all about the impressive, almost non-stop fight scenes. They continuous fighting gets a bit tiring after some time, but then something happens again that is so over-the-top that you have to smile. The cinematography is also surprisingly good for such a silly film.
Rated 29 Sep 2012
63
53rd
Good action but disjointed narrative.
Rated 08 Nov 2012
90
94th
Mind blowing choreography and absolutely lightning pole fighting from Gordon Liu. This is the pinnacle of Shaw Brothers martial arts, and the final showdown is nothing short of legendary. A masterpiece of its genre.
Rated 09 May 2013
75
59th
Classic Shaw Brothers. Good story and great fight scenes. One of the best.
Rated 04 Sep 2013
71
61st
bonkers pacing, great action
Rated 02 Mar 2014
78
88th
A major contender for the title of best ever martial arts film. I don't know if I've ever seen such incredible fighting in another, and the gorgeous period sets and costumes lend this a magical, legendary feel that is also one-of-a-kind.
Rated 01 Apr 2014
80
60th
- 8/12/12
Rated 03 Dec 2014
82
88th
What this makes one of, if not, the best martial arts movies is not just it having some of the most amazing fights in the genre but also it being better than almost all in the genre in other general aspects of moviemaking; directing, cinematography and acting. It doesn't just have great fights, it also really well conveys the dramatic story behind those fights. The biggest flaw is the transformation of Gordon Lui from hothead into a composed monk happening to suddenly.
Rated 15 Feb 2017
70
76th
good movie
Rated 18 Feb 2024
97
96th
My ★★★★★ review of The 8 Diagram Pole Fighter on Letterboxd https://boxd.it/5RmtOF

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