Eagle Shooting Heroes

Directed by Jeffrey Lau

Running time: 103
Country: Hong Kong
Directed by: Jeffrey Lau
Crew: Wong Kar-Wai

Executive produced by Wong Kar-Wai, Jeffrey Lau's "absurd 1993 masterpiece" (Austin Chronicle) Eagle Shooting Heroes is a fast, funny, flamboyant, and wildly imaginative martial arts farrago. This "crazed, hyperactive take-off" (Variety) parodies the patchwork-quilt illogic, wall to wall fight scenes, stalwart heroes, conniving villains, and enchanted romance of vintage 60's and 70's Wu Xia Pian films with the same over-the-top energy of the genre it hilariously mocks.

Loosely plotted, Eagle Shooting Heroess mixes court intrigue with the story of the plucky, martial arts-challenged Third Princess, who runs a no-holds-barred race against two ruthless Taiwanese magicians to obtain both the Princess' imperial jade seal and the secrets of a mystical book of combat. When things go wrong, Third Princess gathers an alliance of wacky characters with names like East Evil, South Emperor and North Beggar to win her throne back. Any further synopsis is futile, but a dinosaur and a gorilla do fit in to the mix.

Eagle Shooting Heroes features international Hong Kong superstars and Wong Kar-Wai stock company regulars Maggie Cheung (In The Mood For Love), Tony Leung Chi Wah (Lust, Caution), the late Leslie Cheung (Days of Being Wild), and Brigitte Lin (Swordsman II and III) like you've never seen them before. Based on the same classic Louis Cha martial arts novel as Wong Kar-Wai's Ashes of Time, and featuring jaw-dropping fight choreography by the legendary Sammo Hung (Enter the Dragon), Eagle Shooting Heroes blends affectionate satire, outrageous action, and cross-dressing camp into a "colorful, delightful, mad comedy" (Austin Chronicle).

1993 Hong Kong 103 min. Color Letterboxed (1.85:1)
Enhanced for 16x9 TVs In Cantonese with optional English subtitles
WONG KAR-WAI present a film by JEFFREY LAU
EAGLE SHOOTING HEROES (Dong Cheng Xi Jiu)
starring LESLIE CHEUNG BRIGITTE LIN MAGGIE CHEUNG TONY LEUNG CHIU WAI
JACKY CHEUNG CARINA LAU and TONY LEUNG KA FAI
cinematography by PETER PAU original music by JAMES WONG stunts by SAMMO
HUNG executive producer WONG KAR-WAI produced by TSAI SUNG-LIN
Directed by JEFFREY LAU
© 1993 Jet Tone Production Ltd.

Reviews

"Jeffrey Lau's comic sense of spontaneity is on target here...colorful, delightfully mad action comedy." - The Austin Chronicle.

"Crazed, hyperactive take-off" (Variety)

 

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