The Eagle King (1978) User Reviews (2)

Cheap Taiwanese mess of a kung fu flick

[Leofwine_draca · 3/10 · 5 February 2017]

Another day, another cheapo Taiwanese kung fu movie, this one attempting to be a wuxia film albeit one made on a very low budget indeed. The story is about some Manchurian bad guys who decide to invade China and attack the Ming loyalists. The bad guys use flying guillotine style weapons while the good guys have eagles on their side although they only really appear in the first scene, just to give the film its title.

What follows is a mess of cheaply choreographed fight scenes which go on for an interminable time and a jumble of melodrama, bad dubbing, and annoying child acting. The funniest thing about the film is the score, which repeatedly copies the main themes of STAR WARS and in particular JAWS. Otherwise it's a poor-quality mess, and a film very difficult to enjoy even for this seasoned veteran of the genre.

Nothing that held my attention

[ckormos1 · 4/10 · 31 October 2016]

The movie opens to pictures of the ugliest bird I have ever seen. I actually like birds but this specimen did not even come across to me as real. "Begin kung fu!" orders the big monk and some guys start swinging around what look like a version of the flying guillotine. There is a quick special effects shot of a flood. Cut to the old guy who owns the eagle, named Igor. He speaks of rebels and family problems of runaways and revenge. Cut again to Got Siu-Bo is handing out free rice but the people refuse. He hits on the young girl too but strike one. The man who is giving out free rice has plans to be the next emperor. He is Lord Shih and that is the story line.

The movie is simply a mess. The child star is annoying. The attempts at special effects are craptacular. The fight choreography is ten years behind the times. The story drags. I found nothing that held my attention. I rate it below average and do not recommend it to anyone. This is an Ocean Shores VHS release with English dubbing.