The Invincible Eight (4 Stars)

A fun martial-arts film, although not particularly memorable. The story is straightforward: eight people whose fathers were  killed by an evil general each decide to take revenge. Their paths cross, and when they realise that they have a common enemy they join forces. The film takes its time bringing them together, however. Three of the eight spend most of the film in prison and aren't released until twenty minutes from the end, so the supposed “eight” rarely function as a group.

The eight are:

Swordsman Ho (Paul Chang Chung) –) The calm, capable swordsman who escapes capture and becomes the main figure holding the scattered group together.

Lei Kuei (James Tien) – A determined fighter who attempts to assassinate General Hsiao before being wounded and rescued by the others.

Feng I Fei (Tang Ching) – A formidable swordsman who joins the others in their struggle against the general.

Chu Fu (Li Kun) – A cook rather than a conventional martial artist, but nevertheless a capable fighter when the occasion demands it.

Hai Tao (Patrick Tse) – A highly skilled swordsman whose position is complicated by his connection with the general's organisation.

Kuei Chien Chin (Angela Mao) – A woman who infiltrates the general's household, so she spends most of the film in disguise rather than taking part in the fighting.

Chiang Yin (Nora Miao) – A young woman raised by the general who gradually discovers the truth about him and ultimately turns against him.

Chiao Hsiu Hu (Lydia Shum) – A capable and respected member of the group who's always treated as a genuine fighter despite her appearance. She doesn't look remotely like a conventional martial-arts hero, yet she is always able to hold her own in the fights.

The choreography is enjoyable, with considerably more jumping than was usual in martial-arts films of the period. It isn't wire-fu; it can be called trampoline-fu, with fighters repeatedly launching themselves spectacularly into the air from off screen trampolines. It's not remotely consistent with the film's other physical rules; at one point a character uses a grappling hook to climb a five-meter wall, despite the fact that he'd been jumping considerably higher while fighting,

Sammo Hung is also present, both as an actor and as the action choreographer, although he's young and inconspicuous enough to be difficult to spot.

Overall, "The Invincible Eight" is an enjoyable watch with some entertaining action, but the overcrowded ensemble prevents the characters from making much of an impression. I expect I'll watch it again some day, but if someone asks me tomorrow what it's about, I'd only be able to describe the film in a single sentence:

Eight people team up to get revenge on the man who killed their fathers.