Once again 88 Films is releasing yet another classic Shaw Brothers production and doing it right. This time the film is THE FLAG OF IRON. Filled with plenty of story as well as action this one was quite enjoyable.
Two rival clans are found in the same town. The Iron Flag clan is the better of the two, so named because their weapons are spears with flags on them. The other is the Eagle Hill clan. This one is disreputable, owning a brothel where they sometimes kidnap women to work there. Two members of the Eagle Clan, Luo (Phillip Kwok) and Yuan (Chiang Sheng) discover this and beat up the man in charge freeing the girl they find kidnapped.
As the rivalries between the two clans grow the Eagle Clan decides to settle things and invite the Iron Flag clan to a dinner to broker peace. Or so they claim. Instead they have brought the clan together in the hopes of destroying them all. The leader of the Iron Flag clan is killed by a paid assassin known only as the Spearman (Tien-Hsiang Lung). Afterwards Cao (Feng Lu) takes his place. When police investigate the disturbance, follower Luo takes the fall and agrees to leave the town until things calm down. Cao promises to send him funds to keep him going.
Luo moves far away and does his best to get along. He takes a job in a restaurant waiting and cleaning tables. This helps him survive since no fund ever seem to make them his way. A year passes and his friend Yuan comes to visit. He informs Luo that Cao has changed since his taking over. He now does the despicable things that the Iron Flag clan was known to stop, enriching himself in the process.
Assassins show up to kill Luo but he survives with the help of Yuan and the Spearman. It is then that they learn that the Spearman was tricked into killing their master and that Cao was behind it all. Vowing revenge for the misdeeds of Cao, the three head back to seek justice.
Yet another great film directed by Chang Cheh this one delivers on all fronts from story to the action sequences involved. Not only does the film involve skilled martial arts this time various exotic weapons work their way into the mix as well. Extremely well choreographed fight scenes could have resulted in severe injury or even death had the not been performed with caution and care by some amazing actors here.
Fans of the genre will notice that most of the stars from the various Venom films make an appearance here. No, not the Marvel character Venom but movies like THE FIVE DEADLY VENOMS and RETURN OF THE FIVE DEADLY VENOMS. But this film really doesn’t connect to those films.
I know I keep praising the films being released by 88 Films but what can I say? They deserve the praise! They’re releasing this in yet another HD format making it look spectacular. The extras this time are a little limited but well worth it. They include a limited edition slipcase with brand new artwork by R.P. “Kung Fu Bob” O’Brien, a double-sided A3 foldout poster, extensive booklet notes “Red and Black Attack Unfurling the Fury of Cheh Chang’s Gloriously Inventive Martial Arts Masterwork FLAG OF IRON by Andrew Graves and a reversible sleeve with new artwork by O’Brien and the original Hong Kong poster artwork.
Yet another must have for marital arts and action fans.
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