The Eight Diagram Pole Fighter might not come to mind when most martial arts movie fans think of their personal choices for the funniest films in the genre, but the final battle of the movie is gut-bustingly hilarious. Also known in the United States by its original dubbed release тιтle, The Invincible Pole Fighter, The Eight Diagram Pole Fighter is one of the best kung fu movies of Gordon Liu, better known for his role as the protagonist in The 36th Chamber of Shaolin. Much like its better-known cousin, The Eight Diagram Pole Fighter is a martial arts revenge extravaganza.
The plot of the film centers on Liu as the 5th son of a Song Dynasty general, his family known across China thanks to their prestigious skill in using spears. When his father and all but one of his seven brothers are slaughtered in battle thanks to a vicious surprise attack led by an insurrectionist army, Liu’s Yeung Dak is forced to go into hiding in a Shaolin monastery. Because of the monk’s laws regarding bladed weapons, Yeung Dak is forced to put down his spear for good and replace it with a new polearm, a simple staff.
The Eight Diagram Pole Fighter’s Monks Have A Hilarious Way Of Fighting The Movie’s Villains
The Bad Guys Of The Film End Up Literally Toothless
Of course, like all martial arts revenge movies, the villains behind the initial attack eventually resurface, capturing Yeung Dak’s innocent younger sister, who didn’t know he had survived the initial attack to become a monk. As much as he wishes to go out and put an end to his old enemies, Yeung Dak’s time in the monastery changes him forever, as he adopts new vows to never again end the life of another living creature. This puts him in an interesting predicament going into the final battle of the film.
Yeung Dak’s time in the monastery changes him forever, as he adopts new vows to never again end the life of another living creature.
The solution to this moral quandry is put forth earlier in the film. Thanks to their vows, the monks absolutely refuse to end the life of another living creature, even bloodthirsty wolves wreaking havoc on their countryside. To combat the predators, the monks are shown using their polearms to shatter the canines’ teeth, preventing them from doing any further harm without killing them. Amazingly, Yeung Dak and his friendly monks decide to employ this same tactic against Dak’s enemies, resulting in one of the most memorable final battles in kung fu movie history.
Rather than the idea of “shattering the enemies teeth” being a metaphor for Yeung Dak and company, the last battle really does see them taking aim at the mouths of the villains and literally smacking the incisors out of their jaws. It’s a hilariously audacious bloody spectacle as their staves slam into the bad guys’ faces and are wrenched away with entire rows of teeth embedded in the varnish. Other enemies face the tail end of a polearm, getting some surprise dental work with painful efficiency. It’s all a comedic spectacle that has to be seen to be believed.
The Eight Diagram Pole Fighter Is One Of Shaw Brothers’ Best Films
The Amazing Choreography Isn’t Just In The Ending
The outrageous climactic fight against the bloodthirsty villains of The Eight Diagram Pole Fighter is just one of the many aspects that cement it as one of the Shaw Brothers’ best martial arts movies. That’s truly saying something considering the sheer volume of films bearing the studio’s banner and the prestige they acquired throughout the ’70s and ’80s. Part of what makes the film so compelling is Gordon Liu’s furious performance, truly selling the quelled rage within the former master of war turned gentle shepherd of peace, even if he does have to knock some molars loose.
Gordon Liu also plays a martial artist taking refuge in a Shaolin monastery to learn their skills in The 36th Chamber of Shaolin.
Beyond the more esoteric success of the film, the fight choreography of every scene is second-to-none. The millions of creative ways the movie is able to use a weapon as simple as a bo staff earned it a well-deserved nomination at the 4th Hong Kong film awards for Best Action Choreography. Each action setpiece manages to top the one that comes before it, culminating in the hilariously over-the-top finale of The Eight Diagram Pole Fighter that features one of the most unique methods of nonlethal defeat ever conceived.
