The "Godfather Of The Kung-Fu Film" created this rousing epic of a seemingly suicidal mission to destroy the Japanese Navy's flagship in 1937, featuring many great actors he had worked with over the years. Their courageous and desperate attempts to do just that comprise the remarkable action in this rousing epic, featuring some of the greatest actors Chang had ever made, was making, and would ever make famous. (IVL)
Acting
Fu Sheng's cocky charm, Ti Lung's stoic nobility.
Direction
Chang Cheh's masculine poetry in explosions.
Practical Effects
Pre-CGI naval warfare — they built that ship to blow it up.
Director
Chang Cheh
Tony Liu Tian-jue
Vice Admiral An Qi Bang
Chi Kuan-Chun
Capt. Hu Jing Duan
David Chiang Da-Wei
Song San
Alexander Fu Sheng
Xiao Liu
Shih Szu
Cui Hsia
Ti Lung
Captain Liang Guan Qin
Bruce Tong Yim-Chaan
Sgt. Shao Kang Fa
Chiang Sheng
Sgt. Jiang Ping Guang
Phillip Kwok Chui
Sgt. She Gan
Lu Feng
Sgt. Xu Xiang Lin
Shan Mao
Japanese Navy Officer Hiroda
Lee Sau-Kei
Japanese Admiral
Lam Fai-Wong
Lorry driver
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Chang Cheh cast virtually his entire repertory company — this was his farewell to the Shaw Brothers era before his Taiwan exile.
The 1937 setting deliberately evokes Second Sino-Japanese War trauma, making this propaganda with a broken heart.
TW
HK
