The 8 Diagram Pole Fighter

This old-school martial arts adventure is revered by fans of weapon styles as one of the best in the Shaw Brothers canon. It sees a family loyal to the Emperor betrayed by a traitorous general, with their menfolk ambushed and slaughtered. Only two of the seven brothers escape with their lives, one of whom (Alexander Fu Sheng) is driven mad by what he has seen, while the other (Gordon Liu, credited here as Liu Chia-Hui) belligerently forces his way into a Buddhist monastery to take stock. Liu Chia Liang previously directed his adopted brother Gordon in The 36th Chamber of Shaolin, and there is a similar journey of self-discovery for his hero this time around. But mostly it's just an excuse to showcase some expert spear-twirling and pole-thrustingmoves, with the climactic "defanging" of the baddies a gruesomely novel punishment. Tragically, the talented Fu Sheng died in a car accident during filming, but his sudden disappearance part-way through the story doesn't don't detract from the enjoyment of an otherwise fast and furious revenge yarn.