The Valiant Ones is perhaps the last true wuxia film directed by celebrated filmmaker King Hu, an undisputed master of the genre. Shot back-to-back with The Fate of Lee Khan (but not released until two years later), it stands as a worthy follow-up to his earlier works Come Drink with Me, Dragon Inn and A Touch of Zen. During the reign of the Jiajing Emperor (Zhao Lei), China's coastal regions have come under attack by wokou - Japanese pirates under the leadership of the infamous Hakatatsu (Sammo Hung). To combat this threat, the Emperor tasks a trusted general, Zhu Wan (Tu Kuang-chi), with assembling a group of skilled warriors to find and eliminate the pirates. Under the command of General Yu Dayou (Roy Chiao), the band of soldiers - including husband-and-wife sword-fighters Wu Ji-yuan (Pai Ying) and Wu Ruo-shi (Hsu Feng) - set out to draw Hakatatsu, his ally Xu Dong (Han Ying-chieh) and their pirate clan into a series of spectacular showdowns. Inspired by historical events and featuring several storied figures drawn from Chinese history, The Valiant Ones is a standout wuxia film produced during the dying days of the genre, as audience tastes were shifting towards more grounded kung fu cinema.
- Region Code:
- Region B
- Duration:
- 106 minutes
- Original Language:
- Mandarin
- Extras:
- Language(s): Mandarin, Subtitles: English, Interactive Menu, Screen ratio 1:2.35, Mono, Booklet, Commentary: Frank Djeng (Asian film expert), Interviews: Tony Rayns (critic/Asian film expert); Billy Chan (stuntman); Ng Ming-choi (actor); Hsu Feng (actor); Roger Garcia (Hong Kong International Film Festival Society), Limited edition O-card slipcase featuring new artwork by Gregory Sacre (Gokaiju); Video essay by David Cairns