Artificial Eye DVD Synopsis: In the early '90s, cult filmmaker Wong Kar Wai and fellow Hong Kong director Jeff Lau established Jet Tone Films, an independent production company responsible for some of the most remarkable films to have emerged from the region. Jeff Lau's film 'The Eagle Shooting Heroes' is based upon the same famous Louis Cha novel as Wong's own 'Ashes of Time', which was shot concurrently and shares much of the same star-studded cast. A complete subversion of the Wu Xia Pian martial arts genre,Lau's film is a wickedly funny parody which piles on love triangles, bizarre musical numbers and entertaining action sequences choreographed by Sammo Hung (Enter The Dragon) to create one of Hong Kong cinema's most beloved cult classics. (100 Mins)

 

Views: Legend has it that The Eagle Shooting Heroes was made in under a month as a side project to Wong Kar Wai's highly revered art-house piece, Ashes Of Time. With the main production running out of time and money, Wong's investors started putting the pressure on forcing the director and his creative team to come up with the answer. Luckily, Wong Kar Wai had famed comedy director Jeff Lau on-board as a producer and, along with all of the Ashes Of Time cast members involved, the pair got to work in creating a spoof of the very masterpiece they were currently working shooting – lampooning the Louis Cha novel that both films were based on; The Legend Of The Condor Heroes. With that, The Eagle Shooting Heroes tells the tale of the Queen of Golden Wheel Kingdom and an affair with her cousin West Poison. With plans to take over the Kingdom, their ploy is soon discovered by the 3rd Princess who flees after being defeated by West Poison, and seeks help from her master who tells her about a secret martial arts manual, hidden deep in the mountains. But the 3rd Princess is beaten to it by West Poison, and soon needs to gather an team of highly skilled fighters to challenge her foe and his new found skills!

 

I just love this movie! Next to Wong Kar Wai's very own Ashes Of Time, this is like a breath of fresh air and I honestly don't think I've ever seen another production where it looks like every cast member (and no doubt even those behind the scenes) is having an amazingly fun time. And I mean, why not? Ashes Of Time was such a serious piece and everyone involved was probably just happy for the chance to let loose with this side project; no doubt underestimating just how well-received it would go on to be. Joining forces to create Jet Tone Productions, Wong Kar Wai and Jeff Lau set things in motion with this 'quick-and-dirty' film with the former taking on the role as producer, and the latter as the main writer and director of the piece. While Ashes Of Time would only be the fourth directional effort of Wong Kar Wai's – after the amazing As Tears Go By, Days Of Being Wild, and Chungking Express – Jeff Lau had a strong 10 or 11 titles already behind him as a director from Haunted Cop Shop 1 & 2 to Operation Pink Squad 1 & 2, All For The Winner, Saviour Of The Soul and more. With The Eagle Shooting Heroes, Jeff does a wonderful job in presenting some of his craziest mo lei tau comedy to date, completely ignoring anything and everything that should make sense with cartoon-like characters, crazy musical numbers, insane wire-fu action, and plenty of exaggerated injuries. Clearly it won't be for everyone – but I think it's brilliant.

 

The wonderful cast – obviously the majority of which came from Ashes Of Time – come in the shape of both Tony Leung's, Leslie Cheung, Jacky Cheung, Joey Wong, Brigitte Lin, Carina Lau, Kenny Bee, Maggie Cheung, and Veronica Yip, with each of them injecting tons of energy into their performances with some great comedy timing. Of course, this was a crazy busy year for all the stars involved with Leslie Cheung and Brigitte Lin also sharing the screen in Ronny Yu's Bride With White Hair 1 & 2, with Lin also starring alongside Joey Wong in Swordsman 3: The East Is Red and with Tony Leung Ka Fai in The Black Panther Warriors and Boys Are Easy, which also co-starred Jacky Cheung and Maggie Cheung. Of course, 1993 would also see Joey Wong and Maggie Cheung star alongside each other in Tsui Hark's Green Snake, with the latter starring in 12 films that year including the hilarious Flying Daggers – again with Jacky Cheung and Tony Leung Ka Fai co-starring. At the same time, Tony Leung Chiu Wai starred alongside Joey Wong in the brilliant Butterfly & Sword with the two Tony's sharing the screen in the hilarious comedies Tom, Dick & Hairy and He Ain't Heavy, He's My Father! The latter would also star Carina Lau who, incidentally, would share the screen once again with Jacky Cheung in the action-thriller, No More Love, No More Death. And while there are many other productions to add to the list, it goes without saying that 1993 was an incredibly busy year for all involved...

 

The legendary Sammo Hung choreographs the wild action, shifting the tone of serious swordplay from Ashes Of Time to insane under-cranked martial-arts that sees everyone bounce off walls and trees like they're in a pinball machine, apart from one hilarious scene that sees Leslie Cheung and Joey Wong deliver their moves in – what can only be described as – self-inflicted slow motion. That said, there are still a few moments of greatness that allow those involved to show off some incredible moves and enough to please fans of wire-fu action. This was an interesting period for Sammo as an action-director with similar styles offered in his other outings that same year such as Blade Of Fury and Kung Fu Cult Master – although its fair to say that he does goes overboard on this due to the cartoon-like tone of the film. With its colourful sets and lavish Persian costumes, fans of Jeff Lau's very own Chinese Odyssey films starring Stephen Chow Sing Chi, Flying Daggers with Jacky Cheung and Tony Leung, or any amount of over-the-top Wong Jing wuxia comedies, will have a great time with The Eagle Shooting Heroes. A genuine classic of early 90s canto-comedy, this is definitely one of those films that is best seen to be believed and is a wonderful example of how a last minute, improvised, and fun creative project can actually turn out to be a true gem!

 

Overall: Unhinged, colourful, hilarious, and highly entertaining, The Eagle Shooting Heroes is a wild ride that never fails to make me laugh!

 

Artificial Eye DVD Extras: Trailer