Overview: The Valiant Ones is perhaps the last true wuxia film directed by celebrated Taiwanese 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 (Chao 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 (Wing Bai) and Wu Ruo-shi (Feng Hsu) - 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. The Masters of Cinema series is proud to present the film on Blu-ray from a 4K restoration.

Blu-ray Verdict: To my mind, Valiant Ones is perhaps the last true wuxia film directed by celebrated Taiwanese 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.

It’s a historical swordplay adventure about Chinese officials trying to find a way to thwart Japanese pirates plundering the coast of China. It’s all rather slow going until the final full-scale battle in the woods between the Chinese soldiers and the pirates and the final duels on the beach between the heroes and the head pirate. The Valiant Ones is very nicely photographed on Taiwan locations, but the script is contrived, the characters restrained, and most of the fighting, until the end battle, not terribly well staged (if total truth be told, sorry).

That said, there is some attempt to incorporate the newer kung-fu styles then gaining ascendancy at Shaw Bros. In Hong Kong, but the lead actor here, Pai Ying, is not quite the fighter the part required. Further down the cast list are some important names who would become prominent in kung-fu films a few years later.

Samo Hung plays the lead Japanese pirate. Yuen Biao appears as one of the pirates and has a brief bout with the hero. Simon Yuen, patriarch of the famous Yuen clan and the title character in Jackie Chan’s original DRUNKEN MASTER (1978), appears as a bald monk. And rounding out the cast is the beautiful and formidable Hsu Feng, one of director Hu’s favorite actresses.

As noted, the film was made at the same time as The Fate of Lee Khan, director and writer King Hu has made a world where one big fight still solves things, but to get there our heroes must endure corruption at nearly every turn.

And yet for all its faults, what an ending The Valiant Ones has, as Sammo makes for a wonderfully brutal final boss after a film filled with not just amazing action, but plenty of gorgeous coastal scenes. Hu also realizes that the music is not just wallpaper, but instead makes the fights more dramatic and impactful, at times, but not throughout, as aforementioned.

Special Features:
1080p HD presentation on Blu-ray from a 4K digital restoration of the original negatives gifted by director King Hu to the Hong Kong Film Archive
Uncompressed original Mandarin mono restored from the original soundtrack negative
Optional English subtitles newly translated for this release
Brand new audio commentary by Asian film expert Frank Djeng (NY Asian Film Festival)
Tony Rayns on The Valiant Ones – Brand new interview with critic and Asian film expert Tony Rayns
Brand new video essay by David Cairns
The Life of a Lucky Stuntman – Brand new interview with stuntman Billy Chan
My Father and I – Brand new interview with actor Ng Ming-choi
Archival 2003 interview with actress Hsu Feng by Frédéric Ambroisine
Archival 2003 interview with Roger Garcia (Hong Kong International Film Festival Society) by Frédéric Ambroisine
Archival 2016 interview with actor Ng Ming-choi by Frédéric Ambroisine