- Director : Cheh Chang
- Actors : Chung-Fung Kwok, Sheng Chiang, Li Wang, Feng Lu
- Media Format : Anamorphic, NTSC, Widescreen
- Run time : 1 hour and 53 minutes
- Studio : 88 Films
- MPAA rating : R (Restricted)
- Country of Origin : Hong Kong
- Release date : February 8, 2022
For The Flag of Iron, director Chang Chen brought back
Chiang Sheng, Philip Kwok, and Lu Feng from his previous
film, The Five Venoms (1978). Many of the actors who would become known
as the ‘Venom Mob’ were trained in the highly acrobatic Chinese opera and skilled
in the use of martial arts weapons, creating a carefully choreographed spectacle
within their kung fu films, especially when directed by Chang. Anyone who
doubts the similarities between dance and martial arts needs look no further
than The Flag of Iron for proof of the connection. Even when brutally
violent, there is a graceful beauty to the action of Chang’s film.
Although the
plot is pretty generic and mostly just an excuse to set up a number of elaborate
fight scenes and creative deaths, The Flag of Iron follows a betrayal
within a clan of martial artists. When the leader of the Iron Flag Clan is
killed in a conflict against the rival Eagle Clan, they retaliate by eliminating
their enemy. While the eldest brother Tsao Feng (Lu Feng) takes over the Iron
Flag clan, Lo Hsin (Philip Kwok) takes responsibility for the slaughter and is
forced to go into hiding. When he emerges years later, Brother Lo discovers Brother
Tsao has corrupted the clan, and may have played a part in the death of their
original leader.
Brother Lo is
forced to join forces with the hired assassin responsible for the clan leader’s
death, a fighter known as The Wanderer (Lung Tien-Hsiang) with a clear moral
code he was tricked into betraying. The two fighters realize that they stand
little chance of defeating Brother Tsao on their own and devise a plan to take
him out. This leads to an inevitable showdown, which puts the skills of the
performers on display.
After an
explosive first act in which Brother Lo must fight off a series of assassins
sent to eliminate him, the narrative of The Flag of Iron drags a bit.
The second act becomes too preoccupied with the orchestration of a plot the audience
knows will inevitably result in a fight anyway. But once the fighting finally
does begin, Chang fills the narrative with creative death and unique weapons. The
flag weapons the clan are named after make for one of the most awe-inspiring
sequences of choreography, sometimes resembling a dance more than a battle.
The Blu-ray release
of The Flag of Iron from 88 Films gives the film wonderful treatment,
from the high-definition presentation remastered from the original 35mm
negatives to the special features in the package. The release comes with a limited
edition slipcase with new artwork from R.P. ‘Kung Fu Bob’ O’Brien, which is
also included on one side of the reversible sleeve. The other side contains the
film’s original Hong Kong poster artwork. The package also comes with a double-sided
foldout poster, and a booklet with screenshots and an essay “Red & Black
Attack” from Andrew Graves.
On the disc itself is a new
commentary track with Asian cinema experts Mike Leeder and Arne Venema, along
with newly translated subtitles. The English dubbed version is also available.
While the commentary includes a lot of fun tidbits, Leeder and Venema often get
sidetracked into discussing kung fu elements beyond what is occurring onscreen,
but that is forgivable given their passion for the subject.
Entertainment Value:
7/10
Quality of
Filmmaking: 7.5/10
Historical
Significance: 7/10
Special Features: 7/10
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