Eight Diagram Pole Fighter
Eight Diagram Pole Fighter
五郎八卦棍
Overview
"Following a devastating betrayal and massacre of his father and brothers, the Fifth Brother of the Yang family is driven mad by trauma. He forces his way into a Shaolin temple, pulls out his own teeth, and demands to be made a monk. Modifying his family's lethal spear technique to utilize a blunt bamboo staff, he plots his violent, uncompromising revenge."
Iconic Tracked Scenes
- ▶
The tragic opening ambush where the treacherous General Pan decimates the Yang family and their spearmen.
"yang family ambush""spear massacre" - ▶
A traumatized warrior pulling out his own teeth to become a monk at the Shaolin temple.
"pulling teeth""becoming a monk" - ▶
Developing the Eight Diagram Pole technique by practicing against wooden training wolves.
"pole fighter training""wooden wolves" - ▶
The incredible final fight methodically disarming and destroying the Mongol spearmen using a bamboo staff.
"staff vs spear""bamboo pole fight"
Why It's Remembered
- ★The apocalyptic, frantic opening ambush decimating the renowned spearmen of the Yang family.
- ★The deeply unsettling scene of Fifth Brother unhinged, painfully yanking out his own teeth.
- ★The staggering final battle methodically disarming and snapping the Mongolian spears with a bamboo staff.
Cultural Context
- ◈Considered widely to be director Lau Kar-leung's masterpiece and the pinnacle of Shaw Brothers weapon combat.
- ◈Actor Alexander Fu Sheng died in a tragic car accident mid-production, forcing the script to be drastically rewritten.
- ◈The film is incredibly dark and bleak, focusing intensely on rage, PTSD, and the inability to let go of vengeance.
About the Action Elements
Eight Diagram Pole Fighter is widely celebrated among martial arts cinema fans for sequences involving ambush, betrayal, yang family, spears, slaughter. One of the most memorable sequences features Gordon Liu naturally executing yang family ambush, where the choreography and unique set pieces become the unexpected highlight of the film.