Director: Joseph Kuo
Notable Cast: Tien Peng, Carter Wong, Polly Shang-Kuan
Ling-Feng
Heading into the final leg of Eureka’s Cinematic Vengeance
box set, it’s nice to be able to see a remastered, high-def version of one of
Joseph Kuo’s most iconic films - 18 Bronzemen. The original copy that I
had laying around the house, a bootleg DVD with a VHS style rip of the film,
was one that remained in rotation as a film to put on in the background when I
was doing house chores, but after seeing this latest release - I’ve found a new
respect for Kuo’s Shaolin saga of revenge.
Although it’s easy to compare 18 Bronzemen to The
36 Chambers of Shaolin for its structure and themes, it’s not necessarily a
comparison that does either film any favors. As noted in the booklet that comes
along with the Cinematic Vengeance boxset, written by James Oliver, 18
Bronzemen came out two years prior to the Lau Kar Leung cornerstone classic
and that’s a fact that should be remembered.