| The Flash Legs | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical film poster | |
| Traditional Chinese | 太極八蛟 |
| Simplified Chinese | 太极八蛟 |
| Directed by | Ma Wu |
| Written by | Hsiang Kan Chu |
| Produced by | Kwan Sin |
| Starring | Tao-liang Tan Lo Lieh |
| Cinematography | Wan Wen Liao |
| Edited by | Ting Hung Kuo |
| Music by | Fu Liang Chou |
Production company | Wha Tai Motion Picture Company |
Release date |
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Running time | 91 minutes |
| Country | Hong Kong |
| Languages | Cantonese Mandarin |
The Flash Legs (Chinese title: 太極八蛟; Cantonese: Tài Gìk Baat Bo. "The Ultimate Eight Feet"), also released as Shaolin Deadly Kicks, is a 1977 Hong Kong martial arts action film directed by Ma Wu and starring Tao-liang Tan and Lo Lieh. The film was later remade as Breathing Fire, with Tao-liang Tan serving as writer and executive producer under the pseudonym of Delon Tanners.
Plot
A gang of robbers known as The Eight Dragons have infiltrated a local residence in an attempt to steal a treasure map. Upon its successful retrieval, when the bandits are about to make their getaway, the lights suddenly flick on, and they are accosted by the owner of the house (the map, presumably, is his as well). The owners of the house are quickly disposed of, and The Eight Dragons make off into the night with their map.
Because of the robbery not being executed as smoothly as planned, The Eight Dragons become paranoid about actually seeking the treasure divulged in the map, and decide to hold off until the heat blows over. So they divide the map into eight pieces, and promise to meet again in three years and collect their fortune.
It isn't too long after the temporary break-up that one of the Dragons (Husky) is arrested in an unrelated robbery as an attempt to cover his extensive tab at the local brothel. In jail, he meets Fong Yee (Tao-liang Tan), and together they devise an ingenious plan to escape. Actually, one of the other prisoners pickpockets a guard, gets the key to the cells, and lets them go.
Not too long after their escape, Husky discovers that Fong Yee is actually an undercover cop out to infiltrate The Eight Dragons and recover the map. Fong Yee demands the map pieces from Husky and a second member of the Eight Dragons. After they fail to comply, a fight ensues and Fong Yee's partner is badly injured, then killed. After killing Husky Dragon and his co-conspirator in response, Fong Yee recovers two pieces of the stolen document.
One by one, Fong Yee confronts each member of The Eight Dragons by posing undercover in various roles (such as a waiter and an art dealer), and for the most part, demands their map piece and either their peaceful surrender, or offers to let them remain free to live their current lives as Fong Yee prefers for matters to end peacefully. One of the bandits has a sick son and a blind mother that Fong Yee prefers that he tends to, but sadly, the bandits greed for the treasure results in a fight to the death for his piece of the treasure map. Eventually Fong gets captured by one of the bandits, however he escapes without the map pieces. He returns the next day, disposes of his captors, and recovers his respective piece of the map. Unfortunately, he is severely injured in the process.
With a knife embedded in his back, Fong Yee stumbles into the woods until he passes out. He wakes up in the house of a girl named Jade (Doris Lung) he previously saved from being assaulted, who nurses him back to health. The recovery process proves slow; Fong not only needs to mend his body, but also regain his kung-fu prowess, but unbeknownst to the two, Jade's father (Wong Hap), who assists in Fong's recovery, turns out to be the Chief of the Eight Dragons, and a final showdown between him and Fong is inevitable. Initially, he figures out who Fong Yee is and contemplates killing him on several occasions, but after seeing that his daughter is visibly in love with Fong Yee, begins to rethink his participation in the treasure hunt. The second in command of the Eight Dragons (Lo Lieh) arrives as the reunion is close and insist that they kill Fong Yee before he arrests them. The chief chooses to no longer be involved in the treasure hunt, refuses to kill Fong Yee, and offers up his part of the map so that he can live in peace. In spite of this offer, Lo Lieh kills him and takes the map fragment. Fong Yee and Jade hunt down Lo Lieh to retrieve the map and get revenge for her murdered father.
Cast
- Tao-liang Tan as Fong Yee
- Lo Lieh as Scarred Dragon, member of The Eight Dragons
- Wong Hap as Chief Dragon
- Doris Lung as Jade
- Kam Kong as Chang Fang
- Lo Dik as Doctor, leader of The Eight Dragons
- Tsai Hung as White eyebrows, member of The Eight Dragons
- Ouyang Sha-fei as Chang Fang's mother
- Lung Fei as member of The Eight Dragons
- Tsang Chiu as Chun-Wei
Music
The film's music was composed by Fu Liang Chou under the name of Chow Fook-Leung. Pieces of John Barry's 1974 score to The Man with the Golden Gun can be heard throughout the film.