Fighting Spirit: The Valiant Ones

Master director King Hu (Dragon Inn, The Fate of Lee Khan) returns to the wuxia genre he redefined with Come Drink With Me.

Set in the Ming dynasty era, The Valiant Ones is a tale of chivalrous martial artists (Hsu Feng, Roy Chiao, Han Ying-chieh) defending the coast against marauding Japanese pirates (lead by Sammo Hung, who also choreographed the action).

Having left Shaw Brothers after Come Drink With Me to escape the studio system, King joined Taiwan’s Union Films – where he directed Cannes winner A Touch of Zen – before returning to Hong Kong to make two films with Golden Harvest.

The Valiant Ones (made under the King Hu Productions banner) is a golden age classic which FSFF is proud to be screening from a new restoration by the Hong Kong Film Archive.

This screening will be preceded by the short film ‘Mad Lord’.