The 14 Amazons

One of the more bizarre wuxia epics brought forth by the Shaw Brothers funhouse was this long-unavailable 1972 production, in which the eponymous heroines are led by the revenge-seeking widow of a Chinese general who was killed along with his seven sons during a war of attrition with neighboring Mongols. The women prove to be the equals of their invading foes; in fact, The 14 Amazons is packed with an extraordinary level of male-versus-female combat involving swords, spears, and martial arts. The crowning sequence—surely the subject of endless rewinds and repeated viewing for the unbelieving—involves the titular avengers literally creating a human bridge to span a chasm. The combination of Lisa Lu's aggressive charisma playing the fighting force's leader, the luxurious production design and elaborate costumes, and the exhilarating fight choreography—with director Kang Cheng and co-director Shao-yung Tung delivering a mix of grand battles and intensive one-on-one duels—make this one of the most invigorating and imaginative works in the genre from the ‘70s. The subtitled version here is preferable to the also included English dub, which only adds unintentional humor to the proceedings. Highly recommended. (P. Hall)