During the reign of Ming dynasty’s Jiajing Emperor, the southeastern coast of China was infested with pirates, who worked together with corrupt imperial officials. The righteous General Yu Daiyou (Roy Chiao) leads a team of loyal fighters to infiltrate the pirates’ power base and despite their heroic, self-sacrificing efforts, they gain but a temporary victory. The film ends on a dark note, acknowledging that in the long run, the heroes fail to fully exterminate the pirates, nor are they able to resolve the issue of political corruption. After The Fate of Lee Khan (1973), King Hu produced The Valiant Ones in Hong Kong, drawing from Peking opera traditions and cleverly exploiting the precipitous terrain of the outlying islands to create a condensed, controlled masterpiece.

Hu was well-versed in Ming history, and the film’s production and costume designs were based on serious and meticulous historical research. The character design of the villain Hakatatsu (Sammo Hung) is especially memorable. Hung, who also choreographed the film’s action, used northern-style martial arts. In the final fight on the rocky beach, to highlight the intense ferocity of Wu Jiyuan’s (Bai Ying) attack on Hakatatsu, the scene was actually filmed with Bai and a stunt double circling round Hung to create the illusion of speed—to stunning, jaw-dropping effect. Hung belonged to the Peking opera troupe ‘Seven Little Fortunes’, and fellow troupe member Ng Ming-choi had a leading role in the film as well. Other would-be-famous ‘Little Fortunes’, such as Yuen Biao, Corey Yuen Kwai, and Yuen Wah, all played bit parts. Stephen Tung Wei also had a small role.

Courtesy of King Hu Foundation USA

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