Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		3.0
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.5

The Flag of Iron Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman February 2, 2022

The so-called Venoms Mob is getting some pretty good representation on Blu-ray lately, with a number of releases featuring the putative "superheroes" which more than one commentary included on various discs have compared, if only passingly, to certain Marvel Cinematic Universe enterprises. For those wanting to assemble an "instant collection" of films featuring the variously numbered Venoms, the following are on Blu-ray (though you're going to need a region free player to be able to watch all of them): The Five Venoms (available as part of Shawscope Volume One); The Invincible Shaolin (note the link points to a German release); Crippled Avengers (available as part of Shawscope Volume One); Life Gamble (note the link points to a Canadian link that looks like it's out of print); Shaolin Rescuers (note the link points to a German release); Die Todesfalle der Shaolin (note the link points to a German release); Das tödliche Erbe des Shaolin (note the link points to a German release); The Kid with the Golden Arm (note the link points to a German release); The Rebel Intruders (note the link points to a German release); Die Tiger von Kwantung (note the link points to a German release); Masked Avengers (note the link points to a UK release); and House of Traps (note the link points to a UK release). The fact that those last listing from the UK market were released by 88 Films may augur well for their eventual debut in Region A, and since 88 Films and Arrow seem to be going like gangbusters to get a bunch of Shaw Brothers material out, fans may hope that the many German releases listed above will also matriculate to North America and environs, but in the meantime 88 Films' US branch is offering The Flag of Iron, an enjoyable effort from 1980, which appeared toward the end of the Venoms franchise.

As commentators Mike Leeder and Arne Venema get into in their pretty freewheeling discussion, for a franchise that is supposedly built on camaraderie and brotherhood, there's an inordinate amount of subterfuge and betrayal at play in The Fist of Iron. This is nonetheless a story which is probably best appreciated for the kind of bizarre fighting styles it offers, including what might almost be termed battles with semaphore flags, more than for any convoluted plot machinations. And in fact, this late entry from the Shaw Brothers may frankly be missing a bit of energy that was more prevalent in some of the studio's earlier offerings, including some of the early Venoms pictures.

Speaking of the variously numbered Venoms, I took a somewhat joking stance in my now long ago A Letter to Three Wives Blu-ray review about another titular discrepancy in numbering, because this film really only has a trio of focal characters (with the usual cohort of acolytes trudging along in the background). Chui Kuo (AKA Philip Chung-Fung Kwok) as Iron Panther Lo Hsin, Feng Lu as Iron Tiger Tsao Feng and Sheng Chiang as Iron Monkey Yun Liang are front and center here, but without giving any major plot points away, it may not be wise to assume everyone has untarnished motives.

Shaw Brothers was right on the cusp of really putting just about all of its eggs in its TVB basket when this film was produced, and there's a certain "movie of the week" flavor that may pervade things. As Leeder and Venema allude to, part of this may be the surplus of interior scenes without a huge amount of luxe production design. The commentators kind of jokingly mention that the costumes in this film might have been more at home in a discotheque than whatever historical milieu is supposed to be on tap.

The Flag of Iron Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Flag of Iron is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of 88 Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.37:1. The back cover of this release touts an "HD remaster from the original 35mm negatives", though it slightly misstates the aspect ratio as being in 2.35:1. It might seem a bit counterintuitive, but his relatively "new" Shaw Brothers film just doesn't quite have the same consistent quality that I've mentioned with regard to the best looking releases from both 88 Films and Arrow Films in particular. The palette is still reasonably robust here, but I personally felt like reds tipped just a bit too much toward orange, and there is a generally "brown" tone at times that may suggest fading. Detail levels are quite good a lot of the time, but this is another Shaw Brothers effort where Shawscope and its lenses can contribute both anamorphic oddities but also downright cloudiness and blurriness, especially in the middle of the frame in wide shots (see screenshot 18). This is the rare 88 Films release I've reviewed thus far that looks like it's had some noise reduction applied. There is a grain field here, but it isn't especially organic looking, and there are a few moments of near posterizing with splotches of color that can look almost oily or otherwise liquid.

The Flag of Iron Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Fist of Iron features Cantonese and English audio in LPCM 2.0 Mono. These are typically bombastic tracks, and like many of the other releases from both 88 Films and Arrow Films, there's an undeniable boxiness, with some probably too "wet" reverb that can make both effects and dialogue sound like they're emanating from a deep well at times. Slight distortion and some sibilance issues can also be heard. Optional English subtitles are available.

The Flag of Iron Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Several of the previous releases in the 88 Asia Collection from 88 Films' newish US branch have been stuffed to the gills with supplements. I believe this may be the first release that sports only a commentary (as below), but this does come with what is evidently 88 Film's "tradition" of a nicely appointed insert booklet, a reversible sleeve featuring new artwork from R.P. "Kung Fu Bob" O'Brien and a fold out reproduction of the original Hong Kong poster. Packaging also offers a slipcover.

• Audio Commentary with Mike Leeder and Arne Venema is another enjoyable if occasionally a bit raucous discussion with the duo, but I do wish they'd try not to talk over each other so much, and actually complete a higher percentage of sentences.

The Flag of Iron Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

What with a varying number of Venoms, eighteen kinds of fighting styles, and 36 chambers of Shaolin, you might need an oversized abacus to keep track of it all, but The Fist of Iron is actually rote enough that the plot almost recedes into the background and the different set pieces simply take up the slack. There's still quite a bit of excitement to be found here, but after so many stellar "kung fu movies" that have just come out so recently on Blu-ray, this one probably pales a bit by comparison. Technical merits are decent if improvable, and 88 Films has again provided a nicely packaged release, for those who may be considering making a purchase.