| The Valiant Ones | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical poster | |
| 忠烈圖 | |
| Directed by | King Hu[1][2] |
| Written by | King Hu[2] |
| Produced by | King Hu[2] |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Chen Ching-Chu[2] |
| Edited by | |
| Music by | Wang Jun-Dong[2] |
Production company | King Hu Film Productions (Hong Kong) |
Release date |
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Running time | 92 minutes[4] |
| Countries |
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| Language | Mandarin Chinese |
The Valiant Ones (Chinese:忠烈圖;pinyin:Zhong lie tu,lit. 'Portraits of Valor'[5] orlit. 'Portrait of the Loyal Martyrs'[3]) is a 1975wuxia film written and directed byKing Hu. A Taiwanese-Hong Kong co-production, the film portrays aMing-era conflict between Chinese officials andJapanese pirates mediated by a husband-and-wife martial arts duo.[6]
Facing threats from Japanese pirates along China's southern coast, Chinese Ming dynasty officials recruit a husband-and-wifemartial arts duo to fight their adversaries.[6]
The Valiant Ones was screened at the 1975Chicago International Film Festival, where it was nominated for Best Feature Film.[9] The film also screened at the 1995International Film Festival Rotterdam and the 2019Hong Kong International Film Festival.[10] TheHarvard Film Archive organized a screening of the film as part of its 2013 film programKing Hu and the Art of Wuxia in association with theTaiwan Ministry of Culture.[11]The Valiant Ones is also periodically screened at theBerkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive as part of its film exhibits.[4]By 2025VMXPhilippines AndGema Nada Pertiwi Hong-Kong Produced A Final Movie With Wuxia-Erotic 2 Part Series OfThe New Valiant Ones '2025 (武俠忠烈圖-遊俠忠烈圖:苗女大俠. or in cantonese:mou hap chung lit tou andYau Hap Chung lit Tou-Miu Neoi dai hap.) Was Alternate Name Released Of SEM-BREAK (or as in Same Break). Starring Kikan Syafiri, and Queen Calista. With Special Casts From The philippines: Vivi Lim Yan Yee (林恩妤), Danny Chin Tze Sean (陳芷璇) and Beckham Ling Xiu Ying (林秀穎) Directed By Yunan Helmi From Hong Kong. This is an Attribute To A 2007 Movie Of The Same Title As Combined ByThe New Dragon Inn AndSwordsman Duet.
Jonathan Clements, in an essay composed as a supplement for a home media release, writes about the film's connections toanti-Japanese sentiment which was on the rise at the time the film was produced. He compares the film's general set-up toSeven Samurai andThe Magnificent Seven but points out thatThe Valiant Ones includes real historical figures which adds a note of authenticity. He also points out the film's theatrical inspirations, including notes ofChinese opera brought to the film bySammo Hung (who was a formerBeijing opera performer and worked as afight choreographer on the film).[12]
The film was released by Eureka onBlu-ray andUltra HD Blu-ray on May 27, 2024.[13]
Chris Berry, previously associate professor of film studies atUC Berkeley, lauded the film's "intricate web of betrayals and plots". He described that "the only nobility to be had is within the swords of the valiant ones, those doomed to protect the shores of an empire rotting from the inside".[4][14] The Harvard Film Archive calledThe Valiant Ones King Hu's "last true wuxiafilm". They described that the film's "choreography—action is expressed in calligraphic strokes such as the brief clanging of blades, the whizzing-by of arrows and the rhythmic flight of bodies—the film is nevertheless majestic in its evocation of landscape. But unlike the preternaturally gifted heroes of most swordplay films, Hu’s valiant ones are mortal".[11]
Derek Elley writes that "The Valiant Ones... is replete with the expected ebb and flow of artifice, suspicion and sylvan sussuration-- Hu [has the] masterly skill at evoking a sense of dislocated reality, the pregnant calm which signals imminent danger... Hu shows his perennial concern for the ruthlessly rigid pecking-order of power structures--expressed, as always, through skill in the martial arts".[6]