THE INVINCIBLE FIST is actually one of the better "small" Shaw Brothers films ("small" in the sense that it's confined to a forest set and a small house). It's beautifully done (it reminds me more than a little of one of those tight, economical westerns done by Bud Boetticher), with solid performances all around. Lo Lieh plays Tieh, who leads a group of bounty hunters scouring the forest for a gang led by the infamous "Rope Killer" Ma (whose weapon of choice is a length of rope with a blade attached to one end). Ma, it turns out, has a beautiful blind daughter, Kuei. Lieh and his men dispense with some of Ma's gang, including Chen Sing and "Cripple Peng" (Ku Feng, whose disguise fools no regular viewer of Chang Cheh movies), but Er Long (David Chiang), one of Lieh's men, is killed. In a VERY suspenseful scene, Lieh confronts Ma and some of his henchmen (who we see creep up on Lieh from behind while he's talking to Ma's back) and is mortally wounded. He makes it through the forest to Ma's home, unaware at first that the blind girl is Ma's daughter. There are some neat little story twists involving the two men and the girl and a couple of (in my opinion) unnecessary wirework shots (though just a few). All told, a very suspenseful story that wastes nothing. Lo Lieh is at his very best here. I would've liked to have seen his character continue on in a sequel or two- he's THAT cool.

THE INVINCIBLE FIST is a minor film in the career of Shaw Brothers director Chang Cheh, but nonetheless a typically engaging and entertaining one. The plot is simple and takes place in a single extended location, where a bounty hunting team headed by Lo Lieh is on the hunt for a criminal gang who have been committing ruthless robberies and murders. Most of the action is set in tall fields of crops where the combatants stalk one another. Surprisingly, there's no hand-to-hand combat given the title; instead, Lieh uses a sword while the bad guys have various specialised chain and umbrella weapons.

The plot is straightforward and features time for a little romantic interlude involving Ching Li's blindwoman. The rest is the usual mix of plotting, betrayals, and brief but gruesome fight sequences, of which there are plenty. Lieh excels in his hero role and is well supported by David Chiang, just on the cusp of stardom. Ku Feng and Chen Sing show up to play supporting villains, and there are familiar faces throughout.

Another entertaining Shaw Brothers martial arts action flick directed by Cheh Chang before he reached the pinnacle of his directing career several years later with the Venom Mob. In this film, Lo Lieh plays the dedicated chief constable of a small village, but ends up falling in love with the blind daughter of a vicious local bandit. It's an okay story, but characters are paper thin and the romantic sub plot slows down the main action. However, Lo Lieh delivers yet another reliably good performance, as does director Cheh Chang in delivering a number of solid (and bloody) material arts action sequences, mostly swordplay, which makes the film well worth watching.