''Heroes Two'' (方世玉與洪熙官) (also known as ''Kung Fu Invaders'') is a 1974 Hong Kong

martial arts film Martial arts films are a subgenre of action films that feature numerous martial arts combat between characters. These combats are usually the films' primary appeal and entertainment value, and often are a method of storytelling and character expres ...

directed by

Chang Cheh Chang Cheh (; 10 February 1923 – 22 June 2002) was a Chinese people, Chinese filmmaker, screenwriter, lyricist and producer active in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. Chang Cheh directed more than 90 films in Greater China, the majority of them wi ...

. The film stars

Alexander Fu Sheng Alexander Fu Sheng () (born Cheung Fu-sheng (); 20 October 1954 – 7 July 1983), also known as Fu Sheng was a Hong Kong martial arts film star in the 1970s. Life and career Born Cheung Fu-sheng in British Hong Kong in 20 October 1954. He ...

and

Chen Kuan Tai Chen Kuan-tai (born 24 September 1945) is a martial artist and Hong Kong martial arts film star. Background A former fireman, he won a world's kungfu Championship in 1969. He has primarily appeared in Shaw Brothers productions, and was one of the ...

Plot

Heroes Two begins with the burning of the Shaolin Temple, and chronicles the efforts of Fang Shi-yu (

) and Hung Si-kuan (

) as they combat the forces of oppression, fighting alongside the Chinese revolutionaries. Manchurian General Che Kang (Zhu Mu) is a clever Warlord who capitalizes on the naïveté of Fang Shi-yu. Neither man realizes that they fight for the Shaolin cause, and General Che Kang tricks Fang Shi-yu into believing that Hung Si-kuan is a renegade bandit. With the help of the General's henchmen, Fang Shi-yu defeats a bloodied Hung Si-kuan. Then the tough rebel is put into shackles inside the General's castle. Word quickly spreads that Fang Shi-yu beat the unbeatable Shaolin hero, and the local faction of the rebellion attacks the unknowing Fang Shi-yu for his rash actions. When the rebel leader reveals the true nature of Hung Si-kuan, Fang Shi-yu is beside himself. The naïve martial artist initially intends to correct his mistake by sneaking into the General's dungeon and liberating his cohort from the grasp of the Manchurians. However, General Che Kang himself is a powerful Kung Fu practitioner who foils Fang Shi-yu's plans. Once Fang Shi-yu joins his Rebel brothers, they devise a plan to tunnel into the underground prison and rescue Hung Si-kuan. After several tenuous attempts at freeing him, the Shaolin heroes succeed in their task. Now reunited, Fang Shi-yu, Hung Si-kuan, and their Rebel brothers must endure the assault of General Che Kang and his Manchurian army.

Release

''Heroes Two'' was released in Hong Kong on January 19, 1974. It grossed 1.363 million

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Reception

In a contemporary review, the ''

Monthly Film Bulletin ''The Monthly Film Bulletin'' was a periodical of the British Film Institute published monthly from February 1934 to April 1991, when it merged with ''Sight & Sound''. It reviewed all films on release in the United Kingdom, including those with a ...

'' referred to the film as "a classic martial arts fable in which Chang Cheh respects both the historic and the mythic context of the arts themselves" and that the film "may be a lesser work" than ''

Men From the Monastery A man is an adult male human. Prior to adulthood, a male human is referred to as a boy (a male child or adolescent). Like most other male mammals, a man's genome usually inherits an X chromosome from the mother and a Y chrom ...

'', but it is "nevertheless one of great visual power and integrity." From retrospective reviews, ''

Sight & Sound ''Sight and Sound'' (also spelled ''Sight & Sound'') is a British monthly film magazine published by the British Film Institute (BFI). It conducts the well-known, once-a-decade ''Sight and Sound'' Poll of the Greatest Films of All Time, ongoing ...

'' found that the film "offers wall-to-wall kung-fu fighting - though the often routine choreography and monotonous thwack-thwack-thwack of the sound effects make it one for devoted fans only."

Notes

External links

''Heroes Two''
at Hong Kong Cinemagic * 1974 films 1974 martial arts films Hong Kong martial arts films Shaw Brothers Studio films Kung fu films Films directed by Chang Cheh Films set in 18th-century Qing dynasty 1970s Hong Kong films {{1970s-HongKong-film-stub