Author: Andrew Saroch

The final word is that this is highly recommended for the teaming of fifteen or so of the top stars of the Shaw Brothers era. As a stand-alone production though, ‘Ten Tigers Of Kwantung’ is not Chang Cheh’s best.

As pleasing as ‘Temporary Family’ proves to be – and it balances comedy, drama and a scintilla of satire – it could have been even better with a few tweaks here and there.

At the end of the day, ‘Temple Of The Red Lotus’ works as more of a historical artefact than a genuinely exciting swordplay feature.

For the most part this is a perfectly enjoyable though undistinguished drama, but things step up a gear near the end.

Despite being as absurdly hyperactive as a coffee junkie with St. Vitus’ Dance, ‘Tai Chi Zero’ is fun and snappy for most of its running time.

The style of this sequel is just as frenetic as its forerunner, combining visual cues from video games and anime along with the steam-punk vision of 19th century China.

‘Tai Chi II’ features an average plot and some unnecessary over-the-top moments, but is a decent effort that usually earns little attention from Hong Kong film fans.

One of the subtitles proclaims that one character ‘suicided himself’. After viewing ‘Swordsman With An Umbrella’ you may be tempted to mimic his actions.

The viewer is treated to a visual feast that fully sketches out this almost mythical setting – kudos once more to director and cinematographer.

While I normally find myself quite happy to suspend disbelief for a Gu Long/Chor Yuen collaboration, ‘Swordsman And Enchantress’ is a real test of my patience.

‘Swordsman’ is not as strong as its superior sequel and the aforementioned difficulties are all apparent, but it is still an ultimately rewarding film.

During a period where comedy punctuated every kung-fu flick of the time, director Patrick Tam creates a very sombre martial arts drama and never allows the tension to drop.