Cast Member: Cheng Miu

There’s therefore much to recommend this superior sequel, a film that takes the best elements of the original and invites viewers to contemplate a message beyond the common expectations of the genre.

Although ‘Shaolin Mantis’ is a well made and above average, it undoubtedly disappoints when compared with Liu Chia-Liang’s best work.

‘The Blood Brothers’ was not a disappointment in any way and this classic Chang Cheh tale of loyalty, love and revenge is an consistently engaging martial arts drama.

Law Ma has crafted an ensemble kung-fu comedy that has a good number of intricately constructed showdowns and a few moments that manage true pathos rather than tacked on emotion.

It entertains, titillates and amuses, as well as throws in a hint of social commentary as afterthought, but it’s a giddy, gaudy way to spend some time, providing of course that the subject matter itself doesn’t offend one’s sensibilities to begin with.

‘The Convict Killer’ is held together by the confidence of the man behind the lens and the excellent cast gathered together.

‘The Kung Fu Instructor’ may lack the incisive bite of the great Sun Chung works, but the director is still clearly comfortable crafting a confident work from basic ingredients.

Though containing enough reasons to warrant a viewing, ‘The Master’ is still not as polished as the better films being made by the studio at the time.

Chor Yuen is once again painstaking in his vision of the visual ambience of the martial world, while he also gets fine performances out of his cast.

‘The Shadow Boxer’ is a fairly standard affair as offered by the Shaw Brother’s studio and is unable to elevate itself to compete with the likes of the classic ‘Boxer from Shantung’ and the exceptional ‘The Water Margin’.

If you enjoyed the previous two films or perhaps have an affinity for the more old fashioned Shaw Brothers movies, then you’ll no doubt find something to appreciate in ‘The Sword And The Lute’.

Strong performances, intelligently filmed action and an all round aura of quality mean that this comfortably hits a four star rating.