Cast Member: Ku Feng

It can not be regarded as a classic of the genre, but can be hailed as a valiant attempt at faithfully adapting difficult source material.

Despite being made in the early 80s, the choreography lacks the invention and energy common to this era. This, for many viewers, may be the main problem that hinders ‘The Emperor And His Brother’.

Chang Cheh’s ‘The Heroic Ones’ is an ambitious and sumptuous martial arts epic that set a benchmark for Shaw Brothers at its time of release.

Even fans of the convoluted martial world of the swordplay genre may find ‘Jade Tiger’ a tiresome 90 minutes.

‘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.

With a director of considerable merit, a cast of fine performers and action that, while not exactly trail-blazing, is certainly very watchable, ‘The Magnificent Trio’ is another good release from Celestial.

In just over 90 minutes so much action, story and style is effortless woven together that it shows the brilliance of one of the genre’s finest minds.

The cast is not without charm, the idea not without potential, but ‘The Real Iron Monkey’ is a certified dud.

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.

While it fails to ignite the screen, ‘The Shadow Whip’ does offer some moments of interest – especially during its opening twenty minute period.

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’.

While it hasn’t aged well in comparison to ‘Come Drink With Me’ and even some of Chang Cheh’s early work, it still proves to be a mildly diverting Shaw Brothers’ swordplay film.