Cast Member: Leslie Cheung

This is the ‘Citizen Kane’ of HK heroic bloodshed films and it never ages, even after repeat viewings.

What this film lacks in plot, it sure as hell makes up for in action and the finale of ‘A Better Tomorrow II’ is a brutal display of guns, grenades and swordplay.

Any fan of wuxia films MUST see ‘A Chinese Ghost Story’. I can not give a higher recommendation for this veritable classic.

The film boasts a truly stellar cast and good production values, but sadly the saga had run out of steam.

There’s still enjoyment to be had in this Hong Kong comedy though as long as the potential viewer is willing to forgive its various shortcomings.

Director Yee Chung-Man combines the conventions of commercial film-making with the subtlety of art-house cinema, but never loses the main heart of the film.

A tapestry of emotion, audaciously flashing backwards and forwards and shifting voice-overs to piece together the moments that have led the characters to the barren wastes of the desert.

Little bursts of bone jarring violence, especially the bloody conclusion, help raise the stakes to remind you that you’re not watching ‘Pretty Woman’.

John Woo really surprised the audiences with this mixture of acrobatic gunplay action and comedy.

Yu’s extravagant use of colour and innovative camera techniques are extremely pleasing, but in no way make up for the lack of depth missing from the rest of the film.

It’s no surprise that this Tsui Hark comedy was a box-office smash as it allows the viewer to enjoy superior character interaction and sharp comic routines.

‘Carry on Wuxia’ it may be, but in execution and energy ‘The Eagle Shooting Heroes’ is the most polished in-joke ever made.