Director: Billy Chung

It’s best viewed as an occasionally enjoyable diversion that, on sporadic occasions, hints at how good a reboot of one of the 80s most iconic film series could be.

Even though he has very little to work with, Simon Yam still manages to impress with his portrayal of yet another mean and moody criminal mastermind.

If you approach a film of this nature, with this cast, with this storyline and with this lack of imagination, there is very little sympathy you (or indeed I) should expect.

It’s certainly not a film that will rock anyone’s world, but as a throwback to a bygone era of Hong Kong horror it’s a refreshingly rewarding treat.

‘My School Mate, the Barbarian’ is an unusual film that centres on a world of youths that rarely touches that of the adult realm. If the viewer can get used to this, they should enjoy the rest of the duration.

Definitely a blight on Billy Chung’s eclectic cinematic oeuvre, ‘Set Up’ is a formerly shelved title that should have remained buried indefinitely.

Like an ultra-violent episode of ‘Hercules’, ‘The Assassin’ is enjoyable while it lasts. Evidence suggests it was not intended to be anything more.

Unfortunately for the prospective viewer, the film never reaches beyond the interest of the synopsis and ends a somewhat dull piece entertainment.