Writer: Edward Tang

Using the conventions of the 30’s Hollywood swashbucklers mixed with his insane stunts and sublime fight action, Chan produced one of his best ever films.

It was impossible to match the original classic, but Chan pulled out all of the stops to make sure he gave it his best.

The action is far superior to that of any American made film on ten times the budget, and shows Chan at his best shortly after the excellent ‘Drunken Master 2’.

The Hong Kong version features watchable new action that is worth tracking down for Chan purists, but as a whole, the film remains on Chan’s ‘avoid list’.

Possibly not as well structured or action packed as ‘Drunken Master’, but still an impressive note in both Biao’s and Jackie’s filmography making it an essential purchase for fans of old school kung fu.

Sammo completists or very forgiving genre fans may want to exert the effort to find this relatively rare film, but even they will come away disappointed.

Jackie has never looked better in a one-on-one fight, and while the story is barely memorable, it is still another excellent addition to Hung’s filmmaking resume.