Release Year: 1993

It just appears that Wong Jing wanted to please everyone by cramming the storyline with action, crazed innuendo and sudden plot twists.

Although it could be argued that there is some well-executed action at the end, the fact of the matter is that it comes too late to succeed in entertaining.

The film is really just a blatant rip-off of bigger, better movies and the majority of the martial arts action is simply laughable.

It may not be the type of film that international Studio Ghibli fans have come to expect, but ‘Ocean Waves’ proves that the studio is just as capable of producing a winner in every genre.

Tsui Hark very cleverly realised that topping the fight action in part 2 would be almost impossible, and adopted a different style accordingly.

The action (ladder fight excepted) is equal to part 1, but not the dramatic element, and it is certainly not the equal of part 2 for fight choreography.

Stanley Tong continues to show his skill in the action genre with more kinetic direction.

A definite improvement over part 1, and other similar fare such as ‘China O’Brien’ – it makes for an adequate 90 minutes viewing – but ultimately reminds us why we love HK fighting so much more.

The film takes a silly concept and knows how to have fun with it, making for an enjoyable action-packed outing that is easy on the brain.

‘Rose, Rose I Love You’ is less of a straight lampoon of 60s Hong Kong cinema and more of a genuine attempt to harness the spiritedness of the original.

The sheer energy and pacing of the film is undeniably invigorating and it is truly captivating to watch poor, unsuspecting Cheung fighting for his life.

Although it may not be for everyone, ‘Sonatine’ is a captivating watch that really shows a different side to the gangster lifestyle.