Rating: 4.0

Kwan’s performance is a reminder that he will always be the epitome of the senior Wong Fei Hung and ‘The Skyhawk’ is a superior example of his talents.

If you’re looking for a film that has superlative action and you’ve seen the famous classics that have come from Hong Kong, ‘The South Shaolin Master’ is worth searching far and wide for.

After being subjected to western productions where kids are annoyingly precocious and completely uninteresting, ‘The Story Of Xiaoyan’ reminds us that there are valid stories about youth to tell.

‘The Suspect’ is a highly recommended return to form for Ringo Lam after his brief stay in Hollywood. For fans of quality thrillers, this is unlikely to disappoint.

During a period where comedy punctuated every kung-fu flick of the time, director Patrick Tam creates a very sombre martial arts drama and never allows the tension to drop.

Eschewing, for the most part, extensive wirework and CGI enhancement, ‘The Swordsman’ delivers clean, crisp, albeit brutal swordfight action.

From the opening frames to the denouement, this is a production that sucks you into its strange universe, style dripping out of every shot.

A somewhat straightforward, and at times melodramatic, narrative is given heft by the committed cast, stunning cinematography and set design, and fantastic swordplay action.

The wonderfully choreographed, filmed and performed kung fu from a large and talented cast is the reason to watch this movie and for this it is highly recommended.

‘The Thundering Mantis’ is a three star film that earns a fourth for its remarkable ending and Leung Kar Yan’s virtuoso performance as the hero driven straight over the edge.

Strong performances, intelligently filmed action and an all round aura of quality mean that this comfortably hits a four star rating.

Nominated for an Academy Award and sweeping the board at the Japanese equivalent of ‘The Oscars’, Yoji Yamada’s lyrically, tenderly woven tale of dignity is a triumph of substance over action.