Release Year: 1978

By no means a classic, ‘Half A Loaf Of Kung Fu’ is still an undemanding and quite enjoyable early Chan film.

The director has taken complicated source material and distilled it into something arresting before, but here he finds too many sub-plots to balance and too many characters to accommodate.

‘Heroes Of The East’ starts relatively slowly, but when the storyline develops beyond the basic exposition, this is another kung fu treat from ‘The Pops’.

Chang Cheh weaves intrigue into the plot along with a clear sense of humanity and even humour.

‘Legend Of The Bat’ suffers from the same problems as its predecessor, namely its headache-inducing twists and turns.

Buoyed by Fukasaku’s energetic direction, copious action, and some still to this day impressive special effects, ‘Message from Space’ delights in being two hours of ambitious infectious fun.

For everyone looking for a fight-filled evening’s entertainment, ‘My Life’s On The Line’ will satisfy even the most jaded viewer.

Liu lights up the screen with his explosive bootwork while Jack Long and the endearing Blacky Ko provide extra physical presence.

It boasts some top notch fight scenes which are further enhanced by another standout performance from the late great Lo Lieh.

Although ‘Shaolin Mantis’ is a well made and above average, it undoubtedly disappoints when compared with Liu Chia-Liang’s best work.

Not the best of its kind and it drags a little too much with the running time, ‘Shogun’s Samurai’ is still a decent slice of Samurai drama from a time when they used to make them big.

It’s certainly worth watching once, but as the action is good but not great it is unlikely to require repeat viewings due to it’s shortcomings in other areas.