Rating: 3.0

The idea behind ‘Romeo Must Die’ was an interesting one but the finished product winds up being distinctly average.

‘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.

It may be a routine swordplay flick that ambles along with little revolutionary, but ‘Roving Swordsman’ is nonetheless watchable enough to warrant a purchase.

Part two is lavish and colourful, but simply not as absorbing as it needed to be. A steadier hand at the helm may have rectified this.

Some of the more eccentric moments do inspire a wry smile, but nothing to fully salvage the end product.

This is an unassuming, yet entertaining film that may not set the world alight, but develops its touching theme quite effectively.

A mix of historical drama, romantic melodrama, and frantic wuxia superhero charged action, Yen and his crew certainly go all out to create an epic and kudos to their ambition.

While the whole story and most of the acting is goofy-as-hell there’s no doubting the fun ‘Sakura Killers’ delivers, along with all the great ninja busting.

Overall the film, much like its hero, has a low budget ramshackle charm that manages to entertain for the duration but wont leave you thinking about it the next day.

When the focus is on the more interesting science fiction narrative, director Lau succeeds in throwing in some surprising touches.

‘Seoul Raiders’ is not only a disappointment in comparison to ‘Tokyo Raiders’, but also a worrying reminder of the recent lack of sparkle in Hong Kong action cinema.

Zhang Yimou’s black, white and blood red opus mixes political intrigue, wuxia action and enough twists and turns to fill several mysteries.