Rating: 3.0

‘The Order’ is a welcome step backwards for Van Damme that will undoubtedly prove popular with fans of his earlier outings.

While not offering the very finest of Sammo’s work, ‘The Owl Vs Bombo’ is an entertaining and worthwhile slice of 80’s Hong Kong cinema.

Moments of wacky promise are in stark contrast to the majority of the film, which gets stuck down a cul-de-sac while in no desperate rush to turn back again.

It takes the established formula and characters from the show, and then just tacks on a rather flimsy story to drag it out to feature length.

‘The Princess Blade’ is a very average affair that is lifted by some standout moments of action and a strong leading performance from Yumiko Shaku.

The film never really surprises or grabs in the story department, twists and turns signposted a mile off. But the pace, action and overall energy make up for any shortcomings plot wise.

Charlie Nguyen’s film takes a dark and violent piece of Vietnam’s history and for the most part crafts an exciting action ride that unfortunately stumbles somewhat in the drama department.

‘The Replacement Killers’ is a film that borrows heavily from infinitely better works and winds up being distinctly average. While the trendy action still makes it watchable, it’s not enough to push it past the 3 star mark.

As with all of the ‘Pom Pom’ films, the emphasis is on comedy and specifically the interplay between Shum and Ng.

It’s just disappointing that the obvious craft at work by the experienced crew on ‘The Revenger’ never quite translates into a solid, coherent whole.

It doesn’t touch the likes of ‘Ong Bak’, ‘Chocolate’ or ‘Raging Phoenix’ in terms of scale or epic action but ‘The Sanctuary’ still shows why the Thai’s are at the top of the fight action game.

Overall this is an interesting, thoughtful collection of stories that shows promise. Yet it is once again a film whose historical significance leaves more of an impression than the material therein.