Rating: 3.0

‘The Top Bet’ is that very parochial fusion of gambling and ‘nonsense comedy’ (mo lei tau) that many of us are still baffled by after all of these years.

It hits all the disaster movies tropes and delivers some spectacular sequences of destruction, mayhem and general disaster insanity.

All in all, this is a solid action flick that should appeal to those who enjoyed ‘Kiss of the Dragon’ and similar adrenaline-fuelled fare.

The simple fact is that ‘The Tuxedo’ would probably have been just as enjoyable with any other star in the lead role – there’s nothing to say that this is ‘a Jackie Chan film’.

‘The Unmatchable Match’ is a good example of an unremarkable synopsis getting better as the film takes hold. For a pre-comedy Chow vehicle, this is nothing for the Cantonese superstar to be ashamed of.

If you enjoy some bloody mayhem then it’ll definitely suffice, but it’s highly likely that the majority of viewers will find that there just isn’t enough meat in this bun to truly satisfy.

‘The Village Of No Return’ is stuck between two stools – too disjointed to appeal to the mainstream, but too flat to be considered anything particularly out of the ordinary.

As much a twisty-turny drama as an all out action flick, ‘The Villainess’ overdoes both its noble attempts at gritty drama and action technical wizardry.

Despite a rushed prologue setting up what is going on and the issues Liu and his son have, the filmmakers have still created an incredible futuristic and lived in world with a combination of slick CGI and colossal sets.

A western, samurai, comic book, video game, ‘The Warrior’s Way’ is marred by this muddled mix of genres and styles.

A cast of real stars has been assembled and coupled with effects that range from the good to the poor, but overall this is still a cold film with very little heart.

A worthy addition to any avid kung fu fan’s DVD library as it hits all the right beats, benefits from some impressive photography and features some interesting, well staged and even downright barmy fighting styles.