Wu hu tu long

The plot idea for "Brothers Five" is not at all unusual for a martial arts film. The old leader of the Flying Dragons is murdered and his five sons all return years later to exact revenge. Now here's the weird part--the five were all raised separately, know nothing of each other AND all arrive at almost the exact same time to fight the baddie and his hundreds of minions! Not surprisingly, the film consists of battle after battle--so much swordplay that after a while it all is a bit tiresome--even if the fights are well choreographed and have tons of realistic blood. And, while the baddies are all obliging enough to attack one at a time, the film does still feature some of the best fighting you'll find in a Shaw Brothers film.

So do I recommend it? Well, it all depends. If you haven't seen tons of martial arts films, you'll no doubt enjoy "Brothers Five". However, if you've already seen a lot, the film is just too familiar to make it a must-see. I liked it, but it was definitely a case of been there/done that.