Chung gik tin ji moon sang

I'm gonna be honest: up until a couple of months ago, I had no idea Shaw Bros did anything other than kung fu. Their stuff runs the gamut from romantic comedies and women-in-prison flicks to war dramas and horror movies.

This one is a Hong Kong triad actioner. While there are several scenes featuring fisticuffs, the majority of the movie features gangsters hacking each other to death. Think John Woo, with fewer guns, more full frontal nudity and almost no subtlety.

In typical Shaw Bros. Fashion, the "story" (if you can even call it that) is little more than a vehicle for carnage. I copped this movie because I spotted it on a list of films rated Category 5 in Hong Kong. Let me tell you, it more than earns that classification during the last 15 minutes alone.

If you've seen the company's earlier forays into triad gang wars, like The Duel, you pretty much know what to expect here. Someone is betrayed, vengeance is sought, alliances are formed and the bodies pile up. That's pretty much what you get here. You can pretty much see the major twists coming from miles away.

Not that it matters - to me anyway. Hong Kong Godfather is a live action Looney Tunes cartoon of blood and violence. So, if plot is your thing, look elsewhere.