Lei tai

This film is set during the Japanese occupation of China circa WWII. In it, the Japanese occupiers (and the Chinese Quislings who work for them) are portrayed as total monsters who kill children and rape all women. The heroes are resistance fighters who oppose the occupation.

My transfer of this film is not of very good quality, and the pan and scan is terrible, cutting out a lot of the action. The dubbing, however, is better tan most films of this type.

The acting and character development are remarkably good, despite the dubbing. The fight scenes are well done, and feature some interesting weapons work (in one scene, the female lead uses a cloak lined with sharp discs as a weapon). The tournament that fills the last 30 minutes of the film has some interesting contrasts in styles, pitting Chinese Boxers against judo, karate, and sumo stylists.

All in all, this is a passable feature, and will please fans of the genre, especially if your copy is of better quality than mine.