Shen tou yan zi Li San

I absolutely loved this movie. The only downside is the lighting on the night scenes. I thought about taking off a point or two for that, but I can't because the movie itself is so enjoyable. It's too bad because the fights are incredible and shot from great angles, but hard to see. Most of them take place at night. One fight near the end is also at night, but has some wonderful dramatic lighting so you can see the action well. It's such a crime that they didn't do this throughout the rest of the movie.

The sword fight early on is jaw-dropping! One of the best I've ever seen. But yes, so dark you have to struggle to see all of it. Which breaks my heart as the action is wild and fast. Nearly all of the fights are a good length and there are plenty of them.

Regardless, Yuen Biao is spectacular and finally some romantic chivalry in a martial arts movie! He truly is the perfect hero. It's nice to see that someone wrote a martial arts film with women in mind for a change. We love the fighting, but we like the drama, too. And as always, Yuen Biao's acting is first rate. This is an outstanding role for him. The supporting cast is also excellent. The plot is easy to follow which is refreshing as so many HK movies drown in far too much plot detail. The characters are also well developed, another refreshing feature.

The flying was also quite entertaining. Way over the top but I loved it. As with virtually all HK films I've seen, many things happen that are way too convenient. I've gotten use to that. Everybody always knows where everyone is and finds them easily, our hero always has changes of clothes at the ready wherever he is...things like that you just have to accept to enjoy HK cinema.

If you're a Yuen Biao fan you will love this movie. The lighting issues might kill it for other martial arts fans...if not for that, the fights would impress you.