Tie quan

ej's kung-fu capsule review for films of the chop-socky old-school.

1. basic plot type - Hero seeks revenge for murdered family.

2. plot construction - Solid, if a little complicated; involves a bounty hunter we don't quite trust (Meng Fei), as well as a gang of thieves who can't trust each other.

3. dramatic - Chen Kuan Tai really adds credibility here.

4. funny - Meng Fei almost adds credibility with occasional humor.

5. dialog - pretty good; could have cleared up a couple points rather sooner than later.

6. cast performance - Solid, for the most part; gets a little hammy in spots.

7. crew performance - Competent, nothing special.

8. amount of fighting - Plenty.

9. quality of fighting - Pretty good; cast includes some of the better fight-performers of the genre.

10. special any cast or crew notes - None.

11. big positive - Chen Kuan Tai.

12. big negative - Meng Fei (I just find him annoying here).

bottom-line - who should see this movie - 'Fu film fans; action film fans with a tolerance for "old school" chop-socky will not be disappointed.