Long zhi zheng ba

Taking the basic structure of Chiba's SHOGUN'S SAMURAI, this Frankie Chan-directed actioner is, for the most part, a particularly solid, brutal action pic with several standout sequences.

A fight in a parking garage, where barefooted Oshima Yukari and her sisters are forced to fight on shards of broken class, is an exceptionally well choreographed sequence, as is an attack on the patrons of a restaurant that precedes this.

A larger scale fight sequence at a theme park, though nicely choreographed, becomes a little too silly and staged to be effective.

Nevertheless, this is a great action pic and Chan directs with great confidence and isn't afraid to push the envelope.