Only a fan of this genre would watch this movie nowadays and likewise only a fan would ever read my review. Consider this review in that context and time frame.
For a martial arts film fan having a festival of 1972 movies this ranks a solid 7 out of 10 by year and genre. Such fans know it's all about the fights. Fans know the fights get better as the movie progresses because they were usually filmed in script order and the actors and stunt men got better at working together. In case you don't know that then just disregard the first few fights and enjoy the rest.
I particularly liked the way the Japanese fought "dirty" and the Chinese countered those attacks effectively and only responded with lethal force when unjustly provoked.
Kudos to Chan Sing for another of his great villain roles. I bought the DVD to see Kuan Tai Chen actually and this film was before he became a star at Shaw Brothers.
For a martial arts film fan having a festival of 1972 movies this ranks a solid 7 out of 10 by year and genre. Such fans know it's all about the fights. Fans know the fights get better as the movie progresses because they were usually filmed in script order and the actors and stunt men got better at working together. In case you don't know that then just disregard the first few fights and enjoy the rest.
I particularly liked the way the Japanese fought "dirty" and the Chinese countered those attacks effectively and only responded with lethal force when unjustly provoked.
Kudos to Chan Sing for another of his great villain roles. I bought the DVD to see Kuan Tai Chen actually and this film was before he became a star at Shaw Brothers.