The fantastic Judy Lee Chai Ling plays Brother Blind (?) who lost her sight after a character known as 'The Poison Dwarf' fired darts right into her eyeballs! And even though you would imagine this would render her completely sightless (and of course, going by the name, Brother Blind), she makes her way through the film as if nothing had ever happened, watching people and dodging obstacles with little concern. There is of course, a cute little kid-sidekick who sometimes grabs her cane to guide her - but its only at random times!
Writer and director Ting, who also penned the classic Come Drink With Me and decent World Of Drunken Master, brings to the screen a mash-up of the awesome Jackie Chan's Drunken Master and Snake In The Eagles Shadow, with a bevy of wild characters you would only expect to see in an adaptation of a Louis Cha novel...
While often scattered and uneven in its story, you can't help but find a soft-spot for this 1979 kung fu classic. This is mostly due to the wickedly fun and well choreographed fight scenes. Created by one of its co-stars - the great Kam Kong (Snake and Crane Arts of Shaolin), the action design is also supported by Man Lee Pang (The Fearless Hyena) and Tsai Chong Chiu (Lucky Seven) and highlights the beautiful Judy Lee in some of her finest physical moments. As one of her last roles, she certainly makes it worthwhile and confirms why she was a Queen of the Jade Screen!
It was also great to see Kam Kong in a good guy role for a change. He's often cast as the bad guy in many kung fu classics, so it's refreshing to see him switch it up. The most of the cast impress, both in acting and action, but its the gang of assassins who really steal the show. A mix of dwarves, giants, and pantomime kung fu characters, all led by a 3 foot hight, cross-eyed old granny... It's insane!!
The end fight is pretty cool with plenty of great moves and battles, lasting a good 15 minutes or more and highlighting some fantastic, long, one-shots that really show the physical skill of the cast involved.
Overall: Not the greatest kung fu movie ever, but a lot of fun with some great fights!
