Most undeservingly overhyped movie of all time??

I was totally surprised at how great this film.You could feel your paranoia rise as the film went on and as you gradually learned the details of the real situation.

This is a gorgeous movie made by a gorgeous spirit.

It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

This movie suffers from poor english translation and hence questionable voice-overs. For the most part, action is well choreographed with some interesting wirework which can be taken either as humorous or quite fascinating, creating a strangely magical effect. It depends on what mood you're in as to how you'll take the wirework.The action can't really be faulted and there are a few of those fights which you find yourself watching eyes wide open, refusing to blink incase you miss a vital move. But that aspect of the film can only add a degree of interest to an otherwise average title which wouldn't really be worth watching were it not for competent fight scenes. The poor script translation takes alot away from the film at times especially when one or two proverbs are translated like they expected the audience to be five year olds. Overall: 6/10

Damn Damn Damn, sEE This movie. I first saw this movie one sat afternoon. I was bored as hell and there was nothing on TV. I was watching Cinemax because a new movie was about to come on and it's parental rating was MA. Now all of you know MA (mature audiences) movies only come on late at night on Cinemax (skinamax for those of you up late at night). Anyway this movie is the shiznit!!! The fight sequences are non stop unbelievable but most importantly HIGHLY entertaining. Many scenes with all kinds of limbs and other various body parts getting chopped off add to the entertainment of this film. Lot's of invisible wire effects in this movie, definately a must see if you are a fan of the genre.

A very good Chinese classic period swordplay story. A humble, but very skilled kung fu fighter helps defeat a large troup of bandits who are attacking an official convoy. A very high-up official thanks and befriends the kung fu expert. As the story progresses, it becomes more evident that the high official is a very cruel and ambitious person. The anti-hero friend becomes critical of the official and gets into trouble over it. He refuses to back down even when threatened with his life. This is a very violent movie, enough to rate a category III in Hong Kong (no adult scenes are in this-so it is all from violence). Really excellent performances from the entire cast. Incredible fight sequences make this a must-have for any hard-core enthusiast of classic period swordplay films (with lots of wirework).

This movie has some of the most interesting fight scenes I have ever seen in a martial arts film. Sammo Hung choreographed these and also makes an appearance as a prison guard. The constant use of wires to give the illusion of being able to jump impossible heights and do multiple flips is visually arresting although it does get a little predictable after awhile.What made this movie the most interesting was trying to comprehend the plot from the extremely butchered English translation. Typos and mistaken verbs and pronouns made it almost impossible to understand what was really going on.Also, the character of 9 Catties was played by a woman but referred to as a man in the movie. I couldn't figure out enough from the translation to understand why.Overall an enjoyable experience, if you are watching for the acrobatics and costumes.