In my opinion, any discussion of this movie's greatness begins with a mention of Hau Chiu Sing. This movie, in addition to "Snake Fist Vs. The Dragon", demonstrates once and for all that Hau Chiu Sing is the greatest onscreen practitioner of drunken kung fu ever. His virtuosity is simply a sight to behold; the drunken swordplay scenes may be the best put on film. His scenes alone would be enough to recommend this film.

However, this movie is more than just Hau Chiu Sing. The training and fighting scenes involving his three students are also excellent, particularly those involving the "kung fu corrector". The choreography of this film is so superb it reminds me of other classics such as "The Prodigal Son".

Furthermore, the comedic moments that accompany some of the training and fight sequences are actually funny, and the comedy is used sparingly and appropriately, unlike most of the oldschool films of this period, whose directors seemed to believe that grating non-stop slapstick was somehow appealing.

I highly recommend this gem to anyone. It is one of the all-time greats. A must-buy.

This movie has everything: a multitude of weapons utilized in brilliantly choreographed scenes, great hand-to-hand combat, breathtaking acrobatics; all the physical qualities one associates with the Venoms are here.

And while the plot does evolve into one of revenge, it has much more meat to it than the standard "you killed my teacher, now I'm going to kill you" fare.

Lu Feng is at his sleazy, scheming best as the villian in this film, and he has the kung fu skills to back up his evil machinations. And unlike most Venoms films, all of them play major roles, including Sun Chien who is often inexplicably in the background in many Venoms films. His increased presence makes for some great kicking action. And though there is quite a bit of bloody violence, as usual with the Venoms, there are also some funny, lighthearted comedic moments that help to flesh out the characters and make them more than just two-dimensional killing machines.

This film is an absolute must-have for all old-school fans; it is one of the best ever. Highly recommended.

As with most Shaw films of this period, particularly by this director, there is some comedy. But unlike most other old-school films that contain comedy, the jokes and gags in this movie are actually funny instead of just being annoying and tedious, and this manages to give the movie a light-hearted tone throughout most of its running-time.

This movie is a definite must-have in any old-school film collection. It is impossible to use too many superlatives when describing its greatness. Absolutely brilliant.

It is inexplicable to me me why people would complain that too much of the fighting is done with tridents. The virtuouso mastery of this weapon on display in the film is absolutely breathtaking; after seeing this movie you will wonder if there is any weapon Kuo Chui and Lu Feng can't master.

As with most Venoms films, the acting in this film is top-notch. Of course the choreography and fighting are absolutely brilliant as well. The intricacy of the final fight will have you wondering out loud how long it must haven taken to choreograph something so complex.

The fight scenes are not the only things that make this movie so worthwhile. It surprises at every turn, whether it be with its genuinely suspenseful mystery elements or the unexpected deaths of key characters. This movie will keep you guessing most of the way through.

I cannot shower enough praise on this awesome film. This is a definite must-purchase for Venoms fans and old-school fans. Absolutely brilliant.

This film displays all the usual Chu Yuan characteristics: a detailed, perhaps convoluted, plot containing mystery elements and a dizzying array of characters including the usual quota of outlandish assassins, lavish sets, beautiful women, expertly choreographed fight scenes and some of the best acting seen in this genre. Though the plot will sometimes have you scratching your head in disbelief, it propels the always-entertaining film at a rapid pace. The horribly boring Wong Kar-wai could take a lesson from Chu Yuan on how to make a swordplay film that is both exquisite and entertaining, without being absurdly self-indulgent.

But the greatest treat for genre fans will be the appearance of Lo Lieh not as a malevolent villain, but as a heroic, and very humorous, killer-for-hire who likes to fight in his bathrobe.

I highly recommend this film to fans of Ti Lung, Chu Yuan, Lo Lieh, and swordplay films in general. And you will never forget the hilarious closing scene.

As with any other film starring Hwang Jang Lee and John Liu, you would expect a lot of kicking action, and this film definitely does delivers on that front. This film contains, in my opinion, the best fight sequences ever produced by these two men. The kicking sequences will have you picking your jaw off the floor.

This would not be an old-school classic if it didn't contain some old-school cheesiness. The first half of the film in which Gold Fox's brothers discuss going to a martial arts tournament in the capital has little or no bearing on the film and serves primarily as a poor excuse for throwing in more fight sequences. Given the quality of these fights, it is tough to complain much about this though. There are also some unintentionally funny moments in this film as well. It is hard not to laugh when you see the iron hand that is supposed to have replaced the hand of one of Gold Fox's brothers. It is also fun trying to spot the numerous and blatant continuity errors within the film. A perfect and hilarious example is Yiu Lam's disappearing and reappearing sweat stains in a fight versus Tino Wong.

However, it is things like this that give old-school films much of their endearing charm. Combine that charm with the amazing fight sequences and you have a film that you will want to watch over and over. I recommend this to all fans of old-school kung-fu films, and if you love high-kicking action this one is definitely for you.

There are also some excellent fight scenes contained within this film, with many strange and unusual weapons making appearances.

However, this movie is not without its flaws. I am no fan of wire-fu and magic-fu and this movie has both in almost every frame. But given the rest of the film, this is not surprising. It would have been nice to have seen some more plausible fights though. But given this flaw, the film is still highly entertaining and it represents the pinnacle of the fantasy kung fu genre, in my opinion.

The film does have its good points though, chief among them being the presence of Wang Tao. It is almost impossible for this guy to be in a bad kung fu movie. His charisma and skill automatically elevate even the worst of old school kung fu films. His fight scenes in this film are excellent, although I wish there would have been more of them. The predictable plot does not exactly help this film either. Also, those expecting to see a Lo Lieh film will be quite disappointed as he exits about five minutes into the film. This is a shame as it is one of the rare old school films where he is not the villain.

But if you are a fan of Wang Tao, this is a highly recommended must have for your collection.

Any discussion of this film's positive qualities has to begin with Ti Lung. His work in this film should silence any naysayers who question his acting chops. It is a very rare occurence to find multiple reviewers praising the acting contained within a kung fu film. The fight scenes in this film are also incredible, particularly when Ti Lung squares off against Chen Kuan-tai or Philip Ko. It was also a welcome surprise to see Chen Kuan-tai play the villain.

Unfortunately the film does have its bad points as well. Virtually every Shaw Brothers film from this period contained a degree of slapstick comedy, and this film is no exception. As with most kung fu "comedies", the comedy here is more annoying and tedious than it is funny. On the other extreme, the melodrama in this film is so overwrought it is almost suffocating. It delivers its anti-drug message with the subtlety of a jackhammer to the head. The most ridiculous example of this is a scene in which a woman poisons her children and hangs herself because her husband has become a neglectful opium addict.

Even with its flaws, I recommend this film to anyone who enjoys good acting and excellently choreographed fight scenes.

This film does have several flaws though. When discussing the beginning of the film, several of the lengthier reviews have pointed out Joseph Kuo's obvious use of a model for the distance shots of Shaolin Temple. This wasn't really a big deal for me. The most ridiculous part of the Shaolin Temple portion of the movie was not the model, but rather a scene that occurs during the bombardment of the temple by the Ching. The shots inside the temple show monks being killed and fires igniting everywhere. With all the carnage that is occurring, the abbot still insists that the monks cannot leave the temple until they defeat the bronzemen that guard one of the exits. I am not kidding; more people die to the bronzemen than are killed by the Ching. This bit of stupidity almost made me stop the film right then and there. Another stupid moment occurs when Carter Wong returns badly injured from a failed attempt to kill the emperor. Instead of treating his wounds, the teacher orders him hung upside down and beaten.

Aside from a few ridiculous moments, this movie does have some good fight scenes, although I wish there had been more of them. As for the reviewers who mock the emperors anti-sword vest, it is certainly much more plausible than having him invincible except for the presence of one hidden weak point, a ridiculous device that is used far too often in old-school movies.

Unfortunately the above description cannot make up for what has to be the most ridiculous, stupid, insane (I could go on like this for a paragraph, but that would be beating a dead horse) plot twist in the history of Hong Kong cinema. It's worse that such a revelation occured near the end of the film, as it spoils the 70 minutes which precede it. For me the twist was so ludicrous, I almost considered giving this otherwise brilliant movie 1 star.

Buy this DVD for the brilliant first 2/3 of the film. But be warned though, the plot twist is asinine in the extreme, in my opinion.

You will start laughing within the first two minutes of this movie. The supposedly American truck driver that assaults the heroine of the film has an Eastern European accent thicker than Yakov Smirnoff's. And evidently half of the NYPD is from Australia. Why the decision was made to set the beginning of the movie in the United States and have the actors speak English is beyond me. But it sure does make for some hilarious viewing.

Another key element in this comedy is Jade Leung's "acting". Evidently the only direction she was given was to open her eyes as wide as possible when yelling. Her facial expressions, especially in the beginning, are an absolute riot. She may be the only actor in the world with less range than Keanu Reeves.

Mixed in with the comedy, this movie does have some good action sequences and thus it is fairly entertaining, as long as you aren't expecting production values better than those found in a high school A/V club production.