When i was a kid and saw the star, Cheung Lik, i considered him somewhat a live action cartoon character, performing imposible feats of endurance, agility, and will. How this man, he with the wooden acting skills, wound up with lead roles, boggles the mind.

The movie features the stars of the previous film, Super Kung Fu Kid, and even uses Bolo Yeung. There's outrageous dubbing, 15min. fight scenes, about every 10 min., and no comprehensible plot whatsoever.

I usually attempt to give some productions credit for something, however, all i will say here is thank God for Jimmy Wang Yu, Ti Lung, David Chang, Lo Lieh, Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung, Angela Mao, Wang Tao, John Liu, and so forth...

The only reason i own this is i've tried to complete my library with as much material dating back to the day as possible.

The action here is somewhat a hybrid between the original "One Armed Swordsman" and "Come Drink With Me", with cutaway shots, boundful leaps, and hidden darts, thrown with the deadliest precision.

Director Cheng Chang Ho, who would later bring us "King Boxer", gives us just enough of everything to make "The Swift Knight" interesting.

The sets, once again a Shaw staple, look great. However, the day-for-night shots are terrible, thanks to the remastering--it's clearly daytime. This film is quite reminiscent of "The Long Chase", also starring Lo, along with Yueh Wah as his nemesis.

If you like knight tales by the Shaws, "The Swift Knight" will whet your appetite. Three stars for story, and three stars for the acting. Overall production values typical for the era from a SB release.

There was something about Wang Yu--no fighting skills, same arrogant attitude each film, no personality--but I dig the dude's movies. In this one he kicks arse!!!!!

The production values are very low budget, and the settings come directly from "The One Armed Boxer", most likely filmed back to back.

The low values set the stage for more fist to fist combat, featuring knives, furniture, lime, and the abuse of a kid that sets the culture back a century or two...

A lot of the same actors from OAB turn up as well.

We get the feeling that Yung Cheng was a badass, and started fights because he loved fighting, and fighting for those who couldn't or wouldn't. This leads to his famous encounters with axes!

The soundtrack plays in my head long after viewing this film every time, because it plays every time a fight takes place, which is about every five minutes.

Hey, I don't know why I like his films, but Wang Yu was cool--I guess in the same way Charles Bronsan was cool, and we don't know why we like his films either, right? Right??

Again, China, circa 1900, is under attack by the invading Japanese. This time the Ping Pai Boxing Institute is raided by the Judo experts from Japan. The violence depicted in this film is merciless, and the villain, James Nam, is depicted as most treacherous, looting, raping, killing, and all for the most eagerly awaited show down that carries on far too long.

Director Chang Yi Hu sets this film as somewhat a companion piece to Cheng Chang Ho's King Boxer, and most of the actors are in both films. The Shaw Studios once again provide nice set pieces, and the camera work is pretty above average. The fight choreography, by Liang Shao Sung, is a bit sub-Shaw standard. The production could have benefited from Tang Chai's excellent work or even Liu Chia Liang. Thunderbolt Fist's title is a bit misleading also, seeing the hero train with this deadly technique, only to defeat the enemy with a death move that has to be seen to be believed! Upon my initial viewing of this film, I found myself rewinding just to make certain I did see what has to be the most violent come-uppance a Japanese villain has ever met!

If you enjoy The Chinese vs Japanese theme in Kung Fu lore, check out Thunderbolt Fist, you'll get quite a 'KICK' out of it!!!!

The documentary starts off with a statement that Lee, like so many stars, had a fatal flaw, which ultimately lead to his demise. We revisit his childhood film career, with highlights that bring us up to date on his adult career. When this begins we're treated to re-enactments from our old friend Bruce Li's shipshod, imitation filmclips. My guess here is with all the unauthorized information, licensing for authentic Lee film material was likely denied. We're given instead interviews with distant friends, co-stars, and for the first time, the very physicians who revived Lee after his near fatal May '73 collapse. Quite surprisingly these men were never interviewed prior to this documentary. Lee's use of cannabis, specificly hashish, autopsy reports, and final hours, even after he expired, are chronologized.

Another highlight of this gem is interviews, on cam, with Brandon, his son, prior to his death. Brandon appears to have a charismatic appeal maybe his dad never had, and is a truly tragic figure in his own right. Many hardcore Lee fans may not take to DBM:COTD. However, keep in mind there's more truth here that leaves a bad taste simply because the information wasn't released in '73, when time could have eventually smoothed the edges; and likely, the " King Of Kung Fu's " legacy may have been judged slightly differently. For content only, poor production values...