Fung Sheng Wu Chi (Kang Kam) is the Master of the Flying Guillotine, an emissary of the ruling Manchurian government, ridding China of it's remaining Ming dynasty sympathisers and rebels while disguised as a Buddhist monk. (Read invading Manchu versus indigenous Han Chinese - guess whose side we're on!) Though blind, Fung is deadly accurate, ripping stone heads of posts with ease, and woe betide any chickens that get in the way! And Fung wants revenge on the One Armed Boxer who dispatched his disciples. In a rather typical fashion for movies of this time the scene has been set. Roll titles...

Writer, director and star Jimmy Wang Yu returns to his role as the One Armed Boxer and the tournament genre that film inspired. A neat excuse for stringing fight sequences together without having to even bother about a plot, the format became popular in the seventies. The most famous example being Enter The Dragon, before Ching Sui Tung turned it on it's head with Duel to the Death.

Here the local Eagle Claws school are holding the tournament, gathering contestants from all around Asia to prove who truly is the best. (That old chestnut!) The One Armed Boxer, however, would rather the pupils from his school go along to watch. Wang Yu uses this pretext to gather some of the most quirky contenders for the match. There's the barefoot Thai who can kick stone blocks apart, the Indian yoga expert who can stretch his arms, and the Japanese Lone Wolf style character 'Win Without A Knife' Yakuma - a bald faced lair! All of whom get to show off their styles in extremely well executed fight scenes, choreographed by Lau Ka Liang and Lau Ka Wing - who also plays the yoga master.

Of course, it's not too long till the Master of the Flying Guillotine turns up to spoil everything. The tournament in chaos, the leader of the Eagle Claws school having fallen foul of the guillotine himself, the One Armed Boxer sets about disbanding his school and hiding his pupils so they don't come to any harm. Now he must face not just the Master, but also the foreign contenders who are also government agents, one by one. (Read foreigners = bad.) In true George Peppard A-Team style our man has a plan to give him the advantage. But will it be enough? What do you think?

A difficult time in Hong Kong cinema, little could fill the gap left by Bruce Lee's death - though many tried simply by copying him. A star long before Bruce overshadowed him, Wang Yu benefits his character greatly by not following the trend at the time to make the hero in the Fist of Fury mould, purely intent on revenge. Instead he is played as rather a benign character, rarely showing his marital arts prowess - except when he proves he can walk on the ceiling without the need of a Lionel Ritchie soundtrack - until the end. Wang Yu puts enough of a spin on those old cliches to lift this above most of the contemporary martial art movies of the time.

A thoroughly enjoyable movie... so crack open the beers!

At a chance meeting with Zhou Yu (Gong Li), an extremely timid librarian and aspiring poet Chen Qing (Tony Leung Ka-fai, "Ashes Of Time, Actress, Island of Greed)" hands her a poem and quickly leaves. Intrigued by such a timid approach, and such a beautiful verse, Zhou tracks its writer down. So begins a passionate affair, with Zhou travelling a long train ride every week to be with him, yet never getting past his shyness.

Then on the train Zhou meets Zhang Qiang (Sun Honglei, "The Road Home)," a brash local vet who could not be more different to Chen. Exuding confidence he has every intention of pursuing her until she gives in. When Chen's job takes him to Tibet, Zhou's friendship with Zhang blossoms into much more, and she must decide who she really wants to be with...

Like much of Wong Kar-wai's work, "Zhou Yu's" tale unravels in snatches, beautiful yet non-linear in form, but without out the resonance of say "In the Mood for Love." Different to "Breaking The Silence" in style and content, "Zhou Yu" leaves behind the more handheld, documentary style for stunning and far more considered cinematography.

The character of Zhou Yu is a refreshing change from how women have previously been portrayed in Chinese movies. Sexually forward if not almost predatory, unusual for anything other than concubines or prostitute. (Both of which Gong Li has previously played.) Like it's predecessor the acting is again superb all round.

The films only drawback comes from Gong Li's second appearance as the story's narrator, sporting shortly cropped hair. A clumsy device that only succeeds in confusing the viewer. Forced elements jar with the whole, and seem only present in order to attempt a satisfying conclusion. Like it had not been thought out well enough, or was hurriedly and haphazardly changed.

Overall, though, this is still an impressive work. Full of unspoken feelings, missed opportunities and, yes, literally missed trains - it's a maturely told love story for the romantic in all of us.

Just don't take the bus...

When western audiences saw Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon in 2000 they were truly dazzled by it's effects and stunning imagery. To Eastern audiences, however, it must have seemed somewhat old-fashioned. Brought up from childhood with ancient tales like the Outlaws of the Marsh (The Water Margins) and Journey to the West (Monkey), surrounded by Wuxia (swordplay) and martial arts in novels, films and TV programs, they'd seen it all before. More specifically, they had seen it all in a trio of films made over thirty years earlier by a gound breaking director called King Hu. His 'Inn trilogy' would take these magical worlds and make them a reality for the first time. Yet it took Ang Lee's homage to bring his name to public attention, sadly some three years after his death.

Before Come Drink With Me Hong Kong swordplay movies were quite a different breed, far closer to the stylised theatrical acting and fighting seen in Chinese Opera productions. A breath of fresh air, it dealt these films with a maturity and a scope of vision never seen before.

In Come Drink With Me Cheng Pei-pei plays the legendary Golden Swallow, come to free the Governors son, her brother, from the clutches of a villainous gang of bandits aiming to swap him for their captured leader. In one of the greatest set pieces in Hong Kong cinema, Golden Swallow enters an inn frequented by the bandits who are not only unaware of who she is but also that she is in fact a woman. (One element of the story we must take with a pinch of salt, as it's difficult to see the beautiful young Cheng Pei-pei, then only about 18, could be thought of as anything else.) Gradually, as the outlaws goad her, she shows just how powerful she is. Catching coins flung at her on a chopstick. Easily deflecting a wooden bench and a heavy wine jug hurled at her with just one hand. When two members throw coins above her she impales them to the ceiling using three chopsticks, then casually opens her fan to catch them as they fall. When a bandit asks for his money back, she chucks them on the wall, forming the shape of a swallow and revealing her identity. Amazed, they still inadvisedly decide to take her on, disturbed only by the sudden appearance of a beggar known as Drunken Cat (Yueh Hua), and promptly lose.

Drunken Cat seems to be a bumbling fool, but he soon reveals there's more to him. Saving Swallow form an assassination effort that evening, he proves himself just as adept at jumping up to high gantries and over rooftops. He also hints the bandits location in song under the guise of entertaining the inn's customers. Something of a guardian angel, he helps her unseen during her confrontation at the bandits hideout. Vastly outnumbered, she still gets the better of their No. 2 Jade Faced Tiger, but falls victim to one of his poison darts (fired from his fan) on her escape.

Drunken Cat saves her from being found by the outlaws, hiding her in his home. There is no cure for the poison, however, meaning he must suck it out (in a very sexually charged scene - particularly for Hong Kong in the mid 60s). As Swallow is recovering she realises that Drunken Cat is a great master, the most powerful martial artist she has ever known. His mortal enemy is a rouge Abbott who has allied himself with the outlaws. Both shared the same master, but it was Drunken Cat who took their teachers powerful bamboo spear. Drunken Cat organises the exchange, and the stage is set for the final showdown not only between Swallow and the bandits, but himself and the Abbott.

Come Drink With Me was King Hu's first wuxia/swordplay movie, and to it he brought a truly fresh approach and vision, made possible by his incredible skill as a filmmaker. Influenced by the work of Akira Kurosawa, Hu brings a bloody, violent reality to fight scenes that had previously been far more stylised affairs based on those in Chinese Operas. Full of scope and complexity that hadn't been seen before in Hong Kong films. The acting is more restrained showing that, like Kurosawa, Hu also had a more 'European' sensitivity. In fact, Hu deliberately picked young actors, new to filmmaking, so he could mould exactly the performances he wanted from them.

Considering the resources available at the time, Hu's technical ability surpasses that of nearly any other director. His use of camera tricks brings magical, superhuman powers to life in such a way that you believe the impossible. Frequently using techniques such as reversing and speeding up film and most importantly very clever editing - he had a great awareness of just how much, and more often how little, was needed to convince the viewer of what has happened. He also innovated the use of trampolines, using real martial artists to jump high into the air. The effect is more realistic than the more stylised wirework which dominated the eighties.

His technical ability also shows itself in how well made the film is generally. The use of pulleys manoeuvring the camera around a scene are as sophisticated as anything happening in the west. Hu uses the entire screen, not just the centre. With compositions that fill the screen, Hu often plays with the audience rather than patronises them, a character might be seen fleetingly in a corner. The result shows how beautifully a story can be told.

One of her first movies, Cheng Pei-pei (Thundering Sword, Golden Swallow, Wing Chun) makes such a convincing female swordsman it's easy to see why this film catapulted her into a long run of similar roles. Yuan Ha (Killer Clans, The House of 72 Tenants) also delights by not overplaying what initially appears to be a comic role, which would have undermined his later revelation. In fact, initially his performance is not unlike that of Masaaki Sakai in the famous Monkey series form Japan. (Yueh had played that role two years earlier in the film that influenced the series, Monkey Goes West.) The cast itself reads like a who's who of Hong Kong movies. Ching Siu-tung, who would later make some of the most innovative wuxia movies since Hu including A Chinese Ghost Story, Swordsman II and Duel To The Death appears as the child spying on the outlaws in their temple hideout. The assistant action director Han Yingjie was a young Sammo Hung, and one of Hung's best friends Jackie Chan also appears as one of the children. Yuen Siu-tui, who would later play a Drunken Master of his own opposite Chan, plays one of the bandits. Sui-tui's son, Yuen Woo-ping, would become the action director on Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon and if the connection needed to be made any clearer, Cheng Pei-pei played that films villainous Jade Fox.

It's impossible imagine what kind of impact it must have had when first shown in Hong Kong, but with the terrific restoration job that has been done on it, Come Drink With Me looks as fresh as ever. Not only does it not reflect its 36 years, if anything it looks more modern than Crouching Tiger. A must for anyone who loved that film, not just fans of the genre.

(This review is part of a special feature about King Hu's 'Inn trilogy' to appear on HKFlix affiliate site http://www.easternkicks.com)

Corey Yuen, director of Fong Sai Yuk, The Avenging Fist and Saviour of the Soul, and action choreographer on Charlies Angels and nearly every Jet Li movie of late, including Kiss Of The Dragon, The One and Romeo Must Die takes the helm on this superb action thriller.

Shu Qi (The Transporter, Beijing Rocks, City Of Glass) and Zhao Wei (Shaolin Soccer, The Duel) are Lynn and Sue, both sisters and hi-tech assassins. On their latest hit they've fabricated both a computer virus and it's cure, just to gain access to a high powered businessman in his impenetrable, well guarded skyscraper as the 'Computer Angel' (no in joke there!). He may think he's protected behind his solid glass screen, as Lynn dispatches his guard whilst suspended from the ceiling by a retractable hook from her high heels. Until she informs him the sunglasses she left on his desk have enough cyanide to take out a train. Lynn makes her getaway while Sue, the electronics wizard of the team, jams the security communications system with '(They Long To Be) Close To You' - set against some great action scenes with Lynn taking out the guards kneecaps. Making good her escape by she propels herself off the top of the building with only two hooks to let her down. And that's just the first ten minutes...

Fate dealt the sisters a cruel blow when their family was killed when their father discovered a way to plug into every CCTV on the planet. Her life spared by one of the killers, Lynn decided they should use his technology to follow the assassins route. When an accidental meeting gives Lynn a second chance at a romance and a normal life, however, she decides it might be time to hang up her sniper rifle. Sue feels otherwise, and decides to take one last contract on her own.

Enter Hong Hat Hong (Karen Mok, Black Mask, Shaolin Soccer), a police inspector determined to get to bottom of the assassins identity. Inevitably their paths cross, and in a crowded lift of all places. But when Lynn and Sue's employer both betrays them and attempts to hit Hong too, this puts assassin and cop on the same side... leading to the mother of all finales against the businessman's henchmen!

Taking the central themes of John Woo's The Killer and the Pang brothers Bangkok Dangerous, Corey Yuen first time scripter Jeff Lau have brought them up-to-date with a bang, and a lesbian subtext. (A recurring theme in Corey's work!) It returns Corey Yuen to form of Fong Sai Yuk as the best Hong Kong film of last year. This has some of his most innovative action scenes in years, full of the kind of complexity that makes his choreography work in the west , which includes the Charlies Angels films, seem like childs play in comparison. He's obviously been keeping some cards up his sleeve. Scenes over lofty walkways and stairwells make full use of their vertigo inducing environment, while the inventive use of high heels knows no bounds. Unlike The Avenging Fist the effects enhance rather than confuse the action. Corey makes full use of his glamourous leads, though often tending to involve various states of undress, slow motion and general dampness - mind you, I'm not complaining!

Star of and quite literally Gorgeous Shu Qi leaves behind her increasingly annoying cute, girlish performances of late to play a convincingly tough killer - and she's never been sexier. Nor have her co-stars Zhao Wei and Karen Mok. All of whom perform their martial arts with enough nerve to persuade you they can also really kick ass. In fact, the guys hardly get a look in, being either the drippy romantic, foolish sidekick or bad guy cannon fodder. Only Yasuaki Kurata, as the most formidable henchman, makes any kind of impression at all.

Aside from numerous playings of 'Close To You', the soundtrack from Sam Kao and Kenjo Tan pumps out enjoyable dance beats and funky sounds, whilst Cinematographer Keung Kwok-man and editor Cheung Ka-Fei match music video cool with speedy action.

Having missed my chance to see this in Hong Kong and bought an unwatchable DVD in China, I couldn't wait to see this movie. It's doesn't disappoint. Fantastic from start to finish - now if only they could make action movies like this in the west?

The DVD I've reviewed has one hell of a good transfer, but has NO special features. Funnily enough, the trailers for both Charlies Angels films have been included.