Leo (Andy Lau) and Jun (Takeshi Kaneshiro) are government deputies and find the new leader of The House of Flying Daggers, a militia group sworn to fight the corrupt government. Leo sends Jun on a mission to befriend the blind daughter of the former leader of the group. This takes Leo to a brothel where the daughter, Mei (Zhang Ziyi) works. While Jun gets drunk and disorderly, Leo shows up and arrests both him and Mei. Mei is quickly exposed as a member of the House of Flying Daggers.

Mei is threatened with torture if she doesn't disclose the location and leader of the House of Flying Daggers. She is left bound in a cell. During the night she is rescued by Jun and they are off to see what he assumes will be the new leader of The House of Flying Daggers.

Jun and Mei encounter government troops early on but this is only to convince Mei that Jun is for real. The coming battles turn real but Leo is powerless to help because it has been ordered by the General. Jun's feelings for Mei grow even though during his preparation for this mission he was warned that he would only be acting a part. Jun wants to quit the mission but it doesn't stop the troops from hunting him and Mei...

I really enjoyed HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS and recommend it. Andy Lau puts in a great performance as Leo. He really nails the character. Takeshi Kaneshiro is also very good but I am used to him being in movies set in the present so it was odd at first to see him in a period film. I always am reminded of his characters in FALLEN ANGELS and CHUNGKING EXPRESS. Zhang Ziyi also gives a great effort as Mei. For those who were disappointed that she had little screen time in HERO will be happy to know she is in this movie a lot more.

There is a liberal amount of computer effects but they are very well done and really enhance the movie. They hold up after repeat viewing. There are some action scenes that are very creative and couldn't be done any other way.

I actually recommend that this is watched twice because after seeing it once you really pick up on things the second time around. It's almost a different movie.

It is a treat to see a movie like this presented in its original aspect ratio and original language. The music playing over the beginning credits sounds very modern but according to the commentary it was added for it's 1977 release. This is definitely a fun movie to watch. Jimmy Wang Yu is great as the One Armed Boxer. It's not because he is greatly skilled in Kung FU (he's not), but because of the ways in which he sets traps for his enemies. The movie is also funny because for being blind, the Master has no trouble aiming his flying guillotine. There also seems to be a lot of one-armed men walking around town. One of the oddest characters is the Yoga Master. He is able to extend his arms to attack his enemies. I never pictured Yoga being used to fight but it works for this guy. Other than this instance, the Kung Fu is more traditional except for Jimmy Wang Yu being able to walk up walls.

The picture quality is probably the best it can be all things considered. The movie is old and different sources were used in order to restore the print to its original running time. The movie is perfectly watchable but the print does have some damage. There are times when the picture gets very bright or a little blurry. Luckily, none of the flaws last very long. The transfer looks decent on the 47 inch screen even though its not anamorphic. The picture isn't great, but its better than most other Old School releases.

The audio is either Mandarin or English. The Mandarin is the original language that was used for the movie. According to the commentary, this film was made when Mandarin was the predominate language being used in the movies. The actors spokes different languages while making the film but the intended language was Mandarin. Once again, considering the films age, the sound quality is good. There are some minor flaws like background noise but nothing too distracting. There is also an English soundtrack that reverts to Mandarin when the soundtrack is too damaged. Subtitles appear at these times.

Speaking of subtitles, they are easy to read and I didn't catch any spelling errors. They are timed well. The lettering is in a reddish orange color so they stand out against all backgrounds. It is also possible to read them while zooming in on the picture so you won't have to worry if you have a widescreen TV.

There are some decent extras on this DVD. The commentary by Wade Major & Andy Klein is informative and gives a background of the movie and the time in which it was filmed. They give a lot of background information on Jimmy Wang Yu. Of course, nobody's perfect so they welcome e-mails telling them mistakes they may have made. There are also trailers, biographies, and a still gallery. This DVD restores 12 minutes of footage that hasn't been seen in a very long time.

If you are a fan of Old School Kung Fu movies, you know the deal. You buy a DVD and hope it's watchable. Many are pan and scanned, dubbed, and look like they came from a VHS master. That said, you will really appreciate how this DVD looks and sounds. It's not a perfect print, but it's the original aspect ratio and it's uncut. The flaws in the print are easily forgivable. The commentary is a plus. If you are a fan of this movie, the DVD is definitely worth getting. If you aren't into old style Kung Fu but like Jackie Chan's older movies, give this a shot. Jimmy Wang Yu isn't exactly Jackie Chan, but his unique way of defeating his enemies is unintentionally funny.

MASTER WITH CRACKED FINGERS is only recommended for diehard Jackie Chan fans who must see everything he has done. Many scenes look like a double was used. The box says this was originally given a different title and shelved but when Jackie Chan got popular, extra footage was shot with a double and the movie was released...

...I have to admit, when I got this movie I expected exactly what I got so I can't really complain about it. If you are a completist when it comes to Jackie Chan, you'll at least want to watch this one. Everybody else should pretty much avoid it. It's great seeing a young Jackie Chan but the movie is a mess. Sometimes it looks like scenes were added from other movies and it is also extremely obvious when a double is used for Jackie.

THE HEROIC ONES is the story of 13 sons of a Mongol King. All are incredibly skilled in martial arts but among them all, two stand out. These two are portrayed by David Chiang and Ti Lung. Resentment is felt by two of the other brothers and a falling out ensues. The two brothers somewhat unknowingling lead the King into a double cross. This sets the stage for a climatic battle of brother against brother.

THE HEROIC ONES features lots of blood during the sword fights as well as some gory demises. The action is almost nonstop and it is very big in scale. At just about 2 hours long, the movie never lags.

Undoubtedly, if you have read other reviews on any of the Celestial Shaw Bros. releases you will see that people have very strong opinions on these. Some feel that these are the best that these movies ever looked while others look at them as a missed opportunity to get the perfect versions. So why the contrast of opinion and will you care? I'll state all the facts from what I know so you can make an educated choice before you make a purchase.

The first issue the detractors have is that these DVD's are not anamorphic. If you don't have a widescreen TV or plan to get one in the future, this doesn't affect you. You will be perfectly happy with the picture quality. I watched this on the 47 inch Panasonic TV and while the picture is good, it could have been even better. I believe the mastering could have been slightly better regardless of the TV setup because shots where the camera pans develop some kind of blurry effect. I saw this while watching it on my computer as well as the TV.

The film print that is used is remarkably free of specs and damage. The colors are also vibrant. I didn't see any artifacts. THE HEROIC ONES is presented in its original aspect ratio which really shows off the elaborate sets and sword fights. THE HEROIC ONES features some great cinematography. Everything is grand in scale and you wouldn't see scenes like these today without the use of computer generated graphics. The picture is good but the mastering could have been better. If you like this movie, the picture quality should be good enough for all but the most demanding technophiles. I would have preferred an anamorphic transfer but I might never see this movie if I wait for one. There is no guarantee if and when these movies are ever released for region 1 that they will be uncut.

Another issue detractors have is that the sound is a remix and on some Shaw Bros. titles, music and sometimes sound effects have been replaced. The original soundtrack is always preferred. I would much rather have an original mono soundtrack than a 5.1 remix with all the bells and whistles. This is the first time I have seen THE HEROIC ONES so I can't say whether there is any music or sound effects replaced. There is nothing out of place that distracts you from the movie. The sound mix is good though it's not necessary. This won't be your demo DVD to show off your sound system but for a film of its age, the sound is very clean and free of pops. From what I have read on various forums, THE HEROIC ONES should have it's original music. Overall, the remix is tastefully done and this DVD sounds better than some more recent movies.

The subtitles are placed well and stay on the screen long enough to read. There are some spelling errors but nothing that disturbs the flow enough to distract. For all the work done on restoration, the subtitles could have been a little better but they certainly aren't all that much worse than most other imports. The extras on this disc range from the standard film notes to a commentary by Bey Logan. There are other features that I was a little disappointed with just because I thought behind the scenes meant a featurette instead of text. That's not a big deal, though. What is probably worth the price of the DVD alone is Bey Logan's commentary. The wealth of information is amazing especially about the background of the Shaw Bros. studios. If you are new to the Shaw Bros. films, Logan brings you up to speed pretty quickly. He also gives a lot of information about the actors as well as filming techniques.

If you are a fan of the movie, or a Shaw Bros. fan, THE HEROIC ONES is a must have. You'll have a great time noticing actors that are still in movies today, such as Ti Lung. You'll see Bolo Yeung's first performance. This is probably the best we will see this movie for a long time. There are rumblings of Region 1 releases but they will most likely be cut and missing the original soundtrack

I think what bothers people the most about the Celestial releases is that for all the trouble they went to towards restoration, it wouldn't have been all that much more trouble to make these releases perfect. As for THE HEROIC ONES, other than not being anamorphic and slight mastering problems (see section on picture quality), I think Celestial did a very good job. I would definitely recommend this DVD. Just don't forget that this is coded for Region 3 so depending where you live you will need a region free player.

KNOCKABOUT starts slowly but give it some time and you will see why so many people hold this movie in such high regard. This is a must see for fans of Old School Kung Fu. Why is that? The talent involved. The whole movie is just an excuse for Yuen Baio to show what he can do. The guy is amazing. You get to see him jumping rope while kicking somebody's ass. Of course, this isn't a one man show. Sammo Hung and Leung Kar Yan also get some great scenes. When the three are fighting together, the syncronicity is incredible. The fight scenes more than make up for some of the comedic elements that some may feel are just silly. If you like movies like DRUNKEN MASTER and DRAGON LORD, this movie should impress you.

The picture quality is pretty good for a film that is so old. The film print has very few specks and the colors are vibrant. The transfer is also on the good side. There are few if any noticeable artifacts and the picture doesn't look soft like so many older movies. Although non-anamorphic, the picture is more than watchable on the 47 inch TV. The film is presented in its proper 2.35:1 aspect ratio so you don't miss any of the action.

The audio is 5.1 Dolby Digital but it seems more like a stereo mix. The music and sound effects never overpower the dialogue and the sound is in sync with the action on the screen. The soundtrack is very clean and is free of any hiss or pops that plague some older movies. The overall sound quality is surprisingly good.

The subtitles are easy to read although they do contain the occasional grammatical and spelling errors. They are timed well with what is being said and they appear long enough to read. The subtitles appear on the bottom of the screen, below the image. If you have a widescreen TV, this means that you will most like not see the subtitles unless you have a zoom feature. I was able to zoom in with the Malata but only a little bit because the subtitles are pretty low in the bottom bar. If you don't have a widescreen TV, you won't have any problems.

Extras consist of a trailer which is very 70's-ish. I love these types of trailers because they usually make ridiculous claims as to how good the movie actually is. In the case of KNOCKABOUT, they are absolutely correct. There are also trailers for EASTERN CONDORS, DREADNAUGHT, PICTURE OF A NYMPH, and ZU : WARRIORS OF THE MAGIC MOUNTAIN.

If you are a fan of this movie, you will be very happy with this DVD. The only slight problem I have with it is the placement of the subtitles. If you don't have a widescreen TV, this shouldn't be a problem. If this is a major issue for you may want to wait for the Hong Kong Legends DVD if you can play Region 2. There is no release date at this time so it may be a while before it is released. For the time being, this DVD is the one to get.

A mild box office hit, Forbidden City Cop opens with a parody of Gu Long's famous duel between the swordsmen Sai Moon Chui Suet ('Simon the Snow-blower) and Yip Gu Shing. Chow suddenly interrupts the fight as secret agent Ling Ling Fat (a pun on 008). As a member of the Emperor's personal guards it's his job to protect the peace, unfortunately he's terrible at it and allows them to escape. Fired for his incompetence, Fat returns home to his loyal wife Kar Ling, played wonderfully by Carina Lau Kar-Ling and starts his new practice as an incompetent gynecologist. Actually what he's best at is concocting crazy devices and gadgets (not unlike 007's doodad supplier, Q) that drives his wife nuts, such as a human powered kitchen fan and a novel use for rodents. Alas, Fat remains a loyal retainer and when he hears of an assassination plot against the Emperor, he and his wife sets off into the dangerous territory of their enemies in the Gum Kingdom to save the day. Those who think I've given away too many gags or plot, don't worry, you'll see the set-ups a mile away and the scenes will drag on so long you'll forget what you were watching anyway.

One of the reasons for the film's popularity is the presence of Carina Lau, an underrated actress who gives a lovely performance. She shines in every scene she's in, but unfortunately she just doesn't have any chemistry with Chow who sleepwalks through his role as the bumbling husband. His silly mugging and shtick is just too well worn and does nothing to distinguish Fat from the countless other goofy heroes he's played a hundred times. The supporting cast does their best to generate some laughs with the comical Law Kar-Ying as Fat's hapless sidekick who's forced to demonstrate a number of his ill-fated experiments. Television star Cheung Tat-Ming does an amusing turn as the selfish Emperor, as does the director himself, Vincent Kok Tak-chiu briefly playing a doctor with sharp knife and an ego to match. The other stand out is of course the stunning Carmen Lee as Gum Tso, a woman so alluring that she may even come between Fat and his wife. But even with these fine performances, they can't make up for a bored Chow, whose lack of manic energy or charm left me snoozing.

As this is primarily a comedy, there aren't a lot of action scenes, but the ones that are there are typical wire-fu with quick cuts and fast moving camera work. A few of the villains are unusual enough, but the battles just aren't interesting. Action director Poon Kin-Gwan's pedestrian choreography with Kin Lee Kin-Keung's poorly shot cinematography add up to an unremarkable visual experience.

Forbidden City Cop is a mediocre comedy that despite some good performances fails to match the verve and spunk of other Chow vehicles, like his James Bond-inspired romp From Beijing with Love and the costumed Royal Tramp...

The ridiculous premise starts with 'Godfather' solemnity as four men meet clandestinely at the back of a dark-lit pool hall. Brother Tin (Eric Tsang) has gathered together Dr. Lee Wing Cheung (Jordan Chan), Tsui Kiu (Chapman To) and the novice Paul (Spirit Blue) for a mission. For the next 14 hours while their wives and girlfriends are away, the men will embark on a quest of ultimate carnal debauchery and for Tin, the opportunity to fulfill a long-held promise to a fallen friend.

Set up as a series of missions, not unlike a heist flick, the men get closer and closer to their objective with each scene. Hilarity ensues as we witness the bungling lengths to which the men will go to achieve their immoral ends and the even further lengths they'll go to remain uncaught. And if the whole affair is ethically challenged right from the get go, then at least the women don't necessarily get the moral high ground. Their wives may not be as naïve as they appear and may be just as ruthless as the men when it comes to showing who's really in charge of a relationship. The game of cat and mouse is on, and in this battle between the sexes, no one emerges totally unscathed.

The performances are uniformly excellent and because they're played completely straight, the characters anchor the film with their believability. Their concerns become real to the audience, so as they move from gangster parody to prison drama, and then buddy bonding flick the tension is never lost. Even when something as ludicrous as a fight with water hoses and camera flashes play out like a major gun battle, the laughs don't overcome the drama. A major feat and a credit to Pang's sense of mood and atmosphere.

In his career Eric Tsang has made the remarkable transition from laughable doofus to dramatic heavy and his portrayal of Tin is no different, by turns authoritative and in control, but crumbles when he gets out-bluffed by a stuck-up young woman. Despite being back in a guy gang, Jordan Chan moves away from his role in the Young and Dangerous series with a sensitive doctor whose pride may not allow him stop, but his feelings for wife might. Male-bonding is a staple of action cinema anywhere, but with Chapman To for comic relief and Spirit Blue as the immature greenhorn their camaraderie is infectious and carries them through tests of honour, loyalty, betrayal, and even a maudlin stroll down memory lane of their adolescent conquests. And watch out for Tony Leung Kar-Fai in a side-splitting bit as the self-sacrificing Uncle Ninth.

While the women are a force to be reckoned with, individually they aren't quite as well fleshed out as the men, except for Teresa Mo whose tough lawyer is every bit the match for her husband Tin. Tiffany Lee and Candy Lo somewhat make up for their sketchy characters with their distinctive personalities, but as the soft-hearted wife of Chan's Dr. Lee who fears finding out the truth more than anything else, Marsha Yuen may affect the most....

Men Suddenly in Black is a terrific comedy with great performances, a clever script, and a DVD that's more than worth your time. While the plot may seem unoriginal, the film is brimming with such fresh comedic set-ups and inventive gags that the only let down is a short ending that seems rushed. Having invested so much in the characters we want to see what happens to them, but only two couples get closure on-screen. Nonetheless this is only a minor quibble as you can certainly figure out the rest. With panache and assurance Edward Pang has put together an outstanding film and is definitely a talent to watch.

COME DRINK WITH ME opens with a group of bandits capturing a Governor's son in hopes of having their leader released from prison. The Golden Swallow (Cheng Pei Pei who you may recognize as Jade Fox from CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON) is dispatched to either negotiate a return of the son, or rescue him, whichever is needed. Golden Swallow finds this task is slightly more difficult than she expected. She begrudgingly befriends a drunken beggar who has his own reason for fighting the bandits, and the Monk who assists them.

If you are only familiar with more recent Kung Fu movies, than the fights in COME DRINK WITH ME may seem slow. There is also some wire work and you will notice that many of the editing techniques used for the fights are still used today. You have to remember that if it wasn't for movies like COME DRINK WITH ME paving the way, movies would be very different now. I just wanted to mention this because sometimes expectations are raised too high. COME DRINK WITH ME is definitely a classic and continues to influence movies made today.

Celestial gives a decent but not perfect release of COME DRINK WITH ME. After viewing THE HEROIC ONES, I am slightly disappointed with this DVD.

The picture quality is pretty good even though dark scenes are sometimes a little too dark. The colors overall are very rich and vibrant. The transfer shows off the famous Shaw Bros. cinematography seen here in it's original aspect ratio. The condition of the film print that is used is free of specs and damage and looks incredible for its age. Unlike THE HEROIC ONES, I didn't see any of the distortion in the picture during quick camera pans. The image holds up well on the 47 inch TV but it would have been wonderful if it was anamorphic.

The sound mix, is a 5.1 remix and the original mono track is not included. There is an option for the Mandarin soundtrack as well as one with a commentary by Bey Logan, Cheng Pei Pei, and her daughter. The Mandarin track is mixed well. The dialogue is never drowned out by music or sound effects. The soundtrack is very clean for a movie of this age. No hiss or pops anywhere. The commentary could have been mixed much better. Cheng Pei Pei's voice is a little low while her daughter is much louder. Logan's voice is a good volume but in order to hear everybody, you need to put the sound up a bit. The problem with this is that you have to lower the volume every time Cheng Pei Pei's daughter laughs because it's very loud.

The subtitles while readable and just about free of grammatical and spelling errors, they have a unique problem. Lines of text repeat every so often. This does not seem to be player dependent and It appears that these duplicate lines replace what should have been appearing next. Once or twice this would be forgivable but it happens several times. The problem is tolerable but annoying. Occasionally the characters "!K" appear in the text but it's not too distracting.

There are a lot of extras on this DVD. The commentary is interesting and it's great to have somebody who was actually in the movie be involved for a change! Logan as usual gives good insight into the movie. He seems to learn as much from Cheng Pei Pei as I did! There are also interviews that are sometimes pretty lengthy and a lot more interesting than I would have imagined. There are also two trailers. One is old and the other is a new one that shows what a difference the restoration made on the presentation of the film.

COME DRINK WITH ME is a classic movie and I would hesitantly recommend this DVD only because some may have a lower level of tolerance for those subtitles than I do. Much has been said on the various DVD forums about replaced sound effects and music on some of the Celestial Shaw Bros. movies. I did not notice that to be the case hear. The sound effects did not seem out of place. These are just some things to keep in mind if you are considering a purchase. Also, like all the Celestial Bros. DVD's, COME DRINK WITH ME is coded for Region 3.

Most reviews I've read about FULLTIME KILLER seem to have a love or hate opinion of the movie. This is very similar to how many people felt about TIME AND TIDE. Much like Tsui Hark, Johnny To is associated with some great films. This means that expectations are raised with every new project. FULLTIME KILLER doesn't rank with the best Johnny To films but it is still a decent movie with some good action scenes. There isn't much in the way of character development but Johnny To's answer to this is in little moments here and there that give a glimpse of who the characters are. O is a master killer but he takes the time to collect miniature Snoopy figures from each place he travels for a job. This says something about him. Tok is a movie buff who frequently tells of scenes from some of his favorite movies. This sometimes works very well and sometimes doesn't. Tok also has one tragic flaw that I won't mention so it doesn't spoil the movie for you. While the cleaning lady doesn't have too much of a back story, she talks a little more of her motivations. The cop, has a more robust story even though it isn't apparent until the ending. FULLTIME KILLER hits more than misses and is worth a watch. It may not be your favorite Johnny To movie but I would recommend it...

FULLTIME KILLER isn't perfect, but it is entertaining and has some good actions scenes. If you are a Johnny To fan, you will want to check it out. The DVD is worth getting if you like the movie.