Like so many Korean films, this one bounces across multiple genres. What starts out as a goofy action comedy turns into a weepy romantic tragedy about halfway through, which makes the film difficult to reconcile. The plot can be confusing and disjointed at times, and the actions and motivations of the characters are often hard to understand and identify with. Production wise, the film is absolutely stunning. The lighting and cinematography are gorgeous, and the film flows like a beautiful dance, albeit with some jarring and inappropriate editing here and there. As beautiful as the film is to watch, what really brings it to life is the superb performance by Ha Ji-Won. She's a cute and awkward bundle of repressed feminine fury just waiting to explode, and her emotional outbursts are captivating and quite moving. She also handles herself quite well in a fight, and the highly stylized and symbolic action sequences are mesmerizing. While style is definitely more important than execution in this film, the stuntwork is competent and still makes a good impression. Fans of Korean period action films should be pleased.

First and foremost, Hsiao Hou delivers an incredible performance - possibly his finest ever. The fighting and stunts that he pulls off are simply unbelievable! Liu Chia Liang's deft direction and choreography take excellent advantage of all of the players, and the action scenes are pure genius - he is truly the undisputed master. Although he takes a back seat to Hou, Liang's performance is fabulous and seeing the two of them train is fascinating. A spectacular and delightful film, and a true kung fu classic.

An excellently crafted film that seems shockingly violent for its age. Blood erupts from bodies, eyes are gouged, heads are cut off, and women are raped by cackling villains. The only place the film falls a little short is in some of the martial arts execution. He's great against a crowd, but when he's one on one, Wang Yu's limited martial arts skills look a bit sloppy and restrained. Fortunately he makes up for this shortcoming with his dramatic intensity, but he would be no match against the more graceful and stylistic fighters that followed in his footsteps. A fascinating slice of Hong Kong film history, and definitely worth checking out if you're a kung fu buff.

A bit of a letdown from the first two "Gun Crazy" stories, but this one benefits from having TWO lovely models as the leads. While they're both capable actresses, their characters aren't nearly as tough and captivating as the previous "Gun Crazy" girls. Swimsuit model Kasumi Nakane does a good job of bouncing between weak and frail, and strong and confident, while Mitsuho Ohtani just broods intensely. They both handle their guns quite nicely and they're fun to watch. The production values seem a bit higher in this episode, with more actors, richer action sequences, and bigger explosions. The writing falls a bit flat and the story is predictable and clichéd, but enjoyable nonetheless. A good girls 'n' guns outing that stays in line with director Muroga's vision.

Apart from the fact that the girls are very cute, this direct to video atrocity is terrible in every regard. The version I saw had no English subtitles so I couldn't figure out the details of the story, but the execution is so awful that I don't think it would have made a difference. The nonsensical title of the film just further supports my suspicions. The cinematography and editing are terrible, and on par with a low budget high school project. The action scenes are incredibly weak, and even more offensive in that the girls are all doubled by glaringly obvious stuntmen in drag. What's the point in making a female action film if the women aren't even featured in the action scenes? There are a couple of decent hits and some nice posturing here and there, but nothing that can redeem this incoherent mess. The actresses themselves are actually swimsuit models, and their delivery tends to be stiff and emotionally flat. However, it's hard to blame them given the material that they're working with. The digital visual effects are also extremely lame, and for the most part are completely unnecessary. Digital rain? What's the point if nothing looks wet? The physical effects don't fare any better, and bullet hits don't leave any physical evidence of their presence, forcing the viewer to pretend that someone or something just got shot. By far the most ridiculous effect is that when the girls stop and strike a pose, a small blast of air from off camera is blown in their faces to reposition any stray hairs. Completely absurd. It's best to just admire the box art and leave this one on the shelf.

Interestingly, by the time the climax of the film is underway, you get so wrapped up in what's going on that you totally forget that there was even a story going on beforehand. And then you realize that there actually isn't a conventional story taking place at all. There are no bad guys, no unsolved mysteries, no psychotic arsonists on the loose, no extreme character conflicts, no heroics, and nothing to prove - it's just a team of firefighters doing their job. Director Johnnie To has cleverly manipulated you into caring for these people solely so he can put them in an extreme life threatening situation and make his audience squirm. The tension he creates is superb, and you find yourself constantly agonizing over their safety. Johnnie To has really pulled off something special with this film, and I never thought I would find an action film without guns, car chases, and kung fu to be so exciting.

Apart from a delightful showdown between Cheng and the assassin, the film is completely devoid of action and focuses almost entirely on Carol Cheng's exhausting rapid fire yelling. Wow, that woman can talk up a storm. Most of the humor is very topical and cultural, making it impenetrable for Western audiences, but there are a couple of physical gags that are surprisingly amusing. An effeminate turn by Anthony Wong is utterly brilliant. Sadly, Ms. Cheng's character has lost a lot of her endearing charm and innocence, and suffers from a very unflattering haircut. The non-stop verbal sparring makes it difficult to recommend this film unless you're a fan of Hong Kong comedy or a Carol Cheng completist.

This is an example of the very worst type of sequel, one that is simply a low quality knock-off of the original. The jokes are stale and even less funny the second time around. Tony Leung's absence also spells doom for the proceedings, and the innocent tenderness of the first film comes off as a farce in this one. The action is extremely sparse and basically boils down to two chaotic, but marginally entertaining shootouts. Alfred Cheung actually gets to use his ESP this time around, with lukewarm results. We learn that the key to focusing his powers depends on his chastity, which leads to the film's most bizarre line of dialog: "a drop of sperm equals seven drops of blood." That makes about as much sense as the rest of the film does. As before, only Carol Cheng's impressive acting and comedic timing keep the film moving, but unless you're a fan of Hong Kong comedy, it can be a serious chore to watch.