Like I said before, this movie is fun -- if you don't take it too seriously. The script has enough holes to drive a truck through, not the least of which is that no one seems to notice the scientific discovery of the century just walked away. There's also a bit too much of dependence on the cliched "fish out of water" plotline and jokes (i.e., Biao thinks the toliet is a bath, there's demons in the TV, etc.). Some of the costume designs are just plain silly. Maggie Cheung always wears ridiclously oversized earrings, and Biao's outfit for the final duel between himself and Wah looks like a reject from a low-budget Road Warrior rip-off. And, a bit more disturbing, there's an extended and violent rape/murder sequence which seems really out of place with the rest of the movie, which comes off as more family-oriented (no sex or bloody violence). I guess I should have probably expected as much from the director of Naked Killer, but I think Yuen Wah does good enough villains that we really don't need to see any of his actions explicitly to get what a bad guy he is supposed to be.

As you might expect for a movie with two Yuens in it, the fights are really good. I just wish there was more of them. This movie runs at about two hours (much longer than the usual 80-90 minutes for a HK movie) and it could have really used another fight or two to punch it up in the middle, which tends to drag on a bit.

REVIEW:
Yuen Biao is the most underrated martial artist of his generation. In my opinion his acrobatic skills outdo both Jackie Chan and Jet Lee although for some reason he isn't as highly rated as JC and JL.

This film, his finest, is actually a sort of sci fi/fantasy film. He stars as a warrior of the Ming Dynasty in the 16th century. He and his adversary are fighting and they both fall of a cliff and are frozen; only to be found in the 20th century by scientists and accidentally unfrozen. This film with it's fantasy plot could have been his worst but with his acting, the fighting and the outrageous comedy with the lovely femme fetale Maggie Cheung, this is a modern and all time classic.

The things Yuen Biao does in this film show why I rate his acrobatic skills higher than JC and JL. The comedy interplays with violent action with Yuen Wah's performance as a sadistic villain spot on. The script is pretty intelligent and the jokes come thick and fast making fun of the late 1980s seen through the 16th century eyes of Yuen Biao who discovers television, electricity and... toilets.

The jokes however aren't as glaringly obvious as Jackie Chan and some (very few) Jet Lee films (as very few Jet Li films are comedic if any); the humor is like an episode of The Simpsons. You have to recognize them, but when you do they are really funny and actually very intelligent and heartwarming jokes.

Maggie Cheung is absolutely brilliant in surely an Oscar winning role as the hard hearted hooker with a soft inside. She shows here that only she could have played this role perfectly. However Yuen Biao just steals the show from Maggie Cheung with his portrayal of a serious but innocently funny warrior. Also the chemistry between Yuen Biao and Maggie Cheung is absolutely electric. They really do sizzle when they are both on screen together.

Also, unlike Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung films, the humor is played with a straight face throughout and this film is the better for it. A modern classic with some great humor fused with some violent fights and the best acting I have ever seen. The ending also has a wonderful bitter-sweet denouement. One more thing is the soundtrack. It is absolutely wonderful and the best bits are the xylophone and the violin when Yuen Biao messes up some very simple house tasks. Surely this film defined the words "all time classic".

Yuen Biao is a Royal Guard in the Ming Dynasty who ends up following a killer and rapist, Yuen Wah, into modern day HK. It's similar to the Malcolm McDowell film "Time after Time" when he follows Jack the Ripper into modern day San Francisco. Anyway, Yuen Biao falls into the clutches of the conniving model/prostitute Maggie Cheung who convinces him that women now rule the world and that he must be her servant. The delighted look on Maggie's face as he rickshaws her through the streets of HK is priceless. Many other gags concerning Yuen's adjustment to the 20th century are quite funny as well. Soon though women are being raped and killed and Yuen B. realizes Yuen Wah is in HK as well and taken up his old ways.

It is a really fun film with unfortunately one rape scene that is much too brutal and realistic for the mood of this film. The fights between Yuen Biao & Yuen Wah are excellent. One of Yuen Biao's best films.