Yuen Wo Ping had started out his protégé, Donnie Yen, in a couple of rather forgettable films but upped his profile here, alongside Canto crooner Jacky Cheung, Simon Yam, Dodo Cheng, and others, all cranking up the hammy acting between shootouts and asswhoopings.

The story is as simple as they come, but with action of this caliber, I don't really care. And I have to admit, I'm a sucker for 80's HK melodrama style. So personally, I'm rarely bored when watching these type of movies, even when there is no action on screen. Although I could have done without the ill fitting yet sparse comedy bits here. But hey, that's HK cinema for ya'.

The action is a nice brutal blend of bloody gunplay and fierce fight action, done by the Yuen Clan, whose transition from old school to modern day action can only be described as smooth and satisfying. Not all of the old masters of the craft got through the inevitable style change with such ease.

This movie is no masterpiece, but classic HK action. With despicable villains, gwailo henchmen, righteous and not so righteous cops, hardcore action, and over the top acting, just like it should be. A nice companion piece to this one would be the Lau Bros. excellent "Dragon Family", proving that they too were hip to the new style as much as the Yuens.

Unfortunately, this is the only good thing I have to say about this movie...

First of all, almost all of the action scenes take place at night, so it's very dark and the lighting is dim.

The action is pretty basic, nothing extraordinary and spectacular. And there is not a lot of it! All you get is one fight Yen vs. Woods (of course, it's at night and nowhere near the one from "ITLOD-4") and a messy showdown at the end.

The acting is plain bad, especially by Jackie Cheung--and he is a major character!

The story is not great either, though it kept me interested enough to sit through the film.

It looks like all the creativity was poured in that opening sequence and the rest of the movie was made just to have something to be attached to the beginning...

Probably worth watching when you have nothing better to see, but I doubt it will become one of your favorite movies...

This film honestly isn't about the characters, and it's not a realistic police procedural. It's just about people kicking butt...hard. If you're up to some pretty harsh violence and plenty of drawn out merciless beatings--with everything from aluminum bats to coat racks to barbed wire--then this is the film for you. Sit back and let Yuen Wo Ping show you every way that a person can be beaten up.

Don't get us wrong, it's not just a series of ultra-violent fights, but these fights are a lot more brutal than those in most action films. It should also be mentioned that these fight scenes are surprisingly engaging and creatively choreographed; and Donnie Yen proves yet again that he is one of today's most underrated martial artists. His speed and style are incredible, and are both displayed nicely here.