As the 80's rolled around, the once mighty Shaw Bros. were steadily losing box office terrain to competitors like Golden Harvest and Cinema City. And this film is just one of several noble attempts to keep up with the changing times.

The movie is vintage Wong Jing: uneven, cheesy, trashy, and awesome, all at the same time. Plus, I'm a sucker for "men on a mission" flicks. And with this cast, you can't go totally wrong.

Ti Lung as a badass gun-for-hire, pumping iron in his undies, and rocking the meanest pornstar moustache this side of Ron Jeremy. Chan Wai Man, cool as always, playing a war veteran knife expert. Lo Lieh as a mild mannered sniper. And Wang Lung Wei in one of his rare good guy roles, as the brawling tough guy of the bunch. Wong Yu's and Nat Chan's characters I could have done without; but hey, this is a Wong Jing flick, and they supply the low brow comedy, sex jokes, and toilet humour, which is thankfully kept at a minimum. On the villain side, you have guys like Ko Fei, Lee Hoi San, and Yuen Wah. So no complaints there.

The action, courtesy of former Lau Kar Leung cohort Tong Gaai, is a mixed bag. The fights are kept in the brawler style, with some bats, pipes, and knives put to good use, while the gunplay feels a bit flat but ultimately satisfying. One issue I have with these latter day Shaw flicks is their insistence on using the old trademark "orange paint" blood. I mean, this was fine in the 70's kung fu flicks but looks horribly dated and out of place in these modern day movies.

On the whole, this film is a lot of fun. But it is also clear why the Shaw Bros. closed up shop a few years later. Their style of filmmaking belonged in a bygone era. And if not even Wong Jing could breathe life into the SB brand, then no one could.