It is another one, shot entirely on the magnificent Shaw Bros. interior sets, which can sometimes seem sort of claustrophobic. But here (as was the case with "Five Venoms") it works to the film's advantage. The people are trapped in the confines of the city. And when the heroes have to navigate through the streets at night, dodging brutal militia groups with cool sounding names, your mind (or at least mine) sort of drifts to the awesome Walter Hill classic, "The Warriors", which had a similar setup--although in 70's gangland New York.

The guys fall into their usual characters here. Kwok Choi is the lovable rogue. Chiang Sheng is the wiley, playful one. Lo Meng the slightly naive strongman, and so on. As always, their chemistry is undeniable. And while there is not much comedy as such, the guys are fun to watch, fighting, talking or just goofing around.

The choreo is tight as ever, with a nice mix of fisticuffs and truly brilliant weapons work, done true to form by Choi, Sheng, and Feng, the three opera school boys of the group. The end fight is quite a spectacle. There is so much stuff to marvel at here: a multitude of cool weaponry, handled with the utmost expertise, all shot on the beautiful Shaw sets, giving it that classic stage play vibe that I consider a big part of the overall vibe of these films.

This may not be one of the most well known Venom efforts but is definitely a solid yarn nonetheless and deserves to stand tall with the rest of them.

The cities are run by warlords, getting the most out of other people's plight and the country's chaotic situation. One of whom is Lu Feng, who also trains a team of warriors (Wang Li, Yang Tsiung, Sun Chien and another baby venom, Ju Thai Phing?) and their henchmen governing one region of the city: north, south, east and west.

The three refugees become fugitives when one of them is framed for murdering an official. Pursued by the warlord's warriors and their henchmen, the three have to fight their way through the city's district before arriving at the port to reach a safe haven.

Again Ni Kuang--the scriptwriter for Chang Cheh's films--has inserted a plot twist where two of the warriors governing the city district (Sun Chien and Yang Tsiung) are not what they seem to be.

The fight-to the-death showdown takes place at the city port between Lu Feng, armed with a gigantic spear, his warriors against Kwo Chue, Lo Meng and Chiang Sen with only one survivor left. Here the fights and stunts are, as always, breath-takingly Venomous to the max!

The setting is China during a time of civil war. A steady flood of immigrants keeps four regional bosses on their toes. The four bosses are each in charge of a gang, and each gang is responsible for security in their quarter. Three immigrants (Kwok Chue, Chiang Cheng, Lo Meng) get caught in their web of intrigue, power plays and deception.

Early on, you can guess which bosses are just and which are corrupt by their treatment of immigrants. You can also sympathize with a character like Jin Zheng Peng (Lo Meng): if he weren't starving, his martial skills would rival the bosses. Very spartan dialogue, but the acting speaks volumes about the characters.

The conflict and resolution are highly entertaining. The martial arts is side-splitting when it goes for humour (the gambling house fight) and deadly serious when it goes for heroic bloodshed (final battles).