In fact, for a movie entitled "Return Of The Chinese Boxer", the titular character doesn't really appear in it for too many scenes. The majority of the film is taken up with the main plot, where a ninja clan is attempting to abduct and/or kill the daughter of a Chinese offical en route to Japan. Many of these scenes are long, boring, and rather interminable. You're introduced to many characters, the motivations of whom are not entirely clear. I found the plot hard to follow, and ultimately not worth attention.

It's not helping matters any when all of a sudden the movie comes to a screeching halt in the middle for a seemingly unrelated tournament sequence. While this sequence does set up two of the characters who later appear in the film, it ends up taking the viewer's attention away from the main story. In addition to the two fighters who come out of this part, there's echoes back to "Master Of The Flying Guillotine" in another form, when towards the end of the film not one but two Thai boxers show up, in full regalia and pre-fighting dance moves, no less. Unfortunately, Sham Chin-Bo's evilly charismatic performance is nowhere to be found in this one, and you're left with an uninspired fight in a noodle stock room.

Probably the largest sin this movie commits is the overuse of guns. Maybe it's just me, but if you pick up a film advertised as kung-fu, the last thing you expect to see is people blowing each other away left and right (and I mean it -- there's a helluva lot of firearms in here). Kudos to whomever thought up the multi-barrel rapid fire gun, though, several years before "Phantasm II" would similarly ape the idea.

That being said, this movie does have its bright spots. Several scenes stand out, the majority of them with the lead star on screen. I found myself unable to take my eyes off the actress portraying the female Japanese ninja, with her steely resolve and rarely flinching facial expressions. Every scene that Jimmy Wang Yu is in, his performance becomes electric, whether it's walking up a support post evading knifes being thrown in his direction, or balancing on the end of a monk's staff. The highlight of the film for me, though, had to be the trio of kung fu zombies. With rotting flesh and surprisingly spry moves, and their resilient bouncing-back from the ass-whupping that Jimmy provides, they manage to provide some of the film's most interesting scenes, including an incredulous look on Jimmy's face when he suddenly realizes, "Oh, CRAP!".

...All in all, I won't be too quick to watch this one a second time. While there's a handful of memorable scenes, and a good performance from Jimmy Wang Yu while he's on screen, the lackluster plot and substandard presentation leave much to be desired. If you're an absolute completist fan of Jimmy's, then pick this one up; otherwise, be ready to lower your expectations prior to watching it.