Not sure why I'm surprised I enjoyed this so much. I love the Venom Mob movies and this was one of the best. There is a lot of plot thrown at you up front and I was definitely confused, though I suppose this is not rare for Chinese kung fu movies that want to dig in right away and not take the time to slowly set everything up. Actually, this movie was over two hours long, so there was definitely a lot going on! No need to dig into the plot where others here have. I just wanted to mention a few things.
Primarily I was overjoyed by Chin Siu-ho's performance as the lead character. I know him for Fist of Legend and Tai Chi Master, and wouldn't have thought of him as being a Shaw era performer. He was only seventeen years old when he did this! He was spectacular, and was one of my favorite performances to date of the typical young, overeager kung fu master who's emotions lead before his brain and skill. He did his fair share of laughing and boasting and rushing into danger, but had just enough patience to keep him from being annoying (I'm looking at you, Disciples of the 36th Chamber, grrr...). This was a very early performance in his career and I had no issues seeing him supported this time around by legends such as Lu Feng, Philip Kwok, and Chiang Sheng.
Lu Feng was a hero for once, and Chiang Sheng was a villain. Loved that. Philip Kwok did what he always did. Loved the action, the love story, the battle between the poison experts -- there was a lot going on and once I wrapped my head around it, I was thoroughly entertained!
Primarily I was overjoyed by Chin Siu-ho's performance as the lead character. I know him for Fist of Legend and Tai Chi Master, and wouldn't have thought of him as being a Shaw era performer. He was only seventeen years old when he did this! He was spectacular, and was one of my favorite performances to date of the typical young, overeager kung fu master who's emotions lead before his brain and skill. He did his fair share of laughing and boasting and rushing into danger, but had just enough patience to keep him from being annoying (I'm looking at you, Disciples of the 36th Chamber, grrr...). This was a very early performance in his career and I had no issues seeing him supported this time around by legends such as Lu Feng, Philip Kwok, and Chiang Sheng.
Lu Feng was a hero for once, and Chiang Sheng was a villain. Loved that. Philip Kwok did what he always did. Loved the action, the love story, the battle between the poison experts -- there was a lot going on and once I wrapped my head around it, I was thoroughly entertained!