Cast Member: Chin Ping

At the end of the day, ‘Temple Of The Red Lotus’ works as more of a historical artefact than a genuinely exciting swordplay feature.

With a director of considerable merit, a cast of fine performers and action that, while not exactly trail-blazing, is certainly very watchable, ‘The Magnificent Trio’ is another good release from Celestial.

If you enjoyed the previous two films or perhaps have an affinity for the more old fashioned Shaw Brothers movies, then you’ll no doubt find something to appreciate in ‘The Sword And The Lute’.

A four-star movie that, due to its heavy-handed closing shots, loses half a star; the same idea was used with much more sophistication at the end of ‘Anonymous Heroes’.

Strong performances, intelligently filmed action and an all round aura of quality mean that this comfortably hits a four star rating.

‘The Twin Swords’ isn’t the type of Shaw Brothers production that will appeal to everyone, mainly due to its fairly dated style that lacks the superior fight choreography.