Action Member: Hsu Hsia

No one who claims to be a Hong Kong action cinema fan or a true Chan fan should be without a copy of this movie.

While ‘Fast Fingers’ may be seen as a combination of kung-fu and comedy, it is more memorable for being an amalgam of the sublime and the ridiculous.

The generally undemanding nature of the film make this a definite thumbs up for genre-lovers.

The same lead duo and director had given audiences the wildly uneven ‘Fast Fingers’ the year before, but whereas that was entertaining, ‘I Will Finally Knock You Down, Dad!’ is a bit of a slog.

‘Lion vs. Lion’ is so frustrating because when it’s good, it’s superb. Sadly the focus tends to be on the comedic aspects of the film which range from the amusing to the banal.

This is the definitive Hong Kong action flick of the 80’s, easily on a par with ‘Police Story’ and should take pride of place in any fan’s collection.

‘Snake In The Eagle’s Shadow’ gave Jackie his first chance to shine outside the reigns of Lo Wei, and under the expert guidance of Woo Ping and Ng See Yuen delivers a classic of the genre.

Law Ma has crafted an ensemble kung-fu comedy that has a good number of intricately constructed showdowns and a few moments that manage true pathos rather than tacked on emotion.

Ultimately, ‘The Fighting Fool’ is so captivating because, alongside the superlative action, there is a real chemistry between the two leads.

Though containing enough reasons to warrant a viewing, ‘The Master’ is still not as polished as the better films being made by the studio at the time.

Episodic and pantomimic, this is a series of not especially interesting scenes sewn together with a completely uninvolving main narrative.