Cast Member: Fan Mei-Sheng

Even fans of the convoluted martial world of the swordplay genre may find ‘Jade Tiger’ a tiresome 90 minutes.

The amusing antics of the Monkey king and Pigsy always seem to make for good movie material and I’m happy to report that this film is no exception.

Whilst fans of the Shaw Brothers back catalogue will definitely find ‘The Postman Fights Back’ comfortable viewing, there is still enough fresh material and wackiness here to make the film worth watching.

Chor Yuen is once again painstaking in his vision of the visual ambience of the martial world, while he also gets fine performances out of his cast.

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 Water Margin’ is the kind of grandiose masterwork that is enthralling and, despite the presence of three accomplished directors, has a remarkable consistency to it.

Possibly not as well structured or action packed as ‘Drunken Master’, but still an impressive note in both Biao’s and Jackie’s filmography making it an essential purchase for fans of old school kung fu.

From opening credits that ape the Spaghetti Westerns of the period to its surprising epilogue wrap-up, ‘Valley of the Fangs’ is an equally surprising and unexpected hidden gem.