Cast Member: Michelle Yeoh

If you’re one who only digs more grounded, one-on-one martial arts action then you may want to look away, but fans of wuxia action are in for a treat.

The fights are almost seamlessly integrated and amongst some of the best on offer for a few years even if they are not new by Jade screen standards.

It will forever be a footnote in Yeoh’s career (especially now) but it offers a comforting bit of nostalgia. And not a great deal else, sadly.

Whether she’s using a bull-whip, fighting Hwang Jang Lee or enjoying a momentary pause, Yeoh controls this film with pure class.

Competently directed by the legendary Yuen Woo-Ping and utilising a decent budget, ‘Master Z’ is pleasingly straight-forward, action soaked entertainment.

This is another great slice of entertainment JC style, and was one of his best performances before his physical shape noticeably began to deteriorate in the mid-90’s.

Stanley Tong continues to show his skill in the action genre with more kinetic direction.

Fast, fresh, funny and full of character and tension, this is wuxia done well and should be seen by fans of the genre at their earliest convenience.

Just scraping into the 4 star category, the ever-watchable Michelle Yeoh produces more classic 80’s action in a way only the battling babes can!

Though there’s far less of the ghastly CGI that marred ‘The Touch’, ‘Silver Hawk’ still continues to remind the viewer of the chasm between the choreography of the 80s/early90s and today.

Packed full of superbly choreographed fight sequences and sporting solid leading performances, it is definitely one of the finest kung fu movies to emerge from Hong Kong during the 90s.

While not offering the very finest of Sammo’s work, ‘The Owl Vs Bombo’ is an entertaining and worthwhile slice of 80’s Hong Kong cinema.