Cast Member: Sammo Hung

It has numerous nods to the Shaw Brothers classics and harks back to those swordplay flicks of yesteryear, making you smile, cry, jump for joy and shout like a banshee, like any good martial arts film should.

It’s almost as if director Andrew Lam just got a few mates together for an exercise in tedium to prove how willing we are to forgive anything for a hit of nostalgia.

It is a film that deserves to be watched by fans of all genres though and, alongside classics like ‘Come Drink With Me’, acts as a perfect portfolio for the late, great King Hu.

Well worth giving your time to, as long as you’re prepared for things to go out on a whimper rather than a bang.

Hung and Wu Ma still manage to keep the film interesting with their charming on-screen personas and some noteworthy kung fu routines.

Starts out as a fairly happy-go-lucky comedy but eventually culminates in an all action finale that is surprisingly violent for a film of this ilk.

Even the action becomes monotonous by the time the tournament begins and there’s probably as much genuine Choy Lee Fut on display as there was in ‘Pretty Woman’.

Clifton Ko prefers to fill the film with dubious comedy and ‘Home Alone’-style action – certainly no compensation for even a few seconds of Sammo’s genius.

‘Dirty Tiger, Crazy Frog’ doesn’t compare to Sammo’s classics, but it’s diverting enough to persuade genre fans to catch it.

‘Don’t Give A Damn’ provides some good action and a distracting 100 minutes, but don’t expect another Sammo masterpiece.

Even though it is littered with flaws, I feel I can’t give ‘Dragon Squad’ the complete thumbs down as it is one of those films that could easily pass for a guilty pleasure.

Chan and Hung continue to substantiate their legendary status in the cinematic hall of fame, but it is Yuen Biao who really steals the film.