Cast Member: Tai Bo

If the rest of the film had been as good as the last half hour then ‘Prince of the Sun’ would be more fondly remembered.

Using the conventions of the 30’s Hollywood swashbucklers mixed with his insane stunts and sublime fight action, Chan produced one of his best ever films.

It was impossible to match the original classic, but Chan pulled out all of the stops to make sure he gave it his best.

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.

Another superb Sammo film which sees him team up with Karl Maka for more hijinks.

‘Snake Deadly Act’ is a typical example of a good, but not great independent kung fu flick.

If, like me, you loved the 80’s action style of people like Yuen Kwai then this is a good purchase, as the fights stand up to repeat viewings even if the rest does not.

When the story steps up a gear and begins to blend in various antagonists, ‘The Gold Hunters’ becomes a joy to behold.

‘The Iceman Cometh’ remains one of Biao’s finest leading man moments. It’s packed full of great performances, enjoyable kung fu fights and a very unique story.

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.

‘The Top Bet’ is that very parochial fusion of gambling and ‘nonsense comedy’ (mo lei tau) that many of us are still baffled by after all of these years.

Sammo completists or very forgiving genre fans may want to exert the effort to find this relatively rare film, but even they will come away disappointed.