Country: Hong Kong

The cast is packed with the usual gallery of stars that one associates with a Sammo production and of course the action (when it happens) is expertly choreographed by the man himself.

‘Snake And Crane Arts Of Shaolin’ starts with a stunning martial arts display by Jackie Chan and ends with one of the most complicated pieces of choreography ever seen on screen.

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

‘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.

Those with a spare couple of hours and a penchant for attractive women shooting up enough plate glass to build a large greenhouse should rent this today.

The production cannot sustain its appeal nor can it do justice to the grand themes of loneliness/love that it attempts to tackle.

‘Sparrow’ is the archetypal Curate’s Egg, a film that fuses together precious few moments of brilliance with a heavy dose of lethargy, rendering the finished article difficult to digest.

Hong Kong has always spliced genres together with aplomb, but this is an example of where things go wrong.

While far from perfect and lacking the polish that was applied to Chan’s later vehicles, ‘Spiritual Kung Fu’ is still a solid effort that has a distinctly old-school charm.

A first class cop thriller, that despite it’s flaws and over dramatics is riveting viewing and shows Wilson Yip is one of the best directors working in Hong Kong at the minute.

Sticking with ‘SPL 2’ makes for an overall rewarding experience as director Soi Cheang takes the viewer on a wild, thrilling and at times incredibly dark ride.

‘Spy Games’ is packed with 80s excess and ebullience, yet forgot to include the countless other elements that so many of its contemporaries included.