Director: Lo Wei

Jackie Chan is given one of his more serious roles and succeeds in giving a fine performance both in the acting and the fighting departments.

In all, this is the definitive martial arts movie. An all time classic which is as good as an all round film as it as a Kung Fu flick.

It’s certainly not perfect and not among Jackie Chan’s best films, but there is ample entertainment value.

Of course, it is far from perfect and lacks the polish that was applied to Chan’s later vehicles, but it’s still a solid effort that has a distinctly old school charm.

Ultimately viewer satisfaction with ‘Summons to Death’ will arguably be measured by one’s affinity for both the Sean Connery-period Bond films or sixties era sensibilities and filmmaking stylings.

The final reel of the film is pure energy and a masterful display of martial arts as Bruce goes one-on-one with the factory owner, showcasing some of the best action ever committed to celluloid at that time.

While it fails to ignite the screen, ‘The Shadow Whip’ does offer some moments of interest – especially during its opening twenty minute period.