Genre: Action

‘The Suspect’ is a highly recommended return to form for Ringo Lam after his brief stay in Hollywood. For fans of quality thrillers, this is unlikely to disappoint.

While it may not be perfect by any stretch of the imagination, it is still a fast-paced and action-packed thriller that is guaranteed to get the adrenaline pumping.

During a period where comedy punctuated every kung-fu flick of the time, director Patrick Tam creates a very sombre martial arts drama and never allows the tension to drop.

If you enjoyed the previous two films or perhaps have an affinity for the more old fashioned Shaw Brothers movies, then you’ll no doubt find something to appreciate in ‘The Sword And The Lute’.

It’s a languid, leisurely swordplay film that advances at a glacial pace and is defiant in doing so. Yet that is, along with the crisp cinematography, its greatest strength.

Eschewing, for the most part, extensive wirework and CGI enhancement, ‘The Swordsman’ delivers clean, crisp, albeit brutal swordfight action.

From the opening frames to the denouement, this is a production that sucks you into its strange universe, style dripping out of every shot.

A somewhat straightforward, and at times melodramatic, narrative is given heft by the committed cast, stunning cinematography and set design, and fantastic swordplay action.

The wonderfully choreographed, filmed and performed kung fu from a large and talented cast is the reason to watch this movie and for this it is highly recommended.

‘The Tai Chi Master’ has all the components you expect – an impressive budget, a handful of beautiful actresses, and plenty of action – but never quite convinces.

Moving from the Shaw Brothers studio to the ones housed at Golden Harvest, Lo Wei and Jimmy Wang Yu bring their considerable talents to this shot in Thailand potboiler that allows Yu to showcase his action talent.

‘The Thieves’ is the kind of bloated, star-studded jolly up that you may have been mistaken for thinking that Hollywood had copyrighted.