Genre: Martial Arts

No doubt those who need oodles of story/plot/narrative to justify enjoying a film will grumble (yawn!) but on the whole this is a superior sequel and a super-charged martial arts film.

There may not be much here that we haven’t seen before, but it’s certainly been a while since we’ve seen most of it done so well.

It’s far better than other American style martial arts movies such as ‘China O’Brien’, ‘American Shaolin’ and the like, showing what can be done if a little extra time is taken over the choreography.

Surprisingly, for an American film, there are some well executed and imaginative fight sequences predominantly showcasing the excellent kicking skills of Avedon.

Plenty of fight sequences, which are high-tempo, well choreographed affairs, if a little short by Hong Kong standards.

Anyone searching for a traditional kung-fu flick that is filled with sublime choreography need look no further than this.

Perhaps not what one might be expecting from all those involved but nevertheless ‘Ode to Gallantry’ is another solid Cheh flick buoyed by a fantastic lead performance from Philip Kwok. 

‘Of Cooks and Kung Fu’ does feature some inventive action and a star in Jacky Chen who is adept at acrobatic fisticuffs.

‘Oh! Yes Sir!!!’ could have perhaps been more appealing if there had been added emphasis on the action or a little less smuttiness in the humour.

Hark combines a well-paced and beautifully photographed narrative with strong characters and exciting fight action.

Fans of the first two will be sorely disappointed by ‘Once Upon A Time In China And America’ and will no doubt feel somewhat short-changed.

In my opinion, this film does not have the same numerous levels within its story which made the first such an all round classic, however, much of the action is just as impressive.