Genre: Thriller

There really is no disputing that ‘Best Of The Best 4’ is a far cry from the quality we have come to expect from the series, and this is basically nothing more than a very faceless action movie.

Boobs and blood can be a fun distraction but they aren’t enough to make up for a complete lack of anything else.

Low budget, straight-forward, though with a couple of unexpected twists and turns, this was a fun and surprisingly action packed ride.

Along with all the sweet kickboxing action the flick crams in a fair chunk of graphic gore and a surprising amount of drama for a low budget B-movie.

Part 2 showed some nicer choreography but was hindered by the MTV-style camera work, which has seemingly infected all action films of the past few years.

‘Bleeding Steel’ starts with promise and then refuses to flesh out any of the plot details, leaving us bewildered shortly after our interest had piqued.

‘Blind’ is a more than capable thriller that builds patiently to an edge-of-the-seat climax. And Kim Ha-Neul continues to ascend to the top of Korea’s starlist with another charismatic performance.

Director Teddy page made a ton of these action clunkers back in the day and while it’s far from his best it does boast Karen Shepherd in a lead role kicking lots of ass.

Much of the story could have been padded better, with the format really revolving around getting to the next action sequence when more depth to the characters would have been far more beneficial.

Recommended to all fans of Gary Daniels, and those who like their hands free action violent and acrobatic.

For newcomers, it may prove a little difficult to get into and occasionally confusing but those already enjoying Kitano’s films will easily find several merits here that are synonymous with his best work.

‘Book Of Swords’ offers very little of substance and is really only suited to hardcore Mortal Kombat fanboys.