Rating: 3.5

There are some excellent action scenes here and though the choreography gets a little too familiar, it does throw in a few unusual moves.

‘Tai Chi II’ features an average plot and some unnecessary over-the-top moments, but is a decent effort that usually earns little attention from Hong Kong film fans.

Despite being as absurdly hyperactive as a coffee junkie with St. Vitus’ Dance, ‘Tai Chi Zero’ is fun and snappy for most of its running time.

It may not be as intensely gory as say ‘Machine Girl’ or ‘Tokyo Gore Police’ but it is still a delightfully mad slice of Japanese comic book horror.

As pleasing as ‘Temporary Family’ proves to be – and it balances comedy, drama and a scintilla of satire – it could have been even better with a few tweaks here and there.

The final word is that this is highly recommended for the teaming of fifteen or so of the top stars of the Shaw Brothers era. As a stand-alone production though, ‘Ten Tigers Of Kwantung’ is not Chang Cheh’s best.

The slightly uncomfortable storyline which casts Hui as a potentially cheating husband is turned gradually into another morality comedy with Hui and his initially unpleasant wife learning the error of their ways.

Despite a storyline that is as old as the hills, there’s something refreshingly simple about the execution of Ivan Lai’s version of events.

For two thirds of its running time, ‘The 8th Night’ is a satisfyingly low key supernatural thriller that explores themes of shamanism, redemption and even friendship as the two monks grapple with a dangerous evil.

‘Roaring Currents’ is either a fascinating piece of edutainment or a tiresome trawl through 16th-century warfare, depending on your interest in the subject matter.

It hasn’t got the sheer confidence and brash brilliance of ‘Red Cliff’, yet it is a welcome addition to the crowded sub-genre of Three Kingdoms movies.

Ryoo Seung-Wan’s film is still compelling and stringently efficient like its two protagonists, a fact that outweighs the negatives that poke through.