Rating: 3.0

What makes ‘Gambling Ghost’ an above-average feature is undoubtedly the superb performance by the film’s main star.

Kim Tae-Kyung’s ‘The Ghost’ rises well above the attempts of its contemporaries to cut an individualistic path through legions of countless ‘Ring’ imitators.

Despite its flaws, ‘The Goldfinger’ is an entertaining and well-acted piece of cinema with the highlights being the face-to-face meetings of Lau and Leung throughout the film.

There is no arguing that it is an entrancingly shot piece of work with some typically eye-catching Yuen Woo-Ping action choreography.

The final word therefore is that ‘The Greatest Lover’ is certainly worth catching, but there are simply too many annoyances for this to be anything special.

What saves this generally poor B-movie from complete obscurity are the numerous well crafted stunt and fight sequences scattered throughout the film.

There are no true “scares” to be had in Chen’s film, at least not in the traditional horror genre sense, but there are some bona fide moments of dread that will dig in and crawl under one’s skin.

‘The Hero Of Swallow’ retains a few likeable old-school qualities that just about save it from falling below the three star mark.

Chang Cheh’s ‘The Heroic Ones’ is an ambitious and sumptuous martial arts epic that set a benchmark for Shaw Brothers at its time of release.

Director Derek Nguyen orchestrates some nifty scares and some lush visuals with his Eastern ‘The Woman in Black’ vibe and leading lady Kate Nhung also keeps everything on track with her committed performance.

‘The Hunted Hunter’ never aspires beyond the limitations of the sub-genre – it remains content to bulldoze through the plot-holes with its action sequences.

Although it’s not a laugh a minute showcase, it does feature some watchable routines and it is certainly good to see stars such as Sandra Ng and Anne Bridgewater in early roles.