Zo shou bo ji wang

Keen eyed viewers will probably spot a pre-Big Trouble In Little China, Carter Wong in this otherwise woefully non-engaging cut & paste crap-fest as served up by that stalwart of grandiose cinematic ineptitude, Mr Godfrey Ho (allegedly). This one struggles right from the very start in fact, as although this is ostensibly set between the first and second world wars, the segments featuring the western actors proudly show off the fact that they are attired in modern day suits and jewellery and even speak in modern lingo(!!!!) Whilst it is undeniably true that such typical gross incompetence on the part of IFD is very often a source of much mirth in these flicks, here it sadly falls entirely flat on account of the horrific boredom that so predominantly permeates proceedings throughout. In fact, I highly recommend skipping this one altogether and popping in one of Godfrey Ho's numerous ninja flicks instead; Now they are GOOD quality crap.

Two words: amazing fight scenes. I had heard about this movie from some friends of mine who were raving about it, so finally managed to track it down.

The movie follows some young kickboxers, Richard and Boxer, who must battle an evil gangster and his invincible fighting-machine henchman, who is able to punch the bark off trees with his bare fists. Wayne Archer fills the shoes of the title character in Kickboxer the Champion. The plot concerns a powerful opium ring, whose mastermind surrounds himself with martial arts-savvy goons. Archer takes on the villain's flunkies and forces a one-on-one, winner-take-all duel to the death. In my opinion, Richard, played by the amazingly talented Don Murray, is the highlight of the movie. His youthful spirit, amazing moves and subtle delivery make him one of the day's best actors. It's a shame we haven't seen more work out of him.

Bloodsport and that short guy have nothing on this movie.

Two big thumbs up.