Just watched it on Prime Video. At a time when Jimmy Wang-Yu, David Chiang, Ti Lung and Lo Lieh were superstars, tons of more or less similar movies were made based on more or less the same plot, with two arms, one arm, two fists, one fist, one guillotine and so on...
This one is another vehicle of the superstar of that beloved era. You got some dude and in particular our hero, pupils in a kung-fu school, that is threatened by bad guys. Japanese bad guys, yeah!
What happens next leaves no place for surprise but let's admit it: it's still fun and efficient.
The cinematography, as usual for a Shaw Brothers, is beautiful, with nice snow, beautiful scenery, cool casinos...
The thing is there are some flaws. When Jackie Chan seeks revenge, he finds a funny old master to train with and it occupies the second act almost entirely. Here, Jimmy's training is on his own, and lasts for way too short. It looks too easy.
Anyway, what bothers me the most, is I can't stop thinking about the uber-superstar that will shatter the world a couple years later. No wonder, sadly or not, that all the superstars of that time were sent to the closet.
Jimmy hadly can rise his legs very high. His blows don't look very powerful. He is more like a dancer rather than an invicible fighter.
Don't misunderstand me, he likes him very much and his fellows as well.
Trouble is, well, there is a unbeatable master who is the only one martial artist in history. Jimmy, here, looks like an artist only. A very good one though, capable of the best, see for instance GOD OF WAR:
