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A good third of the movie is devoted to Gordon training through the 35 stations at the Shaolin temple. The scenes are rigorous and impressive. Lau Kar Leung (Gordon Liu's brother IRL) is one of, if not my favorite martial arts choreographer. No slow stop action fight scenes or training scenes. While the scenes are slowed down for the human eye to follow, the movement is constant. A wide variety of weapons and challenges are used which highlight Gordon's abilities. The only caveat I have is that like a novel's page needs some white space to rest the eyes, I could have used some breaks from the action to develop the main character and give me more reasons to understand him, the people he sought to help, and the monks who trained him.
The sets, costumes, and production values are above average for a 1978 kung fu film. The copy I saw was dubbed which always takes away from the viewing experience. Almost any male actor who worked for Shaw Brothers was in this movie. It was fun to pick out all the ones I knew.
One of my favorite kung fu actors, Lo Lieh, plays the Big Bad though he sees very little screen time. This is Gordon's hero's journey. Through training and sacrifice his character seeks to avenge his family's death and bring kung to his people so that they can protect themselves from the enemy. A better than average kung fu film to pass your time with.
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Considered a kung fun classic, I found it to be rather average. Lau Kar Leung's direction and martial arts choreography saved the film for me. The fights were well choreographed and creative without looking overly staged. It helped that some of the better kung fu actors starred in this movie: Lo Lieh, Chen Kuan Tai, Lily Li, Wong Yu, Chiang Tao, and Gordon Liu.
The plot revolves around revenge and training, taking place over twenty years. There are a lot of gaps in the storytelling. Fortunately, the training sequences are entertaining and well done. It does have one of the most abrupt Shaw Brothers endings ever. Due to the choppy style of storytelling it's not a movie I'd recommend unless I knew the person enjoyed well done fight sequences.
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Chen Kuan Tai is the most skilled killer on the squad. He figures out the emperor is ordering the executions of scholars and ethical government officials and though he’s sworn an oath to the emperor he can no longer be his assassin. Someone else is scheming to use the guillotine squad to take out personal enemies and impediments on their path to the throne and hates the moral minded killer. Chen flees with a lovely musician and they start a life together elsewhere, but the emperor’s men never give up keeping them on the run.
Lots of kung fu and wild guillotine action. The kung fu was okay, but given that CKT was actually trained in the martial arts, the fight scenes seemed slow and stodgy. That didn’t stop them from breaking all the furniture in the room though! Plenty of unsuspecting people lose their heads with the flying killing machines while their loved ones or colleagues look on in horror.
Even with all the action and actual character development of the lead the story seemed slow at times. Wai Wang played a great dastardly villain, but didn’t seem to have enough time on screen to be a more menacing threat. Despite those drawbacks, I never expect much from kung fu movies. This one kept my attention and if you enjoy kung fu movies it’s worth seeing for the creative guillotine fights.
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The first twenty minutes or so are scenes of Pei Pei's clan being decimated by the Big Bad and his endless stream of murdering, torturing, minions. Lots of spurting blood, but after awhile tedious to watch. Her fortunes changed and so did mine when Lo finally showed up. A little romance in the last part of the movie gave Lo and Pei Pei's characters more depth, too bad the writers didn't develop the relationship earlier and better.
The clarity of the movie was a relief, some of these old kung fu movies have lost much of their visual integrity and sound. Fortunately, this version of the movie was NOT dubbed on Amazon Prime.
(November 2020)
********REWATCH EDIT***********
(August 22, 2025)
I liked this much better on a rewatch and raised my score from a 6.5 to a 7.5, though it's still graded on a generous curve. Lo Lieh and Cheng Pei Pei were gorgeous together and had great chemistry. Lo was mesmerizing as the anti-hero Yang Qing. Still burns that he would have few of these roles and be cast as villains more often than not. I was disappointed Pei Pei wasn't allowed to cut loose like she usually did with a sword. Here she played more of the traditional female role, albeit skilled with a blade. Yang Chi Ching made for a deadly gloating adversary as Flying Dagger Jiao Lei. Chu Wen Xiong/Cheng Lei as the voice of reason in PP's group was a good first, if brief, friend for Yang. And often stuck in the background Shum Lo had a surprisingly heroic turn as the tavern owner, Fan Kun. The cast was loaded with familiar faces for kung fu film watchers. If your eyes are quick enough, you can see Lau Kar Wing as one of the Five Ghouls. And martial arts director Tang Chia cackled as a doomed minion.
Comparing this movie to others from 1969, it holds up well against them. The sword fights per usual were more theatrical than realistic. It was a Chang Cheh film so there was copious amounts of spurting blood. This film was in the waning years of female heroines. CC would later rid his movies of women and relegate talented Lo to villain roles. And a response to myself in the original review--the reason the movie looked better than many from this time was because it was a Shaw Brothers. Many have been taken good care of and/or restored.
Interesting cameo: David Chiang had a blink and you’ll miss him scene standing behind Uncle Liu when Ying first arrives. He, Chang Cheh, and Ti Lung would soon become the Iron Triangle and make 20 movies together. Pet peeve comment: I will never understand why tiny DC was given more leading roles than Lo Lieh.
Triggers: The opening scene contained a murderous sexual assault that was lingered over too long. A turnoff the first time I watched the film and on the rewatch.
As mentioned, buckets of spurting blood
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Lo Lieh plays the earnest competitor who gains the confidence of his kung fu master and is taught the secret iron palm technique.
Along the way there are betrayals, decapitations, eyes gouged out, and a little romance.
The fights felt a little overly staged at times but were entertaining nonetheless and Lo Lieh is always a smoldering delight to watch. It’s worth watching to see the iconic shot of Lo’s glowing red hands.
Though the plot was thin it never got in the way of some good kung fu fighting. And that’s primarily what I watch these movies for. It also paved the way for another kung fu fighter who would set the bar higher later that year-Bruce Lee.
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The Five Venoms begins with a mystery that a young ku fighter must resolve for his dying master and the audience watches the story unfold as he does. He must figure out the deadly players involved with little information and also who is using their venom training for selfish motives. There are alliances and betrayals, hidden identities, a secret treasure and real stakes.
The five members of the poison clan each have their own fighting style-scorpion, snake, centipede, lizard/gecko, and toad. The different fighting styles are fun to watch and give a glimpse into the characters’ personalities. Unlike many kung fu movies there is some character development and motivations for their behaviors.
What I didn’t care for as much is that the fights looked too choreographed. I didn’t feel like they flowed smoothly at times, more like dancers counting their steps. At least they kept the camera still and at a distance where the whole scene could be observed instead of just seeing segments of the fight. I have to say I like to have at least one female fighter in the cast, sadly there are almost no women in this movie. I think I saw Mama Hung slumped over where an entire family had been murdered when one of the bad guys was trying to find the treasure map. Little quibbles are I could see the wig tape at times, and the fight sounds were not always synched with the motions. I try not to judge a kung fu movie by what are usually atrocious dubbing choices, but at least it didn’t sound like one guy was doing all the voices.
The Five Venoms and teen sidekick was an entertaining movie. The good guys eventually team up against the bad guys showing that teamwork does pay and evil does not. Like all kung fu movies I’m kinder in grading it, as it was a product of it’s time and for a specific audience.
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Yoon Gyun Sang was cute as the mostly clueless helper. I enjoyed the different guests they had visit. Some were better in the "kitchen" than others.
Now to what didn't work as well for me. I thought the episodes were too long. An hour would have been enough time for me. There was an awful lot of filler. If I never see someone scooping up goat dung again it will be too soon. A lot of time was spent taking care of the goats, traveling, watching the cats frolic, and watching the guys fishing or playing out on the water. There were other times when practical jokes went on for nearly 20 minutes. There were also episodes where there wasn't any scintillating conversation taking place, just a lot of standing or sitting around with little conversation. These guys have been in the business for awhile and must have some interesting stories to tell. I wish they had opened up more and told us some. There was one conversation with Lee Jong Suk that that I thought was revealing but those moments were brief. If it wasn't for the pop-ups this show might not have been as entertaining. I could have also used less dirty bare feet close-ups when someone was preparing food on the floor.
Had it not been for all the filler moments that completely lost my attention I would have rated this variety show an 8.0 or 8.5 The cooking aspect of this show inspires me to look at food and flavor combinations in a new way. Spoiler! Although for a Pizza Margherita I'm still putting the basil on as it comes out of the oven so that the basil doesn't scorch like theirs did by putting it on before baking.
I can definitely recommend this show for the cooking scenes, they were very interesting. And if you like to watch goats doing goat things or cats trying to escape their room this may be just the ticket for you.
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This review may contain spoilers
This drama started out as a steamy, temperature rising story of a good girl tempted by the wild side in the form of the gorgeous, sexy Jasper Liu. Waiting for a new episode each week to be English subbed was interminable. Then the writers slammed on the brakes and morphed the story into an office drama dousing everyone in an ice cold shower. Maybe they got cold feet about besmirching the FL and ML and making them look like cheaters.
By the time the abbreviated who gives a fork third act came around I’d already queued up An Affair with Lee Mi Sook and Lee Jung Jae to show those young whipper snappers what it could have been.
Even though I found the whiplash inducing change of tone frustrating in this drama I still dutifully waited and watched every week. My disappointment is over what could have been and wasting Jasper Lui on what ended up being a boring office drama for the most part.
The leads did a good job. I even enjoyed the best friend’s over the top acting and story.
The music was ok, but not memorable.
Rewatch value-I’ll probably go back and watch parts of it sometime in the future.
I would definitely not discourage anyone from watching this, just don’t have any expectations of where the story is going based on the first few episodes and intro. Enjoy it for the flawed story it is.
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"Do you still have faith in people?"
Squid Game Season 3 ended with a bang. Everyone came to understand the value of life and our shared humanity. The VIPs and creators of the game were inspired by the self-sacrifice of characters to use their endless piles of money to benefit those who need it most and the planet as well. The players voted to end the games and sat in a circle singing Kumbaya. Yeah, no. For the most part Squid Game continued the rant that human beings tend to be greedy, desperate, selfish rat bastards. While not perfect, I thought the show’s creators brought the drama to a fitting end. As billionaires in the real world flaunt their wealth and buy their way out of trouble, the drama felt even more timely in its last installment.After last season’s failed coup, Gi Hun is carrying around a pink ribboned coffin load of guilt. The games continue with the same high stakes and gruesome outcomes. Loyalties are forged and tested and a pivotal new competitor is added.
This season saw more of the VIPs, a weakness in my opinion. The English speaking actors were dreadful. Their dialogue was stilted and the lines were beyond cheesy. “It’s like watching one of those family reality shows.” Apparently, gazillionaires never bathe, can’t afford decent haircuts, and don’t own a razor. Sometimes less is more, and I preferred the anonymity of the VIPs.
There were new games that often telegraphed which contestants were going to be the upcoming victims. The problem with three seasons based on the same premise meant there was a lot of repetition. The two “heroes” could still be terribly dense, missing clues dangled in their faces.
Aside from the greedy and treacherous, there were also people good at heart who became caught in the net of the game. For them, it came down to how they died, not when. What lines were they not willing to cross? If a person had to indiscriminately murder other people, could they live with themselves, even if they survived? “Bad people do bad things but they blame others and go on to live in peace. Good people on the other hand, beat themselves up about the smallest things.”
Would the rich really attend and sponsor such amoral games? Sure. Too many people who have money or power do not look at people “beneath them” as truly human or even remotely significant. Here in my country, a politician held a town hall recently. When someone brought up that the medical care the government wanted to cut would cost people their lives, she replied, “We are all going to die.” She has plenty of food, exceptional shelter, and the best health care available. What did it matter to her if the poor died because they did not have access to any of those basic needs. That people are greedy and often desperate and will kill each other over money is hardly something new. But the class of people pushing them further to the edge of despair have rarely been bolder and less accountable, something Squid Game nailed right on the nose.
27 June 2025
Spoiler comment below
How on earth did they get freakin’ Oscar winning Cate Blanchett, Galadriel herself, to do a cameo?!❤
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"You can't break the mirror because you don't like what you see"
Sorrow Even Up in Heaven was based on the diary of a real 11-year-old boy whose family suffered from extreme poverty. The Diary of Yunbogi was also made into a short Japanese film by director Oshima Nagisa. Yun Bok’s story reflected the lives of many vulnerable children at the time who had no adult to rely on and had to fend for themselves in a daily fight for survival.Yun Bok attempts to attend fourth grade in elementary school when he can though he often shows up late or not at all. His mother abandoned the family and his father is a sickly gambler who assigns Yun Bok the job of primary provider for their family of five. Sister Sun helps Yun Bok sell gum on the street and in the night clubs. Younger brother Yun Sik is forced to beg for food. Fortune smiles on the children when a teacher takes an interest in Yun Bok. After reading Yun Bok’s school diaries detailing his heartbreaking struggles, Mr. Kim becomes determined to have them published.
South Korea had been hit doubly hard, first with Japan’s occupation and exploitation and then the following war that divided their country. While parts of the economy were beginning to move forward with people who had disposable income, there was also a segment of society fighting to score one meager meal a day. Through no fault of his own the survival of Yun Bok’s family rested on his tiny, narrow shoulders. He tried to stay positive and refused to resort to stealing. That didn’t mean people never took advantage of or abused him. Despite setbacks his focus remained on protecting and feeding his siblings.
SEUiH added characters who were extraordinarily selfless and kind and others completely lacking in humanity. The black and white nature of supporting characters overly simplified a complex world. The film excelled when it remembered that Yun Bok carried not only the family but the story. He was a child who missed and resented his mother, loved and despised his father. He couldn’t understand why people who had more than they could eat refused to share with those who had nothing. Even after his book was published which assured the family of food each day, the film made a point of stating that for the many other Yun Boks in Korea, there was no happy ending, no gifted source of income from heaven, only sorrow. Rather there was bone gnawing hunger that too often was ignored. Yun Bok’s story in his diary and subsequent films made from the source material reminds us that the lives behind the masks of poverty are precious and every bit as important and significant as the wealthiest man. The film never shied away from the greed and desperation of people. However, just like Yun Bok’s perseverance and resolve to take care of his family, the film never gave up on him or society as a whole.
22 June 2025
Epilogue note: From what little I could find on the real Lee Yun Bok, the money he made from his diary allowed him to finish school. He was able to go on and work in business and as a salesman. There was a possibility the family knew where Sun was working. The Diary of Yunbogi was the first Korean book published in Japan after the normalization of relations between the two countries. Disappointingly, Yun Bok did not receive royalties from the publications in Japan or their adaptations of it. Lee Yun Bok died in 1990.
Sorrow Even Up in Heaven won the Blue Dragon Award for Best Film in 1965.
The film was considered lost until a copy with Mandarin subtitles was found in Taiwan. The damaged film was restored by the Korean Film Archive though the subtitles remain.
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Uneven story with wildly over-the-top wuxia action
Butterfly and Sword was a bloody, high flying, star-studded, overly complex, mess of a movie. And entertaining in a way only an over-the-top wuxia starring Michelle Yeoh, Donnie Yen, and Tony Leung Chiu Wai could be.What was it about? Good question. I've watched it twice and it still has confusing elements. Every synopsis I read had a slightly different take on it. Lady Ko, Meng Sing Wan, and Yip Cheung have been together since they were street kids doing what they had to do to survive. All grown up, the three are assassins who often take well paid jobs from the eunuch. Lady Ko is the boss, motivated by gold and power. Sing is lovers with Butterfly, the daughter of a martial artist killed in battle. Sing pretends to not know any martial arts, telling her he has to go on business trips every once in a while. Yip also works for Ko and spends his spare time peeping on her when she’s bathing. It’s not really a love triangle, this is more like a love conga line. Yip loves Ko, Ko loves Sing, and Sing love Butterfly. When the eunuch sends Ko and her Happy Forest to take down the Elites Villa and retrieve a letter listing rebels, the blood begins to spew and body parts start flying.
Michelle Yeoh gave a nuanced performance of a deadly assassin who grieved her lost childhood and love. I wasn’t crazy about the jealousy trope for a strong woman, but she made it work. Donnie Yen was the love sick puppy lacking the courage to tell Ko he’d loved her since they were children. Tony Leung gave a lighthearted take on the assassin in love. I’m not familiar with Joey Wong, but her Butterfly was annoying. Despite all the strategizing, spying, betrayals, and gruesome fights, the story came to a screeching halt every time Butterfly came on screen.
The fight choreography was wildly excessive. Sing was able to launch himself like an arrow from a line in a tree or Ko’s body. Was the craziest technique I’ve seen in a wuxia, especially when he blew through people’s bodies. Nothing could withstand the characters’ abilities, not even buildings. Donnie and Michelle had a great fight scene in a bamboo forest that left most of their opponents skewered. It also showcased Michelle’s flexibility. Even though there were numerous gruesome decapitations by a variety of methods, they were fake enough to be more humorous than terrifying. There was even lethal soccer action! If you don’t like wire-fu, skip this one. Most scenes used wires and sped up action. Tony Ching put his imagination to good use developing the maniacal fight choreography.
Butterfly and Sword was not a great movie, but it was fun. The story was maddeningly disjointed and edited. Fortunately, Michelle Yeoh, Donnie Yen, and Tony Leung were in their prime and held nothing back. When scenes cut abruptly into a different one or the reason behind certain actions weren’t explained, it helped to keep an eye on the stars. This is a movie for fans of the genre and who don’t mind a film that isn’t polished and doesn’t take itself too seriously.
11 March 2024
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This review may contain spoilers
"No need for a good man"
An Empress and the Warriors was a lushly shot film set during the warring kingdoms that tried to take flight but tumbled to earth due to lack of a compelling story. A warrior turned doctor attempted to show an empress the world in his high-flying ride only for her to be drawn back into her old life.The Kingdoms of Yan and Zhao have been in a generations old war with each other. During a battle the Yan emperor is struck with an arrow and bequeaths his kingdom to his trusted general, Muyong Xue Ha (Donnie Yen). When it looks like the move will create a civil war he gives the crown to the emperor's daughter, Yan Feier (Kelly Chen). Her vile cousin, Hu Ba (Guo Xiao Dong) stirs the court saying the emperor can neither be an orphan like Xue Ha or a woman like Feier. Feier promises to train as a warrior to be worthy of her title. Hu Ba hires a lethal gang of assassins and sets them after Feier. After being shot with a poisonous dart, she is saved by warrior turned doctor Duan Lan Quan (Leon Lai). Feelings spark but she has to go home to protect the country.
After battling the Zhao again, she abdicates the throne to Muyong and races back to Duan. Despite her previous speeches about the needs of the people, she makes the whiplash inducing decision to take care of her own needs instead. While floating in a magic balloon with her lover, her actions result in a disaster for the stability of the kingdom.
The movie was beautifully shot with plenty of iconic scenery for the battle and training montages as well as the romantic montages all overlaid with emotionally swelling music. So many montages. The military armor looked glorious in the well-choreographed battle and fight scenes. Duan's elaborate tree house felt summoned out of a fairytale or a movie set in Sherwood Forest. The movie's appearance was stunning. Unfortunately, the love triangle was wobbly at best and the grand romance felt forced and short-tracked, lacking in chemistry. Chen was more believable as the fierce warrior a la Mulan than the pouty princess. The writers did her a disservice by having her running back and forth between love and duty especially for someone who constantly commented on her commitment to her people. Yen made the most of his supporting role and stood out in his armor even though it kept him from his usual acrobatic fighting. Guo was saddled with few scenes and being cast as the stereotypical greedy villain who desired the throne over the good of the people. Leon Lai's love interest came across as bland and more than a little preachy.
If the writers had not made the empress appear so flighty in her emotions and loyalty it would have been a much stronger film for me. She ultimately embraces her role and duty but even then, it was when she had so few choices left. They missed out on creating a courageous female character of greater depth and wisdom. In the place of writing a compelling and consistent female lead, the writers gave us battle after battle, and montage after montage. An Empress and the Warriors kept the action full throttle throughout the film creating an exciting ride if not a memorable or magical one.
6/15/23
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This review may contain spoilers
Godzilla is nearing death not only for himself but possibly all of humanity as his nuclear heart is about to explode. If that wasn't enough to deal with, Japan's G Force must also contend with some truly scary monsters created from the original 1954 Godzilla weapon-the oxygen destroyer-that have reached maturity and come ashore. Though we are still in the rubber suit era, the CGI and miniatures are quite good for this time and budget. The Destoroyah describes a number of ten foot tall monsters that look like a cross between Alien and the creatures from Starship Troopers, or giant creepy scorpions that can also shoot laser breath out. Their battle with humans in a building were probably the scariest scenes I've seen in the old G movies. The danger and stakes were immediate and personal. When a reporter is trapped in a car with a Destoroyah after her it's more compelling than when unseen humans die in buildings and cars crushed by the giant monsters.
The story for this movie is strong when it focuses on the monsters. Godzilla's son appears and fights Destoroyah, drawing Godzilla back for a final battle. The fights are good, resisting the camp of older movies.
The weak spot in this movie is as usual, the humans. This group was a particularly bland group of actors and flat characters. The one bright spot was a call back to the original Godzilla movie when Momoko Kochi reprises her 1954 role as Emiko Yamane. Ultimately, the monsters showed more believable anger and grief than the humans.
The OST for this movie was particularly good for a Godzilla movie evoking emotions and blending appropriately with the scenes. Probably the best music from any of the Godzilla movies I've watched.
Aside from the acting, the biggest problem I had with this movie was that the narrative and pacing were not always coherent or cohesive. There were times I wasn't completely sure what was going on. At others, it felt like parts of the story had been forgotten.
The movie makes a nice circle back to the original which is fitting as this was to be the last in this series. Godzilla fights one final monster, maybe his greatest enemy yet, before his punishing finish for Tokyo.
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"You bury anything that doesn't look good" Then Kenshin ought to be safe!
I enjoyed Rurouni Kenshin: The Legend Ends more than the previous film. As with Kyoto Inferno, I’m completely unfamiliar with the source material and only discuss my opinion based on what I saw on the screen.As with all good martial arts films, when the hero gets his rearend handed to him, it’s time for a training montage! Kenshin has to face his sensei and his demons in order to learn the ultimate sword technique. Shishio is terrorizing the government and people with his big, metal warship loaded with powerful guns and cannons. Kenshin not only has to confront Shishio and his minions, but also the ninja Aoshi who has a grudge against the handsome samurai. Fortunately for Kenshin, he will have hot-headed buddy Sanosuke and ‘too cool for school’ Saito to help him in his final fight.
Now that everyone and their motivations had been identified, the fighting could begin. Shishio had a right to feel angry and betrayed but murdering innocent civilians wasn’t an appropriate way to act on his feelings. Aoshi’s hostility seemed to be aimed at the wrong person. I guess a guy has to have a hobby. Sanosuke was more useful in this film than the last and found someone just as hard-headed as himself to battle. Saito never got rattled even when fighting an enemy with a flaming sword that caused explosions. And of course, our favorite scarred samurai was all trained up for the big fight. This is one of those times a real sword would have come in handy as his inability to stop an equally skilled opponent with non-lethal hits only put his companions lives in mortal danger.
The training scenes may have gone on too long, but overall, the film was well-paced. The fights were cleverly choreographed and shot which is always important in this type of action film. This time Kaoru managed to not get kidnapped although she was almost splatted by canon fire for hanging out on a battlefield sightseeing. I’m counting it as a win.
I’ve watched several of the films out of order except for Inferno and this one. I’m disappointed to be finished with the franchise as Satoh Takeru has been fun to watch as the pain-filled samurai who was always ready to help the downtrodden. “Salute the samurais!” And maybe give them a ride home, they had a rough day.
8 March 2025
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"You look too stupid"
Eunuch of the Western Palace trotted out the evil eunuchs complete with a secret letter everyone wanted to get their hands on. Don Wong, Meng Fei, and Doris Lung starred as the sword carrying rebels determined to rid the country of corruption. Wu Ma wrote and directed the film from 1979.Don Wong is given a letter by a dying rebel. Lo Lieh saves his life, but refuses to become allies. Don meets up with Meng Fei, Doris Lung, and an unknown Taiwanese actress called the Invincible Sword. The rebels split up and are hunted by the eunuch’s men, including Lung Fei. Yuen Shen plays one of the leaders with knowledge of the eunuch’s wrongdoings who is trying to get the information to the emperor.
There was a lot of bouncing back and forth and circling around with the narrative which didn’t make much sense except to kill time. The much sought after letter faded in importance as the movie went along. The fights were about average for the time though a couple of them were filmed at night which made it almost impossible to make out the action. Time has not been kind to this movie with many frames darkened and/or blue in places.
The biggest reason to watch this film is if you are a fan of the cast or just enjoy old kung fu movies. I’ll watch about anything with Lo Lieh in it. He played the Doc Holliday style character with TB and a sense of honor. Don Wong, though stuck with a wig that looked like it had been run over by a carriage, held the rebel cast together with his presence. Doris Lung seemed to be having fun as a competent fighter with a wicked sense of humor. Meng Fei’s rebel was rather bland and dense. Tsung Hua chewed up the scenery as the power-hungry eunuch and Lung Fei could always be counted on as a believable baddie.
Eunuch of the Western Palace didn’t break any new ground in the evil eunuch genre or feature spectacular fights. It was watchable if you like any of the actors and the final fight in a snowstorm wasn’t bad. As always, I grade these old, low budget niche films on a curve.
3 July 2024
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