poe426
From the opening wedding scene- during which it's revealed that the bride-to-be is a bit of a "loosey goosey"- it's clear that John Woo's LAST HURRAH FOR CHIVALRY isn't going to be your typical kung fu movie. (The infusion of humor had, by this time, become de rigeur for many martial arts movies. Not that that's necessarily a bad thing, but I prefer the more dramatic movies, myself; even the unintentionally hilarious overly melodramatic ones.) When Chang's sister's paramour hesitates tying the knot, Chang takes it upon himself to beat a confession out of the guy. The reluctant Romeo tells him: "Her brother (meaning Chang) has a violent temper!" Throughout the movie, Woo swipes Akira Kurosawa's WIPES when transitioning between scenes; it's a nice little touch that most people probably don't pick up on, but an indication that Woo had an interest in EXPANDING his own repertoire. There is some spectacular swordplay, and the constantly circling camera lends a 3D feel to the action. "Dreams lead you nowhere," says Green at one point: "I don't like to dream." Says Lau Gong: "The making of a hero costs a lot of innocent lives." The Sleeping Wizard is fun, but the deus ex machina of the Sword of Flying Invisibility comes totally out of left field.
fongsaiyuk
This is one of my favourite martial arts movies from Hong Kong. It is one of John Woo's earliest films and one of only a few traditional martial arts movies he directed. You can see his influences from working under Chang Cheh in this film. The action is good, the fight choreography is conducted by Fong Hak On who appears as one of the bad guys in the movie. It stars Wei Pei of "Five Venoms" fame and a whole host of faces familiar to fans of Golden Harvest and Shaw Brothers productions. The story line is interesting, there are a few decent plot twists and the build up of the characters and their relationships with each other is cleverly done. This film has only had a VHS release in the UK. Media Asia have released a region 3 DVD and there are versions of it on DVD available from the USA. The film is lovely to watch in either it's original language or in it's English dubbed version. I highly recommend this movie.
gormsoerensen
The pros of this film are the astonishing fighting scenes - absolutely incredible sword-moves and martial art show off. A true John Woo masterpiece. The story tends to be a bit week though, but it never overshadows the overwhelming display of acrobatic martial art action. If you are into martial art movies, you are going to LOVE this one!
John Seal
This rather formulaic swords and flying fists movie is a decent early display of John Woo's talents. The cinematography is excellent and some of the sword work is truly remarkable. Unfortunately the film labours under the burden of a dull story and a glaringly low budget (check some of the setbound fight scenes if you doubt me). Nonetheless, it's worth seeing, especially if you can catch in letterboxed.
AD
