MOVIE

5/10

Ah, the heady days of the mid-80's D & B action flick - a dull plot, no characterisation, awful "comedy", a maniacally laughing villain, and Dick Wei wearing his huge Aviator sunglasses. Oh, and of course a superb final battle which attempts to make you forgive the rest of the movie...

I won't bother recalling the plot, as it all became a haze after about 10 minutes, with the film grinding to a halt as Meng Hoi, John Shum and Tsui Hark took part in numerous "hilarious" set-pieces whilst doing something with a highly sought after microfilm....I know, sounds original doesn't it!?
The only plus points came in the lithe form of Cynthia Rothrock and Michelle Yeoh (or Keng as she appears in the credits), and even their roles were more akin to extended cameos.

However, I have to agree with the description of the films finale, found on the back of the box - "stupendous" is the only word to do it justice.
Dick Wei and Chong Fat face off against Yeoh and Rothrock in a brutal sequence which utilises staffs, knives and swords to great effect.
Just prior to this, the two ladies decimate a bunch of henchmen in stunning fashion, looking both graceful and brutal, as their opponents fly through glass and over furniture in some painful looking stunts.

It's just a shame that the previous 120 mins are so mind-numbingly boring...

PICTURE

6/10

Neither stunning nor awful, the general quality of the transfer is very acceptable.
Colours are fairly strong, and the level of detail is consistently good, without ever being great.
The print's condition is OK, with only a few really noticeable marks showing up in the opening scenes, although it certainly looks as though the film was shot in 1985.

SOUND

6/10

The soundtrack has supposedly been remixed into 5.1 Dolby, but apart from the extremely rare rear effects, the bulk of the audio is delivered through the centre speaker. This was generally very acceptable, apart from the opening scenes which made gunshots sound like someone snapping an elastic band in a broom-cupboard.

SUBTITLES

7/10

Much like the picture quality, the subtitles are neither great nor poor.
There are quite a few mistakes dotted throughout, although nothing which is going to spoil your "enjoyment" of the movie, and overall the subs are good.

MENUS

4/10

A few reasonable pictures are dotted about the menus, but ultimately the layout and design is uninspiring.

EXTRAS

3/10

Three trailers (Magnificent Warriors, Easy Money and Royal Warriors) join the film's original theatrical trailer under the heading "Extras".
Two Star Files, for Michelle Yeoh and Yuen Kwai, are also available on the disc, but considering the movie features Cynthia Rothrock, Dick Wei and Chong Fat that's not really good enough.

PACKAGING

7/10

A very good front cover, and an equally pleasing back one (including a well written plot synopsis), are provided with this Universe disc.

CONCLUSION

6/10

If you're a huge fan of Cynthia Rothrock or Michelle Yeoh you may consider this a tempting purchase, especially considering the awesome finale. However, can 6 superb minutes, padded by 83 awful ones, really be worth spending your hard-earned cash on?....I think not.

MOVIE		5/10
PICTURE		6/10
SOUND		6/10
SUBTITLES		7/10
EXTRAS		3/10
MENUS		4/10
PACKAGING		7/10
OVERALL		6/10