CHALLENGE OF DEATH opens with the three stars demonstrating their respective martial arts: the high-kicking Tao Liang Tan balances himself atop what looks like tree trunks while going through his Dragon Fist moves; Don Wong slithers through a maze of lit candles, extinguishing some of them with his Snake Fist strikes; and Yi Chang as Sung uses his "webbing" to become airborne doing his sinister Spider Fist technique(s). "Security Corps" agent Lu (Tan) is sent after the girlfriend of Wang Tao (Wong), Wu Chin Wa, who happens to be an illegal arms dealer. Tan arrests Wong, a self-styled "Don Juan," For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge. Wong agrees to help Tan if Tan will help HIM get $100 for his uncle's orphanage. Tan agrees and in a genuinely funny scene, dresses up as Wong's toothless hag of a wife when the two enter a gambling den (some of Tan's teeth are blacked out, and he looks pretty goofy). Tan's high-pitched harpie voice becomes noticeably deeper after he and Wong best some thugs bent on recovering their casino's losings: "Husband," Tan shouts: "It's getting late! We'd better go!" Taking it all in stride, Wong agrees and they leave the scene of the crime. Tan and Wong make a great team (both as their "true" characters and as the "husband and wife" team). It's an uneasy alliance, and they square off before agreeing to fully cooperate with one another. The Hits hit the fan when Tan takes out Sung's top henchman in an excellent display of kicking and acrobatics. Wong is wounded by Sung (the wound appropriately resembles a spider's bite) before Tan tests Sung (losing his C.O. in the process) and getting injured himself. Tan and Wong work together to figure out a way to overcome the sinister Sung and the final showdown is well worth seeing. An outstanding movie from director Tso Nam Lee, and a solid ten in my book.
Review of Long quan she shou dou zhi zhu
