SWIFT SHAOLIN BOXER is a slightly madcap vehicle for ferocious female fighter Angela Mao; not one of her most assured or confident films, but nonetheless one that entertains thanks to the slapdash and outre elements of the plot. The story sees Mao teaming up with Barry Chan to go after master villain Lo Lieh in a wide-ranging plot that takes in plenty of bizarre spectacle.
Diverse elements of the film include: kung fu fighting monk kids with the ability to defy gravity; an assassin who kills via flute music; secret papers that must be stolen at all costs; fields full of flags and parasols; a night fight in a ghoulish graveyard; spies and spying; captures and rescues; an outlandish interlude in which a corpse herder and his corpses become involved in a pitched battle; plus a big fight climax with a twist or two. It's all quite low budget and unbelievable, but at least it's never boring. Mao is fine as always although Chan bags the most screen time, and Lieh is, as always, the best thing about the production.
Diverse elements of the film include: kung fu fighting monk kids with the ability to defy gravity; an assassin who kills via flute music; secret papers that must be stolen at all costs; fields full of flags and parasols; a night fight in a ghoulish graveyard; spies and spying; captures and rescues; an outlandish interlude in which a corpse herder and his corpses become involved in a pitched battle; plus a big fight climax with a twist or two. It's all quite low budget and unbelievable, but at least it's never boring. Mao is fine as always although Chan bags the most screen time, and Lieh is, as always, the best thing about the production.