Set in early 20th century (gonna say 1930s maybe?), another classically styled kung fu drama with a well rounded sense of humor and nice 'spy' felt music (by Chow Leung) that enhances the lovely, dreary cinematography.
It is well paced but this off beat espionage tale, involving the Red Lantern Bandits, feels like an extended chapter from an ongoing epic. The setting of a traveling opera (Beijing opera?) as the backdrop lends an air of mystery and suspense and this film really is pretty to look at depending on which video label you catch. Note to collectors: the video label is 'Facing All Death' (seems more like a series of titles than an actual distributor and the packaging resembles the old 'Saturn' titles) and the running time was 87 minutes.
It is well paced but this off beat espionage tale, involving the Red Lantern Bandits, feels like an extended chapter from an ongoing epic. The setting of a traveling opera (Beijing opera?) as the backdrop lends an air of mystery and suspense and this film really is pretty to look at depending on which video label you catch. Note to collectors: the video label is 'Facing All Death' (seems more like a series of titles than an actual distributor and the packaging resembles the old 'Saturn' titles) and the running time was 87 minutes.