Rating: **
Review Date: 1/7/14
You know you're in trouble when the box cover features a quote from an IMDb user review.
This is a silly kung fu period piece in the vein of Robert Tai or Godfrey Ho, but much more coherent. A nasty member of the Eagle Clan named To Pa steals a shipment of government gold from the legendary Lightning Whipper. He frames his colleague Lei Peng for the theft and murders his entire family so there will be no witnesses. Lightning Whipper's son and daughter vow revenge and blame Lei Peng for their father's death, but first they decide to help him in hopes of tracking down the lost gold. Another wandering swordswoman named Tieh also joins the group, and together the four of them take on To Pa and his army of increasingly eclectic hired killers.
It's pretty much complete nonsense, but the pacing is good and the action is plentiful. The fight scenes are entertaining and well executed for the most part, but suffer from drop-frame editing and undercranking. While the two female leads lack speed and power, they certainly don't lack conviction and their performances are quite enjoyable. As these films go, it's just an escalating series of revenge scenarios, played out until no one is left standing. Pretty typical for the time period.