There are many interesting facts (like Bruce Lee apparently visiting the set and so forth),that depending on what Edition you bought (or if you watch it digitally),will be included. Now generally speaking, I am quite biased towards movies of this type. So if you are not a fan or have cherished Shaw Brothers movies or eastern action flicks, you may feel "betrayed" by my score.

Having said that, the movie is nicely set up, with the action almost entirely playing in one location. The shoot must have been nice and also cost effective one may think. While this is a drama, this has a lot of fights and action scenes. The biggest one at its climax. Now some may think or question why it took so long - but you wouldn't do the movie justice with questioning things like that. Also you want to have fun, don't you? I would think the answer is yes to this.

So sit back and enjoy a hand to hand combat, but also quite nice swordplay. I was not too aware of the director of this before I watched it (never read too much about things I'm going to watch) or how generally praised this is - again we're talking about a certain community and fan base of course. If you're not included in that, it doesn't mean you are wrong or right. It's just not your thing. If it is, you're also not right or wrong, you'll just enjoy and cherish it, is all

It starts with the helpful narrator explaining the history of the story and introducing the actors. Next there is an extended scene in a large teahouse.

I watched this movie about seven years ago and did not like it. I wanted an Angela Mao movie and she had a limited part here. Plus she dies in a not so good fight. With an open mind I watched it again and I feel a little better.

The extended scene in the tea house has every cliché and seems to last forever. On with the story, please. At about the 45 minute mark, and still in the tea house, Angela seems to do a somersault over the bar but it is really a wipe. The stunt man dressed as her passes behind the wall, stops, and Angela steps out (without a hair out of place).

On the second view I rate this as just average. I felt it would have been above average if about twenty minutes was cut.

Vastly underrated mainly because it seems a bit dated now and is very hard to get hold of. My copy distributed by Beauty from China is not the best of transfers and has no extras. Anything by King Hu is worth watching and this has echoes of his earlier classic Dragon Gate Inn. Rebels and the Manch warlord Lee Kahn come together in a remote inn and the tension builds during the period of the Yuan Dynasty where the Han people fought to expel the Mongol invaders. There are many stars in this early film, Roy Chiao, Angela Mao, Lil Lil-hua (brilliant as the owner of the inn),Hsu Feng (as Lee Kahn's sister) and the action choreography (rather limited but effective) is by Sammo Hung. Tin Fung is chilling as Lee Kahn and both the acting, direction and photography (King Hu loved scenery shots) are superior and unusually for films of the period, the female leads are all strong characters. A great genre film well worth watching.