A contemporary novelist writes adventure stories set in 1930s China, whose plot increasingly reflects his own real-life dramas. An interesting premise with much potential, which is unfortunately not realized. Despite a polished script and some engaging fight scenes, the music, cinematography and acting are barely attended to, and the last half descends into the worst conventional schmaltz. The fictional character and title of the film, "Adventure King", could be faithfully translated as "Last Action Hero", and there are more than a few (probably unintentional) similarities on all levels. Particularly, Ching Siu-Tung and John McTiernan are gifted action directors who have made great films, but they seem increasingly bored with the material. This film is most notable as another signpost of increased sophistication in the HK film milieu, a development which is not necessarily for the better.

[Reviewed by Iain Sinclair]