Reviewed by: steveonkeys Date: 07/22/2005 Summary: Great, but should have been better. The cast and choreography is fantastic, it's beautifully shot, and just cooks in a lot of places. The problem is: the script meanders a lot, Leung Kar Yan isn't skilled enough to perform the Fok forms like Ko Fei and Yasuaki Kurata, and due to the nature of the storyline, the final fight isn't the full on climax that one is hoping for. Better than most classic kung fu movies, but not really one of the elite few at the top This could have been the greatest of them all, but it isn't. -S.M. Reviewer Score: 7

Reviewed by: balstino Date: 07/09/2003 Summary: Good, Good, but 2 little niggles... This is a very solid kung fu flick, of the quality of Drunken Master etc... BUT! 1) I don't like wooden Karate moves on film and 2) There is a change in actor half way through the film when the main character grows up. It wasn't very convincing at first. Do seek this one out though.

Reviewed by: Inner Strength Date: 11/16/2002 Summary: Pretty good [Legend of a Fighter] A bit of a classic here in the UK, I remember watching this first when I was very young. It certainly isn’t up to standards of some truly classic kung fu films, but it’s certainly got to be up there in the hall of fame. It’s not exactly one of Yuen Wo Pings best either. I recently saw the cleaned up version on the HKL DVD, which is excellent quality unlike the original format. Still, despite my praise for the film, it does seem a little dull these days, and I’d suggest anyone thinking about seeing this looks elsewhere. There are plenty of better kung fu films than this, but like I said, anyone who likes this film really should check out the HKL version of this, as it’s been remarkably cleaned up. [3.5/5]

Reviewed by: pjshimmer Date: 04/29/2002 This virtually flawless martial arts fare presents a few essential details of the life of one of China's greatest nationalists (the second greatest perhaps, after Wong Fei Hung), Huo Yuan Jia, who is the master of Chen Zhen (Fist of Fury and remakes). Chen Zhen is not in this story as he is not taken in by Master Huo until later. The action is generally nice, if a little slow at times. Still inferior to the Legendary Fok TV series, but well worth seeing. [8/10]

Reviewed by: MasterArts Date: 03/07/2002 Summary: This one actually brought a tear to my eye An awesome classic from the best fight choreographer in the business. It starts off like its going to be a very boring hatred upon Japanese film. But don't leave your seats. Phillip Ko opens up strong with fast complex forms. Then you find yourself trying to find the seat in the back of you without your eyes leaving the screen. Here's where it starts. Fantastic training, with lot of speedy complex choreography. Leung Kar is a bit slower than the other actors and it shows. Not to take anything away from him, he does look slick and smooth doing it. And he is the main character. Kurata here is better than you'll see him anywhere. A tough log thats nearly unbeatable. He plays the teacher and the Japanese that Leung Kar will fight in the end. Good story, thats suppose to be documented. Be well advised that this movie has a sad ending. The ending of this movie still gets me, no matter how much times I see it. Definitely one of my faves.

Reviewed by: SBates Date: 03/01/2001 Summary: Well-done This film follows the pattern of other Seasonal films which focus on master and student, and training sequences, but having said that, it's a slick, interesting film with a compelling first half, a lack of focus in the middle (once the Foh Yuen Gaap character grows up), and a knockout final fight scene with a bit of an emotional twist at the end. A superior kung fu film.

Reviewed by: hkcinema Date: 12/08/1999 A famed internal kung-fu master forbids his weakling son, HuoYuen-Chia, to learn the family style. But he learns it covertly, assisted by a disguised Japanese tutor - who is also studying it in secret. A sincere, simple historical (set in early 20th century China) kung-fu film. Compare with "Fist of Fury"/"Fist of Legend". Has some good set-pieces, which still hold up well. [Reviewed by Iain Sinclair]