Reviewed by: Frank Lakatos Date: 10/11/2006 Summary: Well made Taiwanese triad thriller This is an excellent triad movie. Instead of being a Hong Kong Godfather(1985) and A Better Tomorrow(1986) clone, it's completely original in it's characterization, and it's no nonsense, and vicious, the way HK movie were meant to be. The script, which is very well written, seems to be rushed probably due to the budget and expectations, but this does not effect the point director Chu Yen Ping tries to make, as this movie is very well acted and well shot. A break from the usual generic stock HK triad characterizations and the way the story and characters evolve is much natural than what you'd find in HK movies, due to the the differences between the Taiwanese and the HK people's ways of living life. A great change of pace. 4/5

Reviewed by: ElectraWoman Date: 01/21/2001 Summary: 7/10-Violent but watchable Looking at the cover design, I was a little wary. It looked like your standard triad film. Well, that's what it is. But what gives this film a little more edge to other films of this genre is that its main character is totally unlikeable :) Actually, most of the "nicer" characters are either killed off or play minor roles. Maybe that's a reason why it didn't do so well in the box-office. Most audiences need a character they can relate to. Basically the story is about REVENGE! KILL! REVENGE! KILL! There's a love story tossed in the side, but for most part there's people dying left, right and centre ("I have never felt so good!" proclaims the main character as he buries his enemy). Throw in a bit of intrigue and underworld seediness in the mix and there's your film. But hey, it's very watchable, and the film moves fast enough to cover any gaps in the plot. If you like your films with high mortality rates then look for this :)