Legend of the Wolf (1997)
Reviewed by: SUPERCOP on 1999-12-25
Summary: Above average.....
Donnie Yen embarks on his directorial debut with this low-budget martial arts actioner that is low on brains and high on action.Yen stars as the legendary Wolf, a martial artist whose exploits are recounted through a series of flashbacks peppered throughout the duration of this film. The screenplay is one big cliche; the main characters are uninteresting, the villains are tedious and unmotivated, and it also uses the old amnesia subplot which has been done to death. Even the performances are below par, which is a given considering the quality of the script. Yet despite these obvious shortcomings, it's the action sequences that makes this film worthwhile. They are plentiful (there are no less than 4 big bouts), well choreographed, highly stylized (eg. Tsui Hark's The Blade), and do a good job showcasing Yen's fabulous bootwork. All in all, a flawed, but entertaining piece that is worth the rental for the martial arts alone.

Rating: 6/10
Reviewer Score: 6