This Frankie Chan wuxia fantasy was filmed as a two-part movie with a total running time of 173 mins, but was then released in theatres severely edited down to approx. 110 mins. The Winson DVD seems to be the same version as the theatrical release.

To add to the confusion, Widesight also released an alternative cut of the film with an even shorter running time (90 mins) under the title "The invincible power of kindness".

Other than on Laserdisc, I don't think the full length uncut movie was ever released, which is a shame because the film has a few good things going. It's the typical revenge-driven wuxia plot centered around two warriors: Yip Hoi (Frankie Chan) is a light-hearted and kind kung fu master who is driven by empathy and mercy, whereas Wu (the legendary Ti Lung) is a merciless killing machine eaten up by thirst for revenge. They both arrive at an isolated village somewhere in mainland China to avenge a murder that took place 25 years earlier. Soon, everybody is engaged in one wirefu fight after another, limbs are separated, bodies fly through the air and nobody is quite who they seem.

The movie focuses on contrasting the two conflicting viewpoints symbolized by the two main characters, and even offers up some ironic twists on the dichotomy of kindness vs revenge by throwing in some unexpected plot twists and revelations about who these people really are towards the end. Much of this is filmed in the stark beauty of Northern China, with blood-stained snow as a recurring leitmotif. The storyline is somewhat reminiscent of a Spaghetti Western, except the battles are obviously not carried out with six-shooters but with the typical assortment of Eastern blades, daggers and the more excentric emblems of supernatural kung fu. The action choreography is competent, but never quite reaches the absurd over the top heights of some of Ching Siu Tung's and Yuen Woo Ping's best period fantasies from the same period.

Unfortunately, none of the above really becomes that clear when watching either one of the two available DVDs in isolation. They both are so severely cut that much of the storyline becomes butchered, leaving the viewer somewhat befuddled. Here are the main differences between the two versions:

TIPOK focuses more on the first third of the movie, depicting the backstory as well as Yip Hoi's childhood, and then going into more character development details when the two leads arrive in the village. The motivations of the protagonists are much clearer in this version. However, this is achieved at the expense of the plot. In particular, the last third of the movie is completely missing and the movie ends kind of abruptly, leaving the viewer somewhat confused. And in terms of the villains, the focus here is shifted through selective edits from the bearded head of Horse Hall to the female ex-lover of Pak, further adding to the narrative butchery.

AWT, on the other hand, cuts out all of the back story and much of the story elements not essential to the main plot. If you haven't seen TIPOK, I would imagine that this would create some degree of befuddlement, as characters like Anita Yuen suddenly are part of the film without ever having been introduced. On the plus side, the last third of the movie seems almost intact, so you do get to see the actual ending.

Taken together, the two films actually start to make sense. Watched in isolation, they don't. So I would only recommend you pick up AWT if you've already seen TIPOK and vice versa.