Don't blink and the first face you will see on screen is Lau Kar-Wing, perhaps the number two greatest man in the history of martial arts movies. He is the brother of Lau Kar-Leung, the man I consider the number one greatest man in the history of martial arts movies. The opening fight supports my opinion.

Ti Lung plays a character (Wu Song) known as "Tiger Killer". Captain Obvious knows how he got that alias. If you need the whole story watch the 1982 Shaw Brothers movie "Tiger Killer". This character also goes on as one of the 108 heroes in "The Water Margin". He is promptly arrested after getting his revenge in the opening scene. He then wears a cangue while walking off to prison. The cangue is supposed to keep him from fighting. Instead, it provides a formidable weapon.

The fights with Ti Lung in the cangue are superb. A note to all viewers - keep in mind how difficult it must have been for Ti Lung to avoid injuring himself with that around his neck and hands. Balance would be hard to maintain and difficult to recover without going to the ground. Hitting the ground with that cangue restraining the hands and neck could make the simplest fall injurious.

The cangue and the character are the two factors that make this movie. The excellent performance by Ti Lung accomplishes both. "The world and time do not exist when one is intoxicated", says Ti Lung and that totally applies to watching this movie.

THE DELIGHTFUL FOREST is another Shaw Brothers adaptation of a tale originally found in the novel epic THE WATER MARGIN. It was made between the Shaw versions of MARGIN and its sequel ALL MEN ARE BROTHERS, although the events are set before those chronicled in MARGIN. This one's a stand alone effort looking at an episode in the life of tiger-killing hero Wu Song, played with relish by the intensely like Ti Lung. Lung finds himself a prisoner transported to an unfamiliar province, where he meets friendly witches, kind officials, and the titular town dominated by corrupt officials and a bullying strongman. If you're a fan of these Shaw "martial world" movies or Chang Cheh in general then you'll know what to expect, which is treachery, alliances and plentiful bloodthirsty action, the climax in particular reaching the blood-splashed heights that the director was well known for.

Wu Sung (Ti Lung),famous for having killed a tiger with his bare hands (and his adulterous sister and her lover!),avenges himself in a spectacular opening scene before allowing himself to be taken off to jail (his head and hands in a stock-like contraption, a cangue). En route to jail, he's given the opportunity to escape not once but twice, but insists on being taken in so he can pay for his crimes. This is known as Righteousness Plus. At An Ping Fortress (the prison),he's asked by the warden's son to help liberate a gambling den in The Delightful Forest (a village) from strongman Jiang. Wu agrees on the condition that he can have three bowls of wine at each inn and tavern along the way. Though drunk by the time he arrives, Wu handily beats Jiang and Shi En's property is returned to its rightful owner. Wu is then wooed by Jiang's boss and father, Zheng, who proceeds to get him drunk again and frames him for theft. Wu is ambushed and beaten and once again hauled off to prison. Needless to say, there's hell to pay when he sobers up. Ti Lung is at his best here as the righteous Wu Sung, and whether he's using his fists, his feet or a sword, the action is beautifully done throughout and the blood-drenched finale is one of Chang Cheh's best. Lung's final costume suggests that this is a prequel to THE WATER MARGIN. Don't miss it.