Do you enjoy watching films for a few hours of entertainment and escapism? If you do, then don't watch this film. You'll get nothing out of it but pain, disgust, cringe and pure misery.

The script in this movie is one of the worst I have ever come across. And this is from someone who has watched hundreds of Hong Kong movies. It is simply atrocious. There are so many 'What were they thinking?!' moments that you'll be shouting at your TV by its disjointed, nonsensical conclusion.

I'm not sure how they managed to botch such a simple 'revenge film' formula so badly here, but perhaps not condensing the revenge arc into the final 5 minutes of the film would have been prudent. Normally the 'act of transgression' will occur near the beginning of the movie (or at least the middle) and then the protagonist will spend the rest of the film kicking ass, taking names and putting people in an early grave. But not this film. In this film we get the unspeakable sin 10 minutes from the end, when our hero should already be well into the last boss fight. There are honestly so many celluloid crimes on display here it's sickening.

And it's a bit of a shame because some of the actors involved are actually putting in really good performances! They obviously had no idea what they were signing up for.

If you're looking for your kung fu fix then you'll also be disappointed, because there's one fight that lasts about 30 seconds, and the final fight which just about scrapes past the 2-3 minute mark. The choreography on display in these rushed sequences is exciting to watch, but you have to wade through 87 minutes of turd to enjoy it.

Just watch Sun Chung's other fu film, A Fistful of Talons (1983) instead. It's so much better. If you absolutely have to waste your time here then skip to the last 5 minutes of the film. You'll be glad you did.

Even though the studio had officially closed the preceding year, the Shaw Bros. continued to release films sporadically over the years. This is possibly the last film that closely resembles the classic Shaw kung fu drama. The Shaws' rehired director Sun Chung, who had been working independently, to helm this Ti Lung film.

Ti Lung reprises his role from Sun Chung's earlier "Kung Fu Instructor" as the kung fu master, Tong. This time he has a young teenage son who follows him since the mother is dead. Hired by a general to retrain his troops who've become lazy and useless, Tong's first act is to stop the soldiers' nightly forays to the town's classy brothel. This goes over poorly with the town's chief constable who secretly owns the brothel. The constable targets Tong's son and persecutes the child by framing him for thievery. Complicating the plot is Tong's attraction to the star prostitute in the brothel and the politics that prevents Tong from just smacking the crap out of the constable. Things don't get better, especially when the emperor's eunuch shows up looking for new young boys to castrate.

Heavy on drama, low on martial art action, this would be a minor Shaw effort if it was from the 1970's. What makes this film an exception is it's production date of 1985. While chock full of Shaw supporting actors and apparently shot on Shaw sets in Taiwan, this is not filmed on the standard "ShawScope" widescreen film ratio. With a more standard screen ratio of 1:1.85 it looks different and while colorfully lighted the film stock looks much more modern then Shaw films of a year before. Also the ever present "The End" title with the motto, "Another Shaw Production" is missing replaced with a more standard credit roll.

Is it a good film? For me the story is disjointed and in a way arbitrary. The brothel setting brings on two useless sequences with nudity. There's a pointless subplot about a soldier and a pregnant prostitute. The soldiers are a stock set of goofy rascals that you've probably seen in other Shaw films. Wong Yu, a wonderful presence and martial artist in Liu Chia Liang films, is almost completely wasted here. He gets to act as the leader of the soldiers but he never lifts a finger in a fight. Sun Chueng's direction is solid as usual and the two fights in the film are filmed with his intense action style. The script veers from heavy melodrama to goofy hijinks to rather intense violence. Believe me, when the eunuch shows up things do not get pretty. Ti Lung is the saving grace in the film, he pulls off his role of a conflicted fighter who is trying raise his son and continue his living as a wandering kung fu instructor. Unfortunately he suffers during the stagy melodrama scenes. The fights are very well done, too bad there are only two during the entire 90 minutes.

Interesting but not great at all. The violence is distasteful at times.

If you can skip the nudes scenes, and there are plenty to skip, this is an almost palatable story to watch. Ti Lung reprises his Master Instructor Tong Tie Zheng role from Kung Fu Instructor, this time out, he has a tween son, Tong Xiao Feng (Fan Siu-Wong) who has absolutely no filter when speaking. They come up against Chief Constable Jin Bu Huan (Michael Chan Wai-Man),who uses family influences to maintain his version of law and order. It become immediately clear to Bu Huan that Tong isn't going to kowtow like all the others.

Unfortunately for Xiao Feng, he is about to become the prime victim of Bu Huan's attempt to make Zheng fall in line, who is cutting in to Bu Huan's profits, especially at the local brothel. Zheng has declared no soldier shall visit the brothel or other ill repute establishment while in training. This cuts deep into Bu Huan's pockets. So, Xiao Feng is accused of theft at school and taken to the Chief Constable's office where "witnesses" claim to have seen him steal a Jade pendant. Zheng forces his son to abide by Bu Huan's punishment - kowtow to the boy from whom Xiao Feng is accused of stealing. Xiao Feng does it and then runs away from his father.

Bu Huan decides a stiffer warning is necessary and has his nephew, Constable Chai (Lung Tien-Hsiang) attack Zheng at the brothel when Zheng is alone with Miss Hong (Sibelle Hu Hui-Chung). Chai and his cronies come out on the bad end of the encounter. Bu Huan's has Chai carried to the training camp to show Commander Huang (Ku Feng) what Zheng has done. It's irrelevant that Chai started it. Zheng, to save face, uses Chai's sword to cut himself across the chest.

Xiao Feng is furious is father would rather save face than stand up to men like Bu Huan and Chai. His father is supposed to be a hero yet hides from what must be done to bring these men down from their high horses. When Zheng is forced to relent the edict regarding frequenting the local brother, Bu Huan feels he has the upper hand. However, the soldiers decide to honor Zheng by staying on base and working on their training.

Bu Huan's next step is to get Eunuch Chen (Tony Liu Chun-Lu),his uncle and Chief Eunuch for the Emperor, to issue an edict declaring Xiao Feng will become an Eunuch at the Emperor's palace. Zheng rushes into town to find his son. Xiao Feng informs him that he no longer has a father, All of this could have been prevented had Zheng stood up to Bu Huan and the others. What happens going forward is all Zheng's fault in the eyes of his son.

Zheng tries to rescue his son by pleading with Chen. Xia Feng i his only son, the only chance to carry on the Tong name. Chen reminds Zheng that he is not an old man and can always have more sons. The request to spare Xiao Feng the fate of being a Eunuch falls upon deaf ears. Chen announces it will be up to Bu Huan what happens to Xiao Feng. Zheng is informed he has to leave town and never return. he is to wait at an inn on the outside of town for 4 days and his son will be sent to him. Zheng spends most of the time on each day standing on a hill awaiting the arrival of his son.

Xiao Feng is finally brought to him by Bu Huan's men - in a bag. Xiao Feng is dropped to the ground and the men ride off. Zheng embraces his son, pleased to see Xiao Feng is still alive. However, Zheng quickly discovers Bu Huan had Xiao Feng castrated before sending the boy to his father.

There is not a place in China Bu Huan or Chai will be able to hide from an avenging father. Chai's attempt to ambush Zheng fails, when Zheng's soldiers lend a hand in the battle. Zheng asks them to watch over Xiao Feng and to stand down. What has to happen can only occur between Zheng, Chai and Bu Huan.

Chai is quickly eliminated. I have seen Lung Tien-Hsiang fight much better in several movies. Chai's demise is partly due to his inadequacies against heng's skills. The best fight is Zheng vs Bu Huan. It is bloody and destructive. It also has an ending I am sure will not set well with most men. Bu Huan spent most of the film reminding Zheng things are done an eye for an eye in this town. Zheng abides by that rule at the end of the fight. He drags Bu Huan into the building where the Eunuch Chen had created new Eunuchs. Bu Huan struggles and pleads as he is strapped to the table. He wants mercy when he showed none for Xiao Feng. While I won't call it an eye for an eye...Bu Huan receive the same treatment he had given Xiao Feng.

Xiao Feng embraces his father a the movie ends. I would have given this film a better rating had there not been so many nude scenes. None were integral to the plot. Just because you can show naked women does't mean you should. I was also looking for more fight scenes featuring Ti Lung. It was an okay movie. I would not recommend seeing it twice.