This Shaw Brothers Chang Cheh film always seems to draw mixed responses. In some ways it was used to set the scene for the later Shaolin films but nothing with Alexander Fu Sheng and Chen Kuan Tai can ever truly be dull. Lau Kar Leung (and Tong Gaai) bring the fighting to life with an authentic feel that Lau Kar Leung really pioneered in such films. Zhu Mu and Chen Kuan Tai are great villains, though the latter could have had a better end fight against Alexander. The very pretty Fong Sam has a small but significant part as bait for the traps and Fung Hak On always does creepy villains well. It's hard not to see Feng Yi and not think of his role in Fist of Fury but he plays his part well. Perhaps one of the problems is that this film starts off in spectacular fashion with Alexander fighting amidst the burning temple and then mostly tells a story until the incredible mass fight at the end. I was told that in this fight the screen often goes red as it was so bloody it contravened the sensibilities of the time ? Alexander was nineteen when he made this - his first real starring role, and unfortunately died only a few years later. Not as good perhaps as the later films in the series (see Brian Camp's review) but not a bad introduction either.
Review of Heroes Two
