"All Men Are Brothers" is the sequel to "Water Margin" a.k.a. "Seven Blows of the Dragon" from 1972. At the beginning of "All Men Are Brothers", we learn that the emperor forgives the 108 Liangshan rebels since he finds they have the same enemies. The small army tries to conquer the city Hangchow, but is defeated. They send 7 spies to gather information about the city's defense before they attack a second time.
The sequel didn't completely fulfill the expectations I had after "Water Margin". The first half hour (note: I am reviewing the 102 min. restored DVD version, not the severely cut video version!) is promising, when the emperor is enchanted by music so much he forgives the Liangshan men, followed by an unusual battle on the seaside of the town. But after that, everything is drowned in gallons of bright red blood. One of the 7 spies is killed after an heroic fight against 20 enemies. Than the second spy is killed after an heroic fight against 20 enemies, then the third... It becomes predictable, with killing for its own sake, which is a pity as the first movie was much more interesting.
The sequel didn't completely fulfill the expectations I had after "Water Margin". The first half hour (note: I am reviewing the 102 min. restored DVD version, not the severely cut video version!) is promising, when the emperor is enchanted by music so much he forgives the Liangshan men, followed by an unusual battle on the seaside of the town. But after that, everything is drowned in gallons of bright red blood. One of the 7 spies is killed after an heroic fight against 20 enemies. Than the second spy is killed after an heroic fight against 20 enemies, then the third... It becomes predictable, with killing for its own sake, which is a pity as the first movie was much more interesting.