This has an absolutely topnotch group of action stars in it but a surprising paucity of action - a few solid scuffles, bullets exchanged along with angry glances and words. But for this much talent there should have been way more. A few of the names are little more than cameos for the publicity I expect. Even so, this is an enjoyable low budget romp through the crime world of Hong Kong - gambling for big stakes, robbery, murder, revenge, betrayal, a buzz saw - the usual list of characteristics of a crime-drama. Throw in a beautiful woman and her female bodyguard and it is a fast moving tale but even the finale when you might expect it to finally go bonkers is strangely sedate. HKMDB doesn't even list an action choreographer.


Chin Siu-ho and Norman Tsui are lieutenants for crime boss Chen Kuan-tai and they pull off a sting in a gambling match and steal a few million HK$ from Teddy Yip (the third straight film I have seen him in). They hand it over to Chen but he only takes a few handfuls and leaves the rest to his two men who are also good friends. They both plan on immigrating to Canada with the Handover on the horizon. Chen says fine - a nice triad boss! Well, no not really. On the scene comes Ellen Chan and her mean looking female bodyguard played by Tu Kuei-hua, a Taiwanese bodybuilder and martial artist who showed up in a few Girls with Guns films and acquitted herself well. Ellen uses some newfangled technology that allows her to see the cards and wins a bundle in Chen's casino. But that isn't why she came to Hong Kong. She came to kill Chen for killing her father years before.


On hand also is Billy Chow who has a nice back and forth with Chin Siu-ho and Johnny Wang who is Ellen's uncle and Michael Chan, Lo Lieh and Fung Hak-on who basically have cameos. So let me get this straight - Chen Kuan-tai, Johnnie Wang and Lo Lieh - three greats from the Shaw Brothers martial arts films; and Billy Chow, Chin Siu-ho, Norman Tsui and Tai Bo who plays Chen's creepy son from this period all in one film and the female bodyguard fights more than anyone. Ok. There must have been a reason.


The brotherhood among triad members all goes to hell as some turn on others and it gets messy. The most memorable scene - and this is on me - is when Ellen tries to seduce Chin for devious reasons - my TV fogged up so I might have missed some of it but watching Ellen go sexy in a negligee was well worth the price of admission. One other scene intrigued me and I was wondering if any gun fanciers out there could tell me if this is possible. Michael Chan captures Chin and Tsui under the orders of Teddy Yip and told to kill them. But Chan is a betting man as I guess everyone in Hong Kong is. So he says, I will give you a chance to walk away. He takes out his enormous pistol, removes one bullet, spins it around and gives it to Tsui. He says point it at your friend and pull the trigger. If he doesn't die you can both leave. So Tsui spins it around, listening carefully and stops it. And pulls the trigger. He got it right. Can this really be done? Not that anyone should try this at home!