Starring: Yuen Biao, Adam Cheng, Brigitte Lin, Mang Hoi
Director: Tsui Hark
The film: In the beginning, long before Hollywood caught its martial arts mania, there was Tsui Hark's Zu: Warriors Of The Magic Mountain. And now, thanks to the people at Medusa Communication in Britain, we have a collector's edition of the film that restores the original print to all its glory.
Zu stars Yuen Biao as Dik Mingkei, a young warrior who tires of China's internal upheavals and the constant threats on his life. So he looks for a little piece of serenity in a cave on Zu Mountain. Big mistake. The mountain is full of spirits who have their own designs on the world outside, and our hero once again finds himself forced into battle.
There are swords to be fought for too, as they hold the key to beating the bad guys. And there's action galore with Sammo Hung leaping around and doing what he does best - fighting - not to mention Brigitte Lin's amazing hair, which defies gravity with every head turn.
The special effects, while not of the standard to which we've become accustomed these days, still hold up pretty well and the fight scenes are spectacular. The plot becomes as misty as Zu Mountain at times but there's enough fighting to hold your attention. Zu was the first of its kind and has been much copied ever since its release in 1983.