The best is the fight with Master Pai. Surrounded by candles in what appears to be a dungeon, the two youngsters must use their wits as well as their weapons to beat this Guan Dao (a large broad sword attached to a long wooden poll) wielding fiend. Woo brings the candles into play wonderfully in this scene, mixing them right into the action. Another display of Woo’s genius is the final fight scene against Kao. After a long battle with blood all over the place and including the traditional Chinese flying master, it’s the final stroke that you want to keep your eyes open for.

Last Hurrah For Chivalry is a greatly entertaining film packed with awesome fight scenes. The film moves along at a good pace even if some these fight scenes are a bit overdrawn. Woo doesn’t need to hide his plot, it holds up on its own. Then again, part of the point in making this movie was the fighting, but Woo is able to bring something all his own to the table and makes a memorable, entertaining movie. The special collector’s edition contains some good interviews and a highly informative featurette on the legendary weapons china, hosted by Hong Kong Cinema expert Bey Logan. For fans of the more recent epics of China, such as House Of Flying Daggers, do yourself a favor and turn back the hands of time to revisit an early work by an action-film master.