Showdown at the Cotton Mill (1978)

OK, first point - showdown at where now? I admit I'm not an expert on the subject, but I certainly didn't see a cotton mill in the film! No shortage of showdowns though :)

The film starts where many kung fu films have famously finished - Chi Kuan-Chun, having trained at the Shaolin Temple, takes revenge for the killing of his father. Alas, the police are not so willing to let this killing lie, and the Wu Tang clan send along some of their students to help track down the Shaolin killer - and the safety of the entire temple may be at risk.

The film has a pretty decent story as far as old-school Shaolin revenge films go. It doesn't hold too many surprises, but it's well enough scripted to hang together the fight scenes at least. The kung fu is clearly what the film is most interested in, and it delivers plenty of high calibre action. Most of the cast are talented fighters, and most get chance to strut their stuff. Chi Kuan-Chun's forms and upper body skills are excellent, but it is Tan Tao-Liang's more freeform footwork that impresses the most (definitely one of the best leg fighters out there).

If you're a kung fu fanatic, this film is a good 8/10. For people who are just looking for a good film and don't mind if it happens to have kung fu in, maybe only a 5 or 6. And if you just don't like kung fu... why are you even reading this? :p Call it a 7 to be fair :)