Acceptable kung fu flick starring the one and only Jimmy Wang Yu

This Taiwanese kung fu flick is one of dozens of such films that former Shaw Brothers star Jimmy Wang Yu made after being exiled to that country after his break from the Hong Kong studios. Many of the Taiwanese films suffered from lower budgets than their Shaw cousins, which meant that they looked and felt cheaper, lacking the classy backdrops and colourful cinematography that epitomised the work of Chang Cheh, for instance. However, many of these martial arts movies were entertaining and action-packed despite being churned out on the cheap, so I'm enjoying working my way through Wang Yu's filmography.

THE DOUBLE DOUBLE CROSSER is a pretty pedestrian affair, set during the early 20th century among gangster flicks like BOXER FROM SHANTUNG, which immediately distinguishes it from a lot of the star's centuries-old period fare from this decade. Inevitably, drug smuggling gangs are involved, along with a beautiful hooker and lots of mysterious characters (like a blind man who knows more about things than he lets on). The story is a murky reworking of the classic YOJIMBO plot, with Wang Yu thrown into the middle of all these bad men and cutting a swathe through them as one by one they double cross him and end up going after him. The script is pretty routine, to be honest, and it doesn't help that the UK print has awful hissy sound quality with frequent drop-outs.

As is often the case, the quality and quantity of the kung fu fights are what save this from total boredom. I enjoyed watching the violent bouts between Wang Yu and multiple opponents, especially as you can see it's Wang Yu himself doing the fighting and the stunts for a large amount of his screen time. He's backed up by some able co-stars including the lovely Judy Lee, who strikes the right balance between feminine fragility and kick-ass kung fu chick, and regular bad guy Chang Yi. Tien Feng, a popular kung fu actor, directs and does a passable job. There are a couple of decent fights here, including a bout where Wang Yu chops the fingers off one opponent, and the extended climax set on a beach amid some rotting hulks is above-par for the genre. The rest of the film flies along effortlessly and I found it quite a lot of fun, even if it's no classic.

Mandarin-language cinema across Mainland China, Taiwan, and Singapore explores historical reflection, cultural identity, and personal sacrifice, often expressed through poetic visuals and sweeping narratives. In Mainland China, this takes the form of allegory and large-scale epics that reflect on national history. Taiwan emphasizes intimate modernist realism, generational change, and the search for identity. Singapore contributes stories of migration, multiculturalism, and the negotiation of tradition in a globalized city.

The action genre features fast-paced, thrilling, and intense sequences of physical feats, combat, and excitement. The characters of these stories are involved in daring and often dangerous situations, requiring them to rely on their physical prowess, skills, and quick thinking to overcome challenges and adversaries.

The drama genre is a broad category that features stories portraying human experiences, emotions, conflicts, and relationships in a realistic and emotionally impactful way. Dramas delve into the complexities of human life, often exploring themes of love, loss, morality, societal issues, personal growth, with the aim to evoke an emotional response from the audience by presenting relatable and thought-provoking stories.

Mahershala Ali and Alex R. Hibbert in Moonlight (2016)

The Biggest Movies and TV Coming in September

"The Gentlemen" and "Slow Horses" return this fall, while the "Reacher" spin-off series "Neagley" makes its debut. See our guide of the biggest Fall TV and streaming releases.

2026 Fall TV and Streaming Watch Guide

&quot;The Gentlemen&quot; and &quot;Slow Horses&quot; return this fall, while the &quot;Reacher&quot; spin-off series &quot;Neagley&quot; makes its debut. See our guide of the biggest Fall TV and streaming releases.

Get a closer look at these actors from their many TV and streaming series roles.

Da jiang nan bei

Photos2

Top Cast19

User reviews2

Related interests

Storyline

Top picks

Details

Tech specs

Contribute to this page

More to explore

Recently viewed