What a triumph! The choreography of the fights was stunning - crazy acrobatics, long takes, and practical effects. The heroes are a delight to watch with Lo Meng stealing the show with an incredible physical performance as the mute and deaf blacksmith.
The plot is a trip - we start with the origin story of the villain who returns home to find his wife slain and son maimed. Not allowing himself to kill, instead he takes out his revenge by maiming the villagers unfortunate enough to cross him. In time, four of these maimed villagers team up, turning their disabilities into strengths. However, our “heroes” have a bloody single-mindedness, having no qualms killing anyone who stands in the way of their quest for revenge.
I thought the training montages were spectacular - Chiang Shang’s particularly impressive stunts were a thrill. I thought this couldn’t be topped and indeed a few of the subsequent battles were lackluster in comparison. Stick with it and be rewarded though - the movie very consciously tops it’s own highs in the final 20 minutes.
