As a kid watching Shaw Bros martial arts films I would assign grades to the quality of the outdoor sets based on how convincing they were. As an adult, and particularly after watching this poor man’s knock-off from Korea, I’m much more appreciative of the former’s artistry. 

This film, filmed mostly on one nightclub set and a public park by the looks of it, borrows liberally from the One-Armed Swordsman films and (sigh) Yojimbo. It has the piercing folly of it’s inspirations (every blow will ring your ears), and a lot more juvenile humor, but also some really clumsy if delightfully scrappy fights. Strangely, it seems to have the opposite character issue A Fistful of Dollars had, whereas that film featured a smoldering anti-hero toying with forgettable dueling factions, here we have a lifeless babyfaced brat shown up by the wildly giddy performances and characterizations of the supporting cast. Doesn’t help that our hero is such a piece of shit that his low point, like every dramatic scene, comes off as unintentional comedy.

Also surprising is while we have Japanese villains (played by Koreans, natch) the Shanghai setting is to my eyes absent Chinese stereotypes. Throw in a mildly surprising finale and you have a decent enough time.