1. “The Wandering Swordsman (1970)” movie review.

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    "The Wandering Swordsman" is a good movie that might even be great, reminding me that before choreography became the focus of the genre, Hong Kong productions could be as sophisticated as anyone else. The writing, direction, cinematography, acting, editing and productions values are pretty impressive, although the choreography is pretty unimpressive in retrospect.
  2. “The Heroic Ones (1970)” movie review.

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    One of my biggest problems with 1970's Kung Fu features from Hong Kong is that they all sort of blend together. I've actually reviewed plenty of these movies and I rarely can remember the titles, much less the movies themselves. To add to my confusion, I'm pretty sure Cheng Cheh directed 90% of the kung fu output during this time and he seems determined to make the same movie over and over again. This is why I liked “The Heroic Ones”, which also happens to be directed by the same guy. It is a very flawed movie, but I can't say I've ever seen anything quite like it.