A great combination of both intelligence and entertainment, Liu Chia-Liang delivers a shining example of why martial arts cinema is unfairly looked over in the hallowed halls of great genre/world cinema. The action scenes might not be equal to the fast paced excitement of a Jackie Chan or Tony Jaa but it contains a depth and warmth for character development none of those films have. The ending is brilliant in its display of nature vs nurture by undermining the usual angst filled, bloody vengeance duel into something more along the lines of a comic farce. A fair and insightful analysis of masculinity and pride which was well summed up with the nickname " Ambiguous Sexuality of Shaolin". Oh, and Pai Mei is a boss.