KnotMissPriceless Why so much hype?

Sexyloutak Absolutely the worst movie.

FirstWitch A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

Haven Kaycee It is encouraging that the film ends so strongly.Otherwise, it wouldn't have been a particularly memorable film

poe426 From the opening wedding scene- during which it's revealed that the bride-to-be is a bit of a "loosey goosey"- it's clear that John Woo's LAST HURRAH FOR CHIVALRY isn't going to be your typical kung fu movie. (The infusion of humor had, by this time, become de rigeur for many martial arts movies. Not that that's necessarily a bad thing, but I prefer the more dramatic movies, myself; even the unintentionally hilarious overly melodramatic ones.) When Chang's sister's paramour hesitates tying the knot, Chang takes it upon himself to beat a confession out of the guy. The reluctant Romeo tells him: "Her brother (meaning Chang) has a violent temper!" Throughout the movie, Woo swipes Akira Kurosawa's WIPES when transitioning between scenes; it's a nice little touch that most people probably don't pick up on, but an indication that Woo had an interest in EXPANDING his own repertoire. There is some spectacular swordplay, and the constantly circling camera lends a 3D feel to the action. "Dreams lead you nowhere," says Green at one point: "I don't like to dream." Says Lau Gong: "The making of a hero costs a lot of innocent lives." The Sleeping Wizard is fun, but the deus ex machina of the Sword of Flying Invisibility comes totally out of left field.

sarastro7 I am a kung fu fan, but not a Woo fan. I have no interest in gangster movies filled with over-the-top gun-play. Now, martial arts; *that's* beautiful! And John Woo surprised me here by producing a highly entertaining kung fu movie, which almost has *too much* fighting, if such a thing is possible! This is good stuff.Many of the fight scenes are very good (and some of them are less good), and the main characters are amusing and likable. The bad guys are a bit too unbelievably evil, but entertaining none the less. You gotta see the Sleeping Wizard!! He can only fight when he's asleep - it's hysterical!Upon repeated viewings, however, Last Hurrah For Chivalry can tend to get a little boring and long-winded, also especially because many of the fight scenes are actually not that good. Hence, I rate it "only" a 7 out of 10. But it really is almost an "8".All in all one of the better kung fu movies, made smack-dab in the heart of kung fu cinema's prime. All the really good kung fu movies are from the mid- to late 1970ies, with some notable exceptions from the late '60ies and early '70ies (and early '80ies, to be fair).

chrelle The first hour is great and full of philosophical material. The relationship between the characters are wonderfully depicted and there's even a few humoristic scenes. Here the story is about betrayal, love and a beautiful friendship. But then story gets confusing and the fighting scenes which in the beginning was down to earth (as much a Hong Kong movie can be)becomes a mess of flying villains, drunken swordsmasters, unbeleviable villains generally. In this part of the movie it is all about fighting and killing.What started out to be a fantastic ruined it totally for itself. I will give it 10/10 for the first hour and 0/10 for the last 40 minutes. So the total score for the entire movie will be 5/10

Brian Camp LAST HURRAH FOR CHIVALRY is an early film (1978) by John Woo, who is better known for his Hong Kong crime thrillers (THE KILLER, HARD-BOILED) and Hollywood hits (FACE/OFF, MI2). It's a costume swordplay film from Golden Harvest and it looks very different from similar films then being done at the rival Shaw Bros. studio. Even then, Woo was displaying a directorial talent that set him apart from the Shaw Bros. directors (as good as some of them were). The photography and editing here display a cinematic gloss comparable to the Japanese samurai films of the time. However, the martial arts are not as pure as in the Shaw Bros. films and the 2 lead fighters are generally not as skilled as the top-ranked members of the Shaw repertory company (e.g. Gordon Liu, Fu Sheng, the 5 Venoms).Even so, the fight scenes are consistently exciting and are sprinkled throughout a well-developed storyline with a set of intriguing characters. It's all about the budding friendship between fighters Cheng San (Wei Pai, a sometime Shaw star) and Green Suit (Damian Lau) and the path to their impending battle with villain Pai Kang (Lee Hoi San), and their ultimate betrayal by the mutual friend who had manipulated them into battle. It looks forward to Woo's A BETTER TOMORROW and BULLET IN THE HEAD each of which featured a trio of male buddies, one of whom betrays the other two for personal gain. Fans of Woo's later work (and fans of swordplay movies) will find this film a rewarding experience.ADDENDUM (7/23/14): I watched this again, on the Dragon Dynasty DVD edition, for the first time in many years and was newly impressed with the fight choreography. It was much more sophisticated than I gave it credit for above and I'm sorry I was mildly dismissive of the lead actors' capabilities. This film also compares quite favorably with the Shaw Bros. swordplay adventures of the 1970s, of which I've seen many more since doing the original review. I was also remiss in not singling out the great kung fu villains in this piece, particularly those played by Fung Hak On and Lee Hoi San. Their work is breathtaking. And I should also highlight the film's original music score, distinguished by a theme melody taken from its title song and deployed effectively in different variations throughout the film. This is in contrast to the standard practice of so many kung fu films from that era in using library cues and bits taken from other soundtracks. And I stand by my remark about the "cinematic gloss" that sets this film apart. Woo's confidence as a filmmaker is quite noticeable here and brings an aesthetic element to the material that wasn't common in the genre at the time.