Yuen Biao might not be as well known as fellow 'lucky seven' performers Sammo Hung and Jackie Chan, but he deserves to be, if only for the excellent Knockabout (1979) and the incredible Eastern Condors (1987), both of which effectively showcase his amazing acrobatic martial arts skills. Dreadnaught, however, could well prove a disappointment for Biao fans, the actor playing a cowardly non-martial artist called Mousy who spends most of his time running away from trouble.
That's not to say that there aren't some amazing set-pieces in the film, most notably a stunning lion dance sequence that takes place on precariously balanced wooden benches-it's just a shame that star Biao takes a back seat during this scene, and only really gets a chance to shine during the final kung fu fight, in which his energetic laundry techniques enable him to defeat the film's villain, a crazed wanted criminal with a painted face called White Tiger (Shun-Yee Yuen).
My other big problem with the film is that it feels really unfocused: there's a weak subplot about rivalry between Master Tam (Phillip Ko) and legendary martial artist Wong Fei-hung (Tak-Hing Kwan), a romance between Mousy and a pretty local girl (Ching Tang) that goes nowhere, and lots of awful comedy that features the obligatory boss-eyed character and a man with a big hairy mole (but no 'man with really red nose' or 'man who shows off his bum crack').
5.5/10, rounded up to 6 for IMDb.
That's not to say that there aren't some amazing set-pieces in the film, most notably a stunning lion dance sequence that takes place on precariously balanced wooden benches-it's just a shame that star Biao takes a back seat during this scene, and only really gets a chance to shine during the final kung fu fight, in which his energetic laundry techniques enable him to defeat the film's villain, a crazed wanted criminal with a painted face called White Tiger (Shun-Yee Yuen).
My other big problem with the film is that it feels really unfocused: there's a weak subplot about rivalry between Master Tam (Phillip Ko) and legendary martial artist Wong Fei-hung (Tak-Hing Kwan), a romance between Mousy and a pretty local girl (Ching Tang) that goes nowhere, and lots of awful comedy that features the obligatory boss-eyed character and a man with a big hairy mole (but no 'man with really red nose' or 'man who shows off his bum crack').
5.5/10, rounded up to 6 for IMDb.