A light-hearted period piece, the last one of its kind Jackie would do until "Drunken Master 2". It's even more insubstantial than usual, concentrating primarily on the trouble young Dragon (Jackie Chan) and his friend Cowboy (Mars) get themselves into. Eventually things turn more serious as Dragon stumbles across a bunch of bad guys and has to help save Cowboy's father from the worst of the lot.
There are some nice slashy moments between Dragon and Cowboy, even if they are both fairly obsessed with winning the affections of a young woman. I enjoyed all of their scenes together quite a bit. There isn't much in the way of serious martial arts here, though there are two long sports-oriented action scenes which I didn't think I'd find exciting, but I did. Ing-Sik Whang does show up at the end to inflict massive pain on Jackie, just like he did in "The Young Master". And just like in TYM, Jackie wins in the end by going completely ape-shit and just thrashing around like a madman. An interesting action finale...I just hope there was a little post-battle comforting between Dragon & Cowboy.
SUMMARY:
Overall rating: B It's not one of Jackie's best, but it is a fun diversion.
Droolworthiness: B+ Jackie looks cute, Mars isn't bad but not quite adorable.
Slashiness: B Not overwhelming but Jackie and Mars definitely have some nice moments, and their characters' friendship is one of the few things holding the story together.
Action: B Nice sports scenes, only mediocre kung fu. The finale is still fairly exciting because Ing-Sik Whang is just one helluva fighter.
