This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.

As noted by other reviews, this film is a throwback to the old school kungfu flicks of the 60's and 70's.As the film has been well reviewed on the web already, I'll just add a few observations:Even though it's a nostalgic film, it might be too "hip" and "retro" for those for the original audience of these flicks.It's hilariously funny, but a little tighter editing would have made the movie even better. Teddy Robin, for example is very funny, but he gets a bit annoying after a while.Bruce Leung Siu-lung still moves amazingly well at 57 yrs old.. better than most action stars in their 20's.JJ Jia is a dead ringer for Kwai Lun Mei.

Or school of Hard Knocks? (not the one Jay-Z was singing about mind you) Depending on your back knowledge of Shaw Brothers movies, this might interest you or not. It does offer a nice retrospective and nods to those movies. Or the era in general. Plus it stars a few of the people that were very big back then. (no pun intended) Of course the way it is mixed together will not appeal to everybody and though it does have some philosophical aspects it is too thin in other areas. Plus it does not seem to have a constant flow, changing from humour to seriousness in a second. Which is staying true to some extent, but then again it did update a few things, so why not that one too? All in all you could be almost excused if you thought this was an older movie than it actually is. That was the goal and they achieved it. Nostalgia or not, this is will mostly appeal to a certain group of people. And even they (some of them) might not even like it completely.

Co-winner of the Audience award at the NYAFF this year, this film is a wonderful throw back to the 1970's style of martial arts films but the a twist for 2010 the stars are the older stars of the martial arts films of the 70's.The plot of the film has a young man sent to help a landlord evict some tenants of his properties so they can be turned into something wonderfully new. Along the way he makes the acquaintance of two men running a tea house(it was formerly a dojo) while they wait for their master to awaken from a 30 year long coma. You can guess which side he chooses and you know that with Bruce Leung as one of the old students you know there's going to be lots of fights.As I've said if films are suppose to be about characters then this is one of the best. Full with characters you love, you kind of like the bad guys too, this is one of the best most unexpected films I've seen this year. This is a film that allows you watch people getting beaten up and feel good at the same time.Its magical.Its also not just a martial arts film. This is a film thats for anyone wanting to see a good film. The martial arts is not the reason for the film, just a by product of its location. The film is ultimately about what is family and how we make our own.I can't recommend this film to everyone.Its a blast.And could we please have a sequel? (and a US distributor, apparently this great film doesn't have one.)

Produced under Andy Lau's Focus Films with actor Lau Kar Tung on board as producer, directors Clement Cheng and Derek Kwok have a winner on their hands, as they exalt the spirit of what it means to never give up when the odds are stacked against you, and in some way live up that spirit of theirs when they had embarked to make this project which had clear risks. It will be extremely foolish to dismiss the film outright just because it has more elderly actors than youthful ones to draw the crowd, because as the adage goes, the oldest ginger is still the best, and this film is a testament to that. Look closely and you'll see the sheer amount of veteran, legendary talent even, assembled who hail from the Shaw Brothers kung fu film era, with even the opening credits with the silhouette fights, and the way characters are introduced, paying certain homage to an era bygone.In essence, this purely Hong Kong film is an allegory of sorts to its peers in the market, where packaging and marketing are seen to be the be-all-and-end-all, rather than to rely on hard work to hone talent, or to compensate for the lack thereof. It tells of a people's indomitable spirit of not backing down, and to keep one's chin up in the face of tremendous competition, to work at what they are good at, and all will likely and hopefully be well.As the story goes, we follow the adventures of Cheung (Wong You Nam), a lifelong loser who gets bullied from the get go in his life, and gets sent by his real estate company to a remote town to assist in acquiring leases from the townsfolk so that redevelopment works can start. Naturally he gets bullied, and gets rescued by the mysterious Tiger (Leung Siu-Lung), a disciple of the once great Master Ben Law (Teddy Robin) of the Gate of Law martial arts school, who has been in coma for the last 30 years. And it seems, like in Stephen Chow's Kung Fu, this small town hides a lot more martial arts exponents, such as Law's other disciple Dragon (Chen Kuan-Tai), who together with Tiger had tried their best to keep their Master's place alive by converting it to a Teahouse, while awaiting Ben's recovery.Then there's Kwai (JJ Jia), the pretty lass who also hangs out at the Law's teahouse. Their collective backstory is something that got delivered through a fantastic animated sequence, and animation is something that gets peppered throughout the film as well when it gets down to fight sequences when deadly bone crunching blows get delivered. Since the film has in its plot the advent of the Hong Kong Martial Arts Open to seemingly promote the spirit of martial arts, as announced by rival and owner of a flashier sports club Master Pong (Chan Mai Wan), one will expect some spectacular kung fu action. The film more than delivers in this aspect, with the action choreographed by the renowned Yuen Tak, who cleverly did away with fancy wire-work, offering instead sparring sessions which are realistic and extremely riveting to watch, as the actors (most of whom have so many years of experience) put together some credible and exciting martial arts moves for the screen. Editing is also wonderfully done so that we get the best views at the front seats of a bout without the usual MTV-styled quick editing nonsense. I guarantee no matter how many martial arts films that you've seen, the ones here as choreographed will still blow your mind away.Like a Crouching Tiger and Hidden Dragon itself, if you do not buy the first act, then wait for Teddy Robin, who single-handedly stole the show right out from everyone's noses. His comic timing is perfect, and the lines that he has, sheer wit, coupled with the fact that his character's disorientation after being out of action for so many years, is something that offers rip-roaring laughter. The directors, who co-wrote the story with Frankie Tam, breathe so much life into Master Law, that you can't help but on one hand be amazed by his crazy philosophy, and on the other just laugh at it, such as his proclaimed laws of combat in the order of Guts, Power and Skill, the rationale in his disciple recruitment strategy, and chiefly, that the reason to learn Kung Fu is to fight, not exercise – which has other, better alternatives. Robin, who also contributed to the movie's music, fills his character with so much youthful energy and exuberance, makes this one of his more memorable roles that he has tackled, and left everyone in the cinema crackling with glee each time he turns on his wit.As the film explains early on, the boxing ring is a symbol of dignity and fame, and there can be only one victor and one loser. Clearly, Gallants is a winner in my books, and delivers knockout blow after knockout blow without relent. I had come with a mission to watch Hong Kong films, and this one clearly made my trip worthwhile many times over, coupled with so many hilarious moments to laugh along with. I hope it makes it to Singapore so that I can watch this on the big screen again, otherwise I'll patiently wait for its DVD release after it's done its theatrical and festival rounds. Highly recommended, without a doubt one of the best amongst the festival offerings if I may say so!