All Men Are Brothers: Blood of the Leopard

Amazon.com

An all-but-incoherent sequel to (and completion of) trendsetting martial arts director Chang Cheh's Water Margin adaptation of Seven Blows of the Dragon. The plot was so familiar to Eastern audiences that it's barely sketched in. Most of the picture is just fighting, Robin Hood-style daring-do staged and shot in the standard slapdash style of 1970s kung fu. China's emperor enlists the Liang Shan Po outlaws in a struggle against the traitorous lord Fang Lau. Seven heroes, complete with cool nicknames (David Chaing is Yen Ching, "The Graceful One") are assigned to infiltrate Lau's impregnable, water-guarded fortress, and several of these paragons get to die staunchly in rivers of blood. Ti Lung, who costarred in John Woo's The Killer almost 15 years later, fights minus an arm, before gallantly expiring. (The broadcast TV version, while nominally uncut, switches to black-and-white during the exsanguinate scenes.) --David Chute

Customer Reviews:

This movie treats its audience like idiots!.......2004-05-03

It was loosely based on one of Chinese famous fiction. I bought it because Tony Leung was one of the star. What a waste of money! The fighting scene is so so. One of the big weakness that trashes this movies is its UNREASONABLENESS. For example at the end, one of the hand of the monk was chopped off. He had to fight with only one hand. After the villian was killed, the monk walked away like a healthy person. He was seen with 2 HANDS, NO BLOOD on his bokdy and joking with his friend! What was the director thinking? Are all his audience kids?

Something that might interest ^_^.......2003-09-17

The main reason I bought this was because it was based on one of my favorite books, Shui Hu Zhuan (a.k.a. All Men are Brothers, or Outlaws of the Marsh). Video game fans may notice that this is the book that the Suikoden series of RPG's is loosely based on. I was very satisfied with this movie, and would recommend it to anyone who is a fan of martial arts films or classic Chinese Literature. If you're a fan of the game, it's fun to draw parallels between the characters -- Lin Chung is the Tenyu star, a role which is filled by Kasim in Suikoden 1, and Hauser in Suikoden 2. These characters are all very bound by duty, and always follow orders. Lu chi Sum is the Tenko star, which in Suikoden 1 and 2 is the well known character of Viktor. I thought that would be interesting to any fans of the game. Regardless of that, it's a nicely done movie, and definitely worth owning

Classic Kung Fu Action........2002-09-16

All men are brothers is the story of Lin Chun, a naïve but honorable general, and his friendship with Monk, Lu Chi Sum.

When Lin Chun inadvertently humiliates a nobles' young son, the cowardly youth plots revenge. He frames Lin Chun in a plot to assassinate a high-ranking official, and in the ensuing scandal has him humiliated, branded and left for dead. Only the clever monk Lu Chi Sum can save him. Can Lin Chun restore his honor?

All men are brothers is a classic HK action movie, with several truly endearing characters and a memorable friendship between Chun and Sum. Some plots and scenes in this movie are quite hilarious, especially at the beginning. However, the movie darkens quite a bit towards the end, and became slowly, more progressively violent.

Overall, I loved this movie, and found it quite entertaining! My only disappointment was the seemingly abrupt ending, and the rather badly misspelled English subtitles.

If you like humorous, campy HK action films, don't miss this one. It's over-the-top Kung Fu at its best!

Good Old School Action Flick.......2002-01-30

All men are brothers boils down to loyalty and morals which make up our character. Oh yeah, with plenty of kung-fu. There is an actual story and plenty of kung-fu. Oh, did I mention that I just love Tony Leung Ka Fai? If you liked him in Dragon Inn (5 star movie with Brigett Lin) you will like him in this flick also. Although this is not a good as Dragon Inn it's still very enjoyable and worth checking out.

Good Story with good Action.......2001-04-18

This is one of a handful of Hong Kong martial arts movie that features a strong plot with a developed storyline. The fight scenes are on par but does not contain the explosiveness or grace usually found in either a Jet Li's or a Jackie Chan's movie. However what this movie really excels in is character's development. You have a sense of who the characters are and what motivate them. It also has a good blend of humor, action, and light romance. Recommended for all those familiar with the "Bandits of The Marsh" (Shuihu Zhuang) books.

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