If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

THE WATER MARGIN is the Shaw Brothers' attempted adaptation of the massive Chinese novel of the same name which is so big that only a few chapters were brought to the screen for this tale. It's definitely an epic by Shaw Brothers standards, with an all-star cast who are constantly introduced throughout the picture and a sprawling, densely-plotted narrative. I think this film has the most plot I've seen in a Shaw movie and it certainly keeps you involved throughout.The film has the epic look and feel of something like THE 14 AMAZONS although the really big battle stuff is saved for the climax and worth the wait. This part of the film is Shaw at their most traditional, with different fighters pairing off to battle it out with their individual styles and weapons, and it's great fun and surprisingly gory in places. However, the preceding story is perhaps even more interesting. The narrative is constructed in such a way that you're never sure where exactly the tale is going to end up and it keeps you guessing throughout as to the outcome.As such I found it a very involving watch and one that demands close attention. There are a ton of famous faces here from the big names like David Chiang and Ti Lung to the experienced character actors like Ku Feng. Lung is hardly in it but does get to fight at the end unlike Chen Kuan Tai who seems to just vanish after his introduction. Chiang gets a big role through and is entirely likable in it. Interestingly enough, the two major rival roles are played by a pair of Japanese actors, Tetsuro Tanba and Toshio Kurosawa, and both are very effective.

Even at the time of its initial US release, THE WATER MARGIN (known to moviegoers then as SEVEN BLOWS OF THE DRAGON) was generally acknowledged one of the better imports because, unlike most "kung fu movies" of the day, it boasted an actual storyline. Although it wasn't always clear, even then, who was who or who was on whose side, the mere fact that there were exchanges of dialogue at all elevated SEVEN BLOWS OF THE DRAGON to unheard of heights among the cognoscenti. Until its recent release on DVD, I had no idea that it was based on a novel (much less a novel boasting a hundred or more chapters). That explains a lot. (Not that it makes it any clearer who's who or who's on whose side...) It was cool to see David Chiang again as "the master of the eighteen tumbles," and I'm still looking forward to the (hopefully eventual) release of Wang Yu's THE Chinese PROFESSIONALS (which I still remember as being a great deal of fun and preferable, back then, to most everything but Bruce Lee's movies).

It would be interesting to find out how the directorial chores were divided on this very enjoyable production. The style is consistent throughout most of the film except for some poorly shot opening scenes. Those who wince at the classic Chang Cheh red paint brutality will be relieved to know that it's limited to the very end of the film. The rest of the film is filled with good action and brisk plotting.The film is filled with dozens of unique characters, all introduced with title cards even 90 minutes into the film. Readers of the famous book might be interested but most are useless to remember as they barely ever do anything. Fortunately the film has enough merit that you can easily watch without getting confused by the parade of introductions. The two Japanese leads are excellent as is the rest of the ensemble cast while David Chiang carries the majority of the film's personality.There is a strong spaghetti western influence which is not a bad thing in this case. The music soundtrack seems to be entirely ripped off from other films. But the tracks stolen are mostly good, if unusual, choices. The martial arts are frequently very good when Chiang's character is fighting. It's a version of Chinese wrestling that is not shown too often. Chuan Chen must have been the wrestling choreographer since his only other film credit is the sequel to this film. The weapon battles are early versions of the classic choreography of Liu Chia Liang and Tang Chia. Many HK martial art dramas from this era are either too stagy or too brutal for my taste. This film strikes a good balance. Recommended.

If you want a great martial arts flick with unbelievable choreography check this masterpiece out well worth your time to watch and savor!!!! David Chiang shines in this movie his grace and style is a wonder to behold.Hunt this movie down now! If you enjoy any kind of action/martial arts movie you will not be disappointed!