Blu-ray Synopsis: A new dynamic feature film from master director Chang Cheh. Four class fighters in a furious fight. After the hardships at the front, Captain Feng Sia and his friends head to the capital, Seoul, to have fun. He is looking for variety and relaxation in a club whose seductive geishas and hot cocktails promise a lot. But the temple of joy turns out to be the headquarters of the drug mafia; prostitution, blackmail and murder are their business. Captain Feng Sia witnesses the murder of an American GI and becomes a suspect himself. Together with his friends he faces a challenge. (109 Mins)

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Views: Shot between Hong Kong and South Korea, Chang Cheh's Four Riders is something of a departure from the directors usual fare with the exception of The Anonymous Heroes from the year before. Set after the Korean war, the story brings together four Chinese soldiers – a kung-fu master, a combat instructor, an explosives expert, and a missile specialist – who come together to take on a drug gang run by a Japanese crime lord. In a sense, there's no real reason to share these descriptions with you, as they never really explore their army skills once they've left; albeit for the fighting styles they've learned of course. Set in 1953, just as the war has come to an end, Cheh slowly brings us in with a few minutes of meandering shots that capture a bleak, snowy Korean winter. As time passes and spring creeps in, we are introduced to Ti Lung who is keen to get out of camp – ripping his stripes off and starting a scuffle with his superior and fellow soldiers. Stealing his general's jeep, Ti heads off towards the city and picks up Wang Chung along the way, another soldier who is going to Seoul to see an injured friend at the hospital (Chen Kuan Tai). At the same time, young soldier David Chiang has become something of a barfly who spends his time at a classy joint called Hello John, where he is looked after by call-girl Lily Lee but can't stop himself from getting into bother when he's had too much to drink. Of course, one thing leads to another and soon the four of them join forces to go up against a deadly drug smuggling ring, ran by Japanese crime boss Yasuaki Kurata and American gangster Andre Marquis – both of whom operate from Hello John!

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Although you'd think that Four Riders was really a drama that tells the tale of four young soldiers returning to civilian life, it manages to shake itself up here-and-there with some great action and the dirty dealings of its villains. It also has a few silly moments strewn throughout, but these are mainly down to directorial choices, editing, and the actions of the characters involved. That said, it all flows rather well and keeps its narrative simple enough with Cheh and writer Ni Kuang hoping that viewers will get that connection that the four heroes are portraying the 'four horsemen of the apocalypse' to some degree – but it's never really tapped on that much. Cheh is joined by two young assistant directors who need no introduction – Godfrey Ho and John Woo – famed by their own works as directors later on in life, although on very opposite ends of the scale respectively. Fight directors Lau Kar Leung and Tong Kai return in one of many of the Chang Cheh productions they had worked on this year which included Chen Kuan Tai's incredible breakout film with The Boxer From Shantung, The Water Margin, and Delightful Forest. Although they deliver a scattering of fun scuffles throughout, its got to be the blistering 20 minute finale that is the standout moment for all involved. While Chiang holds his own at the nightclub, where he faces off against a small number of bad guys after receiving a bullet to the chest; the wonderful Ti Lung, Wang Chung, and Chen Kuan Tai take on Yasuaki Kurata and his small army at a public gym which allows for some violent and fun choreography. It's an exciting an exciting battle that ends in typical Chang Cheh fashion, but each of the stars get to show off some great moves – even David Chiang proves to impress after his so-so martial abilities in their previous production, The Angry Guest. Interestingly enough, Kurata had made his Hong Kong/Shaw Brothers debut in that film alongside Chiang and Ti Lung, and in between productions over the course of a year had went onto appear in 4 other titles including Tiger, The King Of Boxers, The Prodigal Boxer, and The Good & The Bad alongside Chen Sing from his debut film. As expected, there are a host of recognisable faces grace the screen throughout the films running time such as Alexander Fu Sheng who cameos as a young solider dancing by the jukebox in the nightclub. It would be another year or two before he actually got his big break under the watchful eye of Chang Cheh, and is actually easy to miss here unless you know where to look. The great Lau Kar Wing appears as one of Kurata's henchmen along with Wong Ching, San Kuai, Chan Chuen, Yen Shi Kwan, Yuen Woo Ping, Fung Hak On, Wang Kung Yu, Chui Fat, Yuen Shun Yi, and many others. The lovely Lily Li stars in a non-action role, while American actor Andre Marquis does a great job, in what was only his second role, as the gangster Boss Hawke...

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While it's quite obvious to viewers when certain scenes jump from the streets of Seoul to the backlot of the Shaw Brothers studio, Four Riders still looks great and benefits from having Japanese DOP Kung Mu To (Yukio Miyaki) behind the cinematography. Having started with Chang Cheh and the Shaw Brothers in the late 60s, Kung went onto capture over 50 films through to the mid-80s – most of which were for Cheh up until his departure from the studio, and Hong Kong actor/director Frankie Chan looks after the enjoyable score. While it could have been a lot more epic in many ways, Four Riders still manages to outshine its flaws and prove to be another entertaining martial arts romp from the 'Iron Triangle' that was Cheh, Chiang, and Lung (who still shines as the greatest of them all). Definitely worth a watch if you're tired of Chang Cheh's production line of swordplay dramas and Shaolin historical pieces!

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Overall: Neatly made and exciting to watch, Four Riders is a different martial arts story from Cheh, but one worth seeing!

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Blu-ray Extras: Alternate German Cinema Release (86 Mins), Trailers, Photo Gallery with Rare Material

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Watch my unboxing video of this Koch Media release HERE