Synopsis: Having wiped out both the Shaolin and Wu Tang, the Butterfly Clan's objective is clearly the destruction of any and all rival factions. A wushu knight, and his rag-tag followers move into challenge their oppressors in a deadly battle. (89 Mins)

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Views: The multi-talented Yu Tien Lung delivers kung-fu and thrills in his directorial debut, Eagle Claw Vs The Butterfly Palm. With a great cast behind him, Lung tells the tale of a band of fighters who go up against the Butterfly Clan – an army of evil Mongolian invaders who have wiped out many across China, including those from Shaolin and Wu Tang...

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While it's hardly original in terms of plot and a little rough-around-the-edges, Eagle Claw Vs The Butterfly Palm still has some entertaining moments – typical of Taiwanese wuxia flicks of this period. Written and produced by Shen Chiang, director of Call To Arms, Infernal Street, and Five Kung Fu Daredevil Heroes, the story has been told a hundred times before and often a little clearer. But the film wins by boasting a large cast, including a number of big names from kung-fu cinema, and proves to be a competent project for Yu Tien Lung's first time as a director. And while I have to allow for that which is lost in translation, Eagle Claw Vs Butterfly Palm is a fairly substandard affair at the end of the day. Starting life in the industry a decade before as an actor and action-director on Gwan Jing Leung's King's Sword, Lung went on to work on films such as 8 Dragon Swords, Tough Duel, and Ways Of Kung-Fu (as well as many others), and clearly made an impression as he continued in front of, and behind the camera into the 21st Century.

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I can only imagine how much he wanted to impress with his first film as director, and in doing so offers some innovative moments and techniques as well as a host of characters. This reminded me of many Taiwanese wuxia films from the mid-late 1970s, and the likes of Jackie Chan's Killer Meteors and To Kill With Intrigue, although not quite as wild. Besides directing and starring in a leading role, Yu Tien Lung also worked on the choreography along with Ma Chin Ku, a well-known face and actor from plenty of old-school classics such as One-Armed Boxer Vs The Flying Guillotine, The Big Rascal, Cantonen Iron Kung Fu, Ninja In The Dragons Den, and many more. Even at that, the fights don't start off as anything special but they do get better as things move along, which all leads to a pretty decent finale with some exciting moves!

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Eagle Claw Vs Butterfly Palm may have passed its sell-by date a long time ago, but it's not a complete waste of time. With a score composed by HK actor and director Frankie Chan, the film boasts a cast of great names including Lo Lieh who plays the big villain with Yuen Hua as his right-hand man, fan favourite Lee Kwan, Chung Wa, Chi Kuan Chun, Kam Kong, Leung Kar Yan, and Roc Tien. And until the film gets a restored re-release in its original language (which will never happen), old-school fans may get a bigger kick out of it than a modern audience would. The final 30 minutes make up for a lot though with a big twist that isn't as shocking as it hopes it would be...

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Overall: Flawed in many ways, Eagle Claw Vs Butterfly Palm isn't completely terrible and has a pretty fun finale with great moves!