King Hu is so in his wheelhouse here that The Fate of Lee Khan is sure to provoke feelings of deja vu for anyone who's seen a handful of his greatest hits, but he did this kind of thing undeniably well. There's intrigue and characters all being very shady, mostly confined in a single location that builds suspense, punctuated by brief but satisfying bursts of action throughout, all leading to an inevitably entertaining finale.
But as far as his "deep cuts" go (basically anything that's not Dragon Inn or A Touch of Zen, and even then, those are arguably underrated in the overall scheme of things), this one's good. Some of his more out there films have bored me a little, but this one's solid. Nothing being reinvented and little by way of surprises, but it's a satisfying and well-made martial arts movie nonetheless.
But as far as his "deep cuts" go (basically anything that's not Dragon Inn or A Touch of Zen, and even then, those are arguably underrated in the overall scheme of things), this one's good. Some of his more out there films have bored me a little, but this one's solid. Nothing being reinvented and little by way of surprises, but it's a satisfying and well-made martial arts movie nonetheless.