Joy Sales HK DVD Synopsis: Keung and Fai had been good friends since childhood. They both had keen interest in boxing-matches. Having parted with Keung for more than ten years, Fai had become a police officer. On the contrary, Keung had joined an illegal organization as a professional killer. Keung decided to resign from the organization, but his family died of the explosion set by the chief leader, Mr. Chor. Keung saw Fai again because of Fai's younger sister, Mui. He lied to Fai that he had been working as a sailor for the past ten years. When Fai discovered that Keung was a professional killer,he got furious and expelled Keung away. After Keung had left, Chor's men came. Mui was raped and beaten to death. Keung decided to fight a duel with Chor... (90 Mins)

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Views: Directed, produced, and choreographed by the talented Wilson Tong, this late 80s action-thriller sees him reunite some of his old Shaw Brothers team with the wonderful Gordon Liu, Norman Tsui Siu Keung, Fung Hak On, popular studio director Chor Yuen, and a great extended cameo by the late Lau Kar Leung. The film opens to the sounds of a Cantopop version of The Final Countdown as Liu and Keung duke it out in the ring while training, soaked in a sepia-tone filter for the first 4 or 5 minutes until the full-colour footage returns to show that 10 years have already passed. While Liu has become a successful cop in the Royal Hong Kong Police Force, Keung has spent his time working as a gangster and criminal for one of Hong Kong's biggest crime-lords - determined to leave so that he can enjoy the rest of his life with his family. Keung soon announces his retirement from the gang - much to the disappointment of his boss, Chor - and sees his family killed in a car bomb that was meant for him. This makes him realise that there is no escape from the life he leads. As he confides in his old friend Leung, the pair are attacked by 20 guys with metal baseball bats that sees Leung shot dead by boss Chor, and Keung barely escaping with his life. Waking up in hospital, Keung is reunited with Liu but lies about his past when he finds out that his old friend is a cop – with Liu welcoming Keung into his home. It doesn't take long for Liu's sister to fall for Keung, and equally for Liu to find out the truth about Keung's past. As tensions build between them, the pair find themselves riddled with bad luck as Liu's sister is raped and murdered, and Chor's men hunt them both down. Together, the friends must get revenge for their families and bring the powerful gangster down!

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I have to be honest in saying that I was expecting quite a bit more from A Bloody Fight, considering the talent involved. That said, it's hardly a complete waste of time and still has enough going on throughout to keep fans watching. Although I have enjoyed him in countless roles and as a martial artist, Wilson Tong has never been the strongest director ever and flaws his production with some melodrama that is over-acted by his two leads, as well as some daft moments such as Liu and Keung boxing on a mountainside, playing leapfrog on the beach, or rubbing sand in their faces like they're are 8 years of age while The Final Countdown plays once again. In fact, the music seems to have been borrowed from many different films with a track from Godfrey Ho's Lethal Panther heard, and John Carpenters Halloween score even creeps in at the end. Wilson Tong Wai Shing started life in the Hong Kong film industry around 1969/70 with small roles in films such as Dead End, The River Dragon, and The Invincible Eight as well as many other early Golden Harvest productions. A few years later after he moved into the Shaw Brothers studio, Tong began his foray into directing action under the guidance of the late Lau Kar Leung for his classics Shaolin Mantis, 36th Chamber Of Shaolin, Heroes Of The East, and Spiritual Boxer 2. Around the same time, he also managed to score a role as the assistant director on Tyrone Hsu's Boxer's Adventure with Tan Tao Liang and Mang Fei, and soon headed out on to make his directorial debut with the highly enjoyable Kung Fu Genius which was quickly followed by the equally fun, Snake Deadly Act. While he went on to star in a host of Kar Leung's titles (with Leung sometimes returning the favour for him), Tong continued to prove his worth as a director and choreographer with A Bloody Fight and A Fiery Family proving to be two of his most action-packed. The Vampire Combat would prove to be his last as a director in 2001, but Wilson would continue to appear in roles here and there such as To Live And Die In Mongkok, Treasure Inn, and Naked Soldier, as well as appearing in the brilliant Chin Kar Lok produced documentary Kung Fu Stuntmen in 2020.

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Wong utilises the friendships he had gained back in the Shaw Brothers studios by bringing in names such as Gordon Liu, Tsui Siu Keung, and the legendary Lau Kar Leung – all of whom were already working together on Leung's self directed and fantastic Tiger On The Beat the very same year – but he also brings in celebrated Shaw Brothers director Chor Yuen, perhaps most recognisable to viewers as the wicked drug boss Koo in Jackie Chan's Police Story just a couple of years before. He plays a similar role here, although it's certainly not as impactful, and is backed by popular character actor Shum Wai who is out to bring Keung down. Then there is the wonderful Fung Hak On who cameos as another villain of the piece, forcing Tsui Siu Keung to strip down to his tighty-whities when he arrives to take him out while dressed as a policeman. Keung must bare all to reveal any hidden weapons, but still manages to take Fung out by ramming a fork down his throat. While I'm a huge fan of both Gordon Liu and Norman Tsui Siu Keung, both of them tend to really over-dramatise everything about their roles here – going so far as to even look awkward during some action scenes. But it has to the great Lau Kar Leung that steals the show, getting to show his worth in the fight scene against 20 guys armed with metal baseball bats before he gets shot down by Chor. It was the highlight of the film for me, although there are numerous other actions scenes throughout to enjoy. Jackie Chan film-regular Tai Bo also appears in a cameo as Gordon Liu's cop friend, and bit-players Mang Ding Goh, Thomas Sin Ho Ying, Tony Tam Chun To, and Wong Chi Keung appear as assassins...

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Overall: I was expecting a lot more from all involved, but A Bloody Fight still has it's moments and is worth a watch at least once!

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Joy Sales DVD Extras: Trailer, Photo Gallery