Crystal Hunt

If you're too demanding about the general quality of your martial arts movies, forget about "Crystal Hunt". But if you can just concentrate on the action and forgive the other weaknesses, this film is a must-see. The disconnected plot introduces numerous characters, but all you need to remember is that Donnie Yen, Sibelle Hu, Fujimi Nadeki, Ken Lo and Carrie Ng lead the good side; Michael Woods, John Salvitti, a guy who looks like a Jamaican, and two unnamed Thai babes who spend the entire movie in red tank tops and jean shorts lead the bad; they are all looking for a crystal that apparently has magical healing and other qualities, but we never do learn exactly what they are, and indeed the movie ends without even telling us what happens to the crystal! The plot is just an excuse for everyone - and I do mean EVERYONE - in this movie to fight and shoot. Just like in "Cheetah on Fire" (made with much of the same cast & crew), I am very pleased with the depiction of the female characters, who are all strong and brave; although opinions vary on Sibelle Hu's martial arts skills in general, she comes off as a very good fighter in this movie - and sometimes quite sexy, too. Another notable thing may be that this time it's Salvitti, not Woods, who is treated as the main villain of the film, and I have to agree with a previous reviewer that this is possibly Salvitti's shining moment in his HK career. My rating is *** out of 4, but is valid only for martial arts fans.