Rating: ****
Producer: Sam Hui
Cast: Sam Hui, Ti Lung, Joey Wang
Wow! A gorgeously filmed big budget adventure epic in the tradition of "Raiders Of The Lost Ark" (1981). The immensely charming Sam Hui is an adventurer and sci-fi writer named Wisely who gets tricked into helping his friend steal a magical black pearl from a Buddhist monastery in Nepal. The pearl is the cornerstone of the monks' existence, and Wisely decides to return it to them. But it won't be easy because there are so many bad guys who want to get their hands on it as well, including an awesome crime boss played by Ti Lung. His fighting is spectacular, and he has a very energetic exchange with Hui in the Egyptian desert. Joey Wang is on hand as both eye candy and as a love interest, and although she doesn't get to do much, she's fun to watch (especially parading around in her underwear). It turns out that the pearl is actually an extraterrestrial computer, and an alien living in Egypt wants to use it to get back home! Great stunts, awesome fighting, high production values, competent effects, superb cinematography, and breathtaking locales make this film a definite notch above the rest. A little silly and kind of slow in parts, but always entertaining.