Reviewed by: MrBooth Date: 12/19/2001 Summary: Well made but not that interesting Five years before BORN WILD, Patrick Leung had already visited the world of underground boxing... although overground boxing is the main focus of this earlier film. I'll let the back of the DVD case give the summary for this one: "Ken was a boring fighter. He met Gloria in a boxing match and fell in love with her. Dramatically, Ken killed Gloria's brother, Bruce, accidentally in a boxing match. Both of them could not accept this cruel reality and decided to break up" Hey, if that's what it takes to get Carmen Lee as a girlfriend sign me up for a pair of gloves now! Although it should be noted that neither Aaron/Ken or Carmen/Gloria were actually *fighting* in that particular match. SUTLM is a well directed film that doesn't stray far from boxing genre conventions, with the inevitable ending being particularly disappointing. The ride there is not a bad one though, with Carmen Lee giving an excellent performance, and Sammo Hung giving another one as Aaron's reluctant trainer. Aaron himself is OK, and carries himself well in the fight scenes... the camera work is a far cry from that of Born Wild, being quite straightforward and leaving no doubt that the performers really must have suffered a lot for their roles. Features some surprisingly steamy sex scenes. Overall, well made movie but ultimately not a terribly interesting story again. The boxing theme obviously holds some power & meaning for Patrick Leung, but I guess not for me.

Reviewed by: Souxie Date: 06/21/2001 Summary: None too shabby I liked this movie except the ending - how unfair??? Anyway, it had a so-so plot you could see coming a mile off, good acting and some nice characters (Sammo Hung for one). Slickly done and nicely acted. And Aaron Kwok gets his kit off (ALL of it). What more do you want? :)

Reviewed by: jfierro Date: 12/21/1999 An already weak script is killed by amateurish directing and someof the worst editing I have ever seen. Aaron plays a slacker who falls in love in with the sister of the Hong Kong kickboxing champion and decides to show his love for her by training to dethrone her brother. Aaron bleeds profusely in 80% of his scenes, while Carmen cries profusely in 90% of her scenes. Factor in enough melodrama for three soap opera serials, way too many close-ups of Carmen, and wasted appearances by Law Koon-Lan, Samo Hung, and Hilary Tsui, and you get a picture that is not even worth a video rental. On the up side, Aaron almost shows a personality in this movie.

Reviewed by: spinali Date: 12/08/1999 Summary: NULL Rocky Chan (Michael Tong) is the number one kickboxer in Hong Kong, a sport that leaves its share of cripples and Parkinson's Disease victims. He's particularly protective of his cute younger sister Gloria (Carmen Lee), especially when she begins to show interest in a young boxer (Aaron Kwok, in one of his sullen, silent guy roles), who's also a no-future former delinquent for whom fighting seems the only viable career (except maybe modeling -- just kidding!). Determined to win her heart through professional success, he takes on a coach (Samo Hung), trains hard, and less by skill than determination, knocks out a line of worthy opponents. But the battle royale, he ends up accidentally killing her older brother in the ring, severing their affair and leading to his descent into the world of underground fighting, where there's no gloves, no rules. A chance at the All-Asia title awakens him to legitimate kickboxing again, a decision that paves the way for victory and his undoing. It's a glossy, slick, artificial melodrama -- with decent fights -- but you'd shrug your shoulders and yawn if not for Carmen Lee's macro closeups. (2/4) [Reviewed by Steve Spinali] Reviewer Score: 5

Reviewed by: hkcinema Date: 12/08/1999 I was surprised at how much I liked this movie. Sure the story was formula and I could see the plot coming a mile down the road, but this movie had a lot of heart and that makes it something of a rarity. Aaron Kwok was excellent as the kickboxer who desperately needs motivation in order to achieve greatness. Carmen Lee provides that motivation and she does a good job of playing a University student who can't forget her roots as a fishmonger's daughter. Samo Hung has a small but tasty role as Aaron Kwok's trainer; a very good, understated performance from him. Don't forget your hanky when you see this sweet gem of a movie. [Reviewed by Lori Saltis]