To Kill a Mastermind

The first time I watched this movie I was drawn into the plot and style. Who is the mastermind? That is the intriguing mystery. There is also the style of the set with the evil clan headquarters and the silver ball delivering messages from the unknown leader. From start to finish I had no idea what was going on, if it made sense, and I could not tell one actor from another. I liked it though and stuck it out all the way because I wanted to know who was the mastermind. At the end I liked it and considered it one of the best.

Then I watched it again a few years later. The movie did not hold up at all. The plot and style fell to the side and nothing of substance was left. The fights were good but one fight was the same as any other, the action did not advance the story at all. Every fight was the same fight. Even the word "mastermind" in the title became meaningless. These bad guys had to be idiots. They suspected one of their own as a spy, killed him, yet were tricked again, so suspected another of their own and killed him as if they had never been in this situation before.