Plook Mun Kuen Ma Kah (product link) Action/Adventure / Horror Great early action from Panna Rittikrai. The choreography is more complex than the majority of his work, and yet it still has some amazing stunts. If you like "Gerd Ma Lui" (the original "Born To Fight"), then you'll most likely enjoy this one, too. The worst thing about this movie is the poor film quality, but you can't really fault it because that's how Panna's dated films were back then.
Three Fellas (product link) Action/Adventure / Comedy I was told this film was another Korean classic, and with that in mind, it is a little bit of a let down. However, it has a lot of good. All of the performances are all pretty good, and the characters balance each other out. Beom-gu Cho’s direction is very good, especially for such an early film in his career. The story has a tendency to drag after a while, but at least it makes a full arc. Action fans may be a little disappointed in the lack of action, as there are only a small number of fights. However, it's one of the best examples of Doo Hung Jung's stylized realism.
I don't speak Thai, so these non-subtitled Thai films are hard to judge in terms of story or performance. The action was disappointing compared to Panna Rittikrai's usual. A lof of the action was shot way too close with too much quick cutting. There are lots of muay thai kickboxing matches, but only one or two of them are really that enjoyable. The film starts with nearly 20 minutes of kickboxing matches, which I thought was odd to put so much action in the front. Once again, Tony Jaa's fight is easily the best, even though he possibly has his smallest cameo ever. Between his acrobatics and a few other good fighters, there's some good stuff in that scene. I think this might be Tony Jaa's first on screen appearance ever. I wish they gave Oong Soo Han more to do. His technique might have worked well in a more proper fight. At one point, enjoying this film really came down to the finale, and it was really bad, mostly shot in close up to avoid the non-existent audience.
This movie also stole music from the Rocky soundtrack (I believe to Rocky 4).
Pantyhose Hero (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure This film is so hard to rate. On the one hand, this is some of Sammo's best action EVER. On the other hand, it's possibly his worst characters and storylines. Much has been said about the story and Sammo's take on homosexuals, so I won't go into too much detail, except it's hard to root for characters that seems to enjoy making fun of and beating up homosexuals so much.
Subject matter aside, the actors are funny when they need to be and serious when they need to be. They do a good job with both aspects. Sammo Hung’s direction works well for the action sequences. Otherwise, it’s nothing all that special. The action is excellent! Some scenes are short, but they have really great content. Sammo's car stunt is probably the best stunt of his entire career.
Mercury Man is a Thai superhero film with action by Panna Rittikrai and his stunt team. Unfortunately, that sets the expectations to a certain level which the film does not reach at all.
I wasn’t into most of the performances in this film. Leading man Wasan Khantaau seemed like he was just kind of there and not really into the role. Same goes for some of the other actors. Director Bandit Thongdee does give some good production value to this film, but I can’t say that his direction is always on the mark. There may be some nice visuals or cinematography, but a lot of the performances are lacking, and I hated the way a lot of the fights were cut. The story is like a weak outline of a superhero film, almost resembling the bad comic book movies of the 80s and early 90s (like Captain America, The Punisher, etc.). There are lots of mixed messages that never fully make sense, and there isn’t much character development all around. A huge part of the plot, the mystical boy, is just never explained at all, and therefore makes no sense.
The action sequences are possibly the most disappointing because this is what I expected to be good about the film. Unfortunately, a lot of the fights are cut up way too much, so even if the choreography is good, it’s too poorly shot and edited to see. Lots of the fighting relies on big wired falls and mediocre special effects. The best fight is one that takes place in a club, which includes some XMA guys that nicely spice up the otherwise relatively mundane action. There are some good moments in the finale between two women, but that also gets ruined by an FX shot that overstays its welcome. Every now and then something cool happens, like a good fall or interesting angle, but the action’s pretty much an overall disappointment.
If you are a hardcore XMA or tricking fan, you may want to see that action sequence. Otherwise, I'd suggest that you can skip this one.
Crying Fist (product link) Action/Adventure / Drama This isn't really an "action" movie, but a boxing movie. Even so, it's a good boxing movie. Min-sik Choi is good, as always. This film may not give him the places to stretch to like "Oldboy", but it’s still a great performance from him. Seung-beom Ryu also puts in the best performance I’ve seen out of him. I was very surprised by how good he was. Seung-wan Ryu’s direction is really great. He has a good sense of story telling and character building. Plus, the film was beautifully shot and well-edited.
The story brings very little new to the genre of boxing films. It is cool to see two good stories come together at the end, but the film is relatively predictable and unoriginal. The boxing scenes are very well done, particularly the big finale.
One of the best boxing movies I’ve seen. Nothing out of the ordinary, but very well done.
Cinema Hong Kong [3-Disc Box] (product link) Documentary / Martial Arts I find it hard to review documentaries. There's not much to say except that this is one of the better documentaries on Hong Kong cinema. It touches on Shaw Brothers a lot, which some documentaries spend too little time on.
The Power Of Aikido (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure This film was surprisingly good. The acting’s pretty good, particularly from the film’s lead, Jiro Chiba (Sonny Chiba’s younger brother). The direction is relatively standard, but I really liked the composition of the far away long takes. Although the movie is really good, it can’t help but look goofy at times. The story is much better than a lot of the Sonny Chiba movies I’ve watched. It’s a good character piece on the man who founded Aikido. The action scenes are really good. Many are short, but there’s a fair amount of them. They may not be the most exciting on screen, but there’s some really good Aikido. I think this has some of Sonny Chiba’s best action.
"Shanghai 13" is another mixed bag--the kind that you see for the awesome action and possibly skip over the story. The acting’s not bad, but I didn’t really feel anything for any of the performances. Chang Cheh’s direction is decent, but I didn’t feel the same style that I have with some of his other pieces. I had a hard time caring for certain characters because everyone would run in and out. Overall, it just seemed like an excuse for lots of action from lots of people. There are a lot of fights in this movie, and although one or two are only mediocre, many of them are quite good. There are also a lot of really talented fighters all in one picture, which makes it a big treat. I thought Leung Kar Yan had one of the best fights of his career, but Andy Lau was too slow that his fight was actually lacking.
"Shanghai 13" definitely has enjoyable action. I’m not sure how much there is past that.
The Green Hornet: Batman Crossover Episodes (product link) TV Shows/Movies / Martial Arts This film is all dependent on how much of a Bruce Lee, "Green Hornet", or "Batman" fan that you are. The 60s "Batman" show has always been full of camp and cliches, while "The Green Hornet" has just been a mundane counterpart. Yes, Bruce Lee gets to do some fighting, but it's mostly shot from bad angles. The action and story are all really cheesy, but that's what you come to expect from these shows. However, I think even "Batman" fans will be disappointed because for such a big crossover, these episodes have possibly the worst villain ever. It's definitely worth seeing if you are a hardcore fan or collector. Otherwise, you're not missing all that much, except a good laugh.
Contemporary action fans may enjoy the fan film featured on the PanMedia DVD far more than the crossover episodes.
Fearless [2006] (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure
This film can be a little bit of a struggle. On the one hand, it has some of Jet Li's best action scenes in several years and Ronny Yu's direction is absolutely beautiful. On the other hand, the story leaves a lot to be desired.
Jt Li definitely gives one of his better performances in this film. The other actors do a good job as well. Ronny Yu’s direction is, as always, marvelous. The cinematography is utterly breathtaking. He also took the action scenes in wonderful new directions. The story starts out interesting, but gets incredibly boring and predictable once the action slows down. For a film that is based on history, it’s awfully far fetched and cliché at times. The action scenes are great. It’s some of the best wushu and fight scenes that Jet Li has done in quite some time. The only problem is that they become somewhat repetitive after a while. The wirework also seems out of place at times.
The boring middle and predictably clichéd script are what really ruin this movie. Even so, this film has a lot of good to it and is definitely one of Jet Li's better films.
The Gambling Ghost (product link) Comedy / Action/Adventure In this film Sammo's characters take on the challenge of dealing with the spiritual world, while Sammo takes on the challenge of playing three different parts.
Sammo puts in a great performance here in all three roles, while Clifton Ko’s direction is good at times. There's not a lof of action in this movie, but the best scene is, of course, the finale. The finale has a lot going on, containing fights from Sammo Hung, Bobby Samuels, Billy Chow, James Tien, and more. The finale is pretty entertaining, although it may be lacking in some areas, like some of the speed. The action has some of Sammo's more contemporary choreography combined with some old school Wing Chun.
In short, this is another ghost comedy, somewhat similar to "Where’s Officer Tuba?" or "The Dead and the Deadly", but more entertaining.
The Bodyguard [2004] (product link) Action/Adventure / Comedy This is a comedy, so the acting is nothing special. The direction is good for satire, but also nothing special. There are only about three or four action scenes. Tony Jaa has a small cameo, where the best martial arts take place. It’s very short and Tony Jaa looks good, but it’s still a few levels below "Ong-Bak". The opening had some good stuntwork and gunplay, even though most of it was comedic. The finale was 10 minutes long, but dragged in a few places. There were some good moves and falls, but overall too many wires and comedic fighting that wasn’t all funny. The quality of this film made it look like a made for TV movie.
Worth seeing for hardcore Tony Jaa or Petchtai Wongkamlao fans.
"Born to Fight" (aka "Gerd Ma Lui") is Panna Rittikrai's first film, and while some people's first movie is greatly lacking, this one is almost the complete opposite. This film contains stuntwork so great that you see Panna recycling it in later films.
The film itself has many flaws. The direction and acting are probably mediocre at best. The storyline is relatively standard, and possibly relies too heavily on two characters looking similar.
All that aside, there are several great action sequences in this film. You can see the wheels beginning to spin for films like "Ong-Bak", "Born to Fight", and "Tom Yum Goong". The motorcycle chase scene is particularly good, but every fight is full of awesome stuntwork and good concepts. This film also features a little more kung fu style fighting than most of Panna Rittikrai's other films.
This film has some really excellent fighting and stuntwork that needs to be seen, but it’s extremely low budget and looks like an old Lo Wei or Huang Feng film. If it had the production quality of "Ong-Bak", everyone would need to own this movie.
Born To Fight [2004] (product link) Action/Adventure / Martial Arts "Born to Fight" is the stunt-filled feature made by the people that brought you "Ong-Bak".
The acting in this film and the direction are both pretty good. The story itself is really basic, and pretty comparable to "Die Hard" or any film of that type. The opening action sequence is really great. It is very creative and crazy enough to make your heart stop. There are a few cool fights in the middle to hold you over. Then almost the entire second half of the film is action, and although it’s enjoyable, I felt it went on for too long. The stuntwork is great, but the martial arts is not as good. Overall, I enjoyed it, and loved the falls and stuntwork, but was not as impressed as I was with "Ong-Bak". Compared to "Ong-Bak", this film has more of a Hollywood style than "Ong-Bak’s" Hong Kong style.
Worth seeing for action nuts who don't crave much substance.
A sequel to Panna Rittikrai's classic "Gerd Ma Lui" (aka "Born to Fight"). I'm not familiar with "Gerd Ma Lui 2", so my assumption is that the third film is a sequel in name only, not in story.
A lot of this film is relatively comedic and the performances seem okay. Panna's direction has greatly improved from the first "Gerd Ma Lui", utilizing a lot of good camera work and film techniques. The production value of this film beats the simplicity of the first film any day.
For this movie, Panna really focused on choreography, and he did a really good job. There is a good combination of moves and stuntwork. There’s a chase scene that is very similar to Tony Jaa’s chase scene in "Ong-Bak", only it's a much simpler version. The finale is, as usual, long and involved. Watching this film feels a lot like watching the classic Hong Kong action films of the 80s, with fast paced intricate choreography, as opposed to Panna's usual stunt-focused fights.
This film is shot much better than "Gerd Ma Lui", and the choreography flows better, too. The stuntwork and fighters are not quite as good, though.
Hod Tarm Sung (product link) Action/Adventure / Martial Arts Another early film from Panna Rittikrai and his crew becomes standard for their time.
Most of the performances seemed to lack any real emotion or expression. Panna's direction is on par for him. He draws out a lot of suspense for far too long.
The action scenes really vary in this movie. Some are relatively poor with really close camera angles, and others are pretty decent. There’s a lot of nice acrobatics. The finale is long and drawn out, similar to "Kuan Ouy", but not as comedic.
By the end of the film, I actually wished it had subtitles so I could know what the story was, which is a first for me for a Panna Rittikrai film.
Kon Dib Lhek Nam Pee (product link) Action/Adventure / Martial Arts A later film from Panna Rittikrai, done a few years before the craziness of "Ong-Bak".
The direction was a pretty good for one of Panna’s earlier films, and the acting wasn't bad either.
The action scenes were quite enjoyable. Many of them were really long but remain engaging throughout. There was a good combination of good choreography and good falls. There was also lots of weapons work. Some of the sword fighting would be a little too repetitive or simplistic at times. Tony Jaa had one of the best fights of his early career.
Definitely worth seeing for hardcore Panna Rittikrai or Tony Jaa fans. Jaa's fights are not "Ong-Bak" quality, but they are way better than most of his other early films.
Koo Dued (product link) Action/Adventure / Martial Arts Another typical early film by Panna Rittikrai: lots of melodrama with disappointing action.
The acting actually looks pretty good in this film, particularly from the leads, Panna Rittikrai and Samart Thipthamai, while the direction is relatively straight forward.
The action scenes are relatively disappointing. There’s the occasional fall or acrobatic movement, but that’s about it. The second half is mostly shootouts, which aren’t that great, but at least they’re better than Panna’s usual boring shootout sequences.
Kuan Ouy (product link) Action/Adventure / Martial Arts Another early work from Panna Rittikrai, more focused on comedy than anything else.
The filmmaking quality is relatively poor and the comedic performances are decent. The action sequences are decent in the first half. The finale is very long with a combination of both quality action and comedy. Although some of Panna's fighters do get to show off, the fights are still not as good as classics like "Gerd Ma Lui" or "Sing Wing Lui". There are a lot of nice acrobatics in this film, including a small cameo from a young Tony Jaa.
The stuntwork in this movie is relatively good, but the quality of filmmaking is pretty poor.
The direction may not always be astounding, but I do have to admit that the production value on this film was far better than Panna’s usual--granted, Panna Rittikrai did not direct this film. The story isn’t very well-developed. There are lots of characters that simply don’t matter and all of them are pretty one-dimensional. It doesn't help that none of the performances are all that great, either.
The fighting is disappointing for a Panna Rittikrai film. There’s lots of shooting and warfare, which Panna isn’t that great at making interesting. However, there is the occasional good move or stunt. Tony Jaa’s first fight is easily the best in the entire film.
Only for hardcore Tony Jaa or Panna Rittikrai fans.
It's hard to review a film like "Ong-Bak" because so much has already been said. The acting and direction are both decent for what's expected from these guys. The story is relatively simple and one dimensional, and probably the weakest part of the film.
The action in "Ong-Bak" is fantastic! Nearly every move connects, and there are some very deadly moves here. Tony Jaa is simply amazing to watch. His moves are so incredible. There is some excellent Muay Thai in this film as well. Prachya Pinkaew directs the action scenes very well. Although some ideas are merely recycled from Panna's earlier work, this film is also far more creative than most of Panna's other stuff.
"Ong-Bak" is one of the greatest action movies ever. It is not a superb piece of cinema, but the fighting makes up for it in every possible way. You also can't ignore the impact that this film brought to both Thai cinema and the global martial arts genre.
Pah Lhok Ma Lui (product link) Action/Adventure / Martial Arts "Pah Lhok Ma Lui" (aka "The End of the World") is basically Panna Rittikrai's version of "Rambo".
It’s hard to speak about the performances because there’s so little plot--most of this is action. The direction is not too interesting considering how much action is going on. It definetly could have been captured better.
There is a lot of action in this movie. The sad part is that most of it isn’t that great. The choreography is relatively mundane, and the gun shooting just goes on and on. There’s the occasional good move or nice fall, but I found it to be really repetitive and boring.
The acting and direction were both above average for Panna's films, but nothing outstanding. The action scenes really vary in this film. There are lots of falls, but many of them are really repetitive. Some of the choreography is great, and some of it is really oversimplified. The fighting style of the Japanese villain made for a good change of pace.
Beware the cheesy romantic songs that run throughout this film.
Plook Mun Kuen Ma Kah (product link) Action/Adventure / Horror Again, one of Panna's first films turns out to be one of his greatest in this action-horror film.
The acting seemed relatively good, but Panna Rittikrai’s direction is relatively amateurish at this point. The story doesn’t go very far, but it allows for a lot of action.
These action sequences are some of Panna’s best choreography yet. The swordplay and kung fu is really good. This is some of Panna Rittikrai's most complex choreography. And for all those stunt fans, he does put a few good falls in here as well, even though it’s not as stunt focused as "Gerd Ma Lui".
Another relatively simple film with a lot of great action from Panna Rittikrai and his crew. It would be an instant classic if it had better production quality.
Panna’s direction is much improved since the first film. This film probably has his best horror elements, and the acting isn't all that bad.
The action sequences are a really interesting breed for Panna’s films. Many of them are similar to the first "Plook" film, but not as much focus on stunts and just pure choreography. However, the fighting is not as kung fu like as the original Plook. Instead, it’s more like watching "Gerd Ma Lui 3". This is also one of the most acrobatic films in Panna’s work. Possibly the most enjoyable fight scene contains no martial arts at all. It is a sequence in which two wizards fight with imaginary weapons, that just entertains from beginning to end.
More polished in terms of production quality, but the action isn't quite up to par with Panna's classics.
The third in the series of Panna's spooky action series. Story-wise, this film picks up right after the second one. It's a shame it's not as good.
"Plook 3" mostly seemed goofy and some of the characters were annoying. Panna’s direction is a bit more refined--not quite as good as "Gerd Ma Lui 3", but better than his earlier stuff.
The action scenes early on are very basic. The main star, Bin Bunluerit, can’t fight that well, and the choreography is relatively uncreative. By the second half, a good character is introduced, played by Bunlu Srisang. He throws lots of kicks, and even though they’re not that great, the choreography is much better. He has a long fight where people do lots of acrobatic falls. Later, he fights Panna Rittikrai. Their fight is short and not necessarily well executed, but the choreography is much better. The finale mostly consists of some cool explosions, but no actual fighting.
This film is more refined than Panna’s earlier stuff, but the fighting and stuntwork is nowhere near as good as some of his other gems.
Sing Wing Lui (product link) Action/Adventure / Martial Arts "Sing Wing Lui" is another early classic from Panna Rittikrai.
Both the performances and the direction seemed alright. I think the frequent use of slow motion in in action sequences was overall a bad decision on the part of the director or the editor.
There isn't too much action early on, but the second half is full of great action. There’s a good two-on-one fight and an amazing finale. Panna later re-used a lot of these same stunts in "Born to Fight" (2004). There's just some incredible stuntwork, including the most painful sequence I've ever seen performed during any Panna Rittikrai film.
Like "Gerd Ma Lui" (aka "Born to Fight"), this film still suffers from a very low budget look.
This film (aka "Plook Mun Kuen Ma Kah 4") is technically a sequel to the original "Plook" film, but is really just a remake.
Panna's direction does create some good mise-en-scene and some nice tracking shots, but it's nowhere near as scary as some of the other "Plook" films. None of the acting is that great. The story is very repetitive and non-sensical. Most of the story basically consists of people fighting Panna Rittikrai over and over. The ending, trying to fit in with the horror genre, just proves the repetitiveness of the story.
In some ways, the action scenes lack some of Panna’s better qualities. There’s not a lot of stunts or falls, and only a few of the people fight really well on screen. Fortunately, there are some good acrobatics, and lots of good swordplay. The choreography’s slightly above average for Panna’s films, and they have more of a kung fu look to them, but nowhere near the quality of the first "Plook" film. There’s also a good amount of acrobatics. The highlight is the long gratuitous fight between Panna Rittikrai and Tony Jaa.
As far as a movie is concerned, this film is not very good. The action scenes make up for a lot of it. The fact that the background never really changes also didn’t help the dragging sensation that the plot has. This film is a direct remake of "Plook 1", but inferior in many ways.
Although not directly related to "Ong-Bak", this film is basically "Ong-Bak" on steroids, and therefore immediately draws itself to comparison.
Tony Jaa’s acting has improved significantly since "Ong-Bak", while Prachya Pinkaew’s direction is relatively the same. The plot is practically the same thing, replacing the "Ong-Bak" statue with Tony Jaa's pet elephant.
The action in this movie is good, but not as good as "Ong-Bak". It tries to take lots of concepts from "Ong-Bak" and bring them to the next level, but it all feels so repetitive like it's been done before. Some of the action doesn't even feel quite as polished as "Ong-Bak" was. Johnny Nguyen kicks well, but his style doesn’t really blend with Panna Rittikrai’s action. The x-gamers fight is easily the best, as it bares the least similarity and contains the most creative choreography. The finale is a bit of a disappointment because it doesn't give Tony Jaa any skilled opponents to go back and forth with. There are a few good long takes throughout the film, especially one that lasts almost four minutes long.
Overall, many action or Tony Jaa fans will enjoy this piece, but don't expect much of an improvement from "Ong-Bak".
Thai Police Story (product link) Crime / Action/Adventure "Thai Police Story" (aka "2 Nuk Soo Poo Ying Yai") is so much of a mixed bag that you'd almost believe it was several pieces of different Panna Rittikrai films put together.
Panna Rittikrai’s direction is good, but not his best, and little can be said about the acting. However, the action is pretty good. Most of the scenes have choreography problems, but not all of them. There’s not a lot of great technique here, and a lot of the scenes have poor angles and reactions (when the hits aren’t real). Even so, there are lots of good contact hits, amazing stunts, and good falls (similar to "Sing Wing Lui"). There’s some really brief weapons work that sucks, and the fight choreography gets repetitive at times. Unfortunately, the finale is another mundane shootout.
This may not be a Panna Rittikrai classic, but the stuntwork is easily some of his best early work.
Tabanfire (product link) Martial Arts / Thriller The acting is really nothing to shout about in this film. Dan Chupong is not a good actor. Chalerm Wongpim’s direction has some really good moments, but at other times it’s not a good way to direct the action. I give the story credit for being different from "Ong-Bak" and "Tom Yum Goong", however it’s not all that great in its own right.
The action scenes were my main reason for seeing this film, and I was quite disappointed. Dan Chupong is acrobatically talented, but his hits lack a lot of power. A lot of the choreography seems re-hashed from films like "Born to Fight" and "Ong-Bak". Many scenes were ruined with uninteresting wirework. There were some cool moments here and there, though, and some nice falls.
Sadly, Panna Rittikrai's second collaboration with Dan Chupong only turns out to be a big disappointment.
Chocolate [2008] (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure
Panna Rittikrai's first film using Tony Jaa's sister, Jeeja Yanin, turns out to be a mixed bag.
The performances by the female leads, Jeeja Yanin and Ammara Siripong are really good. The rest of the acting is just mediocre.
Prachya Pinkaew’s direction is relatively good in terms of shots and cinematography, but storywise the film doesn’t hold together well. The story had good intentions, but was really only at face value. Nothing’s really fleshed out and the plot is simply there to allow for lots of fighting.
The action scenes are good, but they’re lacking something that many of the Muay Thai Stunt Team usually brings. Much like "Dynamite Warrior", the reactions seem poor and the choreography seems uninspired. Nonetheless, there is some really great stuff and Jeeja Yanin is very talented, particularly for her first film.
I was surprisingly disappointing that this film only lands in the middle of Panna’s body of work.
AGREE?
READER COMMENTS
AUTHOR
Y
Agree with you concerning the story. It is absolutely barebones. As for the fighting, it is extremely tedious with almost no variety. You may be a little high in your rating.
"Somtum" is clearly another attempt from Panna Rittikrai and thai cinema to appeal to the US Market. Does it work?
What some people may not realize is that "Somtum" is a comedy that spends most of its time acting like a children's movie. The acting is pretty atrocious throughout the movie. During some of the more dramatic scenes, Nathan Jones has some good facial expressions. Otherwise, the acting is crap. The direction has some good moments, particularly when Nathan Jones goes crazy. Otherwise it’s relatively standard fare. The story is very similar to "Popeye". However, past that original idea, there’s not too much here. It’s very predictable and formulaic, but props go out to the original casting for Nathan Jones, rather than just giving him another meat head villain role.
The action was relatively disappointing. Much of it is sped up and poorly performed. The stunts are toned down a bit, but there are still a few goodies here and there. Dan Chupong’s fight is possibly the best, particularly in terms of choreography. I was hoping that the finale would end up being the big payoff, but the choreography was like some of the most uncreative wrestling matches and the stuntwork was subpar for Panna Rittikrai's stunt crew.
Don't fret if your film does not have English subtitles because almost more than half of the movie is in English.
Overall, Somtum gets a lot of points for its originality, but fails to provide really quality entertainment or impressive action.
Death Dimension (product link) Action/Adventure / Crime There's not much good to say about this film. The acting is all pretty bad, whether it’s from Jim Kelly or George Lazenby. Harold Sakata is particularly bad. Al Adamson’s direction is basically what you would expect from a man known for making crap. The action is really bad, too, providing little reason to actually purchase this movie.
Black Samurai (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure I don't understand why some people like this movie. None of the performances are noteworthy or good. It’s surprising that Al Adamson was the director of this film, as he’s known for doing movies with more sex, horror, or sci-fi elements. Anyway, it maintains the crappy B-quality that his films have. The story is relatively tired and uninteresting. The final fight is fairly long, but all of the action scenes are really bad. It's definitely not one of Jim Kelly's better films.
Hot Potato (product link) Action/Adventure / Martial Arts Another lame attempt to make Jim Kelly popular. The acting is all horrible, Oscar Williams’ direction is nothing special at all, the plot is barely memorable, and the action scenes are not even as good as "Black Belt Jones".
Supposedly, Yuen Biao and Lam Ching Ying both have cameos, but I have no idea where.
None of the performances are great, but the acting is above average for Blaxploitation. Robert Clouse tones down the James Bond similarities of his direction and gives this film more of a Blaxploitation feel. The plot about a gang trying to run a Karate school out of business is a good mix of standard kung fu and Blaxploitation stories. The action sequences are some of Jim Kelly’s better stuff, choreographed by Bob Wall. The finale in the car wash is pretty cool, even if it drags after a while. This is some of the best fighting in the entire Blaxploitation genre.
Black Belt Jones 2 (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure "Black Belt Jones 2" (aka "The Tattoo Connection") is a sequel only in name and the starring of Jim Kelly. However, even with Jim Kelly headlining many posters and DVD boxes, he's not really the star of this film--Tan Tao Liang is. Jim Kelly may get a lot of screen time, but his character is one dimensional and the film really revolves around Tan Tao Liang.
The acting is all pretty bad. Tso Nam Lee’s direction isn’t anything special. The plot is relatively straight forward.
I was excitedly anticipating how Jim Kelly would do in a Hong Kong film. Unfortunately, it’s not very good. Thankfully, Tan Tao Liang is there to flash his legs around once in a while, even though he’s done far better.
Three The Hard Way (product link) Crime / Action/Adventure "Three The Hard Way" pits several Blaxploitation greats into one picture directed by Gordon Parks Jr.
The acting isn’t bad, especially for what you'd expect from blaxploitation. Gordon Parks Jr. has some good moments and some typically bad ones, as well. Many scenes drag along just to play an entire song for atmosphere. The story is not very well thought out, but it does fit the blaxploitation period quite well. The action scenes are actually pretty good. Some of Jim Kelly’s fights are some of his best. Some action sequences are long, too, with the occasional impressive stunt.
Although this film has many of the problems most blaxploitation films had, it appears to be of higher quality and bigger budget than the average one.
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