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Jeffreys steals the show playing Chuck, a tough and charismatic NY detective who continuously gets his share of the third degree from his chief (played by the late Frank Gorshin) when a trail of athletes' dead bodies puts pressure on the department to catch the killer responsible. With no leads and no witnesses, Chuck is forced to seek the assistance of Ken, a retired cop whose specialty in investigating the minds of dangerous and deadly criminals has not only left its share of scars, both physical and emotional, but also strained his relationship with his family. In turn, Ken rejects the case file until he discovers the death of his former martial arts teacher, Master Takeda, played by Ken Kensei.

Ken returns from retirement and joins Chuck on their disinclined partnership to catch the mysterious killer, played by Darren Shahlavi, who seemingly uses lethal kung fu techniques to kill his victims. During their investigation, leads turn into puzzles they must solve in a deadly game of cat and mouse. And with each dead body that brings them closer to ending the case, the closer the killer gets to Chuck and Ken...and unfortunately, even more closer to Ken's friends and family. This time, Ken must set aside his fears and use every bit of courage he has to bring the killer down once and for all in a finalizing and relentless, epic kung fu showdown!

Now this is where it gets ugly.

The few important relationships established in the movie--such as those between the characters, Ken and Takeda (played by Daniels and Kensei), and Takeda's adopted non-Asian daughter, Kelly (played by kickboxing femme fatale co-star Brandie Rocci)--are hardly ever mentioned or exhibited throughout the film enough for the average viewer to care about how the rest of the film will play out. The plot points are simple enough to interpret as the film pieces itself together from one moment to the next. The movie also dishes out its share of corny comedic interludes that slow the film down a few times, but it shouldn't be too much to worry about. And furthermore, serious loads of bad acting are shown by much of the film's cast, including from the extras, which breeds the idea that some serious miscasting took place during the film's production.

In addition to all this, much of the film's production quality is marred by sloppy set management and mishandling of equipment on the set, with reference to the atrocious view of an overhead boom microphone in two scenes of dialogue, and the clear view of a fake leg during close-ups of action sequences as well as the use of wirework for the film's big kicks and more death-defying stunts. Moreover, with regard to the film's storyline, the film almost completely neglects the practice of continuity in support of the film's initial theme: a killer's rampage that occurs only when the moon turns red at night--and it's one big ass moon!

With all these factors that give more than enough reason to leave this film alone, the fact of the matter is that even though the movie is so bad to a fault, that it reciprocates its negatives with the idea that it's actually good, what with all the popcorn action fluff that it has to offer. Jeffreys makes out more than well enough to have been able to play the lead. Shahavi does a great job, matching up with Daniels during key fight sequences, displaying awesome technique, a good sense of timing and athleticism that the film needed to keep the film going when it needed to. Daniels does an exceptional job in performing his role, both dramatically as well as even athletically, despite his upper-body strength which does tend to slow him down, compared to his work on films like "City Hunter", where he shows even more exceptional skill and the speed required to maintain the pacing of average Hong Kong action, tempered for fans of Hong Kong stylized action movies like that of action director Tony Leung Siu-Hung's "Bloodmoon".

And so, that says it! With all the misgivings, unabsolutes, impediments and hindrances that bludgeoned this film almost completely to the point of near-unwatchability, the martial arts action fan community can still at least count on a virtually solid action movie with a viable framework for a cheesy-yet-deliverable storyline, catered strictly for its target audience: kung fu fans, particularly those who enjoy seeing what the U.S. has to offer in its own market to meet the demand for quality Hong Kong stylized action!

In a nutshell...it's all about the action, really.

OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS: The No Retreat No Surrender Trilogy, Superfights, Bloodmoon, Romeo Must Die, Point Break, King Of The Kickboxers, American Shaolin, Manhattan Chase, Satin Steel, Cold Harvest, China O'Brien, China Strike Force, Mortlal Kombat, Drive: Director's Cut, The Last Dragon, In The Line Of Duty 3 and 4, Universal Soldier: The Return, S.P.L., Tai Chi 2, Lethal Weapon 4, Wheels On Meals, Asian Cop High Voltage and Undisputed 2: Last Man Standing.

Not too recently I visited the UK-based Scott Adkins fansite and clicked on a link that took me to a page containing an interview between Adkins and the site's moderator about Adkins's career, and his experience while working with Van Damme on the set. And as much as I admired Van Damme, what I found out in reading the interview really pissed me off dearly.

As much as Adkins was a gentleman, cordial and respectful in speaking about working with his idol, I can't help but be in touch with how I really feel. In a nutshell, leave it to Van Damme to completely ruin things for the viewing masses dying to see him do his split once more!!! Apparently, along with all of the other consequential implications involving the making of a low-budget film, Van Damme's "creative control" over much of the choreography for the final fight of the movie caused for much of it to be taken out, leaving what Adkins termed as "...a third of a fight...". As a result, much of the scene is interrupted by slow-motion post-production editing. Basically, Van Damme worked against what Florentine and Perry had in mind, and as such, much of the fight (along with much the movie, to me that is) will leave you tired and wishing the film was over a lot faster.

Now, I had no gripes about Van Damme's acting when it came to "Wake Of Death", which really helped Van Damme shine as a truly dramatic actor, despite the lack of Hong Kong stylized action, leaving a more unique tone for the film. But as far as Van Damme's career goes, I couldn't feel any more stupid than I already feel, even after years of defending the very fact that he couldn't act his way out of a paper bag, even though he had his moments from time to time. When I was younger, I couldn't go to sleep without catching the weeknight or weekend TV broadcasting of "Bloodsport". What can I say, Van Damme was the man! He was a superstar whose big kicks, splits and pop-culture mania left a lot of VHS racks empty at the store...until now! I realize, for most, that what really makes his movies enjoyable is the presence of solid and continuous martial arts action--whether or not he could act was almost never an issue as long as he delivered a high-flying sidekick to a guy's jaw! But nowadays, Van Damme has transcended a bit since his fallout from Hollywood as a mainstream commodity, giving him a little room to flex his acting muscles more than his kicking muscles.

For me, his biggest success was "Wake Of Death", an urban crime drama that featured some modest, but truly explosive, action sequences that definitely fit the film's tone. But trying to apply this very same concept to every film is nearing pointless, as but a few of Van Damme's recent films which that allow more drama than action have left me almost nothing more than unstimulated and sleepy-films like "Legionnaire" and "Second In Command".

My point is, if this is how the legendary "Muscles From Brussels" is going to treat his audience, than I'm glad he made "J.C.V.D.". That way, people could key in to seeing just how much of a blatant jerk the REAL Van Damme is.

So yeah, I gave the film big-ups for the director's improving artistic filmmaking quality, on top of the few good fight scenes that are in the film (only about 2 or 3 that are really enjoyable) and the good storytelling and character deliverability in terms of the cast performances, including Van Damme's, a portion of the review that I blindly went into without knowing the few important details about what happened behind the scenes, and what should have happened for the film's sake that didn't happen, thanks in part to a few largely damaging decisions made by the studio in charge of the film's production, and an old Belgian who no longer has his split.

If you're a hardcore Van Damme freak and you're largely offended by what I wrote in this review, and could care less about the rest, then go ahead and add this one to your collection. As for me and anyone who understands where I'm coming from about all this.....I've learned my lesson.

OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS: Enter The Dragon, Lone Wolf McQuade, The Street Fighter, Street Fighter: The Movie, Black Eagle, No Retreat No Surrender, China O'Brien, The Quick And The Dead, Hard Target, Desert Heat, Wake Of Death, Mortal Kombat, Broken Arrow, The Rock, High Voltage, Cold Harvest, U.S. Seals 2: The Ultimate Force, China Strike Force, Special Forces, The Rundown, Kill Bill, Undisputed 2: Last Man Standing, D.O.A.: Dead Or Alive, Kiltro, Sukiyaki Western: Django, Dogs Of Chinatown, and the upcoming action thriller from the UK, The Tournament, also starring Scott Adkins, along with Kelly Hu and Ving Rhames.

A somewhat mediocre Muay Thai martial arts action film, often interrupted by excessive, quirky moments of comedic interlude. Fortunately, it's not totally corny, so there IS hope!

Nice story and overall good production quality for a low budget film, though the action scenes in the first 20 minutes or so needed to be more explosive, with better martial arts performers who know how to work in front of a camera, and a D.P. who knows how to shoot action properly; It could be an issue of the miscasting of extras, and possibly, the film's lead actor, Thun Thanakorn, who needs to sharpen his technique of he wants to do another action movie of the same calibur or higher.

The film also throws in a little bit of English dialogue for those who don't necessarily speak Thai, so that's also a plus if you don't like reading subtitles too much.

Look out for martial arts performer and stuntman, Tim "Tin Man" Man, who literally kicks the film into high gear after about 30 minutes. And stay tuned for a rather impressive villainous performance by someone who appears to look A LOT like Dan Chupong...hmmmm...dunno, I'll be checkin' up though. ;-)

My advice: Buy this one simply for the action...and whatever you do, don't be an idiot and look for this to be a "Tony Jaa" movie, or you'll cause yourself to have an Aneurysm.

OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS: "The 36 Chambers Of Shaolin", "Snake In The Eagle's Shadow", "Born To Defense", "Born To Fight", "Only The Strong", "Fearless: HK Director's Cut", "Undisputed 2: Last Man Standing" (look out for "Undisputed 3" which is rumored to be in production right now), "Asian Cop High Voltage", "Born To Fight", "King Of The Kickboxers", "No Retreat No Surrender", "No Retreat No Surrender 3: Blood Brothers", "Superfights", "Muscle Heat", "Fighter In The Wind", "Arahan: Urban Martial Arts Action", "The Red-Wolf", "Fatal Contact", "Dragon Tiger Gate", "The Avenging Fist", "Tom Yum Goong", "Chocolate", "Dong Mau Anh Hung: The Rebel", "Shamo", Ron Smoorenburg's directorial debut, "Bangkok Adrenaline", and the upcoming Tony Jaa film, "Ong Bak 2".

And please look out for Sammo Hung's latest upcoming film, "Wushu", co-produced by Jackie Chan!!!

The film goes into a direction as a martial arts/action/spaghetti western type-of-film that allows more drama and storytelling than action, as with many of Van Damme's recent films, such as Wake Of Death and Until Death. The musical score also aides in flushing out the film's story setting, which is Texas bordering New Mexico (bear in mind, the film was shot in Bulgaria according to imdb.com). This latest directorial formula by Florentine may or may not be a good thing, depending on how you feel about Van Damme's role in the movie, and how far he has come in the world of action cinema.

Personally, I would have preferred to see a lot more hand-to-hand fight sequences than the gunplay and car chases in the film. Unfortunately, the martial arts sequences, which were choreographed by J.J. Perry are few, and far between, leaving a lot of room to flush out more drama and storytelling than solid hand-to-hand/foot-to-foot combat. Moreover, the final fight sequence between Van Damme and Adkins gets interrupted by bits of slo-mo editing, perhaps to add the dramatic effect that the director thought it needed (really, it almost gave me a headache).

I felt that more Hong Kong-stylized action would have been quintessential to the film's enjoyment for action fans, particularly martial arts movie fans, and especially after the explosive displays of gravity-defying footwork illustrated in Undisputed 2: Last Man Standing. However, in fairness to Florentine's vision, you have to give him credit for making an effort to become a more diverse, efficient filmmaker. Sure, he continues to make some of those same little mistakes in his style that he's made in previous films with lower budgets. But you have to give him credit. Besides, after all said and done, it's still somewhat of a treat to watch a Florentine action picture that pits the likes of Van Damme against Scott Adkins, the UK's answer to Jing Wu, :-); One has to bear in mind, the admirable fact that both actors played bloodthirsty Rusian kickboxers at some point in their film careers (anyone reading this who hasn't seen No Retreat No Surrender should be Sammo-slapped!!!)

With respect to the martial arts sequences, the choreography is nice, as well as the execution by the stars. Van Damme, a little stiff at times, can still toss a few good moves at his age, showing great technique in much of the action which emulates the very essence of mixed martial arts combat, combining exchanges of kicks and punches with those of grapples, armbars, leg throws and submission holds that emulate the very essence of mixed martial arts. And with Adkins in the mix, throwing around some of his biggest techniques as always, the films stands to deliver some quality action scenes...short in numbers and duration, but good nonetheless.

It's tricky this time around, being an action fan, particularly if you've enjoyed films like U.S. Seals 2: The Ultimate Force and Special Forces. Florentine is aiming to grow a little more as a director, just as Van Damme is progressively transforming himself into a more mature, individualized, memorable actor. Sure, this film didn't deliver as much stylized action as I hoped. But as far as substance goes, The Shepherd: Border Patrol proves itself to be a worthy purchase.

OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS: Enter The Dragon, Lone Wolf McQuade, The Street Fighter, Street Fighter: The Movie, Black Eagle, No Retreat No Surrender, China O'Brien, The Quick And The Dead, Hard Target, Desert Heat, Wake Of Death, Mortal Kombat, High Voltage, Cold Harvest, U.S. Seals 2: The Ultimate Force, China Strike Force, Special Forces, The Rundown, Kill Bill, Undisputed 2: Last Man Standing, D.O.A.: Dead Or Alive, Kiltro, Sukiyaki Western: Django, Dogs Of Chinatown, and the upcoming action thriller from the UK, The Tournament, also starring Scott Adkins, along with Kelly Hu and Ving Rhames.

The film tells the story of two brothers, separated by adversity, who are tragically reunited when they find their father, a retired CIA operative, murdered on his birthday. When they both vow to investigate his death on their own terms, danger lies in every corner, forcing them to fight for their lives...as long as they don't kill each other first!

Though the story does have its corny, quirky side at times, to add some vitality to the film's plot, the story is kept interesting, especially with a number of fantastic fight scenes, directed by veteran Hong Kong stuntman, choreographer and director, Tony Leung Siu-Hung. Avedon's and Vitali's performances are just as adequate as performances from most other actors with any B-list martial arts movie of its time; No Academy Awards or Oscars here to say the least.

And Rion Hunter, who deserves much more credit than what he gets, performs brilliantly as one of the baddest modern-day kung fu villains ever to be featured in the history of crossover kung fu cinema. Frankly, I am still surprised that he has not been performing in other martial arts movies after this one.

Lo's directorial vision brings a wonderful (if not somewhat open-ended) conclusion to the "No Retreat, No Surrender" project. I guess it leaves one to breed curiosity as to why each film as the NRNS title attached to it, despite each film having a different story with different characters, etc. Perhaps that answer will come to us in the days ahead to whomever is interested.

In the meantime, either way it goes, each film is a pure treat to watch, and this self-titled finale to the franchise will...well, as Steve Wang would put it...entertain the shit out of you!

OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS: "No Retreat, No Surrender", "No Retreat, No Surrender 2: Raging Thunder", "The 7 Grandmasters", "Righting Wrongs", "So Close", "Bandidas", "Yes, Madam!", "In The Line Of Duty 4", "She Shoots Straight", "Wheels On Meals", "My Lucky Stars", "King Of The Kickboxers", "American Shaolin", "Nico: Above The Law", "Shanghai Knights", "Arahan: Urban Martial Arts Action", "Kampfansage: The Last Apprentice", "U.S. Seals 2: The Ultimate Force", "Drive: Director's Cut", "Banlieue 13", "Bloodmoon", "Satin Steel", "China Strike Force" and the upcoming film from director Koichi Sakamoto, "Broken Path".

Also co-starring Alessandro Nivola, Dominique Swain, Joan Allen, Gina Gershon and Nick Cassavetes, Face/Off is an electrifying tale of a long-vengeful and battle scarred FBI agent whose one-man war against an elusive terrorist who murdered his son falls into a downward spiral of events, filled with twists and turns at every corner!

Filled with style and substance, hypnotic performances from a talented cast and dazzling scenes of the most high-caliber bullet ballet gun battles ever seen on in Hollywood feature, Face/Off is a true masterpiece that will leave your eyes red from not blinking...

...and blink shall you not!!!

OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS: "Broken Arrow", "The Replacement Killers", "House Of Flying Daggers", "Passenger 57", "Ballistic Kiss", "Get Carter", "Paycheck", "Double Team", "Timecop", "Kiss Of The Dragon", "S.P.L.", "Flash Point", "2009: Lost Memories", "Legacy Of Rage", "Desperado", "Hard Boiled", "The Killer", "Lethal Weapon 2", "Mission: Impossible 2", "Mission: Impossible 3", "My Father Is A Hero", "Asian Cop High Voltage" and "Undercut".

Featuring a well-assembled cast including Mira Sorvino, Michael Rooker, Clifton Collins Jr., Kenneth Tsang, Carlos Gómez, Jürgen Prochnow, and introducing Hong Kong action star Chow Yun-Fat, "The Replacement Killers" is an electrifying motion picture event that redefines the standard for bullet ballet sub-genre in Hollywood action cinema. Director Antoine Fuqua exhumes the very essentials that were needed in order for the film to work the way it does, exploring the many mechanics of previous "heroic bloodshed" types of Hong Kong movies like The Killer, A Better Tomorrow and Hard Boiled, all of which highlight Yun-Fat's prominent acting career, and are all directed by one of the film's executive producers, acclaimed Hong Kong filmmaker John Woo.

Any fan of Hong Kong action cinema will see how truly absorbed the director and the cast become in bringing this motion picture event to the big screen, and ultimately launch Chow Yun-Fat into international superstardom.

If you love action, the "The Replacement Killers" is a hit not to be missed!

OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS: "The Killer", "Hard Boiled", "Time And Tide", "Beyond Hypothermia", "The Transporter", "2009: Lost Memories", "Face/Off", "So Close", "Shoot Em' Up", "Xavier Gens's 'Hitman'", "Equilibrium", "Drive: Director's Cut", "Elektra", "Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever", "Desperado", "Once Upon A Time In Mexico", "Hard Target", "The Art Of War", "Bangkok Dangerous", "The Crow" and "Killer Bean Forever".

With that in mind, welcome yourself to another one of the most undercredited action movies in the history of martial arts entertainment, "No Retreat, No Surrender 2: Raging Thunder", which headlines a whole new story of its own, separating itself from that of the first film, with new cast members including Cynthia Rothrock, Max Thayer, Matthias Hues, and introducing Loren Avedon as the protagonist of this incredible martial arts action piece.

The film features a story that combines a little bit of everything used in both Hollywood and Hong Kong films, like Lone Wolf McQuade, Rambo, Eastern Condors and Magnificent Warriors. This is probably a good thing since the first film caps itself off nicely with a closed, happy ending, which is something that not a lot of films do these days; Often at times, we find ourselves watching open-ended movies, which becomes very frustrating at times, especially if the film promises a sequel that never gets made in the long run. And, while some sequels work for certain franchises, there is a long list of Hollywood A and B list movies where sequels don't really do much justice for their respective franchises, or consumers for that matter.

With that said, the film gives the "no Retreat, No Surrender" franchise a fresh new start with a revamped look into the world of crossover martial arts action for U.S. audiences.

As far as the film's deliverability goes, it bares the unfortunate tendency to leave a significant amount of room for improvement, particularly and mainly, with regard to the acting. The performances are pretty good, and befitting for the film's sub-genre in which, needless to say, not a lot of Hong Kong or American martial arts action movies focused much on the mechanics of acting and drama, rather than precision fight choreography and stuntwork. And of course, with Corey Yuen Kwai directing the film, the action is going to be quite terrific, emulating the very essence of Hong Kong-stylized fight fight choreography and stuntwork that made Hong Kong movies in the eighties so successful.

Personally, I really do not blame Corey Yuen Kwai for focusing so much on the film's action sequences rather than the mechanics of Academy Award winning acting skills. Kwai stuck to what he knew in order for the film to work, leaving it up to the actors to perform as best as they could make it look on screen. Although honestly, it certainly would've been nice to have the best of both filmmaking elements for the overall quality if the film. But let's face it, the just isn't that kind of film...

...This one is old school, straight up and down!

OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS: No Retreat, No Surrender, No Retreat No Surrender 3: Blood Brothers, King Of The Kickboxers, My Lucky Stars, Midnite Angels 3, Fong Sai-Yuk, The Delta Force, Lone Wolf McQuade, magnificent Warriors, Eastern Condors, Righting Wrongs, Simon Sez, U.S. Seals 2: The Ultimate Force, Special Forces, Born To Fight, Banlieue 13, Tom Yum Goong, Kampfansage: The Last Apprentice, Extreme Heist and The Shepherd.

Up until then, the only stunt team I was aware of was Alpha Stunts, a stunt team founded by three martial arts performers from Japan responsible for the magic brought to children's homes on the hit television series headlined by the Power Rangers franchise. And after having seen the evolution of Westernized action cinema by Alpha Stunts with films like Guyver: Dark Hero, Drive, High Voltage, Shadow Fury and Special Forces, as well as other production companies with the crossover of Hong Kong action stars like Jackie Chan and Jet Li, nobody really ever expected anyone not in the filmmaking industry to ever match the same standards on an independent level...

...And then along comes Eric Jacobus and his crack-team of aspiring filmmakers and martial arts performers to put the nay-sayers and non-believers in their place, impressing all who come to their website looking for some great eye-pleasing entertainment.

Undercut, a low-budget feature short film directed by aspiring young filmmaker and kung fu soup extraordinaire "Tuoc Vim Tuong!!!" (a.k.a. Stephen Reedy, lol), pulls out all the stops to deliver a wonderfully comedic screwball action comedy to fans everywhere. For a half-hour straight, watch the story unfold as Eric Ninja, down-and-out of luck ninja working for the city, fights to get his job back after being fired by cartoonish politician, Governor Begbie Carlyle, and ultimately replaced by Chinese Ninja Andy, a cheaper, more cost-effective ninja from China!

Eric Jacobus and Andy Leung, two originating founders of the team, display their dazzling martial arts choreography and performance, as well as their unique filmmaking style, which would have any right-minded studio director going "ga-ga" over these performers, or other performers of other teams alike that can meet the same standards met in virtually all Hong Kong action projects, by-and-large.

Undercut, which acts as a predecessor to Jacobus's directional debut, Contour, emulates anything and everything that martial arts cinema fans around the world have been waiting for for so many years; Great stuntwork, great cinematography, and a style of filmmaking that continues to help the team evolve in substance, as the members of The Stunt people continue to transcend the way Hollywood interprets the mechanics of kung fu genre.

Look for great things to come from this amazing stunt team in the future! And while you're at it, keep your eyes and ears open for more to come from Eric Jacobus;...

...Have you seen Jackie Chan movies, and similarly, ever wonder why Eric Jacobus almost never cuts his hair?!?...

...Clearly, the man is absolutely driven!...Driven I say!!!~~~lol

OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS: The "Everyone Is Kung Fu Fighting" DVD series, "Bound By Blood", "Contour", "6 Hours", "Dogs Of Chinatown", "An Act Of Revenge", "Carmen's Virtue", "Yeah Sure Okay" and "The Witness".

The story plays as a culmination of Tony Randel's "Fist Of The North" meets Gordon Chan's "Fist Of Legend", which tries to cover as much ground as it can while attempting to travel on a story of its own. Unfortunately, the film tends to cut a lot of corners as a result of trying to do so much at once between scenes, which doesn't leave a lot of room for high points of drama on behalf of the cast, or visual storytelling for that matter. Also, it doesn't completely do the film any justice, especially with regard to the film's editing, which clearly, at times, shows a distinct lack of continuity in certain spots throughout the movie. And consequently, the film often looks too dizzy and erratic to watch.

However, on behalf of the editing, out of all of the fight sequences and stunts coordinated and choreographed by the film's three principle cast members, Mathis Landwehr, Volkram Zshiesche and Christian Monz, many of them are edited as brilliantly as they are shot on camera. The fluid, high-impact fight choreography attributes itself to the mechanics of Hong Kong kung fu action cinema, which alone rules this European martial arts gem one of the most noteworthy modern-day kung fu movies of its time.

Fans can definitely expect more to surface from the international market, taken up a notch or two with this, a brilliant and bold introduction to the world of "German Kung Fu"!

OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS: "Death Train", "Kingz", "Fist Of Legend", "Fist Of The North Star", "The New Legend Of Shaolin", "Nemesis", "Cyborg", "Bichunmoo: Warrior Of Virtue", "Banlieue 13", "Death Trance", "V For Vendetta", "Blade", "Mortal Kombat", "Sha Po Lang", "Dragon Tiger Gate", "Kiltro", "No Retreat, No Surrender 2: Raging Thunder "and "No Retreat, No Surrender 3: Blood Brothers".

Above The Law is a hardcore all-American cop movie that headlines the story of Nico Toscani (Seagal), a man who has been there, seen it all, and knows how the world works. He grew up learning life's most important philosophies through Japanese culture, by way of martial arts training, and eventually found himself a place in the U.S. military during the Vietnam War, only to be betrayed by his own and winds up back in his native hometown of Chicago, with a new career as a detective, a new family, new friends and a new lease on life.

Unfortunately, Toscani's career is put on the line when a botched drug raid leads him to corruption at the highest levels of his own department, including the FBI. Matters only get worse when he continues his investigation into the case after it is dismissed, only to find his family in danger when the city becomes a target of terror and mayhem by the very people Toscani used to be a part of back in Vietnam-not a well-equipped team of mercenaries lead by his former officer in charge, Kurt Zagon (Silva).

As time goes by, with his badge taken away, and lives at stake with no time to spare, Toscani is forced to protect his family and go after the criminals the only way he knows how, with the only help of his few friends, including his partner, Delores Jackson (Grier).

The most endearing quality about the film, directed by Andrew Davis, is that it doesn't try to do so much all at once. Once the story gets going, the film does exactly that--it sticks to the story, with each clever action sequence playing out at just the right time throughout the film.

Above The Law, above all, is an action film for U.S. action fans, or whoever is bold enough to enjoy this dated, all-American action classic featuring Seagal in raw, fine form...with the hair slicked back and everything!!! lol~~~

OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS: "Bloodsport", "The Perfect Weapon", "American Samurai", "New Jack City", "Black Rain", "Marked For Death", "Passenger 57", "Lethal Weapon 3", "Honor", "Exit Wounds", "The Glimmer Man", "Walking Tall", "The Art Of War", "Cobra", "Fire Down Below", "No Retreat, No Surrender 3: Blood Brothers", "Banlieue 13"...and my personal favorite, "Jackie Brown", directed by Quentin Tarantino.

The film is pure, genuine entertainment all around, with wonderful performances from a well-assembled cast of actors and actress, homegrown in Hollywood and abroad! Great stunt and chase sequences, with wholesome storytelling that balances out the entire film from beginning to end.

Of course, with this being a Hollywood action movie with lots of spectacle, some of it wasn't really realistic....but after a while, the film just gets so much more interesting as the story moves from one level to the next, that you simply don't care about all the nitty-gritty details and such.

Directed by Breck Eisner, Sahara is truly a fun film for the whole family, and will keep you laughing and on the edge of your seat!

Action adventure fans will be very pleased!!!

OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS: The "Pirates Of The Carribean" Trilogy, The "Back To The Future" Trilogy, The "Indiana Jones" Quadrilogy, The "El Mariachi" Trilogy, "The Mummy Trilogy", "Armor Of God", "Armor Of God 2", "The Rundown", "Fire Down Below", "On Deadly Ground", "The Scorpion King", "Serenity", "Bandidas", "The Scorpion King", "Banlieue 13" and "Dr. Wai In The Scripture With No Words".

Yeah, a nice story with nice dramatic performances from the principle cast, etc. But let's face it-If you absolutely love great Hong Kong action movies, then this a film that should not be forgotten!

OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS: "Legacy Of Rage", "A Better Tomorrow", "The Killer", "Hard Boiled", "High Risk", "Iron Monkey", "The New Legend Of Shaolin", ""So Close", "Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever", "The Bodyguard From Beijing", "Double Team", "The Red-Wolf", "Cradle 2 The Grave", "D.O.A.: Dead Or Alive", "Universal Soldier: The Return", Jeff Lew's latest and upcoming full-length bullet-ballet CGI animated action feature, "Killer Bean Forever", and the upcoming J&J project, "The Forbidden Kingdom", starring Jackie Chan, Jet Li, Michael Angarano, Collin Chou and Jacky Wu, and directed by Rob Minkoff.

Starring Taimak, Vanity, Jim Moody, Chris Murney, Leo O'Brien, a young Ernie Reyes Jr., and Julius J. Carry III, the film is wondrously entertaining, and full of colorful performances from a wonderfully cast group of actors and actresses. Taimak in the pivotal role of the chosen one who would save Harlem from Sho'nuff, The Shogun of Harlem. The fight scenes are anything but boring, and keep the storyline progressing, with each portion of the movie introducing more and more elements to sustain the film's comedic and fantastic energy, and still manage to keep the film well-balanced until the very end.

Director Michael Schultz took a concept and made it into one of the most renowned American action movies ever made. And furthermore, any American who has ever loved a good Bruce Lee film, and understands American culture will absolutely love this joyous, wonderful classic addition to the martial arts movie genre!

So what if this is not a Jackie Chan or Jet Li film! Love it, or hate it...this movie is in a class of its own brothas and sistas! Ya dig!?

Peace, Music, Love and Havin' Fun! ;-)

OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS: "The Big Boss", "Fist Of Fury", "Return Of The Dragon", "Enter The Dragon", "Game Of Death", "Black Belt Jones", "The Black Dragon", "One Down, Two To Go", "Slaughter", "China O'Brien", "China O'Brien 2", "Shaft", "No Retreat, No Surrender", "American Shaolin", "Showdown", "Passenger 57", "Blade", "Blade 2" and "Afro Samurai".

There is no question about it-the film's three principle martial arts stars, Donnie Yen, Sammo Hung and Jing Wu are the true bread and butter of this wonderful modern day action classic, which stands as a throwback to the raw, gritty, substantially brutal style of Hong Kong stylized action choreography, ultimately incorporating mixed martial arts fight sequences, with a classic escrima battle between Donnie Yen with a police baton, and Jing Wu with a big ass knife, lol.

Anyone who has ever seen Donnie Yen's movies spanning the last two decades will truly enjoy what S.P.L. brings to the screen,...no matter what title it contains on the DVD cover box! ;-)

OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS: "Fists Of Fury", "The Big Boss", "Knockabout", "The Prodigal Son", "Police Story", "Righting Wrongs", "Crime Story", "Heart Of The Dragon", "No Retreat, No Surrender 3: Blood Brothers", "Royal Warriors", "Nico: Above The Law", "Yes, Madam!", "The Rookie", "Operation Scorpio", "Fist Of Legend", "Tiger Cage", "Tiger Cage 2", "The Stunt Woman", "Hard Boiled", "In The Line Of Duty 4", "Bloodmoon", "Asian Cop: High Voltage", "The Red-Wolf", "Beat", "So Close", "Gedo: Fatal Blade", "Nowhere To Hide", "House Of Flying Daggers", "Mystic River", "Wake Of Death", "New Police Story", "Fatal Contact", "Arahan: Urban Martial Arts Action", "The City Of Violence", "Flashpoint", and the upcoming martial arts action feature film, "Broken Path", starring Johnny Yong Bosch and directed by Koichi Sakamoto.

Fans of the franchise will love what Gans brings to the screen, with beautiful visual and artistic concept and execution, combined with a hypnotically resounding score to orchestrate the film's theme. Co-stars Rae Dawn Chong, Byron Mann, Tchéky Karyo, Masaya Kato, Julie Condra and Yôko Shimada all do wonderful jobs in bringing the story of Crying Freeman to life, to the best of their ability.

The action is adequately entertaining, although it does not necessarily do much justice for Hong Kong action fans, particularly, fans of the film, Drive: Director's Cut, which has ten times more electrifying action sequences with a higher standard for martial arts action set by the film's stunt team, Alpha Stunts.

Many of the film's fight scenes are shot in grandiose slow motion camerawork, which may put a damper on the expectations of those who have been around to see the crossover of Hong Kong action into the US; In which case, unless you're a fan of the franchise, the two modest sex scenes in the film should keep even the most jaded viewer awake for the film's duration ;-).

All in all, Crying Freeman is essentially an "art" action film, which has made its mark in martial arts cinema history; For modest and hardcore fans only.

OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS: "Xavier Gens's 'Hitman'", "Equilibrium", "Brotherhood Of The Wolf", "Naked Weapon", "Naked Killer", "Shadow Fury", "City Hunter", "Guyver: Dark Hero", "Fist Of The North Star", "Blade", "Blade 2", "The Ultimate Target", "The Princess Blade", "Legend Of The Wolf", "Drive: Director's Cut", "Soldier", "Black Mask", "Kill Bill", "LoveDeath", "Ryû ga gotoku: gekijô-ban (a.k.a. Like A Dragon)", and the upcoming action thriller, "Broken Path", starring Johnny Yong Bosch and directed by Koichi Sakamoto.

Granted, Seagal has his share of awful films--for some, in part of his acting skills, which remain questionable by viewers. But you have to give the guy credit for keeping up with the times, especially in this day in age when people's standards for martial arts movies have been raised with the crossing over of many of Hong Kong films in the mid-90's.

Much of Tony Ching Siu-Tung's choreography is whimsical and maybe even unrealistic at times. My perspective of this, however, is that Siu-Ting did what he had to in order to make the movie work, especially when no one ever really sees Seagal throw kicks in his movies, as with many other martial arts movies, past and present. And with this, Seagal shows he can hold his own on a Hong Kong movie set, despite having to use a double for certain scenes to work.

In all fairness, and overall, "Belly Of The Beast" is a pretty entertaining film, despite its flaws. It is truly one of those movies you have to appreciate in order to enjoy, especially if you're a fan of Hong Kong stylized action.

OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS: "The Killer", "Marked For Death", "Naked Weapon", "The Crow", "Versus", "So Close", "Bloodmoon", "Half Past Dead" and "Exit Wounds".

Great stunt coordination and choreography by Frédéric Vallet and Sébastien Peres, who meet the highest expectations audiences had who have waited to see what a Parkour action movie could look like on the big screen, beyond most of what was done in Tony Jaa's break out action hit, "Ong Bak".

Hong Kong fans, or action junkies in general, will be truly entertained by the high fluidity observed throughout the film, especially by its stars, Cyril Raffaelli and David Belle. I am definitely looking forward to seeing more of what these guys can do in the future! They are awesome.

OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS: "The Young Master", "Righting Wrongs", "City Hunter", "Bloodmoon", "The Running Man", "Sudden Death", "Knock Off", "Kiss Of The Dragon", "The Transporter 2", "The Rock", "ConAir", "Taxi 2", "Ong Bak", "Tom Yum Goong", "Derzkeidni", "Escape From L.A.", "Kampfansage: The Last Apprentice", "Samourais", "Born To Fight", "Tango & Cash", "48 Hours" and "Another 48 Hours".

Well,...so much for high expectations!

The ultimate truth of the matter is that Blade: Trinity is a film that...well...SUCKS!!!

Yeah, nice fight choreography to get you through the film thanks to Chuck Jeffreys; Yeah, nice special effects, etc.-yadda yadda yadda! Despite all this superficial good news, the film is too damn cluttered and condensed with all the wrong elements! Wesley Snipes and Kris Kristofferson perform their pivotal roles with just as much exceptional class as they did in the first two movies. But this didn't stop David Goyer from overshadowing the two most important characters in the movie with all the immense cheese, pop-culture and immaturity induced by a highly miscast group of young actors and actresses, including Jessica Biel, Ryan Reynolds, Parker Posey, Triple H and Dominic Purcell.

It is just infallible how, beyond this point, the film takes so many wrong turns and keeps going; What the hell was Goyer thinking?!? There are so many variables I could add to discuss why this movie is so bad; Honestly, it's just upsetting to think about. It's even more upsetting having seen the "Making Of" where all those featured (including Wesley) seemed so damn proud of this trilogy-damaging film.

I recommend this piece of crap ONLY to the devout Blade fan. Just don't be surprised if you find yourself spending most of the movie telling Ryan Reynolds to shut the fuck up!...And that alone is worth a review of its own!!!~~~

OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS: Passenger 57, Rising Sun, The Art Of War, Money Train, Blade, Blade 2, D.O.A.: Dead Or Alive, The Twins' Effect and Invincible.

The film takes its journey one gradual step further in telling the story of the half-human vampire hunter, with a new breed of bloodsucking beasts who attack both humans and vampires, called "Reapers". With the only option to call a truce with the vampire nation and team up with a small tactical unit called "The Bloodpact" to hunt down the new threat, Blade and Whistler must utilize their instincts to infiltrate the reapers, and ultimately separate fact from fiction when their instincts lead them to a traitor working on both sides!

As the film moves forward, the story illustrate Blade's ever-evolving character, further revealing more dimensions to Blade's personality when he finds himself inadvertently falling in love with Varela's character, Nyssa, a vampire underworld princess. This allows viewers to see a deeper side of the unrequited love that Blade carries within, despite the never ending war he faces with the vampires, along with the internal war he must fight, with only a custom made serum as his only way to retain his indigenous thirst for blood.

David S. Goyer, who wrote the screenplay for the first film, does a wonderful job in giving each and every character an important element that helps the film's story play out as it must. Del Toro also did an amazing job with the action sequences, which like the first film, remained true to every aspect of Hong Kong-stylized action filmmaking, combined with whimsical fantasy and science fiction elements. The martial arts fight and stunt sequences emulate everything that was needed after the first film, in order for the sequel to work; Amazing fight coordiation by Snipes, Jeff Ward, and Blade-double Clay Fontenot, with supercool martial arts choreography and execution by the film's co-star and principle action director, Hong Kong legend, Donnie Yen.

There is really not enough that can be said about how great a job Del Toro did with this movie, moreover, with the film's ardently brilliant orchestral score written and arranged by Marco Beltrami and Danny Saber. Del Toro had one hell of a vision when it came to this film, and he truly brought it to life in more ways than one;...Hell, maybe even two or three!!! ;-)

OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS: "Passenger 57", "Versus", "Aragami", "Black Mask", 'Brotherhood Of The Wolf", "Resident Evil: Apocalypse", "The Mummy Returns", "Highlander: Endgame", "The League Of Extraordinary Gentleman", "Rising Sun", "The Duel", "Romeo Must Die", "Kill Bill", "Spawn", "Xavier Gens 'Hitman'", "Once Upon A Time In China 2", "Legend Of The Wolf", "The Twins' Effect", S.P.L., Dragon Tiger Gate, Flashpoint and the upcoming sci-fi action film starring Bai Ling, "The Gene Generation".

The movie is both unique and wonderful, not just because of the overall high production quality, especially with reference to the film's action sequences, which are respective for most, to the nature of urban Hong Kong-stylized martial arts fight coordination and choreography, courtesy of action directors Jeff Ward, Wesley Snipes and Chuck Jeffereys.

The film is so ardently brilliant and entertaining, that there are not a lot of movies in the market that can manage to combine so many sub-genres in such a well formulated fashion that can appease the viewing public.

Even today, there are still films that seem to come short of the standards set by the Blade franchise, like like the brutally appalling low-budget action/horror feature, Shadow: Dead Riot, starring Carla Greene and directed by Hong Kong film veterans Derek Wan and Tony Leung Siu-Hung, or Uwe Boll's video game-to-big screen Hollywood feature, House Of The Dead, which redefined the true meaning of the word, SUCK!!!

The other element that helped this movie become such a success is that this is the one true movie, long after Passenger 57, that allowed Wesley Snipes to truly stand out as an action star, showing his raw, electrifying athleticism as a martial artist, as well as an actor! This stood out as a plus for US action fans waiting for the next best thing other than another bad Don Wilson or Jalal Merhi movie to hit the B-market surface.

Conclusively, Blade is a consistently entertaining film that regards every important element that was needed for this film to work. Hong Kong action junkies, sci-fi geeks and shriek show fanatics will get a true kick out of what Norrington brought to the table in this fine piece of action cinema!

OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS: "The Evil Dead", "The Evil Dead 2", "Night Of The Living Dead", Nightmare On Elm Street 4: The Dream Master", "Black Mask", "The Mummy", "The Mummy Returns", "Mortal Kombat", "Makai Tensho", "Brotherhood Of The Wolf", "Lethal Weapon 2", "Resident Evil: Apocalypse", "Doom", "Versus", "Aragami", "Passenger 57", "The Art Of War", "Blade 2", "The Matrix Trilogy", "Arahan: Urban Martial Arts Action", "Volcano High", "Underworld", "Underworld: Evolution", "Desperado", "Highlander: Endgame", "Guyver: Dark Hero" and "Action Jackson".

Director Rob Cohen combines fantasy with reality, respectively to each other, to illustrate the spiritual and philosophical aspects that have structured Bruce's identity throughout his life in an ever-changing world. Cohen also manages to bring forth the physical, athletic elements which gave rise to Bruce's legend as a "Dragon", which formulated the indigenous entities that helped him create his very own system of martial arts, Jeet Kune Do.

Regardless of what some have, and will say about the film's principle star, Jason Scott Lee's imperfect Bruce Lee-likeness, Jason performs the title role with brilliance and absolute class, absorbing and emulating every quality about Bruce Lee as much as possible to fit the film's commanding standards, giving viewers a piercing look into a realistically surreal, ethereal and magical world of Bruce Lee.

Supporting actress and co-star Lauren Holly gives a progressively beautiful and evolving performance as the woman who would later become Mrs. Bruce Lee, and ultimately succeed Bruce's legacy through the Bruce Lee franchise, thanks to Universal Studios.

Other co-stars and supporting cast members, including Sven-Ole Thorsen, Ric Young, Luoyong Wang, Clyde Kusatsu, Nancy Kwan, Michael Learned, Sterling Macer Jr., Ong Soo Han, Robert Wagner, Kay Tong Lim, and John Cheung, Hong Kong action cinema veteran and the film's co-star, and co-fight choreographer, all do the film justice in performing their respective roles, with regard to the integrity of the film's story.

Moreover, John Cheung, as mentioned above, along with the aid of Jeet Kune Do coordinators, Fran Joseph and Jerry Poteet, all shared a common goal in creating the highly electrifying and whimsically entertaining fight sequences needed for the film to work, also aiding the concept of Bruce's goal in highlighting the differentiating concepts of martial arts: style and substance.

The TV series approved by Shannon Lee, daughter of Bruce Lee, for production for TV broadcasting in China features some immense star power, with names like Gary Daniels, Michael Jai White, Ray Park and Mark Dacascos. However, after watching the respective, boring 3-minute long trailer for the TV show, it does not come with much surprise in realizing that this, Rob Cohen's Hollywood production, is the BEST biographical observation of Bruce Lee's eclectic and wondrous life, spanning years in the entertainment industry and martial arts world.

Conclusively, Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story is, inarguably, the only production of its kind that can do what it does on the big screen. Needless to say, there will be no other production like it, or any TV show of any kind that can imitate it!

OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS: The Big Boss, The Way Of The Dragon, Fists Of Fury, Game Of Death, Enter The Dragon, Bruce Lee: The Legend, Bruce Lee: The Immortal Dragon, Enter The Fat Dragon, The Young Master, The Prodigal Son, Fearless Hyena, No Retreat No Surrender, The Last Dragon, Bloodsport, The Rocky Sextology, The Karate Kid Trilogy, Donnie Yen in Fist Of Fury (TV), The Perfect Weapon, Fist Of Legend, Only The Strong, Mortal Kombat, Legend Of The Wolf, Gorgeous, Fighter In The Wind, Timecop 2: The Berlin Decision, Fearless, Kill Bill, Undisputed 2: Last Man Standing, Kiltro and Finishing The Game.

Unfortunately, the action is really all that viewers can look forward to while watching this film.

Many of the positives negatives outweigh each other, as most of the film becomes downtrodden by repetition and redundancy; Mainly due to poor scriptwriting, which already worsens much of the bad acting on the part of "Fender" himself (inside joke, lol), Vincent Klyn, and Joanna Krupa, who, sadly, has no business doing anything in front of a camera except taking her clothes off!

Ironically, as a result of all this (as well as some really stagnant camerawork and coordination on the part of the D.P.), much of the film's action scenes, throughout the attempt to deliver viewers a story, become tedious and boring.

Now bear in mind, the film doesn't totally suck, as it does have a saving grace or two, on the part of the film's action. Hardcore fans will certainly be happy to see Arnold Chon, in a role bigger than that of a stuntman! Furthermore, those who have only heard of, and seen clips of Mickey Hardt from Dante Lam's "The Vampire Effect", the German TV series, The Puma: Warrior With A Heart, will surely get a kick out of watching Hardt make his B-list Hollywood debut!

However, like I said, many of the positives outweigh the negatives here--But that depends on how you feel about the film once you decide to see it for yourself. Personally, I feel that much of the movie became too monotonous to enjoy at times.

Although, I will say that the movie does make a worthy rental OR purchase, again, depending on how you feel about Mickey Hardt, should you be interested in seeing Max Havoc: Ring Of Fire.

My point is, go ahead and knock yourself out. Just don't expect to be stimulated too much; Instead, pop in the DVD and pretend you're watching something good on cable! :-) lol

OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS: The Way Of The Dragon, The Big Boss, Enter The Dragon, The Yakuza, The Prodigal Son, The Magnificent Butcher, Winners & Sinners, Miracle (a.k.a. Black Dragon; a.k.a. Mr. Canton & Lady Rose), City Hunter, The Karate Kid Trilogy, Blind Fury, Black Rain, Nico: Above The Law, Bloodsport, The American Ninja Quintilogy, Showdown In Little Tokyo, American Samurai, Double Impact, White Tiger, Rising Sun, Rapid Fire, Mortal Kombat, Bloodmoon, The Glimmer Man, The Art Of War, Gorgeous, The Transporter, The Twins' Effect, The Rundown, The Last Samurai, S.P.L. (a.k.a Kill Zone), The Marine, Banlieue 13, The Fast And The Furious: Tokyo Drift and Max Havoc: Ring Of Fire.

Action fans, particularly martial arts fans, will be pleased by what the film has to offer, with the evolution of the film's platform from boxing, to mixed martial arts. The film's story also serves its purpose in developing Chamber's character on a vast level that goes beyond simple action filmmaking.

Unfortunately, like most of Florentine's previous films, despite the improvements he's made, he still bears a tendency to make little mistakes, which further impede him from making it into mainstream Hollywood. Nevertheless, "Undisputed 2" leaves no regrets for action fans, especially those who have waited for Florentine to return to the director's chair!

OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS: The Magnificent Butcher, The Prodigal Son, The Young Master, Paper Marriage, Legacy Of Rage, Iron Angels 3, Island Of Fire, The Last Dragon, No Retreat No Surrender, King Of The Kickboxers, Best Of The Best, Best Of The Best 2, American Shaolin, Rocky IV, Death Warrant, Superfights, Universal Soldier 2: The Return, Undisputed, Gorgeous, Exit Wounds, Fighter In The Wind, Muay Thai Chaiya, Max Havoc: Curse Of The Dragon, Crying Fist, Throw Down, Special Forces, Danny The Dog, Honor, Flash Point, Bound By Blood, The Shepherd and the upcoming Danish martial arts drama, Fighter, directed by Natasha Arthy.

"DOA", with all its expectations set, long after the success of "Mortal Kombat", ceases to be nothing short of what I typed in the two sentences above. Basically, my point is that if you've seen Corey's films, and know his history as director and fight choreographer, then to say the least, hardcore Hong Kong action fans will be, more or less, just as unimpressed by this movie as I am.

Granted, the film is based on the successful video game franchise dating back to the late 90's. Moreover, whenever big time Hollywood steps in, it is up to them to hire the right people to bring these, otherwise, otherworldly character to life on the big screen, in a way that appeals to audiences.

But please, spare me for just a minute. The only real benefits that Hong Kong/martial arts fans will gain from this movie, might include anything from getting to watch Collin Chou and Kane Kosugi pave their way into Hollywood, to seeing Eric Roberts in his first martial arts movie since "Best Of The Best" 1 and 2, to simply enjoying whatever the film had to offer in its character, story, and action delivery, with regard to the similarities with the game itself.

Then again, others might only buy this movie to enjoy the view (...and I don't exactly mean the sunset [for those of you who know that this game is about, lol]).

As far as the movie goes, Devon Aoki, Jamie Pressley and Holly Vallance, as well as the rest of the cast and crew do what they can to make this film as enjoyable as possible, despite the insurmountable loads of cheese offered by this film.

Basically try to imagine combining the authenticity of "Enter The Dragon", with the video game status of "Mortal Kombat, followed by the quirkiness of "Charlie's Angels" 1 and 2 and the absolute dinky and simplistic production quality of "Street Fighter".

With that said, Matthew Turner (VIEW LONDON) quoted this movie as "..the best movie adaptation of a video game so far."

I think it's painfully obvious at this point that Mr. Turner needs his head examined. And while he's at it, he might as well make a pit stop at the nearest video rental outlet and check himself out a copy of "Mortal Kombat".

(*For the helplessly bored, lol)
OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS: "Enter The Dragon", "Fong Sai Yuk", "Fong Sai Yuk 2", "Righting Wrongs", "She Shoots Straight", "Yes, Madam!", "The Blonde Fury", "No Retreat No Surrender", "Bloodsport", "Best Of The Best", "Best Of The Best 2", "Street Fighter", "Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story", "Mortal Kombat", "Mortal Kombat: Annihilation", "Kiss Of The Dragon", "Charlie's Angels", "Charlie's Angels 2: Full Throttle", "So Close", "Kill Bill", "Tom Yum Goong", "Muscle Heat", "Undisputed 2: Last Man Standing", and "Fearless".

Hardcore kung fu fans will truly enjoy what "Contour" has to offer, as the film emulates many various aspects and hidden aesthetics of the typical Hong Kong action film; everything from quirky comedic character and story delivery, to fast-paced, high maintenance mixed martial arts fight choreography, to "Girls-With-Guns", to watching Yuen Biao dressed in drag (well...via Vlad Rimburg of course, lol)!

Director, co-star and co-founder of The Stunt People, Eric Jacobus, and the stunt team itself, have taken the typical low-budget US action film, broken it down to a kung fu filmmaking science, and constructed one of the most explosive landmark action movies to ever hit store shelves. In fact, not only is "Contour" an amazing martial arts movie, it is a well-set example of just how good even the most overlooked amateur filmmaker can be, with the right amount of drive and determination.

Mike Banner (of www.dragonsdenuk.com) quoted "Contour" as being "...better than virtually anything to come out of Hong Kong in the last ten years...".

I do not fully agree with him. However...in hindsight, Mikey does have a point!

OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS: "Knockabout", "The Prodigal Son", "Drunken Master", "Drunken Master 2", "Winners & Sinners", "My Lucky Stars", "Twinkle Twinkle Lucky Stars", "Police Story", "The Inspector Wears Skirts", "King Of The Kickboxers", "Magnificent Warriors", "Hard Boiled", "Mr. Nice Guy", "Legend Of The Wolf", "Lethal Weapon 4", "Drive: Director's Cut", "Extreme Heist", "Returner", "Transporter 2", "So Close", "Shadow Fury", "Kampfansage: Der Leitze Schuler", "Special Forces", "Death Trance", "Tom Yum Goong", "Born To Fight", "Banlieue 13", "S.P.L.", "New Police Story", "Bound By Blood", and The "Everyone Is Kung Fu Fighting" series.

And finally, a personal recommendation of mine:

"Midnight Run", starring Robert DeNiro and Charles Grodin. :-D

The film's storyline often mirrors what was done in many films of its kind, like director John G. Avildsen's "The Karate Kid" and Robert Radler's "Showdown" co-starring Billy Blanks. This may or may not be a bad thing, depending on your opinion.

But with all else said and done to create this film with the little budget it had, the film doesn't waste anytime on any one subject. The characters are colorful, quirky, and bring the very foundation that the film needs to deliver itself as a true kung fu classic for martial arts enthusiasts everywhere!

It's amazing how DVD distributors seemed to have totally forgotten this film. It's also pretty damn sad too.

In any event, hopefully it will not be long until this film, and the several films that follow it within the NRNS franchise finally get the respect and recognition that has been long earned and well deserved.

OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS: "No Retreat No Surrender 2: Raging Thunder", "No Retreat No Surrender 3: Blood Brothers", "King Of The Kickboxers", "American Shaolin", "Superfights", "Bloodmoon", "Mortal Kombat", "Drive: Director's Cut", "U.S. Seals 2: The Ultimate Force", "Special Forces", "Undisputed 2: Last Man Standing", "Bound By Blood", "Max Havoc: Curse Of The Dragon" and "The Shepherd".

So, I bought the DVD, watched it, and enjoyed very much what the film had to offer. Ironically however, it was a surprise for me to discover some of the discerning reviews and reactions, posted on various websites, that the film got from most other people who saw it. In sum, I felt disappointed.

It is habitual, with a high majority of martial arts movie fans, to complain about martial arts movies that have no storyline or foundation, or any real depth. But what disappointed me the most, was reading reviews that, basically, varied between topics (more or less) like "...bad casting..." or "...the film took too long...", or in this case, "...not enough 'Donnie Yen' action...". I always thought it was more important, primarily, to take into account, what it took to make the film in question, especially for finding one superficial reason after another to scrutinize it.

Whether or not this is the case, it just seems, however, that that perhaps, and for a long time now, people either do not know what they want, or, they might know, and yet simultaneously, did not know what they were looking at.

When "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" first entered the US market, I had almost no idea what to fully expect. And little did I know, it would, pretty much, exceed most of my expectations, becoming one of the few best kung fu movies I had seen in years, what with all the Van Damme and unimpressive Don Wilson films I had seen before that.

From that point on, I have seen a lot of different martial arts movies, especially, in the sub-genre that I have come to know as "Wuxia-Pien". And I have enjoyed them all, for their vigorous camera work , high-flying action sequences, and colorful characters. But most importantly, I love what separates "wuxia" from most other types of action movies. And that is, how much of the various forms of "art" that directors apply to their own filmmaking formulas.

I urge all who have seen "Seven Swords", and are, hopefully, taking the time out to read my review, to open your minds to the absorption of a broader understanding of art and culture, as supposed to "Your kung fu is weak, and pretty useless! Bastard!!! You will be no match for my Moo-Shoo Pork Claw and Moo Goo Gai Pan Fist!!! HA-HA-HA!!!..." :-)

I highly admire Hark for doing, what I believe was, the right thing in making this movie upon returning from his hiatus. He took the high road, literally, and worked very hard to take audiences right into the world that was "Seven Swords". He, the crew and the cast takes us on a journey and gives us such a deep scope into the film's adventurous voyage, taking beautiful shots of various landscapes, and even going as far as mountaintop views and mountainsides, while dealing with real-world extreme and tumultuous weather changes and conditions.

As for dramatic believability, the actors and actresses play their parts very well and very befitting for the film. Even more so, although most martial arts films these day often include a main cast that consist mostly of actors and actresses like Leon Lai and Charlie Yeung who are not professionally trained wushu or kung fu experts like Donnie Yen or Ty Li Wu. But they certainally do give exceptional permances, both dramatic and physical, which, convincingly enough, showed me that Hark and the crew generally knew what they were doing.

What also makes the film so enjoyable to watch is its majestic score, composed by Kenji Kawai (The Princess Blade, Samourais). His use of the three-note motif in the adrenaline pumping, and exciting "hero" theme, which is played only a few times in certain key points in the movie, gives "Seven Swords" such a powerful sense of deliverability of pure entertainment.

Finally, granted, you cannot have an action movie without action. And I would normally include a few sentences to a paragraph about fight scenes and such. But in this case, I will make an exception to the rule.

If you've been merely skimming through the review in search of a portion that can tell you how the action was, then you've been looking in the wrong review. And, I highly encourage you to seriously think about what you are truly in search of when it comes to your taste in various types of martial arts movies.

For those who have, hopefully, taken the time to read some, if not all, of this review, then I thank you. And, I simply ask this of you:

Try to open your minds and broaden your horizons; For if people only care about how many fight scenes there are in the movie, who is fighting who, and how good or bad the fights are, then what will be the fate of kung fu cinema?

Besides, as I have explained, there is more to "Seven Swords" then just Donnie Yen and kung fu! And I'm sure there is plenty of Donnie Yen action to go around in most of his other movies.

In the meantime, if you want to buy this movie, just think long and hard about just what you are looking for.

I leave that for you to ponder at your own will...the rest is up to you.

OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS: Chen Kaige's "The Promise", "Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon", "Circus Kids", "Bichunmoo: Warrior Of Virtue", "Seven Samurai", "Hero", "The Tai Chi Master" and "Moon Warriors".

Excellent martial arts athleticism and agility by the film's star, Power Ranger TV show veteran, Johnny Yong Bosch, who successfully performs with just as much charisma as you would see in a classic Jackie Chan film!!!

OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS: "No Retreat No Surrender", "No Retreat No Surrender 2: Raging Thunder", "No Retreat No Surrender 3: Blood Brothers", "Guyver: Dark Hero", "Drive: Director's Cut", "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie", "Special Forces", "The Order", "Shadow Fury", "Banlieue 13", "Undisputed 2: Last Man Standing", "Armor Of God", "Armor Of God 2", "Ong Bak", "Tom Yum Goong"...and the upcoming actioner from Thailand, "Bangkok Adrenaline"!!!

The only problem I had really was trying to figure out who the villain was in the movie, since there were so many. Other than that, the movie stands greatly merited with classic fight sequences and stuntwork execution, thanks to Dang Tak Wing, Ho Hon Chow and Lau Fong Sai.

When the film (hopefully) gets re-relased, just be ready with the couch, the popcorn, nachos and sodas, a well and like-minded group of friends, and a rainy day! And you will have all you will need to enjoy this great addition to kung fu cinema history!

OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS: "Angel", "Angel 2: Iron Angels", "Magnificent Warriors", "She Shoots Straight", "In The Line Of Duty 3", "In The Line Of Duty 4", "In The Line Of Duty 5: Middle Man", "China Strike Force" (English language version) and "So Close".

Featuring the raw acting talents and athletic performances of Joyce Mina Godenzi, Carina Lau, Agnes Aurelio, Yuen Wah and Sammo Hung, the movie brings audiences a unique type of Hong Kong martial arts action film under the "female kung fu-cop" subgenre.

Most films of that nature feature the lead actress simply going through the motions and fighting through the bad guys, all the while fighting resistance from the stubborn police chief who either may or may not be working for the other side.

In this case, I saw a film that delivered me to a story that was much more realistic and true to the nature of human behavior, along with really great stuntwork and classic action sequences to help further evoke the suspense and imminent danger in the movie.

Corey Yuen Kwai, Yuen Tak and Mang Hoi did a wonderful job in designing the action scenes around the actresses and their capabilities, especially in the final confrontation of the film between Godenzi and Aurelio.

All in all, "She Shoots Straight" is a truly definitive Hong Kong movie for all devoted fans of the genre!!!

OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS: "Royal Warriors", "Righting Wrongs", "In The Line Of Duty 3", "S.P.L.", "Face/Off" and "New Police Story".

With a variety of actors and actresses, Honor creates an atmosphere that most directors haven't used in most martial arts films. With the help of Peter Malota, an experienced actor/stuntman/choreographer himself, Worth brings to life a realistic look into the world of hand-to-hand combat.

Rener and Rorion Gracie, Don Frye, Remy Bonjasky, and Masakatsu Funaki, and Roddy Piper-all of whom are highly experienced athletes, bring raw physicality to the screen. Much of this can be credited to some of the no-name actors/stuntmen with small roles that appear briefly midway through the film, like Arnold Chon, Xin Xarith Wuku (originalxin.com), and Illram Choi (zgmain.com).

As far as the dramatic approach goes, much of the movie is comprised of very intense acting skill from Jason Barry (Titanic), Russell Wong (Romeo Must Die), Rody Piper (They Live), and Linda Park (Star Trek: Enterprise). Moreover, all the while among highly experienced athletes, Jason Barry proves well enough to be able to blend in just enough to look convincing as an actor with action-star potential! All he needs is the right script, and enough prep time for a traning regiment, and he could go pretty far if he chooses to.

On the downside, most of the bad acting comes in part from some of the athletes brought in to make Honor's action scenes work. Masakatsu Funaki's line delivery stands with some merit, but it would've been nice to see people like Remy Bojansky and Don Frye stand out a little more as Russell Wong's henchmen, instead of looking like two extras who are only there to take up space until their fight scenes come up.

Another small flaw comes due to some of the chopped up cinematography in the action scenes. Now, let it be known that Honor is absolutely NOT a Hong Kong-flavored martial arts action movie. Although however, I would've loved to see some better camerawork and editing of footage that didn't make some of the fight scenes look so boring. But I have to admit, despite some of these flaws, the fight scenes do have their moments.

There are other flaws in this films that do inhibit the film's potential to me a much more outstanding movie than it looks, especially since it was made with a low budget by a director who hadn't made a theater-worthy martial arts movie since Kickboxer; Flaws that so much may cause a person to fall asleep before the first half hour of the film.

Personally, I have opened my mind to a new look of martial arts action that may bare a lot of potential. All we need now is a good director, a good script, a good stunt and fight coordinator, a kick-ass D.P. (director of photography), an ensemble cast of actors and martial artists, and a good crew working behind the scenes, and we'll all have something to look forward to the next time we see Remy Bonjasky, Don Frye, or members of the Gracie family in a martial arts movie.

In any event, I give Honor its due!

OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS - End Of The Line, Undisputed 2: Last Man Standing, Bound By Blood, Kickboxer, Fist Of The North Star and Superfights.

The film is not the typical 90-minute romper-stomper that were some of his other films spanning his crossover campaign in the mid-90's, that contain predominantly bad acting and more dubbing than a Spanish soap opera! Instead, we a served a true cinematic gem that tells THE WHOLE STORY; I'm really happy that this a two-hour movie that explains itself from start to finish. And believe me, you will absolutely love the ending. I know I did.

So you haven't bought the film yet huh? Well...SPARE YOURELF FURTHER SKEPTICISM AND BUY THIS MOVIE ALREADY!!!

OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS: The Police Story Trilogy, Gen-X Cops, Sha Po Lang, Time And Tide, Hard Boiled, Muscle Heat and Bloodmoon.