Ip Man (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure Wow!! This was an exceptional work. I haven't been this impressed by a Donnie Yen leading role movie since "Iron Monkey" in '93.
Unlike most people, I felt that "Flashpoint" and "SPL" were not complete and captivating. This movie kept me engaged. The fight scenes were so well done that it increased my respect for Sammo Hung. The storyline and cinematography were top notch, and the emotional content and Ip Man's beliefs were well received. Overall, the best collaboration so far with Wilson Yip and Donnie Yen.
This is a kung fu collector's treasure, so go get yours.
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I actually agree with every single thing you said. "Iron Monkey" was my previous favorite Yen outing, and his recent Wilson Tip flicks were good, but not as good as this one.
Red Cliff (product link) Drama / Historical An excellent and satisfying period piece from John Woo. I was captivated by the musical score which undoubtedly raised my expectations of the movie from the beginning. Completely satisfying performances with excellent war scenes consisting of some brilliant fight choreography by Corey Yuen. Excellent acting displayed by Takeshi Kaneshiro and Hu Jun. Don't bother looking for a copy to rent, this should be in your personal collection. I can't wait for the sequel.
Heaven Sword And Dragon Sabre 2 (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure An excellent conclusion to a fantastic masterpiece. There are more action scenes, additional twists, and answers to the mysterious scenarios from the first part of the adventure. Several excellent performances that would leave a tough critic satisfied. Although quite dated, I prefer the sequel's action scenes to the first part. Highly recommended.
House Of Flying Daggers (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure Rarely does one witness a spectacular movie that does it all: magnificent cinematography, excellent score, stunning sound, top notch acting performances, stylish costumes, high quality fight scenes, a passionate love story, and of course some painful sorrow. I can go on and on. The storyline is simply awesome and I'm very grateful to experience the exceptional work developed by Zhang Yimou and Tony Ching Siu-Tung. Zhang Ziyi's performance is memorable and extraordinary. Definitely a collector's item.
Shaolin Challenges Ninja (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure Absolutely awesome and one of Lui. A kung-fu movie collection is not complete without this movie. Story line is different and very entertaining. The martial arts and fight choreography is top notch and very engaging. Truly a masterpiece...hey Gordon Liu with hair is quite interesting to see, enjoyable ninja moment with Mr. Kurata, and an amazing directorial work by Lau Kar Leung!!
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Your review pretty much says it all. This belong in every collector's collection and I would say one of the best martial arts movies of all time.
This movie was very impressive. In my opinion, it's been the best Jackie Chan movie since "Drunken Master 2". Yes there were few fight scenes, but this was a complete movie. No slow spots, wonderful plot and good story line. Combines drama, action, comedy, sorrow, and morals. The beauty of this movie resides in the issues surrounding the main characters: Thongs (Jackie Chan), Landlord (Michael Hui) and Octopus (Louis Koo). Thongs has a gambling problem along with a hefty debt and a strained relationship with his family; Landlord has a wife with mental problems; and Octopus is a womanizer that spends all his money painting a false image of a rich person who is also a terrible husband. Combine all these issues around the kidnapping of a child and how it affects these three characters. Not to forget to mention that Yuen Biao plays a police officer in this movie.
Wonderful directing by Benny Chan. Exceptional dramatic acting by Jackie Chan. I saw the 134 min extended version and was engaged from the beginning to the end and I was like wow, 2 hours passed rather quickly.
Dirty Ho (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure I was completely blown away by this movie. It was unusual, fun, entertaining, and quite unpredictable. An exceptional acting performance by Gordon Liu and Wong Yu. The fight scenes were few, but exceptionally done and memorable. The degree of difficulty was quite high, and I applaud the brilliant choreography efforts and directing by the great Lau Kar Leung. This movie is highly recommended.
Heaven Sword And Dragon Sabre (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure A complete and very interesting masterpiece by Chor Yuen. Although the movie plot took quite some time to develop, it was an amazing achievement in crafting a movie intertwined with a vast array of characters. Seemingly a never ending maze of twisted plots, colorful characters, revenge, power struggles, disagreements, and who'd forget the various sects and clans. The fight choreography and cinematography were quite dated, but the storyline, art design, and elaborate costumes makes up for it. The storyline had a lot going on, but with the glacial pace development of a sequel was inevitable. You will appreciate this movie more if you watch the disappointing and convoluted remake called THE KUNG FU CULT MASTER (aka EVIL CULT). Truly a collector's item.
Executioners (product link) Fantasy / Girls With Guns An excellent piece of work by Johnnie To and Ching Siu-Tung. A far better movie than the original HEROIC TRIO. Yes, there are fewer fights and less action scenes than the first movie, but overall EXECUTIONERS is more of a complete movie with a better plot, better screenplay, better acting, and quality fights. It was more emotional and dramatic, further solidifying the excellence of Johnnie To. Definitely a recommended movie, but please watch the digitally remastered version (HKL D'agostini)
Stroke Of Death (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure Totally exciting with a few funny scenes and some top notch choreography and fight scenes. I enjoyed watching this movie and seeing the skillful Ching Siu-Tung show off flexibility, skill, and funny charisma. The only downer to me was the monkey kung fu technique was not emphasized and looked rather average on camera. Overall, a definite kung-fu movie collector's item with a healthy collection of fights.
Police Story (product link) Martial Arts / Comedy Terrific death-defying stunts and a few vicious fights featuring glass destruction with the human body. A very enjoyable movie with minimal gags (which was appreciated) and a few slow spots. I can still watch this movie again and again and never get tired of it.
Drunken Master 2 (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure A sequel better than the original. If you want to see fights and a modern display of the drunken boxing technique, this is for you. It is amazing that this movie has not been digitally remastered in an uncut version. Jackie shows superior skills in this movie. The fight scene with Chan and Lau Kar Leung is up there in terms of classics. Ti Lung got to show some moves as well as the beautiful Anita Mui and the lethal kicking Ken Lo.
It should be noted that the fight concept at the end of the movie was initially portrayed and used in one of Jackie's early classic (in my opinion) "The Young Master." This movie is a keeper and should fit well in any serious Kung Fu collection.
Magic Crystal (product link) Action/Adventure / Martial Arts For a movie in the 80s, the fight choreography is better than average. Very good hand to hand combat fights. The fight scene toward the end of the movie featuring Andy Lau, Cynthia Rothrock, and Richard Norton was clearly the climax of fight scenes. You can easily tell that Richard and Cynthia are very skilled as they displayed pretty good artform. The comedy was quite outdated, but some scenes were funny for today's standard, and it was quite odd seeing Wong Jing act a fool.
Invisible Target (product link) Action/Adventure / Martial Arts This has been the best HK action movie I have seen all year. Terrific fight scenes, stunts, and action. Wu Jing looked exceptional. Special effects were somewhat good and the glass breaking and brutal fights were top notch. Benny Chan is on top of his game on this project following excellent accomplishments on Jackie Chan's "New Police Story" and "Rob-B-Hood".
The storyline is okay, easy to follow, and the emotional content flows well and properly intertwined with each of the main characters. The action choreography is what we have been praying for and definitely a throwback to the glory HK days of action. I am not sure what more one is looking for in an action movie. Definitely recommended to anyone that likes HK action and an excellent addition to any HK film library.
A must-own collector's edition. Excellent sound and picture quality for both movies. The tons of extras stuff for both movies are well worth the price.
THE WARRIOR is the shortened international version that actually flowed well through all the scenes. Excellent desert scenery with a mixture of emotional turmoil, bravery, strategy and planning (some of which failed), and some gory fight scenes. I would have wanted to see more from Zhang Ziyi, but although the movie evolved around her character for the most part, there were other main characters and sub characters that had vital roles. Based on all the hoopla I read before seeing this movie, I truly expected a better performance. The additional features on Disk 2 provide more insight to the movie as well as the people behind scenes. This is a definite must see, you'll definitely not be disappointed.
BICHUNMOO was a very excellent movie. I was very impressed with the musical score as well as the emotional entanglement from the two main characters Jihna and Soli (played by Kim Hee Sun aka Kim Hae-Sun...also in THE MYTH. Beautifully choreographed fight scenes. The Story line was somewhat confusing because four significant scenes were edited that introduced some characters and gave more depth to the plot. This was done to meet cinema requirements in Asia thereby making the movie fit into a 2 hr timeslot. It is quite frustrating to also learn that those edited scenes are missing (according to HKL). Bonus features also the musical score for the movie on the bonus material (disk 2). Please watch this movie in DTS mode, truly a spectacular experience. Definitely an exceptional work by HKL
The Storm Riders (product link) Swordplay/Sword(s) / Fantasy I was very impressed with this movie. Good storyline, great backgrounds, visual display, good quality special effects, music, and sound. Interesting names too. Sonny Chiba play the power hungry villian, Conquer (a very good performance) and the main characters are two musical artists: Aaron Kwok (Cloud) and Ekin Cheng (Wind).
For martial arts lovers, you myabe dissapointed if your intent is simply seeing fights and good action choreography. For me, the complete story was good enough, fight scenes could have been more with better hand to hand combat and swordplay, but I was satisfied with what I saw although I watched the movie expecting poor fight scenes from reading different reviews.
Project A [1983] (product link) Martial Arts / Comedy A classic movie. The clock tower fall scene by Jackie was a climax considering how dangerous it was. The fight scenes were not the best for a movie at that time, but overall, a well done movie. I especially enjoyed the fight scene with Jackie and Sammo in the open restaurant, notably that 3 point kick performed by Jackie rather quickly. I should add the music score was good and the theme music was very catchy.
Knockabout (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure A very good fun movie. For a movie released in 1979, it is very impressive and definitely a must have for any martial arts fan. Good humor and good comedy which made me laugh a lot...
High Risk [1995] (product link) Action/Adventure / Martial Arts Quite a funny explosive action movie. Jet Li, Chingmy Yau, and Wu Ma provided excellent character efforts. Jacky Cheung's character was somewhat over the top and quite annoying atimes. He did provide some excellent comic relief and very funny moments. I wanted to see more fight scenes with Jet Li and it was somewhat of a let down with the lack of hand to hand combat scenes featuring Li (especially when Li and Chow pulled off the excellent action climax in FIST OF LEGEND). The highlight was the fight scene between Jacky Cheung and Billy Chow. Simply funny and entertaining piece with Jacky's Bruce Lee impersonations. Overall a decent quality action movie with excellent humor and some mind boggling stupidity.
Contour (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure Completely ridiculous plot, but some exceptional fight scenes on a low budget. Some of the comedy was fun, but got tiring and quite annoying. The acting was simply terrible. Eric Jacobus and company rock when it comes to fights. Additional kudos for the extras and behind the scenes stuff. I can only imagine if there was additional funds for a better camera, lights, and a more experienced crew. A definite must-see for the fights!!!!
"The 7 Grandmasters": an excellent martial arts movie with very good fight scenes along with good weapon fight display. Extras include: Trailers featuring "Zatoichi", "Samurai Fiction", "Red Shadow", "Sure Death", "Kunoichi", "New Big Boss"; A 2-page paper featuring the movie liner notes; Original movie trailer.
"The Red Wolf": An action movie similar to "Under Siege" and "Die Hard", directed by Yuen Wo Ping, featuring Kenny Ho, Christie Chung, and Elaine Lui. Brilliant fight choreography and hard kicking fights along with brutal gun play. This is a 2-disc version of the movie. The front DVD art design is exactly the same as the HKL version. Extras include: Audio Commentary with Bey Logan and Christy Chung (this is the audio commentary for the Hong Kong Legends version of this movie); Trailers featuring "Blood Heat", "Deadly Outlaw Rekka", "Kunoichi: Deadly Mirage", and "Kamikaze Taxi"; Gallery (featuring several stills from Elaine Lui, a few Bobby Samuel stills, and then movie scene shots); and more...
The special features does not come close to the HKL version (which is platinum status).
"The New Big Boss": This movie only comes in English Dubbed which is quite horrible and takes away from the movie. The fight scenes were overall poorly choreographed and too fast paced with bad camera angles and dark scenes. An obvious low budget movie, however Donnie Yen still shines in a few fight scenes. I would actually give this movie another chance by seeking the Cantonese version. I would also recommend seeing "Ballistic Kiss". Extras include Trailers, featuring original theatrical trailer, "Reborn From Hell II", "Bio-Zombie", "Zeiram 2", and "Riki-Oh".
House Of Fury (product link) Action/Adventure / Martial Arts An enjoyable fun family type movie. Exceptional fight scenes and good choreography, but the wire-fu was definitely unnecessary. Wu Ma can still make one laugh. Good music score.
Tom Yum Goong (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure This movie kicks some major butt in terms of fight scenes, stunts, and cool slow motion kicks. I was so impressed with some fight moves that I had to rewind and watch in slow motion over and over. Better fight and quality opponents than Ong Bak.
The plot was a major downside in this movie, clearly lackluster and didn't seem like an effort was made to make sure that the viewer was kept in sync.
Pedicab Driver (product link) Martial Arts / Comedy Featuring a couple of brilliant fight scenes especially the fight in the pool bar between Sammo Hung and Lau Kar Leung. Not a very good story line and plot which involved the combination of a series of different stories fused together into one movie. Somewhat serious in some parts and a complete joke at times. Overall a definate keep to any martial arts collection.
Naked Weapon (product link) Crime / Thriller A good quality movie with decent fight scenes and some moments of serious drama and emotions, plus a cast with excellent credentials
You couldn't have asked for a better way to start the movie with the excellent action piece put together. After that, there was a slow build up in character development of Maggie Q and Anya. There's not much dialogue, but it's interesting enough to keep you watching. The last few fight scenes (Daniel Wu against Jewel Lee and Andrew Lin against Maggie Q) were pretty well choreographed. Excellent overall work by Ching Siu-Tung.
Invincible Pole Fighter (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure I expected more from this movie based on the reviews I read prior to watching it. I guess there was only so much the director could do due to the untimely passing away of Alexander Fu Sheng. Gordon Liu's performance was brilliant and his fight scenes with the pole were spectacular. I also enjoyed the brief scene with Liu Chia Liang. Overall the movie plot and parts of the storyline were incomplete, especially when Fu Sheng's character disappeared mid-way during the movie with no proper transition. Overall, one of Gordon Liu best dramatic roles.
Project S (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure Based on what I had read about this movie, I was not expecting much. I think it's an average action movie with some short and quick fight scenes (except toward the end of the movie where you get to see the better fights). I appreciated the skill and flexibility displayed by Michelle Yeoh. Yu Rong Guang also gave a good performance. The Jackie Chan scene was too short and quite silly. This movie also features Fan Siu Wong (better remembered for Riki-Oh and Righting Wrongs). Overall, worth a rental.
Interesting movie with odd characters, some unecessary explosions, gritty violence, and some heartwarming scenes along with some unusual comedy. The originality and unpredictable nature of this movie made it interesting to follow. From my experience, it's rare to see a HK movie with a psychotic ringleading rogue Judge, a lunatic nympho Virgin, a fight happy punk wannabe Deano, and a rock n roll biker bouncer Jeff. Let's not forget the Flashdance power dancing Mona and the formerly feeble later deadly silent killing debtor Sam.
Ringo Lam did an excellent job for the most part especially in the action scenes, but what this movie lacks is character depth and a strong musical score to emphasize the seriousness of certain scenes, broaden the graphic detail of sheer violence, and elaborate on the demented nature of Judge (played by Simon Yam). Perhaps this was due to budget restraints, however this in part makes this movie fall short of being in the same level of classics like HARD BOILED, THE KILLER, BULLET IN THE HEAD, and SHIRI. Overall a very good movie, worthy of a rental.
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this is not chow yun fat at his best but it's still a entertaining film.
Returner (product link) Action/Adventure / Science Fiction This movie had some pretty good action scenes reminiscent of "The Matrix". Very good acting from Takeshi Kaneshiro. Definitely enjoyed the plot and storyline as well as the lesson on the implication caused by greed leading to destruction.
The One Armed Swordsman (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure An interesting movie. The fight scenes are rather dated, but such is expected from a movie released in the 60s. There is not much action in this movie, the storyline is good and flows well for the most part, but there are a few slow spots. The moral of the story is clearly emphasized by the director, Cheh.
Film Facts:
First movie to gross $1 million in Hong Kong
Liu Chia-Liang (Lau Kar-Leung) and Jia Tang were the two stunt coordinators for this movie
Lau Kar-leung played Ba Shuang, a disciple of "Long Armed Devil"
The Last Hurrah For Chivalry (product link) Swordplay/Sword(s) / Martial Arts This movie has a brilliant, unorthodox plot, definitely not one of those movies where you can predict the storyline, thus making it more enjoyable. The fight choreography is somewhat outdated, but the use of weapons is awesome for a movie produced in the late 70s. Commendable work by John Woo, Fung Hak-On (Pray), Wei Pai (Chang), Damian Lau(Ling Ysi aka Green) and Lee Hoi-San (Pai).
Righting Wrongs (product link) Girls With Guns / Martial Arts Wow, the fight scenes in this movie were pretty serious and fierce especially the acrobatic kick unleashed by Yuen Biao in the final showdown against Melvin Wong. You definitely have to see it in slow mo several times.
When I first saw this movie back in the 80s, it was one of my favorite HK flix, but after seeing it again, it's down on my list due to poor editing and some stupid plots. Melvin Wong did a fantastic job as the villain.
I enjoyed fight scenes between Biao and Peter Sugarfoot Cunningham (which could have been more elaborate and longer) as well as the duel between Cynthia Rothrock and Karen Shephard...and lets not forget the Biao and Rothrock fight.
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i agree with you theres some really cool action scenes in this flick.
The Vanishing [2-Disc Set] (product link) Horror / Thriller
A pretty interesting movie, but obviously low budget. The movie was hardly scary or intense. I was expecting something more after reading the Criterion notes. However, this movie is somewhat old and centers around the life of a sociopath, twisted in a plot of a young man searching for clues of the dissaperance of his girlfriend. The later parts of the movie were interesting, as I was intrigued to see how the evil Raymond guided Rex back on an interesting journey to find out what happened with Saskia (the vanished girlfriend). I had compassion for Rex as he had to deal with the harrowing feeling of losing a loved one with no trace/clue, and also to end up in a worse situation as he sought to find out what happened to her. It would have helped if emphasis was placed on a better musical score and sound effects to depict terror in Dr. Raymond and to draw the attention of the viewer into the movie.
It is an interesting movie as it portrays how a harmless-looking person can live a so-called normal life and have a dark mind. I'd recommend renting it first.
Once Upon A Time In China And America (product link) Action/Adventure / Martial Arts A decent movie that's not up to the caliber of OAUTIC. There were some interesting fight scenes, but I would have expected a better effort from Sammo Hung--perhaps better and more elaborate fight scenes featuring hand to hand combat. The storyline was easy to follow and I enjoyed the incorporation of the Red Indians along with the cowboy appeal and initial Chinese settlement in the US (showing some of the negative things they had to deal with).
This movie seemed hampered by a small budget and felt rushed. Overall a good rental.
The bar was set with "Ong-Bak" and breathtaking stuntwork action reached a peak with "Tom Yum Goong" (AKA "The Protector"), but eventually fell flat with "Ong-Bak 2".
With all the hype and drama surrounding this movie, it was quite a disappointment. I personally think Tony Jaa should stick to what he's known for: Muay Thai boxing. Yes, there were excellent, innovative fight scenes in "OB2", but Jaa's display of Muay Thai boxing is quite exceptional and pleasing to the eye in fight scenes.
There's definitely more work required in becoming a good director. Perhaps, time will tell in the future if Jaa can accomplish this feat. He did quite a good job in fight choreography, but better skills and knowledge are required (such as capturing the best camera angles and determining what would look best on camera). Of course an excellent behind-the-scenes group will help further.
"OB2" had some innovative fight scenes with the use of weapons and Jaa's array of different fight techniques. I'd also point out some fantastic stunts/fight scenes:
Jaa hopping from one elephant to another while the they were in hot pursuit (quite a deadly stunt)
fighting and falling from the back of an elephant
using the elephant as a prop for a climbing somersaulting kick (very cool move)
the entire last fight scene
While "OB" and "TYG" were movies set in a modern period, "OB2" was set in 1492 feudal Thailand. For me, movies set in ancient times require a solid plot or storyline that the audience can follow. This was a glaring flaw in this movie. Adding to my frustration were the many holes and incomplete subplots affecting the overall movie experience and further making some fantastic fight scenes feel more like an audience consolation. Hopefully things will make more sense when "Ong-Bak 3" is released.
I guess the well-documented turmoil and breakdown in filming of "OB2" affected the movie (also the late addition of the director, Prachya Pinkaew). Hopefully he has learned from this experience and will be able to dish out some future movies with the same caliber "OB" and "TYG".
Personally, the Tien character (played by Jaa at a later age) was well developed, unlike the characters portrayed in "OB" and "TYG". With the versatility displayed by Jaa in "OB2", one can only imagine if he were to feature in movies with prominent directors and fight choreographers (Sammo Hung, Yuen Wo-Ping, and Ching Siu-Tung to name a few). I will recommend "OB2" only as a rental.
The Heroic Trio (product link) Fantasy / Girls With Guns Overall an okay action-girls flick. Interesting characters and a decent plot. The fight scenes are not detailed enough to leave a lasting impression, but an interesting story nonetheless. A very funny and irritating Maggie Cheung character along with a decent performance from the elegant Anita Mui. This is a worthy rental and not as good as the sequel, "Executioners".
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I haven't seen "Executioners" but I do agree with everything else you said.
Dragon Squad [2005] (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure This movie features some decent action scenes, but I expected a lot more and was not satisfied with the lack of martial arts fight scenes with Sammo Hung. The fight choreography could have been a lot better.
The movie seemed more like a runway shoot for some preppy cute young actors and actresses. There were some action scenes with unnecessary shootings where bullets did not hit intended targets especially with a couple of snipers shooting aimlessly at each other.
Michael Biehn's role as a villian was limited due to language barriers, but he was exceptional. Maggie Q was more of a figure head character without a major role. The drama scenes were good, but overall this was an average movie.
So Close (product link) Action/Adventure / Martial Arts An interesting movie with a few slow spots and some unnecessary dialogue. There are a few nifty special effects and some that were quite over the top. Definitely not a very serious movie, but it had a few good fight scenes. The highlight was the exceptional fight scene between Yasuaki Kurata and Vicky Zhao Wei/Karen Mok which had to be seen over again. Kurata is definitely a legend in terms of fighting and his body of work. There could have been some more better fights and action scenes, thus this movie would be ideal for a good rental.
Broken Oath (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure Quite a slow paced somewhat boring typical revenge plot movie. The fight scenes were pretty good, but there's been better stuff from Woo Ping (especially around that time). Angela Mao is clearly a fantastic martial artist, but the poisonious spider wielding stuff was rather weak. Sammo Hung also looked silly with fake facial hair. If you are expecting something fantastic and out of this world with the all star cast featured in this movie, you will be dissapointed.
I would advise to rent first to see if it is worth adding to your collection
High Voltage / Circus Kids [DOUBLE FEATURE] (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure An amazing combination of bad audio and video transfers from Video Asia. This DVD was definitely horrible.
"Circus Kids" did not end. The movie cut off abruptly before getting to the climax of the action scenes. There were a few good fight scenes featuring Yuen Biao, Ken Lo, and Donnie Yen. I was actually surprised to see Bey Logan (perhaps there'll be a Dragon Dynasty release of this movie). The movie also features a very horrible English dub that does not match the pace of the movie.
"High Voltage" is an all-out action movie featuring Donnie Yen. I could not make it past the first 20 minutes as the plot was weak and the action was senseless due to poor job exhibited by Video Asia.
Hopefully there'll be a better print for both movies.
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