Like so many Korean films, this one bounces across multiple genres. What starts out as a goofy action comedy turns into a weepy romantic tragedy about halfway through, which makes the film difficult to reconcile. The plot can be confusing and disjointed at times, and the actions and motivations of the characters are often hard to understand and identify with. Production wise, the film is absolutely stunning. The lighting and cinematography are gorgeous, and the film flows like a beautiful dance, albeit with some jarring and inappropriate editing here and there. As beautiful as the film is to watch, what really brings it to life is the superb performance by Ha Ji-Won. She's a cute and awkward bundle of repressed feminine fury just waiting to explode, and her emotional outbursts are captivating and quite moving. She also handles herself quite well in a fight, and the highly stylized and symbolic action sequences are mesmerizing. While style is definitely more important than execution in this film, the stuntwork is competent and still makes a good impression. Fans of Korean period action films should be pleased.

First and foremost, Hsiao Hou delivers an incredible performance - possibly his finest ever. The fighting and stunts that he pulls off are simply unbelievable! Liu Chia Liang's deft direction and choreography take excellent advantage of all of the players, and the action scenes are pure genius - he is truly the undisputed master. Although he takes a back seat to Hou, Liang's performance is fabulous and seeing the two of them train is fascinating. A spectacular and delightful film, and a true kung fu classic.

An excellently crafted film that seems shockingly violent for its age. Blood erupts from bodies, eyes are gouged, heads are cut off, and women are raped by cackling villains. The only place the film falls a little short is in some of the martial arts execution. He's great against a crowd, but when he's one on one, Wang Yu's limited martial arts skills look a bit sloppy and restrained. Fortunately he makes up for this shortcoming with his dramatic intensity, but he would be no match against the more graceful and stylistic fighters that followed in his footsteps. A fascinating slice of Hong Kong film history, and definitely worth checking out if you're a kung fu buff.

A bit of a letdown from the first two "Gun Crazy" stories, but this one benefits from having TWO lovely models as the leads. While they're both capable actresses, their characters aren't nearly as tough and captivating as the previous "Gun Crazy" girls. Swimsuit model Kasumi Nakane does a good job of bouncing between weak and frail, and strong and confident, while Mitsuho Ohtani just broods intensely. They both handle their guns quite nicely and they're fun to watch. The production values seem a bit higher in this episode, with more actors, richer action sequences, and bigger explosions. The writing falls a bit flat and the story is predictable and clichéd, but enjoyable nonetheless. A good girls 'n' guns outing that stays in line with director Muroga's vision.

Apart from the fact that the girls are very cute, this direct to video atrocity is terrible in every regard. The version I saw had no English subtitles so I couldn't figure out the details of the story, but the execution is so awful that I don't think it would have made a difference. The nonsensical title of the film just further supports my suspicions. The cinematography and editing are terrible, and on par with a low budget high school project. The action scenes are incredibly weak, and even more offensive in that the girls are all doubled by glaringly obvious stuntmen in drag. What's the point in making a female action film if the women aren't even featured in the action scenes? There are a couple of decent hits and some nice posturing here and there, but nothing that can redeem this incoherent mess. The actresses themselves are actually swimsuit models, and their delivery tends to be stiff and emotionally flat. However, it's hard to blame them given the material that they're working with. The digital visual effects are also extremely lame, and for the most part are completely unnecessary. Digital rain? What's the point if nothing looks wet? The physical effects don't fare any better, and bullet hits don't leave any physical evidence of their presence, forcing the viewer to pretend that someone or something just got shot. By far the most ridiculous effect is that when the girls stop and strike a pose, a small blast of air from off camera is blown in their faces to reposition any stray hairs. Completely absurd. It's best to just admire the box art and leave this one on the shelf.

Interestingly, by the time the climax of the film is underway, you get so wrapped up in what's going on that you totally forget that there was even a story going on beforehand. And then you realize that there actually isn't a conventional story taking place at all. There are no bad guys, no unsolved mysteries, no psychotic arsonists on the loose, no extreme character conflicts, no heroics, and nothing to prove - it's just a team of firefighters doing their job. Director Johnnie To has cleverly manipulated you into caring for these people solely so he can put them in an extreme life threatening situation and make his audience squirm. The tension he creates is superb, and you find yourself constantly agonizing over their safety. Johnnie To has really pulled off something special with this film, and I never thought I would find an action film without guns, car chases, and kung fu to be so exciting.

Apart from a delightful showdown between Cheng and the assassin, the film is completely devoid of action and focuses almost entirely on Carol Cheng's exhausting rapid fire yelling. Wow, that woman can talk up a storm. Most of the humor is very topical and cultural, making it impenetrable for Western audiences, but there are a couple of physical gags that are surprisingly amusing. An effeminate turn by Anthony Wong is utterly brilliant. Sadly, Ms. Cheng's character has lost a lot of her endearing charm and innocence, and suffers from a very unflattering haircut. The non-stop verbal sparring makes it difficult to recommend this film unless you're a fan of Hong Kong comedy or a Carol Cheng completist.

This is an example of the very worst type of sequel, one that is simply a low quality knock-off of the original. The jokes are stale and even less funny the second time around. Tony Leung's absence also spells doom for the proceedings, and the innocent tenderness of the first film comes off as a farce in this one. The action is extremely sparse and basically boils down to two chaotic, but marginally entertaining shootouts. Alfred Cheung actually gets to use his ESP this time around, with lukewarm results. We learn that the key to focusing his powers depends on his chastity, which leads to the film's most bizarre line of dialog: "a drop of sperm equals seven drops of blood." That makes about as much sense as the rest of the film does. As before, only Carol Cheng's impressive acting and comedic timing keep the film moving, but unless you're a fan of Hong Kong comedy, it can be a serious chore to watch.

More than anything, this is simply a star vehicle for the charming and immensely talented Carol Cheng. Even though I can't stand Hong Kong comedies, it's impossible to not recognize and appreciate Ms. Cheng's charismatic presence, heartfelt performance, impeccable comedic timing, and impressive command of physical and vocal acting. The comedic themes that tie the film together are the typical fish out of water gags and the political sparring between Mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwanese ideals. The film is very light on action, but it has brief moments of kinetic brilliance including a delightful shootout at the film's climax. If you have any tolerance for Chinese comedy, "Her Fatal Ways" is a charming endeavor worth checking out.

Like many action comedies, "Tiger Cage II" is a mixed bag. The comedic elements are bland and not particularly funny, and Rosamund Kwan's offensive caricature of a bumbling and helpless damsel in distress becomes increasingly annoying throughout the film. The acting is pretty flat, and Donnie Yen seems capable of only two emotions - pissed off and deadpan. Not surprisingly, the real highlight of the film is seeing Donnie fight, and he delivers some magnificent work. The sword fight between him and John Salvetti is one of the best you're likely to see, and his sparring with Michael Woods and Robin Shou is hard hitting and highly satisfying. The film also boasts one of David Wu's finest fighting performances.

Like many action comedies, "Tiger Cage II" is a mixed bag. The comedic elements are bland and not particularly funny, and Rosamund Kwan's offensive caricature of a bumbling and helpless damsel in distress becomes increasingly annoying throughout the film. The acting is pretty flat, and Donnie Yen seems capable of only two emotions - pissed off and deadpan. Not surprisingly, the real highlight of the film is seeing Donnie fight, and he delivers some magnificent work. The sword fight between him and John Salvetti is one of the best you're likely to see, and his sparring with Michael Woods and Robin Shou is hard hitting and highly satisfying. The film also boasts one of David Wu's finest fighting performances.

A much more professional looking effort than the previous "Gun Crazy Episode 1: A Woman From Nowhere" (2002), this series has real potential to make it big and re-legitimize the female action genre. Much like Episode One, "Beyond The Law" is another modern Western, and hearing the Ennio Moricone derivative music in the first minutes of the film sets the stage where evil-doers will be dealt with harshly. While it doesn't cover any new ground, it's a fun and exciting ride that any girls 'n' guns fan will thoroughly enjoy. Rei Kikukawa is a talented and beautiful actress, and handles a gun with confidence and determination. She looks like she had a good time making the film and she also reminds me a lot of a young Michelle Reis - a deadly combination of strength and vulnerability. Along with her fierce conviction and desire to kill people, Yuki also realizes the importance of looking good while she's doing it, and the film offers many delightful outfits and beauty shots as her victims do the dance of death. The final showdown features Yuki in a very sexy form-fitting trenchcoat, becoming a sultry and seductive angel of death whose feminine sensuality is just as deadly as the guns in her hands. In short, she's awesome. I'm now a firm supporter of the "Gun Crazy" series, and I just hope that Pioneer has enough sense to release these cinematic gems domestically.

A good looking a well produced shot-on-video effort from Pioneer Entertainment. The filmmakers are keenly aware of the fact that Ms. Yonekura is exciting to watch in action, and miss no opportunities to focus on that. Of course, that's the only reason the video exists, right? (too bad American filmmakers haven't figured this out yet!) Ms. Yonekura handles her scenes with flair and determination, and looks great handling a gun. The action scenes aren't overly ambitious, but shot and edited well enough to imply that there's more going on than what we're seeing. Apart from Saki's commanding presence, nothing stands out in the film as either spectacular or embarrassing, which makes it a simple pleasure throughout. I'm eagerly awaiting the next three episodes, and I hope that Pioneer releases them domestically (although I doubt they will for cultural and political sensitivity reasons - bastards).

Not surprisingly, the folks at Eastern Heroes have repackaged and marketed this film as "Hard-Boiled 2". Maybe because the final shootout takes place at a hospital? Or maybe just because it has a bunch of guys shooting at each other. Who knows?

A good looking and well produced film that only suffers from some overly abrupt editing. Action scenes are sparse, but Yuen Tak provides some excellent martial arts choreography and the fights are delightful to watch. To offset the grim and serious tone of the film, strange lighthearted comedic moments are sprinkled throughout, including an undercover intelligence mission at a gay bar played mostly for laughs. Ti Lung gives a strong but restrained performance, and Waise Lee does a great job as the ruthless villain. Maggie Cheung is little more than window dressing in this otherwise male dominated film.

After hearing all of the positive buzz about this film over the last two years, I was extremely anxious to finally see it, although I was also a bit apprehensive. The first red flag was hearing that director Ang Lee ("Eat Drink Man Woman", "Sense And Sensibility") who had never directed an action film would be making a kung fu epic. That illicited a bunch of snickering and skepticism in the film community. Secondly, Jet Li was initially cast to play the role of the retired swordsman, but was later replaced by Chow Yun Fat due to scheduling and possibly artistic conflicts. This concerned me, because now we had a kung fu film where the primary kung fu actor was being replaced by a non- kung fu actor. Lastly, for nearly a year before its U.S. release, Sony had been saying they had little faith in the film and would only release a dubbed version of it for the art theater circuit. This seriously frustrated me and made me even more nervous about the film. Thankfully, none of the aforementioned issues spoiled the integrity of the film. Director Ang Lee has done an amazing job of presenting an action oriented love story, and Yuen Woo Ping's fight choreography is utterly astounding. Chow Yun Fat does a great job with his limited action scenes and creates a dramatic sense of presence that I'm not sure Jet Li would have done as convincingly. After seeing the film, I couldn't see anyone but Chow in that role. And finally, much to my surprise, at the last minute Sony decided to give the film a wider release in its pristine subtitled form. Thank you, Sony!

First of all, the film is gorgeous and beautifully filmed. The breathtaking scenery is vast and serene, and the sets are beautiful. Michelle Yeoh delivers possibly her finest performance ever, both physically and dramatically. More than anyone else, the audience is truly in tune with what she's thinking and feeling. However, it's Zhang Ziyi who ends up stealing the show. Her fiery intensity is so overwhelming that she literally owns every scene she's in, and when she and Michelle Yeoh get together, the screen truly comes alive with energy. And much like the troubled teenager that she portrays, her emotions are destructive and all over the place. Driven by passion and fuelled by naivete and inexperience, her delivery is pure, raw, and all-consuming. She's a very dangerous woman whose power and passions are beyond her control... The action direction is flawless and beautiful to watch. Digital wire removal techniques have allowed Yuen Woo Ping to use heavier wires for more impressive stunts, and all of the players look exceedingly graceful in their maneuvers. It's also noteworthy that the combat sequences don't use the over-the-top smacking and clanging sound effects, making the battles seem much more realistic. The only real complaint I have about the film is that it seems a little long and slow paced - especially for a Hong Kong film, which generally tend to be frantic. And while I don't consider it "the 'Star Wars' of kung fu films" as Ric Meyers has, or a film to revolutionize the entire film industry as others have, I still think it's a fantastic film and would recommend it to anyone with an interest in Asian swordplay or female action films.