Agreement:88% of 217 voters agree with JAY LEE's reviews Gender: Male Location: Denmark
Bio: Long time HK/Asian action film fan, since the 80's. I watch and collect all types of genres.... Kung Fu,Triad, Action, Heroic bloodshed etc. My favourite period is 70´s and 80´s. Also known as the Golden Age of HK filmmaking.
I Value the opinions of other connoisseurs and people who are respectful and knowledgable about the genre.
I can't stand people who are ignorant but still shoots their mouth off, using words like "Chop Sockey" or "Karate movie" when talking about Kung Fu classics.
Hong Kong Godfather [1991] (product link) Crime / Drama A very generic installment in the seemingly endless line of Andy Lau triad movies. Some decent action, but a very bland and slow-moving film all in all. If you're looking for a good triad movie, you can do a whole lot better than this snoozefest! Only for Andy Lau completists...if there is such a group.
The Last Blood [Mega Star] (product link) Action/Adventure / Crime
I'm not a huge Wong Jing fan per se; but I really liked everything about this movie, from the gritty action to the fairly funny comedy to the fast-paced story and the cast--including Andy Lau, Leung Kar Yan, Eric Tsang...hell I even liked Alan Tam in this.
The mix of brutal violence and comedy may seem like an odd combination at first, but since the comedy is mainly dialogue based and serves as a nice breather in between action scenes it seems to work okay.
And trust me, if you're the delicate type (I myself am not), you'll need those breathers, because some of the violence in this movie is pretty raw, reminiscent of the old John Woo heroic bloodshed stuff--and beyond. You got men, women, children and old people getting snuffed in this one.
But that's one of the things I love about HK movies: true equality--no one is spared. But hey, it's only a movie--and a damn entertaining one at that. I wasn't bored for a second watching this '91 gem of action. It's packed with crazy gunplay, bazookas, chainguns, knives, axes, scalpels, martial arts, explosions, cars, motorcycles, cable cars, Japanese terrorists, Tibetan lamas, killer stewardesses, and one hell of a convienient RC car.
In short, I loved this movie; and if you like all-out, take-no-prisoners HK action, chances are so will you.
Crocodile Hunter (product link) Action/Adventure / Comedy Another lackluster Wong Jing action comedy, and I use the word comedy loosely... with very little going for it! If you divide all of Wong Jing's films in to three piles, being CRAP, WATCHABLE, and dare I say GOOD. Then this one belongs in the CRAP pile... Don't bother.
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It's not that bad. I'd say at the very least, the film is 6/10. Personally, I'd give it 7/10.
Jackie Chan: My Story / My Stunts [DOUBLE FEATURE] (product link) Documentary / Martial Arts A definite must have for any fan of Jackie's or anyone interested in HK moviemaking and behind the scenes stuff. My story really lets you in on the more private side of Jackie's life through honest interviews with family, friends and the man himself. I am always amazed at how humble he is after all these years of being a star, and also how honest he is about everything, even his own shortcomings. My stuns is a great look into the amazing work of Jackie and his stunt team, a few tricks of the trade and some really cool demonstrations of Jackie and his teams level of skill and commitment. Great stuff.
The first, and in my humble opinion best, Venom movie there is. Granted, there are a few that I haven't seen, but this will always remain my favorite I think. Sure it's not exactly a fight-fest, but everything about this movie is just so freakin' cool: the concept, style, characters, sets, costumes, music...well, everything.
This movie really blew me away as a kid, as it did with so many others. I suppose that my great love for it can partly be chalked up to nostalgic value and that I didn't know the actors beforehand, which is key to fully enjoying this great classic, since it's sort of a whodunit type flick.
Although there isn't that much fighting, what there is, is really cool and stylized to display the special skills of the poison clan.
The movie's momentum is really in the tension building of the story, and you will most likely find yourself guessing along with the characters as to who is who and why. Kung fu mystery at its best.
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EXCELLENT REVIEW! There more to kung fu movies than just kung fu peoplesth. The story and conception was great.
I'd put this in the top 3 or 4 Venoms films - which is to say it's extremely good. "Return of the Five Deady Venoms/"Crippled Avengers" and "Flag of Iron" will always be at the top of my list. This may fall right below them.
My second favorite Venom movie, and also the second one I saw... back in the day. It was however the first one where I really realized the great on-screen chemistry these guys had, not to mention their timing and rhythm... they had that shit down.
The idea of the hero or heroes being crippled, overcoming it by rigorous training, and coming back for revenge was hardly fresh at the time. But the Venoms do it well, and with nice little touches here and there. I also loved the concept of them training specifically to counter the disabilities bestowed upon them by the villains:
Kuo Chui with his supersonic hearing compensating for his blindness, Lo Mang sporting some serious mirror bling to give him a heads-up on the bad guys he can no longer hear, Sun Chien showing off his formidable kicking skills courtesy of his new ironfeet, and the retarded Chiang Sheng jumping around like a little tenacious monkey...great stuff.
The villains also leave nothing to be desired, and man are there a lot of them. Most prominently Chen Kuan Tai as the bitter tigerstyle master and the scowling Lu Feng as his son with ironhands that shoot darts...gotta love that.
Another Venom classic not to be missed.
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Yes. It really is that good. There's nothing wrong with your taste.
Invincible Shaolin (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure My third favorite Venom movie. I liked that the conflict of the story was based on manipulations and misunderstandings rather than good guys vs. bad guys. The only bad guy as such is the scheming general, to no surprise played by the Darth Vader of Shaw Bros. Wang Lung Wei.
This movie really felt more like a Lau Kar Leung film than a Chang Cheh film to me.
My biggest enjoyment came courtesy of the excellent training sequences (I'm a sucker for a good old school workout session), which actually takes up the better part of the movie, but they are done so well that it doesn't slow the movie down one bit.
The fighting was awesome too, and up to the usual Venom standards.
A definite must-have in my book.
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It's a touchy subject rating one Venom movie higher than another, but this is definitely one of the best.
The Sword Stained With Royal Blood [1981] (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure Not exactly a favorite of mine, but it still has its moments. The story can be a little slow in pace and a little confusing. The absence of Sun Chien and especially Lo Mang also drags it down a bit.
The final fight is pretty cool, though. Kuo Chui really shows his stuff.
My biggest grievance is Candy Wen (not a big fan): she really gets under my skin in a bad way.
Not a must-have in my opinion, but Venom fans might want to check it out.
The Sword Stained With Royal Blood [1993] (product link) Swordplay/Sword(s) / Martial Arts Not exactly a favorite of mine, but it still has its moments. The story can be a little slow in pace and a little confusing. The absence of Sun Chien and especially Lo Mang also drags it down a bit.
The final fight is pretty cool, though. Kuo Chui really shows his stuff.
My biggest grievance is Candy Wen (not a big fan): she really gets under my skin in a bad way.
Not a must-have in my opinion, but Venom fans might want to check it out.
Two Champions Of Shaolin (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure I can't quite put my finger on what exactly it is that I don't like about this movie.
I found the story kind of uninvolving, but certainly more intricate than many other old schoolers I like. The fight action is also really cool, but I was still left with the feeling of having seen it all before.
There is a lot of cool stuff in this flick--paralyzing needles that can only be removed with special magnets, boomerang knives, weird monkey servants, and Chiang Sheng ripping some guy's balls off--but still, didn't really do it for me.
Maybe it's the absence of my favorite Venom, Kuo Chui, poorly replaced by the lackluster Chin Siu Ho; maybe the annoying presence of Candy Wen, who always manages to grate my every freakin' nerve... I don't know. All I do know is that this will never be a favorite, despite all the things it's got going for it.
I guess Yuen Tak wanted his piece of former classmates'--Jackie and Sammo--kung fu comedy pie, and was to some extent successful with this attempt I suppose. Yuen Tak looks great in the fight scenes but lacks the inventive flair and charisma of his two aforementioned opera school buddies.
The comedy is somewhat akin to what Jackie was doing around the same time in DRUNKEN MASTER and SNAKE IN THE EAGLE'S SHADOW, that being the cross-eyed slapstick stuff.
Being one of the seven little fortunes, Yuen Tak has great dexterity and screen fighting skills, but he looks like a freakin' girl with that stupid haircut, and even poses as a girl in one scene.
I got much more enjoyment out of watching Chen Kuan Tai's short stint as the wounded master, and the always evil Wang Lung Wei as the main villain sporting the silver fox look here. A decent Shaw romp, but not a must-have in my book--and it has Candy Wen in it, which detracts pleasure from every movie experience for me personally.
The Kid With The Golden Arm (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure Mostly weapons fighting in this classic Venom outing, which I sadly found a bit slow and lacking intensity in some scenes.
The story is pretty straightforward, but the characters are cool--especially my man Kuo Chui as drunken agent Hai To and the colorful members of the dreaded Chi Sa gang.
The cast is mostly made up of the Venom boys (all six), apart from bit players, the annoying Helen Poon, and bad guy extraordinaire Wang Lung Wei.
There is a lot to like about this movie: sweet weaponry, deadly traps, cool costumes and an unexpected (at least for me) twist in the end. There's also a great final fight between Kou Chui, Lo Mang, and Sun Chien, all bringing their "A" game to round off this beloved Venom classic.
The Blazing Temple (product link) Martial Arts / Historical Another bland Joseph Kuo movie starring Carter Wong. This movie adds nothing new to the kung fu genre or to the legend of the Shaolin Temple. Carter Wong is a decent fighter, but I always felt that his talent was wasted in all these forgetable low budget Kuo flicks. Had he been working at Shaw Bros. or done more films with Golden Harvest I think he would have been a much bigger star and be allowed to show his talents in the right settings.
The Return Of Master Killer (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure I was very disappointed with this comedic attempt at a sequel. The scaffolding kung fu and some of the training sequences were cool and so was the final fight with Gordon Liu and Wang Lung Wei. But the rest just fell flat. A sequel to a masterpiece like 36th chamber is a daunting task sure, but why the hell make it a comedy... bad call.
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I totally agree. Way too much annoying comedy and not enough kung fu action. Total disappointment.
Invincible Pole Fighter (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure This ferocious Lau Kar Leung effort just feels a bit over the top in some ways. The acting performances are intense, but overly dramatic, and although the fight action is truly awesome I felt it lacked some of the usual Lau Kar Leung martial arts philosophy behind it. I think this movie suffers from what must have been extensive rewrites due to Fu Sheng's untimely death during production and the fact that it was made during the waning years of the Shaw Bros. era. It felt to me like they were going faster and harder to match what else was coming out of Hong Kong cinema at the time, when they really didn't need to. But all in all it is still a good film that deserves a place in any collection.
Executioners From Shaolin (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure Not a big favorite of mine, but nonetheless a decent Shaw flick with some great fights and cool training sequences.
I felt it dragged a bit in the early part, with the opera boat and wedding stuff. But picks up again when Chen Kuan Tai starts training for his revenge on master whitebrow. And speaking of... the evil Pai Mei is probably Lo Lieh's best role ever, I always liked him better as a bad guy. And one of the most memorable villains in kung fu cinema.
So, apart from the slow spots and the fact that Wang Yu looks like a girl due to some questionable hair and wardrobe choices, this movie is pretty cool. I do however prefer FIST OF THE WHITE LOTUS over this one.
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Not only does it drag in the early part, it drags throughout.
Vengeance [1970] (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure
This is one of those titles referred to as a 'benchmark' movie in the martial arts genre, showing the transition from armed wuxia swordplay to empty hand combat.
This movie still relies mainly on knife and axe fighting though, and what empty hand fighting there is, isn't as spectacular as the intricate and superbly choreographed fight action that was to come out of the Shaw Bros. studios in subsequent years.
But, weapons or not, the fights are intense, brutal and bloody, as David Chiang leaves a trail of dead bodies in his wake of vengeance.
Chiang's portrayal of the stoic Peking opera performer hell-bent on avenging his brother's murder is grim and chilling, yet underplayed with a subtle pathos as only he can do it. He really carries this film from start to finish, under the masterful guidance of director Chang Cheh (to whom you can attribute the rich color, texture and blood soaked imagery that makes this movie one of the best revenge flicks ever made).
Only Chang Cheh can extract this much excitement and gut wrenching atmosphere out of a seemingly simple plot.
Although not a kung fu movie per se, I would still consider this required viewing for true connoisseurs of the genre.
Another Shaw favorite of mine--and one that could have been another 'rival schools/you killed my teacher' flick had it not been for Cheng Chang Ho's excellent direction and Lo Lieh's strong but emotive portrayal of the righteous Chiao Chi Hao, glowing fists and all.
The fighting is in the usual early 70's style. But it's for the most part done with such brutal intensity that you really feel the impact.
All the characters are memorable and more multilayered than you would normally expect from a film of this type and time.
And the images of Lo Lieh's glowing fists, the cut off head rolling down the dusty path, or the gouged eyeballs laying on the wooden floor, or many other cool-as-hell moments of this film will stay with you and ensure repeat viewings.
All of this old school splendor is set to one of the greatest and most recognizable scores of any kung fu movie. A nice mix of borrowed loops and original music that sets the tone just right. Simply a must have.
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Without "King Boxer"/"Five Fingers of Death" we would have had a longer wait for top quality martial arts cinema. It is extremely good on its own merits, but more importantly set a very high standard for the future.
Ode To Gallantry (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure I wasn't impressed with this one to say the least. Stupid mistaken identity story mixed with some fantasy elements. And the action, although decent, just had that "more of the same" feeling to it. Only recommended for Venom completists.
Shaolin Temple [1976] (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure A Shaolin classic with an allstar cast and some great kung fu action. this movie has it all, an interesting portrayal of daily temple life, continious and meaningful training sequences, well written and well acted characters that you care about and of course amazing martial arts displays of various shaolin styles.
The finale is also just martial mayhem with the likes of David Chiang, Ti Lung, Fu Sheng, Chi Kuan Chun, Wang Lung Wei, Kuo Chui, Lu Feng and Chiang Sheng cuttin loose and going at it... priceless. surely a must have.
Five Shaolin Masters (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure Another Chang Cheh movie shot in Taiwan. Dont get me wrong, Im glad he went there, cuz he brought back guys like the venoms and Dick Wei.
But i always felt that the movies he made over there were a little bland and had kind of a lowbudget feel to them, since they didnt have all the Shaw studio luxuries to rely on.
The fighting is good, but without the lavish sets,costumes and what not, it all feels a bit flat.
Not much of a story, but a great cast and despite the lack of usual Shaw bros. shine it is still miles ahead of your average independent old schooler.
Shaolin Hand Lock (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure Kind of a campy and to my mind, underrated Shaw flick. Set in Thailand, the movie has a different feel to it and makes good use of some beautiful Thai locations as well as the splendid Shaw sets.
The fight scenes are decent and Chen Hui-Min far outshines both David Chiang and Lo lieh in that departement.Lieh delivers another despicable villain, but one with a little more depth than usual.
Although a basic revenge plot, there is a little more meat on the story than your basic old schooler, some twists, family secrets and backstory to tie things together.
Throw in some cute girls, bad 70's outfits and a secret Shaolin death move and you've got yourself a pretty enjoyable film.
It's not for everybody, but Shaw collectors and David Chiang fans should most def check it out.
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I agree, I felt something different about the film that I attributed to the Thailand location. Otherwise decent flick.
This movie is a grim and interesting look inside the "secret" triad societies of HK. Triad movies are a dime a dozen, but with Johnnie To at the helm, you are in for a slightly different take on the timetested genre. It is hardly an action-packed affair, and violence is sparse; but when it hits, it has impact. The story relies mainly on depicting the inner workings of the triads, their rites and rituals and the building tension, caused by the titular ELECTION. The movies revealing nature is fascinating and somewhat educational, without becoming scholarly or boring. All this exposition, wrapped in high tension and short but memorable bursts of violence, would of course never work without a strong cast. And as per usual, To has lined up some of HK's finest actors: Simon Yam, Tony Leung Ka Fai, Louis Koo, Lam Suet and others. Yam is his usual cool self as the calm and collected Lok. But the the real standout performance comes courtesy of Leung Ka Fai, as Big D. On the surface he is the usual triad hothead who wants it all, but Leung Ka Fai manages, with subtlety, to bring out more layers to a usually one dimensional archetype. He can be viscious, pathetic and sweet, all in the same scene. The movie switches from a leisurely pace in the dialogue scenes to an unnerving sense of real time pace in the action scenes, and it all goes well together. The usual semi artsy vibe and trademark Johnnie To quirks has to an extend fallen by the wayside. It is straight forward and complex at the same time. And the shock ending will stay with you long after the credits roll, trust me... you won't see it coming.
Purple Storm (product link) Action/Adventure Daniel Wu's first starring role, as a Cambodian terrorist with amnesia sent back in to action as an undercover in his father's fearsome terrorist group... Where will he place his loyalty? Decent action flick, with some new ideas here and there.
A War Named Desire (product link) Drama A young man and his girlfriend travel from HK to Thailand looking for answers and the man's long-lost brother, who is now a hardcore gangster embroiled in a dangerous powerplay within his gang. A stellar performance by Francis Ng, and an all-around cool gunplay flick with emotion.
2000 AD (product link) Action/Adventure Aaron Kwok as a computer geek who is forced to grow up very fast when he is caught up in an affair involving high tech warfare, HK cops, Singaporean agents and Ken Lo as a badass assassin. Francis Ng once again does wonders with what is a relatively small part.
The fights are of strangely varied quality, but none the less a pretty good movie.
Colour Of The Truth (product link) Drama / Crime Exellent cop drama from usual sleazemeister Wong Jing, proving that he actually can make serious movies--and damn good ones too (also check out "Color Of Loyalty"). I have to recommend this movie as it has three of my favourite HK actors in it: Anthony Wong, Francis Ng and Lau Ching Wan.
On The Edge (product link) Crime / Drama The old story of the undercover cop in the triads has been done numerous times. But what happens after the mission is over, the bad guy is in jail, and the undercover has to go back to his life? That's what this excellent movie is about--a great and fresh spin on a familiar concept. Nick Cheung's portrayal as the disillusioned cop is outstanding, and once again I have to mention the great Francis Ng as a quirky triad boss.
Wo Hu (product link) Crime / Drama A sort of an artistic and emotional spin on the time-tested triad genre, with two of the greats--Eric Tsang and Francis Ng--amidst an awesome ensemble cast. Flawless acting performances and real emotional weight round off this outstanding triad drama. I really loved this movie.
Exiled [2006] (product link) Bullet Ballet / Crime A former member of a criminal gang decides to to start over with his wife and new baby, but we all know that the rules of the underworld frowns on that. So here come the hitmen two steps behind--but wait a minute, here come two more. Did someone order hitmen on the hitmen? I'm always amazed at how much Johnnie To can squeeze out of the simplest of ideas--he's still got it. Did I mention Francis Ng is in it!?
Full Alert (product link) Action/Adventure / Bullet Ballet A gritty chase and heist movie from Ringo Lam, where all the violence actually has an emotional impact on the characters! Awesome performances by Lau Ching Wan and the great Francis Ng!
The Longest Nite (product link) Drama / Triad Dark as f***, with some really nasty characters and such tension that I almost started sweating watching it! Tony Leung and Lau Ching Wan both kick ass in this one!
Running Out Of Time (product link) Action/Adventure / Crime Not at all what I expected, but man was I happy I bought this flick. It just keeps you guessing, and the score is awesome! Johnnie To should make more movies like this! Full props to Andy Lau and Lau Ching Wan for this one!
Five Superfighters (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure One of my all time favourite Shaw flicks, since I was a kid! Director Lo Mar hit the right combo with this one! Fresh new faces, acceptable comedy, beautiful sets, nice simple storyline and excellent fight choreography!
Kwan Feng as the villain makes me laugh every time. he's not even that evil, just kind of a bastard...correcting people's bad kung fu--that's hilarious!
There are some really cool training sequences (which I love), and all the fights are great. Especially the long end fight.
Bloody Brotherhood (product link) Drama Another tired triad flick, set (I believe) in 1960's Hong Kong. Shaw Bros. villain number one, Wang Lung Wei, directed this movie; and it stars Andy Lau and Chan Wai Man, which were the three reasons I bought this one. Should have saved my money.
Daggers 8 [PanMedia] (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure Labeling this movie a kung fu classic is a bit of a stretch. But it's still a fun movie, worth a watch.
The fights are good, especially the end fight. It has a good well rounded cast, full of familiar faces. Lily Li in particular, comes off well. Meng Yuen Man is a decent leading man; and Wilson Tong, despite being a stereotypical bad guy, brings the goods. Both as actor, director and action choreographer.
The movie isn't exactly grounbreaking (not even in 1980) but a decent way to spend 90 minutes--although there are much better old school flicks out there.
Cheung Lik is uninteresting as a leading man. Bolo looks ridicilous in that awful dreadlock wig. And the whole thing just looks cheaper than usual.
But at least the fights deliver... right? Wroooong...! The Jack and Mark Long fight is really a subpar effort for them. And even the finalé with the great Hwang Jang Lee is disappointing.
Joseph Kuo has made his share of cool indie kung fu classics. This is NOT one of them.
The Invincible Armour (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure As much as I enjoy Ng See Yuen's movies, John Liu's kicking and Hwang Jang Lee in a white wig and bushy eyebrows, this was never one of my favorites. The fights are plenty and good. And there can be no doubt about Liu's amazing kicking skills, and the overall fancy footwork of the actors involved. The cast is good on the whole. But I never felt that either John Liu or Tino Wong had enough screen presence or charisma to warrant them as leading men. They are somewhat stiff and wooden in their acting. I personally felt they were more suited for villainous roles. But all in all, they make do. The end fight is slightly disappointing, considering the talent involved. I don't feel that Hwang Jang Lee was allowed to bring his A-game in this fight.
The movie as a whole is a decent effort from Ng See Yuen. But not exactly a favorite of mine.
Tiger Over Wall [3-Disc Set] (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure I only bought this because it had Hwang Jang Lee and Phillip Ko in it, and I really wasn't expecting much from another low budget Taiwan production... BUT, once the movie got going I was really happily surprised! First of all it is based on actual events (loosely based, I'm sure); second of all, the story was actually good and somewhat captivating; and third, the fights are pretty damn cool and innovative (although I would have liked Lee to throw his famous kicks around some more). The end fight with Lee and Ko is awesome and so is the fight with Ko and Shaw bad guy Kong Do! I'll give this movie a steady 2 out of 5. Mostly based on the fights and the fact that they managed to find some different Taiwanese locations that I havent already seen in ten other low budget old schoolers.
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