Souls Of The Sword (product link) Swordplay/Sword(s) / Martial Arts Ko Fei is the only good thing about this movie, and sadly he cannot save it from being a turd. This had the potential to be something decent, but the twists and turns were done so low budget and sloppy that I just couldn't give a toss.
Very good movie with Ti Lung and Ku Feng anchoring the story and action. Wong Yu also plays a key supporting role.
While Ti Lung is a virtuous and philosophical martial arts instructor, Ku Feng plays a treacherous chief who desires to take over a neighboring town. He plots to have Kong Do and Ti Lung go against each other, all the while using them as pawns in his plan to take over the neighboring town.
Ti Lung excels as the kung fu instructor whose main weapon of choice is the staff. Ti Lung takes Wong Yu under his wing as his main pupil when he realizes he is not like the Mengs and embodies his ideals more. You have some standard fare of training sequences and typical anti-Meng sentiment. Sun Chung did a good job directing this movie and had the right actors in place.
I feel like I'm being redundant in this film, but what the hey. Ti Lung, Ku Feng, and Wong Yu fans will like it.
The Leg Fighters (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure The dub [on the US DVD by Tai Seng] is just ridiculous. Two villains who wear bells around their necks are named Ding Dong and Dong Dong. How can anybody take this movie remotely seriously with shoddy dubbing like this? I might have enjoyed this movie more if it were subtitled (correctly).
It's movies like this that give kung fu movies a bad rap. This movie exudes low budget in almost every aspect. Too many comedic elements in this film, plus it's missing that "oomph" to draw you into the film. Tan Tao Liang's kicks are impressive but do little in making it a good movie.
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Tan Tao Liang can be good but this one kinda stinks
The Flag Of Iron (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure If you liked "Masked Avengers", you will probably like this. You don't typically see flagwork being done as a legit weapon in most kung fu movies, but this one sure pulls it off (also, check out "Life Gamble") without being corny.
The basic premise is that the leader of a clan is abruptly killed in a rival clan dispute. To take the heat off his clan, Kwok Choi takes the rap and goes into exile. In the end, he finds out who the killer of his master is and how it has drastically changed his clan.
Five Deadly Venoms (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure A cult classic for a reason. Although it may not be non-stop action, the suspense and build-up deserves a look. There are some slow patches in between where I can see typical kung fu fans may be bored, but they serve their purpose. Very unique characters with trademark techniques. I think Lu Feng's Scorpion was the coolest Venom, where Kwok Choi's Lizard was the lamest. When he does his "moves", I felt like I was watching an old Lionel Ritchie music video (for you young ones, ask your parents). To be honest, I like "Crippled Avengers" much better, but that's a completely different animal.
The Iron Fisted Monk (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure I'd really rate this @ 3.75. The tone in this movie is certainly more serious than most Sammo films. No question the fight choreography from Sammo and Chan Sing are top notch. However, the plot is rather vanilla where the Manchus are the usual bullies trying to take over a territory/factory. I dont think the rape scene everybody talks about is out of place or inappropriate. It's just conveying the hate and desire for revenge much stronger. For Sammo and Chan Sing fans this deserves a view, but I wouldn't consider this a must-have.
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sooooo, how does one make rape scenes subtle? Essh.
The western reaction to Hong Kong cinema's justaposition of rape and light comedy is an ongoing problem. I like this about as much as does Jay Lee, but understand what he feels. Not to be smug, eastern film ethics are sometimes problematic to the west.
I disagree with Jay Lee because the rape scene was not the essense of this film. but it was essential to the storyline with the whole Mongal vs. ming plot. You can not deny the fight scene and I think we should stick to the point only. But I see you Ol'!
This is a must have in my book. And it's not the rape scene as such, it's the rape scene intercut with smarmy comedy that I personally have a problem with. Plus, im not a fan of rape scenes at all, and it could have been done in a more subtle way.
Lone Wolf And Cub 4: Baby Cart In Peril (product link) Action/Adventure / Swordplay/Sword(s) This was okay. Still the same awesome action, but even more corny gun action from the baby cart. I would have enjoyed this a lot more had this element not been present. Finally, we get to see Ogami have a showdown with the head of the Yagyu Clan. The last few scenes once again show Ogami facing incredible odds with a ton of adversaries.
Lone Wolf And Cub 3: Baby Cart To Hades (product link) Action/Adventure / Swordplay/Sword(s) Another good installment in this series. The last scene where Ogami faces a ton of people is something to look forward to. Very gritty and suspenseful. My only gripe with this movie is the use of guns in the baby cart. That was a bit ridiculous in concept, considering the era and the technology needed to pull it off. Anyways, Ogami shows signs that he's not invincible but is definitely a force to be reckoned with.
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found this one slightly lacking but the suicide scene was freakin' awsome.
Lone Wolf And Cub 2: Baby Cart At The River Styx (product link) Action/Adventure / Swordplay/Sword(s) I liked this one much more than the 1st movie. This time Ogami is taking on a group of kunoichi and three bodyguards. I had to rewind the film when he took on the kunoichi by the roadside. Awesome scene. Tough battles from every direction and Daigoro by his side. Pick it up if you liked the first one.
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more bloddy and violent that the first and equally as good!
Lone Wolf And Cub: Sword Of Vengeance (product link) Action/Adventure / Swordplay/Sword(s) I acknowledge its place in the series as it sets the tone for what's to happen later on, but I didn't like this as much as I did with the 2nd or 3rd one. With that said, the film still displays top notch samurai slashing and blood spewing action. Only in Japanese samurai films can an overweight man can reign supreme as a swordsman (which is almost a direct opposite of what you would see in wuxia type films). It's interesting to see the Yagyu Clan frame Ogami in order to attain his rank/position with the shogunate.
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My personal favorite samurai film and for me, it deserves 5 stars.
Lone Wolf And Cub: Sword Of Vengeance (product link) Action/Adventure / Swordplay/Sword(s) Good introduction into the series. Ogami Itto is setup by the Yagyu Clan and is forced to live a life as an assassin with his child in tow. Not exactly my favorite in the series, but there is plenty of development, pacing, and action to keep the fans pleased.
Shaolin Challenges Ninja (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure Excellent movie showcasing China vs. Japan, but in a respectful manner (even though it's obviously more biased towards China). Excellent display of martial arts from both countries and great scenery when Liu and Kurata fight. Although there are some comedic elements (which I typically loathe), they are done in good proportion and flow right with the rest of the movie. Good underlying message in this movie as well (especially for martial arts enthusiasts and practitioners).
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The quality of the martial arts is very high (as one would expect from the stars and director) and the humor is handled much more deftly than is common (particularly by this director). This is a first rate film.
You know, I saw this movie (7/7/09) for the one-hundredth time and I believe that this is the best Shaw Brothers movie to date.. FIVE STARS I TOTALLY AGREE!!!!
Pursuit (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure This is a slept on movie that I rarely hear anybody discuss/review. Going on memory, since it's been awhile since I've watched it, it's in the same vein as "Delightful Forest", where the hero must endure punishment from his captors to vindicate himself. However, this movie seems to show that to a higher/grittier degree. This movie ties into the Outlaws of the Marsh/Water Margin folklore. Fans of this series should like.
The Deadly Duo (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure I was bored with this movie. The bridge scene reminded me of an SNL skit where everyone kept on jumping into a polar bear pit despite knowing the consequences. The best scene is David Chiang spearing several guys with his weapon. Other than that this was just a rather average "Rebels vs. Mongols; let's save the kidnapped prince" type movie.
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I generally like Chang Cheh; I almost always like Ti Lung; David Chiang is sometimes endurable: This is just not a well written film. The bridge scene is excessively long and foolish.
Excellent TV series from Sonny Chiba and JAC. Chiba does a fantastic job as leader of the IGA ninjas. By day, he is an owner of a bathhouse; by night he is Hattori Hanzo, out to stamp out the injustice of the Koga and any other group(s) that want revenge on the IGA.
Good balance of drama and action. Although some of the episodes may have recurring themes, this series does a good job of keeping the viewers tuned in for each episode. Hanzo maintains an odd alliance with Hoshina, who is a government official that has to protect a young lord as well as keep tabs on the Koga ninja.
There is a romantic angle with Hanzo and a kunoichi from the Koga clan that reappears several times through the series. Orin is the older, maturer hairdresser who fawns over Mr. Han. She provides good comedic relief in between the dramatic and action scenes.
My only main gripe of this series is the repetitive music. [The version I bought] included a booklet on the Shadow Warriors and a Chiba interview, which appears to show Chiba being emotional in his involvement with Shadow Warriors and its influence to fans and TV/cinema.
I would highly recommend this series for all Chiba and ninja fans. It's very unfortunate that none of the other series will get a legit release at this time, due to poor sales.
The Wolves (product link) Crime / Drama A nice surprise for yakuza film fans. I am surprised there is a lack of reviews for this film. It is not breaking any new ground, but it is a solid entry by Hideo Gosha. The settings and landscape are beautiful. Some may feel that the pacing in certain parts is slow/dragged out; but for someone like me who is used to this aspect in Japanese cinema, it was not an issue. Good use of music to set the tone in the scenes. Great cast as well. Gosha did a good job in conveying the double edged sword of loyalty, honor, and respect that is prevalent in all kinds of criminal organizations. Ironically, these ideals are the very thing that can be the downfall of an individual and crime family. The violence in this movie is nothing flashy but gritty and to the point.
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A very good film which has suffered from very poor quality prints for many years. One one adjusts for that, it's very worthwhile. Director and star are dependably good.
I would have liked this a lot more if the comedy and musical element was not present. This is unfortunate for me as I do not like those kind of elements in my kung fu movies and it seemed Lau Kar Leung seemed to dwell in the comedy aspect of his movies post-"36 Chambers"/"Invincible Pole Fighter"/"Legendary Weapons Of China". I must say that Kara Hui is absolutely stunning in this movie. I don't know why, but I never noticed much of her looks before, but she looked incredibly gorgeous in this movie. Also, she really gets to showcase her kung fu moves for a change in this movie as well. This movie has a great cast. As always, I am annoyed with Hsiao Hao's shennanigans. Fans of Gordon Liu will be disappointed as his presence is very limited. Lau Kar Leung is on top of his game as always and Wang Lung Wei plays a perfect villian to a "T". I think Leung did a good job in showing an odd situation of a much younger aunt. However, there were parts in the movie that just seemed to drag on. Again, my only gripe is that the movie loses my attention and enthusiasm when the comedy kicks in.
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The comedy in this film didn't work for me either, and I personally agree that Kara Hui is a stunning beauty and probably my single favorite female martial artist. She doesn't get enough props.
Samurai Fiction (product link) Comedy This is a good ol' samurai parody/satirical movie. The storyline is nothing complex but the pacing is done rather well and keeps you entertained throughout the whole movie. Clearly shows the virtues of honor, respect, love, avoiding killing, and redemption. The only real flaw I can find is developing more of Kazamatsuri's reasoning behind stealing the sword. Granted he does explain his reasons, but I just didn't feel as compelled to sympathize his reasons. It is shot rather well, blending elements of color, black and white, and a red screen. Fans of the chambara/jidaigeki genre will like.
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While the satirical intent is quite obvious, it works reasonably well read straight - and much better with tongue in cheek. Very entertaining.
Shaolin And Wu Tang (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure I don't know why people praise this movie so much. I thought it was pretty poor in direction. Let's not get into the argument about "we don't watch these movies for the direction, we watch them for the action", because I can't be clumped into that majority. Granted, I am not expecting Academy Award direction or performances, but a sense of cohesion and plot that makes sense can go a long way, no matter how simplistic or complex it may be.
There was a decent amount of action, but the movie screamed low budget to me. Liu and Cheng do play their roles well, but I have to say the ending is just a plain let down. But this movie has one of the coolest intros in kung fu movie history.
Legend Of The Bat (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure In my opinion, much better than "Clans of Intrigue". "Clans of Intrigue" didn't get really interesting until the end, and even then, it was a rushed job.
"Legend of the Bat" has some nice sets and introduces an array of characters, as expected in a Chor Yuen movie. Ti Lung's character is much more interesting in this movie than he was in "Clans of Intrigue". It seemed he was much more skilled and cunning in cracking the case. Fans of Chor Yuen will love this movie.
Daggers 8 [PanMedia] (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure Above average flick. Basic premise: Meng Yuan Man wants to learn kung fu and each of his instructors are killed off by an assassin, played by Wilson Tong. This era of kung fu is reminiscent of the classic Jackie Chan era (wearing waiter attire/silk pj's). The plot is standard: "You killed my master, so I will get revenge".
I was actually surprised to find Lily Li tearing it up in the action. However, Wilson Tong steals the spotlight in my opinion as the dagger-wielding villain.
Part of the movie reminds me of "Clan of the White Lotus", except it's less "feminine" in my opinion. The only real plot hole is Meng Yuan Man's grandfather's reasons behind certain actions. There wasn't much development and the motive(s) were not convincing enough in my opinion. Above all, the action is top notch.
Challenge Of The Masters (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure Solid effort by Lau Kar Leung and Gordon Liu. Although this is not an action packed extravaganza, it does focus on the virtues of martial arts and having humility with your opponent. One of the rare times that the English dub has a quote that is worthy to listen to (Chen Kuan Tai's quote to Liu) that isn't bastardized cockney slang or chinglish.
I would give this more of a 3.75 instead of a 3.5 or 4 rating. I'm not in love with the movie but at the same time have respect for the merits of the film. Good to see excellent display of Hung Gar from Gordon Liu and Chen Kuan Tai. The Lau brothers put on an excellent showcase of Hung Gar as well. If you are expecting blood baths or gimmicks to anchor a movie, then avoid. If you want something that's more on a philosophical level, then you will enjoy this.
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While not the most riveting of Lau Kar Leung's films, this is a solid success. As is almost always the case, the martial arts choreography is extraordinary.
The Revenger [Venom Mob] (product link) Martial Arts / Swordplay/Sword(s) Disappointing is how this movie can be summed up in one word. Ti Lung takes on double duty as a bad ass fighter in the first half of the movie and then plays the son seeking his father's bones in the last half of the movie. There are some serious head scratching moments that do not make sense (I wont bother getting into detail with that) or need to be explained better. This does have some notable stars that you all may be familiar with, but that makes no difference. It has a decent amount of action throughout the movie but I felt the finale was really slow. I mean, it looked like Ti Lung was phoning it in and expecting post production to undercrank it in the end. I honestly can't even recommend this flick to Ti Lung fans because he's got plenty of other films that are worth viewing compared to this.
Love And Sword (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure It was alright. Typical assassin/mystery whodunit/redemption wuxia film. Lots of night shots in this that made it difficult to view at times but did not detract too much from the film. Fight choreography was nothing special. The plot could have been much better. I could go more into depth with regards to this, but there really is no point, trust me. I was fast forwarding through most of the movie. There's a thin love story that doesn't make you feel moderately connected to it till the end. Wang Chung had the coolest weapon in the movie and I felt he should have had more screentime, but he did serve his purpose in the movie. In the end, you can't help but feel sorry for the little kid that becomes a part of the main characters' lives.
Decent movie. I would actually rate this at 3.75. Should have been retitled to "Eighteen Jade Lohans" (not to be confused with Lindsay). The mechanized statue with multiple arms looked ridiculously camp. It looks like something that came off of a 1960s horror film/sci-fi set. Good cast list, although I'm not sure who the main lead is (can anybody verify?).
Not to go too much into the plot, but it involves a good guy that knows the deadly Lohan Palm and travels with Polly Kuan to initially find the 18 Jade Lohans as well as track down Chang Yi's "killer". The plot is all right for the most part, and we even have some cameos from Lo Lieh, Ko Fei, and Lung Fei. In the end we find out the "killer", the reasoning behind the string of events leading up to this confrontation, and then have a very weak climax.
Polly Kuan out of the blue gets some epiphany on how to beat her opponent. That was done really dumb and showed a real lack of development on the director's part. Following this epiphany, the villain is defeated in what seems like less than a minute.
As mentioned, some night scenes were hard to view, but it didn't detract too much from the movie. I think the mystery element of this movie was better than the action. Granted you can probably figure out the main culprit halfway in. The action comes secondary to me. I am not one of those viewers who has to have nonstop brainless action with a paper thin plot to have some kind of enjoyment. So in short, I would easily say this is a rental but don't know if I would be watching this over and over again.
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I'm undecided whether to go with your star rating or lower, but agree completely with the text of the review.
The Brave Archer (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure This movie, along with the rest in this series, can be summarized with one word: convoluted.
Yes it has action, like the rest in the series, but the direction in this is horrible. It tries too hard to introduce an array of characters and sub plots with no real development. I could essentially cut and paste this review and put it in place for the other movies in this series. Only for Fu Sheng/Venom fans looking to complete their collection
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yes you are right . They should of stopped at the first one. Then they started to bring back characters as other characters. It started to get confusing . I only bought all of them because of Fu Sheng & Venom Mob
Not a bad indie effort. Kind of a shame that nobody really knows the name of the main actor in this movie. Lots of solid action throughout.
A young man is entrusted with the golden seal but is almost killed by the Chings. A family nurses him back to health but then they fall victim to the bad guys and he is off to Shaolin temple to learn kung fu and one day take revenge.
The love story angle is a bit weak (really not even needed) and the bits with the drunk/crazy monk could have been developed alot better. However, it's a solid movie all around. I'm real curious if the editing of this movie was intentional as the beginning has a replaced title card then jumps right into the credit sequence where they name off production people (no cast members). Then at the end it plays what appears to be the credit sequence that should have been done in the beginning, and then we get a THE END. Either way it's a bit strange.
You have unusual taste in kung fu like me. It's a compliment the main evil charcter in this one is the same guy in Shaolin Vs Lama which he was an ultimate bad guy but your right I agree with the stars.
The 7 Grandmasters (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure More like 3.75 for me. There is plenty of good fighting in this one. The storyline is a bit thin on this one. You can pretty much figure out who the bad guy is.
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Agree. The thin ass story sort of made this film too predictible but regardless a good kung fu film! weeee };oP
Invincible One (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure Not bad at all if you are into the Chang Cheh Shaolin cycle. Chang Cheh's direction is top notch in this movie (which is something I dont say often about Chang Cheh). Obviously, this is a Fu Sheng vehicle, where he plays a country bumpkin trying to make it in the city. Chi Kuan Chun plays the big brother trying to discourage Fu Sheng from using his kung fu. His brother is fully aware of the dangers that come from fame and from working for crooked bosses. Don't want to give too much away but I liked this better than "Shaolin Martial Arts", "Shaolin Avengers", "5 Shaolin Masters",and "Heroes Two".
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I really loved Fu Sheng's performance in this movie. This is probably the best dramatic performance hes given short of " China Town Kid ".
The Heroes [Tai Seng] (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure Not a bad indie effort. Basic premise is Ti Lung goes undercover to kill Chan Wai Man. Unfortunately, his brothers from Shaolin have to suffer the price in getting his mission accomplished. I thought it was rather comical that Chan Wai Man finally understood Ti Lung was up to something near the end when he was secretly training his brothers to fight against the Chings when he was torturing them.
I liked the film for the most part, but it wasn't anything that made me want to hit the rewind button. A worthy rental.
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Agreed, not Ti Lung's best but a very worthy effort.
If you are a fan of Chang Cheh's Shaolin cycle, then you will like this. You can see where Queertin Tarantino got his inspiration (but doesn't credit anybody) for Uma Thurman's character in "Kill Bill" from this movie.
I'm not gonna' get into the synopsis of this movie, as most people have covered it allready, but I do want to say Beardy did a convincing job of the iron skin technique as well as being stiff as a board in personality and demeanor. The guy looked menacing. Wang Lung Wei's technique was kind of comical in that people would punch his pooch, he would absorb the punch, and then bounce the punch back to the attacker where they fall six feet back and die from internal bleeding.
This movie was apparently the footprint for all future kf movies with the teacher/student dynamic. There are lots of drawn out training scenes (if that's your thing). It's worthy of a watch, but I can't see myself watching this repeatedly.
The Face Behind The Mask (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure The story involves a kung fu master and his disciples. The kung fu master has been appointed the top guy in the kung fu world and everybody is out to get him and usurp his "throne". The kung fu master and his disciples try to find out who's behind all the attacks and think there's a spy amongst the ranks. What this film does well is puzzle the viewer in guessing who the spy/betrayer is. Do you pick the most obvious? The most opportunistic? The one that would gain the most?
The action is plentiful in this movie but it's nothing that really stands out. I'll be honest, the disciples seemed to be more entertaining in the fighting than the kung fu master. Lo Lieh fans will like this film.
The Dream Sword [DOUBLE FEATURE] (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure
Awesome movie with Yueh Hua, Chung Wa, and Lung Fei. The three comprise of Dream Sword and are on a mission for fame, power, and fortune. Some nice sets and lots of action. I also liked the soundtrack that played throughout the movie, especially the music/foley played during Yueh Hua's action scenes. Chung Wa is a scholar who has visions of how he and his companions will win in battle and he paints them onto "canvas" so that his companions will have an idea on how to win. Lung Fei plays the somewhat dim but a kick ass axe wielder. Yueh Hua plays a swordsman who fights almost with samurai like precision. Lost of double crosses/infiltration. The ending is somewhat predictable (especially if you have seen Yueh Hua and Chung Wa in movies together), but done decently. I have to say this is probably one of my favorite releases that Rarescope has put out. Highly recommended for those that like Ku Long type movies.
Ninjas And Dragons (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure I would actually give this more of a 2.75 rating. There's a fair amount of action, which is decent. However, 3 gripes from me: 1) The old "lady" is actually a dude but dubbed in a woman's voice. 2) Someone tell me the old lady's cohort who was supposed to be a chick is actually a dude? Either way that's one ugly ass chick! 3) The midget/kid: annoying ass voice. I could not stand it. I wanted him to be thrown off a cliff with weights attached to its ankles.
The story is just a freakin' mess. A ninja is in China on a quest to find another ninja who betrayed his clan. Long story short, ninja hooks up with the good guys to get rid of the general, the old "lady", her companion, and the midget/kid. You can pretty much figure out the mystery early on, and when it's finally "revealed" at the end, it's done pretty much half-assed. I don't recommend this title.
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Ol Skee you are being kind I would not recomend this title to anyone everything use stated is true. A ninja in china plot was as mixed up as a jigsaw puzzle. 0 stars!
The Lost Sword Ship (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure If HKFlix had a 3.75 rating, that would be my true rating. Decent wuxia pian fare. Lots of action, typical plot twist to a love story/love triangle. I thought the action choreography was average (which is why I didn't rate it a 4 or higher). You can tell they used a lot of stunt doubles by the far away shots. I did not care for the English dub [on the version I watched], especially when Roc Tien (I believe that's his name, if memory serves me) is in the cave learning the fragrant sword techniques from the old guys. One of the old guys sounds like an old redneck. However, the scenery/sets are beautiful which is no surprise, considering this is an adaptation of a Ku Long novel. Storywise it's good. I would recommend this title, but do not expect the most precise action choreography.
Showdown At The Cotton Mill (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure A decent Shaolin vs. Wutang/Ching flick. Chi Kuan Chun is in top form as always against the bad guys. Tan Tao Liang makes an appearance as an "undercover" Wu Tang fighter who is on a mission to infiltrate Shaolin and get rid of Chi Kuan Chun.
There are lots of action sequences, but overall the film didn't really break any new ground (at least not for me). I will say that, for some reason, I felt Chi Kuan Chun is grittier/more intense in this film than most films I've seen of him.
Shaolin Vs. Ninja (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure Much better than "Shaolin vs. Tai Chi", which i thought was garbage. The plot in a way blends themes from "Invincible Shaolin" and "5 Element Ninjas". In other words, you have two Shaolin factions tricked into fighting each other (except it's Chinese Shaolin vs Japanese Shaolin) and then ninjas vying for domination. The plot is nothing spectacular, as it's been covered in various movies before, but it's easy to follow. Action choreography is good, as expected from the Robert Tai camp. I can't say this is a flick that I would watch over and over. It just doesn't have that appeal. But for those that are into the Shaolin/ninja/China/Japan exploitation angle, this one is for you.
This movie was a letdown. Classify this into the "if it's an indie/rare it has to be good" overhyped category. Although minor, the music score sucked. Now let's get into the plot/direction. I couldn't make sense of what was going on until halfway into the movie. Basically, you have a friendly fight between the Shaolin monks and the Taoist clan. They reach a stalemate in their fight, so they decide to train students who will carry on their fight (this kind of story has been done before in other movies). The Shaolin monks pick up the "chief" of the beggars as their disciple while the Taoist clan pick up what appears to be a lord's son. Most of the movie shows the Shaolin disciple preparing for the upcoming match with the Taoist disciple. In between, you see the bad guy plotting to steal Shaolin's gold seal or something. Long story short, you get to see some betrayal action and the Shaolin disciple and Taoist disciple play a key role in between. Is there lots of action? Yes, there is. Is the story/plot/direction engaging? No, it's utter crap. This is what plagues a lot of "indie" films in my opinion, because the low budget/lack of direction really shows. The action couldn't save this at all for me. I will say the redeeming factor is that they do try to portray Buddah's teachings throughout the movie and especially in the end. If you like rares and indies for the sake of being on that bandwagon, have a look at this.
In Vol. 1 you pretty much hit the story arc (at least what I have noticed so far--still need to watch Vols. 3 & 4). I have to get this out of the way first before somebody writes up a review based on ignorance: IF YOU ARE EXPECTING NON-STOP ACTION, LOOK ELSEWHERE (go view "Shadow Warriors", "Lone Wolf And Cub", etc.)! If you do not mind a slow building drama where the action/assassination (minimal and straight to the point) culminates near the end of the episode, then give this series a try. This is not your hack-and-slash type jidageki. The basic premise is that Baian, an acupuncturist, is given assassination jobs by his motojime and is aided by his friend, Hiko. The two gather recon on how to take out their targets and they time their assassinations at the most critical hour. From this Volume, episode 4 is clearly the best one, and I like it the most out of the first two volumes. There is a lot more action in this than previous episodes as well. If you liked Volume 1 then you will like Volume 2. Again, don't expect this to be a free-for-all slash fest.
Baian The Assassin Vol. 1 (product link) TV Shows/Movies / Action/Adventure I had low expectations before watching this (based on the lack of favorable reviews) and was pleasantly surprised. By no means is this an action-packed entry. If you are expecting something on the lines of "Lone Wolf And Cub", "Mute Samurai", or even "Shadow Warriors", don't even bother watching this series. It's a slow builder where Baian and his friend gather recon on how to assassinate their targets. What I find interesting is how Baian (who uses his acupuncture needles) and his toothpick/blowdart making friend, Hikojiro, are able to effectively use these methods to kill versus traditional samurai/ninja means (i.e using swords). I especially wondered how they would pull it off in the second episode when they are up against four ronins. I don't think this is the best jidageki I've ever seen, but its not as bad as some people make it out to be.
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