This film is the third remake of Kurosawa's most famous concept that I've heard of, though it was the second to be made, the third remake being Roger Corman's Battle Beyond the Stars - whose soundtrack had been lifted for the Kung Fu classic Hitman in the Hand of Buddha (starring "boot master" Hwang Jang Lee).

This film was financed by the Hong Kong Kung Fu Council so authenticity is assured but that doesn't mean to say the excitement is diminished because time and time again it's been shown constantly through the passages of time that authenticity doesn't mean entertainment because you can have someone who's a real martial arts master who won't look as good as someone who's not a real martial arts practitioner (Leung Kar Yan a.k.a. Beardy, John Liang, Brian Leung and Liang Chia Ren). Likewise with historical movies, you can get a film which is historically accurate that can prove to be a total bore but you can get a film which can be historically inaccurate that ends up being wildly entertaining.

The film opens with the obligatory sequence of having someone demonstrate their martial arts skills in front of the camera, though at least this sequence (alongside the opening sequence for Sammo Hung's Warriors Two) seems to show some purpose in regards to our understanding of what we're seeing on screen. The score for this sequence makes up for any déjà vu experienced by a seasoned viewer of martial arts flicks.

On that strand of thought, Duel of the 7 Tigers (a.k.a. Terminal Impact) has one of the best scores I've ever heard in a HK film - I was quite surprised by some of the music cues chosen, despite only a few of them being derived from Drunken Master, but, hey, it's common for HK movies - especially ones that was made during this period of film-making. The music had a very poignant feel and significantly added that sense of epic grandeur which helps to compensate for the fact that this isn't exactly a Chinese version of a David Lean movie (that honor goes to Jet Li's debut film The Shaolin Temple). Speaking of epic grandeur, the film's production values are at the forefront during a scene which takes place at the docks/junks (fairly reminiscent of the sequence from Enter the Dragon).

The film features some unintentional humor in a fight between two monks during a pivotal moment in the film where it's decided that the winner can be the new abbot (but the loser has to leave the Shaolin temple hence the reason why Karate is invented thus introducing the racist antagonist). The humor involves this funny walk which the loser does as he's fighting the winner (a real-life Monkey Kung Fu stylist), it doesn't reach the same heights as John Cleese's funny walk routine yet the way the monk does it suggests that Wong Jing must have been prompted to follow suit as Stephen Chow does a similarly funny walk in the Wong Jing scripted/produced Sixty Million Dollar Man.

But back to the walk, it involves criss-crossing one's legs over the other as one moves forward. Another piece of humor in this scene with the two monks is when the loser monk is on the ground with his feet in the air while the other monk steps on his feet in a comical fashion (though there's no music or facial acting to indicate that this was intentional humor). The winning monk is impressive martial arts wise as he only seems to be 4 feet high! Also, there's a drunken boxer in this movie who is only 4 years old!! These two should have formed some kind of comedic pairing in a Karl Maka movie.

By far the most impressive performer in this is Sharon Yeung Pan Pan who accompanies our leading men and she has impressive skills with her legs (her opening segment during the beginning title sequence is a show-starter to say the least), she may not exactly be a female Hwang Jang Lee like the way Angela Mao almost was in the film The Two Great Cavaliers (which starred Chen Sing, John Liu and LKY) but she comes pretty close.

Sharon's scene in the film (which is also not only the most impressive scene in the whole film but also one of the most impressive in cinema history) where she spins two metallic bowls whilst fighting is simply poetry in motion - if her earlier segment could be described as a show-starter then this segment is a show-stopper. I'm telling ya' once you see this scene you'll wonder why she's been reduced to being the producer for William Hung's Where is Mama's Boy?

Ah well, at least she has an efficient amount of classics under her belt. Just watching the girls-with-guns trilogy of Princess Madam, Angel Enforcers and Angel Terminators is enough to wipe out clean any dementia induced from her lame producer credit.

The lead actor, Cliff Lok, seems very familiar. I think it's because he looks a lot like Jimmy Wang Yu - the Clint Eastwood of Hong Kong cinema. I'd say Cliff is the Chinese John Wayne. There's something about his assured demeanor.

The only flaw with this film is one that is not associated with the people who made it. There's a cut in the film in which one of the main characters gets his eyes gouged (this shot however remains in one of the flashbacks featured in the film's finale) so when it's shown that he's lost his vision it doesn't make sense until we see the finale where we witness the aforementioned flashbacks.

The opening credits are flawed in that whilst it was a good idea to pause the screen to accommodate the credentials of the martial artists on display, it's badly timed in the English print of the film (which is called Shadow of the Tiger) so we miss something as we try to focus on either the action and the credits.

Come to think of it, if there was one particular flaw to be associated with the filmmakers it would be the fight scene with Casanova Wong which sets such a high standard that the subsequent fight scenes can only match, at best, rather than surpass. It almost seems like it came from another movie. It feels like as if they said "Okay guys, let's hire Yuen Woo Ping & his boys for a day and shoot this killer fight scene!" but then again, regardless of who the choreographers were, there simply aren't that many martial artists who have that astounding prowess that Casanova displays here (in the confines of one shot he does twelve spinning kicks with one leg) thus that could explain the very few shortcomings the action has later on. His scene (or that one shot rather) gave him the name Human Tornado.

The film's look is presented in semi-widescreen so we don't quite get to see perfect coverage for the fight scenes (specifically towards the end of the film as we some of the training sequences).

This film has an all star cast in that there are famous martial arts professionals and famous character actors who you may recognize if you've seen a lot of Kung Fu films. One can't help but ponder how successful a Chinese Seven Samurai would be if the "magnificent seven" were Carter Wong, Dorian Tan Tao Liang, John Liu, Jackie, Sammo, Biao and LKY. I think the film would have been a smash hit.

If Duel of the 7 Tigers had been directed by someone like Lee Tso Nam, there'd be not only more action but a reasonably substantial storyline since Lee had been well known for his in-depth characterizations. Of course, there's a good chance that the film would have shared similar success if it had been directed by either Sammo or Ping (or even both as can be seen in The Magnificent Butcher).

If this had been made by the Shaw Bros. film company we would have seen Alexander Fu Sheng and The Venoms actors (Lu Feng, Kuo Chui, Chiang Sheng, Sun Chien, Lo Mang as well as Wei Pei) as the seven, with either Sun Chong, Liu Chia Liang, Chor Yuen or Chang Cheh as the director.

The company who made the film (Goldig - who are still making films today) were, alongside Seasonal, one of the most successful independent companies of the era of Kung Fu film-making. Their other and more famous efforts are Snake in the Monkey's Shadow (which has two actors from this film - Charlie Chan and Pomson Chi) and Two on the Road a.k.a. Fearless Dragons which starred LKY, Johnny Wang Lung Wei and Philip Ko. The latter plays the main villain in Duel of the 7 Tigers, quite a contrast to his role in the similarly themed Legend of a Fighter which was also about Chinese vs. Japanese sentiments.

The director is noteworthy for having directed Leslie Cheung in The Drummer, Moon Lee in The Revenge of Angel, Bruce Li in Storming Attacks and Carrie Ng in Candlelight's Woman. Richard Yeung Kuen was also one of the many directors who appeared in the film Twin Dragons. The Revenge of Angel. He did a film called Chinese Kung Fu in 1973 which featured Simon Yuen Siu Tien and Billy Chan Wui Ngai.

Back to Duel of the 7 Tigers, it's a good film even if it may not reach people's expectations of what they would have envisioned if there was to be a Kung Fu Magnificent Seven made in the late 70s.

PHD Kung Fu movie buff Ralph Allen (owner of the Beijing Video site) seems to like this movie so much that he listed it as one of his personal favorites, which is saying something since he's seen thousands of Hong Kong films as his semi-defunct site indicated.

The film grossed HK$ 397,558.50 (this would be US$ 51,246.95) at the local box office.

Joseph Kuby, cityonfire.com

8/10 for set design, gore, and emotional range; 5.5./10 for hokey creatures of the night; 6/10 for sloppy story; 7/10 for the overall product

- Ningen, cityonfire.com

Gianna Jun's [Yes, I'm too lazy to spell out her Korean name.] international debut has been a source of speculation for a while. Is she too old for the part of a schoolgirl? Would they screw up her fight scenes with that much-hated "close-up camera"? Could she pull off a believable fight scene, given that she's not known for action roles? Well, I'm proud to say she passed with flying colors. The movie is another story. But, given that I'm still reeling from the amateur writing, directing, and cutting we got from Speed Racer, and given that I'm ignoring the shoddy production released by a major studio which wouldn't have passed muster 20 years ago, which got called Dragonball, Blood is a breath of fresh air.

Directed by the guy who gave us [Crackwhore's] Kiss of the Dragon, Blood doesn't suffer the same fate of being written by Luc Besson, which means no random hookers with hearts of gold or brawny guys popping up randomly for no reason, along with (bad) rap music blaring in the background. What it does suffer from is some disappointing creature-shop FX and the need to balance two intertwining plots involving Gianna's character and a girl who looks like Lindsay Lohan's dumpy younger sister. Oh, and the setting occasionally shifts between "modern" 1970 Japan and feudal Japan. But no biggie.

All one really needs to know is that Saya is going through an identity crisis in which she can't decide where she falls under-human or vampire. And her C.I.A. agent compadre can't think of any place for her, after she's accomplished her mission. Drifting from place to place with her sword, and her jug of blood, her only companions, Saya clearly needs some emotional support, which she gets with the help of her friend, Alice. On the surface, she's a bookworm, but Alice is a free spirit at heart; and she even steals her dad's car to hang out at local party spots in town. Unfortunately, the party's over when she finds out people at her school are actually vampires. Saya cuts 'em up, but blows her own cover in the process. So her only recourse is to lay low for a while. However, the bureaucratic in-fighting between Alice's father-a general-and the CIA agents, turns deadly, and Saya is forced to protect Alice while escaping a back-stabber in her organization. But with Alice's help, Saya manages to find Onigen's hide-out where final showdown between old enemies takes place.

As an actress, Jun holds her own, emotionally, and even displays better English ability than her voice-over in the trailer would suggest. As a fighter, I don't feel she stands out as well; but that's only because of the overuse of slow-mo and CG blood. The fight scenes are also mostly one-sided, with very little actual sword-play. Still, it's nice to see some the hits connecting, for once, and not having to deal with the camera pull back or put more emphasis on flipping than actual fighting. I also can actually believe that Jun had some training, since she doesn't pull off any moves which are hard to believe for her build?. Nor does she act like each fight is a breeze, and come off barely scratched from each encounter. I really appreciate that they didn't try to make me think otherwise, like they do in other "wire-fu" flicks nowadays.

The supporting cast could use a little more character development, but at least they don't stand around looking pretty all day. They also look like they're prepped for action. In addition, the actors are able to avoid falling into the trap of doing one-note performances common to this genre, while keepin the pace of the movie steady. Part of that is due to their wardrobes and hair-styles which actually blend in with the settings. I've never seen a recent movie so invested in at least getting the "look" right. So, regardless of how you feel about the final product, Blood should at least win some awards for make-up and fashion, if nothing else.

The monsters could use some work, since they look like leftovers from Raimi's Evil Dead films and Whedon's Buffy show. But the actors do try to make me feel like they're menacing. And that's what counts. In the end, though, Blood is really a b-horror flick with a pretense of depth.

Kung Fu Zombie was a hit in the year of 1981. It made HK$ 2,237,587. It performed better at the box office than some films that were more luxurious. These films being Notorious Eight, Tower of Death, Brave Archer Part III, Sword Stained with Royal Blood and Masked Avengers. Fellow martial arts cheapie Enter the Game of Death had not done as well as its spiritual brethren.

Kung Fu Zombie was far from being a very big hit as there were other films whose box office returns had strongly overwhelmed it. The box office take of Security Unlimited (HK$ 17,769,048), My Young Auntie, Lion vs. Lion, The Club, The Story of Woo Viet, Return of the Sentimental Swordsman, Martial Club, Challenge of the Gamesters, Laughing Times, Dreadnought and All the Wrong Clues made Kung Fu Zombie seem like a minor distraction.

Even though the film may seem little more than a cash-in on Sammo Hung's Close Encounters of the Spooky Kind (it was released in cinemas one month after Sammo's movie), the film has a very strong sense of style. The editing, in particular, is cleverly done and highly cutting-edge. We're talking avant-garde film-making here. Of particular note is a scene in which the 'zombie' of the title (really a vampire) kills off a person near the end of the film in a frenziedly shot manner which surely must have inspired Sam Raimi's editing style for Evil Dead (which was released in cinemas two years after Kung Fu Zombie).

There's a scene in this film where an invisible person laughs which looks to have influenced the laughing furniture segment of Evil Dead 2. The way his laugh affects the motion of his hat is reminiscent of the way the objects laughed in Evil Dead 2.

The fight scenes are very different from ones during the era of which this film was made in. Rather than the one-two rhythm seen so many times in classical Kung Fu movies, the fights in this are extremely fast-paced but not done to the detriment of the enjoyment factor.

The undercranking and rapid-fire camera positioning reminded me very much of Ching Siu Tung. There's a possibility that he had a hand in helming the direction of these scenes of martial combat. The visual style the film adopts makes this a part of the Hong Kong new wave and it's no less ground-breaking than Duel to the Death (although the slightly feeble narrative and flimsy production values make this inferior to Tsui Hark's Zu: Warriors of the Magic Mountain).

To picture the fights, imagine if Yuen Kwai took lots of speed. Charlie Chaplin on acid and Buster Keaton on steroids couldn't overwhelm the blitzkrieg style on display here.

There's a fight scene with Billy Chong in the middle of the film which seems to come from nowhere but I don't think it came from any other movie so maybe a few scenes were left on the cutting room floor which would have explained the appearance of such an encounter, but it certainly came from this movie. Unless maybe a Western distributor thought that the film lacked action and suggested they film a scene to enliven the pace.

This film is on par with Eternal Evil of Asia for being the Chinese equivalent to Evil Dead. The combination of mad-cap humor and spiritual folklore interlaced with moments of stark violence will definitely bring to mind that film. The only problem is that Kung Fu Zombie is not scary enough.

To be honest, this film (as enjoyable as it is) is far from perfect. The special effects in this film are very poor and make the Evil Dead films seem like the creation of George Lucas and Jim Henson.

Strange enough, whenever the villain shows up the James Bond theme plays!!!

Nevertheless, Kung Fu Zombie is worthy enough to be a cult classic. The black humor on display makes other Kung Fu comedies seem like kids flicks by comparison. - Joseph Kuby, cityonfire.com

Going by the trailer I saw somewhere, I was expecting an American quality film if not exactly a combo mix of Chang Cheh & Sergio Leone or Chor Yuen & Sergio Corbucci (or even Lo Wei & Enzo Girolami). Alas, the film comes off like a Hong Kong movie except shot in English (though dubbed in English as well) and shot in the West.

Some of the acting is terrible. The main villain, as played by Julian Ugarte, verily hams it up as a pantomime Warner Bros. cartoon style villain. Responsively, though Lee's class and Lo's style give this film much needed admiration.

The martial arts action is incredibly average (though I suppose watching this as a martial arts movie is like watching The Fighting Fists of Shanghai Joe as a Western) and the sound effects used for when Lo jumps in the air are cartoony to say the least (they make the ones back home seem realistic in comparison) and it makes it come off like a Kung Fu western equivalent to The Six Million Dollar Man.

Respectively, this should be watched as a Western than a Kung Fu film as the fight scenes are okay and (at the very best) good (like the final one between Lo Lieh and this Native American prize fighter) but the real highlight comes when Lee uses a Gatling gun to take on the hoodlums at the end (which Sammo paid homage to in his Eastern Western Millionaire's Express).

I saw the UK DVD entitled Blood Money. The visual quality was atrocious and the film print faded to green sometimes, falling way below the same quality as the one depicted in the trailer with vibrant colors and widescreen image. This version is hideously cropped and it miserably spoils the action. What's worse was that the print featured in the UK disc came from a VHS source. It indubitably doesn't do the production values any favors.

I read somewhere the distillery fight sequence is missing, which is a pity. However, the film is still enjoyable. Lee and Lo make a great team, it's regrettable that there was no sequel (I think it's quite obvious it would have been more like Rush Hour 2 with Lee being the fish-out-of-water). It's a prudency that no-one interviewed either Lo or Lee about their involvement in this film; it would have been nice to know how well they got along with each other as well as what the atmosphere was like on set and various other anecdotes.

When these two are on screen together, you realize Eastwood and Wang Yu could have been a wonderful duo. Joe Monco from the Dollars trilogy teaming up with the One Armed Swordsman (or Boxer). Looking back at the '70s, there were a lot of missed opportunities for crossover success. Ti Lung and David Chiang starring opposite Terence Hill and Bud Spencer would have been spectacular. Yul Brynner and Gordon Liu would have been delightfully canny in the possibilities stemming from such a union. Angela Mao and Carter Wong alongside John Wayne and Burt Lancaster would have been splendid.

Heck if you can have Mifune paired with Bronson, a Zatoichi Vs. One Armed Swordsman movie, a Zatoichi Vs. Yojimbo movie and even a movie featuring the two one-armed swordsmen then by all means the above were tangible ideas.

Strangely enough, despite the low budget exploitation feel (complete with the 70s music) there's a substantial emphasis on character interaction and plotting than action (at least martial arts action) which isn't too bad as the story is original, immersing and very funny (intentionally).

The film has some odd alternate titles. During pre-production, the film was announced to the Spanish press as Blood Currency before being known as Karate, The Colt and The Imposter. The Italian title was Here, Where it Does Not Strike the Sun. It was announced to the German press as Kung Fu in Wild West before being released as In My Rage, I Weigh 400 Weights. The French title is The Rough One, The Colt and Karate.

On a historical note, I don't know much about what the impact of this film was at the American and Hong Kong box office. As far as I know it's a pretty obscure movie but maybe it's one of those films that was famous then but not now.

This film is one of many Eastern Westerns, the others are Dragon Blood, Red Sun, The Fighting Fists of Shanghai Joe, Sun Dragon (a.k.a. A Hard Way to Die), Once Upon a Time in China & America and Shanghai Noon.

Kung Fu fanatics would be well advised to check out Dragon Blood as it pits John Liu against Philip Ko.

Then in Hong Kong, there's films set in turn-of-the-20th-century China where they absorb the atmosphere of westerns such as Peace Hotel (starring Chow Yun Fat).

Shanghai Noon remains, by far, the most well-rounded but this one isn't too far behind. - Joseph Kuby, cityonfire.com

Three men. One map. One treasure. The last man standing wins.

Though not as experimental as Wisit Sasanatieng’s Tears of the Black Tiger, and not as surreal as Takashi Miike’s Sukiyaki Western Django - Kim Ji Woon’s The Good, The bad, The Wierd (note: there is no “and” in the title) is another creative entry in this on-going trend of Western Genre films by Asian filmmakers.

Although Kim Jee-Woon made a name for himself with The Foul King and A Tale of Two Sisters, he's mostly known for his mobster film, A Bittersweet Life. Those familiar with A Bittersweet Life, who are expecting the same kind of visionary violence, will be pleased.

Above anything this film is trying to showcase - and believe me, the whole movie is top quality - the action is what shines the most; it’s crisp, fast, inventive and brutal. A lot of it filmed with beautiful scope in mind, such as the horses running through gritty explosions; and even Road Warrior-style vehicle chases, which would make George Miller proud.

Jung Woo-sung (Musa) has a tame role as The Good, so he doesn’t really get a chance to show off an off-the-wall performance. Lee Byung-hun (A Bittersweet Life), who plays The Bad, gets to have a lot more fun as a scarfaced killer. But it’s Song Kang-ho (Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance), The Wierd, who steals the show as the goofy, but very skilled gunslinger/thief, who has no idea what he’s gotten himself into when he put his hands on that map. Obviously, much of the film’s comedy revolves around his role as well.

Overall, The Good, The Bad, The Weird isn’t Kim Jee-Woon’s best film. It’s his best looking, no doubt. It’s definitely entertaining, amusing as hell, and the pacing is excellent. But it’s not the step-above A Bittersweet Life that I was hoping it would be, but then again, that's one flick that's hard to beat.

- Mighty Peking Man, cityonfire.com

The plan went something like this: Ren Jie would take the blame for the killings and flee to the south (a la Michael Corleone in the first Godfather film) for a year, then come back when things settled down.

A year passes. As planned, Ren Jie heads back home, only to find things have completely changed. His older brother is now a drunk and no longer part of the gang. Mr. Gan, on the other hand, has pretty much took over Mr. Shen’s operation. On top of it all, random people have been trying to kill Ren Jie.

Ren Jie uncovers a conspiracy surrounding the death of Mr. Shen, which involves Mr. Gan and The Rambler. With the help of his drunken brother and his trusted friend (Cheng Hong Yip), Ren Jie sets out for bloody revenge.

Jason Voorhees and Michael Myers can eat their hearts out! The Duel (aka Duel of the Iron Fist) has a lot more stabbing and slashes than all the Friday The 13th and Halloween flicks combined - not to mention constant blood splurts - which can only be compared to Peter North’s talent, as far as liquid amount is concerned. The violence is tight and creative: at one point, a knife punctures through a wooden stool and onto a guy's skull, followed by a kick to his head where he falls to the ground. Though the action scenes are swift and fast, keep in mind that they’re more like street fighting, than the usual choreographed martial arts moves.

1971’s The Duel has often been compared to 1972’s The Godfather for its similar themes. Some even say that Francis Ford Coppola stole from it (the same idiots don’t even realize that Mario Puzo’s novel came out in 1969, two years before The Duel). Other than the story, which revolves around “gangsters” - and the fact that the lead characters are forced into exile - both movies are a world apart. In my opinion, saying one ripped off the other is absurd.

I dug soundtrack. In addition to the mellow funky music that breaks in just before a brawl may or may not happen, we get to hear Richard Strauss’ intense “Also sprach Zarathustra,” which is a nice touch, but it’s a little hard not to think about Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey or even an Elvis concert.

The Duel is a well-paced, action packed tale that won’t disappoint. It’s the perfect example of Chang Cheh’s slickness. It’s also one of Ti Lung’s and David Chiang’s coolest roles together.

- Mighty Peking Man, cityonfire.com

To make things even worse, Li Zhi Shan’s malicious wife, Li Yue Shiang (Kao Pao Shu), is not only having an affair with the leader of the Long Brothers (Li Ping Fei), but the two are also teaming up to murder Li Zhi Shan.

With the help of his invincible sword, The Golden Dragon Blade, Li Zhi Shan manages to easily outdo entire Long Brothers gang. However, his wife sets up a new plan, which will place the Golden Dragon Blade in the hands of the Evil Long Brothers, leaving her husband in a helpless state. Unfortunately, her plan works, but Li Zhi Shan - along with his loyal servant (Paang Paang) and his daughter - barely manages to escape the situation.

The three seek refuge with Liu An Zheng (Ku Wen Chung) and his grandson, and together they begin a new life growing herbs for a living.

18 years pass, Li Zhi Shan’s daughter, Hsiao Yan (Chin Ping), and Liu An Zheng’s grandson, Liu Ching Song (Yueh Hua), are now grown up sword masters.

Although Li Zhi Shan keeps Hsiao Yan’s mother a secret, fate isn’t on the same side. Li Yue Shiang, and the leader of the Long Brothers, comes back to haunt Li Zhi Shan’s family. In preparation for a possible attack by the Long Brothers, Li Zhi Shan forges a new sword called the Hang Long Sword, which is built to take on The Golden Dragon Blade.

Not knowing anything about the past, Hsiao Yan finds herself confused and torn between her father and her mother. Little does she know, there are more unsettling surprises that have yet to be discovered - even by the audience watching the movie.

Vengeance Is A Golden Blade is yet another fantastic Hoh Mung Wa (Killer Darts) flick. It’s a well-paced, story-driven martial arts tale with a great cast and a surprise ending that definitely caught me off guard.

Once again, Chin Ping and Yueh Hua are teamed up, but unlike their other films together - such as 12 Gold Medallions and Killer Darts - Chin Ping takes more of a lead role this time around. Not to say that Yueh Hua doesn’t get any screen time slicing and dicing the bad guys, he’s just more like a sidekick than being half of a duo.

The character of Li Yue Shiang - played perfectly by Kao Pao Shu - is one of the biggest, two-timing bitches ever put on screen. She cheats on her husband, tries to murder him, and even tries to whore out her own daughter.

Don’t let all the twisted marital drama fool you - there’s plenty of blood and violence to go around. Like Hoh Mung Wa’s other films, which feature unique weapons, we are introduced to The Golden Dragon Blade. Early on in the movie, we witness the sword’s sheer power, as it clashes against other swords, and it slices right through them, as if they're made out of plastic.

Highly recommended.

- Mighty Peking Man, cityonfire.com

But you know what? I know better. I've been doing my homework and can easily separate crap from the decent stuff. As much as I don't mind Michael Biehn, I didn't see this movie for him. I saw it for the performance of Korean's Park Joong-hoon.

Park Joong-hoon, probably best known for playing a psychotic cop in Lee Myung-sae's Korean police-drama "Nowhere To Hide," is barnone, the baddest mutherfucker working in Korean Cinema today. (well, maybe not to that extent. Clarence Worley from "True Romance" possessed me for a second...) I’ve seen him in many Korean flicks and love his acting-style, so I had to check out his work in a Hollywood. The result: Even in an American movie, this guy can act.

"Double Edge" is a low-budget action film with that typical buddy-cop thing thrown in. It's a decent film that's definitely steps above cheesy flicks of the same genre like "Tango and Cash" and "Showdown in Little Tokyo." The director (Ralph Hemecker, who directed some of the "X-Files" TV episodes) and entire cast, including Byron Mann ("The Corruptor") all make the best of it, despite the fact they probably knew it would only reach about 50 household DVD players.

Park Joong-hoon's english is almost flawless and his overall screen presence is something that can be compared to Chow Yun Fat. Basically, if you like Park Joong-hoon, then you don't wanna miss this. If you don't know who he is, watch "Nowhere To Hide" first, then I guarantee you'll wanna see this; because other than a small part in "The Truth About Charlie," it's the only American-made film he has co-starred in.

- Mighty Peking Man, cityonfire.com

As I’ve said before: I love it when I come across a Shaw Brothers filmmaker (other than Chang Cheh or Lau Kar-Leung) who blows my mind. This time, it’s director Hoh Mung Wa; the only other movie I’ve seen of his was Mighty Peking Man, which I remember being an enjoyable King Kong knock off - I had no idea this guy was making quality swordplay flicks like this.

Killer Darts is the perfect companion piece to Ching Gong’s 12 Gold Medallions. Not only do both movies star Yueh Hua and Chin Ping, they also share similar situations. For example: Chin Ping’s character is madly in love for Yueh Hua’s; she has some unforgiving issues involving her father, in this case, her foster father; and once again, she is lethal, cute and pouty.

Watching 12 Gold Medallions, and now Killer Darts, I feel like I’m officially becoming a fan of Yueh Hua. He has a natural quality that makes him easier to watch than, say, Jimmy Wang Yu. There’s a sensitivity he applies to roles; even though he’s playing a guy who can easily slice the fuck out of his enemies, he doesn’t come across like a cocky, stoned-face badass.

The villains of the film are flamboyant and sometimes cartoony. One of the baddies is an obese guy who has exaggerated chest hairs, pre-dating Austin Powers. Another sports a prothetic arm that shoots out sharp objects, reminiscent of what we would see years later in Chang Cheh’s Crippled Avengers.

Compared to most swordplay films of this time, the martial arts choreography seems more fluid and technical. Also noticeable is the classy cinematography which shows us lots of overview shots as the action scenes roll. As you would expect, Killer Darts is filled with a tremendous amount of slicing, dicing and bloody carnage; as well as unique weaponry and deadly traps.

Highly recommended. - Mighty Peking Man, cityonfire.com

The best thing about "Don’t Play With Fire" is all the characters are pieces of sh*t:

The main female character (Lin Chen Chi), who apparently gets off on sticking needles through the heads of her pet mice, is a mental case who is very capable of pulling a Columbine. The main cop (Lo Lei), is no Riggs or Murtaugh, unless you can picture those guys slapping a family member around before a stakeout. Another pack of of characters consists of nerdy school boys who set off bombs in movie theaters and go about their day after running down a pedestrian.

Mesh all of the above characters with gangsters, weirdos, mercenaries and white trash "Rambo" type killers (they basically look like the white bad guys from a Godfrey Ho ninja flick--wait a minute, one of them actually IS: Bruce Baron!!!)--and what you get is one of the most unexplainable, off the hook, ultra-violent Hong Kong flicks I have ever seen--and every single minute of it is a guilty pleasure that will leave you begging for more. Even the so-bad-it’s-good English dubbing is entertaining!

Despite its 80's exterior (and the fact that it looks like it was filmed where they serve fresh Adobo), "Dont Play With Fire" is ahead of its time in more ways than one. Tsui Hark's flashy camerawork is present--in fact, think of it as "Time & Tide", minus the budget, but with a lot more balls, and a little less late-90’s flash.

The soundtrack, which features original tracks stolen (and I really think Tsui Hark wanted you to think it was stolen) from "Fist of Fury", "Star Trek: The Movie", and some of that moody synth from "Dawn of the Dead".

It's titles like this that put the Hong Kong action film on the map. And believe me, my opinon counts. Back then, I watched them all. It was all about Tsui Hark, John Woo and Don “The Dragon” Wilson.

P.S. I just sent a DVD copy to peta.org. I’m sure they’ll appreciate the Anamorphic Widescreen. - Mighty Peking Man, cityonfire.com

If you ever decide to check this movie out, try not to watch it back-to-back with any other martial arts movies. If you do, Black Belt will expose just how light, unrealistic and cartoony those titles really are - all 95% of them.

If you’re looking for some over-the-top Tony Jaa/Jackie Chan/Jet Li type stuff, you won’t find it here. There are no guys flying around on wires, nobody flipping around on moving vehicles, and not a single elephant to walk on; the choreography in Black Belt consists of fights, which appear to be as natural and realistic as they possibly could for the camera. As cut and dry as the sequences are - which is not to say they’re not technical - they’re very intense.

The non-action segments of the film are simple and straightforward. I’m not the biggest Japanese film connoisseur, but a similar film that comes to mind would be Kitano Takeshi’s Hana-Bi (aka Fireworks). They both have a calm, somewhat generic, but beautiful, feel to them. But low and behold, when it’s time for some violence, the viewer WILL notice.

One thing’s for sure, that scene in Fists of Fury - where Bruce Lee walks into a dojo full of karate men and kicks their asses with no problem - will never feel the same again.

Martial arts movies aren't supposed to be this good.

One of the few movies to feature all six of the Venoms, Kid gets started with an action scene and doesn't stop until the end. Even the opening credits feature some action, as the four bosses of the evil Chi Sah gang show off their styles. The story concerns Sun Chien's escort service, which must transport a large shipment of gold. With them comes virtuous swordsman Li Chin-Ming (Wei Pai) and his woman, the equally-skilled Ms. Ling (Chi Pan-Ping). The service also employs the services of Short Axe (Chiang Sheng) and Long Axe (Sun Shao-Pei, the annoying prick who killed Lo Meng in Five Venoms), two fighters who compete to see who can kill the most villains. Continuously bumping into them is the drunken government agent Hai To (Kuo Choi).

The Chi Sah gang is headed by Lo Meng, as the titular character. As usual, he only fights with his hands, but he has an iron skin technique, plus he can shatter swords bare-handed. Their second chief is Lu Feng as Silver Spear; Wang Lung-Wei is the third chief, Iron Robe, and Brass Head (Yang Shung) rounds out the principal villains as the fourth and final chief. Sun Chien knows these guys are out for the gold, and even after the Chi Sah gang attacks the escort service at their base, they still carry on with the journey.

Kid with the Golden Arm is not a movie with layer upon layer of subplots. Instead, things pan out in about as narrow-minded a manner as you could imagine. The escort service gets attacked by the Chi Sah gang, someone dies, the escort service moves on, they get attacked again. The movie features more action than The Five Venoms, sure, but it's nowhere near as good because the story is lacking.

Kuo Choi's drunken character Hai To provides the only unexpected bits; for example, at one point Li Chin-Ming is hit with the "sand palm," which is an assured, but slow, death. Hai To steals him away from his girl and bars him in an iron forge, despite her pleas. Turns out almost being roasted alive is the only cure for the sand palm, yet Wei Pai's character holds a grudge against Hai To throughout the movie. On top of that, Kuo engages in all manner of Jackie Chan-type goofery, obviously attempting to tap into the success Drunken Master.

The film opens bloodily with an escort service member crawling into their headquarters, "Chi Sah gang" etched onto his bare back by a sword. He dies in his tracks, serving as warning that the gang is out for the gold. Everyone reacts to this, and then Sun Chien gives everyone a history of the gang. What's great is that after a while no one even pays any attention to the guy's corpse. After warding off a surprise attack (in which Brass Head gets killed), the escort service heads out.

On the road they're attacked a few times, though each time Hai To saves the day, appearing literally out of the woodwork. One unique aspect of the film is that main villains are killed throughout. Those expecting the requisite Venoms finale of Kuo Choi, Lu Feng, and Chiang Sheng going at it will be surprised. Instead, the movie is comprised of several running battles in which main heroes and villains buy it, regardless of how late we are into the film.

Finally it comes down to a face-off between Hai To and Golden Arms. This is a nice fight, as Kuo Choi uses his acrobatic skills and swordplay against Lo's bare hands. The fight is also enjoyable because it's one of the few times we get to see Lo Meng. Although he's the title character, Lo is absent for the majority of the film. He also doesn't get a chance to display his comedic skills, instead playing the kind of character typically portrayed by Lu Feng.

Speaking of which, Lu Feng is also underused in the film, though he does get to camp it up early in the movie, disguising himself as an old man. The climax features an unexpected twist, but I find it hard to buy. Regardless of how many times I see the movie, the sudden appearance of a major character's twin always surprises and confuses me.

Chang and the Venoms inject some dark comedy into the film. Other than Kuo Choi's hijinks, the two Axes have a running gag on the number of villains killed. Kuo Choi also gets some laughs by continuously rejecting Silver Spear's offers to join the Chi Sah gang. I've also always loved the last moments with Golden Arms. At the end of the film, he makes a few serious, life-changing decisions; something rare for main villains, who usually stay bad until they meet their doom. But after he announces his plans, well, you'll just have to see for yourself. Let's just say what happens to him is shocking with each viewing.

The violence level is pleasantly high. Blood erupts from sword gashes, people get hacked apart, and those beaten by fists bleed profusely from the mouth. At one point, an assailant who hides behind a panel is stabbed, and blood shoots across the screen. One of the main chiefs suffers a grisly fate, landing on an upturned spear. This is certainly one of the more violent Venoms movies.

The sets however are minimal, mostly fake-looking reconstructions of forests and hills. It might appear fake, but it's the same look that gives these movies their otherworldly allure. The soundtrack deserves special mention, ranging from eerie synthesizer to acid-fried guitar to totally-inappropriate medieval-sounding tunes. Choreography is the usual Venoms great, though here most of them fight separately, and rely more on weapons than they do in some of their other movies.

Kid with the Golden Arm is a good Venoms film, but it's not their best. I'd rank Five Venoms, Crippled Avengers, and Invincible Shaolin higher. But for all Venoms fans, it's required viewing. For those who want to see the complete film, however, things aren't so easy. The movie was released uncut in Holland, and bootlegs exist of this print, which is full-screen and English dubbed, with Dutch subtitles. I'd advise all to just wait for the Celestial remastered release, though. There are few things as unappealing as the Dutch language. - Joe909, cityonfire.com

What makes the botched subtitles such a shame is that the majority of this film is dialog. It has less action than most Venoms movies, though not as little as their earlier film Sword Stained with Royal Blood. And much like that film, the Venoms are mostly underused, save for Kuo Choi and Lu Feng. Sun Chien, one of the greatest kickers in film history, doesn't even lift a leg in this, as he plays a judge. Chiang Sheng shows up an hour into the movie, pretending to be a traveling magician alongside the sadly-underused Cheng Tien-Chi (who went on to star in one of my favorite movies ever, Five Element Ninja, AKA Chinese Super Ninjas). Only Kuo Choi, who plays the hero Black Fox, and Lu Feng, as the villainous Butterfly Chua, get to spar throughout the movie.

Speaking of Cheng Tien-Chi, I've always liked the guy, even though this and Five Element Ninja are the only movies I've seen him in. I wish he'd gone on to greater success. For the viewers out there who love Five Element Ninja as much as me, be on the lookout for familiar faces in House of Traps. Just about every actor who appeared in Five Element shows up in this film. Being that House of Traps was the last Venoms film, it almost comes off as a changing of the guard.

The movie starts off with a bang, as Lu Feng wastes a dude and escapes with a jade horse type of thing. From what I gather, he's working for corrupt government officials, and they're weeding out the rebels. Kuo Choi flits through the film's first half, disguising himself behind a ninja-like mask. Sun Chien apparently is a judge caught in the middle, who employs a swordfighter who makes an assault on the House midway through. Finally Chiang Sheng shows up with Cheng Tien-Chi, and the two of them hook up with Kuo Choi and some other heroes, and enter the House. Lots of bloody deaths ensue. The ending is especially bizarre, with one of the heroes hacking open a corpse, to root out the contents of its stomach.

One thing that harms the movie is that Chang Cheh's fetish is just way overboard. You know what I mean. Not only are there no women in sight, but every guy wears a chest-baring, tight-fitting, sequined costume that would make the Village People proud. I know this is the case in most other Chang Cheh movies, but House of Traps takes it to the extreme. Add to this that Lu Feng looks like Little Red Riding Hood, wearing (for some reason) a knit cap that covers his ears. Kuo Choi wears one, as well. Actually, now that I think of it, Kuo and Lu are the only ones who look goofy, and it's mostly due to the stupid caps they're stuck with.

The House itself is great, though the set used for it is minimal. The bottom level has spikes that come out of the floor, and a steel staircase that will clamp shut and chop off feet. Spear-tipped nets ensnare those who make it high enough, trapping them while guys on the bottom floor come out and shoot up at them with arrows. The set-up is interesting enough, and we're given a few tantalizing glimpses of the place throughout the movie, leading up to the final assault at the end. The choreography is good for the most part, though it's mostly swordfighting instead of the usual acrobatics. The heroes also tend to take on traps or fight inferior, yellow-outfitted guards, instead of matching their skills against equally-talented enemies.

As usual for a Venoms movie, the weapons are interesting. One guy fights with a pole that has a metal claw at one end. Another fights with jagged hoops. Cheng Tien-Chi uses an umbrella that hides blades. Kuo Choi and Lu Feng use regular swords, and do most of the killing. The film is pretty bloody, but not Five Element Ninja level. The tone is significantly dark, and I'm anticipating a Celestial remaster to clear up several things. As a final note, animal rights activists beware: you see a live chicken actually get dropped onto a bed of nails! - Joe909, cityonfire.com

I’m not sure what the director (Lo Lei) was trying to do, but I think of Fist of the White Lotus as more of a re-mixed, re-invention of the Liu Chia-Liang’s 1977 film. It has enough similarities in its skeleton, but the insides are a different story.

In Fist of the White Lotus, Lo Lei isn’t reprising his role as Pai Mei, he’s now playing his brother, White Lotus. The real Pai Mei (played by WIlson Tong) appears at the beginning of the film, but is killed off by Hung Wei-Ting (Gordon Liu Chia-Hui) and his partner. But hold on, wasn’t Pai Mei already killed in Executioners From Shaolin? You bet. Like I said, NOT a sequel.

I think the public wanted to see more of Lo Lei’s performance, in any variation of that evil white-eyebrowed kung fu maniac, so the Shaw Brothers gave it to them. Whatever the case may be, in either movies, you wouldn’t be wrong calling Lo Lieh’s character “White Eyebrows” or “Pai Mei” (or “Pak Mei”, both words mean White Eyebrows). It doesn’t matter.

What does matter is, like Executioners From Shaolin, Fist of the White Lotus is a really solid kung fu movie.

Once again, the action choreography is done by Liu Chia-Liang, so expect pure greatness. And this time, he’s not directing, so his primary focus is on the fight scenes alone; which may explain why fight arrangements are a tad more polished this time around - well, that, and the fact that it was made a few years after.

Fist of the White Lotus is less dark, with more humor and fun. Because of this, the film’s natural pace is easier to sit through than Executioners From Shaolin. However, the seriousness in the latter reveals more integrity, especially when Fist of the White Lotus gets a little too corny: at one point, White Lotus is fighting while trying to cover up his nude body, and in pure embarrassment, he says to the attacker: “Why must you peak at an old man?”

We all love Chen Kuan-Tai, but having Gordon Liu as the main man is a nice change of pace. The inclusion of Johnny Wang and ESPECIALLY Kara Hui, makes this one enjoyable ride. I’ve seen her before here and there, but this is the first time she made me a fan.

Overall, a great directing job from Lo Lei, who never fails to impress me. I’m just so used to seeing him in random kung fu movies (sometimes in crappy flicks, like Chinese Connection II), that I never knew his direction was this slick. I guess it’s kind of hard to screw things up when you have a talented cast; a great fight choreographer; and the backing of a Shaw Brothers presentation.

I apologize for this review being more like a comparison between two similar movies, than an actual review about one. The best thing to do is watch both of them, back to back, starting with Executioners From Shaolin.

You can’t go wrong with either of them.

Soon after the events of the attack, Hung Hze-Kwan flees to Canton where he marries the girl of his dreams (Lily Li), and the two have a baby boy named Wen-Ding (Hsiao Hou). In between being a family man, Hung Hze-Kwan begins his Tiger Syle training and practices it for 10 long years.

Thinking he’s ready to take on Pai Mei, he heads over to his temple and prepares for the ultimate battle. To make a long story short, Hung Hze-Kwan loses. However, he gains more knowledge about his weakness, and observes that you have to hit certain areas, at certain times, in order to defeat him.

I first saw Executioners From Shaolin about 20 years ago. It was the dubbed, panned & scanned VHS version. The film stayed fresh in my mind throughout the years, but what really stuck in my head was how it broke the usual kung fu film mold: intead of your typical ‘train, then take on the main bad guy and win’ routine, we get a ‘train, then take on the bad guy, lose, train again, take on the bad guy again, then uh oh...’ followed by -- ‘a different guy trains, with a different approach, then takes on the bad guy’... It’s a long and winding process, but you know what, it’s entertaining the whole way through.

I’m not sure if I can put the brilliance of Liu Chia-Liang’s filmmaking into words: You have the well-configured choreography, crazy techniques (what’s up with Pai Mei’s crotch hold?) and inventive training devices (I don’t know about you, but I never saw a training dummy filled with moving-metal balls in Black Belt Magazine) - not to mention slick production values - which is a norm for most Shaw Brothers flicks.

Then you have the pre-credit sequence... actually, no, it’s a fight scene that plays during the credit sequence. How cool is that? You get to see who’s in the movie while there’s some chunky action going on. James Bond flicks don’t give you that.

Lo Lei’s portrayal of the indestructible Pai Mei became such a popular villain amongst fans, that the character was resurrected various times, in some way or another, in a handful of films - most notably in Fist of the White Lotus (where he's called 'White Lotus'). Pai Mei even appears in Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill Vol. 2, where he's played by Gordon Liu.

If you’re looking for a straight up kung fu flick with no bullshit, it doesn’t get any better than this. Yeah, some people will say it’s slow, dull or whatever; only someone who owns the Criterion Collection DVD of Armageddon would be dumb enough to say something like that.

Executioners From Shaolin is a must see.

Bells of Death is a revenge movie that doesn’t waste any time getting to the ‘revenge’ part. They even skip the whole ‘kung fu training session’ and leave it to your imagination. Throughout the movie, I was waiting for the training scene in flashback mode, but it never came - in a way, it’s kind of odd, but you once the rest of the film gets going, that little plot gap doesn’t matter.

For a movie made in 1968, Bells of Death feels more like something that was made in the late 1970s. That whole jolty camera style of the 60’s era Shaw flicks is somewhat absent; instead we get more of Westernized style which is restrained in comparison. During some of the fighting segments, the camera work becomes rough and ready, comparable to some of the newer action films of today.

The tone of the film is very grizzly and dark. The costumes, set designs and backgrounds are mostly neutral in color. Even when someone is wearing red, it appears to be darkened, with very little contrast. The tone also applies to the gloomy soundtrack, which becomes haunting at times (like most Shaw flicks, a good portion of the film’s soundtrack was probably borrowed from Western films).

Bells of Death has a good amount of satisfying action. If you like blood and gore, it’ll put a smile on your face. There are a couple of scenes where sliced heads and limbs fall to the ground and it’s shown.

Bells of Death gets the award for having the freakiest kung fu villain of all time, thanks to that stubby guy with a huge prosthetic nose and beard. As he attacks his victims, he does this eerie, horizontal head shake - and you can hear the cracks his neck makes when he does it. I think most people find it goofy, but it seems to freak me out for some reason.

Highly recommended. - Mighty Peking Man, cityonfire.com

The last hope lies in the hands of Miao Lung (Yueh Hua) and various freedom fighters, who aim to intercept the bandits and stop the medallions from reaching their destination before it’s too late.

THIS is a fucking movie, guys.

I swear, if every Shaw Brothers flick was this good, I’d have to get every single one. But that’s what’s so exciting about taking a chance with different titles, stars and directors: you’ll go through 2 or 3 films, maybe one that’s average and two that just plain suck - but at some point, you’ll hit gold! (No pun intended)

And I did!

What I like most about 12 Gold Medallions is the fact that there’s not one dull moment in the movie. Whether it’s a unique sword fight, an introduction to a new character or some kind of mini-situation going on, there’s always something keeping the entertainment level up.

The next best thing about 12 Gold Medallions is the presence of Chin Ping. Don’t get me wrong, Yueh Hua is a bad ass, but Chin Ping is the person that really makes the movie work for me - both in the importance of her character and the brilliance of her acting range. She plays a complicated patriot named Jin Suo, who goes through all-known moods a human (or should I say ‘woman’) could possibly go through - and the camera loves every second of it!

The movie is filled with various inventive action sequences. Many of them are bloody and brutal (you ever see someone’s blood sizzle in a cooking wok?). As like most films of the late 60’s/early 70’s, some of the action/and angles are a little dodgy the effects are cheesy; but if you have any sense of time, none of this should bother you.

If you’re expecting top notch martial arts choreography, look elswhere. But if you’re looking to watch a perfectly-paced Shaw Brothers classic with a great story and memorable characters, you’ll dig it for sure! - Mighty Peking man, cityonfire.com

Jiang Chai (Tony Liu) is a happy man with a beautiful wife, a steady job and a child on the way; but his happiness becomes short lived when he accidentally disrespects a ruthless police officer. The situation becomes overblown and Jiang is unfairly sentenced to 20 months in prison.

What follows is a living hell for Jiang. In addition to being bullied by inmates, he also has to deal with a corrupt prison guard with a personal agenda; as well as a powerful gangster named Big Brother Long, who controls all of the criminal activity inside the prison.

By the time his 20 year term is over, Jiang tries his hardest to live a decent life. However, his time in prison effects any normality he tries to lead, so he decides there’s no choice but to live a life of crime to earn a living.

Invincible Enforcer is one crazy ride.

It’s filled with over-the-top brutality, peculiar situations and an unforgiving plot that pulls no punches. Even though most of it takes place in prison, it’s too jumpy to be considered a ‘prison’ flick. There are so many bizarre moments this film offers that it’s in a league of its own. Some of the movie is corny, some of it is serious, and sometimes, it’s like, “what the fuck?”

Towards the very beginning, just as new inmates are getting ready to get physically checked, one guy accidently relaxes a little too much and sprays a doctor’s face with fecal matter. Soon after, we are treated to a scene where our main character has the choice of either drinking piss or taking a beating. There’s also a scene that involves James Bond-style mice - a silly, out of place moment that you’ll have to see for yourself to believe.

Although Invincible Enforcer stars martial arts heavy Tony Liu (as well as a cameo by Chen Kuan Tai), keep in mind, there’s not a single scene of kung fu at any given time. There is action, but most of it involves prison brawls, bloody beatings and a quick shoot-out (and beheading) towards the end of the movie.

If you’re familiar with Cheng Kang’s work, the rough film editing should come to no surprise. I’ve noticed it in Sword of Swords, The Twelve Gold Medallions and Killers Five. Even though some of it feels rushed, it never harms the greatness of this or any of his films. In a way, I consider the rugged editing in his films more of a trademark, than a flaw.

I’d rate this movie a little higher if those damn mice didn’t make a cameo. Otherwise, it’s a decent flick. - Mighty Peking Man, cityonfire.com

Once I pressed play, adjusted the tracking, and got through a couple of Cannon Film preview trailers, it didn't take long to realize that there was magic happening on the TV. To simply put it, Bloodsport was a phenomenon, especially to a kid in his early teens.

It was the beginning of the kickboxing boom and the arrival of Jean-Claude Van Damme, aka The Muscles from Brussels, who made the sport popular onscreen. All of the sudden, Saturday afternoon kung fu movies were a no longer exciting, ninja flicks were out of style and Chuck Norris was a corny joke.

It only took a year or two before the rest of the world caught on to this Belgian martial arts star. Each of his new movies released after the other became more and more polished. Roland Emmerich, future ID4/Godzilla director, experimented with him in Universal Soldier. John Woo, a living legend of Hong Kong action film, directed him in Hard Target (rumor has it that it was Van Damme who hooked him up with Universal Pictures). Peter Hyams, a critically acclaimed filmmaker, brought him to his peak in Time Cop. Steven E. de Souza, writer of Die Hard, cast him as Guile, in the live action Street Fighter movie, adapted from the immensly popular video game of the same name.

Van Damme was officially a household name, a box office champ, and held a career strong enough to go head-to-head with some of the Hollywood's biggest action stars. In a way, he had a one-up on heavies like Stallone and Schwarzenegger; not only did he have the physique, charm and charisma; he also had the martial arts training, as well as the ability to do the splits and actually look cool in the process (well, back then, at least).

Then the late 1990's came. Big budget movies like the self-directed The Quest was a box office failure. Hong Kong's best were brought in to add a new edge in his films, like Ringo Lam's Maximum Risk and Tsui Hark's Double Team - both decent, but it was too late and the public didn't care anymore.

People were now interested in the 2nd coming of Jackie Chan, who struck instant stardom in Hollywood, when his Hong Kong-made Rumble in the Bronx was re-released in the states. Chan's hair-raising fight choreography made Van Damme seem slow, boring and antique. Chan did most of his own stunts, while body doubles were becoming more and more visible in Van Damme’s movies, even during the most simple feats.

Even Van Damme's personal life was on the rocks. Domestic violence, numerous marriages, bar fights and drug abuse. You name it. The media had a field day.

Despite all his troubles, Van Damme was given another chance with moderately budget, theatrically released movies. 1998’s Knock-Off - which was again directed by Tsui Hark, written by Steven E. de Souza, with fights choreographed by Sammo Hung - was a cutting edge movie that was way ahead of its time, but its corny overtones made it sink at the box office and was panned by critics everywhere.

1999’s Universal Soldier: The Return was his final theatrical release, but it didn’t do so well either. By this time, Jet Li had followed Jackie Chan’s footsteps and was the new talk-of-the-town, especially after his impressive supporting role in Lethal Weapon 4.

Van Damme was now a has-been. From 1999 on, he made over a dozen straight-to-video movies ranging from decent (In Hell, Replicant) to embarrassing (Hard Corps, Derailed). It was amazing how a guy went from A-list action star to competing with Don “The Dragon” Wilson in the straight-to-video market.

This brings us up to 2008. As his latest straight-to-video movies were still popping up, teaser trailers for a strange foreign movie starring Van Damme began to show up online. Even more odd was the fact that it was called JCVD, obviously standing for Jean-Claude Van Damme. By the time the time a full trailer was released, it was apparent that JCVD was going to be unlike anything Van Damme has ever done.

Okay, enough with Van Damme 101, and on with the actual review of the movie:

JCVD is a French film directed by French-Algerian director Mabrouk El Mechri, and starring Van Damme as himself, a fallen action star whose career is headed nowhere, and he is about to lose his daughter in a legal battle with his ex-wife. To make matters worse, he finds himself in the middle of a post office heist.

The opening of the film has Van Damme filming a movie (within the movie) and features an impressive one-take, action extravaganza, featuring everything from his trademark martial arts moves to killing enemies using any means necessary - and it’s all him. No body doubles at all - at least, none that I notice. As soon as the filming is over, Van Damme is whining about how he’s too old to do single long takes. The Asian director ignores him and makes the crude remark: “Just because he brought John Woo to Hollywood doesn’t mean be can rub my dick with sandpaper.”

What follows are more jokes that are along the same lines, most of which are based on his factual career - including references to Steven Seagal, Chuck Norris and again, John Woo. Then there’s the conversations with his agent about how he needs a cash-advance from an upcoming straight-to-video flick he has yet to film - to pay his legal fees - because his lawyer is threatening to quit the custody case, due to late payments from Van Damme.

One of the most important scenes in the movie has Van Damme performing a six-minute, one-take monologue. He talks about his rise, his drug problems, his numerous wives and his fall. It’s a emotionally charged scene where he cuts his heart out and dumps it on the floor for all the world to see. It’s probably the first time anyone will notice just how good his acting can be. It’s so good that you believe every word he says - and every word that he says IS a true.

The best way to sum up JCVD is to think of it as Dog Day Afternoon meets Being John Malkovich meets E! True Hollywood Story. Don’t expect an action movie, because you’ll be very disappointed. What you can expect is a great performance in an unconventional, but very entertaining film.

Van Damme is definitely back. Not as an action star, but as an actor.

Everything I said then about Jaa rings even more true NOW with his latest release of Ong Bak 2. This is his directorial debut and you can see such a difference with his last films and this one. Specifically, the other films had an observant, tripod, watch-the-stunts-on-film feel to it. Much like all of Jackie Chan's films. In Ong Bak 2, Jaa shows style, visuals, flashbacks, themes, he shows it all. Everything you see on the screen has a purpose.

The story has a similar theme, young boy trained in the martial arts. But this film adds a Soap opera feel to it, keeping you involved in the story as it is revealed to you parts at a time. And involves the history and motivations of not just the main actor, but the supporting actors and villains as well. And it doesn't drag.

There is no one who can touch Jaa. The actions is SPECTACULAR! Of 90 minutes. There is 30 minutes story, 60 minutes action. He shows the martial arts on film in a way not seen since Chang Cheh and Shaw Brothers film of the 70s. There is even a 11-second one take fight scene. Over 10 different weapons, 8 different styles you can see he poured his heart into this one. Grouping a few scenes together, I'd even say it is borderline X-Rated violence. Definitely R.

If there were any debates that Jet or Jackie was the next Bruce Lee. Then you gotta give Jaa his props. He pays an homage to Jackie Chan's drunken master and crushes Chan's performance. One scene that impressed me was his Kung Fu Fist and Muy Thai fist vs 2 opponents. He switches styles back and forth throughout the fight.

Other elements, the music score is really fitting. Head banging right along with the action. Even the Koon dance, that I thought would be a drag, they scored it just right and was great to see. Cinematography, thankfully, the camera pulls back and doesn't chop up the acting or the fighting.

Proper martial art film - it's the hard, raw, kick ass ma film we have been waiting for since the days of Bruce Lee. - Kioko, cityonfire.com

Though not as Americanized as Boxer Rebellion, 7-Man Army is still a very much a high budget, epic-like, polished production. It features hundreds of extras, big explosions, and even fighter planes dropping bombs.

7-Man Army is obviously a war movie, but don’t let the word ‘war’ fool you. Sure, it has the gun-battles, military jive and typical war film scenarios; but it equally qualifies as a good ol’ Shaw Brothers kung fu flick. In a way, it's kind of funny - during many instances, hand-to-hand combat is the primary weapon of choice for the soliders; and if it’s not with their bare hands (or feet), they’ll still prefer to use their bayonets instead of just shooting the damn rifle - as silly as it sounds, it’s acceptable because it’s Chang Cheh.

Sporadically throughout, each of the seven men have their own little flashback segment (a la Bruce Lee, John Saxon and Jim Kelly in ‘Enter The Dragon’), explaining why they each joined the army. These mini stories help break up the war-setting a bit, making the film’s pace even better.

The finale packs one hell of a punch and if you’re familiar with most of Chang Cheh’s work, it should come to no surprise that 7-Man Army ends with a great dose of heroic bloodshed. Let’s just say that Willem Dafoe’s death scene in ‘Platoon’ ain’t got nothing on this...

Recommend.

- Mighty Peking Man, cityonfire.com

My opinion lies somewhere in between. How could I forget the perfection of To’s direction in films like All About Ah Long, A Hero Never Dies or Fulltime Killer. Then you got the ones I’m trying to remember (or maybe trying to forget), like Throwdown, Breaking News or PTU. To be fair, if I could think of one word that sums up his body of work, that word would be 'diverse'.

Johnny To is basically the "White Album" of Hong Kong cinema - an artist with lot of tracks, with each one being very different and engaging, but only about half of them truly showcase his real cinematic talent.

This brings us to Sparrow, a film about a gang of professional pickpockets (Simon Yam, Gordon Lam, Law Wing-Cheong and Kenneth Cheung) who, one by one, come across a beautiful, but mysterious, woman named Chung Chun Lei (Kelly Lin). Little do they know, she has her own motives for the them, which leads to a crucial situation where the pickpockets must put their skills to the test.

One critic described Sparrow as being “Johnny To's love letter to Hong Kong”. Eh, whatever. I think the person who wrote that was intentionally trying to get his/her words on the DVD case or trailer (and they did get their wish). I didn’t exactly read that review in its entirety, but a better statement would be “Johnny To's love letter to French films of the 1960’s”...

Sparrow is filmed with elegance, style and retro in mind. Single long shots. Close ups. Brilliantly choreographed situations. The look of the film is refreshing, bright and clean. Even the soundtrack is a soothing blend of jazz, mixed with Eastern and Western musical influences.

Sparrow is part comedy, part drama with some mystery thrown in. There might not be any action in the movie, but there is a suspenseful, slow-motion scene towards the end that can almost qualify as the film’s action-packed finale.

My only real gripe with Sparrow is that it's missing any sense of closure or ground when it comes to the plot. By the time the movie ends, it’s as if nothing was really solved or gained, especially for the main characters. And this is where I say that it’s too much of a novelty-movie to be considered a masterpiece. Don’t get me wrong, it's fun, artsy, keeps a great pace, but it’s not what I’d expect of a movie that Johnny To spent 3 years making. - Mighty Peking Man, cityonfire.com

One thing I like about Human Lanterns is that it’s very easy to follow. I don’t know about you guys, but when watching some of these Shaw Brothers flicks, I tend to pause and rewind - sometimes numerous times - certain scenes because I have a hard time following plots. I’m not sure if it’s because the Chinese names or whatever (or maybe I’m just dumb?), but 60% of the time, I really have to pay extra attention, otherwise, I find myself lost.

With a film like Human Lanterns, everything is crystal clear. It’s almost as if Suen Chung puts himself in the viewers’ shoes when he’s planning his storytelling process. The characters are well thought out with a flash of differentiation (Lau Wing and Chen Kuan Tai have a great chemistry). There’s mystery, but no real twisty secrets that many films rely on. Everything is pretty much in-your-face with no bullshit attached.

Human Lanterns has a fine balance of well-choreographed martial arts, a hint of horror and a pleasant amount of gore. As you’d probably expect, action is still the main showcase of the movie. With a title like Human Lanterns, you’d expect a lot of explicit imagery; there is, but not a whole lot, but as long as you’re expecting a “kung fu movie” first, you’ll be pleased if you’re hunting for a dose of shock value.

I wonder how this flick would turn out in the brutality department if someone like Chang Cheh directed it (I have a feeling the guy would go nuts over the blood and gore), but as it stands, Suen Chung did a great job as is and any drastic change would only lesson the film’s appeal.

Human Lanterns is my first and only venture into the films of Suen Chung. Judging from what I saw here, I wouldn’t mind checking out more of his work.

Look for memorable guest appearances by Venoms Lo Meng (as a contract killer) and Sun Chien (as a cop). - Mighty Peking Man, cityonfire.com

They’re all from the same school, yet there’s still a sense of rivalry between the students. Ti Lung’s jocks and Chen Kuan Tai's martial artists poke fun at David Chiang’s group for being into non-manly activities; Chen Kuan Tai has a beef with Ti Lung for stealing his girl (it’s fun to watch Irene Chen juggle all the guys around); David Chiang seems to be the cool cat of the bunch, who spends most of his time breaking up fights; and even though his forte is playing the drums, he tears it up when it comes to any activity, especially kung fu.

I don't know how Chang Cheh did it, but he managed to make an enjoyable movie with no deaths, no blood, and a limited amount of PG-rated brawls. Mind you, I walked into Young People knowing it was a non-action movie based more on a friendly plot about competitive, fun-loving college kids. I just never realized I'd end up liking it as much as I did. In fact, I can honestly say that it was much more enjoyable than your average Shaw Brothers basher. But who knows? Maybe I just needed a break from watching a bunch of guys killing eachother.

Young People is cornball movie making at its finest. The comedy isn't smart. The story is nothing intriging or original. Expect a lot of dated music (some of it’s in English). With all this said - and I know it doesn't make much sense - Young People is interesting throughout it's 90-minute duration. It’s kind of like watching an episode of some cheesy 1970’s TV show: it’s outdated, it’s far-fetched, but for some reason, you just keep on watching it.

If there’s anything truly negative to be said, there are a couple of draggy segments. One is an overlong basketball game (we only needed a few minutes of it, not 15 or whatever it was). Also, there are a couple of numbers performed by Agnes Chan that seem to go on forever. Depending on your taste (or mental stability), these scenes may knock off the film’s nice pace.

No biggie though.

Besides, where else you gonna see Ti Lung and Bolo play basketball? Where else are you going to hear Agnes Chan perform a cheesy cover of James Taylor’s “You’ve Got A friend”?

Need a break from the usual Chang Cheh flick? Give Young People a try. - Mighty Peking Man, cityonfire.com

First of all, the plot sucks. Basically, a village chick named Bobo (Nora Miao) has just arrived in Shanghai. She comes across a gang fight and notices that one of the dudes involved is an old childhood friend of hers. She remembers him as Silly Boy, but he now has a new name: Jaguar.

Warning: Possible spoilers in the next paragraph.

Jaguar explains to her that he is now the right-hand man for some big wig gangster dude. Anyways, they do a little catching up together, f--k and fall in love. The rest of the movie... well... to make a long story short: Jaguar ends up getting set up by his own boss. Eventually, Jaguar ends up partnering up with his jumbo-bow-tied sharp shooter buddy; Jaguar punks him; then we find out the Bobo is actually the daughter of Jaguar’s old boss. Along the way, Jaguar turns into an asshole and then Bruce Lee’s co-star from The Big Boss (Liu Yung) shows up and screws things up for Jaguar even more.

I’m sure the above plot doesn’t sound so bad, but trust me, there are so many twists and turns, that, by the time you’re half way through, you start to not care about the characters, the plot, or the movie.

Even if you’re in it just for the action, there’s not much here to get a kick out of. The choreography is pretty tight for the most part, but nothing really stands out. If you want see some guys beat each other up, I can think of 50 other movies you could watch for that reason alone.

Personally, what attracted me to this movie was the presence of Nora Miao. She’s that Asian chick with white features who co-starred in most of Bruce Lee films. Not only does she get super-fiesty in this flick, but she also gets naked...A LOT! (Okay, obviously it’s a body double, but who cares. It’s still a nude female.)

Also in the mix is Liu Yung (aka Tony "Now You Know. So What? You're headed for the freezer!" Liu), another person who was pretty much in every Bruce Lee flick. So, in a way, "To Kill A Jaguar" is almost a Bruce Lee movie. The only difference is, there’s no Bruce Lee, the movie sucks, and you’re stuck with a guy who has big ass sideburns and a mustache instead.

"To Kill A Jaguar" is a dull feature folks. Even Wang Lung-Wei looks bored in this one. - Mighty Peking Man

"Masked Avengers" concerns a cult of masked killers who work as mercenaries, though the film never once addresses who exactly hires and pays them. None of them know each other behind their masks, which also raises more logistical questions: if no one knows who is who, then how in the world did the cult get started in the first place? Regardless, we discover that these guys are Satanic in everything but name: they thrive on debauchery, drink the blood of their victims, worship and frolic in pagan rituals, and rape and murder as they please.

Chiang Sheng, the Venom who normally played the goofy one, here plays the straight role of Chi San Yun, the reserved leader of a government-appointed party that's seeking out this cult. His group is made up of assorted fighters, some of whom have lost family members and loved ones at the hands of the killers. Two figures stand out in the group: Cheng Chung (Chien Hsao-Hao, in the type of role normally played by Toad Venom Lo Meng), a good-natured but naïve guy, and hotheaded Liang Yung (played by Chu Ko, who happens to be a dead ringer for Scorpion Venom Sun Chien).

Chi San Yun's group heads to a small town where the masked killers are apparently headquartered. They figure the leader of the cult must be a wealthy, powerful individual, and so their chief suspect is Lin Yung Chi (Lu Feng, the constantly-evil Venom). Lin claims he's never heard of a group of masked killers in his town, but does implicate another wealthy individual, Fong Su Kwong (Wang Li), whom he's heard employs a personal army of kung-fu fighters at his estate. Chi's men hole up in an inn to sort things out, where Cheng Chung strikes up a friendship with mysterious cook Kao (Kuo Choi).

Over the next several days, the cultists murder the members of Chi San Yun's group, sometimes in broad daylight. These murders continue unabated, until about an hour in it all comes to a head, as Kao finally reveals his story to Cheng. Turns out Kao was a member of the cult, in fact he was the second chief, but quit when he realized the cult was killing for fun, not profit. Now disguised as a cook, he keeps an eye on the two men he suspects of being the chiefs: Fong Su Kwon and Lin Yung Chi. However, Cheng is murdered by the three chiefs before he can impart this information to his superior, Chi San Yun.

Kao finds Chi San Yun and his remaining men and manages to convince them of his innocence. He's also able to unveil the second chief by devising a ruse that's brilliant in its stupidity. Discovering the cult will be gathering that night, Kao, Chi, and Chi's remaining men unleash an assault on their headquarters, which happens to be in an abandoned temple.

This final battle is one of the most amazing the Venoms ever did, complete with booby traps, countless cult members, shooting darts, moving walls, and streams of acid. If the heroes had just tried to make their way through this trap-fest of a temple, it would have made for an entertaining finale, but on top of that they're engaged in acrobatic, jaw-dropping kung-fu throughout. Those expecting the usually-bizarre weaponry seen in Venoms movies will be let down, though. Tridents predominate; be prepared for the excessive "clang, CLANG, clang, CLANG," sound effects in the final battle. Other than tridents, the occasional sword is used, and Chiang Sheng uses his fan to waste people, before unleashing a pair of metal hoops.

There are two problems that keep this film from being perfect. One, the fact that only three Venoms are present. Lo Meng would have been perfect in the role of Cheng Chung, in fact the part seems to have been written for him. But Lo left the Venoms crew around this time; who knows, maybe even shortly before production of this movie, which would explain why screenwriter I Kuang created a character so suited to him. Sun Chien was still a Venom, though, so his absence doesn't make any sense. But like I said above, Chu Ko looks so much like Sun Chien anyway, you could probably fool yourself into believing it IS him.

As for the second problem, it's related to the first. Much like the original Venoms movie, "Five Venoms", the main actors don't see much action until the very end. Kuo Choi tries to avoid fighting for the first hour or so. Chiang Sheng doesn't do anything until the final battle, other than wave his fan around and look uncomfortable in a role totally not suited to him. Lu Feng sees more action than any of them, although most of the time it's from behind a mask.

Now let's move on to the violence. "Five Element Ninja" was a violent movie for sure, but it was cartoonish violence. "Masked Avengers" is equally gory, but the violence is more disturbing. In this movie you will see masked cultists drinking human blood, you'll see intestines draping from a bloody trident, you'll see so many guys impaled you'll lose count (in one case, a cult member actually pulls his trident all the way THROUGH his victim), you'll see a dude bite off his own tongue, and you'll see torture sequences that should make the most jaded Shaw Brothers fan squirm.

On top of that, the production values are high. The cult headquarters is a sight to behold, topping even the fantastic dungeons Chor Yuen gave us in his 1976 Shaws film "Web of Death". The costumes are the usual Venoms cool, with the cult members getting the best. The foot soldiers wear identical outfits of black pants and red vests, with demon-like, horned masks. The three chiefs wear more regal clothing, and have masks that look more like dwarf faces, or something. These masks don't have horns, but they do have beards, and each chief wears a different color. All told, these cult members make for an appealing visual spectacle.

"Masked Avengers" is one of the top movies I'm waiting for Celestial to remaster, because the DVD currently out there isn't so great. The DVD release from NS is only marginally better than the nth-generation video dub I've had for the past ten years. The picture on the NS disc is too dark, and panned-and-scanned out of whack. The final battle begs to be seen in widescreen, but for now, this bungled DVD will have to do. - Joe909

But truthfully, I’d rather watch "Masked Avengers" over this any day.

I haven’t seen all of Chang Cheh’s “let’s seriously base this on an historic event” movies, but let me tell you, the guy shines a lot more when he’s making brainless ultra-violent action flicks like "Five Element Ninjas" and "One-Armed Swordsman".

I personally don’t think Chang Cheh and factual scenarios mix. At some instances, "Boxer Rebellion" is a serious piece of historic drama. Other times, it’s a badass kung fu flick that we love to watch. In the end, we end up with a half-assed true story (with many inaccuracies) smothered with Saturday afternoon Black Belt Theater action. I mean, imagine if Kubrick’s "Full Metal Jacket" had ninjas in it or something? Where I’m getting at is there aren’t enough gray areas, just a sloppy mix of black and white. Make either a no-nonsense, high budget period movie or or a straight up kung fu tale. Don’t try to cram both into one package.

"Boxer Rebellion" is a very Americanized production. They definitely didn’t skimp out when it came to extras (of all races), set designs and locations. Even the soundtrack (which I’ll assume is the original) sounds like some kind of American TV show from the 70’s. Richard Harrison - an Italian film star who made dozens of films in the 60’s and 70’s, including Chang Cheh’s "Marco Polo"; as well as unintentionally starring in a string of goofy Ninja movies for Godfrey Ho and Joseph Lai - has a chunky cameo as an American officer who tries to take on Alexander Fu Sheng and Chi Kuan Chun (take a guess who wins?).

All bullshit aside, "Boxer Rebellion" isn’t bad, but it does take a while to build up into something we’d expect from a Chang Cheh film with a cast like this. The final third of the movie is what packs the most punch (mind you, this is a very LONG movie). The action is brutal, entertaining and bloody remarkable (no pun intended). As with most Chang Cheh films, don’t expect a 100% happy ending. Heck, a lot of the movie has kung fu guys vs. men with rifles, so use your imagination.

Now, excuse me while I pop in "Crippled Avengers". - Mighty Peking Man

One day, Jin Fei crosses paths with an injured man, who had just escaped a group of attackers. Though barely alive, the man manages to pass on secret information about how the leader of the Tien Yi Tong clan was betrayed and murdered by Hung Sing-tien (Cheung Pooi-saan), the clan’s second in command.

Knowing he’s going to die any second, the man urges Jin Fei to deliver his crucial message to the rest of the Tien Yi Tong clan; but just as Jin Fei is about to ignore the situation and walk off, the gang of attackers (Hung Sing-tien’s men) show up and suspect that their victim might have “talked” to Jin Fei...

There’s a lot more to King Eagle, but basically the movie revolves around the act of betrayal, revenge, and surprisingly, love. Yes, there’s a romantic subplot revolving Jin Fei falling for a woman named Yuk Lin, played by Li Ching. Oddly, Li Ching has a dual role - both as Jin Fei’s love ineterest, and as Yuk Lin’s evil younger sister, who works under the notorious Hung Sing-tien.

Everything from the costumes, set designs and just the overall look, are fantastic. And for being a film from 1970, they managed to do a great job with the camera effects when the two Li Chings appeared on the screen together. I dig the James Bond “borrowed” On Her Majesty's Secret Service music, as well.

King Eagle has enough action (featuring solid choreography job by Tong Gaai and Yuen Cheung Yan) and for the most part, flows along at a decent pace.

However, I do have a grip that really stops it from being a Chang Cheh film that I could have really loved: the film’s ending was very anti-climactic and disappointing. Maybe I’m just used to those good old Chang Cheh endings; you know, long bloody fights, heroes dying very slowly and painfully. The final fight for King Eagle seemed like it ended before it even started. Come to think of it, some of the action in the first half of the film was a lot more gripping.

I say give it shot. After all, it’s a Chang Cheh film. - Mighty Peking Man

Killers Five starts off very tame and family movie-like. The interaction between the title characters is humorous and light hearted, which leads the viewer into thinking that the tale will be a festive action-adventure flick which with a low body count and a happy ending; it doesn’t exactly go from tidy clean to bloody dirty, but the direction it does take comes by surprise.

Even though you have to sit through most of the film before you start to see satisfying amounts of action, the film is paced so well that you barely even notice, but when the brutality comes, it comes: Blades will penetrate flesh. Good guys will be spitting gobs of blood. Eye balls will be punctured. There will be blood...

The action is what you’d expect from a 1969 Shaw Brothers swordplay flick. A little chalky, kind of stiff, but always interesting and creative.

In terms of cuts, editing and camera angles, the film suffers lightly from being less fluid and polished than, say, a Chang Cheh film of the same time period. However, it has so much going for it in other departments that you ignore its rough edges.

Like most of the Shaw Brothers films of the late 1960’s/early 1970’s, the set designs are lavish and less lazy-looking than what would appear in later films.

The bottoms line is director Cheng Kang kicks ass. This is the second movie I’ve seen of his (the first being Swords of Swords, which was one hell of a movie) and I want to see more. - Mighty Peking Man

“In the film, Chiang plays a righteous character who helps an unjustly imprisoned swordsman accused of stealing. Together they break out of prison and serve notice to all the evil men in their lives that a new deadly duo is in town.“

Well, it’s half right. They do break out of prison to get revenge. And yes, David Chiang does play a righteous character who helps an unjustly imprisoned character, only, the character (played by Tsai Hung) is not a swordsman, he’s a straight up kung fu fighter (totally swordless!); and he wasn’t accused of stealing, he was thrown into prison because he was blamed for murder. Also, the thief they’re talking about is actually Chiang himself, not Tsai Hung’s character.

Anyways, not really important, but I thought I’d point that out since some of us like to watch films based on plot.

After watching The Condemned and David Chiang’s other directorial project, The Drug Addict (which I rated a 4/10), it’s pretty safe to say that the guy definitely belongs in front of the camera. In this case, he not only directs The Condemed, but also stars in it, along with Tsai Hung.

Bascially, The Condemned is shitty and decent at the same time.

Much of the film is draggy, uninteresting and almost feels like you’re watching a non-Shaw Brothers generic kung fu flick (not to say that all Shaw flicks are good...). Even David Chiang's performance is sorta half-assed. I mean, we still get that David Chiang charm, but here, his performance seems a tad less magnetic - let’s put it this way, Chang Cheh gets a better performance out of the guy.

In addition to David Chiang, Chan Shen, Pai Ying, Ku Feng and Lily Li, we are introduced to Tsai Hung’s character, the second half of the duo. I don’t know much about the actor, since I’ve I’ve only seen him in a couple of other titles (and he usually plays a bad guy), but I can tell you this much: he has as much charasima as a bowl of corn flakes. He looks like a lizard and has some of the worst facial expressions I've ever seen; but on the other side of the coin, he's one hell of a bad ass. And you'll know why David Chiang picked him to begin with once you're a little more than half way through the movie...

And this is where The Condemned gets decent. It nearly becomes a Bruceploitation movie with the way Tsai Hung takes on the bad guys with his Bruce Lee-style fighting moves: Fights are direct and solid, guys are falling to the ground from a single punch or kick, etc. Meanwhile, snippets from Lalo Schifrin’s Enter The Dragon score are playing in the background (either that, or a soundtrack that sounds very similar in style).

One thing I really dug was the cool visual effects which suddenly appear out of nowhere. At one point, blood literally drips (not splashes) down from the camera lense. Also, not sure if this is the first film to so, but there are a couple of bone-cracking special effects (ie Romeo Must Die) that are both effective and cheesy.

Basically, if you can sit through most of the movie, you’ll be kindly rewarded with the kung fu action towards the film’s last third. It gets violent, bloody and even catches you by surprise with some of its cruelty.

All in all, not bad. Not good. Like I said, it's shitty and decent at the same time. I can think of hundreds of kung fu films to watch before recommending this one...

- Mighty Peking Man

"The Chaser" is about an ex-cop turned pimp (yes, you read that right) who realizes his "bitches" are sporadically disappearing one by one. He backtracks through his paperwork and figures out that the latest missing girl was sent to the same guy the previous missing victim was sent to.

That's basically all I'm going to tell you about the plot. Telling you any more would be too much typing for my lazy ass; more importantly, I'll probably give too much away in the process.

"The Chaser" is director Na Hong-Jin's first full-length feature film (prior to this, he received some buzz for some short film he made). I like his directing style and his approach to storytelling. He's a director with balls and not some lame filmmaker who has to reference the feel of Hollywood movies to please the mass audience. I'll definitely be keeping a close eye out for his work.

Both the lead actors (Yun-seok Kim and Jung-woo Ha) put on amazing performances. I could tell you right now that Yun-seok Kim is special. He's got that certain something about him. He’s one of those cool Asian cats that you just love seeing on screen. You know, another Chow Yun Fat, Song Kang-Ho, Lau Ching Wan or Tony Leung... get my drift? I really should get off my ass and seek out more of his films.

"The Chaser" is entertaining as hell. Paced just right. It’s brutal, dark, funny, bloody and beautiful. The best flick I’ve seen this year. Period.

No, it's difficult to review solely because of the fact that any little bit that's revealed about the movie kind of spoils the fun of it.

The only thing that you need to know about the film's plot is that Oh Dae-Su gets locked up somewhere for 15 years. Upon completion of said incarceration, he is released and left to his own devices to determine who did it and why.

The movie has cemented my adoration of Park Chan-Wook and his output to date. From Joint Security Area, to Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, through to Oldboy, he never ceases to amaze me with his films - simply because after viewing each film, I can't stop thinking about them.

Case in point - I watched Oldboy about a month ago and still find myself thinking about all the intricate twists and turns that befall the protagonist of Oh Dae-Su. I lent the movie to a co-worker of mine who watched it with his girlfriend one weekend - he, too, couldn't stop thinking about the movie afterwards. My father also watched it with my mother - again, the same result.

I'm beginning to sound like a raving idiot but I'm being completely serious here. I really felt that viewing Oldboy was quite an experience, resulting in this movie landing firmly in any list of my all-time favourite films. However, you should be fairly warned - the movie was very disturbing. If news about an American remake of the film really do bear fruit, I can only imagine how watered-down it will turn out to be.

I conclude this half-assed review of Oldboy by telling you that my mother now thinks that I'm a fucking nutter for lending my dad the movie. With praise like that, you can't go wrong with this film. - Owlman

As expected, the cinematography and music are absolutely outstanding, and the entire film is, without a doubt, a technical marvel. However, the pace is at times, a little slow, and admittedly, Tony Leung's Chow Mo Wan is one of Mr. Wong's least likable lead characters (very different from the Chow Mo Wan of In the Mood For Love, although the differing characterization makes sense from a story standpoint).

For me, it's probably one of my least favorite Wong Kar Wai movies, but that really doesn't mean anything, considering I've loved every single one I've seen up to this point. There's really nothing particularly better or worse about 2046, and I'm sure someone will find this to be their favorite, depending on what they take from the experience. In any case, it's not to be missed. - Iuxion

In The Mood For Love: Exquisite. From the lush hues of the set design, to Maggie Cheung's seemingly infinite supply of cheongsams, to Shigeru Umegayashi's haunting music, to Tony Leung's performance, to Wong Kar Wai's direction--everything about "In the Mood For Love" is exquisite. And while I've praised the beauty of a film's cinematography ("House of Flying Daggers"); the beauty of its performers ("Hero"); the beauty of its performances ("Oasis"); and the beauty of its story ("Il Mare"); I've yet to see a film that was completely beautiful, from the costuming to the acting to the direction to the story to the score. Simply, "In the Mood For Love" is the most beautiful movie I have ever seen. - Alexander

Yeah, you're right.... I'm gushing.

Now, whether or not "Inside Kung-Fu" magazine called Benny's final showdown with Jackie in this movie "The greatest onscreen fight ever" is moot, because I don't read Inside Kung-Fu, and neither do the majority of you who're reading this. I know that if you heard that it's because you saw that anthology "The Deadliest Art", and not because you read it in the magazine. But if they did print that, then I would have to back that statement up, because I don't think I've yet witnessed a more perfect one-on-one battle scene. Sammo may make the silliest fuckin' movies in the world, which he does (if you're doubting that, watch the "Lucky Stars" movies, and then watch "Mr. Nice Guy", and then we'll chat), but goddamn if he doesn't direct a good fight scene.

Well, so far, this ain't no kinda movie review; it's just me running off at the mouth about isolated aspects of the movie.

Ok, the movie, as a whole, is patchy (which is typical of a Sammo Hung film). Sammo ain't no Steven Spielberg when it comes to pacing or characters. However, he IS the Spielberg/Cameron of the fight scene. His fight scenes are always kinetic, intuitive, dynamic, ingenious, and so on and so on, and the fight scenes in 'Meals' have all of those qualities, but they're spaced out a bit too far, save for the end. Specifically, I found the fight with the dork bikers waaaay too damn short, although it was spectacular in that slo-mo crane shot, but I ain't tellin' what happens, for those still virgins to this film.

The cornball stuff is cute, but gets a little "too cute" in spots. The female lead here is, as always, a friggin' knockout, as any less just wouldn't do in a HK movie. The story, well, I've forgotten it already. That's how involved I was with it. Like I've said before, if you want a good story, watch Akira Kurosawa's "Seven Samurai", or the original "Jaws". This movie is for fans to get their fight fix, maybe a couple of yukyuks, and that's it.

There's one thing that confuses the crap outta me...

How the hell did Yeun Biao keep his spine from flying out of his body like a cork in that stunt where, well, if you've seen the movie you know what the frak I'm talking about. - Dan-O