Chow Yun-Fat plays Jeff, a hitman who has a change of heart after he accidentally blinds a night club singer named Jennie. He agrees to pull off one last job so he can pay for a cornea transplant for her. However, after Jeff is spotted after the job by hot-headed Inspector Li, the Triad views "the killer" as a threat and tries to kill him. Escaping his would-be assassins, Jeff (with the aid of his only friend, Sydney) tries to get the money the Triad owes him, with Li in hot pursuit. Eventually, Jeff and Li must join forces to survive, resulting in an awesome gunfight (inside a church, no less) and one of the most "un-Hollywood" endings ever filmed.

While Jennie's songs (which repeat throughout the film) get annoying and the symbolism can be a bit overbearing, The Killer (the film that brought Woo and CYF international recognition) is nonetheless a masterpiece of filmmaking. From the first shot to the last, this is Woo at his best. When I first saw this movie, I absolutely freaked -- there's quite simply nothing like it. If you consider yourself an action fan (or just a movie fan) and you haven't seen this, do so now.

Pedicab Driver was the first "true" Sammo Hung movie I had seen. I'd seen some of the "three brothers" stuff he did with Jackie Chan and Yuen Biao, and a bit of his US TV series Martial Law. What always impressed me is how damn agile Hung was. To paraphrase Pulp Fiction, "I wouldn't go so far as to call the brother fat." But for a guy his size, damn, Sammo can move... he also has a great sense of humor and Pedicab Driver showcases both these talents.

The movie kicks off with a huge brawl between the taxi and pedicab drivers (complete with a duel where flourescent lights are used like lightsabers) and it only gets better from there. The next big action sequence starts off as a chase, where Sammo gets to show off his considerable stunt skills (and his pedicab gets chopped to bits in the process), and ends in a great, and I mean great, duel between Tung and the head of a gambling house (Lau). You might not think that a fight between a portly guy and a 55-year-old man would be that exciting, but this one sure as hell is. Hung and Lau beat the crap out of each other for a few minutes (during which one of the best badly translated subs is played -- "You, fatty, with thick face have hurt my instep!") and then pick up poles and beat each other up with those for a while. It's a great scene that ranks right up there with the Jackie Chan/Ken Lo fight at the end of Drunken Master 2.

I won't ruin any more of the movie for you, but it ends with a great brawl where Sammo takes on several guys and a somewhat unconventional ending. Pedicab Driver is a great movie from start to finish (though I could have done without the sickly-sweet musical montage in the middle) and I highly recommend it to any martial arts fan.

As HK elements and personalities are absorbed more and more into the Western film culture, films like Mr. Vampire stand alone and truly show why people think Hong Kong movies are the most creative on Earth. Once you get away from some cultural differences, such as the religious practices and the fact that Chinese vampires are more like hopping zombies (rather than our Western notion of suave gothic characters), Mr. Vampire is a sheer delight. It's a jumbled mix of action, horror and comedy that -- unlike many HK movies -- actually uses the different genres to its' advantage. The comedic bits (brought to delightful life through Ricky Hui's performance) make the horror parts that much more scarier. The cement which holds the film together is Lam Ching-Ying. He gives a tremendous performance in a role that could have quickly went the other way. Lam never overacts and takes the role -- even when events get fairly silly -- seriously.

If I was going to draw a comparison between Mr. Vampire and a Western film, I would have to say Sam Raimi's excellent Evil Dead series. Both films took well-tread genres and made them into something their own. If you're looking for a Hong Kong film outside of the martial-arts and kung-fu realms, check out Mr. Vampire. You won't be disappointed. At least you'll find out what the hell people are talking about when they discuss "hopping vampires."

During a tulmultious time in China's history, it is the eunuchs (court adivsors) who held the most power. A group known as the "East Corridor" led by the vicious Tsao (Donnie Yen) begins killing high-ranking officials in order to make a bid for the emperor's throne. To bring out one of the top officials, Chow Wai-On (Tony Leung), Tsao kills another official and uses his two orphaned children as bait. Chow realizes saving the children is a trap, and so sends a group of mercenaries led by his lover Yau Mo-Yan (Brigette Lin). The mercenaries rescue the children and attempt to make their getaway through the desert, but inclement weather forces them to stay at the Dragon Inn, a crossroads for thieves at the edge of civilization run by the wily Jade King (Maggie Cheung). Soon, the weather isolates both the mercenaries and Tsao's troops at the Inn, and it is only a matter of time before the two groups clash.

Dragon Inn -- a loose remake of King Hu's classic Dragon Gate Inn -- is just a great movie from beginning to end. It is one of those rare films where not one single scene, or even a single moment, seems wasted. Every scene, every line brings the story forward, fills in information about the characters and interests the viewer. A lot of recent movies could take a few lessons from this film on the importance of scriptwriting and editing. At around 100 minutes, it is one of the shorter wuxia films I have seen, but it is undeniably one of the most powerful. From the first sequence where Tsao is testing new weapons on a group of unlucky prisoners to the final clash in the desert between Tsao, Chow, Yau, Jade King and a cannibalistic chef (did I forget to mention him? Yes, there's also quite a bit of horror and gore in this movie as well), Dragon Inn not only attracts the viewer's attention, it commands it. Everything is intergrated seamlessly here; the cinematography, editing and musical score making the techincal side solid as a rock, and an all-star cast delivering great performances along with some stunning action sequences courtesy of Ching Siu-Tung and Yuen Bun (probably two of the most under-rated personalities in the Hong Kong film industry) filling in things nicely on the other side of the (filmic) coin.

So why doesn't Dragon Inn warrant a perfect 10? Unfortunately, it is a case of your intrepid reviewer's weak understanding of Cantonese. The subtitles on most video versions are horrible -- the VCD I watched was no exception -- and there was many times I was reconsitiuting the subtitles into something legible in my head rather than concentrating on the movie proper. Perhaps over time, I will raise the rating and it will join that upper echelon -- it certainly has the goods to do so. At any rate, if you consider yourself a martial arts/swordsplay fan and haven't seen this movie, do so now. It's better than a lot of recent over-hyped films and is well worth your time.

This was Chan's first "traditional" martial arts movie in about 10 years (after making cop pictures like Police Story), but Chan clearly hadn't lost a step. Not only is Drunken Master II his best traditional film, it's his best movie period. Watching this movie for the first time is a thing of pure enjoyment. The plot develops at a breezy pace; you never can really dwell on facts such as Fei-Hung's mother (Mui) looks younger than him. Speaking of Mui, she's a refreshing change of pace from the airheaded females featured in recent Chan films. She steals the show in every scene she's in as Fei-Hong's wise-cracking mah jongg-addicted mother. Ti Lung also gives a believably stern performance as Fei-Hong's exasperated dad.

But what's a Jackie Chan movie without action? Believe me, once you see the fight scenes in Drunken Master II, most others (even Chan's) pale in comparison. Words cannot do these masterpieces justice. If the climatic fight between Fei-Hung and two thugs (played by Ken Lo, Chan's real-life bodyguard and Ho Sung Pak, the model for many of the characters in the popular "Mortal Kombat" video game) doesn't get your pulse going, you must be dead or severely intoxicated. Supposedly, the fight took months to film and it shows. Chan has never looked better.

Do yourself a favor and hunt this down -- you won't be disappointed.

In 1967, three life-long friends' (Ben, Frank and Paul) lives are thrown into turmoil. Ben is getting married, and to pay for the wedding, Frank borrows money from a local loanshark. On his way to the wedding, Frank is attacked by a gang; he manages to escape, and later, when Ben and Frank seek revenge on the gang, they accidentally kill a man.

Knowing they must flee (to avoid both the law and the loanshark), the friends use Paul's underworld connections to arrange a "trip" to war-torn Vietnam to deliver various goods to a local crime boss. However, upon their arrival, they lose the contraband and are now trapped in the foreign country. Enlisting the aid of a suave gangster named Luke, they decide to rob the boss (and rescue a beautiful singer). However, their plan backfires and they are eventually captured by the Vietcong.

Now, their friendship is put to the ultimate test as they must fight for their lives...

This is one of Woo's lesser-known works (at least to Western viewers), but it's definetly one of his best films. Woo wanted to get aay a bit from the cliches (dual guns, slow motion) that had become mainstays in HK cinema, so he chose this story, which is based on part on his childhood growing up in the slums of Hong Kong. While there is a boatload of action (particularly during a daring escape feom a P.O.W. camp), the emphasis here is on the interaction between the characters. This might have failed with lesser actors, but Tony Leung and (suprisingly, given his past body of work) Jacky Cheung give this film a firm foothold that carries it above similar movies.

While parts of the movie (particularly the almost-notorious "piss drinking" scene) may be difficult for some viewers and some parts border on melodrama, this is simply not just one of Woo's finest movies, it's one of the best HK movies ever, period.

Interesting trivia:

The film's universality comes from its' basic structure. Peking Opera Blues' plot itself is fairly simple; with the three leads banding together to help each other out during the tumultuous times following the 1913 Chinese revolution. The movie plays out a bit like a 1930's Hollywood serial, with the characters having to face several "cliffhangers" and then think of inventive ways to get themselves out of the situation at hand. Even though there are numerous references to particular aspects of Chinese society and history, the movie doesn't depend on them so much as to lose the non-native viewer.

Peking Opera Blues' Hong Kong film techniques are quite apparent as well. For instance, there are several large (and often violent) action sequences that most Hollywood directors wouldn't even think of. There are numerous genres mixed into the film as well -- it literally runs the gamut from slapstick comedy to a bloody torture sequence. Sometimes this (which seems to be a uniquely Hong Kong invention, or at least they have perfected it) tends to go a bit overboard, but in the hands of an expert director like Tsui Hark, the changes in emphasis are refreshing, not jarring. I can say that there is not a slow moment in the entire film, because it touches on so many genres without letting any of them overpower each other.

Mostly, though, the Hong Kong film feeling comes through the three leads. Western films often wouldn't allow a film starring three women to be anything other than a tear-jerker or exploitative action flick. Certainly, the three female leads acknowledge their femininity -- most pointedly thorough a touching scene when they shed their respective outfits (thus their respective professions and place in society) and bond together just as women. But at the same time, they're not whiny, trampy, needy, greedy or any of the other female stereotypes which tend to make their marks in film. People tend to think of Asian countries as having a "lower" view of women, but films like this show how much farther we (as Westerners) have to go with our own ideas of how strong women should be portrayed in movies (Erin Brockovich, anyone?). As I have stated in other reviews, I'm no book-waving/tree-hugging feminist and do enjoy the good exploitation movie every now and then, but a film like Peking Opera Blues shows how refreshing an honest portrayal of women can be.

Despite horrible subtitlng and sub-par picture quality found in many video versions, Peking Opera Blues is a film that's well worth seeking out. It's quite honestly one of the few true cinematic masterpieces ever produced and it only gets better with age, especially compared with most of the dreck coming out on both sides of the ocean these days.

The Heroic Trio marks, for me, the climax of women in action movies. To start with, all three leads are incredibly sexy. Even though there are no gratuitous scenes as in many other action films with a female lead, you can't help but be attracted to at least one of the trio. Or perhaps that's why. In US movies, even when strong females are presented in movies (such as The Long Kiss Goodnight or True Lies), they must succumb to one of a few fates: showing skin (at least in some manner), eventually breaking down and acting like a "real" woman (i.e., becoming too emotional or overly attached to a "love interest") or dying. Very few movies in the US have gotten above this. While HK action movies are still very "macho" in nature, in many instances the female is as strong or stronger than her male counterpart. The Heroic Trio captures this perfectly. The three leads are very feminine in nature (let's face it, no one is going to mistake any of them for a female bodybuilder -- they're extremely easy on the eyes). Mui, in particular, shows this in her love for her husband.

But they are not the typical "stand-behind-the-scenes" women found in most action movies. They'll beat you six ways to Sunday. Some people have dubbed this the "Madonna and the whore" syndrome -- as in men want both someone nice to bring home to mom and one that will make you cry for mommy. Whatever. All I know is The Heroic Trio features three beautiful women kicking ass all over the place, a fast, brisk pace from director Johnnie To combined with a great soundtrack -- and, oh yeah, Anthony Wong in one of his best supporting roles as "Number 9," a guy so vile he eats his own severed fingers.

You can't ask for much more than that.

Dragons Forever has been called Chan's best film. I wouldn't go that far -- personally I think Drunken Master II is the best -- but Dragons Forever is definitely one of Chan's best. It's also the best "three brothers" (films featuring Chan, Hung and Yuen Biao) movie. The film is great from beginning to end. While the story is conventional, it's still interesting because all three of the leads play against type; Chan throws away the usual "nice guy" routine, Hung is still the lovable loser but is a little less pathetic, and Yuen (regulated to smaller roles in other three brothers films) is really outstanding as the insane Timothy. If you haven't seen any of Yuen's work and aren't a fan, you will be after seeing this movie. The three also show a great deal of comedic talent. Unlike a lot of Chan movies (where the "comedy" comes mostly from the bad dubbing/subbing) there are sequences that are truly hilarious.

The fights in Dragons Forever are fantastic. All three of the "brothers" show off all the skills in their repertoire in dazzling fight sequences, including one where they fight each other. But nothing is quite as exceptional as the ending brawl, where the brothers team up to take on a factory full of thugs. The matchup between Chan and kickboxing champ Benny "The Jet" Uriquedez is mesmerizing and (like the movie) should not be missed by any martial arts fan.

The stories revolve around an isolated inn in the depths of the desert run by Ouyang Fang (played by Leslie Cheung), who came seeking solace after his love Maggie Cheung married his brother. Ouyang also runs a murder-for-hire business out of the inn, and the impetus for the stories comes from the missions he does (and does not) take. The first has male and female twins (both played by the impeccable Brigette Lin) hiring Ouyang for competing jobs. Yin, the male, wants Ouyang to kill his best friend (played by Tony Leung Ka-Fai) for jilting his twin sister Yang, who wants Ouyang to kill Yin for trying to make her marry Leung in the first place. Secondly, Tony Leung Chiu-Wai plays an assassin losing his sight, looking for one last job so he can return to his hometown. The last story features another assassin, this time Jacky Cheung. He stands at a crossroads at his life and must decide whether to go all they way and become a cold-blooded killer or accept his feelings for drifter Charlie Yueng.

Now, that is a pretty simple story, but Wong's techniques have created a movie that may be too confusing for some people. The movie depends heavily on flashbacks, which are one of my least favorite film devices. And while I will agree that the flashback-heavy structure makes the film perhaps a bit too dense, the flashbacks and playing with the timeline (much like Pulp Fiction) gives Ashes of Time an unexpected flavor that warrants repeated viewings. It is the exact reason why many people don't like this movie -- "it's too confusing" -- that gives it some weight compared to many of its anorexic counterparts. Even the mighty juggernaut of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (though it has a lovely story that depends on flashbacks itself) doesn't hold up as well to repeated viewings as this movie. Because Ashes of Time is one of those rare films where you take in something new each and every time you watch it.

The other sticking point for many of this movie's critics is Wong Kar-Wai's (via cinematographer Christopher Doyle) visual style. Sammo Hung took great pains to stage the fight scenes in a classical style, but Doyle's "stop-printing" technique renders the scenes near-incomprehensible. While I will agree that I may have like to see these grand fights staged in a typical fashion, the unusual style (once again, after repeated viewings) creates an aura around these scenes that will make them stick in your mind. The fleeting images -- swords going off the edge of the frame, twirling and blurring fighters, isolated spurts of blood -- provide an intense sense of close sword combat near unmatched by any film before or since. And Doyle's style outside of the action scenes provide some striking images as well. I don't think I've ever seen shots in a movie as beautiful as in Ashes of Time. In particular, two shots stick in my mind, one with Brigette Lin highlighted by a lantern inside the inn, and, most strikingly, near the end, where a relatively simple shot of Maggie Cheung contemplating the events that have gone on makes her look simply gorgeous, almost angelic. Again, it is in the way Wong carves his own niche with his particular visual style that Ashes of Time rises far above not only just other wuxia movies or other Hong Kong movies, but most films (regardless of where they were produced) in general.

Perhaps no other movie in the Hong Kong fanboy community inspires such varied opinions as this one. Just look at any of the discussions that pop up on Usenet or other websites' reviews. Most critics of this film point to the way Wong Kar-Wai disregards many of the "rules" of the wuxia genre and creates a film that is too complicated and stylish for its' own good. However, it is exactly the way Wong breaks these rules that make it one of the most unique takes on the genre and one of the most well-crafted films to come out of Hong Kong in the last ten years. If you aren't a fan of Wong Kar-Wai's work, there's really no reason for you to watch this movie. But if you haven't seen any of his films, this is an excellent place to start. It's also an excellent place to expand your Hong Kong film horizons to include something other than guys running around with dual guns and toilet jokes.

For those of you who haven't seen part one, the films tell the story of the battle of Red Cliff, a decisive skirmish during the early part of Chinese history, where Zhao Yu (Tony Leung) and his band of rebels successfully spurned the invasion attempt of Prime Minister Cao Cao (Zhang Fengyi). Through novels like Romance of the Three Kingdoms (which has been adapted into a series of popular video games) the warlords and generals from the fight have become icons in Chinese culture, even going so far to become near-religious icons, so to say that this story carries some weight is a bit of an understatement.

Benefitting the scope of such a story, the production of Red Cliff had the biggest budget of any Asian movie to date, at $80 million. Things seemed troubled at first, with Chow Yun-Fat leaving the set early on, and the unfortunate death of a stuntman during filming. But the first installment turned out to be a huge hit, breaking records all over Asia, especially in the Mainland market, which seems to be growing in importance nowadays. The movie also was critically acclaimed, with many noting the triumphant return of John Woo to the Asian market after a series of disappointing US films. To cap things off, Red Cliff recently took home several Hong Kong Film Awards.

So, obviously, Red Cliff II has a lot to live up to. Thankfully, it meets (and in some ways) exceeds the standards set forth by the original film. Yes, it's not the greatest movie ever created, but it is really damn good. It stands up well next to many of the classics from the "golden age", and make most of the movies produced in Hong Kong lately look like the cookie-cutter pablum that they are. Red Cliff II is entertainment at its' finest. If this movie doesn't get you pumped up, then it's time to check your pulse, because you're probably in a NyQuil-induced coma and should seek medical attention.

After a brief re-cap of the events of the first movie, we settle into the story here. Both Zhao Yu and Cao Cao's forces have been hurt, so the leaders wage psychological warfare on each other to prepare for the final battle. While some might be disappointed that there isn't much in the way of action for most of the film, John Woo's deft direction and canny handling of the characters makes the exposition scenes compelling stuff to watch.

Of course, the actors' performances weigh in heavily here, and they're more than up to the task. In a genre that often sees cardboard cutouts thrown on the screen, the characters in Red Cliff II come off as wonderfully three-dimensional, to the point that the viewers will agree with the sentiment expressed at the end that "there are no winners", in that the audience comes to like even the villains and are a bit disappointed that someone had to lose.

But Red Cliff II isn't just a game of cat-and-mouse. There is only one real battle scene presented here, but seeing as it runs about forty minutes, anyone but the most nit-picky viewer can't really complain. Employing three action directors, including the legendary Corey Yuen, the battle of Red Cliff is truly epic in every sense of the word.

Even with the spurting blood and severed limbs, you can't but help to think that this is some of the most beautiful footage ever put to celluloid. It's a phenomenal sequence that this reviewer feels will stand the test of time and become enshrined as one of the best battles ever in a movie, not just from a Hong Kong movie, but from anywhere in the world. It ranks right up there with scenes like the storming of Normandy in Saving Private Ryan.

Red Cliff II is a great testament to not only John Woo's abilities, but the strength of Hong Kong film-making as a whole, which shows here that when they're given the right tools to work with, they can still hold their own with the "big boys" of Hollywood. True, the industry nowadays is a shell of its' former glorious self. But films like this thankfully still add a bit of fuel to the fire, and give fans at least a small smidgen of hope that Hong Kong film-makers, even when beleaguered by things like rampant piracy and economic recessions, can still produce movies that instill excitement and inspiration in their audiences.

The film tells the story of Golden Swallow (Cheng Pei-Pei), a woman trying to save her kidnapped brother from a group of bandits, who are trying to use him as leverage to gain the release of their leader from prison. Even though Swallow has formidable kung fu skills, her abilities still can't overcome the might of the bandits. After befriending a mysterious beggar named Drunken Knight (Yueh Hua) who decides to help with her problem, the stage is set for a final confrontation.

While that might sound like a very basic plot -- and when it's boiled down to the bare essentials, it really is. But King Hu, along with co-writer Yi Cheung, manage to create some compelling sub-plots that manage to actually enrich the film, instead of simply overwhelming the viewer. With a running time of 104 minutes, Come Drink With Me packs in a lot of story in a very lean package. A lot of modern film-makers would do good to take note at Hu's economic use of each and every scene.

Of course, a kung fu movie is nothing without solid fight sequences, and Come Drink With Me does not disappoint at all. Yes, there might not be wall-to-wall action here, but what is presented is absolutely top-notch. Action director Han Ying-Chieh (with some help from a young Sammo Hung) broke from the norms of the time, which favored static and stagey fight scenes highly derivative of Chinese opera, for fluid and dynamic portrayals of kung fu that are punctuated by flashes of ultra-violence via blood spurts and severed limbs. Those weaned on modern computer-fu films might find the action here a bit slow, but this particular reviewer really appreciated the effort that went into creating the fight scenes.

Some note must also be made of how gorgeous Come Drink With Me looks. Unlike many Shaw Brothers productions that were primarily filmed on generic sets in the "Shaw Town" studios, a lot of effort was made here to film on location, which pays off in spades in the visual department. Even the scenes shot on closed sets still pop out from the screen. It's the icing on one of the most wonderful cakes ever created in the realm of kung fu movies. If you're a fan of the genre and haven't seen Come Drink With Me yet, then you are truly missing out on one of the best viewing experiences you'll ever have.

But there's always been something holding him back from becoming a true mega-star. Most accounts would point to Yen himself, whose attitude on the set has been difficult to say the least on some productions. However, in the past few years, Yen's hubris looks to have subsided a bit and he seems to have found a copasetic directorial partner with Wilson Yip (SPL, Dragon Gate).

So his latest project, Flash Point, has been met with a great deal of anticipation by action junkies. Rest assured, it's not only a solid movie, but it has some of the best fight scenes put out by a Hong Kong production since the much-ballyhooed "golden age" of the mid-1980's to early 1990's. Yeah, it's that damn good.

I'm not even really going to go into any sort of details about the plot. It's the typical throwaway stuff you see far too often in movies like this. And frankly, for the first portion of the proceedings, you might find yourself going for the fast-forward button. But just hang on -- you're in for a great ride.

Like a lot of the pictures from the golden age, Flash Point hold back until the final act, and then it's on like Donkey Kong. This is balls-to-the-wall stuff that will have you yelling like a little kid seeing a Bruce Lee movie for the first time. The final fight between Yen and Ngai Sing (aka Collin Chou) ranks right up there with the Jackie Chan/Ken Lo brawl from Drunken Master II.

Yes, dear readers, I'm serious with that last statement. Flash Point not only proves that Hong Kong action cinema isn't dead, but it still has the ability to slap you upside the head and make you ask for more, all the while with a huge smile on your face. Do yourself a favor and see this movie now. You won't be disappointed.

But there has been one consistent director who has stuck to his guns -- Johnnie To. Sure, in his other guise as a producer he's had a hand in such fluff as Love on a Diet. But as a director, one can always count on To's films to give you the quirky, thoughtful, funny, and violent experiences that only pictures from Hong Kong can truly deliver. And Exiled is his finest work ever.

That is high praise indeed, since To has created several undeniable classics in the genre, most notably 1999's The Mission. In many ways, Exiled parallels that movie. But don't think this is a Wong Jing-esque vulturing of one's own work. Exiled shines completely on its' own, and stands head and shoulders above any other movie -- from anywhere in the world -- released in 2006.

I'm not going to get into the plot details here, since one of the joys of Exiled is seeing how the movie develops. Sure, it's not the most original story in the world, and there are a couple of fairly obvious plot twists. But To lets the film develop so organically that things never seem forced on the viewer, which is so refeshing in this time, when far too many film-makers seem insistent to jamming scenes that just scream "plot twist" down viewers' throats.

Exiled also showcases To's masterful use of mise-en-scene. Every part of every shot, down to the smallest detail, seems necessary. Forgoing the bloated nature of many recent Hong Kong films, To creates a lean look and feel to the film that is still gorgeous, thanks to stunning cinematography, crisp editing, and a soaring soundtrack.

But quite possibly, the greatest part of Exiled -- as you might expect from To's previous films -- is the acting. What the hell did Johnnie To put in Anthony Wong's kool-aid to bring out his performance? Whatever To did, it worked wonders not only with the notoriously fickle Wong, but every single actor on the set.

Simon Yam is outstanding as the film's villain, Francis Ng becomes the epitome of "bad-ass", and even Nick Cheung manages to turn in second good performance within a year. One is only left to wonder what To could have done with his former mainstay Lau Ching-Wan, who has seemingly left the realm of crime dramas for more audience-friendly work.

At any rate, simply put, Exiled is a movie that you must see if you consider yourself a fan of Hong Kong films. The industry might be for most intents and purposes be on life-support these days, but as long as HK film-makers can keep creating pictures of this caliber, it will keep kicking.

One of the most anticipated films of 2002, this big-budget affair with an all-star cast thankfully does not disappoint. Though like many Mainland films, it is a bit slow, but the story and action are powerful enough to truly suck the viewer in and immerse them in the story. In fact, I would go so far as to say that Hero is the best swordplay movie since Ashes of Time. Yes, it's similar to the much-ballyhooed Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, but whereas Crouching Tiger used a familiar story and simplistic structure, Hero takes some risks both with content and the means of carrying the story out. Heavily dependent on flashbacks and multiple viewpoints, the story might be confusing for some, but for those with a bit of patience, the rewards are there. Hero is refreshing in this age of pop cookie-cutter film-making -- it's strong enough to elevate the movie above others of its' ilk without being excessively "arty" or boring.

But for those not interested in that, Hero still offers up striking visuals and dazzling action. Asian films rarely look this good -- the sweeping vistas and hordes of soldiers attacking are simply breathtaking. Anyone who still equates martial arts movies with the grainy, no-budget 1970's old-school stuff needs to check Hero out. It is simply one of the most visually powerful films to come out over the last several years from anywhere in the world. Nearly every shot is almost like a painting in itself. Everything is so well-composed that the viewer could probably tell the story just from the pictures even if there were no subtitles. The cinematographers and editors obsessed with doing the MTV-style schizophrenic editing really need to sit down and watch this movie -- this is how things should be done.

As for the action, it is masterfully done under the eye of legendary fight director Ching Siu-Tung. Ching has been a major player in the field for over twenty years now, but has not gotten the level of recognition some of his contemporaries like Yuen Woo-Ping. Hopefully Hero will change this. The fights in the movie are an interesting mix of old-school, wire-fu and a bit of "computer-fu" (ala Matrix) that work extremely well together. Of course, Jet Li and Donnie Yen most always look great in fights (and their duel here is exciting), but it takes something special to make Maggie Cheung look like a trained killer. It's not the moves she does (which frankly aren't that impressive), but the way she does them. Again, other film-makers should take note. Instead of trying to squash actors into some generic mold, be like Ching and use each actor uniquely.

Overall, I don't have much to complain about with Hero. The story does take a bit to get off the ground, and Zhang Ziyi's character of Broken Sword's student seems a bit under-written. But these are minor quibbles. Even if you have grown disenchanted with the swordplay genre, you really should give Hero a look. It's not only one of the best movies of 2002, it's a new milestone in the genre, and deserves a viewing by anyone who considers themselves a fan of Asian cinema.

Warriors of Heaven and Earth's plot is thankfully simple compared to many other movies of the genre, which can come off as too complicated for their own good, especially to western viewers. Jiang Wen plays a solider named Li who becomes a criminal after he refuses to kill civilians. Banished to the desolate western part of China, Li (along with some loyal members of his platoon) makes his living guarding caravans from bandits. During one such job, Li runs afoul of a local overlord named Master An (Wang Xueqi) after he refuses to give up a precious artifact a young monk is carrying. While trying to battle An's men, Li also has to contend with an imperial guard (Nakai Kiichi) who has been sent by the Emperor himself to bring Li to justice.

The lines are drawn fairly early in the movie's proceedings. There's not a whole lot in the way of double-crosses or big secrets, and that works for this film. Director He Ping always keeps the movie going -- there's not any wasted time in subplots or romantic schmaltz. Warriors of Heaven and Earth reminded me a lot of Kurosawa's samurai pictures or Ford's westerns. The film lets the characters and the story develop naturally, without adding in a lot of fluff. Even though most of the characters are fairly stock in nature, the movie actually brings a lot of depth to them without hammering the viewer over the head with big showy overly-dramatic scenes.

But don't worry if you're the kind of viewer who couldn't give a crap about things like plot and characterization -- the action here is top-notch stuff. While it kind of lacks that "epic" feeling a lot of the great movies in the genre have (though, truthfully, that might be due to the VCD's full frame format than anything else) the stuff featured here is outstanding. While it does take a bit to get going, by the end of the film, if the fights don't get your heart pumping, then you need to check yourself into the hospital. Eschewing the current computer-fu craze, Warriors of Heaven and Earth creates some of the most hard-hitting and explosive martial arts scenes this reviewer has seen in quite a while. When that's combined with tight story-telling, you have the makings of something that's (hopefully) going to be considered a classic a few years down the line after more people have had the opportunity to take in this excellent motion picture.

The plot focuses on a squad of firefighters, of which Lau Ching-Wan is the old veteran, having been passed up many times for promotion for his unwillingness to work "by the numbers." The movie revolves around the squad going to calls, which often take on a documentary-like look and are quite realistic, and the downtime between calls, which seems to be more trying than the job itself. All of the members of the squad seem to have some kind of complication going on (Lau's relationship with doctor Carman Lee, for instance).

It's during these points that the movie stumbles a bit, delving a bit into melodrama (and introducing one of the most annyoing and untalented kid actors I have ever had the displeasure of seeing). However, even though the roles are mostly stock caricatures, all the actors do an excellent job of giving their characters dimensionality, especially Ruby Wong, who plays the squad's lone female member. She makes her character tough without being bitchy or overly macho and is a joy to watch throughout the movie.

And ultimately, that's what made Lifeline work so well for me. Even though I knew where the plot was headed (in this case, a big finale inside a burning factory), I wanted to see how the characters dealt with their particular situations. The usual Hong Kong "down" ending looming genuinely generated some suspense, unlike Hollywood movies like Backdraft, where you couldn't give a rip about what happens in the end because all of the people are cookie-cutter clones. When you combine this with some stunning action sequences (which put the actors into some very dangerous situations with real fire), you have the makings of a great movie, which Lifeline definitely is.

But, as I said before, the emphasis in Eastern Condors is on the action, and it delivers it in spades. This is one of those rare movies where it's hard to pick out your favorite sequence because they're all so good. Sammo and Yuen Biao do the majority of the fighting (as well as doing some amazing stunts), but most of the cast gets in a few licks during the movie. It was really cool seeing guys like Corey Yuen and Yuen Woo-Ping showing their stuff onscreen, versus the behind-the-scenes work they do now. Of course, most of the guys get killed off until a final confrontation between the remainder of the force and the Vietnamese bosses, which is a stunning fight, and like the rest of this movie, should not be missed by any martial arts/action fan. Eastern Condors is definitely one of Sammo's best films and comes highly recommended.

In the movie, Yuen Biao (in his second starring role) plays a bored rich kid who spends his days getting into street brawls. He wins every fight, but it is only because his father pays off the opponents. When an opera troupe comes to town and its' star (Lam Ching-Ying) beats up his friends, Yuen challenges Lam to a duel. After he is defeated, Yuen wants Lam to teach him Wing Chun, but Lam wants nothing to do with the cocky youngster. However, after the troupe is killed by officials trying to protect a duke (Frankie Chan) who Lam almost humilated in a fight, the master (along with his brother, played by Sammo Hung) takes Yuen under his wing so revenge can be taken.

The power of The Prodigal Son's fight sequences cannot be denied. In this day and age of computer-fu, it was really refreshing seeing people who can actually do the moves without the aid of special effects. Even scenes that seem simple on the surface (like Sammo practicing his calligraphy) take on a whole new level via the martial arts prowess of the stars. One wonders after seeing this film why its' stars didn't attain bigger success in the world of action movies. I guarantee that if you ask a group of western people that condsider themselves kung fu movie fans who Yuen Biao is, most of them wouldn't know -- but they probably would know who Jeff Speakman is, and that's a shame.

Sadly, though, for how good the action is, The Prodigal Son falls prey to some of the genre's shortcomings. The film's tone is very uneven. One scene will have (at least for its' time) graphic violence, and the next will have broad comedy, complete with cartoony sound effects. The characters are not fleshed out very well. In particular, I would have like to seen more development of Lam Ching-Ying and Frankie Chan's characters. In a genre where heroes and villains are often painted in shades of black and white, there was some sublety to those characters which I wish Sammo would have explored more. At any rate, these are faily minor quibbles -- if you are a fan of classic kung fu action, you can't do too much better than The Prodigal Son.

The story (as you might guess) centers around an inn located in one of the most desolate parts of China. It is a time of turmoil, with the evil eunuch Zhao (Pai Ying) looking to increase his standing with the emperor by getting rid of his enemies. Zhao has recently executed one of the members of the royal court, and sends his family into exile. Not wanting to create any more ammunition for the growing rebellion, Zhao sends a group of mercenaries led by the great warrior Shao Tung (Miu Tin) to the Dragon Inn to lay an ambush and kill off the remaining family members. The mercenaries quickly dispatch all the troops in the area and take over the inn. The plan seems to be well on its' way to fruition until various people come to the inn. After learing about the planned assassinations, the inn's guests come together to drive out the mercenaries, but then the inn becomes like a prison as the villains return to lay siege to it.

Most Hong Kong movie fans out there have probably seen the 1992 remake, New Dragon Inn, which was a great movie in its' own right, but quite over-the-top in terms of its' wire-fu action and gory violence. So those who have been weaned on films like that might be initially put off by the slower pacing and relatively bloodless action of the original version. But if you're a viewer with a bit of patience and give Dragon Inn a chance, you'll see why many consider the "old school" of kung fu movies the real "golden age" of Chinese film-making.

For starters, the movie is wonderfully shot and edited. In this day and age, when most action sequences consist of close-up two-second shots, it was great seeing wide shots where you can actually see what the performers are doing. Granted, the stuff here isn't up to the manic level of a Jackie Chan or Jet Li picture, but there's a lot of fights, and they get quite intricate -- especially towards the end, which culminates in a breathtakingly-shot five-on-one brawl near the top of a mountain.

I also really enjoyed the way King Hu kept things simple in terms of story-telling; he doesn't depend on any twists or double-crosses to keep things interesting. And some note should also be made of the actors, all of which -- especially the legendary Polly Shang Kwan -- do an outstanding job. Overall, Dragon Inn is an outstanding film, and deserves a viewing by anyone and everyone that considers themselves a fan of martial arts movies. When put up against most of the weak efforts put out in recent years on both sides of the ocean, there really is no comparison. This is one of those films that can truly be considered a "classic", and hopefully, it will continue to do so for years to come.

Mark is a top gangster, working as a counterfeiter for the Triads. His best friend and partner, Ho, wants to get out of "the life" as his brother Kit is about to become a cop, and he knows a gangster with a brother who's a cop quickly becomes a marked man.

Ho offers to do one more job, taking his young protoge, Sheng, along. The job turns out to be an ambush and Ho ends up being captured by the police. Upon hearing about this, Mark takes revenge for his friend, but in the process, he is crippled by a shot to the leg -- leaving Sheng in control of the counterfeiting ring. Then, Ho and Kit's father is killed by an assassin and Kit finally learns what his brother does for a living.

Upon his release from prison, Ho faces many challenges. He wants to go straight -- but the Triad has other ideas. Mark, regulated to being Sheng's servant, wants revenge but also needs Ho's help. Finally, Ho must try to repair his relationship with Kit, who has become a detective. The movie ends with a gut-wrenching climax that features some of the best gunplay ever put on film.

While slow-moving and melodramatic in parts, A Better Tomorrow is simply one of the best action/dramatic films ever made. ABT made stars out of Chow Yun-Fat (who gives a great performance) and John Woo (who would later be credited with kick-starting the "heroic bloodshed" genre), and the action scenes (particularly the one where Mark takes out a restaurant full of gangsters) are phenomenal. Don't let those jaded old-timers on usenet fool you -- ABT is still a great film some fifteen years after its' premiere.

Interesting trivia:

The plot has Andy Lau as a former monk (simply named Big or Biggie in the subtitles) who is now making his living at a stripper at an undergroud club. Cecilia Cheung plays a rookie cop called Yee who busts the club Big is working at. Big has the power to see a person's karma, and thus know when and how they are going to die. While being booked, Big sees a vision of Yee's death, and (due to lingering pain over the loss of his one true love) decides to help her crack a case involving a mysterious yoga master who is implicated in a murder. As the two draw closer together, Big realizes his own impact on Yee's karma, and tries to pull away from their relationship, until a tragic event once again brings them back to each other -- though in a way you might not expect.

This is one of the few films that I really don't have much in the way of negative things to say about it. From beginning to end, Running on Karma kept me entertained. It is kind of a schizophrenic movie, but the good Hong Kong directors (such as Johnnie To and his partner Wai Ka-Fai) can pull this type of film out. Matters are helped immensely by the performances of the leads. Though Cecilia Cheung is really not a "great" actor, she does add in a lot of personality into what could have very well been just a generic "cute cop" role. And I must give Andy Lau his due. I was really not a fan of his until a few years ago, but now he seems to realize that he is one of HK film's "old veterans" and seems to be taking his work much more seriously now. Even though Big frankly looks a bit ridiculous at times due to the muscle suit, Andy (similar to what Andy Serkis did with Gollum in the Lord of the Rings trilogy) always manages to keep the humanity of the character intact, and that is what ultimately makes or breaks a film such as this.

Running on Karma is To's best work in years, and I will go so far as to say that it is without a doubt the best picture of the year, from both the US and Hong Kong. That might not be saying much considering 2003's dismal output -- which gave us heaping piles of dung like Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle and Lethal Cop, films which get my vote as the worst of the year from their respective countries. But Running on Karma is so good, it stacks up well against most every other movie, even those produced during Hong Kong's much-ballyhooed "golden age". Yes, Hong Kong cinema might very well never again reach the level of output and quality attained by the industry during those years, but Running on Karma proves that the area can still create great movies that would not be produced in any other part of the world, and it's a fine reminder to fans as to why we became enamored with them in the first place.

The film takes place in 1930's Shanghai. A vicious group known as the Axe Gang (led by Chan Kwok-Kwan, the "Bruce Lee" goalie from Shaolin Soccer) has taken over the city, but leaves the poorer areas, such as a tenement called "Pig Sty Alley" alone. Seeing an opportunity, a couple of bumbling con artists (Stephen Chow along with Lam Tze-Chung, who takes Ng Man-Tat's place this time out as Chow's sidekick) come into Pig Sty Alley posing as members of the Axe Gang, thinking the poor residents will be an easy score. However, some of the residents (including the landlords, played by Yuen Qiu and Yuen Wah) have great kung fu skill and basically beat the crap out of the duo.

As Chow is leaving town, a chance meeting with one of the top members of the Axe Gang (portrayed by Lam Suet, who seems to be fufuilling his yearly quota for cameos at a breakneck pace, but is still very entertaining) prompts them to attck Pig Sty Alley, which turns disastrous as they feel the wrath from the unlikely heroes. The ass-whipping prompts the Axe Gang to bring in a series of assassins (including Leung Siu-Lung, who plays a killer known as "The Beast", a top hitman who has the unfortunate habit of wearing pink flip-flops) to try and break the residents' collective will. As the attacks continue, Chow must decide whether to keep up his charade or help out the people he has grown to admire.

Kung Fu Hustle, from start to finish, is simply one of the most entertaining movie this reviewer has seen in quite some time. That might not seem like too much given Hong Kong's fairly anemic output as of late, but this is one of those movies that you almost wnat to re-wach it right after it's done. However, as with many of Stephen Chow's other films, he does go all over the map and a bit overboard in parts -- most notably here with a subplot involving a childhood love (played in her adult form by Huang Sheng-Yi) that ultimately doesn't really go anywhere. There's also a Looney Tunes-inspired chase that goes over the top with CGI, the use of which is actually handled well during the fight scenes. There's a lot of computer trickery, but at its' core, there is an understanding and respect of kung fu that makes the action scenes simply outstanding. Yuen Woo-Ping (and Sammo Hung in the early days of Kung Fu Hustle's production) laid a solid foundation, and the actors make the action scenes feel like something whole, unlike the empty shells of half-ass execution we see too often nowadays.

Speaking of the actors, Stephen Chow's past few movies have been moving more from being star-driven vehicles (where he is the focus) to films that emphasisize strong ensembles. In a movie where he is the star, director, writer and producer, Chow actually has relatively little screen time -- but there's nothing wrong with that in my opinion. The characters here are so interesting, that we really don't need to have Chow in every scene to keep the viewer's interest. In a day and age when many aging actors from all over the world try to cling onto scraps of their youth by putting themselves into vanity projects, Stephen Chow seems to be moving more into becoming a true director, making sure those around him look as well as he does. Even though it contins the requisite movie parodies, Cantonese puns and toliet humor, Kung Fu Hustle feels unlike most every previous effort Stephen Chow has put out and is something which marks a new standard for Hong Kong movies to follow.

Thankfully, Kung Fu Hustle was a winner at the box office as well. In a year where most of the local product failed to impress audiences, Hong Kongers made Kung Fu Hustle the top-grossing domestically-produced film of all time, putting the previous champ Shaolin Soccer down a notch. This, in my opinion, at least dispels some of the word going around that Hong Kong cinema is dead. It's not dead; it's just that audiences (both in Hong Kong and internationally) have wisened up and will no longer plunk down cash for just any movie featuring a big star or nifty special effects. Believe me, if Kung Fu Hustle was bad in any way, shape, or form, you would have heard that by now. I'm probably preaching to the choir here, but if you're a fan of Stephen Chow, kung fu flicks, Hong Kong movies, or just good comedy, you owe it to yourself to check out Kung Fu Hustle.

Like many sequels, OUATIC2 isn't as good as the original. The plot is pretty much a rehash of the first, the characters really don't develop, the film is slow-moving in parts and it just doesn't look as good as OUATIC1. Not to mention that the majority of the excellent supporting cast from OUATIC1 (such as Yuen Biao) are nowhere to be found. But this movie is still damn good, mostly because the fight scenes are incredible. The last half-hour or so of OUATIC2 is simply phenomenal, with Li taking on the leader of the White Lotus and then Yen. It's highly exaggerated wire-fu; if you don't dig stuff like guys turning sheets into deadly weapons or trampolines, then you might want to look elsewhere. But if you like over-the-top action, this is the film for you. It rivals even Yuen Woo-Ping's Iron Monkey for the craziest fights put on film.

I normally wouldn't rate a movie so high just because of the fight scenes (honestly, some parts of the film are quite boring and depend too much on having seen the first film) but the ones in OUATIC2 are great enough to justify it. Jet Li is in peak form here and this is the role that had many people calling Donnie Yen the "next big thing" in HK action movies (a "promise" that, sadly, he has not fulfilled at all, instead doing mediocre films like Legend of the Wolf). If you're a wire-fu fan, you need to see this film.

Despite the title, Beast Cops is not the over-the-top action extravaganza you might expect. Rather, it is a GoodFellas-style look into the lives of the cops and Triads. The film has an almost documentary-like feeling in parts, such as when characters speak directly into the camera or through the use of steadicams. Like GoodFellas, Beast Cops also has a healthy dose of violence, often popping up when you least expect it.

All of the leads are good -- even Michael Wong, one of the worst actors I have ever seen on either side of the ocean, who can simultaneously butcher lines in both English and Cantonese is suprisingly decent. However, the real standout is Anthony Wong. A little paunchier than in previous films and with a scraggly goatee and perpetual rings under his eyes, it's very easy to see him as the world-weary Tung. And his over-the-top psycho performance at the end is just simply great. It's worth seeing this movie just to see the young Triads run like schoolgirls from the crazed, seemingly invincible Tung.

I only have a couple of nitpicks with Beast Cops. While the soundtrack is very good for the most part, the Pulp Fiction-ish surf music at the end really takes away from the ultra-violent turn in the action. Also, the last scene is far too cheery and seems to have been tacked on to please the audience. Overall, though, Beast Cops is one of the best crime movies I have seen in years. The ending leaves room for a sequel, which I would happily welcome.

As a side note, I was quite happy when I heard Beast Cops took home a few Hong Kong Film Awards, including best picture, best actor, best supporting actor, best director and best screenplay.

My little plot summary doesn't really do this film justice. It is quite a complex plot and trying to boil it down to a couple of sentences is next to impossible. In fact, the plot is so complex that those people who don't have some knowledge of Chinese history will probably be lost (think how someone watching a film about Paul Revere might feel if they didn't know about US history). But the script is solid enough so that the film doesn't become too complex as to lose the viewer.

At its heart, though, what propels OUATIC are the action sequences. Suffice to say Jet Li has never looked better -- literally. Of course, his martial arts skills are great and he's convincing as a kung-fu master. The fights in OUATIC, which range from brawls between dozens of people to intense, high-flying one-on-one battles, are expertly choreographed and performed. But -- perhaps more importantly -- director Tsui Hark, one of the most powerful people in the HK film industry, spared no expense on this film (at least in terms of the Hong Kong film industry, where budgets are miniscule compared to Hollywood's). It simply looks better than most any other HK kung-fu film before or since, even newer special-effects laden movies like The Stormriders. OUATIC's camera and editing techniques in particular are phenomenal and play a vital role in separating this film from others of this kind. Even the burly Kent Cheng (who plays Porky, one of Wong's students) looks like a kung-fu powerhouse in front of Tsui's lens.

The other members of the cast, including Jacky Cheung (as a Chinese/American doctor named So) and Yuen Biao (as Fong, an acrobatic actor who turns against Wong) put in good performances as well. It's a pretty rare occurrence when an ensemble cast could perform within a martial arts movie, but Tsui manages to put a good balance between all the characters, so none of them seem superfluous or unnecessary. Also, it was really nice seeing a romantic subplot in a movie that didn't overpower the scenes around it. The scenes with Wong and Aunt Yee (Kwan) are actually handled with tenderness and care, unlike the hammy melodrama present in most other films.

Once Upon a Time in China is simply one of the best martial arts films ever made. If you haven't seen it, you're missing out on a special treat that showcases some of Tsui Hark and Jet Li's best work.

Zu is widely noted as Tsui Hark's first major film and one of the first modern Hong Kong movies to garner international intention (Evil Dead director Sam Raimi has noted in interviews that Zu was a major influence on his work). Some went so far as to dub Tsui the "Steven Spielberg of Hong Kong" and Zu an "Asian Star Wars." This is an interesting comparison, to be sure -- and it's not without some merit. Both films feature a reluctant hero, stories deeply rooted in their respective culture's mythology and, most importantly, there's a child-like feel to the movies.

That may sound a bit strange, but both Star Wars and Zu presnt their stories in such a wide-eyed way, one gets a certain kind of feeling from them that most other films can't match. Zu especially stands out in the world of Hong Kong films, where most characters are composed of shades of gray. The battle in Zu is simplistic -- good versus evil. When Yuen begins to get confused as to what's going on, another character simply says, "We're the good guys, they're the bad guys, understand?" Perhaps that's why Zu remains a fan favorite in Hong Kong, and why a sequel could be released almost twenty years after the original film.

However, like Star Wars, when one takes a critical eye to Zu, some flaws are revealed, especially after almost twenty years. The acting isn't that great, the plot -- dense with Chinese mythology -- may tend to lose Western viewers. Also, the special effects (some of which were done by some of the same people who worked on Star Wars) look dated and can seem a bit cheesy to modern viewers weaned on special effects-heavy films such as The Storm Riders. It also seems to show in Zu that Tsui didn't have the high level of control over all aspects of mise-en-scene that Tsui would later show on movies such as Once Upon a Time in China. Some parts suffer from somewhat choppy camerawork and editing. It's nothing horrible, but it is noticeable.

Nevertheless, Zu marks a milestone in the history of Hong Kong film history that any serious fan should watch at least once. The fact that it's a very enjoyable movie with some of the most inventive ideas put to celluoid doesn't hurt matters either.

Even with the cult success of TV food programs such as Iron Chef here in the States, food seems to be more of a chore than anything else. Companies advertise that their oven will let you get on with your life faster, pizza shops boast about the speed with which they can deliver (not the taste of the pizza itself), and so on. However, in Hong Kong (as with many other Asian countries), food -- and the rituals of both preparing and eating the dishes -- is held in high regard. The "rice scene" from A Better Tomorrow 2 (where Chow Yun-Fat force feeds a gangster fried rice after he "insults" it by throwing it to the ground) might seems silly to us Yanks, but it's not too far from the truth. Food, in this culture, is something to be enjoyed and savored -- not just devoured. To put this into perspective, the small island of Hong Kong has over 20,000 restaurants. So it makes sense then that Stephen Chow (who had already used folk heroes, movie stars and gambling legends as his inspiration) would turn to a chef for a hero character.

But of course, this being Stephen Chow, he throws all sense out the window. Hong Kong films are known for genre mixing, but Chow's collaborations with Wong Jing must have gone to his head (not necessarily a bad thing in my book). This movie contains elements of old-school kung fu, action, comedy, romance, drama, musicals (Karen Mok breaks into an impromtu number about the glories of Triad life), Eastern mysticism and philosophy, and even Soviet montage ala Eisenstein. All that's missing is some John Woo-style gunplay, which I think Chow would have done if he could have afforded it, and some annoying little kid who can kick a lot of ass (not a big loss).

What holds God of Cookery together is Stephen Chow's performance. Many comedic actors don't get their props, but Chow (who had a background in dramatic work before moving to comedies) literally runs the gamut through the film, from joker to lover to loser and everything in between. Each scene in God of Cookery has a different feel to it, and it is Stephen Chow who forms the glue that holds the movie together as he adpats his character, keeping the core the same but morphing it enough to fit the scene. Not only is he extremely funny (even if his Cantonese is too fast for you to get the verbal jokes, his facial expressions are goofy enough to warrant a laugh), he generates a good deal of pathos as well. In particular, the scene where he eats a bowl of Turkey's "Sorrowful Rice" -- which turns out to be the turning point in the film as he realizes that food, not money, must be his passion -- demonstrates what a talented actor Chow really is, and why I feel this movie deserves at least one viewing from any Hong Kong movie fan.

The God of Cookery represents at once something both uniquely native to the Hong Kong film world with Chow's "moy len tau" style, and something that is quite universal to film goers with a tried and true story about loss and the redemption of love, along with great physical comedy and visuals. The final Iron Chef-style cookoff between Chow and Kok, which mixes cooking with kung fu, is one of the most elaborate and impressive action pieces I've seen in a Hong Kong movie -- quite impressive when you think that normally cooking is not equated with action. Stephen Chow recently made a deal with the US studio Miramax (the same company that brought out many of Jackie Chan's recent movies) to release some of his films to US audiences, and I'm eager to see how American audiences will respond to this film, which is slated to be one of the first releases.

This was actually one of the first Hong Kong movies I watched (besides the innumerable old-school movies most of us saw back on the old "Kung Fu Theatre" shows). While I would not say it was a life-changing experience, it definitely changed my movie viewing habits forever. Fights were no longer confined to the ground; they could occur any and everywhere. A movie didn't have to be just one genre; they could mix up all manners of style and still be coherent. Women could have just as much power and fury as their male counterparts in movies, sometimes even more. Of course, these ideas are pretty commonplace in the western movie lexicon, especially after the success of east/west hybrids like The Matrix, but when I first saw this movie several years ago it floored me.

As for today, it still holds up well. The story -- like many wuxia films -- seems a bit too convoluted for its own good (at least to my western pallette); there's a few too many characters (and their respective plotlines) in the mix. The novel which the trilogy is based on clocks in around 2000 pages, and while the movie is not as claustrophobic as the first, it still feels a bit cluttered, as the filmmakers perhaps stuck a few too many characters into the movie stew. However, the movie sports Jet Li in one of his better and more unique roles (he actually kisses a girl in here) and a breathtaking performance from Brigitte Lin. Lin has a very minimalistic acting style, especially when compared with many other melodramatic Hong Kong actors -- she can accomplish a hell of a lot just by glaring at the camera in the right fashion. The action is simply fantastic. In an impressive career which has included directing (either outright or via way of action co-ordination) such movies as Duel to the Death, A Chinese Ghost Story, Dragon Inn, A Better Tomorrow 2 and The Killer (just to name a few), the scenes in Swordsman II stands out as some of Ching Siu-Tung's (and the Hong Kong industry in general) best work. Even if you don't normally like wuxia or wire fu movies, you should really check this film out.

Okay, forget the plot -- especially if you don't know much about WWII history. Forget about seeing this film's nuances if you can't read Chinese. But remember this film if you want to see great kung fu action. Li is in absolute top form here. The martial arts sequences are great; they're the more traditional (long, one-on-one fights with minimal wire use) type, but still wildly exciting. Overall, I just got a sense of impressiveness from Li in this movie; it's terribly hard to watch Fist of Legend and not become a fan of Jet Li. He's at his hard-ass best (the romantic subplot here is not a pronounced as many of Li's other movies) and has the moves to back his attitude up.

The team of Gordon Chan and Yuen Woo-Ping produces some outstanding results. The exposition scenes are well-done and the fight scenes are among some of Li's best. You can work with Jet Li and get crap (Lethal Weapon 4) or you can get a great film like this. Those who want to see what Jet Li can really do (without the aid of wires) should check this out.

In the film, Yuen and "Beardy" Leung Kar-Yan play a pair of con artists who are hitting a streak of bad luck. After being beaten badly by one of their intended victims (Lau Kar-Wing), the duo realize they need to improve their kung fu, and so Biao asks Lau to teach them his moves after promising servitude. Eventually, Lau takes up the pair's offer, teaching Beardy a potent punching style and giving Biao some impressive kicking skills. Things seem to be going fine -- the duo even manage to get some revenge on a casino boss that previously had them beaten -- until Yuen leans that Lau is a wanted criminal and has been using the pair to take care of his dirty work. Yuen knows he must defeat Lau in battle, but knows he is not powerful enough, so Biao starts taking kung fu lessons from a wily beggar (Sammo Hung) so that he can set things right.

Knockabout is a nice lesson in kung fu movie "economics". In its' running time, there is hardly a wasted scene, much less even a stray line of dialogue. True, the plot is nothing that deep, but it is nice to see a film that cuts straight to the chase. It seems as if Sammo Hung knew that the exposition was just a bridge to get to what the audience really wanted to see -- the action scenes. Don't get me wrong; there's nothing wrong at all with a film that has a deep plot and characterization. But sometimes, a kung fu movie just needs to be a kung fu movie, and Knockabout fits that bill to a tee. It was great seeing a old-school flick that didn't feel that it needed a dopey sidekick or sugary love interest to keep things going.

What does keep matters propelled here are some outstanding fight sequences. Yuen Biao is simply amazing as he twirls, flips, and generally beats ass with style. The supporting cast also does an excellent job. Every single brawl (of which there are a lot, and I mean a LOT, of here) feels balanced. Even though you know one of the heroes will eventually prevail, there's always a sense of suspense, since one of them seems primed to be taken out at the next step. Even though there were some things that could have been fleshed out a bit, overall Knockabout is a top-notch kung fu movie that deserves your attention even if you're not normally into the genre.

Tarantino is still a "movie geek" at heart though, and at the beginning the Shaw Brothers logo pops up, followed by a scratchy annoucement that our main feature is starting -- all a nod to the "old-school" kung fu movies of the 1970's. However, this is pretty much the only "cute, hey-look-at-me" reference in the movie, though a couple of bits such as a box of Kaboom cereal and an advertisement for Red Apple cigarettes (both little tidbits from his previous works) pop up from time to time. The next scene is one of the most intense and gritty Tarantino has ever made and rivets the viewer, setting up the story proper.

Like the classic kung fu movies Kill Bill gets its' inspiration from, the film tells a tale of revenge. Uma Thurman plays a character (referred to only as "The Bride") who is left for dead after a group of her former associates in the assassination buisness slaughter her wedding party. Waking up after being in a coma for four years, The Bride springs out of her "prison" in a hospital (where she was subjected to rape) and sets out to set things "right" (as much as can be so in Tarantino's twisted view of the world), aided by a powerful sword created by a legendary master played by the iconic Sonny Chiba, who of course was referenced in the Tarantino-scripted True Romance, so Kill Bill almost marks a completion of the cimematic circle for the director, who is now working with the Asian stars he idolized as a clerk at a video store.

At any rate, even though the plot is simple stuff, Tarantino puts his usual "chapter/flashback" style into the mix, which makes things a bit more complicated -- and somewhat bloated to an extent. While I enjoyed the anime sequence that explains Lucy Liu's character, it really isn't necessary to the story proper. It is an excellent sequence (I'm not normally an anime fan at all, but I will admit that "The Origin of O-Ren Ishii" is pretty goddamn good), but even Tarantino has said in interviews that he had the short created just because he thought it would be cool. But for the most part, Kill Bill is Tarantino's most focused film since Reservoir Dogs. Even though the movie runs close to two hours, it feels like a fraction of that. This is one of those rare movies that had me grinning from ear-to-ear during the running time, and afterwards, I wanted more. Unlike Matrix Reloaded, the ending here actually brings at least some resolution to the story and sets up the next "volume" nicely.

And, oh yeah, you might have heard that there's some bloody fights in here. Yep, there's actually quite a bit of claret and gibs -- in fact, I'm really surprised that all the flying limbs didn't earn Kill Bill a NC-17 rating. But I'm glad it didn't. It's really about time Hollywood stops pandering to the teenybopper crowd and produces action films that actually have some blood and guts in them, both figuratively and literally. Beyond the gore factor, Yuen-Woo Ping's fight direction adds just enough "oomph" without going overboard with wire and/or computer trickery (though Thurman is obviously doubled for some of the more acrobatic and dangerous bits) and Sally Menke's editing is some of the best I've seen in US-produced action sequences for quite some time. You can actually see what's going on in the fights here, unlike too many recent movies, where all you see is a bunch of two-second long clips of someone's face.

It might have taken Quentin Tarantino years and years to finally deliver a new film, but the wait was worth it. Kill Bill marks a return to greatness for the former "enfant terrible" and is much needed shot in the arm in this year's (for the most part) anemic sea of generic PG-13 fluff. Even though I really don't like the idea of splitting the initial product into two movies (a practice which sadly seems to be becoming more common now), the gimmick seems to have worked, because I can't wait to see the next installment. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go check the film out again and experience the delight only a scalping of Lucy Liu can deliver.

2046 is a sequel to 2000's In the Mood for Love and continues the story of Chan Wo Man (Tony Leung Chui-Wai), who is heartbroken after not being able to be with his true love Su Li Zhen (Maggie Cheung). Chan moves into a hotel after seeing the number on one of the rooms (2046), and spends his time romancing various women while writing a science-fiction story. After a time, he concentrates his time on a prositiute (Zhang Ziyi) staying in the room next to his and the daughter (Faye Wong) of his landlord. As Chan starts developing real feelings from the women in his life once again, they give him inspiration, and he puts them (and himself) into his story. However, Chan's past never allows him to truly let his guard down and fully let the women he loves into his heart.

Like Wong Kar-Wai's other work, 2046 concentrates itself on the feelings of loneliness people carry with them, even when they are surrounded by people. Though Chan is with beautiful women who openly care for him, he cannot commit to them. It is through Tony Leung's wonderful performance that Chan Wo Man becomes something other than a character in a movie -- he becomes a real person. As an audience, we might want him to be with one woman, but it is through the performance that we know this can never be. Even though the ending is depressing, in this case, that is the only way it could be. Chan pouring his heart out and giving a warm embrace to these women would not fit. It might not be the way we as an audience would like things to happen, but, as in life, some things in film don't work out the way we imagine they should.

As regular readers of this site will know, I'm not much for "deep" movies. Hell, I'm a guy who used to run a Wong Jing tribute site. But there are some times when a movie qualifies as a work of art, and 2046 is one of them. It's one of those rare films that lingers with you long after it has finished. Even though it takes place in Hong Kong in the 1960's (and in some sort of alternate future), the themes here will resonate with just about anyone who has ever felt some sort of love in their life and then had to give it away.

The fact that 2046 is simply gorgeous doesn't hurt, either. Christopher Doyle's mad genius is once again in full effect, and, as always, the soundtrack compliments the film perfectly; as with "California Dreamin'" in Chungking Express, the use of "White Christmas" here gives the song a whole new meaning -- what is usually regarded as a joyful yuletide tune becomes a melancholy allegory for Chan's life. To sum up, 2046 is a fairly simple film on the surface, but unlike most every other movie coming out nowadays, there's actually some depth to it. If you consider yourself a film lover in any way, you owe it to yourself to at see 2046 at least once in your lifetime.

My personal favorite in the Police Story series, mostly due to the infusion of Michelle Yeoh. Sequels, especially after the second film, often have the problem of falling into repititious storylines and action. Yeoh's character was the perfect solution to this. Not only is she the antithesis of many of Chan's ditzy female co-stars by providing a strong female character, she proves she can hold her own (and sometimes surpass) Chan at his own game.

The stunts in Supercop are simply amazing and among the best Chan has ever done-- the one where Chan hangs onto a flying helicopter while it crashes through billboards never ceases to amaze me (even though the blooper reel takes away from it a bit by showing how it was done). Yeoh shows her stuff in several key stunts, including a daring motorcycle jump, which actually broke the leg of the stuntman that tested it out. Fight-wise, the action centers more on the big brawl-style popularized in Armour of God and perfected in Drunken Master II. Fans of realistic one-on-one fighting will most likely be disappointed, but I found the action to be well-paced and fun to watch, just like the rest of the movie.

In the movie, Daniel Wu plays a mainlander hired by Lam Suet to settle the score between two competing street gangs by knocking off one of the "big brothers". However, a team of cops led by Alex Fong knows what's going on, and look to put a stop to the planned killing -- after all, no one wants a gang war on Christmas Eve. During the course of the night, loyalities on both sides of the law are put to the test as the assassin tries to carry out his job while staying one step ahead of the cops and the Triads.

As with one of his previous movies Task Force, director Derek Yee shows a great touch for fleshing out the characters in what some might see as a standard Hong Kong crime drama. There are really no scenes which scream "exposition", yet Yee manages to tell us a lot about the characters in a relatively small amount of time. I especially liked the way the interaction between Daniel Wu and Cecilia Cheung (who plays a sympathetic hooker) was handled. Enough was done to show their deepening relationship, but there wasn't any out-and-out "I love you" types of moments.

Along with the solid story-telling and acting, there's also some good action as well. It's nothing of the John Woo or Jackie Chan variety, but there are several brutal scenes -- especially towards the end, where some beatdowns on Daniel Wu frankly left me a bit unsettled. But that's one of the great things about One Nite in Mongkok. It doesn't try going for the easy way out or the happy ending. It's a complex and challenging film that should satify both new fans and long-time connoisseurs of Hong Kong crime pictures.

After coming to America and making the horrid The Protector, Chan came back to Hong Kong with the idea to make more modern martial arts/action movies than what he had been doing. Police Story would become a huge success and the prototype for Chan's films for nearly a decade afterwards. Not only that, many of the movie's high-powered action sequences (most notably the "mall brawl" at the end) would be used or outright copied in many other films, both in the US and HK. Even though it is almost 15 years old, Police Story still holds up very well today. It starts out with a sequence where a whole hillside village is literally demolished and then goes into one of the most exciting chase sequences ever filmed, where Chan gets onto a moving bus using only the handle of an umbrella. Besides a couple of slow bits in the middle (mostly dealing with the romantic subplots), the movie rarely slows down long enough for the viewer to catch their breath. One of Chan's all-time best (and his personal favorite movie), Police Story should not be missed by any action fan. Be aware that many US video copies have very shoddy quality; the best one (at least in terms of picture/sound quality) is the remastered Dimension version.

As a side note, this was also one of the first Jackie Chan films to feature a "blooper reel" at the end -- an element which Chan got from The Cannonball Run.

So what makes this movie so special? The plot -- on the surface -- is pretty simple. It deals with members of a rogue group known as the "Poison Clan" who are searching for a treasure hidden by their sifu. All of the members of the clan have extraordinary kung fu abilities, denoted by their animal styles, or "venoms" (the lizard can climb walls, the scorpion has a deadly strike, etc.). The twist is that since the clan always wears masks, not all of them known who the others are. Thus a simple plot becomes almost a suspense thriller. We're not talking The Usual Suspects here, but it's far above many other kung fu movies of the time. Supposedly, Golden Harvest was not too happy with Chang's script -- like most of his movies, they felt it was too dark and violent -- and they actually wanted him to add broad comic relief to it. Thankfully, Chang stuck to his guns and stayed with his original script, which has since has become revered as one of the best for the films of its time, if not ever, completing an almost perfect dramatic arc and providing the perfect backbone for the extraordinary action sequences.

But what really solidifies the movie are the venoms themselves. Chang Cheh hit upon a magical formula with the cast -- not only did he gain talented martial artists (whose moves, competed without the aid of wires or other special effects, put most modern martial artists to shame) but great actors as well. The formula proved so popular that Chang usually had one or more of the venoms in his later movies. Getting back to matters at hand, in most old-school movies, the actors seem to playing out cardboard cutouts, but here the actors actually create characters. It seems that everyone has a favorite venom (mine is Philip Kwok -- best known to many as Mad Dog from Hard-Boiled -- as Lizard) and it is this personal connection to the characters that The Five Deadly Venoms generates which makes it a true classic of the genre. Even if you're normally not a fan of old-school movies, you need to check The Five Deadly Venoms out, if for nothing else to see where modern movies got their inspiration from.

The story is basically the same as many of Chow's other movies -- he plays a talented martial artist who can't find work until he is discovered by soccer coach Ng Man-Tat, who convinces Chow that by combining kung fu with soccer, they can both benefit. Chow will be able to fufill his dream of spreading the word about "true" kung fu, and Ng will be able to avenge a crippling loss from an old rival (Patrick Tse). However, unlike Chow's earlier movies, he is not so arrogant.

There has been a movement over Stephen Chow's last few films to soften his on-screen persona, and Shaolin Soccer continues that trend. Perhaps this is in reaction to Chow's -- once known as one of Hong Kong's biggest playboys -- own slowing down. At any rate, this has resulted in movies that concentrate not so much on potty humor, but that are more focused on story and "true" romance. Chow's romantic interest this time out is played by Vicky Zhao, who, like many of Chow's other love interests, has a physical problem (a disfigured face), but not so much time is spent on this -- it is definitely not a focal point of the movie, like Karen Mok in God of Cookery. Even though not as much time is spent on their relationship as in Chow's other movies, the love story seems to ring a bit truer because Chow seems more sincere.

So the story in Shaolin Soccer is handled well, but what about the comedy? It's not as over the top as Chow's usual "moy len tau" style, but it's still plenty goofy. Things like an impromtu song-and-dance number, Chow and Ng staging a Shaolin nightclub act, cameos by Cecilia Cheung and Karen Mok in drag, and some mandatory (for Stephen Chow) toilet humor and pop culture references await the viewer here. To this reviewer, the comedy was very funny. Even though my Cantonese is worse than Michael Wong's and I was lost in parts, Stephen Chow's likeable personality and rubber face (as well as some help from a strong supporting cast) carried the film thorugh the rocky bits, and made the good ones that much more enjoyable.

Of course, this being a soccer movie, plenty of time is dedicated to showing the sport, and these sequences are great fun as well, thanks to some inventive use of CGI that shows how kung fu can turn a soccer match into a martial arts brawl. Overall, even though Shaolin Soccer is "toned down" a bit from Stephen Chow's previous works, this kind of thing (soccer balls being turned into fireballs while a Bruce Lee clone blocks the shot) probably won't appeal to the average viewer -- at least at first blush. Like these scenes, Stephen Chow as a whole is an acquired taste -- much like a good stew, it takes a few bites to appreciate all the flavors -- but for those wanting to check out another side of Hong Kong movies besides fists of fury or dual pistol action, Shaolin Soccer is an excellent entry into the "nonsense comedy" genre which only Hong Kong (and Stephen Chow in particular) can do so well.

Well, what can you say? Very obviously, the majority of the plot is ripped off from Die Hard (in fact, the Chinese title of High Risk is almost the same as the Chinese name of Die Hard), but High Risk at|ains a manic pacing that even the great Die Hard couldn't match if Bruce Willis was hopped up on speed. One sequence has Li driving a car through a hotel lobby, which in itself is really not that over-the-top, but then he drives it into an elevator, takes it up a few floors and commences to wax some more bad guys!

If you're looking for realistic action, you won't find it here. But if you want slamming action delivered at a jackhammer's pace, coupled with some great kung fu (Corey Yuen, responsible for some of Li's best work, assisted on the film), you can't go wrong with High Risk, though it does help to be a long-time fan of HK movies to get some of the jokes. (Wong Jing and Jackie Chan didn't get along during the filming of City Hunter, so Wong spares no expense in roasting Chan in this movie, even going as far as putting in dead-on impersonations of Chan's father and manager.)