Score 2: The Big Fight (product link) Action/Adventure / Crime If you enjoyed Score (which I know I did), then you'll find plenty to hoot and holler about Score 2 as well. With a number of characters running and gunning at each other through an empty amusement park, how can you go wrong! So, if you can simply enjoy a plotless shoot 'em up, then by all means check this flick out. However, on the down side, the production values on this movie were kind of low. So, don't be expecting a slick looking pic by any means. But, they did a decent job with the budget they were given. It still beats half the junk Hollywood is churning out.
Tom Yum Goong (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure As most people, I was also blown away by the killer martial arts display of Ong-Bak. It was a breath of fresh air that martial arts movies needed. So, with Tom Yum Goong, I was eagerly chomping at this bit to check it out. And boy, was I not disappointed. In my opinion, Tom Yum Goong is actually better than Ong-Bak. The Thai team responsible for both movies knew they had to out-do themselves with the stunts. And man-oh-man, did they deliver. One word to describe the action here is "craziness". Tony Jaa's athletic abilities are unbelievable. I actually lost track of how many bad guys Jaa beats the heck out of in this movie. I was glued to the screen and cheering him on. It was entertainment at its finest! Highly recommended.
Born To Fight [2004] (product link) Action/Adventure / Martial Arts Anyone out there that loved Ong-Bak and Tom Yum Goong will definitely want to check this movie out. From the same stunt team that brought you those two movies, comes more choreagraphed mayhem. Crazy stunts, martial arts galore, and even stylish gunplay, make this movie a must-own. Being that I love both gunplay and martial arts in my movies, I can't praise this movie enough. Your jaw will be on the floor with the insane action that explodes onto the screen. If the current trend continues, Thai action movies will be leading the way as to what action movies are supposed to be in this day and age. Hong Kong and the U.S. are going to have to stand up and take notice. This movie is a bloody good time. 5 stars!
Bang-Rajan: The Legend Of The Village Warriors [Australia SE 2-Disc Set] (product link) Action/Adventure / War This movie is kind of an epic adventure that was apparently based on a true story. The movie does contain some big battle sequences that were pretty well filmed. However, the down time in-between these battles had me looking for the fast forward button. The love story didn't quite work for me and I felt myself looking for something more out of the story. The vastly outnumbered villagers taking on the big army in a last stand should have created a lot of tension and emotion. But, somehow it just didn't pull me in. Maybe I'm just too used to the melodrama that is so prevalent in the Korean movies I watch. At any rate, if you're looking for big battle sequences, by all means check this out. But, if you're looking for an engaging story (ala Braveheart), you probably won't be satisfied.
Fighter In The Wind (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure I actually had high hopes when I purchased this movie. But, as with many martial arts films, the only highlights of the movie were the actual fights. The story itself created no real tension or drama. You plodded along through the downtime just praying that the next fight would come along soon. And while the fights were good, none of them were very long. So, while the film is not bad per se, anyone looking for the next Ong-Bak or anything of that nature will be sorely disappointed here. This is for die-hard martial arts fans only.
The Tiger Blade (product link) Action/Adventure / Crime Think John Woo meets the "Ong-Bak" team in this wild action ride. The plot is thin at best, but this flick was all about the action set pieces. Fancy gunplay and martial arts mayhem each got equal play here. And I for one, loved it. Lots of slo-mo, blood squibs, and cool stunts had me glued to the screen like an addict waiting for his next dose. I couldn't look away. A touch of CGI, a little wirework, and a whole lot of imagination went into this picture. Put your mind at ease and enjoy the ride. This was made for action fans who can put their mind on cruise and enjoy a fast-paced movie with relentless stuntwork. Definitely recommended.
Wild Criminal (product link) Action/Adventure / Crime I actually sat down to watch this film wanting to like it. I said, Girls with guns and Riki Takeuchi, how can this go wrong? But, needless to say, it did go wrong.
This was one of the most boring Japanese gangster movies I've had to suffer through in quite some time. Riki was vastly underused in this movie and what plot there was did not drawn me in. There is a body count of 10 in this movie, but do not expect any sort of choreographed gunfights or mayhem. The deaths that did occur were pretty much just executions.
While the film production looked good and there were a few cool camera angles, anyone expecting an action movie or a cool crime drama will be sorely disappointed. The movie failed to deliver any of its expected highlights, and I found myself hitting the fast forward button more than once.
First, I'll talk of the good things I liked about the movie. It looked good, production values seemed decent, CGI effects were convincing enough, gore effects were great, the comedy worked in most of the right places, and the acting was on level for this type of movie. On these values alone, it was an enjoyable, good time flick.
Now, I'll talk of the bad things I didn't like about the movie. For a movie about aliens, I felt like I didn't get enough of them. For a 90 minute movie, the aliens didn't attack the town until after the one hour mark. Yes, there were two quick kills within the first hour, but I still felt there wasn't enough screen time for the nasties. My other complaint is that the survivors never really got to fight back. I like to see the nasty critters getting their fair payback in these types of flicks. We only get to see one alien get dispensed in a beautiful scene which I don't want to ruin for anybody. Other than that, there was no justice dispensed. And the ending, well, that's anybody's guess as to the meaning of it all. Bottom line, it was enjoyable but unsatisfying.
Vengeance [2006] (product link) Horror / Thriller I actually liked the whole concept and idea of this movie. Cops chasing criminals into a cursed forest with nasty creatures and a vampire-like clan should have been a heckuva good time. And, while parts of the film were very entertaining, the film as a whole failed to deliver. The film looked good, creature effects were decent, acting was ok, and the action was passable. But, the film failed to grip me. This is probably the biggest fault of the director. It needed to be tightened up and it needed some cool camera work. But, for an ok waste of two hours, you could definitely do worse.
Evil [2005] (product link) Horror / Comedy The good thing about this movie is that there are some very imaginative zombie kills. When the gore came, it came fast and furious. Various utensils are used for some slick skull-splitting. You can definitely tell this is where the modest budget went into. For gore and gore alone, this movie might be worth watching once.
The bad news is that the movie does look like it was made on a shoestring budget. This definitely detracts from the experience. I've definitely seen worse looking flicks though. The other thing is that the first major zombie attack doesn't come until almost 45 minutes into the movie. The downtime and comedy in-between just isn't very good. It would definitely be cool to see this director given a bigger budget to work with.
Invisible Target (product link) Action/Adventure / Martial Arts Finally another HK action flick that really is about just that: "action". The film was fast-paced and kept your eyes glued to the screen. If the director thought that the downtime was dragging on too long, he was sure to throw in another action-set piece to get your blood pumping again. Bravo on the pacing of this movie.
While the two-hour plus running time could definitely have been shortened, I was pleasantly surprised by how easy it was to sit through that length of time. While some of the melodramatic performances didn't quite work in the film, the highly choreographed action more than made up for its downfalls. Broken glass, guns, bullets, explosions, martial arts, and chases through the city make this one of the best HK action flicks this year. Definitely recommended.
Flash Point (product link) Action/Adventure / Martial Arts Donnie Yen proves yet again why he is probably the best action choreographer in the business today. The martial arts rocked in this flick. There's even some gunplay which is a big plus in my book as well. In my opinion, this movie beat SPL hands down. Even though there's some setup time in this film, it is very well worth the wait. It's great to see that Hong Kong can still crank out quality action films when they try. Highly recommended.
Explosive City (product link) Crime / Action/Adventure "Explosive City" had all the ingredients for what should have been a heck of an action movie. However, the script got bogged down in its own trappings and never seemed to know how to let loose and actually "explode" shall we say. It even tried to go for the "Shiri" vibe with the female assassin. Even the cool Simon Yam couldn't make this movie work. This is not a bad movie per se, it's just all been done before much much better. Aside from a couple of decent action sets, there's nothing here to make me watch this again. If you can, rent it, by all means. But I can't say that this film is worth buying.
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