I do really like Tak Sakaguchi's screen presense and action sequences showing great promise when he figures out a believable story is important. The action scenes were intense and very believable since he would really hit people with his padded hands that were covered by his costume sleeves.

This film also included fun but very over the top action such as bazookas with homing missiles, zombies?, and strange pale people similar to the ones in "Seven Swords".

Still this film is fun but it comes back to questions like who are these people, what's the purpose of those girls, where did that weapon come from, etc...

Many people who like mindless violence and mayhem like I do will have a great time if they are able to put their mind on stop and "Death Trance" on play, but to people who ask questions during movies--beware

"China Strike Force" is an oddball throwback to the glory days of Hong Kong cop actioners with a new school twist and a touch of Americanized compost. In fact the movie is in English even though that is not the native dialect of over half the cast. And it shows. The acting was, let's say, slightly less than serviceable. Oddly enough, Coolio wound up delivering his lines pretty well and was funny more intentionally than not, unlike some of his co-stars. And of course there's Mark.

Mark Dacascos is always a pleasure to watch--his acting is halfway decent and his martial arts skills are A-list quality. It's kind of a bitch that he never really blew up the way he should have. But isn't that always the way? JCVD gets famous and he bites. Pop stars and Hollywood megastars get highly funded kung fu vehicles and they are all undeserving. But what of Mark Dacascos, Ernie Reyes Jr., Scott Adkins, and Brad Allen (and many others)? Where are their big contracts for major action movies? Someone or something out there controlling the cosmic balance has the most twisted sense of humor. I mean, think about it. John Lennon: shot and killed; Martin Luther King, Jr.: shot and killed; Ronald Reagan: shot and wounded, survived. What kind of shit is that?!? People, we must protect the balance if God won't. Live your lives with some degree of honor and stay vigilant. Hopefully we can protect what is sacred.

Whoa, sorry about that folks, I'm starting to wear this soapbox out. Before I shot out into left field I think we were dicussing a movie of some kind. Right? So, "China Strike Force" is inconsistant in the acting department and plain and standard on the whole plot thing, but how is the action? Pretty good, actually. Stanley Tong always seems to craft some kinetic fights with high energy, and this movie is no exception as we are given some very functional choreography. The previously mentioned Mark Dacascos gets to shine in this arena. While he only really gets two fights and is basically gypped out of the end fight, he still gets to show off his goods with style, grace, and power. The stunts are well done, but despite the enjoyable action there are still lags here and there due in part to poor direction and choppy acting. The end fight was kind of disappointing as well. Though it had a definite element of danger, it did not have the pace or quality of the rest of the fights.

Overall I did enjoy it and I would say it is worth checking out, but it won't necessarily become one of your favorites. Thanks for the time. Stay up on the down. I got stuff to do but we'll catch up.

The story is taken from the novel “Peaceful Days”, written by Shugoro Yamamoto. The novel was also the source for Kurosawa’s "Sanjuro" and "Yojimbo". This is the closest adaptation of Yamamoto’s novel. It’s great to see what writer Akira Murao and director Okamoto were inspired by.

“Kill!” is about two men. Genta has given up the samurai code, and Hanjiro is a farmer masquerading as a samurai. They stumble upon seven dimwitted samurai who murder a vassal of the Shogun on behalf of a local boss named Chamberlain Ayuzawa.

The samurai send Genta to their boss to inform him of the success of their mission. Hanjiro goes to Ayuzawa to get a job, and to become a real samurai. Hanjiro’s mind and heart are tested because in order to become a samurai, he has to kill Genta.

It amazes me how the characters' lives in the movie intervene. They have goals, and they could easily be accomplished, but whatever road you choose there are always consequences. The movie does go in depth in that department, but the film also offers a lot of laughs. The humor in the movie is well added, each line or action is done well and right on cue. This is a also a witty samurai movie. With that being said, the movie feels fresh and intelligent, as if it was made today.

“Kill!” is a movie that can work for any audience. The genre is an action-adventure story, but it adds drama and laughter, which makes it feel like an “every person kind of film“. I am astonished how good this picture is and how it paces itself into a truly amazing samurai picture.

I was cheated. I was robbed. Just about any amount of money you paid to see this movie that exceeds four U.S. dollars is a vicious ripoff. Was the fight sequence with the ladder phenomenal? Absolutely. Was that pretty much the only thing worthwhile in this flick? Absolutely. This movie brings shame to the immensely entertaining "Police Story" series by skimping on the fu and fight scenes. Of course there is an underwater fight at the end--meaning slow and lacking the type of dynamic aesthetics we have come to expect from a Jackie film. "First Strike" basically is a meandering, through-the-motions, on auto-pilot Jackie film. Perhaps I was mildly entertained at random throughout, but for the most part I just can't justify giving a movie that I only appreciated for one fight scene more than one and a half stars. Sorry but this is only for strict Jackie completists. I love Jackie just like you folks. That's why this film doesn't do it for me. He's better than that.

Do me a favor: at the next wedding you attend slap a bridesmaid on the ass during the ceremony. If you are questioned on this just tell them you got the idea from a bastard. Enjoy your movies, kids.

Donnie Yen does a good job with the martial arts side of the film, especially when working with the other two lead actors (Nicholas Tse and Shawn Yue) who do not have a martial arts background. The action was a bit over the top with too much wire-fu for my taste, but that can be expected from a fantasy film based on a comic book.

The director, Wilson Yip ("SPL", "Bio-Zombie") has always proved to be innovative and gives some impressive visuals in this one, but even that cannot fix the film's many shortcomings.

It's hard for this type of film to succeed without a strong villain, which was clearly the case here. Why should anyone care when he's that generic looking with no background information and doesn't even show up until 45 minutes into the show? He totally mailed it in until he kicked Turbo Shek and Tiger's ass resulting in Dragon (Donnie Yen) thrashing him later, which made all three characters look weak. In fact, Turbo and Tiger looked inferior the whole film. But why? Does Donnie Yen need that much of an ego boost after winning awards for "SPL"?

I know this is a film that you need to shut off your brain when watching, but that can be hard when it is not very entertaining. The worst thing that could have happened to this one is the high expectations that resulted with the insane comparisons to far superior films such as "Storm Riders" and "SPL". It's probably a good idea to skip this and watch "SPL"; and if you've seen that before, watch it again.

Somebody needs to offer an explanation on how this made it to Cannes.

There are many moments of creative brilliance and comedic excellence, yet it still maintained a good amount of homage content. Completely needed for a complete Asian film collection if only to see soccer balls get jump-spin-kicked. All around fun. And it's that good kind of humor that just makes you feel good inside like when you watched Paris Hilton go to jail.

"The Matrix: Reloaded" delivered the goods in full. More dimension was added to the story when we find out that none of the characters or the story actually take place outside of the Matrix. Though this fact does devalue the reality and gravity of the entire series, this was the second film of the trilogy so that makes room for a more conclusive denouement in the third and final film...

You know I have actually heard some people say that there was not enough action in it. Wow, do those fools have some short attention spans or what?!? The movie is about 2 hours and 18 minutes. Roughly 18 minutes accounts for the credits and trailer at the end of the film, meaning the movie itself is about 2 hours. Approximately 1 hour of the movie is kung fu fights, shoot-outs and car chases. So about half of the movie is all-out action, while the other half focused on the plot and the many characters involved. As an added bonus, this one included something the first film didn't have. Actual martial artists!!! Collin Chou as Seraph (my favorite Matrix character), Daniel Bernhardt as an agent and all of the Merovengien's monkey boys were the real deal. There was some excellent choreography from Yuen Wo Ping that totally trumped the previous film and showcased a good variety from unarmed to weapon-based combat (Keanu handled those sai pretty damn well). The CGI stuff didn't bother me one bit because Keanu is not like us. He has not dedicated his life to advancing his martial capabilities, agilty and strength, so even with intense short training he can't pull off the junk that we have been working on for years. That being the case it was actually cool to see some really amazing kung fu in the form of well done CGI animation, and I also think that it was done in a fluid enough manner that it didn't disrupt the flow of those sequences. Besides you folks had no problems when Spiderman did it, so you should be fine with that stuff going down in the Matrix. This movie was great entertainment and contained all of the hallmarks of an engrossing and thought-provoking sci-fi classic. The actors were on point and the curvature of the path of the story was nicely done.

There is only one problem here. One major problem. This movie was almost perfect, but I had to deduct a half star for the fact that this film suffers from middle kid syndrome due to its status as the second film in the trilogy. The kid that came after this one fucked it up for everybody and ruined what could have been one of the greatest sci-fi tales ever told.

IN SUMMATION: Yeah, this film has caught a lot of flak because many "critics" feel it solidifies their own credibility if they bash a trilogy film that does well in the box office. Just like when everyone bashed the new "Star Wars" films. But guess what: they weren't that damn bad either. People are just jaded and prejudiced. Please, folks, don't take a perspective because you are lead to believe that you should, because then you are in someone else's control. If fools can tell you what to believe, what does that make you? But screw the soapbox, this movie is great and only marred by the sorry ass pile of crap that followed it. Worth adding to the collection.

The story is about a young man named Mike Terry who owns a self defense studio, he teaches a class following the samurai code. The studio is seeing financial problems though the young man does not seem to care. Mike Terry knows that his life is tough, but his codes make it easier for him to survive until a tragic night which triggers events which turn his world upside down.

The film amazes me because in the beginning the environment is so peaceful and throughout the movie it opens up so much from the simplicity of it to the chaotic world we live in. Nobody has ever said the road to nobility was an easy path.

David Mamet has written an intelligent film . He has opened up a new world in the modernized samurai picture and it will leave any viewer with amazement. It also has brilliant dialogue which adds so much volume to the story's twists and turns. Mr. Mamet’s alumni cast are perfect for the film. “Redbelt” is a movie that survives multiple viewings, it's one of those films that is rare in cinema today.

This is possibly the Grandmaster and reigning champ of all bad ass chick flicks. Michelle Yoeh is mesmerizing and exibits the traditional fearless nature of a stunt performer at their peak. Her stunts and fights throughout this movie are second to no man.

We also get to see Cynthia Rothrock at arguably her finest. Everthing about her was so much better in her Hong Kong movies. Her kicks were sharper, her movements were more fluid, and then she came back home to unleash an endless string of B movies that would never even come close to capturing her amazing ability like her efforts that were "made in China". (Lead free.)

Then we got the man himself, Tsui Hark, who delivers a good performance as one of the main hoods who are clearly in over their heads.

This movie brings it all together and entertains on more than one level. The humor is pretty good and the action and fight/stunt choreography are all completely Hong Kong A-game stuff. This movie makes "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" look like playground antics. If you are about the tough chick flicks, this movie is a must-own.

Now I must be off to help old ladies in their eternal struggle to cross the street. They are usually so thankful that they don't notice that their purses are missing...

"Red Belt" is one of those films that unites its writing, direction and strong cast performances into something that is provacative as well as entertaining. It is also one of those films that you kind of have to watch more than just once to appreciate its depth. The movie centers around a protagonist that still lives, preaches and teaches the code of samurai honor that guides him. For the most part, the majority of the cast are antagonists and plot devices that seek to corrupt or profit off of the hero. Can a modern day samurai persevere in a corrupt society full of greed, deciet and financial adversity? You should probably watch to find out.

I should also address the fight choreography. Well, if you like Jujitsu like I like Jujitsu, then gazoondheidt. Seriously, the fights were great and got to employ some great Jujitsu throws, locks, chokes and counters. The end fight between the hero and John Machado is delicious and good for you. The cinematography, combined with a Japanese style drum-based score, fueled much of the emotion and power of many of the scenes.

If I were to grade this film purely as a samurai film I give it 5 stars. No take-backs. This film should be in the collection of every film connoisseur, martial artist and samurai fan.

11 AWESOME MOVIES THAT YOU MAY HAVE WATCHED NOT REALIZING THAT THEY WERE EXCELLENT SAMURAI FILMS:

11. Way Of The Gun"

10. Die Hard"
John McClane is the original American samurai.

9. Kill Bill Vol.1

8. Sin City
Every Frank Miller hero is essentially a samurai.

7. Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
If you don't get how this is a samurai flick, then I'm not gonna' bother explaining it.

6. Batman (Tim Burton,1989)
The original American samurai in literature.

5. Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace
Seriously, go watch it again. Then watch it again. Ignore the Jar Jars like you ignored C3PO, the Ewoks, and how whiney Luke was from the originals. This movie is all about the path of a samurai.

4. Ghost Dog: Way Of The Samurai
Just because "way of the samurai" is in the title doesn't mean everyone gets the fact that this is a pure samurai film.

3. Red Belt
Didn't I just review that? Weird.

2. Fight Club
Again, if I have to explain it, you might not get it anyway. But trust me, on many levels this is a samurai film too.

1. Throw Down
Powerful and engaging--this is at the top of the food chain when it comes to modern day samurai films.

Thank you for participating in this test. Your results will be back from the lab shortly...

The story is fascinating, about Byung-du who is a 29-year-old career criminal working for the middle-rank enforcer Sang-chul. Burdened with a terminally ill mother and taking care of younger siblings, Byung-du is feeling financial pressure as a substitute patriarch. When the big boss President Hwang is cornered by a corrupt prosecutor, Byung-du volunteers for a whack job and wins the big man's trust. However, his real trouble begins when friend Min-ho, an aspiring movie director, asks him to be a consultant for the latter's debut film.

The performances from the actors and actresses were wonderfully done. The cast made it look easy, and that is a trick, especially in a movie full of twists and turns.

I absolutely love the score of the picture. It has a classical instrumental French vibe to it, and somehow it fits perfectly in this Korean crime movie. The action--or should I say killings--was realistic and it shows. The punches, kicks, and stabbings were done realistically. There was no Hollywood element to it. The director and writer, Ha Yu, made an excellent gangster movie. “A Dirty Carnival” has beautiful shots. Though it is violent and gritty, Mr. Ha Yu has a great eye of the world. In this film we see two sides: the civilian side of living, and the gangster side of living. It’s an achievement how he captures them both.

“A Dirty Carnival” is the most realistic and violent gangster picture I have ever seen. The performances and story are captivating to watch. The score is amazing. I love this picture.