The Prodigal Son [Australia Special Edition] (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure Another review called this the most acurate martial arts film ever made. Since I'm not a practitioner of any martial art, I'm not sure what that means; however, this is a very good movie. The fights are done really well (although surprisingly bloody), and the story is actually quite good. The best thing about the film is Sammo Hung, but sadly there's not enough of him in it. Nevertheless, I recommend this film.
When this film came out (in the U.S.), it more or less introduced Jackie Chan to a wider American audience beyond fans of martial arts films, and it's a good intro. The stunts and fight scenes are some of Jackie's better ones. However, the acting is kind of bad, at least the English dubbing is. The story is also weak, but there is something I want to point out that I didn't pay attention to the first time I saw it. It has to do with Anita Mui's character. When I first saw this film I just wanted to see the action, but seeing it a few years later I paid more attention to rest of the film. Here's Jackie, working with this woman that's bought his Uncle's store, there's an obvious chemistry between them--she's a pretty and successful woman, yet throughout the film Jackie proceeds to ruin her life! By trying to help her, he gets her store demolished not once, but twice! All so he can rescue his "friends" who only moments before tried to kill him and were responsible for the first wrecking of poor Anita's store! Did I mention the stripper? Yes, our hero Jackie, rather than end up with the woman he has an obvious connection with, hooks up with the so-called "hot girl" who was the girlfriend of the gang leader that tried to kill him! If you watch closely you'll see a film where Jackie ruins the life of one woman to run off with his old enemy's ex-squeeze. I can only imagine what the gang leader "Tony" says to Anita as they ride together with Jackie in the hovercraft to get the "White Tiger". It would probably be something like, "Hey, sorry about destroying your store that time. Oh, and threatening your life, but we're cool now, right?" The fights are worth watching this for, but let's not forget the "victims" of Jackie Chan's heroics.
The World (product link) Drama / Art An interesting story and well acted but I found it a bit dull. Maybe if I lived in Mainland China I would understand it more.
Drunken Master (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure One of Jackie Chan's best. Surpassed only by "Drunken Master 2", which you also must buy!
Hard Boiled (product link) Action/Adventure / Bullet Ballet A fun movie to watch. NO ONE EVER RUNS OUT OF AMMO!!!! If you have a home theater system I suggest keeping some Excedrin on hand. After the end scene at the hospital you may need it. Enjoy!
this film is totaly over rated, i feel the story is very slow, and the action is not that great, gun fight is not my thing,only pretty boy fight with guns!
Drunken Master 2 (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure Jackie Chan's best movie ever!! It's great to watch in the original Cantonese. I could describe the film but there's no need, just get it!
Shaolin Temple [1982] (product link) Martial Arts / Drama It's interesting to see such a young Jet Li--he's just a kid in this one! The story is nothing to get excited about, but the action is good, especially the training scenes. Jet Li seems to spend the entire second half of the film screaming "SHIFU!!!!!", but it's worth watching.
Wing Chun (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure The story is kind of bad but the action is amazing! I've never seen a fight centered around a block of tofu! Highly recommended.
Once Upon A Time In China Trilogy [US 2-Disc Set] (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure I would have given this five stars, but the third film is a little weak. However, the first two are fantastic. Some westerners might not get some of the political aspects of the stories, but you can always do a little research to find out more and watch the films again! To anyone only familiar with Jet Li's "Hollywood" films, I urge you to watch these to see what Jet Li can really do! And Donnie Yen in part two is excellent!
A Touch Of Zen (product link) Martial Arts / Swordplay/Sword(s) I don't get how this is considered a classic. It's way too long and extremely boring. The first action doesn't take place until an hour into the film! By then you just won't care. Skip this unless you suffer from insomnia--"A Touch of Zen" should take care of that.
The Tai Chi Master [2005] (product link) TV Shows/Movies / Martial Arts Excellent. Beautifully done action sequences. Apparently [the Tai Seng DVD] is cut down from a much longer television series, so the story is a little weak; but it doesn't matter, the fight and training sequences take up most of the film and they are superb! Even though Yuen Wo Ping (whom I think is brilliant) is the choreographer, there is little or no wire work, just the amazing abilities of the cast. Definitely worth buying.
Note: Don't be fooled like I was into watching "Fatal Contact" just because Jacky Wu is the star, that movie is absolute crap!
Dragon Tiger Gate (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure Someone posted a clip of the opening fight from this film on the internet. Do yourself a favor and just watch that, because it's the only good part of the film. From then on it just gets more ridiculous. The story is really weak and the fight scenes get increasingly bizarre. I understand the concept of "suspension of disbelief" when watching film or television; but honestly, the action borders on comical. If you're a Donnie Yen fan there are a lot of better movies than this one. Try "Kill Zone" or "Iron Monkey". Leave "Dragon Tiger Gate" closed!
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READER COMMENTS
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Did you not understand that this was based on a comic? This movie is by no means perfect, but I would give it 3.5 to 4 stars not 1 star.
The Curse Of The Golden Flower (product link) Drama / Action/Adventure All flash, no substance. The film looks great but that's about it. I like all of Zhang Yimou's other films, which is why I saw this one, but I found it extremely disappoining. I don't speak Mandarin, but that didn't stop me from noticing how bad an actor Jay Chou is! I understand he's a pop star or something. Why do they all make movies? Skip this one.
Holy Cow! What an awful movie!! Some of the fight scenes are decent but the story is absolutely ridiculous. The girlfriend in this story is this terrible person who convinces the main character to get involved in illegal boxing. Convinces another friend (who we find out is a prostitute) how to "get out" of it by being a "better" prostitute preferably by hooking up with a gangster or police man so they can "take care of" her pimp. Add to this that it turns out she is using Jacky Wu to get a share of his winnings AND she's sleeping with his gangster backer. It seems unbelievable that the film tries to make her sympathetic. Anyway, by the time she commits suicide at the end, it comes off as an unintentionally hilarious demise. The most interesting character is "Captain" a streetwise kung fu fighter that helps Jacky train and provides some comic value to this mess. Sadly, he doesn't actually fight but rather, goes home to open a dim sum shop for his mother before Jacky's final fight. The tragic ending comes so swiftly that you may be scratching your head. Do yourself a favor and skip this one. If you want to see Jacky Wu do something remarkable, watch Tai Chi Master.
Once Upon A Time In China [Dutch Special Edition] (product link) Action/Adventure / Martial Arts This is it. Just buy this trilogy and your martial arts film collection is complete. In fact, you could probably get rid of most if the other films you own because they'll just seem inferior by comparison.
Kung Fu Hustle (product link) Comedy / Action/Adventure I disagree with the 3.4 rating. This film is amazing! You have to appreciate all of the other pop culture references and nods to earlier martial arts films to really enjoy it. I've watched it at least 10 times and it's equally enjoyable every time. I particularly enjoy Stephen Chow's way of injecting drama into this otherwise hilarious film.
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