Decent movie. I would actually rate this at 3.75. Should have been retitled to "Eighteen Jade Lohans" (not to be confused with Lindsay). The mechanized statue with multiple arms looked ridiculously camp. It looks like something that came off of a 1960s horror film/sci-fi set. Good cast list, although I'm not sure who the main lead is (can anybody verify?).
Not to go too much into the plot, but it involves a good guy that knows the deadly Lohan Palm and travels with Polly Kuan to initially find the 18 Jade Lohans as well as track down Chang Yi's "killer". The plot is all right for the most part, and we even have some cameos from Lo Lieh, Ko Fei, and Lung Fei. In the end we find out the "killer", the reasoning behind the string of events leading up to this confrontation, and then have a very weak climax.
Polly Kuan out of the blue gets some epiphany on how to beat her opponent. That was done really dumb and showed a real lack of development on the director's part. Following this epiphany, the villain is defeated in what seems like less than a minute.
As mentioned, some night scenes were hard to view, but it didn't detract too much from the movie. I think the mystery element of this movie was better than the action. Granted you can probably figure out the main culprit halfway in. The action comes secondary to me. I am not one of those viewers who has to have nonstop brainless action with a paper thin plot to have some kind of enjoyment. So in short, I would easily say this is a rental but don't know if I would be watching this over and over again.
The Brave Archer (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure This movie, along with the rest in this series, can be summarized with one word: convoluted.
Yes it has action, like the rest in the series, but the direction in this is horrible. It tries too hard to introduce an array of characters and sub plots with no real development. I could essentially cut and paste this review and put it in place for the other movies in this series. Only for Fu Sheng/Venom fans looking to complete their collection
Not a bad indie effort. Kind of a shame that nobody really knows the name of the main actor in this movie. Lots of solid action throughout.
A young man is entrusted with the golden seal but is almost killed by the Chings. A family nurses him back to health but then they fall victim to the bad guys and he is off to Shaolin temple to learn kung fu and one day take revenge.
The love story angle is a bit weak (really not even needed) and the bits with the drunk/crazy monk could have been developed alot better. However, it's a solid movie all around. I'm real curious if the editing of this movie was intentional as the beginning has a replaced title card then jumps right into the credit sequence where they name off production people (no cast members). Then at the end it plays what appears to be the credit sequence that should have been done in the beginning, and then we get a THE END. Either way it's a bit strange.
The 7 Grandmasters (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure More like 3.75 for me. There is plenty of good fighting in this one. The storyline is a bit thin on this one. You can pretty much figure out who the bad guy is.
AGREE?
READER COMMENTS
AUTHOR
Y
Still an old school classic though..look do we really watch these movies for the storyline? lol
Invincible One (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure Not bad at all if you are into the Chang Cheh Shaolin cycle. Chang Cheh's direction is top notch in this movie (which is something I dont say often about Chang Cheh). Obviously, this is a Fu Sheng vehicle, where he plays a country bumpkin trying to make it in the city. Chi Kuan Chun plays the big brother trying to discourage Fu Sheng from using his kung fu. His brother is fully aware of the dangers that come from fame and from working for crooked bosses. Don't want to give too much away but I liked this better than "Shaolin Martial Arts", "Shaolin Avengers", "5 Shaolin Masters",and "Heroes Two".
The Heroes [Tai Seng] (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure Not a bad indie effort. Basic premise is Ti Lung goes undercover to kill Chan Wai Man. Unfortunately, his brothers from Shaolin have to suffer the price in getting his mission accomplished. I thought it was rather comical that Chan Wai Man finally understood Ti Lung was up to something near the end when he was secretly training his brothers to fight against the Chings when he was torturing them.
I liked the film for the most part, but it wasn't anything that made me want to hit the rewind button. A worthy rental.
If you are a fan of Chang Cheh's Shaolin cycle, then you will like this. You can see where Queertin Tarantino got his inspiration (but doesn't credit anybody) for Uma Thurman's character in "Kill Bill" from this movie.
I'm not gonna' get into the synopsis of this movie, as most people have covered it allready, but I do want to say Beardy did a convincing job of the iron skin technique as well as being stiff as a board in personality and demeanor. The guy looked menacing. Wang Lung Wei's technique was kind of comical in that people would punch his pooch, he would absorb the punch, and then bounce the punch back to the attacker where they fall six feet back and die from internal bleeding.
This movie was apparently the footprint for all future kf movies with the teacher/student dynamic. There are lots of drawn out training scenes (if that's your thing). It's worthy of a watch, but I can't see myself watching this repeatedly.
The Face Behind The Mask (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure The story involves a kung fu master and his disciples. The kung fu master has been appointed the top guy in the kung fu world and everybody is out to get him and usurp his "throne". The kung fu master and his disciples try to find out who's behind all the attacks and think there's a spy amongst the ranks. What this film does well is puzzle the viewer in guessing who the spy/betrayer is. Do you pick the most obvious? The most opportunistic? The one that would gain the most?
The action is plentiful in this movie but it's nothing that really stands out. I'll be honest, the disciples seemed to be more entertaining in the fighting than the kung fu master. Lo Lieh fans will like this film.
The Dream Sword [DOUBLE FEATURE] (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure
Awesome movie with Yueh Hua, Chung Wa, and Lung Fei. The three comprise of Dream Sword and are on a mission for fame, power, and fortune. Some nice sets and lots of action. I also liked the soundtrack that played throughout the movie, especially the music/foley played during Yueh Hua's action scenes. Chung Wa is a scholar who has visions of how he and his companions will win in battle and he paints them onto "canvas" so that his companions will have an idea on how to win. Lung Fei plays the somewhat dim but a kick ass axe wielder. Yueh Hua plays a swordsman who fights almost with samurai like precision. Lost of double crosses/infiltration. The ending is somewhat predictable (especially if you have seen Yueh Hua and Chung Wa in movies together), but done decently. I have to say this is probably one of my favorite releases that Rarescope has put out. Highly recommended for those that like Ku Long type movies.
Ninjas And Dragons (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure I would actually give this more of a 2.75 rating. There's a fair amount of action, which is decent. However, 3 gripes from me: 1) The old "lady" is actually a dude but dubbed in a woman's voice. 2) Someone tell me the old lady's cohort who was supposed to be a chick is actually a dude? Either way that's one ugly ass chick! 3) The midget/kid: annoying ass voice. I could not stand it. I wanted him to be thrown off a cliff with weights attached to its ankles.
The story is just a freakin' mess. A ninja is in China on a quest to find another ninja who betrayed his clan. Long story short, ninja hooks up with the good guys to get rid of the general, the old "lady", her companion, and the midget/kid. You can pretty much figure out the mystery early on, and when it's finally "revealed" at the end, it's done pretty much half-assed. I don't recommend this title.
The Lost Sword Ship (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure If HKFlix had a 3.75 rating, that would be my true rating. Decent wuxia pian fare. Lots of action, typical plot twist to a love story/love triangle. I thought the action choreography was average (which is why I didn't rate it a 4 or higher). You can tell they used a lot of stunt doubles by the far away shots. I did not care for the English dub [on the version I watched], especially when Roc Tien (I believe that's his name, if memory serves me) is in the cave learning the fragrant sword techniques from the old guys. One of the old guys sounds like an old redneck. However, the scenery/sets are beautiful which is no surprise, considering this is an adaptation of a Ku Long novel. Storywise it's good. I would recommend this title, but do not expect the most precise action choreography.
Showdown At The Cotton Mill (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure A decent Shaolin vs. Wutang/Ching flick. Chi Kuan Chun is in top form as always against the bad guys. Tan Tao Liang makes an appearance as an "undercover" Wu Tang fighter who is on a mission to infiltrate Shaolin and get rid of Chi Kuan Chun.
There are lots of action sequences, but overall the film didn't really break any new ground (at least not for me). I will say that, for some reason, I felt Chi Kuan Chun is grittier/more intense in this film than most films I've seen of him.
Shaolin Vs. Ninja (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure Much better than "Shaolin vs. Tai Chi", which i thought was garbage. The plot in a way blends themes from "Invincible Shaolin" and "5 Element Ninjas". In other words, you have two Shaolin factions tricked into fighting each other (except it's Chinese Shaolin vs Japanese Shaolin) and then ninjas vying for domination. The plot is nothing spectacular, as it's been covered in various movies before, but it's easy to follow. Action choreography is good, as expected from the Robert Tai camp. I can't say this is a flick that I would watch over and over. It just doesn't have that appeal. But for those that are into the Shaolin/ninja/China/Japan exploitation angle, this one is for you.
This movie was a letdown. Classify this into the "if it's an indie/rare it has to be good" overhyped category. Although minor, the music score sucked. Now let's get into the plot/direction. I couldn't make sense of what was going on until halfway into the movie. Basically, you have a friendly fight between the Shaolin monks and the Taoist clan. They reach a stalemate in their fight, so they decide to train students who will carry on their fight (this kind of story has been done before in other movies). The Shaolin monks pick up the "chief" of the beggars as their disciple while the Taoist clan pick up what appears to be a lord's son. Most of the movie shows the Shaolin disciple preparing for the upcoming match with the Taoist disciple. In between, you see the bad guy plotting to steal Shaolin's gold seal or something. Long story short, you get to see some betrayal action and the Shaolin disciple and Taoist disciple play a key role in between. Is there lots of action? Yes, there is. Is the story/plot/direction engaging? No, it's utter crap. This is what plagues a lot of "indie" films in my opinion, because the low budget/lack of direction really shows. The action couldn't save this at all for me. I will say the redeeming factor is that they do try to portray Buddah's teachings throughout the movie and especially in the end. If you like rares and indies for the sake of being on that bandwagon, have a look at this.
In Vol. 1 you pretty much hit the story arc (at least what I have noticed so far--still need to watch Vols. 3 & 4). I have to get this out of the way first before somebody writes up a review based on ignorance: IF YOU ARE EXPECTING NON-STOP ACTION, LOOK ELSEWHERE (go view "Shadow Warriors", "Lone Wolf And Cub", etc.)! If you do not mind a slow building drama where the action/assassination (minimal and straight to the point) culminates near the end of the episode, then give this series a try. This is not your hack-and-slash type jidageki. The basic premise is that Baian, an acupuncturist, is given assassination jobs by his motojime and is aided by his friend, Hiko. The two gather recon on how to take out their targets and they time their assassinations at the most critical hour. From this Volume, episode 4 is clearly the best one, and I like it the most out of the first two volumes. There is a lot more action in this than previous episodes as well. If you liked Volume 1 then you will like Volume 2. Again, don't expect this to be a free-for-all slash fest.
Baian The Assassin Vol. 1 (product link) TV Shows/Movies / Action/Adventure I had low expectations before watching this (based on the lack of favorable reviews) and was pleasantly surprised. By no means is this an action-packed entry. If you are expecting something on the lines of "Lone Wolf And Cub", "Mute Samurai", or even "Shadow Warriors", don't even bother watching this series. It's a slow builder where Baian and his friend gather recon on how to assassinate their targets. What I find interesting is how Baian (who uses his acupuncture needles) and his toothpick/blowdart making friend, Hikojiro, are able to effectively use these methods to kill versus traditional samurai/ninja means (i.e using swords). I especially wondered how they would pull it off in the second episode when they are up against four ronins. I don't think this is the best jidageki I've ever seen, but its not as bad as some people make it out to be.
Heroes Two (product link) Action/Adventure / Martial Arts I was expecting not to like this one but it pleasantly suprised me. It's a decent Shaolin cycle movie. Basic Shaolin vs. Manchu plot. Good action by Fu Sheng and Chen Kuan Tai. Get if you are a fan of both.
The Heroic Ones (product link) Martial Arts / Action/Adventure An epic movie with a heavy emphasis on story, but with a balance of action. If you are expecting lighting and excessive action, then look elsewhere. The action choreography definitely looks slow/dated, but that's not a problem because the story is engaging. Ti Lung has an awesome scene near the end when defending Ku Feng.
Human Lanterns (product link) Horror / Thriller A decent "horror"/martial arts flick. Solid performances by Lau Wing, Chen Kuan Tai, and Lo Lieh. Lo Lieh steals the show as the evil lantern maker. Even Lo Meng has a cameo as an assassin. Good direction by Sun Chung.
What Price Honesty? (product link) Crime / Action/Adventure How am I the first one rating this? This is actually a decent title. A dark tale of corruption and power. Pai Piao plays an honest officer trying to uphold justice, and Sun Chien even has a good supporting role in this film. You are pulling for him to overcome all odds throughout the movie. Lo Lieh has a good role as a villain as well. I definitely recommend it.
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