Author Archives: Paul Bramhall

Foggy Mountain | aka The Foggy Mountain-Dinh Mu Suong (2020) Review

Director: Phan Anh Cast: Peter Pham, Kim Long Thach, Simon Kook, Cong Ninh, Pham Huy Thuc, Truc May Running Time: 86 min. By Paul Bramhall In the world of martial arts cinema Vietnam has been in somewhat of a unique position in the 21st century, in that its most popular star is female, with Veronica Ngo leading the charge with the likes of Furie and its sequel, Furies, which she … Continue reading

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Returned a Single-Legged Man 2 (1974) Review

Director: Lee Doo-yong Cast: Han Yong-cheol, Bae Su-chun, Kim Mun-ju, Im Eun-joo, Elton Chong, Park Dong-ryong, Cho Chun, Kim Wang-guk, Hwang Jang Lee, Han Tae-Il Running Time: 88 min. By Paul Bramhall The taekwon-action genre is one that’s largely faded into obscurity both in the west and in its native Korea, a combination of lack of availability, and the titles which are available usually being heavily bastardized from their original versions. … Continue reading

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Badland Hunters (2024) Review

Director: Heo Myung-haeng Cast: Ma Dong-seok, Lee Hee-Jun, Lee Jun-Young, Roh Jeong-Eui, Ahn Ji-Hye, Park Ji-Hoon, Jang Young-Namm, Park Sang-Hoon , Ahn Seong-Bong Running Time: 107 min. By Paul Bramhall Badland Hunters marks the latest entry in Korea’s burgeoning fascination with post-apocalyptic settings, a spin-off from director Eom Tae-hwa’s Concrete Utopia, which saw a group of survivors living in the last standing apartment block after an earthquake razed Seoul to … Continue reading

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Rescue, The (2020) Review

Director: Dante Lam Cast: Eddie Peng, Xin Zhilei, Wang Yanlin, Lan Yingying, Wang Yutian, Xu Yang, Li Mincheng, Carlos Chan, Zhang Guoqiang, Guo Xiaodong, Wei Daxun Running Time: 139 min. By Paul Bramhall It would be Wu Jing’s 2015 production Wolf Warrior that kickstarted the latest era of ’Main melody’ movies, fully embodying President Xi’s speech from the previous year that filmmakers should make “patriotism the main theme of literary and … Continue reading

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Fists, Kicks, & Kimchi: A History of the Korean Taekwon-Action Genre in the 1970’s – 1980’s

After going through a golden age in the 1960’s, Korean cinema went through one of its most challenging decades in the 70’s. Economic growth saw television sets make their way into most households and become the medium of choice, while the ushering in of the Yushin era saw president Park Chung-hee tighten his dictatorial grip on the country, imposing strict censorship on any creative work. After a decade that produced … Continue reading

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Alienoid: Return to the Future (2024) Review

Director: Choi Dong-hun Cast: Ryoo Joon-Yeol, Kim Woo-Bin, Kim Tae-Ri, Lee Ha-Nee, Yum Jung-Ah, Jo Woo-Jin, Kim Eui-Sung, Jin Sun-Kyu, Wi Ji-woong, Lee Si-hoon Running Time: 123 min. By Paul Bramhall Korea’s premier blockbuster director Choi Dong-hoon returned with a bang in 2022 with Alienoid, a time travelling sci-fi genre mash-up that threw in everything from Shaw Brothers references to a John Woo homage. Shot as a 2-parter, the second … Continue reading

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Blind War (2022) Review

Director: Suiqiang Huo Cast: Andy On Chi Kit, Waise Lee, Yang Xing, Hank Qi, Jane Wu, Vincent Matile, Cheng Si Han, Zhang Ya Qi, Dao Dao, Li Fa Guang, Alexandre Robillard Running Time: 100 min. By Paul Bramhall Is there any production looked down upon more in Asia than the Chinese web movie? Arguably no. Maybe even more so than Filipino romantic comedies. Rapidly made and rarely clocking in longer … Continue reading

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I Did It My Way (2023) Review

Director: Jason Kwan Cast: Andy Lau Tak-Wah, Gordon Lam, Cya Liu, Eddie Peng, Simon Yam, Chan Chun-Fung, Kent Cheng, Hedwig Tam, Lam Suet, Philip Keung, Mike Leeder Running Time: 115 min. By Paul Bramhall On paper at least, I Did It My Way feels like it should be the subtitle for a 4th instalment of The White Storm franchise. Like each instalment of the popular action thrillers, the focus is … Continue reading

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When Taekwondo Strikes | aka Sting of the Dragon Masters (1973) Review

Director: Huang Feng Cast: Jhoon Rhee, Angela Mao, Anne Winston, Kenji Kazuma, Carter Wong, Wang In Sik, Sammo Hung, Andre Morgan, Chin Yuet Sang, Gam Kei Chu, Chan Chuen, Wilson Tong, Billy Chan, Hsu Hsia, Lam Ching Ying Running Time: 95 min.  By Paul Bramhall If there was ever a decade when taekwondo had its chance to shine in Hong Kong action cinema, then it was the 1970’s. Following Bruce … Continue reading

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Untold Story 2, The (1998) Review

Director: Andy Ng Yiu-Kuen Cast: Emotion Cheung Kam Ching, Anthony Wong Chau Sang, Melvin Wong Gam San, Yeung Faan, Helena Law Lan, Jamie Luk Kim Ming, Pauline Suen Kai Kwan Running Time: 91 min.  By Paul Bramhall In 1993 Herman Yau and Anthony Wong teamed up as director and star to create what’s considered to be the definitive Cat III movie in the form of The Untold Story. A grizzly … Continue reading

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Hunt (2022) Review

Director: Lee Jung-Jae Cast: Lee Jung-Jae, Jung Woo-Sung, Jeon Hye-jin, Heo Sung-tae, Ko Yoon-Jung, Kim Jong-Soo, Jeong Man-Sik, Lim Hyung-Guk, Jung Kyung-Soon  Running Time: 130 min.  By Paul Bramhall As a leading man Lee Jung-jae has been a consistent presence in the Korean film industry ever since his debut with The Young Man in 1994 at 21 years old. While many actors harbour a curiosity to direct, it’s still a rarity to … Continue reading

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12.12: The Day (2023) Review

Director: Kim Seong-su Cast: Hwang Jung-min, Jung Woo-Sung, Lee Sung-Min, Park Hae-Joon, Kim Sung-Kyun, Jeong Man-Sik, Jung Hae-In, Nam Yun-Ho, Jeong Dong-Hwan Running Time: 141 min. By Paul Bramhall When a country goes through a period of turmoil and trauma, it’s always interesting to see how much time passes in order for those feelings to be collectively processed, arriving at a point where the events in question lose enough of … Continue reading

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Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon (2021) Review

Director: Ana Lily Amirpour Cast: Jeon Jong-seo, Kate Hudson, Ed Skrein, Evan Whitten, Craig Robinson, Cory Roberts Running Time: 106 min. By Paul Bramhall When it comes to the age-old question of which Asian actors should try their hand at Hollywood, my usual response is to ask why they’d need to in the first place, however even in the 2020’s Hollywood remains a kind of validation in the world of … Continue reading

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The White Storm 3: Heaven or Hell (2023) Review

Director: Herman Yau Cast: Louis Koo, Lau Ching-Wan, Aaron Kwok, Caiyu Yang, Gallen Lo, Tse Kwan-ho, Alex Fong Chung-sun, Power Chan, Timmy Hung, Lam Suet  Running Time: 125 min. By Paul Bramhall Ten years after the release of 2013’s The White Storm, the late Benny Chan’s divisive homage to the heroic bloodshed genre, it’s a safe bet that no one was expecting it to become a trilogy. However in 2023 … Continue reading

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Believer 2 (2023) Review

Director: Baek Jong-Yeol Cast: Cho Jin-Woong, Cha Seung-Won, Han Hyo-Joo, Oh Seung-Hoon, Kim Dong-Young, Lee Joo-Young, Kang Seung-hyun, Jung Joon-won, Tzi Ma, Andreas Fronk Running Time: 114 min. By Paul Bramhall The decision to remake Hong Kong auteur Johnnie To’s 2013 crime thriller Drug War as a Korean production would prove to be a winning one when Believer was released in 2018. While the original was To’s first venture to … Continue reading

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