Category Archives: All

Matrix Resurrections, The (2021) Review

Director: Lana Wachowski Cast: Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Jessica Henwick, Jonathan Groff, Neil Patrick Harris, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Jada Pinkett Smith, Daniel Bernhardt, Christina Ricci, Michael X. Sommers Running Time: 148 min.  By Paul Bramhall Making a sequel to a trilogy that re-defined the Hollywood action aesthetic 18 years after the last entry was always going to be a tall order, however in 2021 The Matrix Resurrections landed … Continue reading

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Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (1991) Review

Director: Kazuki Omori Cast: Kosuke Toyohara, Anna Nakagawa, Megumi Odaka, Katsuhiko Sasaki, Akiji Kobayashi, Yoshio Tsuchiya, Robert Scott Field, Richard Berger, Wataru Fukuda Running Time: 103 min. By Ian Whittle To paraphrase the great Professor Farnsworth: “Never take lessons in not-changing-history from a man who is his own grandpa!” Godzilla vs King Ghidorah is the third film in the Heisei series, following on from The Return of Godzilla (1984) and … Continue reading

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Dragon Blood | aka John Liu In Mexico (1982) Review

Director: John Liu Cast: John Liu, Phillip Ko Fei, Roger Paschy, Cyrielle Claire, Guy Ignace, Godfrey Ho, Lucien Michaud Running Time: 91 min. By Paul Bramhall Dragon Blood can be considered to be superkicker John Liu’s last hurrah, both in front of the camera and behind it, pulling star and director duties for a third time after Zen Kwun Do Strikes in Paris and Ninja In the Claws of the … Continue reading

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Ninja in the Claws of the CIA | aka Kung Fu Emanuelle (1981) Review

AKA: Made in China Director: John Liu Cast: John Liu, Casanova Wong, Danny Lee, John Ladalski, Roger Paschy, Mirta Miller, Cheng Bik-Lin, Gam Biu, Raquel Evans, Jose Maria Blanco Running Time: 77 min. By Paul Bramhall It’s always interesting when kung fu stars decide to step into the director’s chair and helm their own starring vehicles, from the globe-trotting adventures of Bruce Le in the likes of Challenge of the Tiger … Continue reading

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Challenge of the Tiger (1982) Review

AKA: Gymkata Killer Director: Bruce Le Starring: Bruce Le (Huang Kin Long), Richard Harrison, Nadiuska, Hwang Jang-lee, Kong Do, Bolo Yeung Sze, Brad Harris, Dick Randall, Pei Ju-Hua Running Time: 86 min. By Ian Whittle (Note: Every online source I’ve seen says this film is from 1980, which is contradicted by 1982 being mentioned in the dialogue, and a sequence taking place at an event that took place in that … Continue reading

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Schemes in Antiques (2021) Review

Director: Derek Kwok Cast: Lei Jiayin, Li Xian, Xin Zhilei, Ge You, Qin Yan, Qingxiang Wang, Yong Mei, Tao Guo Running Time: 123 min. By Paul Bramhall Movies about antiques may not necessarily sound like the most exciting proposition on paper, but if there’s one thing that 2003’s Ong Bak taught us, it’s that if the antique in question is a buddha’s head, then prepare for your expectations to be subverted. 18 years later, and China has released … Continue reading

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Ghost Hill, The (1971) Review

Director: Ding Sin Saai Cast: Tin Peng, Polly Shang-Kwan Ling Feng, Tong Wai, Go Ming, Chan Bo Leung, Shan Mao, Goo Liu Sek, Sit Hon, Man Chung San, Miu Tin, Lung Fei Running Time: 90 min. By Paul Bramhall In 1971 the wuxia genre was still very much steeped in the conventions of the previous decade, however it was also becoming apparent that certain directors were gradually starting to explore those … Continue reading

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Journey to the West | aka Go West to Subdue Demons (1991) Review

Director: Chang Cheh Cast: Tung Chi Hwa, Ku Wing-Chuen, Mu Li-Xin, Du Yu-Ming, Yu Jia, Chen Ji-Ming, Zhang Ke-Peng, Yao Yu, Wang Xiang-Wei, Wang Bing-Qiang, Chen Bing Running Time: 86 min. By Paul Bramhall During the 2010’s the only character more popular than Ip Man was arguably the Monkey King. The iconic character got various big budget incarnations courtesy of Soi Cheang’s Monkey King trilogy, Stephen Chow’s pair of Journey … Continue reading

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Castle Falls (2021) Review

Director: Dolph Lundgren Cast: Scott Adkins, Dolph Lundgren, Jim E. Chandler, Dave Halls, Kim DeLonghi, Kevin Wayne, Luke Hawx, Scott Hunter, Ida Lundgren, Bill Billions Running Time: 87 min. By Paul Bramhall There was a moment there when it seemed like 2021 was going to manifest the incomprehensible thought of not delivering a single Scott Adkins movie. However in the closing weeks of the year the British thespian of the … Continue reading

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World of Drunken Master, The (1979) Review

Director: Joseph Kuo Cast: Jack Long, Lee I Min, Chan Wai Lau, Lung Fei, Jeannie Chang Wing Wing, Lung Tien Hsiang, Yu Chung Chiu, Mark Long Kwan Wu, Simon Yuen Siu Tien Running Time: 88 min. By Martin Sandison Around two weeks ago, I received Eureka’s Joseph Kuo boxset through the mail. I know a lot of you readers have received it too. In these heady days of incredible releases, … Continue reading

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Ninja Condors (1987) Review

"Ninja Condors" Theatrical Poster

Director: James Wu Cast: Alexander Lo Rei, Stuart Hugh, Richard Phillips, Mick Murray, Eugene Thomas, Lu Feng, Jack Long Shi-Chia, Li Hai-Hsing, Wang Te-Sheng Running Time: 89 min. By Paul Bramhall When it comes to 1980’s kung fu cinema, there were 2 areas that Taiwan excelled at – the kids kung fu flick, and ninjas! The latter became synonymous with the talented Alexander Lo Rei, who came to headline the … Continue reading

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Daggers 8 (1980) Review

Director: Cheung Sam Co-director: Wilson Tong Starring: Meng Yuen-man, Wilson Tong, Lily Li, Peter Chan Lung, Alan Chui, Cheng Hong-yip, Chan Ming-Wai, Chen Yu-Wei, Billy Chan Wui-Ngai, Yeung Wah Running Time: 90 min.  By Ian Whittle What starts out as another kung fu comedy with slightly too irritating Dean Shek style tomfoolery suddenly turns into something much more complex and intelligent. Meng Yuen-man (The Master Strikes) plays an impulsive kung … Continue reading

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Therapist: Fist of Tae-baek, The (2020) Review

Director: Choi Sang-Hun Cast: Oh Ji-Ho, Shin So-Yul, Jung Eui-Wook, Dong Zhang, Kim Kyeol, Bae Min-Jung, Park No-Kyeong, Jeon Hyun-Soo, No Young-Ju, Oh Kyung-Min Running Time: 104 min. By Paul Bramhall Look past the A-list productions that make it onto the cinema screens of Korea (and increasingly overseas). Look past the many B-grade productions that look to emulate the success of the bigger budgeted counterparts that inspired them. Look past … Continue reading

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Cliff Walkers (2021) Review

Director: Zhang Yimou Cast: Zhang Yi, Qin Hailu, Ni Dahong, Zhu Yawen, Yu Hewei, Lei Jiayin, Liu Hao Cun, Yu Ailei  Running Time: 125 min.  By Paul Bramhall As one of China’s most highly regarded fifth generation filmmakers it seemed like Zhang Yimou was impervious to the increasingly strict censorship laws that the government has imposed on its cinematic offerings in recent years. However in 2019 we learnt that not even a … Continue reading

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One Shot (2021) Review

Director: James Nunn Cast: Scott Adkins, Ashley Greene, Ryan Phillippe, Emmanuel Imani, Dino Kelly, Lee Charles, Jack Parr, Waleed Elgadi, Terence Maynard, Jess Liaudin, Dan Styles Running Time: 96 min. By Paul Bramhall As a fan of the action genre there’s something deeply admirable about the amount of effort that goes into creating a one-shot action scene. From the hospital shootout in John Woo’s Hard Boiled, to Tony Jaa’s restaurant … Continue reading

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