Category Archives: Reviews

Shatter | aka Call Him Mr. Shatter (1974) Review

Director: Michael Carreras Co-director: Monte Hellman Cast: Stuart Whitman, Ti Lung, Lily Li Li-Li, Peter Cushing, Anton Diffring, Ko Hung, Keung Hon, James Ma Chim-Si, Lau Nga-Ying, Lo Wei, Wong Pau Gei, Lau Kar Wing, Roy Chiao Hung, Fung Hak On Running Time: 89 min. By Ian Whittle It’s probably no surprise that Hammer ended up getting into cahoots with the Shaw Brothers – in 1974, tactical programming meant that … 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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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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Pistol Opera (2001) Review

Director: Seijun Suzuki Cast: Makiko Esumi, Sayoko Yamaguchi, Kirin Kiki, Mikijiro Hira, Masatoshi Nagase, Kenji Sawada, Hanae Kan, Jan Woudstra, Haruko Kato, Kensaku Watanabe Running Time: 112 min. By Martin Sandison Seijun Suzuki’s 1967 art-yakuza classic Branded to Kill has a hallowed place in movie history. It was deemed too experimental by Nikkatsu, who produced the picture and for whom Suzuki had made many low budget formulaic efforts previously, and … Continue reading

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Wanted Man (2024) Review

Director: Dolph Lundgren Cast: Dolph Lundgren, Kelsey Grammer, Michael Pare, Aaron McPherson, Christina Villa, Roger Cross, Michael Worth, Bourke Floyd, Gabriel ‘G-Rod’ Rodriguez Running Time: 86 min. By Henry McKeand It’s a new year, and Dolph Lundgren is still making movies. Really making them, too. His latest film, Wanted Man, is his seventh as a director. He also produced and co-wrote the script along with Frank Valdez and DTV legend … Continue reading

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Sanak (2021) Review

Director: Kanishk Varma Cast: Vidyut Jammwal, Rukmini Maitra, Neha Dhupia, Chandan Roy Sanyal, Chandan Roy, Adrija Sinha, Kiran Karmarkar, Arsh Merchant Running Time: 117 min. By Henry McKeand Early in Sanak, as our hero Vivaan (Vidyut Jammwal) grabs something in his living room, the camera lingers on three carefully placed DVDs: Die Hard, Speed, and John Wick. More than just an unsubtle nod to director Kanishk Varma’s influences, this feels … 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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Flying Swordsman, The | The Hidden Fox (2022) Review

AKA: The Hidden Fox Director: Qiao Lei Cast: Zhao Huawei, Fu Jia, Yusi Chen, Ray Lui Leung Wai, Shanshan Chunyu, Zihan Chen Running Time: 104 min.  By Will McGuire The Flying Swordsman (aka The Hidden Fox) is great entertainment. It is, like the best of contemporary wuxia films, a strong evolution of the style that began in the late-60’s revival of the genre at Shaw Brothers and though it has … 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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Haunted Samurai (1970) Review

Director: Keiichi Ozawa Cast: Hideki Takahashi, Masako Izumi, Isao Natsuyagi, Seiichiro Kameishi, Shoki Fukae, Yûji Odaka, Eiji Go, Masaya Oka, Utako Shibusawa, Maya Kitajima Running Time: 83 min. By Will McGuire Haunted Samurai is the perfect companion to a Lone Wolf and Cub movie marathon. This 1970 saga of evil Yagyu ninjas and noble samurai straining between the rigors of their code and the needs of their conscience feels like … 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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Wandering Earth II, The (2023) Review

Director: Frant Gwo Cast: Wu Jing, Li Xuejian, Ning Li, Andy Lau, Wang Zhi, Zhu Yanmanzi, Sha Yi, Zhang Yi Running Time: 173 min.  By Will McGuire The Wandering Earth 2 represents a new high-water mark for production values in Chinese cinema. One look at the opening credits will tell you that both this film and its 2019 first installment are the product of literally the entire Chinese cinematic apparatus, … Continue reading

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Ghost Station, The (2022) Review

AKA: Ghost of Oksu Station Director: Jeong Yong-ki Cast: Kim Bo-ra, Kim Jae-hyun, Shin So-yul, Obon, Kim Kang Il, Kim Soo Jin, Kim Kwang Hyun Running Time: 80 min. By Henry McKeand “Write a provocative article with a clickbait headline!” This is one of many pieces of questionable advice given to Na-Young, the journalist protagonist of Jeong Yong-Ki’s The Ghost Station. Played by Kim Bo-ra, she’s the standard cinematic reporter: … 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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