Thousands of movies get released every year in Asia, but only a few dozens of them get the popularity and recognition they deserve. Today we look back and honour some of the most influential Asian movies in order to shine a spotlight on the best movies that come from the East.
Action Movies:
Asian action and crime movies differ from Western-made movies. Asian action movies have a real and gritty feel to them, relying more on story and characters than on special effects. Action and crime movies became widely popular in Asia during the 80’s.
The Ip Man – The Ip Man franchise is regarded as one of the best action movie franchises not only in Japan but in the entire world. It is an action movie that you just can’t see from a Hollywood studio. Rich in character and overwhelmingly exciting, The Ip Man is one of the best in the game.
The Man from Nowhere – Coming from South Korea, this fast-paced, well choreographed and the convincing movie is a perfect crime-action movie example and one you should definitely have in your movie library.
The Raid – No self-respecting action movie lover should pass on this Indonesian masterpiece. The movie follows Rama, a rookie commando on a team tasked with bringing down a brutal mob boss. This movie will keep you on the edge of your seat and draw you in with bloody and relentless action fro the moment it gets going.
War Movies:
War movies that have come out of Asian cinematography all have a heavy cultural tone. Although western cinematography has produced some exquisite war movies, the Asian movie scene also has a few equally heavy, important and tragic movies that are considered masterpieces of the seventh art.
For Those We Love – seen by many as a controversial and propaganda oriented movie, For Those We Love is a tragic war movie telling the story of a group of kamikaze pilots on their journey from the moment their recruitment begins up to their final moments
Yamato – The Yamato battleship is the biggest Japanese battleship from World War II. The movie of the same name talks about the technological and military achievement of the ship through a story of sacrifice, camaraderie and emotion.
Tae Guk Gi – Set in the events of the Korean War, it is a powerful movie about the horrors and tragedies this senseless conflict brought.
Gambling Movies:
The countries of Asia, especially from the Honk Kong cinema scene, have a knack for making action-packed and entertaining gambling movies. No matter if you’re a fan of gambling action movies, the combination of these two genres make Asian gambling movies a must-watch for every movie enthusiast.
God of Gamblers – This Hong Kong gambling movie not only does the action parts excellently but also combines elements of comedy and drama to create the ultimate big-screen adventure. It is one of the most popular gambling movies in the entire world and a movie that spawned a franchise that numbers six different spin-offs and sequels.
The Connan – Ridding the popularity of gambling movies, The Conan is an action-comedy that follows a simple movie pattern while introducing a number of colourful an in-depth characters.
From Vegas to Macau – This movie is sort of a reboot and a homage of the God of Gamblers original. Starring acclaimed Hollywood actors like Chow Yun-fat, it explores some interesting topics that were left open by the original.
Today’s Deal on Fire is the Blu-ray for The Adventurers (read our review). The film is a reworking of John Woo’s Once a Thief,the 1991 Hong Kong classic about art thieves, famously played by Chow Yun Fat, Cherie Chung and Leslie Cheung.
After his recent release from prison, infamous thief Cheung Tan (Lau) plots a heist with his partners Xiao Bao (Yang) and Ye Hong (Qi) to steal precious jewels in Europe, while French detective Pierre (Reno), who has been hot on Cheung’s trails for many years, must capture this gang of thieves on one draft.
Director: Choo Chang-min Writer: Jung Yoo-Jung Cast: Ryoo Seung-Ryong, Jang Dong-Gun, Song Sae-Byeok, Ko Gyung-Pyo, Moon Jeong-Hee Running Time: 123 min.
By Paul Bramhall
The theme of a parent seeking to avenge a wrong doing against their child has been one that’s gained plenty of mileage since the beginning of the Korean wave. From Park Chan-wook’s Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance in 2002, through to more recent entries such as Lee Kyoung-mi’s The Truth Beneath, when done correctly, there’s a certain power to these tales that taps into that primitive need to protect our loved ones. Seven Years of Night is the latest entry to explore the vengeful parent trope, and marks the second time for one of author Jeong Yu-jeong’s novels to be adapted for the big screen (the first being 2014’s Shoot Me in the Heart).
At the helm this time is director Choo Chang-min, his first time to return to the director’s chair since 2012’s hugely successful Masquerade (that triggered a trend of lush period dramas). While Seven Days of Night loses Masquerade’s leading man Lee Byung-hun, it does see Chang-min paired up with his previous titles co-star in the form of Ryu Seong-ryong. One of Korea’s most versatile actors, Seong-ryong was on somewhat of a hot streak during 2011 – 2013, with memorable roles in the likes of War of the Arrows and Miracle in Cell No.7. While more recent roles in The Piper and The Sound of a Flower failed to resonate with audiences on the same level, Seong-ryong’s performances in them were still arguably the highlight.
Playing a hard-up security officer, after purchasing an apartment he can’t really afford, he decides to rent it out and moves with his wife and son to employee accommodation in Seryung Village, a small hamlet next to a lake. However while driving there late one night alone and under the influence of alcohol, he hits a young girl that suddenly appears out of nowhere from the surrounding forest, and disposes of her body in the lake. The girl’s father, a physically abusive doctor whose wife has ran away, and it turns out was also what his daughter was attempting to do when she was struck, makes it his mission to find out who was behind her death, and make them pay.
The father is played by an almost unrecognizable Jang Dong-gun, looking like he paid a visit to the same hair stylist as Jean Clade Van Damme in Enemies Closer, and comes across as a seething vessel of nastiness and spite. After the previous year’s mis-fire V.I.P., here Dong-gun takes a chance on a role that casts him against type, and it’s a chance that pay off. A far cry from his action orientated performances in the likes of No Tears for the Dead and The Warrior’s Way, as a vicious brute of a man who feels little remorse for his abusive ways, his role is a memorable one.
The narrative of Seven Years of Night, significantly, largely focuses on the past rather than the present. We learn that Seong-ryong’s misdemeanour was discovered, and he’s been in prison for the last 7 years on death row, while his son, branded an outcast because of his fathers crime, has grown up to become a diver under the tutelage of his father’s former colleague. However the bulk of the narrative takes place during the period that leads up to the girl’s death, and the subsequent consequences of it.
Tonally, this makes for Seven Years of Night to be an interesting beast, and the final product is one that feels unbalanced in where its focus lies. This is most likely due to the source material being a novel, however it shouldn’t be an excuse for an uneven narrative. Chang-min’s latest also feels like a by-product of what we’ve seen a lot of since the success of Na Hong-jin’s The Wailing, and that’s the incorporation of supernatural elements into the more traditional tale of revenge. Seven Years of Night incorporates them far better than say, Yoon Joon-hyeong’s Fatal Intuition, however by the time the end credits are rolling they still feel misplaced.
Indeed the opening scene indicates that a supernatural thriller is exactly what we’re in for. The security supervisor explains the local superstitions that surround the haunted “man-eating lake”, and that for the nearby dam’s construction a whole village was submerged, without the normal practice of it being demolished first. There is also the inclusion of a woman possessed with shaman like visions, played by Moon Jung-hee (Hide and Seek), that feels like she should have more bearing in the plot. As it is though, she does little else other than show up to give ominous premonitions, and explain to Seong-ryong’s son why he’s being visited by the ghost of the girl. To top things off, Seong-ryong suffers from vivid dreams of a well that see him sleep-walking to the lake every night, but what the reasons are behind them remain shrouded in mystery.
All of these elements slowly build up a sense of foreboding dread, as we’re led to question what mysterious forces are at work in the village, and it’s a tone effectively built upon as the plot progresses. At times it feels like Chang-min forgets himself that we’re watching a flashback, as there’s more than one occasion when we get a flashback within a flashback. However this is forgivable, and in many ways is indicative of the core problem in Seven Years of Night, and that is the events that unfolded in the past are far more interesting and layered than what’s going on in the present, which is inevitably where we need to end up.
The cast though all clock in stellar performances, which make it easy to keep watching. In particular, the role of Seong-ryon’s son, played by Jung Joon-won (who was in both The Piper and Hide and Seek) in the past, and Go Kyung-po (Coin Locker Girl) in the present, sees both actors perfectly cast, and very much looking like the older and younger versions of themselves. Song Sae-byeok (A Girl at my Door) is also on point as Seong-ryong’s colleague that ultimately becomes his sons guardian, and feels like the moral core of the tale, despite his decisions not always resulting in positive outcomes.
As well acted and lavishly produced as Seven Years of Night is though, the finale that all the events of the past are building up to in the present, unfortunately feels like a letdown. It’s actually so generic and underwhelming that, out of its 2 hour runtime, Chang-min dedicates a measly 15 minutes to it. During this time a series of events are glazed over at such speed, that when the screen goes blank, you’ll question if you didn’t miss something. To refer to an earlier comment, the rushed conclusion is more than likely a symptom of the book it’s been adapted from. The events of the past allow for plenty of atmosphere building, with the village and the way the characters interact with each other feeling like a pressure cooker of tension. However once it reverts back to present day, it very much feels like – this happens, then this happens, and then this happens. Roll credits.
Perhaps the best way to enjoy Seven Years of Night is to enjoy it for what it is, rather than what it frequently teases to be. It is, at its core, the tale of a mean spirited man looking to avenge the death of his daughter, one whom he had little regard for until her death. What it’s supposed to be is the redemption of a convicted murderer’s son, as he finally finds meaning in his life after seven years of despising himself for who he is. Then what it actually comes across as, is a confusing blend of characters haunted by their past and ghosts of the departed. While I’ve always admired how many Korean filmmakers can blend multiple genres together into a coherent whole, it’s a skill that should never be taken for granted. Seven Years of Night is one such example, which would have benefited from more focus on what it actually is, and less on what it isn’t.
There have been countless films made about Mongol leader Genghis Khan (including 2007’s Genghis Khan: To the Ends of the Earth and Sea), and now, a heavy CGI take, simply titled Genghis Khan, is on the horizon.
This Hasi Chaolu-directed fantasy epic will tell the tale of how Temujin would become the titular fearless leader after his father’s passing and the death of his entire tribe.
Genghis Khan is produced by French filmmaker Jean-Jacques Annaud, mostly known for The Name of the Rose, The Lover and Seven Years in Tibet. The film stars William Chan (L.O.R.D: Legend of Ravaging Dynasties) Lin Yun (The Mermaid), Hu Jun (As the Light Goes Out), Basen Zhabu (Red Cliff) and Ni Dahong (The Assassin).
Genghis Khan is currently in post-production phase and is expected to be released later this year.
On June 5th, Sony Pictures is releasing The Debt Collector(aka The Pay Up) on DVD (read our review). This “buddy pic” actioner teams Scott Adkins (Savage Dog) with filmmaker Jesse V. Johnson (Accident Man) for a 4th time (5th if you count 2005’s Pit Fighter).
French (Adkins) is running a martial arts gym – but it hasn’t exactly been paying the bills. To make ends meet, he begins working for the notorious Tommy, servicing various criminal outfits throughout California. Working by a number scale, with #10 being a threat and a #1 being a full-on trip to the hospital, French and his partner Sue (Louis Mandylor) are in charge of chasing down any kind of criminal or low-life who owes money to the organization.
Rounding out the cast are Michael Paré (Streets of Fire), Tony Todd (The Crow), Vladimir Kulich (Savage Dog), David William No (Mr. Nice Guy) and Selina Lo (Triple Threat).
Filmed just two years later, featuring the same leading man in Ken Yamauchi, and based on a book by the same author in Toko Kon, Born Under Crossed Stars is something of a spiritual sequel to the angst-driven youth drama The Incorrigible. There are differences that make it impossible to consider it a direct sequel – Yamauchi plays a character with a different name, for one – but the similarities are plentiful enough for fans of either film to make a connection if they like.
The Incorrigible was a rather dark story about a bastard who didn’t fit in and clashed with not only his elders but also the rising fascism in the student body. Born Under Crossed Stars takes place during the same period when ultra-conservatism was beginning to become dangerous in Japan. However, its intent is not to rage against the world but rather to laugh at it. Born Under Crossed Stars is a strange little movie. It’s a horny teen romance dramedy set on a backdrop of a nation in a state of transition. You don’t see that every day.
Ken Yamauchi plays a teen named Jukichi Suzuki this time around (the last name of Suzuki forces one to wonder if this was not only a semi-autobiographical tale about author Toko Kon’s life but also director Seijun Suzuki’s. But this may be me digging where I shouldn’t be). Jukichi, like the Yamauchi’s character from The Incorrigible, doesn’t quite fit in. He’s a big fan of foreign novelists and spends his after-school time delivering milk to his small town. We learned from The Incorrigible that books were considered controversial in 1920’s Japan, but now we learn that so was milk. Seriously, milk. It’s my understanding that Japan (and presumably other nations) were not into milk at the time and that the rapid modernization/westernization of the Taisho period encouraged Japanese citizens to give cow milk a try (I’m lactose intolerant, so I say they were doing things the right way before all those Western milkmen showed up and started cramming unwanted phlegm water in everybody’s faces).
Jukichi gets in a shoving match with his friend Yoshio after he catches the dude making out in public with Taneko (Yumiko Nogawa). Yoshio doesn’t appreciate it and he’s like, damn you Jukichi, don’t deliver milk to our house anymore. But this gets complicated when Yoshio’s sister Suzuko (Masako Izumi) confronts Jukichi and asks why her family’s not getting milk deliveries anymore. High and mighty Jukichi explains it’s because of her brother. “The truth is, milk’s too good for someone of his low morals!” is a real line from the film.
And it was at this point where I scratched my head, uncertain of whether this was a comedy or a drama or… what. The scene where Jukichi explains why Yoshio is not good enough for milk is done with a straight face. Very melodramatic. But it’s so absurd and laughable. And then, at points where I obviously was meant to laugh (the cast is full of weirdo supporting characters), I usually just stared blankly at the screen. The film is too manic for my tastes.
Much of the story is about Jukichi trying to choose between the proper girl-next-door in Suzuko and the flirtatious naughty girl Taneko (the same girl he caught his former friend Yoshio making out with). There’s some good stuff here, even if it’s surrounded by nonsense. But this central plot gets derailed in the final act after a feud with a yakuza enters the story. Jukichi takes a violent turn in these later moments, and though he is forced to face the consequences for his actions, the lesson he takes from it (and thus, the lesson the film wishes to impart) doesn’t register as honest to me.
I enjoyed Ken Yamauchi’s work in The Incorrigible more. Jukichi is less of an ass, but he’s not very interesting to me. The film’s best moments come from the little asides featuring the supporting cast. Yumiko Nogawa (Gate of Flesh) is the film’s most compelling character in Taneko, who portrays youthful desire with a devilish grin but also is capable of being wounded by the men she courts. I also enjoyed Masako Izumi (Tattooed Life) as her well-mannered rival. Masao Mishima (Pigs and Battleships) has a great role as a hypocritical Buddhist monk. The dairy farmer who employs Jukichi (I’m unaware of the actor’s name) is also fun. He spent a year in America and feels the need to remind everyone slacking on the job that “that’s not the Texas Way!”
Director Seijun Suzuki shows some interesting visual flourishes. The film is edited in the style of a Jean-Luc Godard comedy. It’s playful. But again, the film’s frenzied script made it difficult for me to like.
About this release: I’ve come to think of this Arrow box set of Seijun Suzuki’s ‘Youth Movies’ as a fancy Eclipse series set. Eclipse is a series of box sets put out by Criterion either focusing on masterpieces by overlooked artists or minor films by celebrated masters. I can’t help but see these five films (The Boy Who Came Back, The Wind-of-Youth Group Crosses the Mountain Pass, Teenage Yakuza, The Incorrigible, and Born Under Crossed Stars) as minor Suzuki films. Even so, it might have actually enhanced my appreciation for Suzuki, because it showcased his range as a storyteller. The limited edition set, which is quickly selling out, features a new commentary on Born Under Crossed Stars by Japanese film historian Jasper Sharp, a short video on the five films by critic Tony Rayn and a 60-page booklet.
Director: Leon Lai Writer: Succeed Be Cast: Leon Lai, Zhang Hanyu, Nan Fulong, Lily Ji Li, Du Juan, David Wang, Huang Shang-Ho Running Time: 80 min.
By Paul Bramhall
Out of the Four Heavenly Kings of Cantopop – Andy Lau, Aaron Kwok, Jacky Cheung, and Leon Lai – it’s always been youngest member Lai that’s had the most difficulty transitioning his onstage pop star charisma to the silver screen. Ladened with an almost Steven Seagal level of inability to express emotion beyond a single facial expression, Lai’s stony faced cinematic outings in action flicks, such as Benny Chan’s Heroic Duo and Dante Lam’s Fire of Conscience, are enough to dampen even the biggest explosion. While directors like Wong Kar Wai and Johnnie To have utilised his blank expressions to their advantage, with his 1990’s era outings Fallen Angels and A Hero Never Dies being career high points, Lai’s latest Wine War asks the risky question – what would it be like if he directs himself?
In fairness, Wine War isn’t the first time for Lai to play director and star, as he also pulled double duty on the 2006 movie A Melody Looking. However the reality is that his debut in the director’s chair was more of a thinly veiled extended promo for the artists signed up to his music label, Amusic, rather than a legitimate attempt at filmmaking. When over half of your movie is full length music videos lamely integrated into a supposed story, you’re not fooling anyone. So in that regard, we can essentially consider Wine War to be Lai’s legitimate directorial debut, and for it he’s brought Zhang Han-Yu along for the ride.
Han-Yu is one of the best actors to come out of the Mainland, oozing a Chow Yun Fat level of charisma (there’s a reason why John Woo chose him as the lead for Manhunt), for international audiences he likely first registered in the 2007 war drama Assembly. While mentioning a Chinese war movie in today’s climate likely brings to mind the bombast of Wolf Warrior 2 and Operation Red Sea (which he’s also in), Assembly was made before China became the box office juggernaut it would be just a few years later. As a result, it’s a surprisingly intimate look at the effects of war, and Han-Yu walked away with the Best Leading Actor award at the 2008 Golden Horse Awards. Today he’s more known for his distinctively macho roles in the likes of Operation Mekong and The Taking of Tiger Mountain, and to see him onscreen brightens up any movie.
In Wine War, he and Lai play friends that grew up together in the same orphanage. However a turn of events result in Lai being adopted by a wealthy Frenchman, while Han-Yu remains in China, growing up to be a rural town cop. After losing contact for a number of years, Han-Yu contacts Lai out of the blue to tell him he’s coming to France, in order to bid on an ancient bottle of wine (the ‘Wine God’) that contains a secret recipe from the Yuan dynasty. The auction is being run by a pair of siblings played by Nan Fu-Long and Du Juan (if you’ve never heard of them, it’s because they’re models, not actors), the last surviving members of a Mongol-Chinese lineage based in France. Han-yu will have to compete with 2 other bidders, played by Huang Shanghe and David Wang (if you’re wondering, at one point Du Juan explains she’s rejected all the non-Chinese bidders).
It’s soon revealed though that not everyone is who they claim to be, and that the auction is in fact a ruse to draw out the long missing brother of Fu-Long and Juan, who is the only one that knows the secret of the ‘Wine God’. How exactly do Lai and Han-Yu fit into this plot, and will they survive it? The answer to the latter is yes, the answer to the former is more tricky. Wine War is based on a story that Lai created himself, and initially, it seems like his directing style looks to be a throwback to the Hong Kong tonal zaniness of old. The opening 15 minutes contain a quirky flashback to the Yuan dynasty, while also revealing Lai to have grown into a modern day Hugh Hefner, when Han-Yu arrives in France to be greeted by a mansion overrun by a bevy of bikini clad beauties, and even a baritone singing chef.
However Wine War quickly runs out of steam, and despite its short runtime of 80 minutes (don’t be fooled by the official 90 minutes – 10 minutes is made up of outtakes and the end credits), Lai’s latest quickly becomes a plodding experience to get through. The main issue is his story, as despite it only containing a handful of main characters, what the motivations are behind their actions become increasingly confusing, largely thanks to the clunky delivery of the narrative. Also, beyond the fact that the script states Lai and Han-Yu grew up together, their relationship as long-time friends is completely unbelievable. A large factor in this is that Han-Yu acts Lai off the screen whenever they’re on it together. Clearly having a lot of fun with a role that allows him to ape many of his more stoic performances, Lai’s comparatively bland line delivery does him no favours.
Similarly, the off-kilter pacing doesn’t seem to know what it wants to focus on. We get Lai and Han-Yu singing a ballad together on karaoke, which in true Hong Kong style is utilized to throw in a montage showing how Han-Yu’s marriage fell apart, while he wistfully sings about having the courage to love again. Will he? We never get to know, as his divorce is never mentioned again, basically reducing it to ‘montage filler’. Lai is also out-acted by David Wang (here enjoying a more substantial role than in Extraordinary Mission) as another bidder, who we learn has his own agenda for attending the auction, and ultimately strikes up a more convincing relationship with Han-Yu than Lai does.
Proceedings are attempted to have some life injected into them with a couple of action scenes. The first takes place in a chateau for a wine tasting session, that sees snipers hiding in the surrounding woodland causing plenty of collateral wine glass damage, in a scene which admittedly looks visually striking. I’m sure there was a miscommunication between Lai and his CGI team though, as the scene ends with a ridiculously epic explosion that rips through half the chateau, but doesn’t seem to draw much of a reaction from anyone (or have any bearing on the rest of the plot). I think the size of the explosion was probably supposed to be slightly on the smaller scale. The finale itself involves a Railroad Tigers-esque sequence, beginning with a shootout on a train platform, before moving onto a speeding train.
Throwing in bullets, magnetic bombs, the over-used ‘super’ slow-motion, and some awkward attempts at humor, it’s an unremarkable end to what feels like a distinctive case of Lai biting off more than he can chew. If Wine War is anything to go by, then it would appear he needs to spend a little more time at directing school, with its inconsistency ultimately being the biggest detractor. Several of the comedy sequences fall flat (not least those involving Lai himself), the flashback sequences are tedious rather than enlightening, and there are some truly bizarre musical cues. From songs which sound like they come straight out of a Hannah Montana episode, to a note for note recreation of Iggy Azalea’s Fancy opening being used to kick off a scene. Its head scratching.
Neither maintaining the quirkiness that its opening initially promised, nor being as overwhelmingly dire as many recent Mainland blockbusters (despite featuring a bad guy in a suit covered in lightning bolts, who looks like he just walked off the set of Switch), Wine War is best described as a squandered opportunity. While it may aim to be as enjoyable as a glass of vintage red, in the end it feels more like a hangover, the type induced after one too many glasses of cheap grog.
On May 1, 2018, Well Go USA will be releasing the Blu-ray for Once Upon a Time, a fantasy thriller from Zhao Xiaoding (filmmaker best known for his acclaimed cinematography work for films such as House of Flying Daggers and The Great Wall).
Based on the best-selling fantasy novel “To the Sky Kingdom,” Once Upon a Time is a story of epic battles, deep passion, and the powerful forces that drive mortals and gods alike toward revenge, loyalty, and eternal love.
Bai Qian, a goddess and monarch from the Heavenly Realms, is sent to the mortal world to undergo a trial to become a High Goddess. There, she meets Ye Hua, with whom she falls in love and marries. When an old enemy reappears in her life, everything she holds dear is threatened.
Legendary filmmaker Ridley Scott (Alien, Black Rain, Blade Runner) is in-talks to produce Amman Mission (or Goodbye, Kuwait in Chinese) for China’s Zhejiang Talent Television and Film Co.
According to THR, Amman Mission is an action-thriller based on the evacuation of Chinese nationals in 1990 during the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Budgeted at $35 million, the film will be shot in the Chinese regions of Ningxia and Xinjiang, as well as in Kuwait.
The same source adds that Scott has read the first draft of the script and is awaiting a revised version. Scott’s name is on the promotional poster, which details how 4,885 Chinese evacuated Kuwait within 48 hours. “One motherland,” it also states, recalling the Chinese patriotism in recent mega blockbusters like Wolf Warriors 2 and Operation Red Sea.
We’ll keep you updated on Amman Mission. Stay tuned!
Director Hirokazu Koreeda has gone from strength to strength in the last ten years, with a strong following thanks to films such as Still Walking and Our Little Sister. His most recent, The Third Murder, swept the Japanese Academy Prize last week taking awards for best picture, director, supporting actor, supporting actress and screenplay – so the film comes with a great pedigree. I have to warn you, I’m not a big fan of this director. I have only seen Still Walking and now The Third Murder, however. My favourite aspect of film is visual style, and Koreeda’s style is pretty bland, with The Third Murder being no exception. It’s a shame, because there are some great elements to this movie, especially with regard to acting and approach to character.
Misumi (Koji Yakusho, 13 Assassins) is a factory worker who is in the dock for murdering his boss. His defence team, led by Shigemori (Masaharu Fukuyama, Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Inferno) goes to work to prepare their case. Soon the team begin to think something is up, as Misumi wants to change his plea from guilty to innocent in the middle of the case. Shigemori interviews the boss’s daughter Sakie (Suzu Hirose, Rage) and his wife Yamanaka Mitsue (Yuki Saito, Yo-Yo Girl Cop), and tangles of ambiguity occur.
All of the main characters have so many layers, and are depicted so wonderfully, that as the film progressed I was very gripped, despite the issues I had with the style. Koreeda obviously has a way to handle narrative and character that is very fresh. The second half becomes pretty surreal, as the viewer is not force fed what the truth of the case is, and only some little visual pointers create a coherent thread. This could easily become frustrating; but the way it is presented and the strength of the characters and actors create a powerful feeling and mean the viewer must make up their own mind.
Among many strong performances, Yakusho stands out as Misumi. The scenes between him and Fukuyama which occur throughout the film are a masterclass of sensitive acting, with a spiritual power on the part of Yakusho that carries the film through to its conclusion. Fukuyama has the meatiest part, and does well in conveying the increasingly morally and spiritually mixed up lawyer. Another revelation is Hirose as Sakie; she plays it with just the right note of ambiguity, and at such a young age is one to watch out for.
The most often-mentioned influence on Koreeda is the master of traditional Japanese filmmaking, Yaujiro Ozu. The pacing and character design are certainly redolent, as are the realist style with natural lighting. The Third Murder represents a bit of a departure in some aspects, with my other reference point to Koreeda, Still Walking, much more Ozu-Like. In some ways the movie reminded me of Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s recent Creepy, with a similar plot line. That film’s aesthetic is much more up my street, with an expressionistic style that compliments the sinister goings on.
The first half of The Third Murder (apart from the opening scene, which is superbly shot) is a little plodding and uninspired visually, but after the fact it becomes much more interesting. The motif of a cross is used in an unusually brilliant way, one that makes the viewer question the real direction of the narrative, and serves as a reminder that reality is not always what one perceives it as. A flawed but at times brilliant work.
Okay, this is definitely the strangest news to come out of the Filmart 2018 event. Apparently, a sequel to Jet Li’s 1982 debut film, The Shaolin Temple, is in-the-works.
As Hong Kong film historian Ricky Baker (of Eastern Heroes) says: “It’s official. The Shaolin Temple sequel NOT starring Jet Li,” followed by a shot of the film’s preliminary poster, which features what appears to be shadowy figure of Li. In other words, don’t get your hopes up if you’re expecting Jet Li (but then again, anything is possible, right?).
Directed by Chang Hsin Yen, the original film made Li a star and was responsible for the resurgence of Shaolin-based kung fu movies. The film spawned two unrelated sequels, as well as a loose remake in 2001 starring Andy Lau. In 2014, an English-language remake was announced from director Justin Lin (Star Trek Beyond), but never materialized.
We’ll keep you updated on The Shaolin Temple 2 as more news arrives.
If you’ve seen the Battle Royale and Hunger Games movies, and you still can’t get enough of teenagers killing one another, then look no further than As the Gods Will(aka As God Says).
In the film, high school student Shun Takahata is bored. Bored with the day-to-day monotony of school and life, he prays for change, for something exciting. The last thing he expects is for the gods to answer. Suddenly, he and his classmates are forced to play deadly children’s games and facing terrifying creatures from a talking Daruma doll to a sharp-clawed lucky cat. Who will survive the gods’ games?
As the Gods Will is based on a serialized Japanese comic book written by Muneyuki Kanshiro and illustrated by Akeji Fujimura. The film stars Ryunosuke Kamiki (Big Man Japan), Mio Yuki (Assassination Classroom), Sota Fukushi (Library Wars), Hirona Yamazaki (Mars), Shota Sometani (Tokyo Tribe), Nao Omori (Outrage Coda) and Lily Franky (Double Life).
This summer will see the release of the fantasy-adventure Asura (not to be confused with the Korean crime film), the directorial debut of noted stunt coordinator Peng Zhang (The Wrath of Vajra, Kick-Ass). The big budget film is said to be the first in a trilogy to be released at a later date.
The story is set in Asura, the dimension of pure desire according to ancient Buddhist mythology. The mythical realm is threatened by a coup from a lower heavenly kingdom and the story follows from there.
Asura is known having a high-profile backing from a list of international talent: It’s written by Zhenjian Yang (Painted Skin: The Resurrection); features costume designs by Oscar winner Ngila Dickson (The Lord of the Rings); Martín Hernandez (The Revenant) serves as the audio director; and Charlie Iturriaga (Deadpool) is handling the film’s visual effects.
On May 1st, 2018, Kino Lorber will be releasing a 4K restoration Blu-ray of Legend of the Mountain, a 1979 wuxia thriller directed by King Hu (Come Drink with Me, A Touch of Zen).
In the film, a travelling scholar, intent on translating a Buddhist sutra, loses his way in the mountains. Time and space collapse around him as he continues his journey, encountering ghostly visitations amid a haunting fantasia of color, light and landscape.
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