Challenge of the Lady Ninja (1983) Review

"Challenge of the Lady Ninja" Chinese Theatrical Poster

“Challenge of the Lady Ninja” Chinese Theatrical Poster

AKA: Chinese Super Ninja 2
Director: Lee Tso Nam
Cast: Elsa Yeung Wai San, Chen Kuan Tai, Cho Kin, Kam Yin Fei, Kon Tak Mun, Peng Kang, Sit Hon, Sun Jung Chi, Robert Tai Chi Hsien, Yin Su Li
Running Time: 90 min.

By Paul Bramhall

For many, 1983 will be the year that Taiwanese director Lee Tso Nam is associated with creating the kung fu masterpiece Shaolin Vs Lama, a slice of martial arts goodness that would remain a favourite of grindhouse cinemas and late night screenings for many years after. However in an era when it was rare for directors working within the genre to only make a single movie, Shaolin Vs Lama certainly wasn’t Tso Nam’s only output for the year. As well as getting behind the camera for the romantic drama Love Don’t Say Goodbye, the director also decided to get in on the ninja craze, belting out two movies that largely consisted of the same cast and crew. While A Life of Ninja cast Chen Kuan-Tai and Yasuaki Kurata in a superlative slice of ninja action, the more interesting of the two titles goes to Challenge of the Lady Ninja, which cast Elsa Yeung as a female ninja who likes her ninja garb to be lipstick red. None of this black nonsense!

Yeung also featured in A Life of Ninja, as does Kuan-Tai return for this more female-centric helping of ninja action. While Kuan-Tai’s role is more a supporting one here, he gets an introduction that any budding actor would die for. Decked out in a sharp white suite, he’s introduced set to the Darth Vader theme from Star Wars, a theme which immediately demands respect no matter what context it’s played in, copyright be damned. Played over Kuan-Tai’s natural onscreen charisma, the visuals and audio are a killer combination. As you’ve probably figured out, the Shaw Brothers star (who notably was still working for the studio at the time, he featured in Little Dragon Maiden made the same year) plays the bad guy, a Chinese who’s switched to working for the Japanese during World War II, and is responsible for murdering Yeung’s father.

The setting may be the Japan occupied China of the WWII era, however it should be stated that it appears to be some alternative reality version. 80’s fashion and cars are the order of the day, proving that period detail is clearly overrated, when you have a star that can twirl around and magically make herself stripped down to a skimpy pink bikini and bottoms. One of the many powers of the lady ninja, and one that I’m glad wasn’t inherited by Richard Harrison. As the leading lady, Yeung has a suitably alluring presence, and was a regular in many a Taiwan movie of the time, notably staring alongside the likes of fellow Taiwan natives Brigitte Lin and Sally Yeh in Pink Force Commando and Golden Queens Commandos from the year prior. In Challenge of the Lady Ninja, it’s explained that she’s a Chinese that’s trained with a group of Japanese ninja’s for the past 17 years, and after passing the final test, much to the chagrin of fellow student Peng Kang (also the movies fight choreographer), is let loose into the world.

In some territories Challenge of the Lady Ninja was re-titled as Chinese Super Ninjas 2, which in itself is a re-title of Chang Cheh’s Five Element Ninjas, also released the year prior. It’s easy to see why, with Yeung’s test seeing her adorned in a red ninja outfit, as she makes her way through a forest filled with both ninja opponents and traps, so the similarity most likely made it an obvious choice for a re-title at the time of its release. However another similarity comes in the form of Chen Kuan-Tai’s 4 bodyguards, which are never far from his side, and come decked out in a variety of black leather and disco-esque outfits. The bodyguards consist of a Taekwondo expert female, a strong man, a guy whose speciality is the use of a boomerang sword, and a Japanese sword expert, notably played by Robert Tai, who comes with a big blue lobster painted on top of his shaved head. At least I’m sure it was a lobster, thinking about it now, it could have been a poorly drawn scorpion.

Once the main story kicks in, most of the action in Challenge of the Lady Ninja involves at least one of the bodyguards. Yeung herself doesn’t go it alone though, recruiting both a kung-fu expert played by Korean Kim Yeon-ja (who, apart from this has just one other movie credited to her name, with 1978’s Death Duel of Mantis), and a whore from the local brothel, played by Pok Ying-Lan. Together they become a trio of deadly femme fatales – Yeung with her ninja skills, Yeon-ja with her kung-fu talents, and Ying-Lan with her, well, ability to seduce and lose her clothes at any given moment. It can’t be denied that there’s an exploitative element to Challenge of the Lady Ninja, with training sequences that involve our trio decked out in bikinis, frequently filmed almost entirely from crotch level.

Another scene has Yeung facing off against the Taekwondo expert in a boxing ring, which has Yeung rip her own clothes off to reveal her areas of modesty covered by black handprints! The reason why she rips her clothes off in the first place of course, is that the Taekwondo expert had a strategically placed vat of baby oil which is poured all over the ring. Think Jason Statham’s scene in the bus depot from The Transporter, just swap crude oil for baby oil, and a Cockney with a receding hairline for a sultry Taiwanese actress. In many ways though, the action is in line with the slightly wacky element that came with ninja movies being made during the early 80’s. Teleport skills shown by characters randomly disappearing and re-appearing in another part of the screen come as standard, as do projectiles that unleash colourful puffs of smoke upon impact, burrowing through the ground, and completely pointless acrobatics. All are present and accounted for in Challenge of the Lady Ninja.

Interestingly a large number of the productions supporting cast are made up on Koreans, a sign which is probably indicative that part of the movie was filmed there with a local crew. Indeed the movie even has its own entry on the Korean Movie Database, where it’s listed under the title Black Rose, and lists Bruce Lai (Chang Il-do) as a cast member. Shin Wi-gyun is listed as a co-director from this source, and most likely there’s a separate Korean cut of the movie featuring local actors (Don Wong Tao once recalled in an interview how, on one of his movies being filmed in Korea, upon finishing the Korean crew then brought in their own actors to continue filming their own version). Wi-gyun was one of those local go-to directors for Chinese productions filming in Korea, which was common practice in the 80’s due to the reduced filming costs, with the only condition from Korea usually being to include some local crew and performers. Notably Wi-gyun is also listed as the co-director for the likes of The Postman Strikes Back and John Woo’s Heroes Shed No Tears.

Challenge of the Lady Ninja ultimately surprises with a plot twist I didn’t see coming (however those of a superior intellect might, which is a significant number), and culminates, like any ninja movie should, with a ninja versus ninja battle. It’s unfortunate that the final battle is somewhat of an anticlimax due to being relatively short, however it does contain some unique ideas, not least that the final part of the fight takes place completely underground. It appears that when you see those ninjas burrowing through the ground, they’re not just going from A to B, in some cases they’ve actually found the time to dig out a whole little area just big enough for a pair of ninjas to go at each other in. While it’s nice to see a variation on the countless sword clanging and colourful puffs of smoke that most ninja movies from Taiwan and Hong Kong end in, the execution sadly falls a little flat, leading the final blow to be more of a “hmmmm”, than a “wow!” moment.

While Tso Nam would continue directing and is still active today, for the other familiar names in Challenge of the Lady Ninja, the production came at the tail end of their career. Yeung would make just a handful more movies in the following years, including This Love of Mine in 1986, directed by her husband Chang Yi. Robert Tai would also make the move away from being in front of the camera, and focus more on action directing, going on to make one of his last screen appearances a couple of years later in the legendary Ninja: The Final Duel. While there’s a distinct feeling that Challenge of the Lady Ninja was made past the peak of most of its performers abilities, it succeeds at never being boring, and the guarantee of some action, be it covered in baby oil or delivered via the thrust of a blade, is never far away. For that, it certainly warrants a watch.

Paul Bramhall’s Rating: 6.5/10

Posted in All, Chinese, News, Ninja, Reviews | Tagged , , |

Suddenly in the Dark | Blu-ray (Mondo Macabro)

Suddenly in the Dark | Blu-ray (Mondo Macabro)

Suddenly in the Dark | Blu-ray (Mondo Macabro)

RELEASE DATE: February 14, 2017

Mondo Macabro is proud to present this classic of Korean horror on Blu-ray for the first time anywhere in the world. The presentation has been restored from the best available elements from the Korean Film Archive, and features brand new extras produced exclusively for this release (the previous edition, released in October, was limited to 500 copies).

Almost completely unknown outside its home country, Suddenly in the Dark (read our review) is one of the best examples of pre-millennial K-horror. It was made at a time when censorship laws were being liberalized, igniting a boom in horror and erotic films. Elements of both are present here, directed with bizarre flair by Go Yeong-nam in a style often compared to the wilder Italian films of the 70s and 80s.

Suddenly in the Dark stars Kim Young-ae (Confession of Murder), Yoon Il-bong (Love on a Rainy Day), Lee Gi-seon (Lost Youth), Hyeon Hye-ri (Unconditional Love) and Kim Geun-hui (Encounter).

Product Features:

  • Interview with producer David Suh
  • Interview with critic Kim Bong-seok
  • Korean Cover Cavalcade
  • Newly created English subtitles
  • Mondo Macabro previews

Pre-order Suddenly in the Dark from Amazon.com today!

Posted in Asian Titles, DVD/Blu-ray New Releases, News |

Railroad Tigers (2016) Review

"Railroad Tigers" Theatrical Poster

“Railroad Tigers” Theatrical Poster

AKA: Railway Asylum
Director: Ding Sheng
Cast: Jackie Chan, Xu Fan, Edison Huang, Nick Wang, Darren Wang, Yano Koji, Sang Ping, Wu Yonglun, Zhang Yishang, Jaycee Chan, Ikeuchi Hiroyuki, Asano Nagahide
Running Time: 123 min.

By Paul Bramhall

The pairing of director Ding Sheng and ageing action superstar Jackie Chan has been one of the more intriguing partnerships of recent years. In 2009, Little Big Soldier was released, and provided a welcome breath of fresh air in contrast to Chan’s Hollywood productions made during the same period, such as The Spy Next Door. Sheng seemed to be a director who knew not only how to play to Chan’s strengths, but also to his age, crafting what many still believe to be one of Chan’s best movies of the last 10 years. The director and star would reunite again in 2013 for Police Story 2013, an in-name only sequel to Chan’s mega popular Police Story series. While the production itself had no relation to the previous Police Story movies, its ambitious story set in a single location was also a welcome departure from what audiences had come to expect from Chan, even if it didn’t quite match those ambitions.

With Railroad Tigers, after a 3 year gap, Sheng and Chan reunite once more. While Sheng has directed a movie between their collaborations, with the exceptional crime thriller Saving Mr Wu, Chan’s own limitless work ethic has seen him headlining the likes of the historical actioner Dragon Blade, and buddy comedy Skiptrace. Both movies were met with disappointment from fans and critics alike, so his re-teaming with Sheng is a timely one. The plot revolves around a group of railroad thieves led by Chan, who become involved in helping Chinese freedom fighters blow up a crucial railway bridge controlled by the Japanese, led by Hiroyuki Ikeuchi from Ip Man. It’s a significant departure from the type of roles we’ve become accustomed to seeing Chan in, and arguably the setting of Japan occupied China owes more to such recent Korean movies like The Good, The Bad, The Weird and Assassination, than any of either the director or stars previous efforts.

Railroad Tigers admittedly gets off to a jarring start. Opening in a modern day railway museum, an Australian teacher guides a group of schoolchildren around the various trains on display, excitedly prompting them to shout out what colours the trains are. If you didn’t know any better, you’d swear the wrong movie must be playing. The camera then pans to an Asian child (at this point I had no idea where this train museum is supposed to be – Australia? China?) who wanders off by himself, sneaking into the carriage of one of the old steam trains on display. It’s while he’s in the carriage that the furnace doors mysteriously open by themselves, revealing a faintly flickering ember within the chamber. Cue camera zooming in to the flickering ember as the child stares wide eyed, and boom, the animated opening credits sequence starts. I confess at this point I felt my heart sink, as I don’t think I was ready for another Chan kiddie-friendly action flick, regardless of if it’s from Hollywood or China (or Australia for that matter).

Thankfully the contemporary setting is never returned to again, until, as expected, the final scene, which also throws in a big name cameo as the child’s father. I always find these historical productions which feel the need to be bookmarked by contemporary scenarios to be completely out of place. From Michelle Yeoh’s Olympic speech in the Director’s Cut of Fearless, to the festive celebrations that start and end The Taking of Tiger Mountain. They just don’t work, and here is no different. With that said, onto the movie itself, well, the real movie. Opening with Chan and his crew, which includes his son Jaycee Chan and former K-pop group member Edison Huang, pulling off one of their rob the rich and give to the poor train heists, the various creative ways that the team come up with to board the trains are some of the movies highlights. The Emperor of the North Pole would be proud.

Sheng takes a while to find his footing though, most likely due to it being the first time he’s worked on such a big scale production. The movie has an annoying habit of constantly freeze framing the screen to an animated still whenever a new character appears on-screen, providing text stating their name and what their job is. Bizarrely, for Chan and his gang of thieves, the text also provides each characters catchphrase as well. Chan’s catchphrase is ‘Shut up’. The problem is, over 30 minutes in and new characters are still appearing. While I confess to not actually keeping count, I could swear there must be around 20 characters introduced, some of whom never even appear again other than the scene they get introduced in. I assume there are likely many scenes from Railroad Tigers that have been left (wisely) on the cutting room floor, however even if this is true, there can be no denying that the first third begins to feel like a bit of a slog.

Things are further hindered by the inclusion of chapter titles. The first segment is called Rob the Train, the second segment is called Rescue the Injured Soldier, and so on. The problem with these titles though is that the only meaning they have, is to essentially act as a kind of spoiler as to what’s going to happen within the next 15 or so minutes, so it would have been much better to do away with them all together. Thankfully, around the 40 minute mark, everything seems to click into place. An entertaining scene, that sees the father and son duo of Jackie and Jaycee attempt to steal a number of explosives stored in a warehouse, signals both Chan and Sheng finding their pace and rhythm, and for the remainder of the movie it becomes a smooth and thoroughly enjoyable ride.

It can’t be argued that Chan is the main character in Railroad Tigers, and while I haven’t seen all of his most recent productions, this marks the first time for me to see him in such a genre picture during which he doesn’t fight at all. Yes there’s a punch thrown on the odd occasion, a brief skirmish here and there, but the Chan signature style of fight choreography is completely absent, and as a movie it works all the better for it. There have been too many times during Chan’s career when he’s attempted to do something different, but still had one of his fight scenes shoehorned in, dating all the way back to 1993’s Crime Story. Instead, here he gets by on pure determination and teamwork with the other members in the group, and as a result the movie is a lot better for it, never needing to fall under the shadow of those conversations which revolves around Chan’s action performance.

There is of course, plenty of action to be hand in Railroad Tigers, some of it surprisingly violent. I’d say this movie likely has the highest kill-count of any Chan picture, despite successfully managing to maintain a relatively light tone throughout. More than a handful of Japanese soldiers have their necks snapped, with dozens more being shot or machine gunned down. A worthy comparison for the final 30 minutes would almost be to call it The Dirty Dozen on a Train. Sadly, blatant CGI sometimes does rear its ugly head, although nowhere near as much as expected in a movie such as this.

As the end credits show, many shots were done using miniatures, and the train that becomes the focus of the story is thankfully very real. However it still makes me question how the filmmakers can’t recognize bad CGI. In one shot, a motorbike with a sidecar launches off a cliff in an attempt to mount the train, and it looks completely unconvincing. However in the next shot, a real motorbike and sidecar go hurtling over a ditch, resulting in an impressive stunt which sends the rider flying through the air. Why these two shots were placed next to each other will never make sense to me, as the latter just further highlights the lack of realism of the first.

After the rather droll opening third, Chan’s trademark sense of comedic timing also works its way into proceedings, delivering some welcome laugh out loud moments. Many feel that Chan puts much more effort into his Chinese movies that he does those he makes in Hollywood, and Railroad Tigers would be a good example to prove that theory correct. While in movies like Skiptrace we still see the yawn inducing ‘punch something hard, shake hands in pain’ comedy style that was funny 20 years ago, here there’s an originality to the physical comedy on display, and it serves as a reminder as to why he’s a legend in the first place. Not every director is as good as Sheng at drawing out the best from Chan, so I hope Railroad Tigers will be indicative of the quality of production both continue to work on while they’re not working together. It may have gotten off to a bumpy start, but Railroad Tigers definitely ends on track, and that makes it a commendable effort.

Paul Bramhall’s Rating: 7/10

Posted in All, Chinese, News, Reviews | Tagged , , , |

The Black Dragon’s Revenge | Blu-ray & DVD (Film Detective)

The Black Dragon's Revenge | Blu-ray & DVD (The Film Detective)

The Black Dragon’s Revenge | Blu-ray & DVD (The Film Detective)

RELEASE DATE: January 31, 2017

On, January 31, 2017, The Film Detective is unleashing The Black Dragon’s Revenge (aka The Death of Bruce Lee) on both Blu-ray and DVD.

This cult classic – which has been restored into HD from the original camera negative – is directed by Tony Liu Jun Guk (Tiger Over Wall) and stars martial arts sensation, Ron van Clief (Black Dragon).

Van Clief stars in this action thriller as a badass hired to try and find out the real reason behind Bruce Lee’s death. From the heyday of 1970s Blaxploitation and kung fu flicks, this movie demonstrates much of the same crude dialog and cut rate film techniques usually found in those genres, but succeeds by having a legitimate bad ass like van Clief in the lead role. Nicknamed “The Black Dragon” by Lee himself, van Clief is a showstopper!

The Black Dragon’s Revenge also stars Dai Sai Aan (The Pilferer’s Progress), Jason Pai Piao (Killer Constable), Yuen Qiu (The Bodyguard), Philip Ko Fei (The Challenger) and Charlie Chan Yiu Lam (The Secret Rivals 2).

Pre-order The Black Dragon’s Revenge from Amazon.com today!

Posted in Asian Titles, DVD/Blu-ray New Releases, Martial Arts Titles, News |

Queen’s Ransom, A | aka International Assassin (1976) Review

"A Queen's Ransom" Chinese Theatrical Poster

“A Queen’s Ransom” Chinese Theatrical Poster

Director: Ding Sin Saai
Producer: Raymond Chow
Cast: Jimmy Wang Yu, Angela Mao, George Lazenby, Ko Chun Hsiung, Tien Ni, Charles Heung, Cheung Pooi Saan, Dean Shek, Bolo Yeung, Peter Chan, Cheung Ging Boh, Chu Tiet Wo, Han Ying Chieh, Hon Yee Sang
Running Time: 93 min.

By Jeff Bona

Three years after the passing of Bruce Lee, Hong Kong’s Golden Harvest Studios was still running around like a headless chicken in search of someone who could fill the shoes of their most bankable asset. This period – between 1973 and 1977 – was a time of trial and error for the once flourishing film company that used to have the biggest star in the palm of their hand. It was a situation that can only be compared to… let’s say… The Beatles losing John Lennon and Paul McCartney at the height of Beatlemania.

To adapt to this challenge, Raymond Chow, head of Golden Harvest, turned to names, old and new, like Ko Chun Hsiung (The Devil’s Treasure), Don Wong Tao (Yellow Faced Tiger), Chan Wai Man (The Handcuff), Jimmy Wang Yu (A Man Called Tiger), Dorian Tan Tao Liang (Hand of Death) and Yue Bing Lung (The Association) to lead some of the studio’s most high concept projects. Heck, they even nabbed one-time Bond, George Lazenby (Stoner), to gain some much needed, world-wide momentum.

Despite some minor hits, none of these guys were able to truly capture the electrifying charisma, intense energy, and most importantly, the enormous box office return that Lee delivered. It wasn’t until a year or two later that Sammo Hung (not as a bad guy or a choreographer, but as a leading man) and Jackie Chan came on board to make Golden Harvest the powerhouse that it once was in the early 70s; but before this was to happen, Golden Harvest took one last stab at creating magic by bundling up some of the aforementioned names into an ensemble project titled A Queen’s Ransom.

In A Queen’s Ransom, a terrorist from Ireland (George Lazenby) leads a group of deadly mercenaries to assassinate the Queen of England. Each of the men have their own special skill: Miyamoto (Cheung Pooi Saan), a Japanese explosives expert; Ram (Bolo Yeung), a Thai boxing champion; Chen Lung (Peter Chan), a Filipino sniper; and Shark (Jimmy Wang Yu), a Viet Cong guerilla warfare expert.

With the help of a bar girl (Tien Ni), Hong Kong police officials (headed by Ko Chun Hsiung and Charles Heung Wah Keung) must race against time and intercept the bad guys before they get to the Queen; little do they know, the bad guys have other sneaky plans up their sleeve.

A Queen’s Ransom definitely starts off on a high note, but goes nowhere but downhill after the first 30 minutes. With its cool title, promising plot and a diverse, all-star cast – including Angela Mao (Stoner), Dean Shek (Drunken Master) and exploitation favorite, Judith Brown (of The Big Doll House fame) – you would think the film would be full of wall-to-wall mayhem, but nope, 85% of it is nothing but dialogue.

Normally, I’m more concerned with the overall pacing of a film, so I don’t need a lot of killings and beat ’em ups to hold my attention; but with A Queens Ransom, you have all these stars that are associated with some of the most memorable action movies of all time, so naturally, I found myself wanting, waiting and begging for some kind of notable fight or action sequence to happen. Eventually, it does happen, but when it arrives, it’s sloppy, sluggish and easily forgettable.

Unlike Stoner and Man from Hong Kong, the absence of Sammo Hung’s choreography is brutally evident. The difference between what Lazenby was physically capable of in Stoner, and what he does in A Queen’s Ransom, is night and day. It’s no wonder Sammo’s name was associated with just about every Golden Harvest actioner of the 70s. He made people, no matter what skill level, look convincing. Instead of Sammo, Lu Tsun handles the choreography, which is crude in every sense of the word. The fact that we’ve never heard of this guy shouldn’t be a big surprise.

I suppose I’d be thinking differently if the non-action scenes were done with more quality in mind, but then again, this is a 70s Golden Harvest flick, and not a well-written episode of Mission: Impossible or The Man from U.N.C.L.E. As it stands, A Queen’s Ransom is filled with a rushed screenplay, careless plot holes and haphazard directing.

A Queen’s Ransom is the third and final film Lazenby would appear in for Golden Harvest studios. After trying to squeeze whatever star power was left in Lazenby with Stoner and Man from Hong Kong, it’s apparent the studio no longer knew what to do with him; so A Queen’s Ransom was produced, which resulted in Lazenby looking like a wooden bad guy with limited screen time.

If you’re wondering if the actual Queen Elizabeth II makes an appearance, she certainly does. However, her “role” is nothing but stock footage (mostly filmed from a distance) during her 1975 visit to Hong Kong, which was spliced into the actual film (a la Bruce Lee’s funeral footage in Game of Death).

At the end of the day, I’d be a fool not to recommend A Queen’s Ransom. Despite being a job to sit through, you can’t deny the film’s dodgy charm and historical spot in the Golden Harvest catalogue. Just be warned, there’s a reason A Queen’s Ransom remains obscure, despite its international star power.

Jeff Bona‘s Rating: 5/10

Posted in Chinese, Golden Harvest, News, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Mifune: The Last Samurai | DVD (Strand Releasing)

"Mifune: The Last Samurai" Theatrical Poster

“Mifune: The Last Samurai” Theatrical Poster

RELEASE DATE: April 25, 2017

Mifune: The Last Samurai (read our review), a new documentary by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Steven Okazaki (Heroin: Cape Cod, USA), hits DVD on April 25, 2017.

Mifune: The Last Samurai explores the accidental movie career of Toshiro Mifune, one of the true giants of world cinema. It also features  interviews with such luminaries as Steven Spielberg and Martin Scorsese, plus a narration by Keanu Reeves.

Mifune made 16 remarkable films with director Akira Kurosawa during the Golden Age of Japanese Cinema, including Rashomon, Seven Samurai and Yojimbo. Together they thrilled audiences and influenced filmmaking around the world, providing direct inspiration for not only The Magnificent Seven and Sergio Leone’s Fistful of Dollars, but also George Lucas’ Star Wars.

Pre-order Mifune: The Last Samurai from Amazon.com today!

Posted in DVD/Blu-ray New Releases, News, Other Notable Titles |

‘Ip Man 3’ star Danny Chan is back as a ‘Romantic Warrior’

"Romantic Warrior" Chinese Theatrical Poster

“Romantic Warrior” Chinese Theatrical Poster

Danny Chan, the actor mostly known for portraying Bruce Lee in both Legend of Bruce Lee and Ip Man 3 (not to mention the Bruce Lee-inspired goalie in Stephen Chow’s Shaolin Soccer), is back in Liu Xiaotong’s Romantic Warrior.

With a title like Romantic Warrior, one can only assume a light-hearted production, but if its trailer is any indication of what to expect, some hard-hitting martial arts action should be scattered throughout the film’s duration.

Romantic Warrior also stars Steve Yoo (Dragon BladeChinese Zodiac) and Xu Dongmei (Little Big Soldier). Don’t miss the film’s trailer below (via AFS):

Posted in News |

Sly and his psychotic gang of mutts are back!

The Expendables Collection | Blu-ray (Lionsgate)

The Expendables Collection | Blu-ray (Lionsgate)

Sly and his psychotic gang of mutts are back! On October 3, 2017, Lionsgate Home Entertainment will be releasing The Expendables 3-Film Collection (on 3 Blu-ray discs, plus digital copies). This action-packed, star-studded bundle includes The Expendables, The Expendables 2, and The Expendables 3: Unrated Edition.

In the series, Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jason Statham join forces with Mel Gibson, Mickey Rourke, Wesley Snipes, Harrison Ford, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Chuck Norris, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Antonio Banderas, Gary Daniels, Scott Adkins and many more legends and rising stars in these epic adventures.

Stay tuned for pre-order information.

Posted in News |

Zombies, Giant Frogs & Hunchbacks: The Pinoy ‘Supergirl’

supergirl pinoy filipino rare

Living in Manila, the capital of the Philippines, always brings plenty of surprises, and so it was one evening in early November 2016, I received the following text message:

“Hi everyone! 7pm tomorrow I am introducing a secret Makati screening of the super-rare, super-strange 1973 Pinoy SUPERGIRL! Interested? txt me for details!”

Andrew Leavold photobombs Paul and friend.

Andrew Leavold photobombs Paul and friend.

The number identified the sender as a certain Andrew Leavold, the Australian filmmaker behind the Filipino cinema documentaries The Search for Weng Weng, and The Last Pinoy Action King. I’d first met Leavold in the basement of an old vintage store which housed his impressive VHS collection, on the Sunshine Coast in Australia, where he screened an early edit of The Search for Weng Weng in 2013. We’d stayed in contact since then, and after I was relocated to Manila with my work in November 2015, it seemed inevitable that our paths would one day cross on Filipino soil.

Leavold was in Manila to begin filming his third documentary on Filipino cinema, one which, almost by default, promises to be entertaining. The focus will be on the bomba films of the 70’s that were made during the Marcos era, and for those wondering, bomba is the Spanish word for ‘bomb’, which in the context of the genre was short for ‘sex bomb’. While over in Japan the Nikkatsu studio was churning out its own brand of bomba with its Roman Porno movies, the Philippines was happily doing its own thing, in a genre made in an era which has made them largely forgotten to modern day Filipino audiences.

Viva La Bomba!

Viva La Bomba!

Bomba movies aren’t the only forgotten Filipino cinema though, as during the 70’s the country also had its own unique style of superhero movie. Today we may have the Marvel Studios releasing a never ending steam of superhero flicks, and Warner Brothers doing the same for DC, but back in the 70’s it was a different story. At the time, it seemed to be Turkey that had the monopoly on making Marvel Comics adaptations. For those that don’t believe me, simply research the movie 3 Dev Adam, and prepare to be amazed at a tale which has Captain America teaming up with masked Mexican wrestler El Santo, to stop evil super villain Spider-Man from terrorizing the streets of Istanbul.

"Shazam Boom" Newspaper Advertisement

“Shazam Boom” Newspaper Advertisement

This movie exists, and even better, is still available for viewing. The same sadly can’t be said for Filipino cinema of the same era. Be it for reasons such as the productions were never intended to be more than temporary entertainment, poor storage conditions, or destroyed during the Marcos era, sadly many Filipino movies from the 70’s are lost to the sands of time. It’s a shame, as the country had its own line of DC movies. There was a Pinoy Superman, with 1973’s Zoom, Zoom, Superman!, and a Pinoy Batman that featured in Fight Batman Fight! from the same year. Throw in the likes of Batwoman and Robin from 1972, Fantastika vs. Wonderwoman from 1976, and even Shazam got his own movie in 1974 with Shazam Boom. Do we really need a Hollywood Justice League movie!?

The one movie which was largely responsible for kicking off this wave of Filipino DC superhero movies wasn’t any of the above though, it was a movie called Supergirl from 1973. Like all of the mentioned movies, Supergirl was also accepted as being lost, the only remnants of it ever existing the original posters that were used to promote it at the time, and those who have memories of it showing on Filipino TV during the 80’s.

"Supergirl" Newspaper Advertisement

“Supergirl” Newspaper Advertisement

Every genre has its own holy grails – for kung fu fans it’s the version of Bruce Lee’s The Big Boss which has the infamous saw in the head scene. For Japanese chambara flicks it’s the rumoured alternate ending of Zatoich Meets the One Armed Swordsman, in which Jimmy Wang Yu walks away the victor. For Leavold, it was the Filipino version of Supergirl.

Proving that not all holy grails are out of reach, Leavold did finally track down a copy of Supergirl on a beat up 16mm reel, and like any true film fan (kung fu community please take note), he was eager to share it with those who enjoy the more bizarre corners of world cinema as much as he does. If the screening was a secret, then the location was even more so. Screening at the Archivo Gallery in Makati, the location of said gallery was hidden away via a small door leading to a set of stairs, at the end of an alleyway between a pair of warehouse complexes. The gallery itself initially seemed like an odd choice to show a pulpy 1973 black and white superhero movie, however a brief glimpse into the kitchen area, in which the staff were busy preparing finger food, revealed its true nature. Adorned on the walls of the compact working space were several original posters of vintage bomba movies, from Silip (readily available on a feature packed DVD from Mondo Macabro) to Scorpio Nights.

Andrew Leavold giving some commentary before rolling Supergirl.

Andrew Leavold giving some commentary before rolling Supergirl.

Suddenly everything fell into place, and Leavold revealed that the curator of the gallery has a huge collection of vintage bomba material, prime fodder for his new documentary. Before the movie starts Leavold provides one of his typically enthusiastic introductions to what we’re about to watch. Yes the picture and sound quality is beat up, yes there’s no English subtitles, and yes this isn’t your typical Saturday night movie in this post-millennial era. But it IS the Filipino Supergirl, so quite frankly, who cares about any of that. Leavold’s energy is contagious, and with an audience stocked up on several cans of already consumed wine and Red Horse beer, the ever so slight level on intoxication provided the perfect mind-set for a trip into the forgotten depths of Pinoy superhero cinema.

The film credit sequence for 1978's Superman cost millions of dollars to make. 1974's Supergirl's credits were done for a couple of pesos and some balut.

The credits sequence for 1978’s Superman cost millions of dollars to produce. Supergirl’s credits were done for a couple of pesos and some balut.

It’s safe to say that Supergirl did indeed live up to Leavold’s hype. Released more than 10 years before Hollywood would concoct its own version of Supergirl, with the 1984 Helen Slater starring oddity, the Filipino version very much brings its own flavour to the characters mythos. A pair of sisters and a brother live in a humble abode out in a countryside barrio, subjected to constant pillaging and harassment from a group of local bandits, and during one of their raids the sister who can see is knocked unconscious. It’s while she’s unconscious, that she’s visited by a 30 foot tall Virgin Mary, who gives her a ring that, when she kisses it, turns her into Supergirl. Yes, Supergirl is a Catholic, powered by the mother of Jesus no less. Who knew?

A Pinky film (not to be confused with a Pink film).

A Pinky film (not to be confused with a Pink film).

These Filipino Catholic influences permeate throughout the production, so those hoping to see a re-envisioning of Krypton, or how the threat of Kryptonite is dealt with, are most definitely in the wrong place. Supergirl herself is played by local star Pinky Montilla (billed in the credits as just Pinky). I’ll be honest and say, having no knowledge of Pinoy stars from this era, that I was expecting the blind sister to become Supergirl. The actress who plays the blind sister is quite slender and slim, while Pinky is carrying a little baby fat, so good on the Philippines for not adhering to body stereotypes of what a superhero should look like, even if it’s not as applicable now as it was then.

"The funk of forty thousand years..."

The funk of forty thousand years.

Pinky appeared to have the superhero market covered, as she also played the role of Batgirl in Fight Batman Fight! made the same year, and would go on to play Fantastika in 1976’s Fantasitka vs. Wonderwoman. After a decade of working in the film industry, she retired in 1980 and is believed to have immigrated to the U.S. It’s difficult to ascertain if Pinky is actually a good actress or not, as she (amusingly) plays her role deadpan from start to finish, and frequently seems baffled at her ability to turn into Supergirl, while never questioning her ability to do so. Unlike the Supergirl from the comics, the only power she inherits is that of flying, and for a 1973 production the flying effects are surprisingly well done. Refreshingly, in an age of mass CGI pixel destruction, this means that whenever she’s faced with bad guys, her form of attack is the straightforward approach of using her fists and feet to send them into oblivion, which she does with gusto.

King Kong who?

King Kong who?

Her rival comes in the form of an evil sorceress played by Odette Khan. What’s striking about this fact is that the 1984 Hollywood adaptation would use the exact same type of villainess, in the form of Faye Dunaway’s occult practicing witch. Is it possible that screenwriter David Odell had somehow seen the Filipino version of Supergirl, before scripting the American take on the character? Of course its speculation, and all indicators would point to it being highly unlikely, not least because if it ever did get shown Stateside, I’m sure DC would be all over it for infringing copyright laws. However it is a remarkable similarity, and definitely raised a few eyebrows for those familiar with both movies.

Pink's Supergirl predates Helen Slater's

Pinky’s Supergirl predates Helen Slater’s by over 10 years.

Khan’s character is delightfully over the top, and as an actress she’s still active in the local film industry today, with Supergirl being one of her first major roles. She keeps a bulging eyed hunchback as a servant, whom she periodically whips as a display of authority, and her mission is to create a serum that will bring her daughters dead husband back to life. Said husband is kept in an open casket in the basement, watched over by the hunchback and daughter, hoping that he’ll be able to be brought back to life soon. Suddenly Faye Dunaway’s standard plans at world domination seem dull in comparison to such a wacky premise.

"Creatures crawl in search of blood... to terrorize y'awl's neighbourhood..."

“Creatures crawl in search of blood… to terrorize y’awl’s neighbourhood…”

Khan’s plans eventually do succeed, but not before she attempts to bring a dead frog back to life, which results in it not only returning to the world of the living, but also expanding to become a Kaiju sized monstrosity, with a deadly tongue to boot. With no Godzilla around to stop the gigantic frog’s deadly rampage through the barrio, it’s up to Supergirl to give it a combo of left and right hooks to the face, and save the village from total destruction. The frog is far from the finale though, with Supergirl also having to deal with the harmless zombie version of Khan’s son-in-law, who comes back to life when none of them are watching, wanders off, and becomes attached to Pinky instead of his widow. What other superhero movie throws in a love triangle between the superhero, the villainess’s daughter, and her dead husband who has come back to life!?

It's adobo. It's a lumpa. It's Supergirl!

It’s adobo. It’s a lumpa. It’s Supergirl!

Ultimately, Khan’s serum ends up reviving all of the dead townsfolk from the local cemetery, leading to an onslaught of the undead that she has control of, and it’s up to Supergirl to save the day. As if ending a superhero movie with a finale that pits the hero versus a horde of the undead is not entertaining enough, her method for dealing with them is about as Filipino as it gets. Luring them to the local church, she grabs one poor zombie and drags him in like a child who doesn’t want to visit the dentist, forcing his hand to make the sign of the cross on his forehead, at which point he falls down dead (again). The others aren’t so lucky, and end up with a variety of kicks and punches to the face instead, but it’s the principle that matters.

Truth, Justice, and the Filipina Way...

Truth, Justice, and the Filipina Way…

The penultimate showdown sees Pinky’s Supergirl facing off against Khan’s whip wielding sorceress, who can now evoke fireballs from the lash of the whip. Naturally, the fight ends up on the rooftop of the church, giving Supergirl a distinct advantage considering we know the origin of her powers. Will the horde of zombies return to their graves? Who’s going to get rid of the giant frog corpse? Will the love triangle with the undead husband be resolved? All of this and more is at stake, and despite the goofiness of it all, by the end you actually find yourself caring.

Hadouken!

Hadouken!

While Supergirl is far from being high art, neither are the current spate of Hollywood superhero movies, however what it certainly has is a lot of heart. It’s a fantastic find for Pinoy cinema, and the unearthing of a movie long considered lost can’t help but make you wonder how many of the other lost movies are out there somewhere. Maybe sitting on an ancient VHS having been recorded off the TV many years ago, or in some dusty old cinema back room on a reel. The discovery of Supergirl at least gives us a glimmer of hope, that maybe one day we’ll also be able to enjoy the delights of Fight Batman Fight! and Zoom, Zoom, Superman!

Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with Supergirl.

Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with Supergirl.

If anyone can find them, most likely it’s going to be Leavold, with his unflinching dedication to ensuring the memory of Filipino cinema long forgotten is brought back for a modern audience. As the countries cinema continues to improve, thanks to the likes of directors like Erik Matti and Pedring Lopez, here’s hoping there are more opportunities to go digging into the past, and if one thing is for sure, whatever’s unearthed is never anything less than entertaining.

Posted in Features, News |

Deal on Fire! The Toho Godzilla collection | Blu-ray | Only $7.99 – Expires soon!

Godzilla Vs. Mechagodzilla II | Godzilla Vs. Spacegodzilla | Blu-ray (Sony)

Godzilla Vs. Mechagodzilla II | Godzilla Vs. Spacegodzilla | Blu-ray (Sony)

Today’s Deal on Fire is the Blu-ray for The Toho Godzilla collection, which contains 1993’s Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla and 1994’s Godzilla vs. Space Godzilla.

In Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla, the United Nations assembles the ultimate weapon to defeat Godzilla, while scientists discover a fresh pteranodon egg on a remote Japanese island.

In 1994’s Godzilla vs. Space Godzilla, Godzilla is threatened by both Mogera – another UN built machine; and Space Godzilla, a beast spawned from Godzilla’s particles in space.

Order the Toho Godzilla Collection from Amazon.com today!

Posted in Deals on Fire!, News |

Contract to Kill (2016) Review

"Contract to Kill" Japanese DVD Cover

“Contract to Kill” Japanese DVD Cover

Director: Keoni Waxman
Cast: Steven Seagal, Russell Wong, Jemma Dallender, Mircea Drambareanu, Sergiu Costache, Ghassan Bouz, Toma Danila, Andrei Stanciu, Camillo Aviles
Running Time: 90 min.

By Paul Bramhall

Steven Seagal. What can you say? In 1990 he was Hard to Kill, in 2003 he was Out for a Kill, in 2008 he flipped the Kill Switch, a year later he was Driven to Kill, he started off 2016 by Killing Salazar, and to round off the year, he received a Contract to Kill. Both of the 2016 movies mentioned were collaborations with who appears to have become Seagal’s go-to director in recent years, Keoni Waxman. Quite how the pair came to form such a partnership is a mystery. With Seagal’s reputation for being difficult to work with, Waxman has made more movies with Seagal than any other director he’s worked with. Kicking off with 2009’s The Keeper, up to and including Contract to Kill, Waxman has been the man in the director’s chair for 9 of Seagal’s features, as well as handling 8 episodes of the short lived TV series True Justice (many of which were paired up and further passed off as movies).

It’s incredible then, that out of the close to 20 productions they’ve worked on together, not one of them manages to be even slightly entertaining. For those that have done the math, you’ll probably realise that during some years they must have cranked out more than one title. This is never truer than in the case of 2016, when apart from Contract to Kill and Killing Salazar, they also made End of a Gun together. But Seagal didn’t stop there, in fact these productions represent less than half of his output for the year, with his hefty presence also gracing such titles as Sniper: Special Ops, Code of Honor, The Asian Connection, and The Perfect Weapon. You’d think that must make Seagal one of the hardest working actors out there today, until you actually see one of the productions, and realise just how little effort he seems to be putting into each one.

Despite the above criticism, I confess to being a Seagal fan. I can’t help it. It’s rare that a studio would have that much faith in a martial artist, with zero acting experience, that they’d make him the star of a movie without bothering to test the waters with supporting or bit roles first. But that’s exactly what happened with Seagal, when at 36 years old he appeared on the big screen out of nowhere as the main character in 1988’s Above the Law (or indeed the title character for its UK release, re-titled Nico). What made him even more unique was that his selling point was his proficiency in Aikido, a defensive martial arts style from Japan, that many considered to be a fools task to try and make appear exciting onscreen. In fact the only notable movie to feature the style before Seagal’s arrival was the 1975 Japanese movie, The Defensive Power of Aikido, which saw Sonny Chiba’s younger brother Jirô Chiba in the title role.

However Seagal was no fool, and throughout the 90’s he proceeded to throw, break, and snap a countless number of thugs in a string of classic action movies. The 00’s weren’t so kind. Apart from a brief theatrical resurgence with the movies Exit Wounds and Half Past Dead (and an odd role in the Korean movie Clementine), the decade was mostly defined by his bloated weight, and omnipresent leather trench coat. His movies became bizarre, often being doubled by someone half his size, and even stranger was the frequent voice doubling, usually performed by someone ‘trying’ to sound like Seagal. If the 00’s were all about the trench coats, then the post-2010 era will most likely become known as the era of the orange-tinted glasses. It’s hard to tell exactly when the trench coats finished and the orange-tinted glasses started, however what I can say with confidence is that in Contract to Kill he isn’t seen without them. Bear in mind he even has a sex scene, in which the girl gets naked and he remains fully clothed, which includes the glasses staying in place.

Contract to Kill is truly bottom of the barrel filmmaking in every way. The plot, for what it’s worth, has Seagal as a ‘re-activated’ agent out to stop a group of Islamic terrorists from entering the U.S., which he does by putting together a kind of Z-grade version of Ethan Hunt’s team from Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol. Russell Wong, who’ll be familiar to action fans as Jet Li’s adversary in Romeo Must Die (and to a lesser extent, Tony Jaa-clone Mike B’s 2009 movie The Sanctuary), plays a drone expert who joins Seagal’s team, along with British actress Jemma Dallender. Apparently Dallender and Seagal’s characters used to be in a relationship, hinted at by Seagal mumbling that he still wears the Rolex that she gave him, but what exactly her area of expertise is we never know. Seagal is just bringing her back into his team to “do what she does best.” I imagine that’s being the only actress available that agreed to get naked and felt up by Seagal.

Speaking of his mumbling, it’s a real problem here. In one scene he’s interrogating a suspect, and switches from English to Spanish to Arabic. The problem is his tone is so incomprehensible it sometimes took me a few seconds to realize he’d switched back to English again. Other times the end of his sentences seem to trail off, almost out of boredom, and sometimes the dialogue in the script runs for so long with no punctuation, that you can hear him running out of breath mid-sentence. For those who like to hear Seagal talk, they’ve certainly come to the right place, as the whole movie is ridiculously exposition heavy, with Seagal sometimes talking for what felt like minutes at a time, explaining everything that’s going on to the most minute detail.

When he isn’t talking, an awful lot of time is spent on Wong and his drone. Well, let me rephrase that to just his drone. Waxman must have spent a significant portion of the budget on buying a drone, as a disproportionate amount of time is spent on shots of it. We watch it taking off, when it’s in the air we’re subjected to constant cut-away shots of it and its annoying whirring, and we always get to see it land as well. If the movie is ever re-titled, Steven Seagal and the Drones would be a suitable candidate, if he doesn’t relaunch his music career first. Some of the drone scenes also contribute to Contract to Kill’s complete lack of coherence, for example in one night scene Wong sets up the drone to spy into a meeting the terrorists are holding in a hotel. The drone is of course supposed to be an inconspicuous way of doing this, however as soon as it takes off it lights up like a Catherine wheel. Maybe the lights come as standard for night flying.

My other favorite scene that makes no sense belongs to Dallender, who gets dressed up in an elegant and sexy cocktail dress to get up close to the terrorists in the hotel. The scene is set up just like Paula Patton’s scene from Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, complete with Seagal talking to her through an ear piece. However she then proceeds to enter the hotel reception, dressed to the nines, and just stands there watching the terrorists talk outside the elevator. That’s it. I mean if she wanted to blend in, surely it would have been easier to wear a t-shirt and jeans. Contract to Kill is full of nonsensical plot points and scenarios such as these, and that’s not even mentioning the exploding plane, a previous act of terror that the extremists carried out, which is shown so many times in flashback I lost count. It’s even inserted into the final scene, were it has no context whatsoever, other than to remind us that we’ve seen it several times before.

When it comes to action Contact to Kill also sadly falls flat, almost as if Seagal is determined to undo all of his hard work at making Aikido look like a legitimate screen-fighting technique. We’re subjected to the usual hand locks and wrist throws, and at the 85 minute mark, with just a few minutes left to go, we’re given a brief dose of Seagal brutality, but it’s all too little too late. I’ll give credit for at least one moment of unintentional hilarity, which took place when Seagal offs the final bad guy, at which point Dallender laughs, hops over the corpse, and gives Seagal a hug. Seriously. With movies like A Good Man, Sniper: Special Ops, and Code of Honor, playing Special Ops agents seems to be Seagal’s current flavour of the month. However even more so than his never-ending stream of former CIA agents, his characters in these movies are completely bland and interchangeable, which also perfectly sums up the movies themselves. Contract to Kill is no different.

Paul Bramhall’s Rating: 1/10

Posted in All, Asian Related, News, Reviews | Tagged , , |

Lee Byung-Hun’s thriller ‘Master’ hits U.S. theaters in January

"Master" Theatrical Poster

“Master” Theatrical Poster

CJ Entertainment USA is giving Cho Ui-Seok’s Master a limited theatrical release on January 6th, 2017. This upcoming South Korean thriller stars Gang Dong-won (The Priests), Lee Byung-Hun (I Saw the Devil) and Kim Woo-Bin (Friend 2).

An intellectual crime investigation team goes after company Won Network. The company is involved in a massive fraud case. Kim (Gang) is the leader of intellectual crime investigation team. He is smart, charismatic, aggressive and bold to lead the intellectual crime investigation team. President Jin (Lee) is the president of Won Network. Park (Kim) is the Section Chief of Won Network. He is the brains behind Won Network.

Catch the film’s U.S. trailer below:

Posted in News |

James Bond’s connection with Asian and Martial Arts Cinema

"The Man with the Golden Gun" Theatrical Poster

“The Man with the Golden Gun” Theatrical Poster

Being an avid James Bond fan, as well as a writer for City on Fire, I’ve put together a list of Bond titles that are relevant with Asian and martial arts cinema. Whether it be ninjas, samurai, kung fu masters – or just well-known Asian talent  – there’s definitely a connection between 007 and the types of films that are usually covered here at City on Fire. Of course, considering the impact Bond films have had on cinema in general, none of this should come as a surprise.

Dr. No

Even in the first James Bond film, hints of Asian film culture were already evident. 1962’s Dr. No has Bond (Sean Connery) up against the titular villain, Dr. No (Joseph Wiseman), who was 1/2 German and 1/2 Chinese. Surrounded with his deadly Asian henchmen, Dr. No was committed to terrorizing the world with his atomic-powered radio beam. The 1973 Bruce Lee martial arts classic, Enter the Dragon, is considered by many, somewhat of an unofficial remake of Dr. No – in fact, critics have referred to Enter the Dragon as “a remake of Dr. No with elements of Fu Manchu”.

You Only Live Twice

Back in 1967, it was one heck of a gamble for Western movies to feature a prominent Asian cast, but as time went by, there was definitely a demand (similar to the recent rise of online casino and rise of people who look to play bingo), so in a way, You Only Live Twice was a look into the future. Samurai warriors aside, the film served as one of the first major appearance of the ninja in a Western pop culture; and unless you were a fan of Japanese cinema, these masked assassins (and their cool assortment of weapons) were relatively unknown back then. Additionally, the film features popular Japanese actor, Tetsuro Tamba (Harakiri), as well as Akiko Wakabayashi (King Kong vs. Godzilla), Mie Hama (Counterattack of King Kong) and Tsai Chin (who would later make a cameo in 2006’s Casino Royale) in supporting roles.

Goldfinger

1964’s Goldfinger has one of the most memorable, if not THE most memorable, villains of all time: Oddjob (played by real-life Japanese weightlifter/professional wrestler, Harold Sakata). This abnormally strong assassin is armed with his trademark razor-edged bowler hat, which is similar to the “Flying Guillotine” weapon that was popular in many kung fu films. Sakata himself would go on to make appearances in a couple of martial arts titles: 1977’s Death Dimension (with Jim Kelley and George Lazenby) and 1982’s Bruce Strikes Back (with Bruce Le and Hwang Jang Lee) where he practically reprises his role as Oddjob.

On Her Majesty’s Secret Service

Especially for the time, 1969’s On Her Majesty’s Secret Service displays the franchise’s most inventive, hard-hitting action sequences – similar to what we’d see in a John Woo flick years later. In one example, Bond (George Lazenby) is seen sliding belly-down a snowy hill while simultaneously shooting a high-powered machine gun at his enemies. A few years after his one and only outing as 007, Lazenby would join Hong Kong’s Golden Harvest studios and star in a handful of Chinese productions with the likes of Angela Mao (Enter the Dragon) and Jimmy Wang Yu (The Man from Hong Kong) – one of the projects, Game of Death – would have paired him up with Bruce Lee, but due to the latter’s untimely death, the project was put on the back burner (only to be finished a few years later with a Bond-esque credit sequence and a soundtrack by John Barry, who scored most of the Bond films). The most popular, 1975’s Man From Hong Kong, which has Lazenby as a villain, is essentially a James Bond copycat starring Wang Yu. Lazenby also appears in the aforementioned Death Dimension, not to mention the 1977 comedy, Kentucky Fried Movie, which is largely made up of an Enter the Dragon spoof titled A Fistful of Yen, which showcases Grand Master Bong Soo Han (Force: Five) and Evan C. Kim (Megaforce).

Man with the Golden Gun

Thanks to films like 1973’s Five Fingers of Death (aka King Boxer) and the explosion of Bruce Lee, the popular “kung fu craze” was alive and strong in the 70s. This era even influenced Carl Douglas’ to record the song “Everybody was Kung Fu fighting,” which became a major hit. So Bond producers strategically cashed-in on the “Chopsocky” mania and made sure 1974’s The Man with the Golden Gun was heavily infused with some kung fu/karate action. In one fight scene, Bond (Roger Moore), who realizes he doesn’t stand a chance against Charlie Chan You Lam (The Secret Rivals, Part II), takes Bruce Lee’s Enter the Dragon advice: “Never take your eyes off your opponent, even when you bow,” which results in Bond’s victorious escape. The film also stars Soon-Teck Oh (the villain in Chuck Norris’ Missing in Action 2) and Yuen Qiu (Kung Fu Hustle, Dragon Claws).

Licence to Kill

1989’s Licence to Kill, featuring Timothy Dalton as Bond, marked the return of ninjas, which we haven’t seen in a Bond film since You Only Live Twice, 22 years earlier. Although the ninjas (technically, they’re Hong Kong narcotic agents, which doesn’t really make sense) show up for a short amount of time; the sequence can be seen as either memorable or out-of-place, depending on one’s taste. The ninjas are played by Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa (Mortal Kombat) and actress/model Diana Lee-Hsu.

Tomorrow Never Dies 

In this 1997 Bond flick, Hong Kong action star, Michelle Yeoh (In the Line of Duty), joins forces with Bond (Pierce Brosnan) to take on an evil media mogul (Jonathan Pryce). Because Yeoh’s character – a Chinese secret agent who knows kung fu – isn’t your typical damsel in distress, she’s highly regarded as one of the most unforgettable Bond girls. Not only is she a real “co-star” alongside Brosnan, she also gets a chunk of action-packed screen time, courtesy of Hong Kong-based stuntmen, most notably, Philip Kwok (Five Deadly Venoms). 

But wait, there’s more…

The James Bond franchise’ association with Asian Cinema doesn’t stop within the 007 films themselves. The late Richard Kiel (“Jaws” from 1977’s Spy Who Loved Me and 1979’s Moonraker) played a similar character in Tsui Hark’s 1984 action caper Aces Go Places 3 (aka Mad Mission 3: Our Man from Bond Street), a Hong Kong production that stars Sam Hui (Naughty! Naughty!), Karl Maka (Skinny Tiger, Fatty Dragon), Sugiyama Tsuneharu (an Oddjob wannabe), and get this: Sean Connery’s brother, Neil (Operation Kid Brother) as “Mr. Bond.” Kiel would also team up with Jackie Chan in Golden Harvest’s all-star 1984 comedy Cannonball Run II (the first Cannonball Run film, which also stars Chan, includes Roger Moore, who portrays a Bond-like character).

To be continued…

I can sit here and make connections between Bond movies and Asian/martial arts cinema for days (I didn’t even mention all the Bond knock-off films made in Japan and Hong Kong in the 60s), but for now, I’ll end it here.

Posted in News |

Saving Mr. Wu (2015) Review

“Saving Mr. Wu” Theatrical Poster

“Saving Mr. Wu” Theatrical Poster

Director: Ding Sheng
Writer: Ding Sheng
Cast: Andy Lau Tak-Wah, Liu Ye, Wu Ruofu, Wang Qianyuan, Lam Suet, Zhao Xiaoyue, Vivien Li Meng, Cai Lu, Yu Ailei, Liu Wen-Bo, Guo Ming-Yu
Running Time: 106 min.

Kelly Warner

Andy Lau walks out of a nightclub, signs autographs, and waves to his fans. The onscreen text reads, ‘Mr. Wu, Famous Movie Star.’ (I laughed, though I can’t really explain why.) Soon we learn that famous movie star Mr. Wu is known for playing cops and used to perform concerts in years past. It’s as if Andy Lau (Firestorm) is getting a chance to play a thinly-veiled version of himself. And though ‘The Andy Lau Story’ might’ve made for an entertaining film in its own right, in actuality Lau is playing a dramatized version of real-life actor, Ruofu Wu, who in 2004 was abducted by men posing as police officers and held for ransom.

In the film, Mr. Wu leaves the nightclub and is heading to his car when he’s intercepted by men in police uniform who begin to question him. They tell him that his car’s been involved in a hit-and-run. Wu and his associate argue this, then there’s some disagreement about whether Wu’s Hong Kong driver’s license is even legal in Mainland China. It’s at this point, when the civilian knows the law better than the cop, that Wu and his associate begin to question the cop’s legitimacy. Before they know what’s happening, guns are drawn, Wu is handcuffed, and the actor is thrown into the back of a waiting car.

It’s a crime of opportunity. The kidnappers are well-equipped men with enough experience in abduction for ransom, but they seem to pick their targets at random. They simply saw Wu’s fancy car and decided he’d be the target for the night. When it turned out that Mr. Wu was the car’s owner, they couldn’t back out. Quite the opposite, as their leader Zhang puts it: “How could we not kidnap a movie star standing right in front of us?” They demand a ransom and unless Wu’s able to organize a payment within 24 hours, they will execute him.

The film bounces back and forth between the kidnappers, the abducted Mr. Wu, and the cops on the case. It also shifts between the time before the kidnapping, during the incident, and after a key arrest is made. Writer/director/editor Ding Sheng used flashbacks to flesh out the story of his previous film Police Story: Lockdown and while I liked that movie I thought the flashback structure didn’t help the story. So it’s interesting that the non-linear storytelling structure of Saving Mr. Wu is actually one of the film’s finest achievements. Details unfold in the order that best befits the story being told, and if that means jumping back weeks in time to better understand our characters then so be it.

The weakest part of Saving Mr. Wu is the police characterizations. They’re a force to be reckoned with (thankfully without ever devolving into hero worship), but they’re never developed into individual characters. The lead cop gets a phone call from his wife about his son and… that’s it. The son is brought up once more in order to add some drama right before the cop runs into danger but that’s just lazy character development. However, while none of the cops ever make much of an impression individually, their part to play in the story as they track down the kidnappers is often interesting and exciting. I didn’t know this until after the film was done but Ruofu Wu, the actor whose ordeal inspired the film, actually has a supporting part as one of the cops on the case.

Saving Mr. Wu is at its best when focused on the interplay between the abducted and the abductors. Wu utilizes his acting abilities to control his emotions and ultimately try to take command of the entire situation. It’s one of Andy Lau’s best performances in years, allowing him to show a wide range of emotions with total believability.

As the lead kidnapper Zhang, Wang Qianyuan (Brotherhood of Blades) nearly steals the show from superstar Andy Lau. Zhang is quite the character. His criminal tactics are cold and efficient but he’s also something of a lunatic. He never goes anywhere without a hand grenade and collects guns like he’s preparing for a war. Wang Qianyuan is the best thing about the movie—it’s a star-making performance. He never goes for the easy stuff that you see other film villains employ. It’s a smart, intense acting job.

The back-and-forth plays for leverage between Wu and Zhang reminded me of the Paul Greengrass film Captain Phillips, especially in the second half where Tom Hanks was surrounded by increasingly desperate kidnappers. It’s an actor’s showcase for Wang and Lau.

As Mainland China’s film industry continues to expand, it will need more auteurs to elevate at least certain pieces of China’s cinema above the mainstream, government approved blockbusters that seem designed by a computer program more than living, breathing filmmakers. It will need more people like Ding Sheng. Now, Ding Sheng ain’t perfect, but what I like is that he seems to learn from the missteps made on previous films. And he consistently gets strong work from his lead actors, at least some of whom are old-school favorites from the days when Hong Kong movie-making was at its best. I think Saving Mr. Wu is Ding Sheng’s best film so far; a blend of China’s arthouse dramas and its potboilers, with two excellent performances from its lead actors.

 Kelly Warner’s Rating: 7.5/10

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Seagal has a ‘Contract to Kill’ Islamic extremists in February

Contract to Kill | Blu-ray & DVD (Lionsgate)

Contract to Kill | Blu-ray & DVD (Lionsgate)

On February 28th, Lionsgate Home Entertainment will be releasing Steven Seagal’s latest film, Contract to Kill, on Blu-ray & DVD. This time around, the legendary action star is taking on Islamic extremists an drug dealers, simultaneously.

Contract to Kill (read our review) is directed by Keoni Waxman (End of a Gun), the writer/director/producer who has helmed several movies with Seagal (End of Gun).

In Contract to Kill, a Special Agent (Seagal) is called back into action when the CIA stumbles upon evidence that a group of extremists is planning to join forces with a drug cartel. He assembles a team of operatives – including Russell Wong (Romeo Must Die) – and devises a daring operation to turn the two groups against each other in an explosive confrontation.

In addition to Contract to Kill, Seagal has a handful of films that he may or may not be working on (he’s hard to keep track of) that include, AttritionChina SalesmanCypherGunfighter, Under Siege 3Four Towers and Above the Law 2. His most recently released film, Perfect Weapon, just hit shelves last week.

Watch the trailer for Contract to Kill below:

Warm your doggies with the coolest fashion from Frank and Beanz!

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