Havoc (2025) Review

"Havoc" Netflix Poster

“Havoc” Netflix Poster

Director: Gareth Evans
Cast: Tom Hardy, Timothy Olyphant, Forest Whitaker, Sunny Pang, Justin Cornwell, Luis Guzmán, Jessie Mei Li, Yeo Yann Yann, Quelin Sepulveda, Michelle Waterson, Gordon Alexander, John Cummins
Running Time: 105 min.

By Paul Bramhall

Most of the audience for Havoc will consist of the average Netflix subscriber looking for their latest action fix, which isn’t a bad thing. For some of us though, it’s a much bigger deal than just the latest straight to streaming action movie, marking the return of director Gareth Evans to feature length action movie making for the first time since 2014’s The Raid 2. While in-between the Welshman has directed the folk horror tale The Apostle in 2018, as well as helming several episodes of the TV series Gangs of London (which he created), for action fans he’ll always be known for the trilogy of movies he made in Indonesia with Iko Uwais, a silat practitioner who he discovered in 2007. Together they made 2009’s Merantau, 2011’s The Raid: Redemption, and the previously mentioned sequel from 2014, productions that would have a lasting influence on action filmmaking that continues to this day.

With Evans departure from Indonesia to return to his home country it felt unclear for a while if that meant he’d also put his action filmmaking days behind him, however if what’s on display in Havoc is anything to go by, then that clarity is now very much there – 11 years on he’s still very much an action filmmaker. Described by the man himself as being strongly influenced Continue reading

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Looking for a new tattoo? Eureka announces Blu-ray for the 1973 Jimmy Wang Yu classic ‘The Tattooed Dragon’

On July 21, 2025, Eureka is releasing the Blu-ray (Region A/B) for The Tattooed Dragon, a 1973 Golden Harvest kung fu classic starring Jimmy Wang Yu (The One-Armed Swordsman).

Written and directed by Lo Wei, the man behind the Bruce Lee’s international hits The Big Boss and Fist of FuryThe Tattooed Dragon was designed to bring martial arts superstar Jimmy Wang Yu to a global audience still hungry for kung fu cinema in the aftermath Continue reading

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Yadang: The Snitch (2025) Review

"Yadang: The Snitch" Theatrical Poster

“Yadang: The Snitch” Theatrical Poster

Director: Hwang Byeong-gug
Cast: Kang Ha-neul, Yoo Hae-jin, Park Hae-joon, Chae Won-bin, Ryu Kyung-soo, Kim Geum-soon, Yu Seong-ju, Lim Sung-kyun, Cho Wan-ki, Kim Mi Suk
Running Time: 122 min. 

By Paul Bramhall

In Korea the term Yadang refers to a professional snitch, a role that exists as an unofficial liaison between the junkies and the cops, forming a kind of symbiotic relationship that allows the latter to leverage the former in extracting information on where the drugs they take are coming from. The snitch is paid for their services under the table, and technically everyone should walk away happy – the cops get a fast track to intel that would otherwise take months of investigative work, and the junkies escape jailtime thanks to the information they’ve given up. In Yadang: The Snitch the title role is played by Kang Ha-neul (The Pirates: The Last Royal Treasure, Dongju: The Portrait of a Poet), who we meet in a fast-paced opening segment that shows how he came to exclusively work for an ambitious prosecutor played by Yoo Hae-jin (Exhuma, Confidential Assignment).

Keen to work his way up the ranks, the pair have become so good at what they do that Hae-jin starts getting to the criminals before the cops do, much to the chagrin of a detective played by Park Hae-joon (Heart Blackened, Believer), whose months of investigative work turn out to be for nothing. However when the trio’s paths overlap during a drug bust involving Continue reading

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Is it a Boeing 737 MAX? Trailer for ‘Wings of Dread’ starring ‘The Raid’ martial arts star Iko Uwais and Ashton Chen

We’ll soon be seeing Indonesian martial arts star Iko Uwais (The Raid, The Raid 2, Headshot, Beyond Skyline) in Wings of Dread, an upcoming action thriller directed by Qin Pengfei (Fight Against Evil, Black Storm) and Ashton Chen (Ip Man 2, Blade of Fury), who will also co-star alongside Uwais.

According to AT, Wings of Dread is Iko Uwais’ first Continue reading

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Some magnificent news! Chang Cheh’s ‘The Magnificent Trio’ and ‘Magnificent Wanderers’ is now shipping!

On April 28, 2025, Eureka is releasing a Blu-ray (Region B) collection for The Magnificent Chang Cheh, which will include 1966’s The Magnificent Trio and 1977’s Magnificent Wanderers.

One of the Shaw Brothers Studio’s most prolific directors, Chang Cheh – or the “Godfather of Hong Kong Cinema” – is the filmmaker behind Five Deadly VenomsChinatown Kid and Boxer Rebellion. Collected here are two films by this maestro of martial arts Continue reading

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Was it Cliff who made Bruce disappear? Plot details and title for David Fincher’s ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’ sequel

A sequel to Quentin Tarantino’s 2019 film Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood – titled The Continuing Adventures of Cliff Booth – is brewing with David Fincher (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) directing a script written by Tarantino.

Frequent Fincher/Tarantino collaborator Brad Pitt (Fight Club, Inglorious Basterds) will reprise his role as Cliff Booth, the tough-guy Hollywood stuntman Continue reading

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Bren Foster vs Kris Van Damme? ‘Life After Fighting’ star Bren Foster returns in the Jesse V. Johnson-penned ‘The Farmer’

Production has wrapped for The Farmer, an upcoming actioner starring Australian martial artist Bren Foster, who is hot off the heels of his impressive 2024 film debut, Life After Fighting (which he also directed, wrote, produced and choreographed).

The Farmer finds Foster once again taking the lead as an ex-fighter who, while making a living working on a farm and underground fighting, finds himself Continue reading

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The Shaolin Boxers (1974) Review

Shaolin Boxers | Blu-ray (Eureka)

Shaolin Boxers | Blu-ray (Eureka)

Director: Huang Ta
Cast: James Tin, Lee Tin-ying, Li Min-lang, Chu Mu, Leung Tin, Tien Mi, Hon Kwok-Choi, Chu Mu, Choi Sui-Cheng, Cheung Chok-Chow, Mars
Running Time: 78 min.

By Ian Whittle

“The only problem with James Tien seems to be his weight. When we first saw him on screen he was slim and muscular but of late his girth seems to have increased somewhat. Perhaps his marriage early in 1974 had something to do with it. The studio claims he does not drink much but home cooking can spoil the form of a kung fu fighter.”

– Clash Magazine, 1975

Ouch!

James Tien is probably one of kung fu cinema’s big enigmas – since retiring in 1993 after Blade of Fury, he does not appear to have given a single interview on his career. The impression some film critics/historians like to cultivate is of him seething away at Bruce Lee having stolen his thunder, much in the manner that we know Bela Continue reading

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A licky boom boom down! Watch the Trailer for ‘Yadang: The Snitch’ arriving in Theaters on April 25th from Well Go USA

"Yadang: The Snitch" Theatrical Poster

“Yadang: The Snitch” Theatrical Poster

In Theaters April 25th and On Digital September 9th is Hwang Byeong-gug’s Yadang: The Snitch, the latest South Korean import from Well Go USA.

Framed and left for dead by the ruthless prosecutor he once served, Kang-su — a cunning drug informant — finds himself crippled and locked away. Years later, freed but broken, he teams up with a disillusioned detective to take down the corrupt power structure that betrayed him. Fueled by vengeance and a fierce will to reclaim his life, Kang-su’s fight for justice blurs the line between hero and villain. Ya Dang The Snitch — a gritty tale of betrayal and redemption.

Yadang: The Snitch stars Kang Ha-neul (Dongju: The Portrait of a Poet), Yoo Hae-jin (Confidential Assignment), Park Hae-joon (Heart Blackened), Ryu Continue reading

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Not men, not women, not beasts! New Trailer for Radiance’s Blu-ray for Toru Murakawa’s 1980 thriller ‘The Beast to Die’

On July 21, 2025, Radiance is releasing the Blu-ray (Region A/B) for 1980’s The Beast to Die. Directed by Toru Murakawa (The Game Trilogy) from a venomous script by Shoichi Maruyama (Yokohama BJ Blues), this unsettling dark thriller was Yusaku Matsuda’s farewell to his 1970s action hero persona.

Deeply scarred by what he witnessed on battlefields across Asia, a young war photographer (Yusaku Matsuda, Yokohama BJ Blues) returns to the bustling Continue reading

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Don’t miss Goodie Emporium’s New Release update!

We hope you’ll take a minute to visit our trusted partner, The Goodie Emporium, a U.S.-based online store that currently has many Import Shaw Brothers, Golden Harvest and martial arts/cult DVD/Blu-ray movies in-stock – with New titles being added regularly!

New & Recent Releases: 

  • Yakuza Wives Limited Edition Blu-Ray
  • The Magnificent Magnificent Chang Cheh Blu-ray (Eureka)
  • Brother Blu-Ray (BFI)
  • Adventurers, The Limited Edition Blu-Ray (Eureka)
  • A Samurai In Time Limited Edition Blu-Ray (Third Window)
  • La Haine 4K Ultra HD (BFI)
  • Lady with a Sword Blu-ray (88 Films)
  • FX – Murder by Illusion / FX 2 – The Deadly Art of Illusion Limited Edition Blu-Ray (Arrow)
  • Miracles Deluxe Limited Edition 4K Ultra HD + Blu-Ray (88 Flims)
  • Night Of The Felines Blu-Ray (88 Films)
  • Nomads Limited Edition Blu-Ray (Treasured Films)
  • Laurel and Hardy – The Silent Years (1928) Limited Edition Blu-Ray (Eureka)
  • Long Kiss Goodnight, The Limited Edition 4K Ultra HD – (Arrow)
  • The Brood Limited/Standard Edition 4K Ultra HD + Blu-Ray (Radiance)
  • Killer, The (Remake) – Blu-ray (Universal)
  • Four Sided Triangle Limited Collectors Edition 4K Ultra HD + Blu-Ray (Hammer)
  • Scanners Limited Edition/Standard 4K Ultra HD + Blu-Ray (Radiance)
  • Short Night Of Glass Dolls Deluxe Limited Edition 4K Ultra HD + Blu-Ray (88 Films)
  • Mabuse Lives – Dr Mabuse At CCC 1960 to 1964 Limited Edition Blu-Ray (Eureka)
  • Yumeno Kyusakus Girl Hell Blu-Ray + DVD (88 Films)
  • Shaolin Boxers Limited Edition Blu-Ray (Eureka)
  • Rulers Of The City Blu-Ray – (Raro)
  • Play It Cool Limited Edition Blu-Ray (Arrow)
  • Pinocchio 964 Blu-Ray + DVD (88 Films)
  • The Eel Limited Edition Blu-Ray (Radiance)
  • Hardboiled – Three Pulp Thrillers By Alain Corneau Limited Edition Blu-Ray (Radiance)
  • Hong Kong Hong Kong Blu-Ray (88 Films)
  • Je Taime Je Taime Limited Edition Blu-Ray (Radiance)
  • Lady Is The Boss, The Blu-Ray (88 Films)
  • Castaway Blu-Ray (88 Films)
  • Center Stage Blu-Ray (88 Films)
  • Daredevils/Ode To Gallantry, The Limited Edition Blu-Ray (Eureka)
  • Full Body Massage Blu-Ray (88 Films)
  • Amorous Woman Of Tang Dynasty, An Blu-Ray (88 Films)
  • Assault – Jack The Ripper Blu-Ray + DVD (88 Films)
  • Yojimbo and Sanjuro Limited Edition 4K Ultra HD 4K UHD (BFI)

In addition, Goodie Emporium also carries an assortment of multi-region 4K UHD/Blu-ray players, so you can play every single UHD/Blu-ray/DVD from any region in the world… guaranteed! Continue reading

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1.21 gigawatts!!! Action comedy ‘A Samurai in Time’ arriving to Blu-ray on April 28 from Third Window Films

On April 28, 2025, Third Window Films is releasing a Blu-ray (Region Free) for A Samurai in Time, a 2023 action-comedy from director Junichi Yasuda (Gohan).

With one strike of lightning, samurai Kosaka Shinzaemon accidentally teleports through time and finds himself in modern day Japan. However, his realisation doesn’t hit so quickly, because of all places, he happens to land on a period drama film set! After facing the director’s wrath for veering away from a script he has no idea about, Kosaka is saved by the kind Continue reading

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John Wick ‘n friends! Check out the New Poster for Len Wiseman’s ‘Ballerina’ starring Ana de Armas

“Ballerina” Theatrical Poster

“Ballerina” Theatrical Poster

If you’ve seen Ana de Armas’ butt-kicking capabilities in No Time To Die or Ghosted, you know she’s capable of of more than just beauty. With that said, De Armas (Knives Out) is teaming up with Live Free or Die Hard director Len Wiseman for Lionsgate’s Ballerina, a spinoff of the expanding John Wick franchise.

Franchise stars including John Wick himself, Keanu Reeves, as well as Ian McShane (John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum), Anjelica Huston (John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum) and Lance Reddick (John Wick: Chapter 2) will have appearances as their respective roles from the previous films.

New co-stars include Norman Reedus (Walking Dead), Catalina Sandino Moreno (Maria Full of Grace), Gabriel Byrne (The Usual Suspects), Togo Continue reading

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Andrew Koji and Noah Centineo to headline Kitao Sakura’s Live-action ‘Street Fighter’ movie reboot?

"Street Fighter" Japanese Theatrical Poster

“Street Fighter” Japanese Theatrical Poster

Kitao Sakura – an up and coming filmmaker who is perhaps best known for 2021’s Bad Trip, as well as a handful of episodes of 2023’s Twisted Metal series  – is directing Legendary Pictures’ live-action Street Fighter, which will be based on the classic Capcom video game of the same name.

In talks to star are Andrew Koji (Warrior, Snake Eyes) and Noah Centineo (To All the Boys, The Recruit), who’ll be playing Ryu and Ken, respectively. No other casting possibilities have been revealed (via NPN).

The history of live-action Street Fighter films started in 1994 with the Steven E. de Souza/Jean-Claude Van Damme, which is regarded as one of Van Damme’s highest grossing films of all time, despite being panned by critics and fans alike.

In 2003, there was Continue reading

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Monkey Goes West, The (1966) Review

The Monkey Goes West | Blu-ray (Imprint)

The Monkey Goes West | Blu-ray (Imprint)

Director: Ho Meng Hua
Cast: Yueh Hua, Ho Fan, Pang Pang, Tien Shun, Fan Mei Sheng, Kao Pao-Shu, Lan Wei-Lieh, Li Yin, Diana Chang Chung-Wen, Mao Wei
Running Time: 112 min. 

By Paul Bramhall

Having gotten into Asian cinema in the late 1990’s, my first exposure to the phenomena of Journey to the West mania came in the 2010’s. For most of the decade it felt like a big screen adaptation of the 16th century novel was never more than a few months away – from Soi Cheang’s Monkey King trilogy (2014 – 2018), Stephen Chow’s double bill of Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons (2013) and Journey to the West: Demon Chapter (2017), Derek Kwok’s 2017 adaptation Wu Kong, to a big budget 3D animated feature in the form of The Monkey King: Uproar in Heaven (2012). That’s before you begin to count the literal bombardment of web-movies (easily pushing into double figures) that also took the tale as their inspiration.

Looking at the bigger picture though, it quickly becomes clear that movie adaptations of Journey to the West have never really gone away. Since the first known version in 1927 called Journey to the West: The Spider’s Cave, the tale of a monk travelling to India to retrieve a Buddhist scripture has been having the spotlight stolen out from under him for close to 100 years Continue reading

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