Author Archives: Paul Bramhall

Colony (2026) Review

Director: Yeon Sang Ho Cast: Gianna Jun, Koo Kyo-hwan, Ji Chang-wook, Shin Hyun-been, Go Soo, Kim Shin-rok, Lee Joong-Ok, Choi Kwang-Il, Kim Hyung-Mook, Hong Suk-Bin Running Time: 122 min. By Paul Bramhall While in recent years it’s 2019’s Parasite that most commonly gets referred to as Korean cinema’s international breakout hit, over the course of the 21st century there have of course been other examples along the way. In the … Continue reading

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COF Presents: The Top 10 Fight Scenes on a Bus

When it comes to public transport in action movies, I’ve always felt like the humble bus tends to get shortchanged in favour of the train. I mean even a movie like Speed, that has its whole premise set around a bus, decides to end things with an action finale set on a train. I get it, trains offer plenty of scope for action scenes to play out in, but if … Continue reading

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Boss X File (2002) Review

Director: Kim Sung-duk Cast: Jeong Woon-Taek, Kim Bo-Sung, Lee Ji-Hyun, Ahn Moon-Sook, Sung Hyun-Ah, Ki Joo-Bong, Jo Sang-Geon, Lee Yoon-Sung, Park Geun-Hyung, Kim Kuk-Jin Running Time: 108 min. By Paul Bramhall I confess that Boss X File would have been one of the many comedies that Korea churned out during the early to mid-2000’s that would never have landed on my radar, had it not been for an interview that … Continue reading

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The Touch (2002) Review

Director: Peter Pau Cast: Michelle Yeoh, Ben Chaplin, Richard Roxburgh, Dane Cook, Kenneth Tsang, Brandon Chang, Margaret Wang, Winston Chao, Zhenhai Kou Running Time: 103 min.  By Paul Bramhall Imagine for a minute that the year is 2000 and you’re Michelle Yeoh. You’ve just gained an international level of fame thanks to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, garnering far more attention than when you were cast in a 007 movie, and … Continue reading

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Demon Dancer: Sua/Nara (2026) Review

Director: Attila Korosi Cast: Jiyeon Han, Anita Korosi, Won Hee Lee, Isabella Rose, Wondae Son, Shinyoung Moon, Eunhee Jeong, Joseph Kim, Jayden Moon-Dell, Hyonkuk Pak Running Time: 83 min.  By Paul Bramhall In 2025 audiences were hit with the double whammy of the John Wick spin-off Ballerina, and the massively popular Netflix movie KPop Demon Hunters, so it was perhaps only a matter of time before someone thought to combine … Continue reading

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The Sin Trade (2026) Review

Director: Siyu Cheng Cast: Ashton Chen, Lin Fengchao, Wang Zhen Er, Michael Mao, Liu Yitong, Rui Xiu Running Time: 98 min. By Paul Bramhall An unexpected phenomena occurred in the 2020’s that I’d dare say won’t be fully appreciated until we have enough hindsight to look back on them – the Chinese streaming industry (or web movies as they’re known locally) elevated its action genre offerings to a level that … Continue reading

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Butcher’s Blade, The (2026) Review

Director: Liu Wenpu Cast: Liu Fengchao, Yuan Fufu, Chunyu Shanshan, Liu En Shang, Gao Wei Man, Liu Ben Running Time: 90 min. By Paul Bramhall Remember those old-school Korean kung-fu movies that got re-titled for international distribution with names like Shaolin Drunken Monkey and 7-Star Grand Mantis, only to leave viewers baffled when it turned out there was no discernible monkey (drunken or any other) or mantis styles on display? … Continue reading

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Salmokji: Whispering Water (2026) Review

Director: Lee Sang-min Cast: Kim Hye-yoon, Kim Young-sung, Oh Dong-min, Yoon Jae-chan, Jang Da-ah, Kim Jun-han Running Time: 95 min. By Paul Bramhall In 2018 director Jeong Beom-sik had a stroke of genius for a found footage horror movie – film it in a real location that’s said to be haunted, effectively blurring the lines between cinema and reality. The result was Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum, a real abandoned psychiatric hospital, … Continue reading

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Assassin (2025) Review

AKA: Assassination: 1932 Director: Zhou Jiu Qin Cast: Wang Ming, Jin Long, Cheng Qi, Jinhao Guo, Ray Lui, Di Wang, Tang Hao Yuan Running Time: 90 min.  By Paul Bramhall One of the quirks I always enjoy in the world of Chinese streaming movies is the occasional oddly worded credit introduction, and 2025’s Assassin offers up a good one in the form of ‘Special Invited Lead Actor Ray Lui’, who … Continue reading

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Thunderstruck Cop (2025) Review

Director: Kim Young-jun Cast: Kim Soo-mi, Shin Hyun-jun, Chae Si-yeon, Jung Jun-ho, Jo Won Hee, Kim Heung Kook Running Time: 107 min. By Paul Bramhall Being a fan of Korean cinema since the early 2000’s, one of the unique quirks of the countries film industry is for directors to seemingly disappear for years, sometimes decades at a time, then re-appear with a new movie out of the blue. My nostalgia … Continue reading

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Humint (2026) Review

Director: Ryoo Seung-wan Cast: Zo In-Sung, Park Jeong-Min, Park Hae-Joon, Shin Se-Kyung, Lee Shin-Ki, Jung Eugene, Park Myung-Shin, Kim Eui-Sung, Jang Hyun-Sung Running Time: 119 min. By Paul Bramhall It’s been 13 years since director Ryoo Seung-wan helmed The Berlin File, a murky espionage action thriller that revolved around a quartet of characters – a South Korean agent and a trio of North Koreans, two of them operatives, one of … Continue reading

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Exclusive First Look: ‘The Raid 3’ is in production from acclaimed ‘Police Story 3: Supercop’ director Stanley Tong

It’s been 12 years in the making, but next year the wait is over, with The Raid 3 finally happening. In fact we can exclusively reveal initial filming is already underway. What may surprise fans is the way in which the long awaited third entry is arriving, with Gareth Evans – director of the The Raid and The Raid 2 – confirming that the rights for the franchise have been purchased by … Continue reading

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Panda Plan: The Magical Tribe (2026) Review

Director: Derek Hui Cast: Jackie Chan, Ma Li, Qiao Shan, Rongguang Yu, Yinglu Wang, Tian Qiu, Yang Yu Running Time: 100 min.  By Paul Bramhall In 2024 Jackie Chan hit a career low (one which is only rivalled by Kung Fu Yoga) with Panda Plan, a movie which – in the words of my own review from the time – was a “charmless affair devoid of any purpose or entertainment … Continue reading

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Project Y (2026) Review

Director: Lee Hwan Cast: Han So-Hee, Jun Jong-Seo, Kim Shin-Rok, Kim Sung-Cheol, Kim Sung-cheol  Running Time: 110 min. By Paul Bramhall It’s always interesting to watch a director who’s primarily worked in the independent scene have the opportunity to helm a mainstream production. The likes of Jo Sung-hee would go from the lo-fi post-apocalyptic road movie End of Animal to helming Werewolf Boy, Phantom Detective, and Space Sweepers. Yeon Sang-ho … Continue reading

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Ghost Train (2025) Review

Director: Tak Se-woong Cast: Joo Hyun-young, Jeon Bae-soo, Choi Bo-min, Kim Woo-kyum, Kim Na-yeon Running Time: 94 min. By Paul Bramhall Spend any amount of time in the world of 21st century Asian horror cinema, and you’ll soon realise that practically any enclosed space can become haunted. From elevators to toilet cubicles to school corridors – nowhere is safe if a vengeful spirit is on the loose. So it shouldn’t … Continue reading

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