Author Archives: Paul Bramhall

Boss Level (2021) Review

Posted on October 4, 2021 by Paul Bramhall

Director: Joe Carnahan Cast: Frank Grillo, Mel Gibson, Naomi Watts, Annabelle Wallis, Ken Jeong, Will Sasso, Selina Lo, Meadow Williams, Michelle Yeoh, Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson Running Time: 100 min.  By Paul Bramhall Opening with a shot of Frank Grillo’s (Jiu Jitsu, Beyond Skyline) character literally being chosen from a Streetfighter II style character menu, Boss Level starts as it means to go on, with Grillo abruptly being woken up by … Continue reading →

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Monstrum (2018) Review

Posted on October 1, 2021 by Paul Bramhall

Director: Huh Jong-Ho Cast: Kim Myung-Min, Kim In-Kwon, Hyeri, Choi Woo-Sik, Lee Kyoung-Young, Park Hee-Soon, Park Sung-Woong, Lee Kyu-Bok, Kim Joong-Hee, Lee Seo-An Running Time: 105 min. By Paul Bramhall Ever since the success of Bong Joon-ho’s The Host in 2006, Korea’s had an on-again off-again relationship with the creature feature. Putting the social commentary aside that Joon-ho’s Han River dwelling monstrosity represented, subsequent efforts have seen the likes of … Continue reading →

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Night of the Undead, The (2019) Review

Posted on September 27, 2021 by Paul Bramhall

Director: Shin Jeong-Won Cast: Lee Jung-Hyun, Kim Sung-Oh, Seo Young-Hee, Yang Dong-Geun, Lee Mi-Do, Kim Seo-Won, Joo Bo-Bi, Lee Iyan, Woo Yeong-Taek, Woo Yeong-Taek, Shin Min-Jae Running Time: 110 min. By Paul Bramhall Based on the title The Night of the Undead it’s a fair assumption to expect another entry in the popular Korean zombie genre, however director Sin Jeong-won has something very different in mind. Opening to the suitably … Continue reading →

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Beasts Clawing at Straws (2020) Review

Posted on September 20, 2021 by Paul Bramhall

Director: Kim Young-Hoon Cast: Jeon Do-Yeon, Jung Woo-Sung, Bae Sung-Woo, Youn Yuh-Jung, Jeong Man-Sik, Shin Hyun-Bin, Jung Ga-Ram, Jin Kyung, Park Ji-Hwan, Kim Joon-Han  Running Time: 108 min. By Paul Bramhall Adapted from a Japanese novel by Keisuke Sone, Beasts Clawing at Straws marks the directorial debut of Kim Yong-hoon, who also penned the script after being impressed by the novels intertwining story. Onscreen it’s easy to see why it … Continue reading →

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Kate (2021) Review

Posted on September 13, 2021 by Paul Bramhall

Director: Cedric Nicolas-Troyan Cast: Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Miku Martineau, Woody Harrelson, Jun Kunimura, Tadanobu Asano, Michiel Huisman, Miyavi, Gemma Brooke Allen Running Time: 106 min. By Paul Bramhall The Netflix action flick template is a fairly predictable one at this point – take one adult character with the ability to cause plentiful grievous bodily harm. Make them a tortured soul due to some generic trauma that happened in the past, … Continue reading →

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Satin Steel (1994) Review

Posted on September 6, 2021 by Paul Bramhall

Director: Tony Leung Siu-Hung Cast: Jade Leung Ching, Anita Lee Yuen Wah, Russell Wong, Kenneth Chan Kai Tai, Wong Kwan-Hong, Kong Miu-Deng, Wan Seung-Lam Running Time: 85 min. By Paul Bramhall After debuting as a Hong Kong version of La Femme Nikita in 1991’s Black Cat and its sequel the following year, model turned action actress Jade Leung would next star in 1994’s Satin Steel. Made at a time when … Continue reading →

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Black Cat (1991) Review

Posted on September 2, 2021 by Paul Bramhall

Director: Stephen Shin Cast: Jade Leung Ching, Simon Yam Tat-Wah, Thomas Lam Cho Fai, Louis Roth, Gregory Charles Rivers, Lauro Chartrand, Lee Diy-Yue, Tam Kon-Chung Running Time: 91 min.  By Paul Bramhall Luc Besson’s 1990 action thriller La Femme Nikita has remained one of the most enduringly influential movies throughout the years. The action thriller, which saw Anne Parillaud’s presumed dead felon become a trained assassin for a secret government … Continue reading →

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Jackie Chan & Stanley Tong: Giving the People What They Want – A Retrospective

Posted on August 30, 2021 by Paul Bramhall

It may come as a surprise, but the only director who’s worked with Jackie Chan more than Stanley Tong is Lo Wei. Of course the relationship between star and director is quite different. Chan cranked out 7 movies with Lo Wei at the helm in the 4 years spanning 1976 to 1979, starting with the intolerable New Fist of Fury and concluding with Dragon Fist, one of Chan’s best old-schoolers. … Continue reading →

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Sweet Girl (2021) Review

Posted on August 22, 2021 by Paul Bramhall

Director: Brian Andrew Mendoza Cast: Jason Momoa, Isabela Merced, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Raza Jaffrey, Justin Bartha, Lex Scott Davis, Michael Raymond-James, Amy Brenneman, Reggie Lee Running Time: 110 min. By Paul Bramhall For a long time it seemed like the musclebound hero was a thing of the past in Hollywood action cinema. The bombastic action movies that dominated the 1980’s filled with ripped six-packs and bulging biceps had long fallen out … Continue reading →

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Burning Ambition (1989) Review

Posted on August 19, 2021 by Paul Bramhall

Director: Frankie Chan Fan Kei Cast: Frankie Chan Fan Kei, Simon Yam, Yukari Oshima, O Chun Hung, Eddie Ko Hung, Michael Miu Kiu Wai, Seung Yee, Austin Wai Tin Chi, Lau Siu Ming, Kara Hui Running Time: 104 min. By Paul Bramhall The final year of the 1980’s represented a peak when it came to the elements that had come to define Hong Kong action cinema during the latter half … Continue reading →

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Raging Fire (2021) Review

Posted on August 9, 2021 by Paul Bramhall

Director: Benny Chan Cast: Donnie Yen, Nicholas Tse, Ray Lui, Qin Lan, Patrick Tam Yiu-Man, Kenny Wong Tak-Ban Running Time: 126 min.  By Paul Bramhall Is there anything that gets fans of Hong Kong action cinema more hyped than the promise of a Donnie Yen angry cop movie!? Arguably not, and it’s easy to understand why after Yen put Hong Kong action back on the map during one of its … Continue reading →

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Savage (2018) Review

Posted on August 5, 2021 by Paul Bramhall

Director: Siwei Cui Cast: Chang Chen, Ni Ni, Fan Liao, Jue Huang, Liu Hua, Li Guangjie, Taili Wang, Xiaojun Yue Running Time: 112 min. By Paul Bramhall The harshness of winter has always lent itself to the visual medium of cinema. From the iconic 1968 spaghetti western The Great Silence, to John Carpenter’s 1982 horror The Thing, and more recently thrillers such as Cold Pursuit. In 2018 China offered up … Continue reading →

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Escape from Mogadishu (2021) Review

Posted on August 1, 2021 by Paul Bramhall

Director: Ryoo Seung-wan Cast: Kim Yun-seok, Jo In-sung, Heo Joon-ho, Koo Kyo-hwan, Jeong Man-Sik, Kim Jae-Hwa Running Time: 121 min. By Paul Bramhall Set during a rarely utilised part of Korean history in cinematic terms, Escape from Mogadishu is the latest blockbuster from director Ryoo Seung-wan. Taking place across 1990 and 1991, it was a point in time when South Korea was only a couple of years into being a … Continue reading →

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Kingdom: Ashin of the North (2021) Review

Posted on July 26, 2021 by Paul Bramhall

Director: Kim Seong-hun Cast: Gianna Jun, Kim Shi-A, Kim Roe-Ha, Jeon Su-Ji, Kim Dam-Ho, Park Byung-Eun, Ji Hyun-Joon, Jung Suk-Won, Kwon Bum-Taek, Hyuk-Bum, Park Ji-Hong Running Time: 92 min. By Paul Bramhall The Korean Netflix series Kingdom has proven to be one of the streaming giants’ biggest hits in recent years, with its Joseon era setting successfully blending zombie action and political intrigue. The Korean film industry had already attempted … Continue reading →

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Skyhawk, The (1974) Review

Posted on July 23, 2021 by Paul Bramhall

Director: Jeong Chang Hwa Cast: Kwan Tak Hing, Carter Wong, Wang In Sik, Sammo Hung, Nora Miao, Chiu Hung, Lily Chen Ching, Lee Kwan, Gam Kei Chu, Shut-Ma Wa Lung, Kim Ki-ju Running Time: 88 min. By Paul Bramhall The Skyhawk is the kind of movie which opens up with kung fu legends Kwan Tak-Hing, Sammo Hung, and Carter Wong strolling down a countryside path together, an image which close to … Continue reading →

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