Author Archives: Paul Bramhall

Hocus Pocus (1984) Review

"Hocus Pocus" Theatrical Poster

Director: Chin Yuet Sang Producer: Sammo Hung Cast: Lam Ching Ying, Stephen Tung Wei, Law Ho Kai, Chin Yuet Sang, Peter Chan Lung, Tai San, Alice Lau Ar Lai, Fung Lee, Cheung Ging Boh Running Time: 94 min. By Paul Bramhall In 1984 it’d been 4 years since Sammo Hung directed and starred in Encounters of the Spooky Kind, the 1980 horror comedy kung fu flick hybrid that would prove hugely … Continue reading

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A Storm is Coming: Casanova Wong’s Top 10 Fight Scenes

A Storm is Coming: Casanova Wongs Top 10 Fight Scenes

Out of all the old-school kung fu stars, arguably nobody lives up to their nickname more than Casanova Wong, the Human Tornado. A name bestowed upon him during his time in the Korean Army for his incredible spin kicks, it was a talent which saw him destined to be one of the legendary boot-masters to grace the silver screen. Born in Korea as Kim Yong-ho, his kicks lit up the … Continue reading

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Bruce and the Iron Finger (1979) Review

"Bruce and the Iron Finger" Promotional Poster

AKA: Bruce vs. Iron Hand Director: To Man-Bo Cast: Bruce Li (aka Ho Chung Tao, James Ho), Bruce Leung Siu Lung, Ku Feng, Fong Yau, Dai Sai Aan, Wong Kwong Yue, Lin Ke Ming, Lee Hoi San, Tai San Running Time: 86 min. By Paul Bramhall In 1979 the Bruceploitation genre ramped up with a vengeance, spurred on by the posthumous release of Game of Death the year prior, the … Continue reading

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Black Belt Karate (1977) Review

"Black Belt Karate" Theatrical Poster

Director: Suen A-Foo Cast: Bruce Leung Siu Lung, Lo Lieh, Billy Chong Chun Lai, Larry Lee Gam Kwan, Kong Do, Peter Chan Lung, Tony Leung Siu Hung, Lee Tai-Wai, Yip Chin-Yat Running Time: 90 min.  By Paul Bramhall Before Merantau. Before The Raid. Before The Night Comes For Us. There was – Black Belt Karate! Ok, that’s probably a more bombastic introduction than this 1977 slice of karate goodness deserves, however it does … Continue reading

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Return of Red Tiger (1977) Review

"Return of Red Tiger" Theatrical Poster

AKA: The Return of Bul-bom Director: Nam Gi-Nam Cast: Bruce Le (Huang Kin Long), Eagle Han Ying, An Tae-seop, Lee Kang-jo, Kim Jin-hui Running Time: 94 min.  By Paul Bramhall As a kung fu movie fan, have you ever asked yourself if there’s a kung fu flick out there that’s so bad, it could put you off the genre for good? I have, and I’ve kept my fingers crossed that … Continue reading

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Kung Fu Master Named Drunk Cat (1978) Review

"Kung Fu Master Named Drunk Cat" Theatrical Poster

AKA: Fox and Hounds Director: Cheung Sum Cast: Simon Yuen Siu Tien, Sharon Yeung Pan Pan, John Cheung Ng Long, Candice Yu On On, Chu Chi Ling, Thompson Kao Kang, Johnny Cheung Running Time: 84 min. By Paul Bramhall To the kung fu genre, 1978 can be considered prime time. Jackie Chan starred in Drunken Master and Snake in the Eagles Shadow, Sammo Hung made Warriors Two, the Venoms arrived in … Continue reading

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Time to Hunt (2020) Review

Director: Yoon Sung-hyun Cast: Lee Je-Hoon, Choi Woo-Sik, Ahn Jae-hong, Park Jung-Min, Park Hae-Soo, Cho Seong-Ha, Choi Hee-Do, Jeon Woon-Jong, Won-hae Kim, Kang Ji-Gu  Running Time: 134 min.  By Paul Bramhall Prior to its release, Korean production Time to Hunt was one of the prime examples of a movie impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Originally scheduled for a cinematic release in February, it was quickly pulled due to the lockdown … Continue reading

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Extraction (2020) Review

"Eextraction" Theatrical Poster

AKA: Dhaka Director: Sam Hargrave Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Rudhraksh Jaiswal, Randeep Hooda, Priyanshu Painyuli, Golshifteh Farahani, Pankaj Tripathi, Suraj Rikame, David Harbour Running Time: 117 min. By Paul Bramhall Say what you want about Netflix (and the endless scroll that usually comes with it), but as action fans it’s treated us remarkably well. Indonesian actioner The Night Comes for Us was saved from production limbo thanks to the platform, we … Continue reading

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Dragon Lee vs. the 5 Brothers | aka The Five Disciples (1978) Review

"Dragon Lee vs. the 5 Brothers" Theatrical Poster

Director: Kim Si-hyun Cast: Dragon Lee (Mun Kyong-sok), Yuen Qiu, Kwon Il-soo, Gam Kei Chu, Lee Ye Min, Chui Man Fooi, Kim Ki-ju, Han Myeong-hwan, Choi Hyeong-keun, Jeong Ju-Hyeon, Jang In-Han, Choe Il, Kim Dong-Ho Running Time: 87 min.  By Paul Bramhall The Bruceploitation genre would melt the brain of even the most academic film critic, which is why I prefer to remain on the other end of the scale. … Continue reading

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Bruce – The King of Kung Fu | aka Young Bruce Lee (1980) Review

“Bruce – The King of Kung Fu” VHS Cover

AKA: Legend of Bruce Lee Director: Bruce Le  Cast: Bruce Le (Huang Kin Long), Chan Kwok Kuen, Jeng Kei Ying, Fung Hak On, Fung King Man, Hon Gwok Choi, Kong Do, Benny Lai, Sek Kin, Wong Chi Wai, Lee Hang, Wei Pei , Yeung Chak Lam, Law Keung, Bolo Yeung Running Time: 90 min. By Paul Bramhall Spend enough time down the rabbit hole that is the Bruceploitation genre, and … Continue reading

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Lackey and the Lady Tiger (1980) Review

"Lackey and the Lady Tiger" Theatrical Poster

Director: Norman Law Man Co-director: Siao Lung Producer: Ng See Yuen Cast: Hwang Jang Lee, Mars, Lee Chun Hwa, Tien Niu, Tsang Choh Lam, Chu Chi Ling, Linda Lin, Sek Kin, Charlie Chan, Yiu Lam, Chiang Kam, To Siu Ming Running Time: 98 min. By Paul Bramhall Producer Ng See Yuen and Seasonal Films knew they were onto a good thing with the double-whammy of Snake in the Eagles Shadow … Continue reading

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Ghost in Love (1999) Review

"Ghost in Love" Theatrical Poster

Director: Lee Kwang-Hoon Writer: Hong Ju-ri Lee Sung-Jae, Kim Hee-Seon, Cha Seung-Won, Yoo Hye-Jung, Jang Jin-Young, Lee Young-Ja, Park Kwang-Jung, Jeong Won-Jung, Jang Se-Jin Running Time: 91 min. By Paul Bramhall 1999 was a landmark year for Korean cinema. After starting the 90’s with a film industry practically on its last legs, throughout most of the decade it slowly began to regain popularity with local audiences, before finally, on the … Continue reading

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Self-Isolation Blu-ray Box Coming from Fourth Window Films

Self-Isolation | Blu-ray (Fourth Window Films)

UK Distributor Fourth Window Films have announced the release of the Limited Edition Self-Isolation Blu-ray Box, containing 3 movies aimed at keeping the Asian cinephile who’s been required to self-isolate both sane and entertained. The full press release is below – At Fourth Window Films we’re all about getting through this together, and to add our small contribution to the greater good, we’ll be releasing the Self-Isolation Blu-ray Box. The … Continue reading

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Attrition | aka Final Mission (2018) Review

"Attrition" Korean Theatrical Poster

Directer: Mathieu Weschler Cast: Steven Seagal, Fan Siu-Wong, Ting Sue, Vithaya Pansringarm, Yu Kang, Fan Mei-Sheng, Rudy Youngblood, James P. Bennett, Sergey Badyuk, Cha-Lee Yoon, Kat Ingkarat, Bayra Bela, Kang Yu Running Time: 85 min. By Paul Bramhall The last time Steven Seagal undertook one of his passion projects we ended up with 1994’s On Deadly Ground, a bombastic environmental action thriller in which Seagal asks us “What does it … Continue reading

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Metamorphosis (2019) Review

"Metamorphosis" Korean Theatrical Poster

Director: Kim Hong-Sun Cast: Bae Sung-Woo, Sung Dong-Il, Jang Young-Nam, Kim Hye-Jun, Cho Yi-Hyun, Kim Kang-Hoon, Jung Yun-Ha, Baek Yoon-Sik, Kim Lee-Kyung Running Time: 113 min. By Paul Bramhall The current South Korean fixation with bad-ass priests continues with Metamorphosis. Capping off the holy trilogy of 2019, following the release of The Divine Fury (MMA priests!) and Svaha: The Sixth Finger (occult detective priests!) earlier in the year, the latest … Continue reading

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