Author Archives: Paul Bramhall

Rip, The (2026) Review

Director: Joe Carnahan Cast: Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Sasha Calle, Kyle Chandler, Teyana Taylor, Steven Yeun, Catalina Sandino Moreno, Scott Adkins, Jose Pablo Cantillo Running Time: 113 min.  By Paul Bramhall I recently read an article about the surge in AI generated music beginning to infiltrate streaming platforms, with one service reporting that towards the end of 2025, the number of AI generated songs had risen to represent 34% of … Continue reading

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Hot Blooded (2022) Review

Director: Cheon Myeong-Kwan Cast: Jung Woo, Kim Kap-Soo, Choi Moo-Sung, Ji Seung-Hyun, Lee Hong-Nae, Yoon Ji-Hye, Lee Sung-Woo, Yoon Dae-Yul, Hyun Bong-Sik, Heo Dong-Won Running Time: 120 min.  By Paul Bramhall In the opening scene of Hot Blooded we follow a gangster played by Jung Woo (Dirty Money, Spare) as he’s dropped off on a boat in the open sea. Sat around a table are his fellow criminal brethren, and … Continue reading

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Dirty Money (2024) Review

Director: Kim Min-Soo Cast: Jung Woo, Kim Dae-Myung, Park Byung-Eun, Cho Hyun-Chul, Jung Hae-Kyun, Baek Soo-Jang, Yoo Teo, Lim Hwa-Young, Kim Yoon-Sung Running Time: 100 min. By Paul Bramhall  Is there anything more dangerous in cinema than the trope of a character hauling around a bag of cash that doesn’t belong to them? Almost every country has an entry, and Korea is no different, with 2020’s Beasts Clawing at Straws … Continue reading

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Asian Connection, The (2016) Review

Director: Daniel Zirilli Cast: John Edward Lee, Byron Gibson, Pim Bubear, Dean Alexandrou, Michael Jai White, Ron Smoorenburg, Sahajak Boonthanakit, Nick Khan Running Time: 90 min.  By Paul Bramhall I confess to being a fan of Steven Seagal’s movie output. Sure, depending on the era the kind of entertainment they deliver varies – the reasons you watch a 90’s Seagal movie are very different to the reasons you watch a … Continue reading

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In Search of The Man from Hong Kong: Re-tracing Jimmy Wang Yu’s Footsteps for the 50 Year Anniversary

It’s hard to believe it’s been 50 years since The Man from Hong Kong hit Hong Kong and Australian cinema screens, a rare co-production between the legendary Golden Harvest and flash in the pan Australian production house The Movie Company. Directed by Brian Trenchard-Smith, the movie cast Hong Kong star Jimmy Wang Yu as a HK cop sent to Australia to extradite a drug mule (played by a pre-fame Sammo … Continue reading

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The Great Flood (2025) Review

"The Great Flood" Netflix Poster

Director: Kim Byung-Woo Cast: Kim Da-mi, Park Hae-soo, Kwon Eun-seong, Jeon Hye-Jin, Lee Hak-Joo, Yu-Na, Lee Dong-Chan, Kang Bin, Kim Dong-Yeong, Lee Jun-Hyeok Running Time: 108 min.  By Paul Bramhall The last time Korea had to face a cinematic tsunami threat was in 2009’s Hauendae, and technically it still stands true in 2025, since the latest addition to Korea’s disaster genre catalogue, The Great Flood, went directly to the streaming … Continue reading

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Hard Justice (1995) Review

Director: Greg Yaitanes Cast: David Bradley, Charles Napier, Yuji Okumoto, Clabe Hartley, Benita Andre, Adam Clark, John Koyama, Vernon Wells, Doug Kruse, Harold Cannon, Arthur Roberts, Jim Maniaci, William S. Wong Running Time: 88 min.  By Paul Bramhall  If you’re a fan of U.S. DTV action, when the Nu Image logo appears onscreen at the beginning of a production, you usually know you’re in for a good time. At best … Continue reading

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No Other Choice (2025) Review

Director: Park Chan-wook Cast: Lee Byung-hun, Son Ye-jin, Park Hee-soon, Lee Sung-min, Yeom Hye-ran, Cha Seung-won, Yoo Yeon-seok, Kim Hae-sook, Kim Hyung-mook, Oh Dal-su Running Time: 138 min By Paul Bramhall In the opening scene of director Park Chan-wook’s No Other Choice we meet a dedicated company man played by Lee Byung-hun (The Match, Ashfall) who seemingly has it all – a nice house, a loving wife, 2 kids, and … Continue reading

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Force of Execution (2013) Review

Director: Keoni Waxman Cast: Steven Seagal, Bren Foster, Ving Rhames, Danny Trejo, Jenny Gabrielle, Marlon Lewis, David House, Gillie Da Kid, Andy Brooks, Ivan G’Vera Running Time: 99 min.  By Paul Bramhall If he wasn’t already, then the 2024 Australian martial arts movie Life After Fighting successfully put Bren Foster on the radar of most martial arts cinema fans, in which he both starred and directed, culminating in a final … Continue reading

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City on Fire Presents: In Search of the Single-Legged Man

Having got into martial arts cinema in the late 90’s, during the DVD boom of the early 2000’s I ravenously picked up practically every kung-fu movie that hit the format, even titles that I thought at the time were kung-fu flicks but, several years later, I’d learn were a different genre all together. One such title was the production that kick-started the taekwon-action genre in Korea – the 1974 Lee … Continue reading

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Lone Samurai (2025) Review

Director: Josh C. Waller Cast: Shogen, Yayan Ruhian, Sumire Ashina, Rama Ramadhan, Faisal Rachman, Fatih Unru Running Time: 95 min. By Paul Bramhall  The release of Lone Samurai marks the first significant production to see Iko Uwais at work behind the camera – it’s presented by his production company Uwais Team, he’s one of the executive producers, and the Uwais Stunt Team are there to deliver on the action. The … Continue reading

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Good News (2025) Review

Director: Byun Sung-hyun Cast: Sul Kyung-Gu, Hong Kyung, Ryoo Seung-Bum, Takayuki Yamada, Shiro Sano, Show Kasamatsu, Nairu Yamamoto, Eita Nagayama, Hinata Hiiragi Running Time: 136 min. By Paul Bramhall Korean cinema rarely ventures into the realm of satire, however on the few occasions it has it’s done it well. 2002’s Fun Movie saw the Korean film industry going the Scary Movie route and lampooning its own blockbusters of the era … Continue reading

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Unmatchable Match, The (1990) Review

Director: Parkman Wong Cast: Stephen Chow, Michael Chan Wai-Man, Vivian Chow Wai-Man, Shing Fui-On, Ricky Yi Fan-Wai, Lau Yuk-Gei, James Ha Chim-Si, Chow Cheong-Wa Running Time: 98 min. By Paul Bramhall  When it comes to writing on Hong Kong cinema it seemed that for many years the late 80’s and early 90’s were usually referenced as producing an almost limitless amount of triad flicks, to the point that many were … Continue reading

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Millennium Dragon (1999) Review

AKA: Black Rain Director: Phillip Ko Fei Cast: Yuen Biao, Lily Chung Suk-Wai, Choi Jae-sung, Lee Ngai-Chi, Ben Ng Ngai-Cheung, Chiu Lai-Yee, Chin Siu-Ho, Johnny Wang Lung-Wei, Hugo Ng Doi-Yung, Charlie Cho Cha-Lee, William Ho Ka-Kui Running Time: 94 min. By Paul Bramhall The directorial career of kung-fu cinema legend Philip Ko Fei is one that needs to be studied. Helming more than 50 movies in the years spanning 1982 … Continue reading

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Hantang (2023) Review

Director: Jung Cho-sin Cast: Kan Mi-youn, Han Seong-sik, Kim Joo-kyeong, Yoon Ki-won, Kim Ki-suk, Hwang Ba-ul Running Time: 90 min. By Paul Bramhall While the erotic genre in Korea had its peak during the 1980’s, it’s never really gone away since. Finding its home on the straight-to-VHS format in the 1990’s, and continuing to DVD in the 21st century, while the covers for such movies may promise a gratuitous amount … Continue reading

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