Author Archives: Paul Bramhall

Extraordinary Mission (2017) Review

"Extraordinary Mission" Blu-ray Cover

Director: Fletcher Poon Co-director: Alan Mak Cast: Huang Xuan, Duan Yi-Hong, Zu Feng, Lang Yue-Ting, David Wang Yao-Qing, Xing Jia-Dong, Wang Yan-Hui, Ding Yongdai, Xiao Cong, Li Xiaochuan Running Time: 122 min. By Paul Bramhall Extraordinary Mission suffered extraordinarily bad timing in terms of when it was released. Hitting screens within months of popular director Dante Lam’s big budget spectacular Operation Mekong, many (including myself) glanced over the awkwardly titled production, in part … Continue reading

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Samurai Cop 2: Deadly Vengeance (2015) Review

Director: Gregory Hatanaka Cast: Mathew Karedas, Mark Frazer, Bai Ling, Kayden Kross, Tommy Wiseau, Janis Farley, Cranston Komuro, Laurene Landon, Mel Novak, Gerald Okamura, Kristine DeBell, Melissa Moore, Joe Estevez, Lexi Belle, Melissa Moore, Nicole Bailey, Mindy Robinson, Thomas J. Churchill Running Time: 93 min. By Paul Bramhall The expression “so bad it’s good” gets thrown around a lot more than it deserves when it comes to cinema. In truth, … Continue reading

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Foreigner, The (2017) Review

Director: Martin Campbell Cast: Jackie Chan, Pierce Brosnan, Michael McElhatton, Charlie Murphy, Liu Tao, Orla Brady, Katie Leung, Manolo Cardona, Simon Kunz, Pippa Bennett-Warner, Roberta Taylor, Dermot Crowley, Niall McNamee Running Time: 113 min. By Paul Bramhall The last time we saw Jackie Chan in London was 14 years ago, hanging from the clock face of Big Ben with Owen Wilson in Shanghai Knights. In 2017, he’s back in the … Continue reading

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Metro Manila (2013) Review

"Metro Manila" Theatrical Poster

Director: Sean Ellis Cast: Jake Macapagal, Althea Vega, John Arcilla, Erin Panlilio, Iasha Aceio, Moises Mag Isa, Angelina Kanapi, JM Rodriguez, Ana Abad Santos, Reuben Uy Running Time: 114 min. By Paul Bramhall The well-worn tale of naïve country folk heading to the big city for brighter prospects is one that’s been used in cinema for almost as long as the medium has been around. It’s particularly prevalent in Asian … Continue reading

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Acts of Vengeance | aka Stoic (2017) Review

Acts of Vengeance | Blu-ray (Lionsgate)

Director: Isaac Florentine Writer: Matt Venne Cast: Antonio Banderas, Cristina Serafini, Atanas Srebrev, Karl Urban, David Sakurai, Paz Vega, Robert Forster, Mark Rhino Smith, Isaac Florentine Running Time: 85 min. By Paul Bramhall Ever since Liam Neeson took that fateful phone call in Taken, now almost a decade ago, the no nonsense over-50 action star has become something of a sub-genre in Hollywood. While Neeson himself has cranked out plenty … Continue reading

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Ultimate Justice (2017) Review

Director: Martin Christopher Bode Cast: Mark Dacascos, Brandon Rhea, Matthias Hues, Mike Möller, Mike Leeder, Wolfgang Riehm, Martin Baden, Henry Muller, Verena Konietschke, Bartholomäus Kowalski Running Time: 93 min. By Paul Bramhall After a tumultuous couple of years of post-production, in 2017 the sophomore feature from production company Silent Partners (made up of Hong Kong film industry veteran Mike Leeder, and German producer Ruediger Kuemmerle) finally hit DVD in the … Continue reading

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Game Changer, The (2017) Review

"The Game Changer" Chinese Theatrical Poster

Director: Gao Xixi Cast: Peter Ho, Huang Zitao, Guli Nazha, Wang Xueqi, Choo Ja-hyun, Jack Kao, Long Meizi Running Time: 133 min. By Paul Bramhall The 1980 TVB gangster series The Bund has had a long lasting influence on Hong Kong cinema. As well as giving Chow Yun Fat one of his earliest memorable screen roles, it’s been remade both on TV and for the big screen in the years since, perhaps … Continue reading

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Following the Broken Path: An Interview with Sonny Sison

As someone who’s been working in the action movie industry for over 25 years, it’s safe to say that action director Sonny Sison has seen it all. In a career that spans from the Power Rangers to Iron Fist, Sison has gradually developed from his beginnings as a stuntman, to a respected action director, working with the likes of Mark Dacascos, Koichi Sakamoto, Dwayne Johnson, and Johnny Yong Bosch. In … Continue reading

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Special Female Force (2016) Review

Director: Wilson Chin Cast: Eliza Sam, Joyce Cheng, Jeana Ho, Chris Tong, Cathryn Lee, Mandy Ho, Jacky Cai, Anita Chui, Philip Ng, Evergreen Mak, Jacqueline Chong, Calinda Chan, Terence Chui, Edward Ma, Coco Yuen, Toshika Lau, Hidy Yu, Jenvine Yu, Jade Leung, Chin Kar-Lok Running Time: 105 min. By Paul Bramhall If there was an award for a re-make that nobody was asking for, then you have a prime candidate … Continue reading

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Adventurers, The (2017) Review

"The Adventurers" Theatrical Poster

Director: Stephen Fung Cast: Andy Lau Tak-Wah, Shu Qi, Zhang Jing-Chu, Tony Yang You-Ning, Jean Reno, Eric Tsang, Sha Yi, You Tian-Yi, Zhang Yi-Qun, Gen Seto, Karel Dobry Running Time: 107 min. By Paul Bramhall Much like the classic 1989 triad movie, Casino Raiders, 2017’s The Adventurers opens with Andy Lau being released from prison after serving his time. However The Adventurers is not a remake of Casino Raiders, nor is … Continue reading

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Confidential Assignment (2016) Review

"Confidential Assignment" Korean Theatrical Poster

Director: Kim Sung-Hoon Writer: Yoon Hyun-Ho Cast: Hyun-Bin, Yu Hae-Jin, Kim Ju-Hyeok, Jang Young-Nam, Yoona, Park Min-Ha, Lee Hae-Young Running Time: 125 min. By Paul Bramhall It’s been interesting to watch the portrayal of North Korean characters develop since the beginning of the Korean wave in the late 90’s. Back then, while still commercially appealing in their nature, movies like Shiri and J.S.A. portrayed the South’s north of the border … Continue reading

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COF Presents: Made (& Remade) in Asia

Back in the oughts, before Hollywood became bankrolled by superhero franchises and endless reboots, the industries former money maker came from a seemingly endless stream of Americanised remakes of Asian movies. From horror (especially horror!) to action flicks to comedies, the list quickly became exhaustive, with fans of the originals rarely having anything positive to say about the Hollywood versions. However one aspect of the remake machine that rarely gets … Continue reading

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Wolf Warrior 2 (2017) Review

Wolf Warrior II | Blu-ray & DVD (Well Go USA)

Director: Wu Jing Cast: Wu Jing, Celina Jade, Frank Grillo, Yu Nan, Zou Kai, Hans Zhang, Wu Gang, Ding Hai-Feng, Chun Yu Shan Shan, Yu Qian, Shi Zhao-Qi, Diana Sylla Running Time: 120 min. By Paul Bramhall While fans of Asian action cinema were understandably left underwhelmed by Wu Jing’s sophomore feature in the director’s chair, with 2015’s Wolf Warrior, one point that couldn’t be argued was its massive success in … Continue reading

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Taming the ‘Savage Dog’: 10 Questions for Marko Zaror

With the upcoming theatrical and VOD release of Savage Dog in August, at COF we were given the opportunity to provide the Dragon from Chile – Marko Zaror – 10 questions about his experience working on the movie. Since initially beginning in the industry as a stunt double for the Rock in 2003’s The Rundown, Zaror really got action fans attention when he headlined the martial arts actioner Kiltro in … Continue reading

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Cartels | aka Killing Salazar (2016) Review

Cartels | aka Killing Salazar | Blu-ray & DVD (Lionsgate)

Director: Keoni Waxman Cast: Steven Seagal, Georges St. Pierre, Luke Goss, Darren E. Scott, Florin Piersic Jr., Martine Argent, Lauro Chartrand, Bruce Crawford, Claudiu Bleont, Howard Dell, George Ramos, Adina Galupa Running Time: 93 min. By Paul Bramhall In Cartels the not-so-dynamic duo of director Keoni Waxman, and his muse Steven Seagal, collaborate once again on one of their countless direct-to-DVD titles. Interestingly Cartels was originally due for release in … Continue reading

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