Author Archives: Paul Bramhall

Asura: City of Madness (2017) Review

Asura: The City of Madness | DVD (Sony)

Director: Kim Sung-Soo Cast: Jung Woo-Sung, Hwang Jung-Min, Ju Ji-Hoon, Kwak Do-Won, Jeong Man-Sik, Yoon Ji-Hye, Kim Hae-Gon, Kim Won-Hae, Oh Yeon-A, Kim Jong-Soo Running Time: 132 min. By Paul Bramhall The gangster genre has long been a much beloved staple of the Korean film industry, and if ever a movie knew it was a gangster flick, then it’s Asura: City of Madness. Going down like a cocktail made with half … Continue reading

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Undisputed 2: Last Man Standing (2006) Review

"Undisputed II: Last Man Standing" Japanese DVD Poster

Director: Isaac Florentine Cast: Michael Jai White, Scott Adkins, Ben Cross, Eli Danker, Mark Ivanir, Ken Lerner, Daisy Lang, Silvio Simac, Ivaylo Geraskov, Valentin Ganev, Atanas Srebrev Running Time: 98 min. By Paul Bramhall I confess I’m late to the party with Undisputed 2: Last Man Standing, 12 years late to be precise. But in my defence, I have my reasons, the biggest one being I’m simply not a fan … Continue reading

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Cold Harvest (1999) Review

"Cold Harvest" Chinese Theatrical Poster

Director: Isaac Florentine Cast: Gary Daniels, Bryan Genesse, Barbara Crampton, David Sherwood, Isaac Mavimbela, Chris Buchanan, Greg Melvill-Smith, Rohan Coll, Ian Roussouw Running Time: 89 min. By Paul Bramhall Reviewing movies retrospectively is always an interesting exercise. Depending on how much time has passed, what was once considered cool may now be terribly dated, and what was once considered a train wreck may have aged like a fine wine. Just … Continue reading

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Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds (2017) Review

Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds | Blu-ray & DVD (Well Go USA)

Director: Kim Yong-Hwa Cast: Cha Tae-hyun, Ha Jung-Woo, Ju Ji-Hoon, Kim Hyang-Gi, Kim Dong-Wook, Do Kyung-Soo, Lee Joon-Hyuk, Lee Jung-Jae, Ma Dong-Seok, Jung Hae-Kyun Running Time: 139 min.  By Paul Bramhall It’s been a while since Korea delivered a full-blown fantasy spectacle, with perhaps the last time being Jo Dong-oh’s The Restless, way back in 2006. However with the current trend of webtoon (online comic) adaptations that are dominating both Korean … Continue reading

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An Accident Waiting to Happen: COF Speaks to Scott Adkins

Scott Adkins is a name that likely needs no introduction to fans of action cinema. After getting his start in Hong Kong featuring alongside the likes of Jackie Chan and Stephen Tung Wai, Adkins really found his footing once he collaborated with director Isaac Florentine on Special Forces in 2003. It was a partnership which led to him taking on the iconic character of Uri Boyka, in the 2006 unrelated … Continue reading

Posted in Interviews, News |

RV: Resurrected Victims (2017) Review

"RV: Resurrected Victims" Theatrical Poster

Director: Kwak Kyung-Taek Cast: Kim Rae-Won, Kim Hae-Sook, Sung Dong-Il, Jeon Hye-Jin, Jang Young-Nam, Baek Bong-Ki, Oh Dae-Hwan, Kim Min-Jun, Lee Joon-Hyuk, Lee Ji-Won, Ha-Min  Running Time: 91 min. By Paul Bramhall It’s rare that a movie throws me off-guard before the opening credits have even started, but RV: Resurrected Victims did exactly that. The source of my raised eyebrows came in the form of the production company backing it. … Continue reading

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Commuter, The (2018) Review

Director: Jaume Collet-Serra Cast: Liam Neeson, Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson, Jonathan Banks, Elizabeth McGovern, Sam Neill, Killian Scott, Shazad Latif, Andy Nyman, Clara Lago, Roland Møller, Dean-Charles Chapman, Florence Pugh, Ella-Rae Smith Running Time: 105 min. By Paul Bramhall If there was ever an award for the best accidental action hero in Hollywood, it would have to go to Liam Neeson. After starring in Taken back in 2008 at the age … Continue reading

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Kill Order (2017) Review

"Kill Order" Promotional Poster

AKA: Meza Director: James Mark Cast: Chris Mark, Daniel Park, Denis Akiyama, Melee Hutton, Jonny Caines, Jennifer Li, Jessica Clement, Jason Gosbee, Reuben Langdon, Alain Moussi Running Time: 77 min. By Paul Bramhall I’ll be the first to confess that, being a reviewer for an action movie website, after a while you become desensitised to the amount of indie action movie screening requests that land in your inbox. Everyone has … Continue reading

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Paradox (2017) Review

Paradox | Blu-ray & DVD (Well Go USA)

Director: Wilson Yip Cast: Louis Koo, Wu Yue, Tony Jaa, Chris Collins, Gordon Lam, Ken Lo, Jacky Choi Kit, Stephy Tang Lai-Yan, Chan Hon-Na, Vithaya Pansringarm, Wave Choo Running Time: 98 min.  By Paul Bramhall The hot topic of discussion leading up to the release of Paradox was the question of it was, in fact, SPL III, so it seems to make sense to begin a review by addressing it. … Continue reading

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Kickboxer: Retaliation (2018) Review

"Kickboxer: Retaliation" Promotional Poster

Director: Dimitri Logothetis Cast: Alain Moussi, Christopher Lambert, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Mike Tyson, Sara Malakul Lane, Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson, Sam Medina, Steven Swadling, Miles Strommen, Renato Sobral, Renzo Gracie, Gary Wood Running Time: 110 min.  By Paul Bramhall It’s been 2 years since the reboot of the Kickboxer franchise hit the screens with Kickboxer: Vengeance, however even before its release it had been announced that a further 2 instalments were … Continue reading

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Showdown in Manila (2016) Review

“Showdown in Manila” Theatrical Poster

Director: Mark Dacascos Cast: Alexander Nevsky, Casper Van Dien, Matthias Hues, Don “The Dragon” Wilson, Cynthia Rothrock, Olivier Gruner, Mark Dacascos, Tia Carrera, Cary Hiroyuki-Tagawa, Jake Macapagal, Moises Magisa, Monsour Del Rosario, Dmitriy Dyuzhev Running Time: 86 min. By Paul Bramhall Russian bodybuilder turned fledging action hero Alexander Nevsky, the Tommy Wiseau of the action genre, returned to screens in 2016 with Showdown in Manila, which marks the directorial debut of Mark Dacascos. Much like Nevsky’s last movie … Continue reading

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Accident Man (2018) Review

"Accident Man" DVD Cover

Director: Jesse V. Johnson Cast: Scott Adkins, Ashley Greene, Michael Jai White, Amy Johnston, Ray Park, Ray Stevenson, David Paymer, Nick Moran, Perry Benson, Ross O’Hennessy, Roger Yuan, Lee Charles, Tim Man, Brooke Johnston, Stu Small Running Time: 105 min.  By Paul Bramhall With a new year upon us in the form of 2018, there are 2 things that I can safely guarantee. One is that we’ll be getting more Scott Adkins … Continue reading

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Bleeding Steel (2017) Review

"Bleeding Steel" Theatrical Poster

Director: Leo Zhang Cast: Jackie Chan, Show Lo, Nana Ou-Yang, Callan Mulvey, Tess Haubrich, Erica Xia-hou, Damien Garvey, Kaitlyn Boyé, Isabelle Wojciechowska, Olga Miller Running Time: 110 min. By Paul Bramhall To say that Jackie Chan has had a busy couple of years could well be construed as the understatement of the century. With starring roles in Skiptrace, Railroad Tigers, Kung Fu Yoga, The Foreigner, and now his latest with … Continue reading

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Our Top 15 Watched Movies of 2017

For various inexcusable reasons, last year I omitted posting a list of the best movies bore witness to in 2016. Thankfully 12 months on, looking back over my movie viewing habits of 2017, I can safely say there’s definitely been more good than bad. And when it was good, it was really good. So it seems apt to once more pull together a summary of titles I found myself categorizing … Continue reading

Posted in Features, News |

Truth Beneath, The (2016) Review

"The Truth Beneath" Korean Theatrical Poster

Director: Lee Kyoung-Mi Cast: Son Ye-Jin, Kim Ju-Hyeok, Kim So-Hee, Shin Ji-Hoon, Choi Yu-Hwa, Kim Min-Jae Running Time: 102 min. By Paul Bramhall There’s been a refreshing surge of female talent in Korean cinema during recent years, particularly behind the camera. Movies like Shin Su-won’s Madonna, and Jeong Joo-ri’s A Girl at my Door, are arguably highpoints of the country’s output in the post-2010 era, and in 2016 the director … Continue reading

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