Category Archives: All

Next Sohee (2022) Review

"Next Sohee" Theatrical Poster

Director: Jeong Joo-ri Cast: Bae Doo-Na, Kim Si-eun, Jung Hoe-Rin, Kang Hyun-Oh, Park Woo-Young, Park Hee-Eun, Kim Yong-Joon, Sim Hee-Seop, Park Yoon-Hee, Yoon Ga-I Running Time: 135 min. By Paul Bramhall  It can sometimes be a tough job being a Korean cinema fan, with some of the best directors often taking years between the movies they release. Oh Seung-wook made audiences wait 9 years between 2015’s The Shameless and 2024’s Revolver. … Continue reading

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Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning (2025) Review

Director: Christopher McQuarrie Cast: Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Henry Czerny, Angela Bassett, Esai Morales, Pom Klementieff, Mariela Garriga, Pasha D. Lychnikoff Running Time: 170 min. By Paul Bramhall It’s been almost 30 years since the original Mission: Impossible hit the screens in 1996, and over the course of 8 movies producer and star Tom Cruise has made it his defining statement on action cinema – loud, … Continue reading

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Old Woman with the Knife, The (2025) Review

Director: Min Gyoo-dong Cast: Lee Hye-Young, Kim Sung-Cheol, Yeon Woo-Jin,  Kim Moo-Yul, Kim Kang-Woo, Shin Shi-A Running Time: 122 min.  By Paul Bramhall It’s been at least 5 minutes since a female assassin movie has hit either the big screen or a streaming service, so to ensure any withdrawal symptoms are avoided, in 2025 Korea stepped up to the table with The Old Woman with the Knife. The Korean film … Continue reading

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Hunt the Wicked (2024) Review

Director: Suiqiang Huo Cast: Xie Miao, Andy On, Andrew Lien, Shuang Hong, Sara Aliu, Jing Gu, Rui Han, Jane Wu Running Time: 102 min. By Paul Bramhall The challenge of getting noticed in the Chinese web movie world of giant creature features, ropey sci-fi flicks, and kung-fu throwbacks is a real one, however in the 2020’s Xia Miao has arguably risen to the top of the latter. Titles like Eye … Continue reading

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Holy Night: Demon Hunters (2025) Review

Director: Im Dae-Hee Cast: Ma Dong-Seok, Seohyun, David Lee, Kyung Soo-Jin, Jung Ji-So, Cha Woo-jin, Lee Da-il Running Time: 92 min. By Paul Bramhall It’s been almost 10 years since Ma Dong-seok’s breakthrough role in Train to Busan, and in that time he’s battled zombies, serial killers, crocodiles, gangsters, reptilian human hybrids, gangsters, heavenly guardians and even the yakuza. It was perhaps inevitable at some point then, that his anvil … Continue reading

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Havoc (2025) Review

Director: Gareth Evans Cast: Tom Hardy, Timothy Olyphant, Forest Whitaker, Sunny Pang, Justin Cornwell, Luis Guzmán, Jessie Mei Li, Yeo Yann Yann, Quelin Sepulveda, Michelle Waterson, Gordon Alexander, John Cummins Running Time: 105 min. By Paul Bramhall Most of the audience for Havoc will consist of the average Netflix subscriber looking for their latest action fix, which isn’t a bad thing. For some of us though, it’s a much bigger … Continue reading

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Yadang: The Snitch (2025) Review

Director: Hwang Byeong-gug Cast: Kang Ha-neul, Yoo Hae-jin, Park Hae-joon, Chae Won-bin, Ryu Kyung-soo, Kim Geum-soon, Yu Seong-ju, Lim Sung-kyun, Cho Wan-ki, Kim Mi Suk Running Time: 122 min.  By Paul Bramhall In Korea the term Yadang refers to a professional snitch, a role that exists as an unofficial liaison between the junkies and the cops, forming a kind of symbiotic relationship that allows the latter to leverage the former … Continue reading

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Shaolin Boxers, The (1974) Review

Director: Huang Ta Cast: James Tin, Lee Tin-ying, Li Min-lang, Chu Mu, Leung Tin, Tien Mi, Hon Kwok-Choi, Chu Mu, Choi Sui-Cheng, Cheung Chok-Chow, Mars Running Time: 78 min. By Ian Whittle “The only problem with James Tien seems to be his weight. When we first saw him on screen he was slim and muscular but of late his girth seems to have increased somewhat. Perhaps his marriage early in … Continue reading

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Monkey Goes West, The (1966) Review

Director: Ho Meng Hua Cast: Yueh Hua, Ho Fan, Pang Pang, Tien Shun, Fan Mei Sheng, Kao Pao-Shu, Lan Wei-Lieh, Li Yin, Diana Chang Chung-Wen, Mao Wei Running Time: 112 min.  By Paul Bramhall Having gotten into Asian cinema in the late 1990’s, my first exposure to the phenomena of Journey to the West mania came in the 2010’s. For most of the decade it felt like a big screen … Continue reading

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Under the Gun (1995) Review

Director: Matthew George Cast: Richard Norton, Kathy Long, Jane Badler, Peter Lindsay, Robert Bruce, David Serafin, Ron Vreeken, Tino Ceberano, Adam Haddrick, Sam Greco Running Time: 93 min. By Z Ravas As action fans around the globe react with sadness at the untimely loss of actor Richard Norton at the age of 75, I realized it was high time I dug deeper into the actor’s body of work. Sure, like … Continue reading

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Snake Prince, The (1976) Review

Director: Lo Chen Cast: Lin Chen Chi, Ti Lung, Helen Ko Ti-Hua, Fan Lei, Wong Yu, Ng Hong-Sang, Wong Ching-Ho, Ching Miao, Leung Seung-Wan, Lin Wei-Tu Running Time: 93 min.  By Paul Bramhall When it comes to 1970’s Shaw Brothers oddities there are a few titles that will likely spring to mind. Whether it be the studios riff on King Kong with The Mighty Peking Man, venturing into mutant territory … Continue reading

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Uninvited Guest of the Star Ferry, The (1984) Review

"The Uninvited Guest of the Star Ferry" Theatrical Poster

Director: Kim Si-hyun Cast: Im Ja-ho, Seo Jong-ah, Hwang Jang Lee, Heo Yang-mi, Yoon Yang-ha, Baek Hwang-ki, Park Hui-jin, Lee Suk-koo, Baek Hwang-ki, Choe Hyeong-geun Running Time: 92 min. By Paul Bramhall When it comes to the niche world of Godfrey Ho’s infamous cut ‘n’ paste gweilo ninja movies, Ninja Terminator pretty much sits at the top of the pile. A cult oddity featuring Garfield phones, crab cookery gone wrong, … Continue reading

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Brokenhearted, The (2024) Review

Director: Leroy Nguyen Cast: Leroy Nguyen, Samuel Joon Lee, Jackie SJ Kim, Travis Davis, Gene Rush, Alex Au Running Time: 106 min. By Matija Makotoichi Tomić The US indie action scene is home to many talents. One such, still largely undiscovered, is filmmaker Leroy Nguyen, a man determined to pursue his unique creative vision and answering to no one in the process. A director whose movies are a microcosm, sometimes … Continue reading

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Leopard Fist Ninja | aka The Return of Twin Dragons (1982) Review

AKA: The Return of Twin Dragons Director: Nam Gi-nam Cast: Im Ja-Ho, Baek Hwang-Gi, Kim Yoo-Haeng, Jo Choon, Im Hae-Rim, Chia Kai, Kim Ki-Beom, Jo Hak-Ja, Park Jong-Seol, Choe Jong-Sook, Kang Cheol Running Time: 83 min. By Paul Bramhall By the 1980’s the popularity of the taekwon-action genre was starting to wane in its native Korea, a decline brought on by the hugely popular release of Drunken Master, which saw … Continue reading

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Kung Fu Rookie (2023) Review

Director: Aman Ergaziyev Cast: Timur Baktybayev, Irina Azhmukhamedova, Kuat Khamitov, Erkebulan Toktar, Riskul Konakbaev, Janelle Sergazina, Talgat Duisenov, Kuandyk Shakyrzhanov Running Time: 79 min. By Z Ravas 2023’s Kung Fu Rookie (AKA “Timuchin”) has a problem. No, it’s not the production values — the film looks sharp for a low-budget project out of Kazakhstan — nor is it the script necessarily, as this action/comedy has more than a few jokes … Continue reading

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