Category Archives: All

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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Living Skeleton, The (1968) Review

Director: Hiroshi Matsuno Cast: Kikko Matsuoka, Yasunori Irikawa, Masumi Okada, Nobuo Kaneko, Kō Nishimura Running Time: 80 min. By Ian Whittle In October 1995, I was a young Monster Kid of 9, mainly due to my love of King Kong (1933). That month, I was at a jumble sale at a local church when my eyes fell upon Dennis Gifford’s classic tome A Pictorial History of Horror Movies (1973), which … 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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Brave Citizen (2023) Review

Director: Park Jin-pyo Cast: Shin Hae-Sun, Lee Jun-Young, Park Jung-Woo, Park Hyuk-Kwon, Cha Chung-Hwa, Lee Chan-Hyeong, Bae Hyeon-Jun, Cha Woo-Min, Lee Joong-Ok Running Time: 113 min. By Paul Bramhall High school power struggles have always been present in cinema, and they usually take the form of an underdog going up against one or more characters who are best described as bullies, worst as violent psychopaths. Korean cinema is no different. … Continue reading

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Paradise Z | aka Dead Earth (2020) Review

AKA: Two of Us Director: Wych Kaosayananda Cast: Milena Gorum, Alice Tantayanon, Michael S. New, Brian Migliore, Lee Mason Running Time: 90 min.  By Paul Bramhall  In the closing scenes of 2019’s The Driver, the final entry (and first to be released – best not to ask) in director Wych Kaosayananda’s post-apocalyptic zombie trilogy, we’re introduced to a pair of zombie hunting femme fatales in the form of Milena Gorum … Continue reading

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Bang (2025) Review

Director: Wych Kaosayananda Cast: Jack Kesy, Peter Weller, Tristin Mays, Kane Kosugi, Elliot Allison, Paul Mann, Steve Bastoni Running Time: 88 min. By Paul Bramhall Being a fan of director Wych Kaosayananda can be a tough gig, or at least, that’s what I assume. Since returning in 2012 after a 10-year hiatus following 2002’s Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever, if there’s one thing that’s become apparent, it’s that getting a production … Continue reading

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Mantis (2025) Review

Director: Lee Tae-sung Cast: Yim Si-wan, Park Gyu-Young, Jo Woo-Jin, Jeon Do-yeon, Sol Kyung-gu, Kim Tae-Han Running Time: 113 min. By Paul Bramhall  When I first heard that streaming giant Netflix had greenlit a spin-off to its 2023 assassin flick Kill Boksoon, titled Mantis, I’d hoped it was going to focus on the newbie assassin played by Lee Yeon, whose killer action scene in the former gave her a scene … Continue reading

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Villagers, The (2018) Review

Director: Lim Jin-soon Cast: Ma Dong-Seok, Kim Sae-ron, Lee Sang-yeob, Jin Sun-gyu, Jang Gwang, Oh Hee-joon Running Time: 99 min.  By Paul Bramhall The trope of a big city character having to set up shop in a small rural town is one that’s been repeatedly visited in Korean cinema. Whether it be a cop hiding from their past in A Girl at My Door, a grieving widow looking to start … Continue reading

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Ugly, The (2025) Review

"The Ugly" Theatrical Poster

Director: Yeon Sang-ho Cast: Park Jeong-min, Kwon Hae-hyo, Shin Hyun-been, Im Seong-jae, Han Ji-hyeon Running Time: 102 min.  By Paul Bramhall Back in 2020 the Korean film industry hedged its bets on director Yeon Sang-ho’s Train to Busan sequel, Peninsula, to bring back cinema audiences after the COVID-19 pandemic had forced filmmaking into a period of hibernation. While for the most part the bet paid off, whether it be because … Continue reading

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Dear Stranger (2025) Review

Director: Tetsuya Mariko Cast: Hidetoshi Nishijima, Gwei Lun-Mei, Christopher Mann, Everest Talde, Fiona Fu, Mia Reece, James Chu, Aitor Martin, Lanett Tachel, Matt Golden Running Time: 138 min. By Paul Bramhall The plot of a missing child is a staple of the thriller genre, however with 2025’s Dear Stranger director and writer Tetsuya Mariko eschews the thriller route, instead opting to use the scenario as a catalyst for framing the … Continue reading

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Prisoner of War (2025) Review

Director: Louis Mandylor Cast: Scott Adkins, Louis Mandylor, Shane Kosugi, Peter Shinkoda, Donald Cerrone, Masanori Mimoto, Michael Copon, Michael Rene Walton, Gary Cairns, Sol Eugenio, Kansuke Yokoi, Atsuki Kashio Running Time: 110 min. By Paul Bramhall Under any other circumstance if someone told me in 2025 that they’d just watched a Philippines shot jungle actioner set during World War II, my assumption would be that another Bruno Mattei helmed Italian … Continue reading

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Affinity (2025) Review

Director: Brandon Slagle Cast: Marko Zaror, Louis Mandylor, Brahim Chab, Brooke Ence, Jane Mirro, Elliott Allison Running Time: 81 min. By Paul Bramhall At the risk of showing my age, I’ve been following the trajectory of the Chilean Dragon Marko Zaror ever since he landed on action fans radars with the release of Kiltro in 2006, almost 20 years ago. A product of his native Chile, in the succeeding years … Continue reading

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Hidden Face (2024) Review

Director: Kim Dae-woo Cast: Song Seung-heon, Cho Yeo-jeong, Park Ji-Hyun, Park Ji-Young, Park Sung-Geun Running Time: 115 min. By Paul Bramhall  Hidden Face marks the return of a long missing in action genre for not only Korea’s film industry, but cinema in general – the erotic thriller. While the jury is still out on if we’re currently in a new Puritan age of cinema, what can’t be denied is that … Continue reading

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Shadow’s Edge, The (2025) Review

Director: Larry Yang Cast: Jackie Chan, Tony Leung Ka-Fai, Zhang Zifeng, Ci Sha, Lin Qiu-Nan, Wen Jun-Hui, Yuen Qiu Running Time: 143 min.  By Paul Bramhall Being a Jackie Chan fan in 2025 can be a divisive affair to say the least. There are those fans who still see the appeal in what he does, whether it be bumbling around with CGI panda cubs, or passing himself off as a … Continue reading

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