Category Archives: All

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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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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Final Justice (1988) Review

Director: Parkman Wong Cast: Danny Lee, Stephen Chow, Shing Fui On, William Ho Ka-Kui, Tommy Wong Kwong-Leung, Victor Hon Kwan, Ricky Yi Fan-Wai, Ken Lo Wai-Kwong Running Time: 95 min. By Z Ravas As much as fans tend to valorize the late 80’s and 90’s Hong Kong scene as a Golden Age for Action Cinema—and it was!—sometimes it’s instructive to remember that not every film released during that era was … Continue reading

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Ruthless Bastards (2025) Review

"Ruthless Bastards" Theatrical Poster

Director: Bruce Fontaine Cast: Sean Patrick Flanery, Casper Van Dien, Theresa Lee, Don Lew, Hasleen Kaur, Parmish Verma Running Time: 90 min.  By Z Ravas As time marches on and brings changes with it, “progress” doesn’t always feel like progress; perhaps that’s why there’s something comforting about crime movies that feature aging tough guys who can reminisce about the good ‘ol days—before smartphones and social media—while still cracking heads. I’m … 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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Afterburn (2025) Review

Director: J. J. Perry Cast: Dave Bautista, Olga Kurylenko, Kristofer Hivju, Samuel L. Jackson, Daniel Bernhardt, Kevin Eldon, Simon Merrells, Eden Epstein, George Somner Running Time: 106 min.  By Z Ravas J.J. Perry is a name that action fans may or may not know, but they really should: over the last three years, the stuntman-turned-director has quietly proved himself one of the best action filmmakers working today. His directorial debut … 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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Safe House (2025) Review

Director: Jamie Marshall Cast: Lucien Laviscount, Hannah John-Kamen, Ethan Embry, Lewis Tan, Holt McCallany, Adam Levy, Brett Cullen, Brian Van Holt, Brian Borello, Markina Brown Running Time: 90 min. By Z Ravas On some level, you gotta feel for Lewis Tan. After years of putting in the work via supporting roles in movies like Olympus Has Fallen and Deadpool 2, the UK-born martial artist and model landed the lead part … Continue reading

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Gladiator Underground (2025) Review

Director: Chaya Supannarat Cast: D.Y. Sao, Andy Le, Brian Le, Michael March, Johnny Lee, Craig Ng, Carl Piaf, D.Y. Sao, Ron Smoorenburg, Bear Williams, Selina Wiesmann, Apasiri Kulthanan, Elliott Allison, Geoffrey Giuliano, Sam Lee Herring Running Time: 91 min.  By Z Ravas I suppose you could say I’ve become a fan of D.Y. Sao, an indie martial arts star who I’ve been following since his first feature as lead actor, … 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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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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