Newest Comments
Popcorn Truffle shuffle on Hope (2026) ReviewOne of the best films of the year for me.Hwang Jung-min on the big screen I n…
JJ Bona on Simon Lui, Hong Kong actor, writer and filmmaker known for ‘Troublesome Night’ and ‘Vulgaria’, passes away at 62Not to be confused with Simon, the electronic game of short-term memory skill…
Ska Martes on Simon Lui, Hong Kong actor, writer and filmmaker known for ‘Troublesome Night’ and ‘Vulgaria’, passes away at 62And not to be confused with Duran Duran lead singer Simon Lui Bon
Nancy Lo on Hope (2026) ReviewIt’s about time there is a strong Asian female lead in a male dominated indus…
Paul Bramhall on Simon Lui, Hong Kong actor, writer and filmmaker known for ‘Troublesome Night’ and ‘Vulgaria’, passes away at 62Sounds like you're thinking of Simu Liu.
Ningen on Simon Lui, Hong Kong actor, writer and filmmaker known for ‘Troublesome Night’ and ‘Vulgaria’, passes away at 62Not to be confused with the guy who plays Shang-Chi.
JJ Bona on Hope (2026) ReviewLOL! What did you think of Yellow Sea and Chaser?
Ngok Fung Lui on Hope (2026) ReviewI hated this movie with a vengeance. I thought Supergirl was the worst movie…
Paul Bramhall on Hope (2026) Review"Did you stay throughout the credits?" Didn't the Marvel movies practically m…
JJ Bona on Hope (2026) ReviewNot as good as The Chaser or The Yellow Sea, but just as good as The Wailing.…
Asdf on GODZ-DAMN! Takashi Yamazaki’s ‘Godzilla Minus Zero’ unleashes an absolutely MONSTROUS New TrailerNo. This first trailer ain't as exciting as the first teaser. Not a good sign…
Typo on Shaw Ménage à trois? Blu-rays for ‘Holy Flame of the Martial World’, ‘Deadly Duo’ & ‘Vengeance’ arriving in NovemberVengeance ! Yes! The twothers! NO!!!!
Ska Martes on Looking for love? New Featurette for Ke Huy Quan’s actioner ‘Love Hurts’ from ‘John Wick’ producer David LeitchI love Short round as much as anyone else. I think I was the same as him when…
Ska Martes on Simon Lui, Hong Kong actor, writer and filmmaker known for ‘Troublesome Night’ and ‘Vulgaria’, passes away at 62Vulgaria is an all time classic. The scene where Simon Lui and Chapman To go…
Paul Bramhall on Is Keanu Reeves going John Wick-sploitation? Keanu Reeves to star and produce an adaptation of ‘Kill Current’Was hoping this was going to be a sequel to Kill Line. :-)
DJAY on HEAD’d your way! Jimmy Wang Yu’s ‘Master of the Flying Guillotine’ arriving on 4K Ultra HD and Blu-rayShaloin Soccer was already with uncut version years ago, so was SPL and Ong B…
Ska Martes on Chen Kuan-tai, martial artist and Shaw Brothers star of ‘Boxer from Shantung’ and ‘Flying Guillotine’, passes away at 80Absolutely. Thankfully the cultural appropriation crowd hasn't set their sigh…
Ska Martes on This collection is FAT! Details and Trailers for Shout’s ‘Chow Yun-fat Collection’ on 4K Ultra HD + Blu-rayI may or may not know some Cantonese/Mandarin because of work! In real life i…
STORMYBMAN on HEAD’d your way! Jimmy Wang Yu’s ‘Master of the Flying Guillotine’ arriving on 4K Ultra HD and Blu-rayI've been waiting for this one a long time! YES!
Throwdown on This collection is FAT! Details and Trailers for Shout’s ‘Chow Yun-fat Collection’ on 4K Ultra HD + Blu-rayI'm impressed you can tell the difference - unfortunately like most Americans…
Throwdown on This collection is FAT! Details and Trailers for Shout’s ‘Chow Yun-fat Collection’ on 4K Ultra HD + Blu-raySuch a slept-on classic! I remember watching this right after my first ever v…
Throwdown on Chen Kuan-tai, martial artist and Shaw Brothers star of ‘Boxer from Shantung’ and ‘Flying Guillotine’, passes away at 80I'm still floored that Arrow went through the trouble of finding the original…
Ska Martes on Chen Kuan-tai, martial artist and Shaw Brothers star of ‘Boxer from Shantung’ and ‘Flying Guillotine’, passes away at 80in front of the camera there was definitely a drop off from Sammon circa 1991…
John N on Back-to-back action! Watch the Trailers for the microbudget martial arts thrillers ‘Five By Five’ and ‘Echo 8 Beyond’Watched the OG Echo 8 and yoooo this is lit.
Andrew Hernandez on Chen Kuan-tai, martial artist and Shaw Brothers star of ‘Boxer from Shantung’ and ‘Flying Guillotine’, passes away at 80Bruce Lee wasn’t ignored in HK because he wasn’t perusing a film career there…
-
Disclaimer: cityonfire.com does not own any of the photos contained in the blog. cityonfire.com was made merely to pay homage to these films, directors, talent, etc. and not for any profit or commercial reasons. No copyright infringement intended. The photos are copyrighted and courtesy by their respective owners.
“Copyright Disclaimer, Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for “fair use” for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statue that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, education or personal use tops the balance in favor of fair use.”
Category Archives: All
Outlaws, The (2017) Review
Director: Kang Yoon-Sung Cast: Ma Dong-Seok, Yoon Kye-Sang, Jo Jae-Yun, Choi Gwi-Hwa, rk Ji-Hwan, Hong Ki-Joon Running Time: 121 min. By Z Ravas I walked away from 2016’s smash hit Train to Busan with a distinct impression that supporting actor Ma Dong-seok had stolen the movie – no small feat in a film about a train full of rabid zombies! Although I’d caught the actor in plenty of parts before, including Kundo: Age of … Continue reading
Posted in All, Korean, News, Reviews
Tagged Ma Dong-seok
Battleship Island, The (2017) Review
Director: Ryoo Seung-wan Cast: Hwang Jung-Min, So Ji-Sub, Song Joong-Ki, Lee Jung-Hyun, Kim Soo-Ahn, Kim In-Woo, Kim Joong-Hee, Lee Kyoung-Young, Shin Seung-Hwan, Ahn Se-Ho Running Time: 132 min. By Z Ravas Although director Ryoo Seung-wan has engaged in big-budget spectacle in the recent past – 2013’s The Berlin File felt like the filmmaker’s attempt to top the Bourne trilogy, and long before that he’d dabbled in the superhero (Arahan) and spoof (Dachimawa … Continue reading
Soul of Chiba | aka Soul of Bruce Lee (1977) Review
Director: Chan Tung-Man, Noda Yukio Cast: Sonny Chiba Shinichi, Luk Chuen, Shiomi Etsuko, Bolo Yeung Sze, Fong Yuen, Kong Chuen, Tadashi Yamashita, Lau Nga-Ying, Peter Chan Hoh-San, Krung Srivilai, Naowarat Yooktanun, Somjit Sapsamruey Running Time: 94 min. By Paul Bramhall At the risk of blacklisting myself from ever writing for an Asian cinema site again, I’ll admit I initially wasn’t very enamoured with Sonny Chiba. When I first got into … Continue reading
Posted in All, Bruceploitation, Chinese, Japanese, News, Reviews
Tagged Bolo Yeung (Yang Sze), Krung Srivilai, Noda Yukio, Peter Chan Ho Sun, Sonny Chiba, Tadashi Yamashita
Incorrigible, The | aka The Bastard (1963) Review
AKA: The Young Rebel Director: Seijun Suzuki Cast: Ken Yamauchi, Masako Izumi, Midori Tashiro, Chiharu Kuri, Emiko Azuma, Mieko Takamine Running Time: 95 min. By Kelly Warner The Taisho era, named after Emperor Taisho, was a period in Japan sandwiched between the rapid modernization of the Meiji period and the ultimate push to war of the Showa era. Director Seijun Suzuki was born in the final years of the Taisho period but … Continue reading
Swindlers, The (2017) Review
Director: Jang Chang-Won Cast: Hyun-Bin, Yoo Ji-Tae, Bae Sung-Woo, Park Sung-Woong, Nana, An Se-Ha, Choi Duk-Moon, Choi Il-Hwa, Heo Sung-Tae, Kim Tae-Hoon, Jung Jin-Young Running Time: 117 min. By Paul Bramhall Coming just a year after Jo Eui-seok’s Master, The Swindlers leans on the same true life story of a CEO who defrauded victims out of their savings, thanks to an elaborate pyramid scheme. Unlike Master though, here the crime … Continue reading
Junk Head (2017) Review
Director: Takahide Hori Writer: Takahide Hori Animator: Takahide Hori Running Time: 115 min. By Martin Sandison Dystopian Science Fiction has a prerequisite to be po-facedly serious in tone and downright depressing at times (see genre stalwarts Blade Runner and Brazil), and it’s about time a movie came along that alters this. Enter Takahide Hori’s Junk Head, a one-man show labour of love that manages to be an endlessly inventive, hilarious entrant … Continue reading
Brink, The (2017) Review
Director: Jonathan Li Producer: Soi Cheang Pou Cast: Max Zhang Jin, Shawn Yu Man-Lok, Gordon Lam Ka-Tung, Janice Man Wing-San, Wu Yue, Yasuaki Kurata, Tai Bo, Cecilia So, Derek Tsang, Kumer So Running Time: 100 min. By Paul Bramhall Martial artist Max Zhang may have been showing off his stuff since the early 00’s, however it’s only in recent years that he registered on the radar of many kung fu cinema fans. With scene stealing … Continue reading
Posted in All, Chinese, News, Reviews
Tagged Gordon Lam, Janice Man, Jonathan Li, Max Zhang Jin, Shawn Yue, Wu Yue, Yasuaki Kurata
Gintama (2017) Review
Director: Yuichi Fukuda Cast: Shun Oguri, Masaki Suda, Kanna Hashimoto, Masaki Okada, Masami Nagasawa, Tsuyoshi Muro, Kankuro Nakamura, Yuya Yagira, Ryo Yoshizawa Running Time: 130 min. By Kelly Warner It’s the age of the comic book movie in Hollywood. And though you can argue that there is an oversaturation of such films at the theatres, I don’t really think there’s much debate that the filmmakers have gotten better at making … Continue reading
Posted in All, Japanese, News, Reviews
Tagged Hirofumi Arai, Masaki Okada, Shun Oguri, Takayuki Yamada, Yuichi Fukuda, Yuya Yagira
Operation Red Sea (2018) Review
Director: Dante Lam Cast: Zhang Yi, Huang Jingyu, Hai Qing, Du Jiang, Zhang Hanyu, Henry Prince Mak, Michelle Bai, Wang Qiang, Simon Yam Tat-wah, Wang Ian, Guo Jiahao Running Time: 138 min. By Paul Bramhall A couple of years after the successful Operation Mekong, in 2018 Operation Red Sea finds Dante Lam, one of Hong Kong’s brightest directors, sticking to his action guns. He may be sticking with the Mainland … Continue reading
Teenage Yakuza (1962) Review
Director: Seijun Suzuki Cast: Tamio Kawaji, Noriko Matsumoto, Keiko Sugiyama, Kayo Matsuo, Asao Sano, Midori Tashiro, Kotoe Hatsui, Tatsuya Fuji, Toshio Sugiyama, Kaku Takashina Running Time: 72 min. By Kelly Warner Listen kids, I know that your teenage years can be rough. Your body is um, changing. You have, uh, urges. And sometimes your emotions are out of control. But you’re a good kid. You know the difference between right … Continue reading
Asura: City of Madness (2017) Review
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
Posted in All, Korean, News, Reviews
Tagged Hwang Jung-min, Ju Ji-Hoon, Jung Woo-sung, Kim Sung-Soo, Kwak Do-Won
Wind-of-Youth Group Crosses the Mountain Pass, The (1961) Review
Director: Seijun Suzuki Cast: Koji Wada, Mayumi Shimizu, Shin Morikawa, Arihiro Fujimura, Nobuo Kaneko, Kotoe Hatsui Running Time: 85 min. By Kelly Warner Charming and sweet aren’t phrases I’d usually use to describe a Seijun Suzuki film, but The Wind-of-Youth Group Crosses the Mountain Pass is not the typical Seijun Suzuki film. Occasionally reminiscent of the Yasujiro Ozu film Floating Weeds, The Wind-of-Youth Group Crosses the Mountain Pass (from here on … Continue reading
Blade of the Immortal (2017) Review
Director: Takashi Miike Cast: Takuya Kimura, Hana Sugisaki, Sota Fukushi, Hayato Ichihara, Erika Toda, Kazuki Kitamura, Chiaki Kuriyama, Shinnosuke Mitsushima, Ken Kaneko, Yoko Yamamoto, Ebizo Ichikawa Running Time: 140 min. By Kyle Warner Takashi Miike, one of today’s most prolific filmmakers, celebrated his 100th film as a director with Blade of the Immortal. And it’s tough to imagine a more perfect film for Miike by which to hit that amazing 100. … Continue reading
Posted in All, Japanese, News, Reviews
Tagged Chiaki Kuriyama, Ebizo Ichikawa, Kazuki Kitamura, Takashi Miike, Takuya Kimura, Tsutomu Yamazaki































12 Comments