Category Archives: Asian Related

Mortal Kombat: Legacy (2011) Review

Mortal Kombat: Legacy Blu-ray (Warner)

Director: Kevin Tancharoen Cast: Michael Jai White, Jeri Ryan, Darren Shahlavi, Matt Mullins, Sam Tjhia, Jolene Tran, Ryan Robbins, Ian Anthony Dale, Kevan Ohtsji, Peter Shinkoda Running Time: 100 min. By HKFanatic Back in 2010, a director named Kevin Tancharoen appeared out of nowhere with a short film titled “Mortal Kombat: Rebirth.” The film was a ‘proof of concept’ for Kevin’s vision of a Mortal Kombat relaunch, a way to … Continue reading

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Bunraku (2009) Review

"Bunraku" Blu-ray Cover

Director: Guy Moshe Cast: Josh Hartnett, Woody Harrelson, Gackt Camui, Kevin McKidd, Ron Perlman, Demi Moore, Shun Sugata, Jordi Molla, Emily Kaiho, Mike Patton (voice) Running Time: 118 min. By HKFanatic 2009’s “Bunraku” is nothing if not ambitious. Shot in four weeks on soundstages in Romania for a minuscule (by Hollywood standards) budget of $20 million, the film tells the tale of a “cowboy without a gun” (Josh Hartnett) and … Continue reading

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Speed Racer (2008) Review

"Speed Racer" Japanese Theatrical Poster

Director: The Wachowskis Cast: Emile Hirsch, Christina Ricci, John Goodman, Susan Sarandon, Matthew Fox, Roger Allam, Benno Fürmann, Hiroyuki Sanada, Rain, Richard Roundtree Running Time: 135 min.  By Ningen Emile Hirsch plays a one-dimensional guy named Speed Racer who teams up with a random Korean guy played by Rain and a myterious racer named X played by Matthew Fox to take down The Man (aka Royalton) through competitive car racing. … Continue reading

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Reservoir Dogs (1992) Review

Director: Quentin Tarantino Writer: Quentin Tarantino Producer: Lawrence Bender Cast: Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Chris Penn, Steve Buscemi, Lawrence Tierney, Michael Madsen, Quentin Tarantino, Randy Brooks, Kirk Baltz, Lawrence Bender, Steven Wright Running Time: 99 min. By Ningen While it’s not a legal or officially acknowledged remake of City on Fire, Reservoir Dogs has (unfairly) achieved so much attention, that it’d be impossible to ignore reviewing it. A number of … Continue reading

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Man from Hong Kong, The | aka The Dragon Flies (1975) Review

"The Man from Hong Kong" International Theatrical Poster

Director: Brian Trenchard-Smith Cast: Jimmy Wang Yu, George Lazenby, Rosalind Speirs, Frank Thring, Hugh Keays-Byrne, Roger Ward, Sammo Hung, Rebecca Gilling, Grant Page, Bill Hunter, Lam Ching Ying, Yuen Biao, Corey Yuen, To Wai Wo Running Time: 111 min. By Jeff Bona When a Chinese drug courier named Win Chan (Sammo Hung) is arrested in Australia, local police officials enlist the help of Hong Kong Special Agent Fang Sing Leng … Continue reading

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Ninja Assassin (2009) Review

"Ninja Assassin" Korean Theatrical Poster

Director: James McTeigue Cast: Rain, Naomie Harris, Ben Miles, Rick Yune, Sho Kosugi, Sung Kang, Randall Duk Kim, Linh Dan Pham, Ill-Young Kim, Yuki Iwamoto, Stephen Marcus Running Time: 99 min. By Mighty Peking Man If any of the following statements apply to you, then chances are, you definitely went through a “ninja phase” in the 1980s: 1. You had a copy of Revenge of the Ninja playing religiously in … Continue reading

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Die Hard 4.0 | aka Live Free or Die Hard (2007) Review

"Die Hard 4.0" Japanese Theatrical Poster

Director: Len Wiseman Cast: Bruce Willis, Justin Long, Timothy Olyphant, Jonathan Sadowski, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Maggie Q, Cliff Curtis, Kevin Smith, Cyril Raffaelli Running Time: 129 min. By Ningen Ah, Die Hard-the movie ranked #1 action movie at Entertainment Weekly. The only one I didn’t see in the series was the second film, but, since I hear it doesn’t matter, I’ll assume the McTiernan versions should be enough to judge … Continue reading

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Tactical Force (2011) Review

"Tactical Force" Japanese DVD Cover

Director: Adamo Paolo Cultraro Cast: “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, Michael Jai White, Candace Elaine, Lexa Doig, Steve Bacic, Michael Shanks, Michael Eklund, Darren Shahlavi Running Time: 90 min. By HKFanatic If you rent a movie with “Stone Cold” Steven Austin dead center on the cover, you probably know what you’re in for. There’s gonna be low production values, Stone Cold is gonna spout off a few one-liners like “You can … Continue reading

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Only the Brave (2005) Review

"Only the Brave" American Theatrical Poster

Director: Lane Nishikawa Cast: Lane Nishikawa, Jason Scott Lee, Mark Dacascos, Yuji Okumoto, Tamlyn Tomita, Pat Morita, Jeff Fahey, Guy Ecker, Greg Watanabe Running Time: 96 min. By Ningen This war flick was so indie, the producer originally had to sell the dvd off an official site, because no studio wanted to distribute it! Based on a true story of former Japanese-American internment camp dwellers who joined the U.S. Armed … Continue reading

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Never Back Down 2: The Beatdown (2011) Review

"Never Back Down 2: The Beatdown" DVD Cover

Director: Michael Jai White Cast: Michael Jai White, Evan Peters, Alex Meraz, Dean Geyer, Todd Duffee, Scott Epstein, Jillian Murray, Lyoto Machida, Eddie Bravo,  John McCarthy Running Time: 99 min. By HKFanatic Michael Jai White’s been paying his dues in the movie industry for awhile now – he donned the billowy red cape of the titular hero in 1997’s “Spawn” and spin-kicked Jean Claude Van Damme’s ass through several sheets … Continue reading

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Nowhere to Run (1993) Review

Nowhere to Run Blu-ray (Image)

Director: Robert Harmon Cast: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Rosanna Arquette, Kieran Culkin, Tiffany Taubman, Ted Levine, Edward Blatchford, Anthony Starke, Joss Ackland, Tony Brubaker Running Time: 94 min. By HKFanatic Jean Claude Van Damme released two films in 1993: “Nowhere to Run” in January and “Hard Target” in August. Although Van Damme got to show off his muscles in both movies, the two couldn’t be more different from each other. Say … Continue reading

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Hard Target (1993) Review

"Hard Target" Japanese Theatrical Poster

Director: John Woo Cast: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Lance Henriksen, Arnold Vosloo, Yancy Butler, Kasi Lemmons, Chuck Pfarrer, Wilford Brimley, Robert Pavlovich Running Time: 97 min. By HKFanatic Considering how much time has passed since its theatrical run and the fact that John Woo has gone on to become a Hollywood superstar, it’s easy to forget that “Hard Target” was a contentious film upon its release. Several factors were working against … Continue reading

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Sucker Punch | aka Angel Wars (2011) Review

Director: Zack Snyder Writer: Zack Snyder, Steve Shibuya Producer: Deborah Snyder, Zack Snyder Cast: Emily Browning, Abbie Cornish, Jena Malone, Vanessa Hudgens, Jamie Chung, Carla Gugino, Oscar Isaac, Jon Hamm, Scott Glenn, Gerard Plunkett Running Time: 110 min. By HKFanatic NOTE: This is a review of the Theatrical Cut. “Sucker Punch” is the rare film that falls under the banner of ‘Asian Related’ not because the production team featured any … Continue reading

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Assassination Games | aka Weapon (2011) Review

"Assassination Games" Theatrical Poster

Director: Ernie Barbarash Cast: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Scott Adkins, Kevin Chapman, Ivan Kaye, Valentin Teodosiu, Alin Panc, Serban Celea, Michael Higgs, Kristopher Van Varenberg, Marija Karan, Bianca Van Varenberg, Andrew French, Marioara Sterian Running Time: 95 min. By HKFanatic For many Jean Claude Van Damme fans in the United States, the limited release of “Assassination Games” this summer means the first chance to see their hero on the big screen … Continue reading

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Warrior’s Way, The | aka The Warrior (2010) Review

"The Warrior's Way" UK Theatrical Poster

Director: Sngmoo Lee Cast: Jang Dong Gun, Geoffrey Rush, Kate Bosworth, Danny Huston, Tony Cox, Ti Lung Running Time: 100 min. By HKFanatic I’m going to have to be the dissenting opinion here because I didn’t enjoy “The Warrior’s Way” nearly as much as Mighty Peking Man. I thought the film had potential, but overall the sluggish pacing and artificial-looking digital world didn’t do much for me. If you have … Continue reading

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