Category Archives: Asian Related

Yakuza, The | aka Brotherhood of the Yakuza (1975) Review

"Yakuza" Japanese Theatrical Poster

Director: Sydney Pollack Cast: Robert Mitchum, Richard Jordan, Ken Takakura, Brian Keith, Herb Edelman Running Time: 112 min. By Woody When you rent a film with high expectations and get even more than you bargained for, you know you’ve got a great film on your hands. In “The Yakuza”, Robert Mitchum is Harry Kilmer, a man who returns to Japan after 15 years to rescue the kidnapped daughter of his … Continue reading

Posted in Asian Related, Other Movies, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , |

Midnight Meat Train, The (2008) Review

"The Midnight Meat Train" Korean Theatrical Poster

Director: Ryuhei Kitamura Cast: Bradley Cooper, Leslie Bibb, Brooke Shields, Roger Bart, Ted Raimi, Peter Jacobson, Barbara Eve Harris, Tony Curran, Vinnie Jones, Quinton Jackson Running Time: 100 min. By Ningen Ryuhei Kitamura’s American debut didn’t exactly go off with a bang. Due to some in-fighting at Lion’s Gate, this action/horror adaptation of a Clive Barker short story ended up on the company’s straight-to-video list, while classic horror fans had … Continue reading

Posted in Asian Related, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , |

Ninja III: The Domination (1984) Review

"Ninja III: The Domination" Blu-ray Cover

AKA: Ninja 3 Director: Sam Firstenberg Writer: James R. Silke Cast: Sho Kosugi, Lucinda Dickey, Jordan Bennett, David Chung, Dale Ishimoto, James Hong, Ron Foster, Bob Craig, Charly Harroway, Lem Cook Running Time: 92 min By Owlman Ninja III: The Domination was released in 1984 and directed by Sam Firstenberg (Revenge of the Ninja, American Ninja). The film stars Lucinda Dickey (Breakin’) as Christie, a telephone maintenance technician and part-time … Continue reading

Posted in Asian Related, Ninja, Reviews | Tagged , , , |

Knock-Off (1998) Review

"Knock-Off" American Theatrical Poster

AKA: Knock Off Director: Tsui Hark Writer: Steven E. De Souza Cast: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Rob Schneider, Lela Rochon, Paul Sorvino, Carman Lee Yeuk-tung, Wyman Wong, Glen Chin, Michael Wong, Moses Chan Running Time: 90 min. By Alexander Usually when I answer the phone in the other room I quickly press pause on the remote fearful I’ll miss a vital piece of dialogue or important plot twist in whatever movie … Continue reading

Posted in Asian Related, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , |

In Hell | aka The Savage (2003) Review

"In Hell" Japanese DVD Cover

AKA: The Shu Director: Ringo Lam Cast: Michael Bailey Smith, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Marnie Alton, Assen Blatechki Running Time: 96 min. By Reefer Holding a copy of Ringo Lam/Jean-claude Van Damme’s straight to video In Hell in my hand at the video store, I had the same thought that most action movie fans had who wasted money, time, and brain cells on their previous collaborations. Why has Ringo Lam subjected … Continue reading

Posted in All, Asian Related, Reviews | Tagged , |

Brother (2000) Review

"Brother" International Theatrical Poster

Director: Takeshi Kitano Cast: Takeshi Kitano, Omar Epps, Kuroudo Maki, Masaya Kato, Susumu Terajima, Royale Watkins, Lombardo Boyar, Ren Osugi, Ryo Ishibashi, James Shigeta Running Time: 114 min. By Woody Ignore the critics, this is a great flick. One of Kitano’s best? That’s hard to say. Almost any film pales in comparison to classics like “Hana-bi” and “Sonatine”. Maybe it was my lowered expectations, but I really loved this one. … Continue reading

Posted in Asian Related, Japanese, Reviews | Tagged , |

Brotherhood of the Wolf (2001) Review

AKA: Le Pacte des Loups Director: Christophe Gans Cast: Samuel Le Bihan, Vincent Cassel, Emilie Dequenne, Monica Bellucci, Jérémie Rénier, Mark Dacascos, Jean Yanne, Jean-François Stévenin Running Time: 143 min. By Numskull Gregoire du Fronsac, royal naturalist, is sent to the rural county of Gevaudan to investigate a series of murders blamed on a rampaging, wolf-like beast. His assistants are Mani, his Iroquois blood brother, and Thomas d’Apcher, the grandson … Continue reading

Posted in Asian Related, Other Movies, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , |

Big Hit, The (1998) Review

"The Big Hit" Japanese DVD Cover

Director: Kirk Wong Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Lou Diamond Phillips, Christina Applegate, Avery Brooks, Bokeem Woodbine, China Chow, Antonio Sabato Jr., Lainie Kazan, Elliott Gould, Sab Shimono, Robin Dunne, Lela Rochon Running Time: 91 min. By Numskull If I really hated this movie, I wouldn’t be able to resist the urge to call it “The Big Shit”. Fortunately I don’t hate it, so you need never fear hearing that too-easy-to-be-funny reference … Continue reading

Posted in Asian Related, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , |

American Ninja (1985) Review

"American Ninja" Theatrical Poster

Director: Sam Firstenberg Cast: Michael Dudikoff, Steve James, Judie Aronson, Tadashi Yamashita, Guich Koock, John Fujioka, Don Stewart, John LaMotta, Tony Carreon Running Time: 95 min. By Owlman Directed by Sam Firstenberg (Revenge of the Ninja, Ninja III: The Domination), this 1985 film starred Michael Dudikoff as Joe Armstrong, an American soldier who has been trained well in the martial arts and uses those skills to fight a band of … Continue reading

Posted in Asian Related, Ninja, Reviews | Tagged , , , , |

Replacement Killers, The (1998) Review

"The Replacement Killers" Blu-ray Cover

Director: Antoine Fuqua Cast: Chow Yun-Fat, Mira Sorvino, Michael Rooker, Kenneth Tsang, Jürgen Prochnow, Til Schweiger, Danny Trejo, Clifton Collins Jr., Randall Duk Kim Running Time: 87 min. By Numskull I refuse to give this movie a serious review. To do so would be to endow it with a sort of cinematic legitimacy which it does not deserve. The Replacement Killers very well may be the single worst film that Chow … Continue reading

Posted in Asian Related, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , |

Anna and the King (1999) Review

AKA: Anna Director: Andy Tennant Writer: Anna Leonowens, Steve Meerson, Peter Krikes Producer: Lawrence Bender, Ed Elbert Cast: Jodie Foster, Chow Yun-Fat, Bai Ling, Tom Felton, Syed Alwi, Randall Duk Kim, Kay Siu Lim, Melissa Campbell, Deanna Yusoff, Mano Maniam Running Time: 140 min. By James H. When you walk into a film like “Anna & The King”, you expect nothing less than a grand Hollywood epic in the style … Continue reading

Posted in Asian Related, Reviews | Tagged , , |

DOA: Dead or Alive (2006) Review

"DOA: Dead or Alive" American Theatrical Poster

AKA: DOA, Dead or Alive Director: Corey Yuen Cast: Jaime Pressly, Holly Valance, Sarah Carter, Eric Roberts, Devon Aoki, Natassia Malthe, Kane Kosugi, Colin Chou, Robin Shou, Silvio Simac, Matthew Marsden Running Time: 87 min. By Ningen There comes a time in your life when you find out your favorite mainstream director is a hack. For some, that director is James Cameron; for others, it might be Tony Scott; for … Continue reading

Posted in Asian Related, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , |

Stranger and the Gunfighter, The | aka Bloody Money (1975) Review

Director: Antonio Margheriti Writers: Miguel De Echarri, Barth Jules Sussman Cast: Lee Van Cleef, Lo Lieh, Wong Hap, Chan Shen, Cheng Miu, Yen Shi Kwan, Patty Shepard, Femi Benussi, Karen Yeh, Julián Ugarte, Erika Blanc Running Time: 96 min. By Joseph Kuby One of the original Eastern Westerns! Going by the trailer I saw somewhere, I was expecting an American quality film if not exactly a combo mix of Chang Cheh … Continue reading

Posted in Asian Related, Chinese, Other Movies, Reviews, Shaw Brothers | Tagged , , , , |

Drive (1997) Review

"Drive" UK DVD Cover

Director: Steve Wang Writer: Scott Phillips Cast: Mark Dacascos, Kadeem Hardison, John Pyper-Ferguson, Brittany Murphy, Tracey Walter, James Shigeta, Masaya Kato, Dom Magwili, Ron Winston Yuan Running Time: 100 min. By Joe909 Like most, I first saw Drive in its edited, HBO version, which is 16 minutes shorter than the Director’s Cut. For everyone out there in the US (or other Region 1 countries) who likes this movie and wants … Continue reading

Posted in Asian Related, Reviews | Tagged , |

No Retreat, No Surrender (1985) Review

"No Retreat, No Surrender" American Theatrical Poster

Director: Corey Yuen Producer: Ng See-Yuen Cast: Kurt McKinney, Jean-Claude Van Damme, J.W. Fails, Kathie Sileno, Kim Tai-chung, Kent Lipham, Ron Pohnel, Dale Jacoby, Peter “Sugarfoot” Cunningham, Tim Baker Running TIme: 79/85/95 min. By James H. We’ve all been there. We’ve all been at the video store at 9:00 p.m. on a Saturday night, looking up and down the aisles for movies that have all been rented hours ago. We’ve … Continue reading

Posted in Asian Related, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , |