Category Archives: Chinese

Monkey Goes West, The (1966) Review

Posted on April 16, 2025 by Paul Bramhall

Director: Ho Meng Hua Cast: Yueh Hua, Ho Fan, Pang Pang, Tien Shun, Fan Mei Sheng, Kao Pao-Shu, Lan Wei-Lieh, Li Yin, Diana Chang Chung-Wen, Mao Wei Running Time: 112 min.  By Paul Bramhall Having gotten into Asian cinema in the late 1990’s, my first exposure to the phenomena of Journey to the West mania came in the 2010’s. For most of the decade it felt like a big screen … Continue reading →

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Snake Prince, The (1976) Review

Posted on April 9, 2025 by Paul Bramhall

Director: Lo Chen Cast: Lin Chen Chi, Ti Lung, Helen Ko Ti-Hua, Fan Lei, Wong Yu, Ng Hong-Sang, Wong Ching-Ho, Ching Miao, Leung Seung-Wan, Lin Wei-Tu Running Time: 93 min.  By Paul Bramhall When it comes to 1970’s Shaw Brothers oddities there are a few titles that will likely spring to mind. Whether it be the studios riff on King Kong with The Mighty Peking Man, venturing into mutant territory … Continue reading →

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Raiders of Buddhist Kung Fu (1981) Review

Posted on March 21, 2025 by Ian Whittle

Director: Godfrey Ho  Cast: Gordon Liu, Wang Ryong, Kim Ki-Joo, Seol Ji-Yeon, Kwak Eun-Gyung, Baek Hwang-Gi, John Kelly, Choe Moo-Woong, Lung Ho-Yu, Park Hui-Jin, Lee Hwa-Jin Running Time: 90 min.  By Ian Whittle So I picked up the DVD assuming from the cover still of Gordon Liu in his usual monk attire that this was going to be another “Gordon from Shaolin” by way of a Korea flick, but once … Continue reading →

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Legends of the Condor Heroes: The Gallants (2025) Review

Posted on March 3, 2025 by Paul Bramhall

Director: Tsui Hark Cast: Xiao Zhan, Zhuang Dafei, Tony Leung Ka Fai, Sabina Zhuang, Bayaertu, Alan Aruna, Ada Choi, Wu Hsing-kuo, Hu Jun, Zhang Wenxin, Zhao Shuai Running Time: 146 min.  By Paul Bramhall Novelist Jin Yong’s Legend of the Condor Heroes has been adapted countless times for both the big and small screens since it was first serialised from 1957 – 1959, with each one having to grapple with … Continue reading →

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Eye for an Eye 2: Blind Vengeance (2024) Review

Posted on February 28, 2025 by Paul Bramhall

Director: Bingjia Yang Cast: Xie Miao, Yang Enyou, Huang Tao, Kuishan Pei, Pema Jyad, Fengchao Liu, Jampa Tseten Running Time: 90 min. By Paul Bramhall In my review for 2022’s Eye for an Eye: The Blind Swordsman I expressed the hope that we’d see a “continued collaboration between Yang, Qin, and Miao in the future”, referring to director Bingjia Yang, choreographer Pengfei Qin, and star Xie Miao. Thankfully we didn’t … Continue reading →

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Creation of the Gods II: Demon Force (2025) Review

Posted on February 20, 2025 by Paul Bramhall

Director: Wu Ershan Cast: Kris Phillips, Narana Eryeneeva, Wu Hsing-Go, Yu Shi, Luke Chen, Yafan Wu, Ci Sha Running Time: 144 min.  By Paul Bramhall I ended my review for Creation of the Gods: Kingdom of Storms by expressing how I “hope we’ll be paying another visit to the Creation of the Gods sooner rather than later”, and sure enough less than 18 months on the sequel (and middle part of an … Continue reading →

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Magic Crane, The (1993) Review

Posted on February 4, 2025 by Paul Bramhall

Director: Benny Chan Cast: Tony Leung Chiu-Wai, Anita Mui Yim-Fong, Rosamund Kwan Chi-Lam, Damian Lau Chung-Yan, Lawrence Ng Kai-Wah, Norman Tsui Siu-Keung, Zhang Tielin Running Time: 96 min. By Paul Bramhall In 2017 the late director Benny Chan unleashed Meow onto the world, the tale of Louis Koo and an oversized ginger cat from space, a production which had much of the action maestro’s fanbase scratching their heads as to … Continue reading →

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Prosecutor, The (2024) Review

Posted on January 6, 2025 by Paul Bramhall

Director: Donnie Yen Co-director: Ho Pong Mak Cast: Donnie Yen, Julian Cheung, Shirley Chan, Kent Cheng, Michael Hui, Ray Lui, Mark Cheng, Kang Yu, Pak Hon Chu, Adam Pak, Kong Lau, Liza Wang Running Time: 118 min.  By Paul Bramhall Is it just me or is Donnie Yen making a bit of a niche for himself riffing on Yuen Biao’s 1980’s era? During the 2010’s we got a 2-part remake … Continue reading →

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Lucky Seven | aka 7 Ninja Kids (1986) Review

Posted on January 3, 2025 by Paul Bramhall

Director: Chao Chen-Kuo Cast: Chiao Pei, Yang Wei-De, Lin Tung-An, Wang Chi-Cheng, Cheng Wei-Pai, Chang Chai-Ming, Hsu Yu-Ta, Hsiao Hung-Me, Eugene Thomas, Chang Yi-Teng Running Time: 90 min. By Paul Bramhall Spend long enough in the niche genre that is kung-fu cinema, and you’ll eventually find yourself exploring some of the more obscure corners of what’s on offer. One such corner is that of the Taiwanese kids kung-fu movie, a … Continue reading →

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Legend, A (2024) Review

Posted on December 23, 2024 by Paul Bramhall

Director: Stanley Tong Cast: Jackie Chan, Bextiyar Gülnezer, Yixing Zhang, Aarif Lee Zhi-ting, Chen Li, Max Huang, Kim Hee-seon, Shawn Dou Yecheng Zheng, Ray Lui Leung Wai Running Time: 130 min.  By Paul Bramhall Back in 2021 I wrote a retrospective on Jackie Chan and Stanley Tong called ‘Giving the People What They Want’, framed from the perspective of how their collaborations as director and star always appealed to the … Continue reading →

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Black Cat II: The Assassination of Boris Yeltsin (1992) Review

Posted on December 20, 2024 by Paul Bramhall
"Black Cat II" Theatrical Poster

Director: Stephen Shin Cast: Jade Leung, Robin Shou, Zoltan Buday, Bob Wilde, Alexander Skorokhod, Tatiana Chekhova, Mike Miller, Jack Wong Wai-Leung, Wan Seung-Lam  Running Time: 90 min.  By Paul Bramhall Despite Black Cat’s middling box office results, it wasn’t enough to deter D&B Films from continuing to push Jade Leung as a bankable action lead for the 1990’s, and just a year later we’d get a sequel in the form … Continue reading →

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Beheaded 1000, The (1993) Review

Posted on December 14, 2024 by Paul Bramhall

AKA: The Executioner Director: Ting Shan-Hsi Cast: Jimmy Wang Yu, Chin Siu-Ho, Joey Wong Cho-Yin, Monica Chan Fat-Yung, Wu Ma, Pauline Wong Siu-Fung, Sun Ya-Tung, Shen Hai-Rong Running Time: 105 min. By Paul Bramhall One of the more intriguing propositions to come out of the early 90’s, on the surface at least The Beheaded 1000 offers up a Taiwanese take on the Hong Kong blend of wuxia and fantasy that … Continue reading →

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Striking Rescue (2024) Review

Posted on December 4, 2024 by Paul Bramhall

Director: Siyu Cheng Cast: Tony Jaa, Xing Yu, Kaho Hung, Philip Keung, Peng Bo, Yu Bolin, Wang Chenxin, Chen Duo Yi Running Time: 110 min.  By Paul Bramhall Action cinema is always evolving, and whenever it’s discussed Hong Kong’s golden era deservedly casts a long shadow. For a long time fans have lamented the gradual decline of the territories output, an inevitability that’s down to a number of disparate reasons, … Continue reading →

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Goose Boxer | aka Shaolins Tough Kid (1978) Review

Posted on November 21, 2024 by Paul Bramhall

Director: Tai Si-Fu Cast: Charles Heung Wah-Keung, Lee Hoi-Sang, Phillip Ko Fei, Tin Ching, Addy Sung Gam-Loi, Chan Lap-Ban, Lee Chun-Wa, Wong Mei, Cheung Sin-Ming Running Time: 90 min.  By Paul Bramhall This year marks the 10th anniversary of my relationship with Goose Boxer, which I confess has been a fairly one-sided affair. Purchased as part of a 9-movie DVD set called Brooklyn Zu Volume 1, I picked up the … Continue reading →

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Secret Executioners | aka Trouble-Solving Broker (1982) Review

Posted on November 15, 2024 by Paul Bramhall

Director: Lee Doo-Yong Co-director: Godfrey Ho Cast: Shin Woo-chul, Hwang Jang Lee, Jim Norris, Kwon Il-soo, Min Bok-gi, Park Dong-ryong Running Time: 90 min. By Paul Bramhall It remains one of the greatest travesties in Korean cinema that director Lee Doo-yong’s The Trouble-Solving Broker is referenced in 99% of English language content as “another one of those Godfrey Ho cut and paste jobs.” The real tragedy is that it’s also … Continue reading →

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