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Throwdown on The Bodyguard (2024) ReviewGreat review, as ever, and really glad you're shining a light on these underr…
Andrew Hernandez on James Lew, martial artist, actor and stuntman in films such as ‘Big Trouble in Little China’ and ‘Timecop’, passes away at 73He will be missed. It was awesome to watch almost any action film, and he’d a…
Andrew Hernandez on ALWAYS BET ON BLACK! Wesley Snipes’ hijack actioner ‘Passenger 57’ coming soon to 4K Ultra HD1992 was a good year for action films as they had that sweet spot of taking t…
dakuan on WTF? Watch the blood-soaked U.S. Trailer for Joko Anwar’s Indonesian martial arts-horror-comedy ‘Ghost in the Cell’fun flick, tho.
dakuan on WTF? Watch the blood-soaked U.S. Trailer for Joko Anwar’s Indonesian martial arts-horror-comedy ‘Ghost in the Cell’i watched it yesterday. it is a horror comedy, but no martial arts whatsoever…
squeesh on Heaven and Hell | aka Shaolin Hell Gate (1978) ReviewJust saw Heaven and Hell on youtube, and while it's pretty damn strange in so…
squeesh on THE FURIOUS PART II? A sequel to ‘The Furious’ already in the works as producer promises a bigger follow upSome good choices for villains (or heroes) in The Furious sequel would be: Ma…
American Ninja Man on HEAD’d your way! Jimmy Wang Yu’s kung fu classic ‘Master of the Flying Guillotine’ arrives newly restored on Blu-rayAbout freakin time!
Ningen on James Lew, martial artist, actor and stuntman in films such as ‘Big Trouble in Little China’ and ‘Timecop’, passes away at 73The Luke Cage guy paid tribute to him. https://www.instagram.com/p/DcbK2ZExau…
Debra Goodman on James Lew, martial artist, actor and stuntman in films such as ‘Big Trouble in Little China’ and ‘Timecop’, passes away at 73James Lew was a very influential person in my life. I first discovered him wh…
KayKay on THE FURIOUS PART II? A sequel to ‘The Furious’ already in the works as producer promises a bigger follow upWell almost 4 decades ago, there was this little movie about a cop who fights…
dakuan on THE FURIOUS PART II? A sequel to ‘The Furious’ already in the works as producer promises a bigger follow upwell, for Sha Po Lang 2 they had cast and plot completely unrelated to the fi…
Ron on Anybody seen Richie? Okay, wrong movie. But Steven Seagal’s ‘Above the Law’ is coming to 4K Ultra HD this NovemberNoice. Happy Arrow/Toy Robot are releasing Warner Bros action classics. I'm c…
DAVE WEST on THE FURIOUS PART II? A sequel to ‘The Furious’ already in the works as producer promises a bigger follow upWhat would even a part 2 be about, literally every bad guy in the first film…
CJ on HEAD’d your way! Jimmy Wang Yu’s kung fu classic ‘Master of the Flying Guillotine’ arrives newly restored on Blu-rayFrank Djeng talks too fast, and with his accent I find him very hard to liste…
Ningen on HEAD’d your way! Jimmy Wang Yu’s kung fu classic ‘Master of the Flying Guillotine’ arrives newly restored on Blu-raySince someone heard me, now we need the uncut Shaolin Soccer, the uncut Hero,…
Rod on The Fall of Ako Castle | Blu-ray (Eureka)Is this blu-ray available to purchase anywhere in the U.S. in Region A, Regio…
Phil Chan on FURIOUS director Kenji Tanigaki returns to work on Soi Cheang Pou Soi’s ‘Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In’ sequelRaymond Lam said that filming for the sequel has been officially completed (c…
Ska Martes on Second Life | aka Son of a Punch (2024) ReviewBetween the hype machine Lionsgate put behind the movie and Jet Li glazing th…
Paul Bramhall on Second Life | aka Son of a Punch (2024) ReviewDefinitely a good idea! I'll leave the suggestion with our colleague Zack sin…
garner on The Bodyguard (2024) Reviewi enjoyed this film.
Kontrovesial Keith on Heaven and Hell | aka Shaolin Hell Gate (1978) Reviewi'm glad i'm not the only person that thought Chang Cheh (and possibly others…
Ska Martes on Hungry? Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung and Yuen Biao’s ‘Wheels on Meals’ arriving on 4K Ultra HD in November from Eureka4k from the OCN and a really nice coverart. Day 1 purchase. Probably get 2 ju…
Ska Martes on You wanna be a Chinese? You gotta eat the nasty stuff! ‘The Corruptor’ arrives on 4K Ultra HD in NovemberNot sure Bulletproof Monk is a good movie but there was some decent chemistry…
Ska Martes on Second Life | aka Son of a Punch (2024) ReviewEven that dub was better than the one they gave to Joe Taslim in the Chinese…
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Category Archives: Korean
Prison, The (2017) Review
Director: Nah Hyeon Cast: Kim Rae-won, Han Seok-kyu, Han Suk-Kyu, Kim Rae-Won, Jung Woong-In, Kim Sung-Kyun, Shin Sung-Rok, Han Sung-Yong, Lee Geung-young, Cha Yup Running Time: 125 min. By Paul Bramhall In years to come, when people look back on the 2015 – 2016 era of the Korean film industry, it may well look like all it took for a movie to get green lit is for it be about figures in authority … Continue reading
Posted in All, Korean, News, Reviews
Tagged Han Seok-Kyu, Kim Rae-won, Nah Hyeon
Tunnel (2016) Review
Director: Kim Seong-Hun Cast: Ha Jung-Woo, Bae Doo-Na, Oh Dal-Su, Shin Jung-Keun, Nam Ji-Hyun, Cho Hyun-Chul, Kim Hae-Sook, Yoo Seung-Mok, Park Hyuk-Kwon Running Time: 126 min. By Paul Bramhall Not to be confused with the 2014 South Korean horror movie, Tunnel 3D, director Kim Seong-hoon’s latest effort is a decidedly 2D disaster movie, which, in the grand tradition of many a disaster movie, puts its ill-fated location as the title. … Continue reading
Quick Man (2002) Review
Director: Lee Hyeok-su Writer: Yun Jin-a Producer: Seo Gil-seong Cast: Jeon Hye-yun, Yun Se-ung, Song Geum-sig, Ricky Jun, Park Jeong-gwon, Lee Moo-jung, Kim Youn-soo, Lee Jae-yeong, Min Seong-joo Running Time: 89 min. By Paul Bramhall The start of the millennium saw many new directorial talents emerge in Korean cinema, with 2002 in particular seeing the likes of Park Chan-wook unleash Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, and Ryoo Seung-wan deliver his hard … Continue reading
Sea Fog | aka Haemoo (2014) Review
Director: Shim Sung-Bo Cast: Kim Yun-Seok, Park Yoo-Chun, Han Ye-Ri, Lee Hee-Joon, Moon Sung-Geun, Kim Sang-Ho Running Time: 111 min. By Kyle Warner I think Memories of Murder deserves to be in the conversation of the finest films ever made. Dark, thrilling, funny, and almost poetic, it’s the movie that made me a fan of director/co-writer Bong Joon-ho, who did not disappoint when he followed up that masterwork with other great titles like The … Continue reading
Dragon, the Young Master | aka Deadly Silver Ninja (1981) Review
AKA: Eighteen Martial Arts Director: Kim Si-hyun Writer: Kim Kyeong-il Cast: Dragon Lee (Mun Kyong-sok), Yuen Qiu, Choi Min-kyu, Baek Hwang-ki, Kim Ki-ju Running Time: 83 min. Paul Bramhall Back when I was first getting into the kung fu genre many years ago, upon witnessing a handful of Korea’s contributions, I confess to being quick to write them off as low budget imitations of Hong Kong’s far superior output. Looking back, I now feel like I … Continue reading
Posted in All, Bruceploitation, Chinese, Korean, News, Reviews
Tagged Dragon Lee (Mun Kyong-sok), Yuen Qiu
Age of Shadows, The (2016) Review
AKA: Secret Agent Director: Kim Ji-woon Cast: Goo Uoo, Song Kang-Ho, Han Ji-Min, Um Tae-Goo, Shin Sung-Rok, Seo Young-Joo, Lee Byung-Hun, Shingo Tsurumi, Kim Dong-Young, Park Hee-Soon Running Time: 140 min. By Martin Sandison I remember going to see Kim Ji-woon’s A Bittersweet Life back when it came out, and thinking: This is something special. An artistic aesthetic, but with populist entertainment at its heart. I then saw The Good, the Bad and the Weird, … Continue reading
Posted in All, Korean, News, Reviews
Tagged Gong Yoo, Kim Jee-Woon (Kim Ji-woon), Lee Byung-Hun, Song Kang-Ho
Master (2016) Review
Director: Jo Eui-seok Cast: Lee Byung-hun, Gang Dong-won, Kim Woo-bin, Uhm Ji-won, Oh Dal-su, Jin Kyung, Monsour Del Rosario, Jung Won-jung, Yoo Yeon-soo, Jo Hyun-chul Running Time: 143 min. By Paul Bramhall The Korean film industry rounded out 2016 with yet another thriller concerning those in positions of authority abusing their power. This time based on the true story of a CEO who defrauded his sales staff in order to line his own pockets, it’s … Continue reading
Posted in All, Korean, News, Reviews
Tagged Gang Dong-won, Lee Byung-Hun, Monsour del Rosario
Hole, The | aka Trap (1997) Review
Director: Kim Sung-hong Writer: Yeo Hye-yeong Cast: Yoon So-jeong, Park Yong-woo, Choi Ji-woo, Mun Su-jin, Lee Seung-woo, Jeon Hong-ryeol, Koo Hey-ryoung, Youn Sung-hun, Tae Yu-rim, Kim Gye-pae, Seo Eun-sun Running Time: 100 min. By Paul Bramhall Director Kim Sung-hong may not be a name that’s immediately familiar to many fans of Korean cinema, however he was behind one of the first wave of Korean movies to get distributed in the west, with 2001’s mean … Continue reading
Handmaiden, The (2016) Review
Director: Park Chan-wook Novel By: Sarah Waters Cast: Kim Min-hee, Ha Jung-woo, Cho Jin-woong, Kim Tae-ri, Lee Yong-Nyeo, Yoo Min-Chae Running Time: 144 min. By Kyle Warner After making his English language debut in 2013 with Stoker, Park Chan-wook returned to South Korea for his next feature film, The Handmaiden. And while obviously a Park Chan-wook film, I feel that The Handmaiden has more of a western-style than Stoker did. Stoker was Park bringing his Korean dark revenge … Continue reading
Posted in All, Korean, News, Reviews
Tagged Ha Jung-Woo, Park Chan-wook (Park Chan-uk)
Violent Prosecutor, A (2016) Review
Director: Lee Il-hyeong Cast: Hwang Jung-Min, Gang Dong-Won, Lee Sung-Min, Park Sung-Woong, Kim Eung-Soo, Joo Jin-Mo, Kim Won-Hae, Jeon Bae-Su, Shin So-Yul, Park Jong-Hwan, Kim Hong-Fa, Lee Suk-Joon, Kim Byung-Ok Running Time: 126 min. By Paul Bramhall More than any other film industry in the world, it’s the Korean one that arguably reflects its countries current tumultuous state. 2016 delivered a president that’s pending impeachment, shady religious figures exerting their … Continue reading
Tiger of Northland (1976) Review
Director: Peng Chang-Kuei Cast: Park Jong-kuk, Maria Yi Yi, Lau Wing, Lydia Shum Tin Ha, Ko Keung, Chang Il-sik, Yeung Wai, Wu Jiaxiang, Bruce Lai, Tony Leung Siu-Hung, Sammo Hung Running Time: 98 min. By Paul Bramhall After Bruce Lee’s untimely death in 1973, the production company that Lee was signed to, Golden Harvest, scrambled around for a number of years afterwards, attempting to find a bankable replacement that could fill the … Continue reading
Posted in All, Chinese, Golden Harvest, Korean, News, Reviews
Tagged Bruce Lai (Chang Il-do), Ko Keung, Lydia Shum Tin Ha, Maria Yi, Park Jong-kuk, Sammo Hung, Tony Liu (Anthony Lau Wing)
Operation Chromite (2016) Review
Director: John H. Lee Cast: Lee Jung-jae, Lee Beom-soo, Liam Neeson, Jin Se-yeon, Jung Joon-ho, Park Chul-min, Kim Byeong-ok, Jon Gries, Choo Sung-hoon, Kim Sun-a Running Time: 111 min. By Kelly Warner I’m sort of fascinated by the Liam Neeson career shift post-Taken. Though he played action heroes pre-2008 (Star Wars and Darkman, for example), after Taken Neeson became Hollywood’s go-to actor for action movies requiring a middle-aged lead. Maybe it’s because Neeson doesn’t … Continue reading
Posted in All, Korean, News, Reviews
Tagged John H. Lee, Lee Beom-su, Lee Jung-jae, Liam Neeson
Dongju: The Portrait of a Poet (2016) Review
Director: Lee Joon-Ik Writer: Shin Youn-Shick Cast: Kang Ha-Neul, Park Jung-Min, Kim In-Woo, Choi Hong-Il, Choi Hee-Seo, Shin Yoon-Joo, Min Jin-Woong Running Time: 110 min. By Martin Sandison The Glasgow, Scotland leg of the 16th London Korean Film Festival appealed much more to the arthouse community, with three films being shown. Dong-Ju: Portrait of a Poet was easily the most interesting. A biopic of one of Korea’s most enduring poets, … Continue reading
Bounty Hunters (2016) Review
Director: Shin Tae-Ra Producer: Raymond Wong Cast: Lee Min-ho, Wallace Chung, Tiffany Tang, Jeremy Xu, Karena Ng, Fan Siu-Wong, Yang Mi Running Time: 105 min. By Paul Bramhall In 2016 China continued its mission to create a watchable Hollywood style action blockbuster, and this time they’ve called in some help to back them up. Bounty Hunters is produced by Hong Kong based Raymond Wong, and perhaps sensing that leaving such a … Continue reading
Posted in All, Chinese, Korean, News, Reviews
Tagged Fan Siu Wong, Lee Min-ho, Wallace Chung
Insane (2015) Review
Director: Lee Chul-Ha Cast: Gang Ye-Won, Lee Sang-Yoon, Choi Jin-Ho, Ji Dae-Han, Chun Min-Hee, Lee Hak-Joo, Choi Yoon-So, Jo Jae-Yun, Kim Jong-Soo, Jang Tae-Seong Running Time: 91 min. By Paul Bramhall Mainstream Korean horror has always been a tricky beast, dating back to when the new wave really put Korean cinema on the map in the early 2000’s, the one constant seemed to be over promise and under deliver. Posters … Continue reading


























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