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Newest Comments
on The Bodyguard (2024) ReviewGreat review, as ever, and really glad you're shining a light on these underr…
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…
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.
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…
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!
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
on Second Life | aka Son of a Punch (2024) ReviewBetween the hype machine Lionsgate put behind the movie and Jet Li glazing th…
on Second Life | aka Son of a Punch (2024) ReviewDefinitely a good idea! I'll leave the suggestion with our colleague Zack sin…
on The Bodyguard (2024) Reviewi enjoyed this film.
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…
Category Archives: Korean
Bridge of Death (1974) Review
Director: Lee Doo-yong Cast: Han Yong-cheol, Bae Su-chun, Kim Yeongran, Chang Il-sik, Woo Yeon-jeong, Mun-ju Kim Running Time: 90 min. By Paul Bramhall In my review for Returned a Single-Legged Man 2 I concluded with “What’s left to ask but for more taekwon-action productions be made available to be enjoyed.” The line was in reference to the Korean Film Archive’s decision in 2023 to release some of director Lee Doo-yong’s … Continue reading
Posted in All, Bruceploitation, Korean, News, Reviews
Tagged Han Yong-cheol, Lee Doo-yong
Uprising (2024) Review
Director: Kim Sang-man Cast: Gang Dong-won, Park Jung-min, Cha Seung-won, Jung Sung-il, Kim Shin-rok, Jin Sun-Kyu Running Time: 126 min. By Paul Bramhall Much of the publicity for Uprising has leant into the fact that it’s co-scripted by Park Chan-wook, the director who gave us such modern-day classics like Decision to Leave and The Handmaiden. It’s an understandable approach, as while Chan-wook is most well known for the times he’s … Continue reading
Seire (2022) Review
Director: Park Kang Cast: Shim Eun-woo, Seo Hyun-woo, Ryu Abel, Ko Eun-Min, Kim Woo-Kyum, Jeon Woon-Jong Running Time: 100 min. By Paul Bramhall Taking its name from a traditional Korean custom that follows childbirth, Seire refers to a newborns first 21 days, during which time the entrance of a property has a protective rope hung on it to ward off evil spirits, and the baby should have minimal interaction with … Continue reading
I, The Executioner | aka Veteran 2 (2024) Review
Director: Ryoo Seung-wan Cast: Hwang Jung-min, Jung Hae-in, Oh Dae-hwan, Oh Dal-soo, Jang Yoon-ju, Kim Shi-Hoo, Jeong Man-Sik, Shin Seung-Hwan, Jin Kyung, Kwon Hae-Hyo Running Time: 118 min. By Paul Bramhall When Veteran hit the screens in 2015 it struck the perfect balance as an action comedy, and director Ryoo Seung-wan promised audiences there’d be more, revealing in interviews at the time how it was the first in an intended … Continue reading
Killer: A Girl Who Deserves to Die, The (2022) Review
Director: Choi Jae-Hoon Cast: Jang Hyuk, Bruce Khan, Cha Tae-Hyun, Son Hyun-Joo, Lee Seo-young, Anne, Son Hyun-joo Running Time: 95 min. By Paul Bramhall It’s no secret that in the 21st century mainstream Korean cinema has rarely sold itself on action. It’s certainly not for lack of talent, but rather you’re likely to find the countries best action sequences play out as part of a gangster movie, or a crime … Continue reading
Posted in All, Korean, News, Reviews
Tagged Bruce Khan, Cha Tae-hyun, Choi Jae-Hoon, Jang Hyuk
Smugglers (2023) Review
Director: Ryoo Seung-Wan Cast: Kim Hye-Soo, Yum Jung-Ah, Zo In-Sung, Park Jeong-Min, Kim Jong-Soo, Go Min-Si, Kim Jae-Hwa, Park Jun-Myun, Park Kyung-Hye, Kwak Jin-Seok Running Time: 129 min. By Paul Bramhall Any discussion on modern Korean action cinema will invariably also be a discussion on director (and sometime actor) Ryoo Seung-wan. An avid Hong Kong action cinema fan when he was growing up, Seung-wan would debut in 2000 with Die … Continue reading
Officer Black Belt (2024) Review
Director: Kim Joo-hwan Cast: Kim Woo-bin, Kim Sung-kyun, Lee Hyun-geol, Lee Joong-Ok, Kang Seung-Ho, Yoon Dae-Yul, Park Ji-Yeol, Jin Mi-Sa, Lee Jung-Gwi, Bang Byung-Hyun Running Time: 105 min. By Paul Bramhall The latest in Korea’s steady stream of post-Squid Game Netflix produced movies, Officer Black Belt hit the platform in 2024, offering a look into a rarely seen part of the law enforcement system – the parole officers who monitor … Continue reading
Land of Happiness, The (2024) Review
Director: Choo Chang-min Cast: Cho Jung-Seok, Lee Sun-Kyun, Yoo Jae-Myung, Woo Hyeon, Lee Won-Jong, Jeon Bae-Su, Song Young-Kyu, Choi Won-Young, Kang Mal-Geum Running Time: 124 min. By Paul Bramhall The 8 months spanning October 1979 to May 1980 are some of the most tumultuous in Korea’s recent history, marked by the assassination of president Park Chung-hee on the 26th October, and culminating in military dictator Chun Doo-hwan ordering the Gwangju … Continue reading
Man of Reason, A (2023) Review
Director: Jung Woo-sung Cast: Jung Woo-sung, Kim Nam-Gil, Kim Joon-Han, Park Sung-Woong, Park Yoo-Na, Lee Elijah, Ryu Jian, Kim Joo-Hun, Park Yong, Choi Soo-Im Running Time: 98 min. By Paul Bramhall One of the most enduring actors in Korean cinema, since making his debut in 1994’s The Fox With Nine Tails Jung Woo-sung has rarely been absent from the screen in the close to 30 years that followed, and in … Continue reading
Mission: Cross (2024) Review
Director: Lee Myung-Hoon Cast: Hwang Jung-Min, Yum Jung-Ah, Jung Man-sik, Lee Ho-chul, Cha Rae-hyung, Jeon Hye-jin, Kim Chan-Hyung, Kim Joo-Hun, Jonathan Yiombi Running Time: 105 min. By Paul Bramhall 3 years after the unexpected global success of the Netflix series Squid Game, the streaming giant continues to plough money into Korean content, with the countries K-dramas coming to enjoy the same level of popularity globally as they have within Asia … Continue reading
Christmas Carol (2022) Review
Director: Kim Seong-soo Cast: Park Jinyoung, Kim Young-min, Heo Dong-won, Song Geon-hee, Kim Dong-Hwi Running Time: 130 min. By Paul Bramhall While the English title of writer and director Kim Seong-soo’s 3rd feature Christmas Carol may sound like another disposable entry in Netflix’s festive movie lineup, thankfully the reality is very different. Taking the classic tale of a revenge seeking protagonist who intentionally gets sent to prison to hunt down … Continue reading
New Normal (2022) Review
Director: Jung Bum-Sik Cast: Choi Ji-Woo, Lee Yu-Mi, Choi Min-Ho, Pyo Ji-Hoon, Jeong Dong-Won, Lee Moon-Sik Running Time: 112 min. By Paul Bramhall Filmmaker Jong Beom-sik is one of those few director screenwriters in Korea whose name is almost exclusively tied to the horror genre. After making his debut alongside his brother Jeong Sik with 2007’s Epitaph, Beom-sik would go on to helm segments in both 2012’s Horror Stories and … Continue reading
Phantom (2023) Review
Director: Lee Hae-Young Cast: Sol Kyung-Gu, Lee Ha-Nee, Park So-Dam, Park Hae-Soo, Seo Hyun-Woo, Kim Jong-Soo, Bibi, Esom, Lee Joo-Young, Kim Dong-Hee, Kim Joong-Hee Running Time: 133 min. By Paul Bramhall If someone asked if I could recall the name of that Korean movie which was set in 1933, and involves a group of independence fighters whose mission is to assassinate an official in the occupying Japanese government, chances are … Continue reading
Handsome Guys (2024) Review
Director: Nam Dong-hyub Cast: Lee Sung-min, Lee Hee-jun, Park Ji-hwan, Lee Kyu-hyung, Gong Seung-yeon, Woo Hyeon Running Time: 100 min. By Paul Bramhall The comedy genre has always been one which feels reluctant to be tackled head on in Korea, with even productions that bill themselves as comedies often making sharp U-turns into melodrama for their final reels. The likes of 2002’s Sex is Zero and 2017’s I Can Speak … Continue reading
Escape (2024) Review
Director: Lee Jong-pil Cast: Lee Je-hoon, Hong Xa-bin, Koo Kyo-hwan, Shin Dong Hyeon, Esom, Lee Ho Jung Running Time: 95 min. By Paul Bramhall When the Korean War ended in an armistice in 1953 the anti-communist film became a mainstay in the South Korean film industry, going through a golden era during the remainder of the decade, and one which continued well into the 1960’s (so much so that, in … Continue reading
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