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on Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning (2025) ReviewEven with lowered expectations coming into this, MI8 is a massive disappointm…
on Carl Scott, ‘Bruce Lee: The Man, The Myth’ and ‘Sun Dragon’ actor and martial artist, passes awayRIP brotha!🙏 he kicked ass in those Bruce spoliations movies
on Shadow (2018) Review[…] City on Fire Review […]
on A.Y.C.E. John Wick spin-offs! Watch the Final Trailer for Len Wiseman’s ‘Ballerina’ starring Ana de ArmasOfficial fanfic, I mean, music video. https://youtu.be/G5fFdIoS8p8?si=_RJsEvX…
on ‘Five Element Ninjas’ return? Watch the Trailer for ‘Kung Fu Games’ starring Mark Strange and Caitlin DechelleI caught this on Apple, and there is some good action here. Unfortunately, wa…
on Ready for Round 7? ‘Shaw Brothers Classics: Volume 7’ arriving on Blu-ray in August from Shout! FactoryHmmm - I think I recognize Chen Wo-Fu from 'The Shadow Boxer', Fu Sheng from…
on Peter Kwong, ‘Big Trouble in Little China’ and ‘The Golden Child’ actor and martial artist, dies at 73Well, that’s a bummer. I grew up watching Big Trouble, and I’m told that I re…
on New Trailer for ‘Mission 911’ explodes with ‘Raid’ influenceJust remembered this trailer and still no related news of this movie, directo…
on Shout, shout, let it all out… to ARROW! UK label to distribute ‘Hard Boiled’, ‘The Killer’ and more in the UK156 Hong Kong cinema classics. 156 movies, and ALL of them are "classics"? Ye…
on Prosecutor, The (2024) ReviewI agree. To me it was a loose remake of Righting Wrongs
on Arriving next year is 88 Films’ Blu-ray release for Jackie Chan’s kung fu oddity ‘Magnificent Bodyguards’So glad that I preordered this in June 2024, lol.
Category Archives: Korean
The Roundup: No Way Out (2023) Review
Director: Lee Sang-Yong Cast: Ma Dong-Seok, Lee Joon-Hyuk, Munetaka Aoki, Jun Kunimura, Lee Beom-Soo, Kim Min-jae, Jun Suk-ho, Ko Kyu-phil, Bae Noo-ri, Lee Ji-hoon Running Time: 105 min. By Paul Bramhall The expression “it’s the role he was born to play” may be a cliched one, but its hard to think of a more fitting one when it comes to Ma Dong-seok playing the witty, hammer fisted detective Ma Seok-do. Introduced in 2017’s … Continue reading
Posted in All, Korean, News, Reviews
Tagged Jun Kunimura, Lee Sang-Yong, Ma Dong-seok
Girl on a Bulldozer, The (2022) Review
Director: Park Ri-Woong Cast: Kim Hye-Yoon, Park Hyuk-Kwon, Oh Man-Seok, Yesung, Choi Hee-Jin, Lee Hwi-Jong, Sung Yeo-Jin, Kim Hee-Chang, Han Hye-Ji, Kim Joong-Ki Running Time: 112 min. By Paul Bramhall The Korean indie movie has long been the stomping ground of grim and gritty drama’s focusing on societies downtrodden and overlooked, with those focusing on teenage girls almost being its own genre. In the last 10 years alone we’ve had … Continue reading
Confidential Assignment 2: International (2022) Review
Director: Lee Suk-Hoon Cast: Hyun-Bin, Yu Hae-Jin, Lim Yoon-A , Daniel Henney, Jin Sun-Kyu, Jang Young-Nam, Park Hoon, Im Sung-Jae, Yoon Sang-Hwa, Park Min-Ha Running Time: 129 min. By Paul Bramhall In 2016 Yoo Hae-jin and Hyun Bin played a South Korean detective and North Korean agent who team up to track down a rogue North Korean general in Confidential Assignment. Somewhat of a precursor to the trend of movies … Continue reading
Anchor, The (2022) Review
Director: Jeong Ji-Yeon Cast: Chun Woo-Hee, Shin Ha-Kyun, Lee Hye-Young, Cha Rae-Hyoung, Park Ji-Hyun, Nam Moon-Chul, Im Sung-Jae, Kim Young-Pil, Lee Hae-Woon Running Time: 111 min. By Paul Bramhall There’s something morbidly entertaining about those movies which take a character and put them through the wringer to a point that they become completely unhinged. Jack Nicholson in The Shining, Christian Bale in American Psycho, Natalie Portman in Black Swan – the … Continue reading
Kill Boksoon (2023) Review
Director: Byun Sung-hyun Cast: Jeon Do-yeon, Sol Kyung-Gu, Kim Si-A, Esom, Koo Gyo-Hwan, Lee Yeon, Lee Jae-Wook, Park Se-Hyun, Ahn Seong-Bong, Kim Sung-Oh, Ki Joo-Bong Running Time: 137 min. By Paul Bramhall At this point there are very few active actors and directors left who haven’t worked with Netflix in some form or another, and in 2023 arguably the most highly regarded actress in Korean cinema, Jeon Do-yeon, made her … Continue reading
Returned Single-Legged Man | aka The Korean Connection (1974) Review
AKA: The Korean Connection Director: Lee Doo-yong Cast: Han Yong-cheol, Kwan Yung-moon, Jeong Sonyeo, Lee So-yeong, Kim Mun-ju, Nam Chung-il, Bae Su-chun, Kwon Il-soo, Cho Chun, Elton Chong, Hwang Jang Lee, Nam Chung-il, Lim Hae-lim, Kim Ki-bum Running Time: 88 min. By Paul Bramhall Being a fan of Korea’s martial arts output, which spanned from the 1960’s through to the 1990’s, has never been a particularly rewarding endeavour. Want to … Continue reading
Manchurian Tiger, The (1974) Review
Director: Lee Doo-Yong Cast: Han Yong-cheol, Kim Mun-ju, Bae Su-chun, Woo Yeon-jeong, Chang Il-sik, Park Dong-ryong, Sim Sang Chun, Gang Dong-gyu, Choe Sung-kwan Running Time: 95 min. By Paul Bramhall Looking back on the evolution of martial arts cinema over the years, there’s little doubt that it was the 1970’s when the genre evolved at such a rate that, if you put a production from 1970 and 1979 side-by-side, it … Continue reading
Unlocked (2023) Review
Director: Kim Tae-Joon Cast: Chun Woo-Hee, Im Si-Wan, Kim Hee-Won, Park Ho-San, Kim Ye-Won, Jeon Jin-Oh, Oh Hyun-Kyung, Ryoo Sung-Hyun, Jeon Ik-Ryung, Kim Joo-Ryung Running Time: 117 min. By Paul Bramhall Ever since the mobile phone became widely available in the late 90’s there’s been no shortage of cinematic offerings to have their plots revolve around the device that we can’t live without. Korea is no different, be it supernatural … Continue reading
War of the God Monsters | aka The Flying Monster (1985) Review
AKA: The Flying Monster Director: Kim Jung-yong Cast: Kim Ki-ju, Nam Hye-gyeong, Kim Da-hye, Moon Tae-Seon, Kim Uk, Jang Cheol Running Time: 85 min. By Paul Bramhall Korean cinema was in a strange place during the mid-80’s. After military strongman Chun Doo-hwan essentially elected himself as the country’s president in September 1980 following months of martial law and the infamous Gwangju Massacre in May, filmmakers needed to be extra cautious not … Continue reading
Slate (2021) Review
Director: Jo Bareun Cast: Ahn Ji-hye, Lee Min Ji, Park Tae San, Jung Jin-woo, Lee Se-ho, Nam I-seul, Jo Sun-ki Running Time: 100 min. By Paul Bramhall It could be argued that the swordplay movie has never really fallen out of fashion in Asian cinema, with each decade bringing about a reinvention of the genre in one way or another. Be it Patrick Tam’s The Sword in the 1980’s, Tsui … Continue reading
Deep Trap (2015) Review
Director: Kwon Hyung-Jin Cast: Ma Dong-Seok, Jo Han-Sun, Kim Min-Kyung, Ji An, Yoon Joo, Kwon Bum-Taek, Kim Dong-Hyun, Min Kyung-Jin, Jeong Gi-Seop, Kang Seung-Wan Running Time: 96 min. By Paul Bramhall In the Korean film industry the mid-budget genre piece has become increasingly rare in recent years, with the international success of 2019’s Parasite and the 2021 Netflix series Squid Game seemingly widening the gap when it comes to production … Continue reading
Geochilmaru: The Showdown (2005) Review
Director: Kim Jin-sung Cast: Jang Tae-sik, Sung Hong-il, Kwon Min-gi, Yu Rang-rae, Hong Seung-hun, Mi-jeong Oh Running Time: 86 min. By Paul Bramhall My memory of Geochilmaru – The Showdown being released in 2005 is one of it being dragged over the coals in almost every review it received. Now, with the benefit of hindsight 18 years later, I would theorise there are a couple of contributing factors to the … Continue reading
Jung_E (2023) Review
Director: Yeon Sang-Ho Cast: Kang Soo-Yeon, Kim Hyun-Joo, Ryoo Kyung-Soo, Lee Dong-Hee, Uhm Ji-Won, Han Woo-Yul, Yun Ki-Chang, Lee Ga-Kyung, Ki Hwan Cha Hee Running Time: 100 min. By Paul Bramhall Watching the journey of director and screenwriter Yeon Sang-ho has been an interesting one. Originally making a name for himself through animated features like King of Pigs and The Fake, stories which were grounded in reality and tackled a … Continue reading
Kingmaker (2022) Review
Director: Byun Sung-Hyun Cast: Sol Kyung-Gu, Lee Sun-Kyun, Yoo Jae-Myung, Jo Woo-Jin, Park In-Hwan, Lee Hae-Young, Kim Sung-Oh, Jeon Bae-Su, Seo Eun-Su, Kim Jong-Soo Running Time: 123 min. By Paul Bramhall Most Korean audiences will be familiar with the name Kim Dae-jung, the former president who held office between 1998 and 2003. The culmination of a career in politics spanning over 40 years, Dae-jung had led an eventful life. He … Continue reading
Decision to Leave (2022) Review
Director: Park Chan-wook Cast: Park Hae-il, Tang Wei, Lee Jung-hyun, Park Yong-Woo, Ko Kyoung-Pyo, Kim Shin-Young, Yoo Seung-Mok, Park Jung-Min, Seo Hyun-Woo, Lee Hak-Joo Running Time: 138 min. By Paul Bramhall Take a look at the filmography of director Park Chan-wook and it’s almost impossible to pin him down to any one genre. Whether he’s dealing with a murder mystery in the JSA, the quest for vengeance after being held … Continue reading
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