Category Archives: Reviews

Svaha: The Sixth Finger (2019) Review

"Svaha: The Sixth Finger" Theatrical Poster

Director: Jang Jae-Hyon Cast: Lee Jung-Jae, Park Jung-Min, Lee Jae-In, David Lee, Jung Jin-Young, Hwang Jung-Min, Jin Seon-Kyu Ji Seung-Hyun, Yoo Ji-Tae, Moon Sook, Ok Joo-Ri  Running Time: 122 min. By Paul Bramhall I’m not sure if there’s something in the air, but the South Korean film industry has been cranking out a steady stream of evil ass-kicking Christians in recent years. From Kim Yoon-seok and Kang Dong-won in 2015’s … Continue reading

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Scoundrels, The (2018) Review

Director: Hung Tzu-Hsuan Cast: J.C. Lin, Kang Ren Wu, Nana Lee, Nikki Hsieh, Frederick Ming Zhong Lee, Jack Kao, Ming-Shuai Shih, Ling-Li Chen, Naomi Lee, Ming-Lieh Hsu Running Time: 105 min. By Paul Bramhall Modern Taiwanese cinema may be well regarded for its dramas and arthouse fare, however one genre that definitely isn’t likely to spring to mind is the action one. While there have been some notable efforts, such … Continue reading

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Invincible Dragon (2019) Review

"Invincible Dragon" Theatrical Poster

AKA: Dragon Tattoo Director: Fruit Chan Cast: Max Zhang, Annie Liu, Anderson Silva, Stephy Tang, Kevin Cheng, Lam Suet, Richard Ng Running Time: 100 min.  By Paul Bramhall I’ll be the first to admit I’m a huge fan of when directors that have a distinctive style decide to take on the martial arts genre. From Peter Chan’s take on the wuxia genre with 2011’s Wu Xia, to Wong Kar-Wai’s interpretation … Continue reading

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White Badge (1992) Review

"White Badge" Korean Theatrical Poster

Director: Chung Ji-young Cast: Ahn Sung-ki, Lee Geung-young, Shim Hye-jin, Ahn Do-Hun, Dok Ko Yeong Jae, Heo Jun-Ho Running Time: 124 min. By Paul Bramhall When you think of Korean war movies, chances are the titles that spring to mind are ones that take place in the (no irony intended) Korean War. From the likes of 2004’s Taegukgi, through to 2011’s The Front Line, the war which ended with an … Continue reading

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Burning (2018) Review

"Burning" Theatrical Poster

Director: Lee Chang-Dong Cast: Yoo Ah-In, Steven Yeun, Jun Jong-Seo, Kim Soo-Kyung, Choi Seung-Ho, Moon Sung-Geun, Min Bok-Gi, Ban Hye-Ra, Lee Bong-Ryun, Lee Young-Suk Running Time: 148 min. By Paul Bramhall It’s been 8 years since Lee Chang-dong last sat in the director’s chair, having helmed 2009’s critically acclaimed Poetry, leaving it just long enough for the rest of us to worry if we’d ever see a Lee Chang-dong movie … Continue reading

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Gangster, The Cop, The Devil, The (2019) Review

Director: Lee Won-Tae Cast: Ma Dong-Seok, Kim Moo-Yul, Kim Sung-Kyu, Kim Yoon-Sung, Oh Hee-Joon, Choi Min-Chul, Ahn Sung-Bong, Yoo Seung-Mok, Heo Dong-Won Running Time: 110 min. By Z Ravas If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, chances are writer/director Park Hoon-jung is somewhere in Korea blushing a bright shade of crimson right about now. In fact, the biggest surprise about this year’s The Gangster, the Cop, the Devil is … Continue reading

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One Cut of the Dead (2017) Review

"One Cut of the Dead" Theatrical Poster

Director: Shinichiro Ueda Cast: Takayuki Hamatsu, Mao, Harumi Syuhama, Kazuaki Nagaya, Manabu Hosoi, Hiroshi Ichihara, Shuntaro Yamazaki, Shinichiro Osawa, Yoshiko Takehara Running Time: 95 min. By Paul Bramhall I’m not sure if there’s a single person out there that would willingly raise their hand to being a fan of the Japanese zombie micro-budget genre. The standard traits of such productions usually consist of uninspired stories, enough budget to try and … Continue reading

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Divine Fury, The (2019) Review

The Divine Fury | Blu-ray & DVD (Well Go USA)

Director: Kim Joo-Hwan Cast: Park Seo-Joon, Ahn Sung-Ki, Woo Do-Hwan, Park Ji-Hyun, Choi Woo-Sik, Jung Ji-Hoon, Lee Seung-Hee, Sim Hee-Seop, Kim Si-Eun, Kim Seon-Min, Kim Bum-Soo Running Time: 129 min. By Paul Bramhall It’s been over 20 years since legendary Korean actor Ahn Sung-ki played a priest battling with possession hungry demons, in 1998’s Soul Guardians. Now a poorly aged showcase for Korea’s burgeoning CGI effects, in 2019 director Kim … Continue reading

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Luc Van Tien: Tuyet Dinh Kungfu (2017) Review

"Luc Van Tien: Tuyet Dinh Kungfu" Vietnamese Theatrical Poster

Director: Hoang Phuc Cast: Andy Long, Diep Lam Anh, Thanh Loc, Kim Tuyen, Du Au, Khoi Chau, Andy Le, Brian Le Running Time: 90 min. By Martin Sandison Some years back my friends and I were active in the Indie kung fu movie scene, and made some features and shorts. We posted on the Stunt People Forum, which is a great way to share videos and support each other. Although there … Continue reading

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Jo Pil-ho: The Dawning Rage | aka Bad Police (2019) Review

"Jo Pil-ho: The Dawning Rage" Korean Theatrical Poster

AKA: Bad Lieutenant Director: Lee Jeong-Beom Cast: Lee Sun-Kyun, Jeon So-Nee, Park Hae-Joon, Song Young-Chang, Park Byung-Eun, Kim Min-Jae, Jung Ga-Ram, Lee Yoo-Young, Kwon Han-Sol Running Time: 127 min. By Paul Bramhall It’s been almost 10 years since director Lee Jeong-beom struck gold with his 2010 action thriller The Man from Nowhere. Made at a time when, looking back in retrospect, it was a golden era for Korean thrillers, Jeong-beom’s … Continue reading

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Tik Tok (2016) Review

Director: Li Jun Writer: Xiaoyang Ding Cast: Wallace Chung, Lee Jung-jae, Lang Yueting, Lee Chae-yeong, Fan Yang, Lumeng Cui Running Time: 103 min. By Paul Bramhall There was a brief moment, not too long ago, when The Thieves made it seem like the prospect of future collaborations between Korea and China was an exciting one. But then efforts like The Bounty Hunters, Reset, and Bad Guys Always Die quickly put … Continue reading

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Thunder Cops 2 (1989) Review

“Thunder Cops 2” Chinese Theatrical Poster

Director: Jeff Lau Producer: Wong Hoi Cast: Sandra Ng Kwan, Shing Fui On, Stephen Chow, Ann Bridgewater, Sunny Fang, Wu Fung, Jeff Lau, Lam Siu Lau, Joh Chung Sing, Eddie Ko Hung Running Time: 97 min.  By Paul Bramhall The sheer volume of movies cranked out of Hong Kong in the 1980’s somewhat belies belief, and perhaps understandably, the on-the-fly nature of so many of them sometimes results in confusion. … Continue reading

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Man Who Feels No Pain, The (2018) Review

"The Man Who Feels No Pain" Theatrical Poster

AKA: Mard Ko Dard Nahin Hota Director: Vasan Bala Producer: Ronnie Screwvala Cast: Abhimanyu Dassani, Radhika Madan, Gulshan Devaiah, Mahesh Manjrekar, Jimit Trivedi Running Time: 138 min. By Paul Bramhall It feels only right to start this review by stating I’ve become my own worst enemy. I have a pet peeve about certain reviews, and it’s the kind that start off with “I’m not usually into these type of movies, … Continue reading

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Record of Sweet Murder, A (2014) Review

"A Record of Sweet Murder" Japanese Theatrical Poster

Director: Koji Shiraishi Writer: Koji Shiraishi Cast: Kim Kkobbi, Yeon Je-Wook, Ryotaro Yonemura, Tsukasa Aoi, Yeo Min-Jung, Koji Shiraishi Running Time: 86 min. By Paul Bramhall  Japanese director Koji Shiraishi had, for a long time, carved out a niche for himself as the guy who makes grimy found-footage/docu-horror flicks. The likes of 2005’s Noroi: The Curse, 2009’s Occult, and 2011’s Cho Akunin, all feature some kind of first person perspective … Continue reading

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Still Human (2018) Review

"Still Human" Theatrical Poster

Director: Oliver Siu Kuen Chan Writer: Oliver Siu Kuen Chan Cast: Anthony Wong, Crisel Consunji, Sam Lee Chan-Sam, Cecilia Yip Tung, Wong Ting-Him Running Time: 115 min. By Martin Sandison One of the all-time greatest actors in Hong Kong movie history, Anthony Wong (The Untold Story), has appeared in so many of the classics in his time, in so many different genres, he’s unclassifiable. In recent times, Wong has shown … Continue reading

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