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KayKay on Most posters ever award goes to THE FURIOUS! The highly anticipated martial arts thriller hitting theaters FridayI caught this at a special screening* in my neck of the woods. So…I caveat th…
Ska Martes on Blades of the Guardians (2026) ReviewI kind of agree. It starts off really rough. Maybe I went in with too high ex…
Typo on City on Fire (1987) ReviewOverrated, far from Lam's best movies (School on fire, Prison on fire and "It…
Typo on Duel to the Death (1982) ReviewIn my top ten, easily.
Typo on City War (1988) ReviewVery average. Not my cup of tea anymore, or, more likely, I can't say anymore…
Typo on Master, The | aka The Final Master (2015) ReviewThat guy rules. He's the best. My favorite martial arts movies since, what...…
Typo on ‘Blades of the Guardians’ hits digital on June 30 and arrives on physical media on August 25 with a new overly long titleI'll take it, first day!
Dal on ⚠️ Tornado Warning! ⚠️ John Maclean’s samurai-Western actioner ‘Tornado’ hits 4K Ultra HD in JulyI’d like to hear your thoughts
D3SH on Blades of the Guardians (2026) ReviewHonestly thought the film was the wuxia equivalent of Marvel slop. Entertaini…
Ningen on The Japanese ‘Rocky’? Perhaps. But it’s every bit its equal! Shuji Terayama’s ‘The Boxer’ arrives on Blu-ray in JulyIf you like it, check out Ashita no Joe on Crunchyroll.
dakuan on Most posters ever award goes to THE FURIOUS! The highly anticipated martial arts thriller hitting theaters Fridayyou sound like Michael Jackson on that old South Park episode. "That's ignora…
JJ Bona on ⚠️ Tornado Warning! ⚠️ John Maclean’s samurai-Western actioner ‘Tornado’ hits 4K Ultra HD in JulyThanks for elaborating. Good to know. I'll give it a chance if it convenientl…
Dal on ⚠️ Tornado Warning! ⚠️ John Maclean’s samurai-Western actioner ‘Tornado’ hits 4K Ultra HD in JulyNo, it wasn’t just the lack of action pieces, l was disappointed with the who…
Ningen on Shaolin Soccer (2001) ReviewLooks like it's the dubbed version. *Sigh*. https://www.academymuseum.org/pro…
Ningen on GET OVER HERE! Watch a fight clip from ‘Mortal Kombat II’ starring Karl Urban, Joe Taslim and Hiroyuki SanadaFirst ten minutes free. https://youtu.be/Uwq3EzDCVqA?si=_c5WWbNAS00qtj6Z
Ningen on Shaolin Soccer (2001) ReviewAcademy screening this Sunday. https://www.instagram.com/reel/DZVN8r5APMX/?ut…
JJ Bona on ⚠️ Tornado Warning! ⚠️ John Maclean’s samurai-Western actioner ‘Tornado’ hits 4K Ultra HD in JulyHmmm... Sounds like the common complaint is for the lack of any interesting a…
Dal on ⚠️ Tornado Warning! ⚠️ John Maclean’s samurai-Western actioner ‘Tornado’ hits 4K Ultra HD in JulyI went in expecting to love Tornado but left the cinema really disappointed!…
JJ Bona on THE FURIOUS PART II? A sequel to ‘The Furious’ already in the works as producer promises a bigger follow upWould definitely be interesting to see Bren Foster in a HK flick. They'd get…
Steve Marger on Martial arts star Cynthia Rothrock teams up with Tim Scanlon for SRS Cinema’s Blu-ray for ‘Ryan Carson’You don't know the budget and/or the time constraints that came with this mov…
Anonymous on Most posters ever award goes to THE FURIOUS! The highly anticipated martial arts thriller hitting theaters FridayEverything is inspired by things that came before. Hong Kong cinema itself wa…
Joly on Life After Fighting (2024) ReviewJe découvre pour la première fois Bren Foster dans son premier film Life Afte…
Walter on THE FURIOUS PART II? A sequel to ‘The Furious’ already in the works as producer promises a bigger follow upI also forgot Iko Uwais.
Andy Wozniak on ‘Blades of the Guardians’ hits digital on June 30 and arrives on physical media on August 25 with a new overly long titleThat's up to Jet Li, not for you to decided.
squeesh on Most posters ever award goes to THE FURIOUS! The highly anticipated martial arts thriller hitting theaters FridayUh, seriously? The John Wick films were literally inspired by Hong Kong kung…
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Category Archives: Reviews
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
Posted in All, Chinese, News, Reviews
Tagged Jack Kao Jie
Invincible Dragon (2019) Review
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
Posted in All, Chinese, News, Reviews
Tagged Anderson Silva, Fruit Chan, Lam Suet, Max Zhang Jin, Richard Ng, Stephy Tang Lai Yan
White Badge (1992) Review
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
Burning (2018) Review
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
Posted in All, Korean, News, Reviews
Tagged Jeon Jong-seo, Lee Chang-Dong, Steven Yeun, Yoo Ah-in
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
One Cut of the Dead (2017) Review
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
Divine Fury, The (2019) Review
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
Posted in All, Korean, News, Reviews
Tagged Ahn Seong-Ki, Choi Woo-Sik, Kim Joo-hwan, Park Seo-joon
Luc Van Tien: Tuyet Dinh Kungfu (2017) Review
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
Jo Pil-ho: The Dawning Rage | aka Bad Police (2019) Review
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
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
Thunder Cops 2 (1989) Review
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
Posted in All, Chinese, Golden Harvest, News, Reviews
Tagged Ann Bridgewater, Eddy Ko Hung, Jeff Lau Chun Wai, Sandra Ng Kwan Yue, Shing Fui On, Stephen Chow
Record of Sweet Murder, A (2014) Review
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
Still Human (2018) Review
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
Ash is Purest White (2018) Review
Director: Jia Zhang-Ke Writer: Jia Zhang-Ke Cast: Liao Fan, Zhao Tao, Feng Xiaogang, Xu Zheng, Zhang Yibai, Xuan Li, Casper Liang Running Time: 136 min. By Paul Bramhall In the world of cinema the word ‘epic’ gets thrown around a lot these days, with what often feels like little time spent on justifying if the movie in question is truly deserving of the description. However one movie that definitely warrants the … Continue reading
























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