Category Archives: Reviews

Coin Locker Girl | aka Chinatown (2014) Review

"Coin Locker Girl" Korean Theatrical Poster

Director: Han Jun-Hee Cast: Kim Hye-Soo, Kim Go-Eun, Um Tae-Goo, Park Bo-Gum, Ko Gyung-Pyo, Lee Soo-Kyung, Cho Hyun-Chul, Jo Bok-Rae, Lee Dae-Yeon, Ki Joo-Bong Running Time: 110 min. By Paul Bramhall As anyone who’s seen any number of Korean gangster movies will know, rarely are they complete without a scene in a basement carpark, a setting which never fails to lend itself to knife wielding figures of the underworld partaking … Continue reading

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Shanghai (2010) Review

"Shanghai" Chinese Theatrical Poster

Director: Mikael Håfström Writer: Hossein Amini Cast: John Cusack, Chow Yun-fat, Gong Li, Ken Watanabe, Rinko Kikuchi, David Morse, Franka Potente, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Hugh Bonneville, Benedict Wong Running Time: 105 min. By Kyle Warner Once upon a time, Shanghai had a considerable amount of buzz surrounding it, with some dreaming up award talk considering its stellar cast of international talent, and others more realistically just hoping for a cool … Continue reading

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Outlaw: Goro the Assassin (1968) Review

"Outlaw: Goro the Assassin" Japanese Theatrical Poster

AKA: Gangster VIP 4 Director: Keiichi Ozawa Cast: Tetsuya Watari, Chieko Matsubara, Asao Koike, Jiro Okazaki, Kei Sato, Tatsuya Fuji, Shoki Fukae Running Time: 87 min. By Kelly Warner The Outlaw series dabbles in many genres over the span of its six films. They’re yakuza thrillers, romantic dramas, and action movies with noirish antiheroes. Hell, director Toshio Masuda views the original Gangster VIP as a youth picture. The fourth film, … Continue reading

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Clones of Bruce Lee, The (1980) Review

"The Clones of Bruce Lee" Theatrical Poster

AKA: Death Penalty on Three Robots Director: Joseph Kong Cast: Dragon Lee, Bruce Le, Bruce Lai, Bruce Thai, Jon Benn, Bolo Yeung, Alexander Grand, Kong Do, Cheng Kei-Ying, San Kuai, Mak Fei-Hung Running Time: 90 min. By Paul Bramhall I have a confession, and I’ll admit that it’s one that won’t be popular. Not only am I a Bruceploitaiton fan, but I usually find the Bruce Lee clone movies to … Continue reading

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Office (2014) Review

"Office" Korean Theatrical Poster

Director: Hong Won-Chan Cast: Ko Ah-Sung, Park Sung-Woong, Bae Sung-Woo, Kim Eui-Sung, Ryoo Hyoun-Kyoung, Lee Chae-Eun, Son Soo-Hyun, Park Jung-Min, Oh Dae-Hwan Running Time: 111 min. By Paul Bramhall The English language poster created for Office when it was invited to Cannes came with the slogan – ‘He murdered his family, and then came back to work.’ The line effectively sets up expectations for a straight forward worker-pushed-over-the-edge slasher movie, … Continue reading

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Outlaw: Heartless (1968) Review

AKA: Gangster VIP 3 Director: Mio Ezaki Producer: Kaneo Iwaib Cast: Tetsuya Watari, Chieko Matsubara, Ryohei Uchida, Koji Wada, Hiroshi Nawa, Isao Tamagawa, Eiji Go, Ryoji Hayama, Fumio Watanabe, Kaku Takashina, Asao Uchida Running Time: 92 min. Kelly Warner For me, Outlaw: Heartless is a difficult film to figure out. Viewed purely on its own terms, it’s an entertaining crime pic with a cool antihero leading a cast of interesting … Continue reading

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Bodyguard, The (2016) Review

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

AKA: My Beloved Bodyguard Director: Sammo Hung Cast: Sammo Hung, Jaqueline Chan, Andy Lau Tak-Wah, Zhu Yuchen, Jack Feng, Li Qin Qin, Yuen Biao, Yuen Wah, Tsui Hark, Karl Maka, Dean Shek, James Lee Guy, Tomer Oz, Yuen Qiu, Feng Shaofeng, Hu Jun, Eddie Peng Running Time: 99 min. By Martin Sandison The Bodyguard is Sammo Hung’s first directorial feature since 1997’s Once Upon a Time in China and America, which … Continue reading

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Outlaw: Gangster VIP 2 (1968) Review

"Outlaw: Gangster VIP 2" Japanese Theatrical Poster

Director: Keiichi Ozawa Cast: Tetsuya Watari, Chieko Matsubara, Izumi Ashikawa, Eimei Esumi, Jukei Fujioka, Shoki Fukae, Joji Hidehara, Seishiro Iwate, Meiko Kaji, Hatsuko Kawahara, Ichiro Kijima, Toshizo Kudo, Kayo Matsuo, Hideaki Nitani Running Time: 97 min. By Kelly Warner Outlaw: Gangster VIP 2 catches up with our gangster protagonist Goro Fujikawa (Tetsuya Watari) as he rides a train out of Tokyo to reunite with the woman he sent away at … Continue reading

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Emperor of the Underworld (1994) Review

"An Emperor of the Underworld" Korean Theatrical Poster

Director: Hwang Jang Lee Writer: Im Seung-su Cast: Dragon Lee (Mun Kyong-sok), Hwang Jang Lee, Lee Jin Young, Kim Mi Young, Hyeon Kil Su Running Time: 87 min. By Paul Bramhall If there was ever a genre that could be described as having little to no exposure outside of its native country, then it’s the 90’s Korean action movie. Compared to the likes of Hong Kong and Japan’s own action cinema … Continue reading

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Outlaw: Gangster VIP (1968) Review

Director: Toshio Masuda Writer: Kaneo Ikegami, Reiji Kubota Cast: Tetsuya Watari, Chieko Matsubara, Mitsuo Hamada, Tamio Kawaji, Kyosuke Machida, Kayo Matsuo Running Time: 93 min. By Kyle Warner There are a huge number of classic Japanese films that most the world hasn’t seen yet. So it’s always great when a home video distributor like Arrow, Criterion, Eureka, and others rediscover some forgotten gem and show it to the world. And … Continue reading

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Mercenaries from Hong Kong (1982) Review

"Mercenaries from Hong Kong" Chinese Theatrical Poster

Director: Wong Jing Cast: Ti Lung, Chan Wai Man, Candice Yu On On, Nat Chan Pak Cheung, Lo Lieh, Ngaai Fei, Philip Ko Fei, Wong Yu, Johnny Wang, Yuen Wah, Lee Hoi San, Aai Dung Gwa, Cheng Miu, Cheung Gwok Wa, To Wai Wo Running Time: 90 min. By Matthew Le-feuvre Known for his affable personality as well as an eccentric reputation for having “fingers in many pies” pursuits, Wong … Continue reading

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Hardcore Henry (2015) Review

"Hardcore Henry" Theatrical Poster

Director: Ilya Naishuller Cast: Sharlto Copley, Danila Kozlovsky, Haley Bennett, Tim Roth, Andrei Dementiev, Cyrus Arnold, Ilya Naishuller, Will Stewart, Dasha Charusha, Svetlana Ustinova Running Time: 96 min. By Zach Nix Hardcore Henry, written and directed by Russian musician/filmmaker, Ilya Naishuller, will go down in history as the first feature length first person point of view (POV) action film ever made. Naishuller previously experimented with the first person style in … Continue reading

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Friend 2 | aka Chingoo 2 (2013) Review

"Friend 2" Korean Theatrical Poster

Director: Kwak Kyung-Taek Cast: Yoo Oh-Sung, Kim Woo-Bin, Joo Jin-Mo, Jung Ho-Bin, Lee Cheol-Min, Jang Young-Nam, Lee Joon-Hyuk, Gi Ju-Bong, Bae Sung-Jong, Jung Soo-Kyo Running Time: 124 min. By Kelly Warner Kwak Kyung-taek’s 2001 gangster drama Friend is widely considered to be a modern classic in South Korean cinema. I like the movie but you could probably say that I’m not one of Friend’s biggest fans. I rewatched it recently … Continue reading

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Tazza: The Hidden Card (2014) Review

Director: Kang Hyeong-Cheol Writer: Jo Sang-Beom, Kang Hyeong-Cheol, Lee Ji-Gang Cast: Seung-Hyun Choi, Shin Se-Kyung, Kim Yun-Seok, Yu Hae-Jin, Lee Ha-Nui, Kwak Do-Won, Lee Kyoung-Young, Kim In-Kwon, Oh Jung-Se, Park Hyo-Joo Running Time: 147 min. By Paul Bramhall Director and screenwriter Choi Dong-hoon successfully found his niche in recent years with the hugely entertaining ensemble pieces The Thieves, and more recently, Assassination. While both movies clicked with audiences not just … Continue reading

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Pilferer’s Progress, The | aka Money Crazy (1977) Review

"The Pilferer's Progress" International Theatrical Poster

Director: John Woo Producer: Raymond Chow Cast: Richard Ng, Ricky Hui, Lee Hoi San, Angie Chiu, Cheung Ying, Lam Ching Ying, Mars, Billy Chan, Tai San, Fung Hak On, Fung King Man, Gam Gwan, Helena Law Lan, Lin Ke Ming, Eric Tsang, Yu Ming, Dai Sai Aan, Kok Lee Yan, Lee Pang Fei Running Time: 98 min. By Martin Sandison John Woo is my favourite director. His run of movies … Continue reading

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