Category Archives: Reviews

Invincible Armour (1977) Review

"The Invincible Armour" Chinese Theatrical Poster

Director: Ng See Yuen Producer: Chor Yuen Cast: John Liu Chung Liang, Hwang Jang Lee, Tino Wong Cheung, Lee Hoi San, Philip Ko Fei, Corey Yuen Kwai, Yuen Shun Yee, Yuen Biao, Hsu Hsia Running Time: 101 min. By Matthew Le-feuvre The collaborative effort in reuniting two of the world’s most celebrated kicking technicians was no light work for independent producer, Ng See Yuen. His previous trendsetter The Secret Rivals … Continue reading

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Shadowguard | aka The Blood Bond (2011) Review

AKA: The Blood Bond Director: Michael Biehn, Bey Logan Cast: Michael Biehn, Simon Yam, Phoenix Chou, Emma Pei, Jennifer Blanc, Xiao Keng Ye, Thomas Ho, Kenny Lo, Ridwan Amir, Michael Wong Mun-Tak Running Time: 86 min. By Paul Bramhall With the dawn of the DVD era, Hong Kong cinema expert Bey Logan quickly became known for his informative and knowledgeable audio commentaries, recorded for the Hong Kong Legends and Dragon … Continue reading

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Postman Strikes Back, The (1982) Review

"The Postman Strikes Back" DVD Cover

AKA: The Postman Fights Back Director: Ronny Yu Cast: Leung Kar Yan, Chow Yun Fat, Yuen Yat Chor, Fan Mei Sheng, Cherie Chung, Eddie Ko Hung, Brandy Yuen Jan Yeung, Chiang Cheng, Lee Fat Yuen Running Time: 88 min. By Paul Bramhall Postman Strikes Back is a unique entry in the Hong Kong action genre for a number of reasons. Set in 1913, it’s a movie which brings together elements … Continue reading

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Admiral: Roaring Currents, The (2014) Review

"The Admiral: Roaring Currents" DVD Cover

AKA: Roaring Currents Director: Kim Han-min Cast: Choi Min-Sik, Ryu Seung-Ryong, Jo Jin-Woong, Kim Myung-Gon, Jin Gu, Lee Jung-Hyun, Kwon Yul, Ryohei Otani, Lee Seung-Jun, Kim Gang-Il, Jo Ha-Suk Running Time: 127 min. By Kelly Warner Admiral Yi Sun-shin is remembered as one of Korea’s greatest heroes. In the 1590s, Japan invaded Korea with the intention of conquering the country and expanding its empire. By 1597, the Japanese were winning … Continue reading

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Wolf Warrior (2015) Review

Wolf Warrior | Blu-ray & DVD (Well Go USA)

Director: Wu Jing Cast: Wu Jing, Yu Nan, Scott Adkins, Kyle Shapiro, Ni Dahong, Zhou Xiaoou, Shi Zhaoqi, Deng Ziyi, Tian Miaomiao, Ma Qiang, Chris Collins, Shan Jiachen Running Time: 90 min. By Paul Bramhall After the lukewarm reception of Wu Jing’s 2008 directorial debut Legendary Assassin, 7 years on and 2015 sees him returning to the directors chair for his second feature, Wolf Warrior. While Legendary Assassin was very much … Continue reading

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Rainy Dog (1997) Review

"Rainy Dog" DVD Cover

Director: Takashi Miike Writer: Seigo Inoue Cast: Show Aikawa, Blackie Ko, Xianmei Chen, Zhang Shi, Jianqin He, Tomorowo Taguchi Running Time: 95 min. By Martin Sandison Part of director Takashi Miike’s Triad society trilogy, Rainy Dog is a revelation; a quiet, slow moving meditation on innocence and the consequences of violence. Miike is of course synonymous with extreme cinema, especially his masterpieces Ichi The Killer and Audition. As much as … Continue reading

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Saviour Monk, The (1975) Review

Director: Leung Chit Foo Producer: Chang Yan-Tao Cast: Doris Lung Chung Erh, Tong Wai, Philip Ko Fei, Chin Chi Min, Ma Cheung, Yuen Sam, Lee Ying, Tit Mang Chau Running Time: 87 min. By Paul Bramhall The Saviour Monk is a tricky movie to review – it looks, feels, and sounds like an old school kung fu movie. It has a cast which includes familiar old school faces like Doris … Continue reading

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Pound of Flesh (2015) Review

Pound of Flesh | Blu-ray & DVD (Entertainment One)

AKA: Maximum Blood Director: Ernie Barbarash Cast: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Darren Shahlavi, Aki Aleong, John Ralston, Jason Tobin, Philippe Joly, Brahim Achabbakhe, Andrew Ng, Mike Leeder, Adele Baughan Running Time: 104 min. By HKFanatic About two minutes into Pound of Flesh, Jean-Claude Van Damme wakes up in a bathtub full of ice. His skin pallid, his eyes as sunken as a skull’s, he slowly becomes aware of his surroundings. Crawling … Continue reading

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I Am Steve McQueen (2014) Review

"I Am Steve McQueen" Blu-ray Cover

Director: Jeff Renfroe Writer: David Ray Cast: Robert Downey Jr. (voice), Kristin Kreuk (voice), Chad McQueen, Gary Oldman, Zoe Bell, Pierce Brosnan, Randy Couture, Katherine Haber, Norman Jewison, Pat Johnson, Ali MacGraw Running Time: 90 min. By Kyle Warner “You never know with a Hollywood star whether you’re seeing the real person. You know, everyone said that John Wayne was a great hero but the reality is that John Wayne played great … Continue reading

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Skin Trade (2014) Review

"Skin Trade" Theatrical Poster

Director: Ekachai Uekrongtham Producer: Craig Baumgarten, Dolph Lundgren, Mike Selby Cast: Dolph Lundgren, Tony Jaa, Ron Perlman, Michael Jai White, Celina Jade, Peter Weller, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Conan Stevens, Mike Dopud, Tasya Teles, Leo Rano Running Time: 95 min. By HKFanatic Like many action stars of the Eighties, Dolph Lundgren has spent the last fifteen years starring in a reliable stream of direct-to-video titles. Except for a welcome appearance in The … Continue reading

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Typhoon (2005) Review

Director: Gwak Gyeong-Taek Writer: Gwak Gyeong-Taek Cast: Jang Dong-Gun, Lee Jeong-Jae, Lee Mi-Yeon, David McInnis, Chatthapong Pantanaunkul Running Time: 124 min. By HKFanatic From the opening of Typhoon, it’s clear that Korea is screwed. A rogue pirate named Sin (Dong-gun Jang) with a grudge against both the North and the South has amassed some weapons-grade plutonium. His big plan is to release it during a typhoon, when the high velocity … Continue reading

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Tiger Over Wall (1980) Review

"Tiger Over Wall" Theatrical Poster

Director: Tony Liu Jun Guk Producer: Alex Gouw Cast: Philip Ko Fei, Kong Do, Chu Tiet Wo, Hwang Jang Lee, Cheung Lik, Candy Wen, Chan Lau Running Time: 91 min. By Paul Bramhall There’s a certain familiarity to watching an old school kung fu movie, in that you tend to know exactly what you’re going to get. A villain has killed a teacher, and the student vows to get revenge. … Continue reading

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Incident at Blood Pass | aka Ambush (1970) Review

"Incident at Blood Pass" Japanese Theatrical Poster

AKA: Ambush Director: Hiroshi Inagaki Cast: Toshiro Mifune, Yujiro Ishihara, Ruriko Asaoka, Shintaro Katsu, Kinnosuke Nakamura, Chusha Ichikawa, Ichiro Arishima, Mika Kitagawa, Yoshio Tsuchiya, Jotaro Togami, Chieko Nakakita, Ryunosuke Yamazaki Running Time: 117 min. By Kelly Warner Toshiro Mifune has played many great characters but perhaps his most popular and influential role was born in the 1961 samurai action comedy Yojimbo. After the success of that film, Toho wanted more … Continue reading

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Ode to My Father (2014) Review

"Ode to My Father" Korean Theatrical Poster

Director: Yoon Je-Kyun Writer: Park Soo-Jin Cast: Hwang Jung-Min, Kim Yunjin, Oh Dal-Su, Jung Jin-Young, Jang Young-Nam, Ra Mi-Ran, Hong Suk-Youn, Kim Seul-Gi, Lee Hyun, Uhm Ji-Sung, Go Yoon Running Time: 126 min. By Paul Bramhall When a major Korean studio decides it’s time to churn out a crowd pleasing blockbuster for the masses, things normally go one of two ways. We either get movies which aim purely for the … Continue reading

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Dragon, The Hero, The | aka Dragon on Fire (1979) Review

"The Dragon, The Hero" Theatrical Poster

Director: Godfrey Ho Writer: Sze To On Cast: John Liu, Dragon Lee, Tino Wong Cheung, Chung Liang, Philip Ko Fei, Chiang Kam, Chan Lau, Alexander Grand, Mars, David Wu Tai Wai, Lee Hang, Mars Running Time: 87 min. By Martin Sandison In the 1990’s one distribution company released some of the greatest old school kung ku movies ever made: Eastern Heroes. As a young kid in my mid teens growing up in the … Continue reading

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