Category Archives: Reviews

Big Racket, The (1976) Review

"The Big Racket" Italian Theatrical Poster

Director: Enzo G. Castellari Cast: Fabio Testi, Vincent Gardenia, Renzo Palmer, Orso Maria Guerrini, Glauco Onorato, Marcella Michelangeli, Romano Puppo, Antonio Marsina Running Time: 106 min. By HKFanatic Two years after “Street Law,” director Enzo G. Castellari returned to the Poliziotteschi genre, or Italian police films, with “The Big Racket.” This time around the main character is actually a cop (played by Fabio Testo) instead of a vigilante. Italian horror … Continue reading →

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Twilight Samurai (2002) Review

"Twilight Samurai" Theatrical Poster

Director: Yoji Yamada Cast: Hiroyuki Sanada, Rie Miyazawa, Min Tanaka, Nenji Kobayashi, Ren Osugi, Mitsuru Fukikoshi, Keiko Kishi, Tetsuro Tanba, Takako Miyashima Running Time: 129 min. By Alexander This isn’t your traditional samurai action flick. There’s only a couple of fight scenes, and while both are well-filmed and suspenseful, they’re short and with only a fraction of blood you would expect from a movie with the word “samurai” in the … Continue reading →

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Nowhere to Hide (2000) Review

"Nowhere to Hide" Korean Theatrical Poster

Director: Lee Myung-sae Cast: Joong-Hoon Park (Woo), Dong-Kun Jang, Ji-Woo Choi, Sung-kee Ahn, Sang Myun Park Running Time: 112 min. By Joe909 A mish-mash of style and substance, Nowhere to Hide is more focused than most other Korean movies I’ve seen. Which is to say, it doesn’t clock in at an epic running time. The shorter length doesn’t prevent flaws, though. As MPM points out, the opening credits alone prove … Continue reading →

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Shiri | aka Swiri (1999) Review

"Shiri" Korean Theatrical Poster

Director: Kang Je-Gyu Producer: Kang Je-Kyu Cast: Han Seok-Kyu, Song Kang-Ho, Choi Min-Shik, Kim Yun-Jin, Yun Ju-Sang, Park Yong-Woo Running Time: 125 min. By Numskull Normally, I hate it when people talk about movies “sending messages.” The blocs of suburban yuppie mommies (better known as “soccer moms”) that currently hold a disproportionately large amount of dominion over American life have hijacked the word “message” and imposed upon it a definition … Continue reading →

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Enter Three Dragons | aka Dragon on Fire (1981) Review

"Enter Three Dragons" American Theatrical Poster

Director: Joseph Kong Co-director: Godfrey Ho Cast: Dragon Lee, Bruce Lai, Bruce Thai, Cheung Lik, Samuel Walls, Bolo Yeung Tze, Philip Ko Fei, Fong Yau, Tiger Yeung Cheng Wu, To Siu Ming, Kong Do, Alexander Grand Running Time: 90 min. By Jeff Bona When a small time hood named Sammy (Samuel Walls) gets himself mixed up with deadly gangsters, he enlists the help of a kung fu master named Dragon … Continue reading →

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Street Law | aka The Anonymous Avenger (1974) Review

AKA: The Citizen Rebels, Vigilante II Director: Enzo G. Castellari Cast: Franco Nero, Giancarlo Prete, Barbara Bach, Renzo Palmer, Nazzareno Zamperla, Romano Puppo Running Time: 105 min. By HKFanatic Following my review of “Live Like a Cop, Die Like a Man“, I continue my exploration of the “Poliziotteschi” genre, or Italian police films from the 1970’s, with “Street Law.” Much like “Live Like a Cop…” this film opens with a … Continue reading →

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Nowhere to Run (1993) Review

Nowhere to Run Blu-ray (Image)

Director: Robert Harmon Cast: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Rosanna Arquette, Kieran Culkin, Tiffany Taubman, Ted Levine, Edward Blatchford, Anthony Starke, Joss Ackland, Tony Brubaker Running Time: 94 min. By HKFanatic Jean Claude Van Damme released two films in 1993: “Nowhere to Run” in January and “Hard Target” in August. Although Van Damme got to show off his muscles in both movies, the two couldn’t be more different from each other. Say … Continue reading →

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Hard Target (1993) Review

"Hard Target" Japanese Theatrical Poster

Director: John Woo Cast: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Lance Henriksen, Arnold Vosloo, Yancy Butler, Kasi Lemmons, Chuck Pfarrer, Wilford Brimley, Robert Pavlovich Running Time: 97 min. By HKFanatic Considering how much time has passed since its theatrical run and the fact that John Woo has gone on to become a Hollywood superstar, it’s easy to forget that “Hard Target” was a contentious film upon its release. Several factors were working against … Continue reading →

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Source Code (2011) Review

Director: Duncan Jones Writer: Ben Ripley Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Monaghan, Vera Farmiga, Jeffrey Wright, Cas Anvar, Russell Peters, Michael Arden, Scott Bakula, Craig Thomas Running Time: 93 min. By HKFanatic Director Duncan Jones made a sizable impact in 2009 with his film “Moon” – an intelligent science-fiction thriller for an era that hasn’t seen very many of them, featuring practical production design that harkened back to the work of Stanley … Continue reading →

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Sucker Punch | aka Angel Wars (2011) Review

Director: Zack Snyder Writer: Zack Snyder, Steve Shibuya Producer: Deborah Snyder, Zack Snyder Cast: Emily Browning, Abbie Cornish, Jena Malone, Vanessa Hudgens, Jamie Chung, Carla Gugino, Oscar Isaac, Jon Hamm, Scott Glenn, Gerard Plunkett Running Time: 110 min. By HKFanatic NOTE: This is a review of the Theatrical Cut. “Sucker Punch” is the rare film that falls under the banner of ‘Asian Related’ not because the production team featured any … Continue reading →

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Live Like a Cop, Die Like a Man (1976) Review

"Live Like a Cop, Die Like a Man" Japanese Theatrical Poster

Director: Ruggero Deodato Cast: Marc Porel, Ray Lovelock, Adolfo Celi, Franco Citti, Silvia Dionisio , Marino Masé , Renato Salvatori, Sergio Ammirata , Bruno Corazzari, Daniele Dublino Running Time: 100 min. By HKFanatic “Live Like a Cop, Die Like a Man” – let’s just take a moment to reflect on how awesome that title is. During its opening minutes, the film seems like it’s actually going to live up its … Continue reading →

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Assassination Games | aka Weapon (2011) Review

"Assassination Games" Theatrical Poster

Director: Ernie Barbarash Cast: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Scott Adkins, Kevin Chapman, Ivan Kaye, Valentin Teodosiu, Alin Panc, Serban Celea, Michael Higgs, Kristopher Van Varenberg, Marija Karan, Bianca Van Varenberg, Andrew French, Marioara Sterian Running Time: 95 min. By HKFanatic For many Jean Claude Van Damme fans in the United States, the limited release of “Assassination Games” this summer means the first chance to see their hero on the big screen … Continue reading →

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Warrior’s Way, The | aka The Warrior (2010) Review

"The Warrior's Way" UK Theatrical Poster

Director: Sngmoo Lee Cast: Jang Dong Gun, Geoffrey Rush, Kate Bosworth, Danny Huston, Tony Cox, Ti Lung Running Time: 100 min. By HKFanatic I’m going to have to be the dissenting opinion here because I didn’t enjoy “The Warrior’s Way” nearly as much as Mighty Peking Man. I thought the film had potential, but overall the sluggish pacing and artificial-looking digital world didn’t do much for me. If you have … Continue reading →

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Tekken (2010) Review

"Tekken" Italian Theatrical Poster

Director: Dwight H. Little Cast: Jon Foo, Kelly Overton, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Ian Anthony Dale, Tamlyn Tomita, Candice Hillebrand, Luke Goss, Gary Daniels, Mircea Monroe, Cung Le, Marian Zapico, Darrin Dewitt Henson Running Time: 92 min. By HKFanatic Video game to movie adaptations have something of a dirty reputation. I mean, I’ve lost count of how many times director Paul W. Anderson has suckered audiences (myself included) into spending money on … Continue reading →

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Black Water (2007) Review

Director: Andrew Traucki, David Nerlich Writer: Andrew Traucki, David Nerlich Producer: Michael Robertson Cast: Diana Glenn, Maeve Dermody, Andy Rodoreda, Ben Oxenbould, Fiona Press Running Time: 88 min. By HKFanatic “Black Water” opens with an ominous message. To paraphrase: “The Saltwater Crocodile population of Northern Australia is increasing.” Pause. “So is the human population.” Even with the knowledge that the film received funding from the Australian Film Commission, you probably … Continue reading →

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