Atten-TION!!! Dante Lam’s follow up to ‘Operation Mekong’ and ‘Operation Red Sea’ explodes onto U.S. screens

"Operation Hadal" Theatrical Poster

“Operation Hadal” Theatrical Poster

Director Dante Lam (Beast Cops, The Rescue) has been reliably turning out hard-hitting films that have helped expand the scope of the action/thriller genre in Hong Kong and his next film Operation Hadal (aka Operation Leviathan) – the follow up to 2016’s Operation Mekong and 2018’s Operation Red Sea – will continue the tradition.

Arriving in U.S. theaters on February 28th from Well Go USA, Operation Hadal stars Xuan Huang (Extraordinary Mission), Yosh Yu (Born to Fly), Zhang Hanyu (Manhunt), Karry Wang (The Great Wall), Luxia Jiang (Double World), Chen Li (Never Say Never), Cory Beeston (Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings), Yihong Duan (Wind Blast) and Ivan Kostadinov (Boyka: Undisputed IV).

For Operation Hadal, you can obviously expect more of Lam’s knack for Continue reading

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Live-Free or Live-Die-Repeat? Watch the New Trailer for Bong Joon-ho’s ‘Mickey 17’ starring Robert Pattinson

“Mickey 17” Theatrical Poster

“Mickey 17” Theatrical Poster

Bong Joon-ho (Okja, The Host, The Snowpiercer) – the acclaimed South Korean director of the 2019 masterpiece Parasite – is going to space with Warner’s thriller, Mickey 17. The upcoming film is based on Edward Ashton’s novel, Mickey7 (spelled slightly differently with a “7”).

In the Mickey 17, an unlikely hero, Mickey Barnes (Robert Pattinson) has found himself in the extraordinary circumstance of working for an employer who demands the ultimate commitment to the job… to die, for a living.

Mickey 17 stars Naomi Ackie (Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker), Mark Ruffalo (Windtalkers), Toni Collette (Hereditary) and Steven Yeun (Burning).

Mickey 17 hits theaters Continue reading

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‘The Raid’ and ‘Triple Threat’ star Iko Uwais launches action-focused film label with two upcoming titles already completed

Indonesian martial arts star Iko Uwais (Triple Threat, Headshot, Beyond Skyline) is launching Uwais Pictures, his own film production company that specializes in fight choreography, action design, and stunt performances.

The action-focused production company he runs with his team of collaborators is expanding its remit to the global market. The aim is to replicate the success Continue reading

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Daisy Ridley is no ordinary window cleaner in the New Poster for the Die Hard-esque ‘Cleaner’ also starring Clive Owen

"Cleaner" Theatrical Poster

“Cleaner” Theatrical Poster

On February 21, 2025, Quiver Distribution will be releasing Cleaner, the latest action thriller from director Martin Campbell (The Foreigner, Edge of Darkness, Casino Royale). the upcoming film stars Daisy Ridley (Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Star Wars: The Last Jedi) and Clive Owen (Children of Men, Shoot ‘Em Up).

Cleaner is set in present-day London. A group of radical activists, led by Owen, take over an energy company’s annual gala, seizing 300 hostages in order to expose the corruption of the hosts. Their just cause is hijacked by an extremist within their ranks, who is ready to murder everyone in the building to send his anarchic message to the world. It falls to an ex-soldier turned window cleaner, played by Ridley, suspended 50 storeys up on the outside of the building, to save those trapped inside.

“We are thrilled to be partnering Continue reading

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Scott Adkins, Mark Dacascos and Alain Moussi collide in Dimitri Logothetis’ ‘Kickboxer: Armageddon’

"Kickboxer: Armageddon" Theatrical Poster

“Kickboxer: Armageddon” Theatrical Poster

Dimitri Logothetis, director of 2018’s Kickboxer: Retaliation, as well as co-director for 2016’s Kickboxer: Vengeance, will soon begin Kickboxer: Armageddon, the upcoming third entry of the rebooted Kickboxer franchise.

Martial arts star Alain Moussi (Kill Order, Street Fighter: Resurrection) will reprise his role as Kurt Sloane from Kickboxer: Vengeance and Kickboxer: Retaliation.

In Kickboxer: Armageddon, Moussi is being joined by fellow martial arts stars Scott Adkins (John Wick 4, Ip Man 4, Triple Threat) and Mark Dacascos (John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum, One Night in Bangkok).

Adkins will play Cesare, a martial arts master who rules over a sadistic cult, the descendants of the REG (The Royal Elite Guard) of Burma. Cesare’s Continue reading

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Save the rebellion! Kazuya Shiraishi’s samurai actioner ’11 Rebels’ on 4K Ultra HD & Blu-ray in March from Well Go USA

“11 Rebels” Theatrical Poster

“11 Rebels” Theatrical Poster

On March 18, 2025, Well Go USA will be releasing the 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD for 11 Rebels, starring Takayuki Yamada (Gintama) and Taiga Nakano (Under the Open Sky).

Director Kazuya Shiraishi, who is perhaps best known for 2018’s The Blood of Wolves and 2019’s Sea of Revival, is back with a vengeance in Toei’s 11 Rebels.

Amidst the Boshin War’s brutal conflicts, a motley samurai squad undertakes a desperate defense of a fortress, their heroic stand triggered by clashing interests of the Shibata clan, shogunate, and new government.

11 Rebels is a period action film based on a forgotten script by late screenwriter Kasahara Kazuo, known for his work on series including Continue reading

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Deal on Fire! The Champions | Blu-ray | Only $23.99 – Expires soon!

The Champions | Blu-ray (Eureka)

The Champions | Blu-ray (Eureka)

Today’s Deal on Fire is Eureka’s Blu-ray (Region A/B) for The Champions, a 1983 soccer-infused, action-comedy directed by Brandy Yuen (In the Line of Duty III) and starring Golden Harvest legend, Yuen Biao (Circus Kids).

Sports, action and comedy collide in Golden Harvest’s The Champions, the precursor to Shaolin Soccer from the first family of Hong Kong martial arts cinema: the inimitable Yuen Clan!

Lee Tong (Yuen Biao, Dreadnaught) is a young farmer who has grown up in an isolated rural community. When an indiscretion lands him in hot water, he leaves his home in the countryside and heads for the big city – where he meets Suen (Cheung Kwok-keung, Eastern Condors), a street footballer who recognises Tong’s Continue reading

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Revolver (2024) Review

“Revolver” Theatrical Poster

Director: Oh Seung-wook
Cast: Jeon Do-Yeon, Ji Chang-wook, Kim Joon-Han, Kim Jong-Soo, Jeong Man-Sik, Jeon Hye-Jin, Lee Jung-Jae, Jung Jae-Young, Ma Woong-Kyu
Running Time: 114 min.

By Paul Bramhall

Revolver marks the third directorial outing for Oh Seung-wook, and while there’s nothing particularly out of the ordinary about a director making their third feature, what makes Seung-wook’s case relatively unique is that it’s taken him the best part of quarter of a century to get there. Debuting in 2000 with the identity swapping gangster flick Kilimanjaro, it’d take 14 years for Seung-wook to make his sophomore feature with 2014’s The Shameless, a movie that I personally consider to be one of the best from the 2010’s. A decade on and Revolver sees Seung-wook reunite with his lead from The Shameless, the legendary Jeon Do-yeon (Beasts Clawing at Straws, Memories of the Sword), for another slice of hard-boiled noir that his style of filmmaking feels synonymous with (even if it is sparsely spread out across 24 years!).

Seung-wook has shown an affinity for taking typically unlikeable characters and making them the leads of his stories, and here is no different, with Do-yeon playing a corrupt cop who we meet as she’s being released after serving 2 years in prison. It’s shown in flashback that before her time behind bars she was in a relationship with another corrupt cop, played by a cameoing Continue reading

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Just Beat it! ‘Outrage’ star Takeshi Kitano returns for more ultra-violence in the New Trailer for ‘Broken Rage’

"Broken Rage" Teaser Poster

“Broken Rage” Teaser Poster

The legendary, multi-talented Japanese celebrity Takeshi Kitano (Outrage Coda, Battle Royale, Hana-Bi) is heading back to bloodshed with Amazon MGM Studios’ Broken Rage, an upcoming thriller he not only directs, but also stars in.

The first half of Broken Rage follows a hitman, Nezumi (Kitano), fighting for his survival when he’s caught between the police and yakuza. But in the second half, the gritty crime-action thriller takes an unexpected turn, evolving into a self-parodying comedy that retells the same story with a captivatingly humorous touch (via FCS).

The film also stars Tadanobu Asano (Kate), Nao Omori (R100), Shidō Nakamura (Monster), Hidetoshi Nishijima (Mozu: The Movie), Hakuryu (The Good, The Bad, The Weird), Takashi Nishina (Outrage Coda) and Continue reading

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The reselling business is a boomin’! Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s action thriller ‘Cloud’ hits U.S. theaters this summer

"Cloud" Theatrical Poster

“Cloud” Theatrical Poster

Sideshow and Janus Films have picked up all North American rights to Nikkatsu’s Cloud, an acclaimed action-thriller from director Kiyoshi Kurosawa (Creepy, Before We Vanish, Pulse).

The film follows a young man named Yoshii (Masaki Suda, Gintama) who resells goods online and ends up triggering a series of mysterious events, blurring the boundaries between the online and offline worlds (via Deadline).

Cloud also stars Kotone Furukawa (Secret: A Hidden Score), Daiken Okudaira (Honeko Akabane’s Bodyguards), Amane Okayama (A Hundred Flowers), YosiYosi Arakawa (The 47 Ronin in Debt) and Masataka Kubota (First Love).

Look out for a U.S. release date this Summer. Until then, don’t miss the Continue reading

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Slow-burning Hong Kong thriller ‘Love Unto Waste’ starring Chow Yun-Fat and Tony Leung on Blu-ray next week

Love Unto Waste | Blu-ray (88 Films)

Love Unto Waste | Blu-ray (88 Films)

On January 20, 2025, 88 Films is releasing the Blu-ray (Region B) for for Love Unto Waste, a 1986 film directed by Stanley Kwan (Centre Stage) that stars Tony Leung Chiu-Wai (My Heart is that Eternal Rose), Chow Yun-Fat (The Head Hunter), Elaine Jin (Beijing Love Story) and Irene Wan Pik-Ha (Bloody Brotherhood).

In this 1986 masterpiece by acclaimed director Stanley Kwan, Love Unto Waste is a moody blend of romance, mystery, and urban tension. Tony Leung stars as a listless young man drifting through the glamorous yet hollow nightlife of 1980s Hong Kong. When his close friend is found murdered, Tony and his friends find themselves entangled in an emotional and psychological struggle to make sense of their shattered lives.

Chow Yun-Fat delivers Continue reading

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Vengeance of a Snow Girl | Blu-ray (Imprint Films)

On March 26, 2025, Australian label Imprint Films is releasing the Blu-ray (Region B) for Vengeance of a Snow Girl, a 1971 classic Shaw Brothers film from director Lo Wei (The Big Boss).

Lo Wei joined Shaw Brothers in 1965, and helmed more than a dozen movies for the studio. This, however, was his very last Shaw Continue reading

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The Snake Prince | Blu-ray (Imprint Films)

RELEASE DATE: March 26, 2025

On March 26, 2025, Australian label Imprint Films is releasing the Blu-ray (Region B) for The Snake Prince, a 1976 classic Shaw Brothers film from director Lo Chen (Revenge of the Shaolin Master).

Versatile director Lo Chen and majestic star Ti Lung Continue reading

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The Monkey Goes West | Blu-ray (Imprint)

RELEASE DATE: March 26, 2025

On March 26, 2025, Australian label Imprint Films is releasing the Blu-ray (Region B) for The Monkey Goes West, a 1966 classic Shaw Brothers film from director Ho Meng Hua (Vengeance is A Golden Blade).

In the vast body of Chinese literature, there is no novel more famous than Journey To The West, and its familiar characters – from the rambunctious Continue reading

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Chungking Express | 4K Ultra HD (Criterion)

Chungking Express | 4K Ultra HD (Criterion)

Chungking Express | 4K Ultra HD (Criterion)

RELEASE DATE: April 15, 2025

On April 15, 2025, Criterion is releasing a 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray for Chungking Express, Wong Kar-wai’s seminal 1994 Hong Kong cinema classic!

The whiplash, double-pronged Chungking Express is one of the defining works of 1990s cinema and the film that made Wong Kar-wai an instant icon. Two heartsick Hong Kong cops (Takeshi Kaneshiro and Tony Leung Chiu Wai), both jilted by ex-lovers, cross paths at the Midnight Express take-out food stand, where the ethereal pixie waitress Faye (Faye Wong) works.

Anything goes in Wong’s gloriously shot and utterly unexpected charmer, which cemented the sex appeal of its gorgeous stars and forever turned canned pineapple and the Mamas Continue reading

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