Director Andrew Lau (Infernal Affairs, Legend of the Fist) will be revisiting Chinese gangsterism with a Live-action, English-language adaptation of the comic book series Teddy Boy, which was also the source material for Lau’s immensely popular Hong Kong franchise, Young and Dangerous.
In addition to directing, Lau will also be producing Teddy Boy along with frequent collaborator Andrew Loo (Revenge of the Green Dragons). Backing the project is Pulse Films, the company behind Gangs of London, an upcoming crime thriller prominently directed by Gareth Evans (The Raid, Apostle).
Written by Hong Kong artist Kai-Ming Man and inked by Yu-Kwok Lun, Teddy Boy follows protagonist Ho-Nam Chan’s dizzying ascent through the ranks of the Hong Kong triad hierarchy. It is being developed with an eye towards a feature film or an episodic series. No word yet whether the adaptation will be set in Hong Kong or transposed to a western setting (via Deadline).
We’ll keep you updated on Teddy Boy as it progresses into production.
Updates: Following the above info, Hong Kong media outlet Apple Daily (via FCS) is reporting that Andrew Lau knew nothing about this project.
PM Entertainment is a much-loved film production company from the height of the straight-to-video era. They began with tiny-budget crime and exploitation films but eventually rivaled Hollywood in terms of action spectacle. Their calling cards would become flipping cars, explosions and excessive violence on a large scale. They strived to outdo their DTV competitors by attempting the most daring action and stunt-work in American cinema.
But apart from action, one thing that isnt quite as discussed or explored about PM Entertainment is aesthetic. Before budgets became much bigger in the mid-nineties and they could afford to fill half a film with massive escalating car-chases, PM had a string of cheaper crime films with thick film noir atmosphere. PM also had a unique twist on noir, in that they combined it with martial arts and thus arguably created their own new genre of “Kickboxing Noir”.
These pictures include Deadly Bet (1992) and Final Impact (1992), both filmed in neon-lit and seedy Las Vegas locations. This cycle of films culminated in the pinnacle of kickboxing-noir pictures: Maximum Force. The first two films were shot by Richard Peppin (Peppin being the “P” in PM Entertainment) but Maximum Force would be shot be cinematographer Ken Blakey and directed by Joseph Merhi (The “M” in PM), where they would take the “Kickboxing noir” style to a new aesthetic extreme.
Ken Blakey
Cinematographer Ken Blakey recalls: “The classic film noir from the 40’s and 50’s is always basically a crime story. Film Noir is not funny, nor is there really romance. There may be passion between characters leading to love, but it is usually unrequited or interrupted. There is a protagonist (fighter, cop, everyman) and an antagonist (gangster, rich man, another fighter, or cop), and a woman. Generally the “good” fighter loses the girl who comes under the power of the “bad” fighter (good and bad referring to character traits with which the audience can identify). The hero must defeat the villain usually by conquering him either physically, violently, or by subterfuge, winning a contest or any/all of the aforementioned”
“Deadly Bet” VHS Cover
These narrative elements couldn’t be more true than with Deadly Bet, where Jeff Wincott literally offers his wife as collateral when gambling on a kickboxing match, which he ends up losing. Charlene Tilton literally becomes a possession of villain Steven Vincent Leigh until Wincott can get things together and fight in the ring to win her back.
Such a politically incorrect plot couldn’t exist today in the #metoo era, but its also unlikely to have existed in mainstream Hollywood at the time either. It’s a good example of the kind of risk taking and edginess that can only be achieved in independent film, much like the envelope being pushed in the pre-code noir era. Apart from this, it has many of the hallmarks of the noir genre in terms of gangsters, nightclubs and a down-on-his-luck protagonist sucked back into the underworld.
PM even took this Las Vegas backdrop and fused it with an almost Karate Kid-style narrative with Final Impact (1992). In that picture, Lorenzo Lamas plays a jaded, hard-drinking former kickboxing champion fixated on training a protégé (Michael Worth) to enact revenge on a rival. At this point in time, PM was based in Las Vegas and many of their films inhabited similar casino-strip locations, which meant they could reuse locations, B-roll and make films quite efficiently.
“Final Impact” VHS Sell Sheet
Blakey remembers: “Rick Pepin used to say to me, “I want to see the money right up there on the screen”. Joseph Merhi could, I believe, actually get blood out of a stone, and I mean that with the greatest respect. Joseph knows how to wring out a dollar! Joseph and Rick brought in the best people for every department including the fight coordinators, stunt teams, and special effects. Most of those films from the early 90’s were shot on 15 day schedules so we all had to work fast and make it great. Rick and Joseph knew exactly what the straight to video and international markets (theatrical and video) wanted. There was a formula and the stories were plugged into that formula with over the top action, action, action.”
“I came to L.A. from San Francisco as a commercial photographer/cinematographer. I met Rick Pepin and he liked my showreel even though I had no feature film elements. I had a lot of experience in fashion, product, and corporate work so I could make anything look good. Rick was a good cinematographer, but he needed someone to light for him so that’s how I got my foot in the door just as they were making the transition from 16mm ultra low budget movies to 35mm films with known actors and bigger production values. The film noir look in the martial arts films in 1990/91 were shot by Rick with me as his Gaffer and 2nd camera. They liked the work and the shows did well so they gave me a shot as DP. I was assigned to a picture called A Time to Die with Traci Lords and Richard Roundtree. A police/crime story. I gave it a dramatic look, but I didn’t want to push it on my first outing so I stuck with a more polished commercial look. It turned out well and so next up was Maximum Force,” adds Blakey.
Maximum Force was a rather B-star-studded ensemble featuring Sam Jones (Flash Gordon), Jason Lively (Dukes of Hazard), Sherrie Rose (King of the Kickboxers), and John Saxon (Enter the Dragon). They are a dream-team of cops united together to take on crime boss Richard Lynch (Invasion USA) and his network, which includes corrupt politician played by Mickey Rooney! The film exists almost exclusively at nighttime or inside a mysteriously-lit wearhouse, where most of the second act takes place. This wearhouse would be a space for martial arts training, meditation, contemplation and interpersonal drama amongst the police. The atmosphere here was clouded with dust, smoke and stylistic lighting. One of the most audacious shots in the picture is a wide angle that slowly tracks-in on Sam Jones as he starts to skip with a jump-rope. The ginormous space is surreal, more akin to an art-film than a B-picture and the jump rope creates plumes of dust from the concrete floor that add to this atmosphere.
One of the most audacious shots in Maximum Force.
Martial arts is a less prominent theme, but when it punctuates the film its usually backlit and stylised. A couple of these kickboxing sequences take place on a nightclub stage amongst cigar-smoke and highlighted by theatrical lighting. Another fight scene atop a skyscraper takes place with a background of moonlit industrial exhaust fumes, appearing like white fire, contrasting the physical movement of kickboxing silhouettes.
“Maximum Force” Theatrical Poster
“The noir aesthetic in Maximum Force was strictly my choice. Of course, I had to give the studio a commercially viable product that they could market, but when dailies started coming in they loved it. At the time I remember seeing two pictures shot by cinematographer Bojan Bazelli. They were King of New York (1990) and Deep Cover (1992). They both had a very dark look and used saturated colors in the lighting. Maximum Force was my third show as Director of Photography for PM and I decided to just let it all hang out. What makes it Film Noir is the lighting and camera. Extreme angles, wide lenses, and most of all DARK. Even in daylight the contrast between sun and shadow is often emphasized. At night faces are back or side lit with little or no fill light. The “unseen” adds to the drama and sense of foreboding,” says Blakey.
“On this one I went all the way since most of the story takes place at night in the dark underbelly of the city. I used large source light to ¾ backlight much of the action and the characters themselves. In addition I triple corrected one side to the blue spectrum and on the other side triple corrected toward the yellow. It was a success and I probably get more comments on Maximum Force than any other film. I was just chasing an aesthetic that I had fallen in love with in my early career and had the opportunity to realize it. I brought in lots of smoke and “radical” lighting and PM loved it,” Blakey adds.
“Intent to Kill” Chinese Poster
Blakey continues: “I don’t recall specifically thinking of Maximum Force as a martial arts picture at the time although it certainly falls well into that category. I saw it as a crime drama with action. During those years martial arts were the default method of physical engagement in movies just like fist fights had been in westerns and mysteries. Those black and white mystery/crime stories of the 1940’s and 50’s were the first things that attracted me to film making and it was really the shadowy lighting that tickled my aesthetic sense. I don’t think I ever really thought about “marrying” martial arts with noir. It just seemed like a natural fit. Funny story … when the film was sold in the German market QC (Quality Control) for television broadcast drained most of the color out of those night scenes. When I heard about it I was apoplectic, but what can you do. I think the DVDs currently available in the U.S.A. market look very good. On my next picture with PM, Intent to Kill (1992), I went really dark as well, but with a different flavor.”
At the same time as these pictures, John Woo was producing crime films in Hong Kong, which made a departure from martial arts, instead choosing gunfire as the means to be balletic. They had elements of noir and French gangster pictures like Le Samurai but took their action from the gory Westerns of Sam Peckinpah. Hollywood took note of these startling Woo pictures and imported the director to America, while PM attempted their own heroic bloodshed pictures with such titles as The Sweeper (1996) that amped-up spectacle. Unlike Hong Kong, which had incredible restrictions and regulations on what film crews could achieve on the roads, PM had much more freedom on the streets of Las Angeles to create real havoc.
“Hard Boiled” Japanese Theatrical Poster
Ken Blakey explains: “I think a big influence at that time was John Woo’s Hard Boiled (1992). He took action to a whole new level in that show using wires, ratchets, and gunfire at a level not seen before. Again, no CGI, and it totally sells today. I still have my Laser Disc! Another influence for me was Steven Seagal’s Out for Justice (1991) both cinematically and the martial arts.”
“The Sweeper represented another step up in the action genre for us at PM. The opening car chase on the pier, the night freeway extravaganza, and then the day freeway chase where C. Thomas Howell climbs onto the wheel of an in flight airplane out of a moving convertible and the subsequent “air” fight and fall of the villain is still amazing. For those Freeway chases, with all the rollovers, crashes, explosions, etc. we were using 9 cameras at any given time. Four or five operated cameras shooting from “camera cars”, or from inside the vehicle, or telephoto shots to stack up the action and in addition four or five Eyemo’s which are small 35mm cameras housed in “indestructible” steel boxes that are placed and disguised on the road where they can be hit by a flying car, explosion, etc. That’s how we get those shots where the exploding car lands on the camera. When that happens I call those the “Bingo!” shots. No crew members or actors were harmed in the making of The Sweeper. And let’s not leave out fantastic stunts, driving, special effects (explosions, etc.) and great editing! Remember, there was NO CGI … It was all real.”
The Sweeper’s “nighttime freeway extravaganza” is a sequence where a dozen falling gas bottles from a truck are shot by a machine gun to explode at certain moments along the road during a conflict between two different speeding vehicles. The pitch-black sky is the perfect backdrop to highlight a series of jaw-dropping explosions and fiery car-flips. In this dark atmosphere, the mixture of glowing yellow headlights zooming past, red break-lights reflecting on the wet bitumen, explosions peppered along the highway and cars flipping and rotating in the night sky evokes a similar light and movement to Van Gogh’s painting “Starry Night”.
“Rage” VHS Cover
The original noir pictures of the 1930s were shot outside mainstream Hollywood in a place or status referred to as “Poverty row”, a series of basic studios that churned out “B” pictures to play after main features. But occasionally these films were innovative and ended up influencing Hollywood itself. In the early nineties, PM would parallel this history as they too used noir-style lighting techniques to create atmosphere and aesthetic on a budget for the DTV market.
But as film critic Paul Bramhall points out about Rage (1995), which was also shot by Ken Blakey, PM would overtly challenge Hollywood and possibly influence it in the process: “Echoes of much of the stunt work on display in Rage, can be seen in some of the most popular mainstream action movies of the last 20 years.. The climax of the chase scene of Rage is more than a little reminiscent of the climax to the epic car chase from The Matrix Reloaded … Another scene has Daniels dangling off a building with the rope of a window washing outrigger, which he uses to run across the buildings side to create enough momentum to launch himself towards a….well, I won’t spoil it for anyone who’s yet to see it. But the same concept would be used 16 years later when Tom Cruise would scale the Burj Khalifa in Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol.”
Ken Blakey continues: “Selling the punches/hits, continuity of the fight, and editing. Camera angles must be set in such a way as to give the illusion of connection. Stunt people don’t actually hit each other during a fight so the camera must be set at such an angle as to suggest connection and edited with the next shot to carry through on that connection while maintaining continuity of the movement of the players to suggest a real sequence of events. More than one camera is generally used to capture each sequence to give the editor more flexibility to speed up the action and give it impact.”
Scene from Nicholas Ingerson’s student film “Elevator” (2018)
The history of PM Entertainment is not something just kept alive by those reminiscing a bygone video-rental era. Recently a twenty-one year-old student at Australia’s most prestigious film school (VCA) asked me “Have you seen The Sweeper?” He went on to detail his admiration for the “night freeway extravaganza” and other spectacles. But the student also told me that when he made one of his short-films last year, a sci fi reminiscent of Shane Carruth’s Primer, that he made his cinematographer watch Maximum Force, particularly those surrealist scenes in the atmospheric wearhouse. So apart from overt Hollywood tributes to their action sequences, there is also evidence that PM has an aesthetic legacy that continues to be influential to this day.
Today’s Deal on Fire is the Blu-ray for the action comedy Gintama (read our review), a live-action adaptation based on the manga series of the same name written and illustrated by Hideaki Sorachi.
In an era where aliens have invaded and taken over feudal Tokyo, a young samurai finds work however he can.
Director: Woo Min-Ho Cast: Song Kang-Ho, Cho Jung-Seok, Bae Doo-Na, Kim So-Jin, Kim Dae-Myung, Lee Sung-Min Running Time: 139 min.
By Paul Bramhall
I finished my review of director Woo Min-ho’s last movie, the excellent Inside Men, by stating my hope that “his next movie is at least on par with what he’s pulled off here.” 3 years later and that opportunity is now upon us, and it comes in the form of The Drug King, a story spanning the decade that was the 1970’s, and the impact that drugs had on it in Korea.
While Inside Men was anchored by a powerhouse performance from Lee Byung-hun, The Drug King enlists one of the most iconic faces of Korean cinema, Song Kang-ho, to carry proceedings. Kang-ho plays a small time smuggler who assists the facilitation of fake watches in early 70’s Busan. A simple man whose only real ambition is to make ends meet for his wife, kids, and unmarried sisters, when an opportunity presents itself to get involved in the lucrative drug trade, the financial rewards make for too good of an offer to pass up.
So begins the overly familiar tale of the small fry who works their way up to be a drug kingpin, and destroy everything that they hold near and dear in the process. The go-to genre movie is of course Brian De Palma’s 1983 classic Scarface, however it’s also been done before in Korea, most recently in 2012’s Nameless Gangster: Rules of the Time, which sees Choi Min-sik’s naïve customs officer work his way up the drug trade. So the question is, apart from a stellar performance from Song Kang-ho (which let’s face it, is a given), what else does TheDrug King bring to the table which sets it apart from the other entries in the genre?
The answer is, as much as it pains me to say it, nothing. Min-ho’s latest is one of those infuriating failures where the blame lies solely at the director’s feet. On the surface at least, it’s a movie that has everything – a cast most directors would lose an arm for, the amazing production values and attention to period detail we’ve become accustomed to from Korean cinema, and a soundtrack filled with 70’s classics. So what’s the problem? Put simply, The Drug King is a bore. With a runtime of 140 minutes, the pace will likely test the patience of even the most ardent Korean cinema fan (a group that I count myself amongst).
Half of the problem lies in just how tried and tested the story is. We know how these tales play out, so there needs to be some differentiator for the audiences to buy into it – that could be great characterization, a twist on the perspective the story is told from, or a setting we haven’t seen before. The Drug King offers up none of these, instead falling back on the most barebones plot of the everyman who becomes corrupted by the drugs he’s peddling. This could still have been effective if it was at least told in an engaging way, but Min-ho’s script translates awkwardly to the screen, with the changes in Kang-ho’s personality seemingly taking place from one scene to the next, rather than occurring with any kind of natural build-up.
Onscreen there’s also a glaring lack of tension. The drug trade is a dangerous business, however Sang-ho’s entry into the world of drug making and trafficking is remarkably uneventful, with a good 70 minutes dedicated to what feels like an inordinate amount of gurning, dancing, and general idiocy. I know it was 70 minutes, because I checked the runtime at one point believing/hoping that it must almost be finished, only to realise I was just half way through. The first real sign of any genuine tension comes at a party Kang-ho is attending, at a point when he’s already established himself under a fake name in the drug trade, and an officer from the KCIA recognizes him from when he was arrested and tortured several years before. However the issue is quickly resolved, again dissipating any chance to inject some urgency into the pacing.
Out of all the crimes The Drug King commits though, the biggest one is without doubt how it wastes an incredible cast. This is a movie that brings Song Kang-ho and Bae Doona (in her first movie since 2016’s Tunnel) back together, a pairing that resulted in some of the most memorable scenes in Korean cinema thanks to their turns in Bong Joon-ho’s The Host and Park Chan-wook’s Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance. It’s been 12 years since they last appeared in a movie together, but with characters as underwritten and underdeveloped as we have here, the joy of seeing them reunited is short-lived. Throw in supporting roles from the likes Jo Jung-suk (The Face Reader), Lee Sung-min (The Witness), Choi Gwi-ha (The Outlaws) and Song Young-chang (a guy who I swear spent the 00’s dying in every movie he appeared in), the fact that none of them contribute any real significance to the overall plot is a wasted opportunity.
If any positives can be drawn from The Drug King, then it’s in the production design, and the way it incorporates the political turmoil of the time. Kang-ho spends plenty of time jetting between Korea and Japan, and both locations are brought to life through impressive sets, littered with small details like movie posters of the time and old soju bottles. Indeed at times it feels like the most well developed characters in The Drug King are the sets, rather than the actors that populate them. Min-ho has also ambitiously attempted to incorporate the various political controversies of the time (such as Park Chung-hee’s 1979 assassination) into the narrative, with Kang-ho involving himself in various political organizations by day. While such inclusions in and of themselves are interesting, their role in the plot seems like a case of attention grabbing padding, rather than adding any real meaning.
For Hong Kong cinema fans, there may also be one ‘bonus’ positive. For those who never thought there could be a connection between a Song Kang-ho and Jimmy Wang Yu movie – well, Min-ho’s latest is the production to prove them wrong. The 1975 Hong Kong and Australian co-production, The Man from Hong Kong, famously used the British band Jigsaw’s single Sky High as its opening theme, and 43 years later, so does The Drug King! Admittedly, it’s a great opener. What can I say? I’m not averse to clutching at straws.
Min-ho’s latest ultimately saves its final derailment for last, dragging its feet to an ending which shamelessly lifts wholesale from De Palma’s Scarface, as a paranoid Kang-ho locks himself up in his own mansion with his drugs and a collection of shotguns. Derivative as it may be, it should have been one last ditch shot of adrenaline in an already bloated and lifeless slog of a movie, however even the finale can’t bring itself to go out with a bang, instead choosing to go for a disappointing fizzle of a conclusion. It inevitably begs the question of what Min-ho was looking to achieve with The Drug King. Its unwavering focus on Kang-ho to the detriment of everything else arguably doesn’t justify such a long runtime, but at the same time any hint of an interesting subplot fades into the background before it’s given a chance to start. Like I said at the beginning of the review – it’s an infuriating failure.
When Min-ho initially released Inside Men it came in a trimmed down 130 minute version from his original 3 hour cut, which eventually saw the light of day because audiences were left wanting more. With so much peripheral plotting that meanders to nowhere in The Drug King, it could well be the case that there’s a much longer cut of it out there as well, but I find it hard to believe anyone would be able to endure more of its coma inducing pace. For me the jury is still out on Min-ho as a director and screenwriter, however if The Drug King is indicative of the style of movie he wants to make, I’ll clock out here.
Doghouse 73 Pictures’ Kill-Fist will finally be making its premier at the 9th Cambodia International Film Festival. This independent Malaysian martial arts thriller is headlined by Headshot breakout star, Sunny Pang (The Night Comes for Us) with Alan Yun (Possessed), Koe Yeet (The Hunter 3D), Mario Sebsam, and fight choreography by Chee Hong (via FCS).
Kill-Fist involves “an underground fighting survival game where players beat the crap out of each other in order to win a cash prize and rise the ranks”. The team behind the film promises that Kill-Fist is a point to prove that kung fu can beat MMA.
The film is directed by James Lee, an award winning filmmaker, who is perhaps best known for the branded short film Last Day of School, which also picked up the Cannes Silver Lion Award in 2016.
A Trailer for Kill-Fist is expected soon. Stay tuned!
Today’s Deal on Fire is the Blu-ray for Keoni Waxman’s End of a Gun (read our review), starring Steven Seagal (Exit Wounds).
Seagal plays Decker, an ex-DEA agent who takes deadly action one night to save the alluring Lisa from an abusive boyfriend. She approaches Decker with a seductive proposition: help her steal $2 million from a car guarded by Parisian police and share in the bounty. But even if they outrun the cops, can they outgun the hit squads sent by a furious, sadistic drug lord to reclaim the loot?
End of a Gun also stars Florin Piersic Jr. (Killing Salazar), Jacob Grodnik (The Meanest Man in Texas), Jonathan Rosenthal (Mobster Kids) and Radu Andrei Micu (Contract to Kill).
Diretor: Yuen Woo-ping Cast: Yuen Yat Chor, Leung Kar Yan, Yuen Cheung Yan, Brandy Yuen Jan Yeung, Eddie Ko Hung, Yuen Shun Yee, Yuen Woo Ping, Tino Wong Cheung, Huang Ha, Chan Tien Lung, Simon Yuen Siu Tien, Lam Moon-Wa Running Time: 95 min.
By Matthew Le-feuvre
Following the runaway successes of both Snake in the Eagle’s Shadow (1977) and its semi-sequel The Drunken Master(1978), it has always been fervently rumoured that ace choreographer, producer and filmmaker, Yuen Woo-ping ‘expected’ or at least was anticipating another collaboration with rising phenomenon, Jackie Chan, before he abdicated to Golden Harvest. However, having also dramatically laboured as a stuntman at the prolific Shaw Brothers studio, to a much sought after fight arranger and director, Ping was already more than aware how (A): the machinations of the film industry truly functioned, (B): how limiting ‘original’ concepts can be and (C): that the commercial life expectancy would constantly attract imitators and opportunists.
Whilst Chan was macheting his route towards creative autonomy, as well as circumventing an alleged ‘death contract’ issued by his former employer (Lo Wei), Ping, too, desperately tried to reinvent his winning formula by casting his young brother, Yuen Hsin Yee for the critically under-rated Dance of the Drunken Mantis (1979) – an official continuance of ‘Sam the Seed’ mythos. By then, the market had been tsunamied with a whole barrage of “fight, train, fight” pseudo-Chan clones: from Billy Chong (The Crystal Fist) to Jack Long/Li Lin Min (Mystery of Chess Boxing/World of the Drunken Master), to John Chang (Snake in the Monkey’s Shadow). Ultimately, Chan’s broad masochistic appeal was far too strong for Yee to be embraced by audiences, and his career was sadly reduced to playing mentally deranged psychopaths, occult deviants or co-choreographing in association with his equally dynamic siblings: Yuen Chung Yan, Yuen Yat Chor and Brandy Yuen Chun Wei.
As for Ping, an open invitation from Golden Harvest president, Raymond Chow, saw him devise the most potent, innovative and complex kung fu patterns for the otherwise “lacklustre” Game of Death (1978) cash-in: Tower of Death(1981). Again it featured the late Tang Lung (aka Kim Tai Cheung) in dual roles, while the ‘Pagoda’ itself, like Bruce lee, remains absent from sight by reversing the idea of an external backdrop to a subterranean one, poignantly curtailing production costs! Yet according to pre-production sources, the original premise for Game of Death 2 – as it later became internationally known, was to have been faithfully constructed around further alleged missing or unused Bruce Lee/Game footage; notably the incomplete ‘new territories’ promotional fight material. It never happened! Failing that, abridged sequences from Enter the Dragon (1973) were alternatively inserted showcasing Lee’s philosophical exchange with Roy Chiao, as well as an extended arrival scene at Han’s Island where Lee’s character bemusingly surveys his guest quarters. Despite Ping’s obvious genius, the result; although oddly muddled, was more or less an exercise in capitalistic ineptitude rather than inspirational perpetuity.
Before long, Ping was energetically helming ‘Wong Fei Hung’ revival pictures: The Magnificent Butcher (1979) and Dreadnaught (1981). It had been five years since its original leading actor, Kwan Tak Hing returned to the role for The Skyhawk (1974), however these two entries, prior to Jet Li/ Chin Man Chuek 90’s portrayals, were designedly more focused on Wong Fei Hung’s foremost pupils: Lam Sai Wing (Sammo Hung Kim Po) and Leung Foon (Liu Chia Ren aka Leung Kar Yan), respectively. Yet, obstensibly, it was through Hung Kim Po’s influencial reinvention of the Horror/fantasy genre – specifically the ground breaking Encounters of the Spooky Kind (1981) – that Ping became inspired too make The Miracle Fighters, even though they’d been conceptually preceded by Ho Meng Hua (Black Magic) and Liu Chia Liang (The Spiritual Boxer), it was nonetheless still an arena worth exploring and the possibilities were high if presented at the right juncture.
Despite a capricious audience demograph, significantly or not – and this may depend upon personal observation – Hong Kong cinema has always retained a long traditional relationship with the ‘arcane’, the ‘supernatural’ and/or ‘occult’ symbolism. Indeed, compared to the Western hemisphere, it is a vibrant, exotic culture which is both inherently ‘superstitious’ and ‘spiritual’ by nature, therefore it is only proper that these intrinsic values, beliefs and/or rituals should be poetically evident in their iconography, art, literature and of course motion pictures. This may appear like an overt contradiction, one of myriad proportions. Nevertheless, it is a model reflection of Yin/Yang philosophy, something Ping was constantly keen too exploit. And The Miracle Fighters does just that!
Hailed as one of the “weirdest” kung fu/fantasy movies to be distributed under the Golden Harvest banner – and certainly shouldn’t be confused or compared with Tsui Hark’s seminal masterpiece Zu Warriors from the Magic Mountain (also 1982) – The Miracle Fighters is an octane fueled tale of despotism, ego-based ambition and insanely cerebral magical practices. Again using Yin/Yang metaphors, Ping’s physical depictions of Chinese occultism is clearly defined by both ‘light’ and ‘dark’ forces, regardless of its signature trappings or banal dialogue. Its true magical sturdiness lies in the picture’s motion and fluidity, not in the screenplay which, at intervals, is incoherently orthodox of the times: a machiavellian sorcerer who thirsts for dominance over the occult world, a disgraced general of the sovereignty, two bickering Taoists and an obligatory apprentice who must successfully learn the mystical arts of oriental transcendentalism, conjurations to fending off hexes; including a grotesque minion known as a “jar clown” – a pathetic, child-like entity that resembles a Human tortoise, but possessing agile reflexes.
From the outset, this film was a very personal project, and is perhaps one of Yuen Woo-ping’s lesser celebrated forays. Nevertheless, in spite of its apparent unavailability (unless one is willing to invest a large sum of coinage via online DVD specialists), The Miracle Fighters was actually nominated for ‘Best Action Choreography’ at the Hong Kong film awards, which is hardly surprising! But is it worth all the expectant hype? Well, yes! And no!
The Essential Guide to Hong Kong Movies by Eastern Heroes founder, Rick Baker and documentarian, Toby Russell, goes to great lengths in promoting a constructive, if liberal five star rating. And while it was a top-grossing sensation that proceeded to father numerous sequels, plus the strength of an extraordinary cast list featuring an almost unrecognizable Leung Kar Yan, the generally overlooked Eddie Ko and the essential “Yuen” brothers in their respective designated parts: the antagonist, the protagonist, the wise eccentric and the mischievous foil – for some viewers, this may feel like a disjointed journey into absurdity where political oppression inadvertently collides with Taoist arcana.
For most, seasoned by years of devotion and awe, The Miracle Fighters does champion the cosmic balance of the Yin/Yang principle, neither accepting nor rejecting the picture’s elaborate construct or pedestrian shortcomings. But like all of Yuen Woo-ping’s earlier endeavours, the narrative, character development and/or production values were typically starved of attention. Instead, total reliance and confidence is placed upon visual surrealism, rapid-styled editing as well as highly gifted fight/action tacticians.
AKA: Condors Commando
Director: Sammo Hung
Cast: Yuen Biao, Sammo Hung, Lam Ching-Ying, Dr. Haing S. Ngor, Joyce Godenzi, Yuen Wah, Yuen Wo-Ping, Yasuaki Kurata, Phillip Ko Fei, Billy Lau, James Tien, Ng Hon, Ha Chi-Chun, Billy Chow, Corey Yuen
Running Time: 100 min.
By Z Ravas
If you only know Sammo from his usual happy-go-lucky characters in old-school kung fu flicks like Knockabout, Eastern Condors might serve as a rude awakening. This is a brutally violent action movie set in Vietnam for which Sammo got serious, slimmed down, and cut his hair. There’s even a scene where Sammo puts Stallone in First Blood II to shame, screaming as he mows down dozens of Vietcong with a gatling gun. For some viewers the Vietnam setting or extreme bloodletting might prove distasteful. For my money, Eastern Condors is one of Sammo’s finest accomplishments as an actor, martial artist, and director.
The plot is time-tested; it’s basically a riff on The Dirty Dozen with a bunch of Chinese-American prisoners being drafted on a suicide mission into the heart of Vietnam during the war. Their Lieutenant is Mr. Vampirehimself, Ching-Ying Lam, so you really couldn’t ask for a better man to lead you into battle. The rest of the crew is filled out by incredibly famous faces, including master choreographers Yuen Woo-Ping and Cory Yuen. Sammo’s future wife, the lovely Joyce Godenzi (She Shoots Straight), is on hand and kicks serious ass in the film despite having no martial arts training. Of course, this is a Sammo movie so Yuen Biao is along for the ride and his character “Rat” is probably the only one who manages to keep his rambunctious attitude even after the bullets start flying.
Eastern Condors is almost nonstop action but most of it is intense gun battles. The finale takes place in an underground base and is full of martial arts fighting, i.e. probably what you’re waiting to see. The production design team really outdid themselves here with a set that looks right out of a James Bond film and is the perfect locale for some epic brawls. Yuen Biao fights Dick Wei (Carry On Pickpocket) while Sammo takes on Billy Chow (Fist of Legend) until the two of them must pool their efforts against the ultra-tough Wah Yuen (Kung Fu Hustle).
Special mention must be made of Wah Yuen, who handily steals the last twenty minutes of the movie with his giggling, perspiring Vietnamese General. I don’t know who dreamed up this character but I love it when quirky villains are unexpected badasses, and Wah Yuen gives both Sammo and Yuen a run for their money with his fierce kicks. Wah Yuen has starred in over a 100 movies during his career but this will always be one of his most memorable roles for me.
There’s no way to mince words: Eastern Condors is a violent as hell movie – we’re talking about little Vietcong kids playing Russian Roulette, hands being chopped off, point blank shootings – which may put off fans who just want to see another Sammo and Yuen Biao team-up. However, I think that this film’s gritty edge is what makes it stand out from the rest of Sammo’s filmography. Cory Yuen’s character tells Sammo he respects him because he “doesn’t talk bullshit” – which, let’s face it, is the opposite of most of Sammo’s characters over the years, heh.
Sammo played it straight for this movie (he looks great without his usual bowl cut) and the film benefited by being a lean and mean little action flick. Sure, I wish there was more character development since there’s reportedly over 20 minutes of lost footage. The opening of the movie depicts freeze frames of some prison scenes that were cut and supposedly the Hong Kong trailer also features a lot of missing clips. But with a cast of this caliber and action so plentiful, I will take as much Eastern Condors I can get.
Indonesian horror filmmaker (Blok M, Asih) is back with another thriller titled Death Whisper, which will getting international distribution from Korea-based company CJ Entertainment at a soon to-be-determined date.
The film is a remake/reimagining of Park Gi-Hyeong’s 1998 Korean horror hit, Whispering Corridors, which revolves around an evil spirit that runs amok in high school setting.
Death Whisper stars Amanda Rawles (Something in Between), Angga Yunanda (Sajen), Teuku Ryzki (Generasi Micin) and Arya Vasco (Tembang Lingsir).
The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires | Blu-ray (Shout! Factory)
RELEASE DATE: April 9, 2019
On April 9th, 2019, Shout! Factory will release the Blu-ray for 1974’s The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires(read our review), a horror/martial arts film – produced by the legendary Hammer Film Productions and the equally legendary Shaw Brothers Studio – directed by Roy Ward Baker (A Night to Remember) and co-directed by Hong Kong legend Chang Cheh (The Return of the One-Armed Swordsman).
Check out the official details below:
Professor Van Helsing (Peter Cushing) and Count Dracula (John Forbes-Robinson) meet again in this spectacular kung fu horror thriller set in the village of Ping Kuei. After learning about the seven golden vampires of the village, Hsi Ching (David Chiang), Vanessa Buren (Julie Ege) and Mai Kwei (Szu Shih) offer to guide Van Helsing and his son to Ping Kuei to free it from the curse of Count Dracula.
Throughout their journey, the group encounters several unwanted attackers until they arrive at the golden vampires’ derelict temple, inhabited by Count Dracula. In the temple, Van Helsing and the count begin a fearsome battle to the death – an ultimate clash between good and evil!
Presented here for the first time in high definition is Hammer’s original uncut version. It was released in the U.S. in an edited version called The 7 Brothers Meet Dracula which is also included here in high definition as a bonus feature.
Special Features:
NEW! 2K scan of the original film elements
NEW! Audio Commentary with author/film historian Bruce G. Hallenbeck
NEW! When Hammer Met Shaw – an interview with actor David Chiang
NEW! Kung Fear – an interview with Hong Kong Film Expert Rick Baker
Alternate U.S. Theatrical version – The 7 Brothers Meet Dracula (in HD with some standard definition inserts)
CJ Entertainment has just released Choi Kook-Hee’s South Korean drama Default on Amazon, iTunes, and Google Play.
Read the official details below:
Default, takes a look back at a difficult time for South Korea – the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis. It is directed by Choi Kook-hee, who was awarded the Best Debut award at the Fantasia International Film Festival for his feature debut in 2016, Split. Choi presents us with an enthralling storyline and a sense of emotional connection to a time when the country was on the verge of bankruptcy.
Default begins with Si-hyun (Kim Hye-soo), the monetary policy manager at the Bank of Korea, predicting a massive national financial crisis and reporting it to the Director. The Director doesn’t schedule an emergency summit until 10 days later but does it without notifying the public of the situation. Si-hyun urges for the crisis to be announced in order to warn people of the looming disaster, but her plea is ignored. The summit is held behind closed doors.
Jung-hak (Yoo Ah-in), a financial consultant, notices Korea is suddenly hemorrhaging foreign funds, and he learns the reason is that international finance firms have ordered an all-out investment withdrawal from the country, which has caused the credit rating to plummet. He hands in his resignation and decides to play the odds on what he’s sure is a coming crisis. He secretly starts gathering investors willing to do the same.
Gap-su (Huh Joon-ho), a family man who runs a small tableware factory, has a big break and wins a contract with a department store. The fact that the price settlement terms equal to little more than a promissory note concerns him only briefly, and oblivious to the looming financial upheaval, Gap-su signs the contract. The Managing Director of IMF (Vincent Cassel) comes to Korea just one week before the country goes bust, and that is when those who try to prevent the crisis, those who seek to take advantage of it, and those only trying to protect their livelihood are caught in the wake of a national bankruptcy.
Default stars Kim Hye-soo (Tazza: The High Rollers), You Ah-in (Veteran), Huh Joon-ho (Silmido), Jo Woo-jin (The King), and Vincent Cassel (Jason Bourne).
Today’s Deal on Fire is the Blu-ray for Stanley Tong’s Kung Fu Yoga (read our review), starring Jackie Chan (Rumble in the Bronx), Lay Zhang (of the K-pop group EXO), Miya Muqi (Tomb Robber), Aarif Rahman (Bruce Lee, My Brother) and Indian film stars Sonu Sood (Arundhati) and Ileana D’Cruz (Happy Ending).
Jack (Chan), a world-renowned archaeology professor, and his team set out on a grand quest to locate the lost ancient Indian treasure of Magadha when they are ambushed by a team of mercenaries and left for dead. Using his vast knowledge of history and kung fu, Jack leads his team on a race around the world to beat the mercenaries to the treasure and prevent an ancient culture from being lost forever.
Director: Kim Tae-Yong Writer: Kim Tae-Yong Cast: Kim Ha-Neul, Yu In-Young, Lee Won-Geun, Lee Hee-Joon, Lee Ki-Woo, Gi Ju-Bong, Jung Suk-Yong, Hong Ahn-Pyo, Lim Hwa-Young, Kwon Soo-Hyun Running Time: 96 min.
By Paul Bramhall
There can be no more tried and tested plot device within the world of Korean drama’s than the love triangle. In a way it’s understandable, the kind of relationship dynamic it invokes provides a framework in which it’s possible to explore a multitude of genres. Romance, revenge, murder, thriller, mystery – you name it, with a smart script the mileage filmmakers can get is almost unlimited. That’s why for every conventional story that hits the screens, with no further ambition than to pull on our heartstrings, movies like Yoo Ha’s A Frozen Flower and Park Chan-wook’s The Handmaiden prove that it’s still possible to do amazing things when done right.
The latest spin on the trope comes in the form of director Kim Tae-yong’s Misbehavior. After working on a number of short films, Misbehavior marks Tae-yong’s sophomore full length feature, following 2014’s semi-autobiographical Set Me Free. The dark themes he explored in his debut are also apparent in his latest, however Misbehavior feels much more accessible than his previous work, thanks to a more linear plot and performances from a stellar cast.
Taking place in a boys only high school, Kim Ha-neul (My Girlfriend is an Agent) plays an aloof but competent contract teacher, who’s next in line to be offered a permanent position once the new school year starts. However a spanner is thrown in the works, when the principal of the school hires a fresh faced young teacher straight into a permanent position, despite her lack of experience. Played by Yoo In-young (Veteran), it soon becomes apparent that the reason behind her fast-track to tenure has to do with her father being the chairman of the board. Ha-neul’s frustration is escalated further when In-young recognizes her as a senior from the same college they used to attend, which leads to her constantly trying to strike up an unwanted friendship, much to Ha-neul’s chagrin.
The stress of contract workers seeking job security through being made permanent is a pertinent one in Korean society, and has most recently also been explored in Hong Won-chan’s Office, which as the name suggests, transposes the scenario to an office environment. There are similarities to be found between Misbehavior andOffice, particularly the usage of a newly hired staff member posing a threat to the long-term temporary employee, however thankfully that’s where the comparisons end. While Office took shape as a murder-mystery, Tae-yong takes the narrative in an interestingly different direction, thanks to the introduction of a hard-up but handsome student in the form of Lee Won-geun (The Net).
An aspiring dancer, Won-geun spends his nights practicing, and often sleeping, in the school sports hall. When Ha-neul finds him there one evening, as much as his story is a sympathetic one, it also becomes clear that he’s very much aware of his good looks, and isn’t afraid to use them. A fact which is reinforced when she discovers In-young and Won-geun are using the late evenings for some extra-curricular activities, the sort that definitely aren’t related to dancing. The discovery leads to a series of increasingly tense and dangerous liaisons between the two teachers, while it remains intentionally hazy to if Won-geun is an unwitting pawn to their games, reaping the benefits of them, or perhaps a combination of both.
It’s the dynamics that the revelation triggers that serve to drive the momentum in Misbehavior, and Tae-yong keeps things simmering with a skilled hand. Once Ha-neul knows she has the upper hand on In-young, the choices her character makes may be unpleasant ones, but the sense of unfairness she feels means that as an audience we understand them, and perhaps even relate to them. It’s this element which makes Misbehavior equal parts rewarding and painful to watch, as the fact that it’s so easy to relate to Ha-neul’s actions speak to the basest of human emotions. She’s soon berating In-young in front of the other teachers for the shortness of her dress, and openly stating she has no recollection of going to college with her, spoken with an underlying smugness of someone that knows there’ll be no comeback.
The fact is none of the trio of protagonists are particularly likeable, but to varying degrees they remain relatable. In-young represents everything Ha-neul doesn’t have. Born into financial security, with youth on her side and a trophy husband (Lee Ki-woo, Time Renegades) on her arm, in comparison Ha-neul feels the burden of being in her late-30s, trapped in an apartment with her penniless writer boyfriend (Lee Hee-joon, Sea Fog), who’s suffering from an extended period of writer’s block. Ultimately the pressure she faces both inside and outside the workplace send her down a path which proves difficult to turn back from.
As the linchpin between the pair, Won-geun delivers an effective performance. In the grand scheme of things he has the least to lose, and although he doesn’t show it, gradually a side begins to show reflecting someone far more manipulative than he first seems. Where Won-geun’s performance falters slightly, is in the selling of his sexuality. In an interview, Tae-yong explained that initially the script had more explicit sex scenes, however Ha-neul expressed the opinion that they’d detract from the story, so should be toned down. It’s speculation on my part, however I’d say that having an established star like Ha-neul onboard was a big draw for Tae-yong, so he was likely reluctant to disagree.
In reality, the narrative would have benefitted by putting a little more impact into the couple of scenes Ha-neul was referring to. Much like Ang Lee’s masterpiece Lust, Caution, Misbehavior is a tale in which sex is used both to manipulate and gain the upper hand. Won-geun stated that this production was his first time to be involved in such scenes, and unfortunately it shows, with the crucial moments coming across as rather flat and awkward, rather than the pulse racing moments of intensity they’re supposed to be. While these scenes belie the confidence of his character when he’s fully clothed, the damage they do overall is minimal, but ultimately you can’t help but feel that a potentially great movie has come out as just a good one.
Thankfully Tae-yong doesn’t compromise on the outcome that events lead up to, delivering a finale that’s as surprising as it is shocking. By the end of Misbehavior the audience may not have sided with any one of the main characters over the others, however there’s a good chance that opinions will be divided as to where their sympathy lies. Indeed despite it being basic human emotions that serve as the driver behind everything, the underlying enemy is the ruthless Korean hierarchy system that exists in the workplace, a culture which consistently places influence over capability. It’s easy to argue that if Misbehavior had taken place anywhere else, perhaps Ha-neul and In-young would have been friends.
Tae-yong’s latest continues to show his talent for capturing the darker nuances of the human psyche, and is by far his most accomplished work to date, in some ways representing the antithesis of the kind of scenarios found in a Hong Sang-soo movie. These type of mid-budget productions frequently get lost in the mix when it comes to Korean cinema, so here’s hoping we see more movies like Misbehavior, that show it’s still possible to pack a punch and not be derivative of a more popular larger production. It may not involve any hammers or frantic stabbing, but when you’re dealing with a teacher scorned, the outcome is certainly no less brutal. For those looking for something a little different from Korean cinema, Misbehavior comes strongly recommended.
On May 14th, 2019, Arrow Video will be releasing the Blu-ray for 1969’s Yakuza Law (aka Yakuza’s Law: Lynching), a super-violent gangster classic from director Teruo Ishii (Blind Woman’s Curse) and star Bunta Sugawara (Cops vs. Thugs).
Read the official details below:
Director Teruo Ishii (Horrors of Malformed Men), the Godfather of J-sploitation, presents Yakuza Law – a gruelling anthology of torture, spanning three district periods of Japanese history and bringing to the screen some of the most brutal methods of torment ever devised.
In this deep dive into the world of the Yakuza, meet the violent men who rule the Japanese underworld and the cruel punishments inflicted on those who transgress them. The carnage begins in the Edo Period with a violent tale of samurai vengeance starring Bunta Sugawara (Battles Without Honour and Humanity), before shifting to the Meiji Period as the exiled Ogata (Minoru Oki, Shogun Assassin) returns to face punishment for his past transgressions… and, ultimately, to take his revenge. Finally, the action is brought right up to date with a tale of gang warfare set in then-present-day 60s Japan and headlined by Teruo Yoshida (Ishii’s Orgies of Edo), as a powerful crime syndicate seeks bloody vengeance for the theft of one hundred thousand yen.
Brutal, bewildering and definitely not for the faint-hearted, Yakuza Law represents Japanese popular cinema at its most extreme… and most thrilling.
Blu-ray Features:
High Definition Blu-ray™ (1080p) presentation
Original lossless mono Japanese soundtrack
Optional English subtitles
New audio commentary by author and critic Jasper Sharp
Erotic-Grotesque and Genre Hopping: Teruo Ishii Speaks, a rare vintage interview with the elusive director on his varied career, newly edited for this release
Image gallery
Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Jacob Phillips
First Pressing Only: Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Tom Mes
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But apart from action, one thing that isnt quite as discussed or explored about PM Entertainment is aesthetic. Before budgets became much bigger in the mid-nineties and they could afford to fill half a film with massive escalating car-chases, PM had a string of cheaper crime films with thick film noir atmosphere. PM also had a unique twist on noir, in that they combined it with martial arts and thus arguably created their own new genre of “Kickboxing Noir”.
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