On January 8, 2019, Well Go USA is releasing The Great Battle on Blu-ray & DVD. This highly anticipated epic war film is directed by Kim Kwang-Sik (Tabloid Truth).
The Great Battle tells the story of the Siege of Ansi, where Goguryeo forces held their fortress against 500,000 invading Tang soldiers in a battle that raged for eighty-eight days. The film’s set features a replica of the Ansi Fortress, which was built 36 feet high and 590 feet in length.
Set in Busan in the the 70’s, The Drug King is the tale of two men on opposite sides of the law: A public prosecutor (Cho Jung-Seok of My Annoying Brother) and a notorious drug dealer, Lee Doo-Sam (Song Kang-Ho).
Director: Jingle Ma Cast: Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Kris Wu, Tiffany Tang, Du Juan, George Lam, Jija Yanin, Cung Le Running Time: 100 min.
By Paul Bramhall
It’s fair to say that perhaps the biggest fan of cinematographer turned director Jingle Ma’s …….. Raiders series, is Ma himself. The first (and I’m sure many considered last) entry in the series was 2000’s Tokyo Raiders, which was a fun but slight slice of action adventure, with lead actor Tony Leung’s private detective ably backed up by the likes of Ekin Cheng and Kelly Chan. It was a surprise to everyone when, in 2005, a sequel randomly arrived in the form of Seoul Raiders, which was even more throwaway than the original. While Ma’s overly polished cinematography criminally made the Korean capital look like it could have been anywhere, new co-stars Shu Qi and Richie Ren at least made it a pleasant enough diversion. Now, a whopping 13 years since Seoul Raiders, the series becomes a trilogy with 2018’s Europe Raiders.
Ma’s latest was first announced in 2015, with the working title of Paris Raiders (there was even a promotional poster featuring the Eiffel Tower), and was reported to feature Korean actress Jeon Ji-hyeon as Leung’s new co-star. Somewhere along the way though, Ji-hyeon dropped out, and perhaps hinting that a bigger budget had been secured than expected, the title was changed to Europe Raiders, upgrading from a city to a whole continent. The first disappointment of Europe Raiders then, is that it features very little of Europe. In fact the whole thing takes place in Italy (with the exception of a handful of Shanghai set scenes), so if anything the change of title was possibly a move to distance itself from Wong Jing’s similarly themed 2016 production, Mission Milano.
Sure that’s speculation on my part, but the similarities are many. One features a popular Hong Kong actor protecting a new technology called the Seed of God and its creator from the forces of evil, who are trying to use it for their own ill ended intentions. The other features a popular Hong Kong actor protecting a new technology called the Hand of God and its creator from the forces of evil, who are trying to use it for their own ill ended intentions. Europe Raiders is the latter. Unfortunately for Ma, all of the issues with Mission Milano also exist with Europe Raiders, in some cases even more so.
Proceedings open in 2006 with Leung handing over a genius hacker (George Lam, Shanghai, Shanghai) to the CIA. Lam’s really a good guy though, whose only crime is to steal from criminals bank accounts, and funnel it to those in need. Leaving 2 kids behind, he sets upon creating the Hand of God, a mass-surveillance system intended to bring world peace (seriously). Skip forward to 2018, Lam has passed away, and the CIA are using his creation to target terrorists, but at the cost of killing thousands of innocent lives with their indiscriminate bombing campaigns (not so subtle swipe at America – check!). When an ex-CIA agent (Du Juan, Wine War), who turns out to be Lam’s daughter, steals the Hand of God and threatens to reveal its code to the world, it’s up to Leung to team up with his love interest (Tiffany Tang, Bounty Hunters), and Lam’s son (Kris Wu, Journey to the West: The Demons Strike Back) to stop her.
If the plot sounds convoluted, it’s for good reason, however Ma confounds things even further by filling Europe Raiders to the brim with characters, some of whom don’t get a single line of dialogue. Leung works with a trio of bounty hunters who are played by old-school kung-fu stars – we get Lo Meng sending up his Toad character from The Five Venoms, Yuen Qiu again riffing on her tough landlady character from Kung Fu Hustle, and Lau Kar Leung’s nephew Lau Ga Yung, who’s perhaps best known for directing New Kids in Town. What’s their role in the plot? Grating comedy and to throw an occasional kung fu shape.
Tiffany Tang, playing a bounty hunter again after her abysmal turn in 2016’s Bounty Hunters, is followed around by a pair of bodyguards played by Zhou Xiao Fei and Jennifer Tse (who hasn’t done a whole lot since headlining 2012’s Naked Soldier), and their biggest contribution is to hold the door of a cake shop open for an old lady. You would think Tse would be given at least a few lines of dialogue, but she doesn’t get to say a word. Then we have a pair of assassins called Black and White Mantis, played by Jija Yanin and Cung Le, making his first return to Hong Kong film since The Grandmaster. Yanin continues to be the modern action era’s greatest tragedy, after such an amazing debut exactly 10 years ago with Chocolate. Here, much like her barely there role in Hard Target 2, she plays a character that could literally have been played by anyone. Here’s hoping some redemption is on the way with Triple Threat.
Perhaps the reason for Ma’s decision to make Europe Raiders such a smorgasbord of characters, is that there isn’t really anyone up to the task of sparring with Leung like he had in previous instalments. Despite both Tokyo Raiders and Seoul Raiders shortcomings, Leung played well off the likes of Shu Qi and Ekin Cheng. Here you can almost feel the weight of the movies success burdened on his shoulders. Tiffany Tang has an incredible talent for generating zero chemistry as a romantic lead, and here there’s a certain forced feeling during her scenes with Leung. Kris Wu, after serviceable performances in the likes of The Mermaid and xXx: Return of Xander Cage, is particularly insufferable, and seems to spend most of the time posing as if he never left EXO, the Korean boyband he was once a member of.
Speaking of the modern era, it’s not one that’s been kind to a director like Jingle Ma. He may have started off as a cinematographer, but Europe Raiders is an ugly movie to look at. Ma seems to have subscribed to the theory that quick fire editing is the best way to generate excitement, and the constant application of colour filters, grain, and static only serve to make Europe Raiders look like it was lensed by a poor man’s Tony Scott. There’s also a significant amount of green-screen work that’s an abomination to look at, none more so than when Leung replicates the final scene of Alien 3, only with his heart instead of an alien. Trust me, you’ll know it when you see it.
Like so many recent productions, action choreography duties have been handed over to a relative newcomer. Gone is Alien Sit, who choreographed both Tokyo Raiders and Seoul Raiders, and in his place is Jackie Chan Stunt Team member Han Kwan Hua. While Kwan Hua’s choreography has clearly had some effort put into it, there’s an inescapable feeling that it’s nothing we haven’t seen before, and done much better. The editing also doesn’t help, with shots rarely lasting more than a second or two. The grand finale, that has an overload of characters convene in an abandoned (mostly garish CGI) factory to duke it out, is agonisingly bland. As the main villainess, Du Juan’s supposedly icy cold performance is more bored model than vengeance seeking sibling.
Europe Raiders saves the best for last though, with an ending that throws it so far off the rails, it veers into the murky realms of almost being so bad its good. After 90 minutes of silliness, Ma has the audacity to attempt a gloriously overwrought melodramatic ending, which is so drenched in unearned histrionics, it feels more surreal than a Dali painting. But as they say on the home shopping channels – but wait, there’s more! He then doubles down on himself, and hits us with a twist that’s so unbelievably stupid and insulting to the audience, you’ll question if a pre-condition of watching Europe Raiders was that you must have recently had a lobotomy.
While a movie such as this is not completely unsurprising from a director like Jingle Ma, how he convinced an actor of Tony Leung’s calibre to return to the series is beyond me. To its credit, Europe Raiders at least keeps the audience on its toes – Klingon is used as a legitimate language, and frequently. At one point Tiffany Tang reveals that she’s telepathic, but that her powers have diminished since she had her heart broken some years ago. Ok. There’s a car chase that starts at night and then suddenly turns to day, because in Europe continuity doesn’t matter. My personal favorite moment though, has Leung and Wu having a heart to heart while walking down a quiet street at night, when out of nowhere a group of (completely silent) protestors holding banners for Love and Peace stroll past them. What’s the point of their appearance? There isn’t one, an answer that could well be applied to Europe Raiders as a whole.
A man kisses his wife and baby goodbye and seemingly heads away on business, with a plan to check into a hotel, call an escort service, and kill an unsuspecting prostitute…
What you’ve just read is the plot synopsis for Piercing – starring Christopher Abbott (Vox Lux) and Mia Wasikowska (Stoker) – from director Nicolas Pesce (who is also working on a reboot/remake of Ju-on).
Piercing is based on a novel by cult Japanese writer Ryu Murakami (Coin Locker Babies), who is perhaps best known for Audition, which was adapted to film by Takashi Miike (Blade of the Immortal).
Piercing is due to hit theaters/VOD on February 1, 2019. Don’t miss its Trailer below (via Ningen31/TMB):
Nikkatsu Diamond Guys: Vol 2 | Blu-ray (Arrow Video)
Today’s Deal on Fire is the Blu-ray collection for Nikkatsu Diamond Guys: Vol 2, which celebrates three classic films from directors Buichi Saito (The Rambling Guitarist), Ko Nakahira (Crazed Fruit), and Haruyasu Noguchi, who is a new discovery for the West.
Nikkatsu Diamond Guys: Vol 2 includes 1960’s Tokyo Mighty Guy (read our review), directed by Buichi Saito (The Rambling Guitarist); 1962’s Danger Pays (read our review), directed by Ko Nakahira; and 1965’s Murder Unincorporated (read our review), directed by Haryasu Noguchi.
Director Macoto Tezka (Black Kiss), son of the late Osamu Tezuka (creator of Astro Boy/Mighty Atom, often dubbed “The Godfather of Manga”) is currently preparing the release of Tezuka’s Barbara, a Live-action film adaptation of his father’s sexually-charged manga, Barbara.
Tezuka’s Barbara stars Fumi Nikaido (The World of Kanako), Goro Inagaki (13 Assassins), Shizuka Ishibashi (Parks), Kiyohiko Shibukawa (Blue Spring), Eri Watanabe (Ichi) and Ryousuke Ohtani (Departures).
Hong Kong film afficiendos will welcome the inclusion Christopher Doyle, who handles the film’s cinematography. Doyle is best-known for his award-winning camera work with frequent collaborator Wong Kar-wai in films such as Chungking Express and Happy Together.
Here’s what you can expect from Tezuka’s Barbara’s plot (via Amazon): Wandering the packed tunnels of Shinjuku Station, famous author Yosuke Mikura makes a strange discovery: a seemingly homeless drunk woman who can quote French poetry. Her name is Barbara. He takes her home for a bath and a drink, and before long Barbara has made herself into Mikura’s shadow, saving him from egotistical delusions and jealous enemies. But just as Mikura is no saint, Barbara is no benevolent guardian angel, and Mikura grows obsessed with discovering her secrets, tangling with thugs, sadists, magical curses and mythical beings – all the while wondering whether he himself is still sane.
Look out for Tezuka’s Barbara in 2019. Until then, here’s the film’s Trailer from U.K. film distributor Third Window Films (via Ningen31/ANN).
Director Ishihara Takahiro (Osaka Badass: Snake of Violence) has a new DTV thriller coming out titled Red Blade, a ninja flick starring Ogura Yuka (Werewolf Game: Inferno), Iwanaga Joey (Tokyo Tribe) and Tak Sakaguchi (Re:Born, Versus), who also serves as general director for the film.
In Red Blade, Ogura is Mako, a school girl whose parents were once taken away by Yakuza. A victim of bullying by her peers, her escape into ninja-centric graphic novels manifests into reality as she finds herself in the throes of a ninja clan where she’s recruited to eventually face off with the villainous Harada (via FCS).
Red Blade will be released on December 15, 2018 in Japan. Don’t miss the film’s Trailer below:
Director: Lin Zhen-Hao Cast: Vincent Chiu Man Chuk, Wei Ni, Michael Tong, Li Lubing, Li Yuan, Chen Chen, Xu Zhengguo, Wei Xiaohuan, Zhang Lei, Chen Chao, Zhou Jianhua Running Time: 104 min.
By Paul Bramhall
I believe it was Morgan Freeman in The Shawshank Redemption that said “hope is a dangerous thing my friend”, but even knowing this, I couldn’t help but feel optimistic when news broke that Vincent Zhao would be reprising the iconic role of Wong Fei Hung. Not counting the TV series, the last time Zhao stepped into the shoes of the legendary folk hero was 24 years ago for Once Upon a Time in China V, and a lot has changed since then. Director Roy Chow attempted to revitalise the character with Eddie Peng’s grittier, more aggressive version in 2014’s Rise of the Legend, with insufferable results, and filmmakers have stayed away since. There seemed to be an unspoken rule that the folk hero for the post millennial era was Ip Man, and there wasn’t room for another.
Rules are meant to be broken though, and eschewing the revisionist style of Rise of the Legend, in 2018 Unity of Heroes arrives on our screens with its success firmly banking on the nostalgia of the 90’s Once Upon a Time in China series. In fact based on the opening scene alone, many could be mistaken for thinking they’re watching a movie made in the 90’s, as a bare chested Zhao jogs into frame not really looking a whole lot different than he did in 1994’s Once Upon a Time in China V. Newcomer director Lin Zhenzhao unabashedly put his cards on the table from the word go, recreating the opening scene of many a OUATIC flick, as Zhao trains a large group of followers in kung fu as the sun begins to set. If you’re wondering what that warm and fuzzy feeling is, it’s probably because you’re man-crushing.
However that warmth and fuzziness doesn’t last long, as it soon becomes clear the epic scope implied in the opening, is not something a DTV flick such as this could maintain for a whole duration. Indeed within the opening 15 minutes of Unity of Heroes, it feels increasingly closer to HBO’s recent 2-movie foray into the kung fu genre (check out our feature here), than any of the fondly remembered 90’s outings. While both of Zhao’s Once Upon a Time in China instalments were made on a lower budget than Jet Li’s highly regarded trilogy, once Tsui Hark got back into the director’s chair for the fifth outing, it became clear that he was a director capable of making cinematic images regardless of budget. In Unity of Heroes budget is clearly dictating the final product, and sometimes it shows.
The plot is perhaps the pulpiest Wong Fei Hung tale yet (and remember this is a guy that fought kung fu cowboys in America’s Wild West). An evil gweilo (naturally) has concocted a powerful serum with the aim to “completely change the physique of all Chinese people.” Said change involves them transforming into monosyllabic zombies, full of rage and a tenacity for violence (and a heap of black CGI veins that trace up and down their body). When Fei Hung and his cohorts (including Clubfoot, played by a talented Mainland actor doing his best Xiong Xin-Xin impression) get wind of the dastardly deeds afoot, they set out to show the “foreign pigs” who’s boss, and declare that “foreign drugs must be eliminated.”
As you’ve probably guessed, any 2018 iteration of the patriotic icon is now more patriotic than ever, thanks to today’s Mainland friendly environment. Fei Hung has no time for anything foreign, extolling the virtues of Chinese medicine over Western, getting irritable when asked to deliver a western style cake for 13th Aunt’s birthday, and generally looking at any foreigner like they’re up to something (although in fairness, the script dictates that they are). Thankfully there are enough kung-fu movie tropes on display that it never becomes overbearing, with a rival school (headed by Zhao’s God of War co-star, Michael Tong) to contend with, lion dancing, and of course, the arrival of the highly westernised 13th Aunt, now played by relative unknown Wei Ni.
If there’s one unexpected benefit of Unity of Heroes, it’s that the lack of charismatic Mainland stars really helps Zhao to standout. In his early outings as Fei Hung, acting alongside the likes of Kent Cheng, Rosamund Kwan, and Xiong Xin-Xin, sometimes resulted in a feeling of Zhao’s limited screen presence getting lost in the mix. Unity of Heroes has a passable cast, but no one really stands out amongst the residents of Po Chi Lam, and combined with a certain authoritative edge that Zhao has developed with age, he owns the role here arguably better than he ever has before.
The other standout from the cast is Wei Xiaohuan as the conflicted right hand woman of the evil gweilo. She sells her performance well, and also appears to have the moves, although the opportunities to show them off are limited. Of course any movie featuring Wong Fei Hung should involve busting out some moves from all involved, and Unity of Heroes strives to deliver, although how successful it is in doing so depends on how easy you are to please. With newcomer Sun Jianshe on fight choreography duties, the initial scuffles that populate the first hour (which include a lion dance face-off, how long has it been since we saw one of those?) are slight, but show signs of promise that one hopes will be capitalised on later.
To a large degree, they are. The difference between new-school Mainland choreographers and the old-guard of Hong Kong has become increasingly more evident of late, with another example being Lin Feng replacing Yuen Bun in Detective Dee: The Four Heavenly Kings. Gone are any sign of extended exchanges, and in their place are shorter, less intricate hand and leg work, mostly reliant on extravagant power moves than logical application. The finale of Unity of Heroes is a good example of this, however still succeeds at being fun to watch, as Jianshe throws in everything ranging from Matrix style bullet-time, to Romeo Must Die inspired gravity defying 360 kicks, and x-ray vision internal organ impacts. Honestly, I think Zhenzhao should have just given Joel Silver a call before filming, as he probably would have been given a much bigger budget to work with.
Fun as it may be, it can’t be denied that elements of unintentional hilarity also creep in. Watching Zhao unleash his no-shadow kick, which sees him launch into a flying kick that goes on for the length of a football pitch may have been cool in 1992, but these days it seems like a move out of time. Kind of like if Jackie Chan released a new movie were he hits an object too hard, then shakes his hands in pain. Wait a minute, he still does that. But anyway, hopefully you get the point. Some moves belong to the era they were born from, and a lot of the stuff on display in Unity of Heroes comes straight out of the early 90’s HK new-wave boom, for better or worse. Needless to say, if you’re not a fan of wire-work, then this isn’t the movie for Wong Fei Hung movie for you.
While there’s no denying the sense of nostalgia certain parts of Zhao’s latest will bring for audiences of a certain disposition, there are other parts that drag down the pacing, and more than once collude to make the experience of watching Unity of Heroes a plodding one. Nobody is expecting Shakespeare from a DTV kung fu flick, but there’s also a fair share of head scratching moments. When Fei Hung finally cures one of the raging zombies that tried to attack them, the group note that a side effect of dispelling the poison is that it makes the victim an idiot. Give the scene more than a second of thought though, and you realise no one actually knows if he wasn’t an idiot (the subtitles description by the way, not mine!) already. But then it’s perfectly possible that in this world, all Chinese are upstanding and without impairment.
Zhao will return to the role of Wong Fei Hung just a few months later in Jeff Lau’s comedic Kung Fu League, which will no doubt highlight his less stoic side, so for those longing for a throwback to the 90’s Fei Hung flicks of old, Unity of Heroes may be as good as you’re going to get. It may not be Once Upon a Time in China VII, but it’s also not another Rise of the Legend, and for that, it should be applauded.
Today’s Deal on Fire is the 3-Disc Blu-ray set for 1984’s The Master: The Complete Series.
In The Master (aka The Master Ninja), an aging American ninja (The Good, the Bad and the Ugly’s Lee Van Cleef) and his headstrong young apprentice (Class of 1984’s Timothy Van Patten) search for the elder man’s daughter.
This cult classic TV series – produced in wake of the so-called “Ninja Craze” in 1980s – also stars Sho Kosugi (9 Deaths of the Ninja, Rage of Honor). Martial arts movie aficionados should take note that Robert Clouse (Enter the Dragon) and Gordon Hessler (Pray for Death) directed some of the episodes.
The Master series also features guest stars such as Claude Akins, Crystal Bernard, Edd Byrnes, William Campbell, J.D. Cannon, James Gammon, Clu Gulager, George Lazenby (On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, Universal Soldier), George Maharis, Jock Mahoney, Monte Markham, David McCallum, Doug McClure, Bill McKinney, Demi Moore, Diana Muldaur, Dick O’Neill, Soon-Tek Oh (The Man with the Golden Gun), Robert Pine, Jennifer Runyon, William Smith and Stuart Whitman.
In related news, Visual Entertainment recently released the DVD for 1983’s The Last Ninja, starring Michael Beck (The Warriors) and Mako (The Big Brawl).
“xXx: The Return of Xander Cage” Korean Theatrical Poster
xXx 4 is at early stages of pre-production, but considering the xXx franchise has the potential to pull in high profile action stars from around the world, the possibilities are limitless!
The latest is that Taiwanese superstar Jay Chou (The Viral Factor, The Green Hornet) is joining Vin Diesel, Zhang Lanxin (Railroad Tigers), and TF Boys member Roy Wang (Pound of Flesh).
Samuel Leong, or ‘Sam Gor’ as he is known in Hong Kong, is a prolific independent filmmaker who has been making low-budget films in recent years. His works include Bio SARS Zombie, TV Z and the Tournament series.
While most of his films are critically panned, the man has never given up his passion for making films. Since the first Tournament film in 2015, he has so far already made six sequels.
The latest sequel, titled DX-29, is again written and directed by Leong. It is a creature feature that stars Leong alongside Jim Ping-hei (Three, Triad), Ho Ying-wei (Flirting Scholar) and Ng Yo-yo (Tournament).
Tournament 7: DX-29 will be released in February 2019. You can check out its Trailer below:
After his notable stuntwork in films such as Lucy and Now You See Me 2 – not to mention his breakout starring role in Jailbreak, indie flick The Division and the recent Nightshooters– Jean-Paul Ly will soon be showing more of his amazing martial arts skills in the sci-fi actioner Rift, from writer/director Haz Dulull (2036: Origin Unknown).
Rift follows a nihilistic police officer who goes to extreme measures to protect a young boy who has the ability to tap into multi-dimensions across space and time (via FCS).
The film is just one of the many projects Ly has in-the-works. You’ll soon be seeing more of him in 14 Fists, Vengeance 2 and Kenneth Brannagh’s upcoming Disney adaptation of Artemis Fowl.
Production on Rift is scheduled to start next year. Until we hear more, here’s a look at some proof-of-concept footage:
On January 15, 2019, Mill Creek Entertainment will be releasing the Blu-ray for Silent Rage, a 1982 action thriller directed by Michael Miller (Street Girls) and starring Chuck Norris (Yellow Face Tiger, Code of Silence), Ron Silver (Timecop), Brian Libby (The Shawshank Redemption) and Stephen Furst (Animal House). The film will be presented in a special “Retro VHS Look”.
In Silent Rage, a sheriff (Norris) tries to stop the killing spree of a mute maniacal murderer (Libby) who, as the result of years of medical experimentation, has the ability to self-heal.
Variety describes the movie as “a combination horror-kung fu-oater-woman in peril-mad scientist film,” and many fans tag it as “Chuck Norris vs. Michael Myers”. In our opinion, this raw, sometimes terrifying film, is one of Norris’ best (if you can survive the romance montage within the film)…
Silent Rage was previously released as a Walmart Exclusive on October 30th.
Coming off the massive success of his recent film Project Gutenberg, Aaron Kwok (Monk Comes Down the Mountain, Cold War II) will soon be seen in another thriller titled Home Sweet Home.
This time, the superstar is teaming up with director Leste Chen (The Great Hypnotist, Battle of Memories) and co-stars Duan Yihong (King’s War, The Looming Storm), Zhang Zifeng (Go, Brother!), Tiffany Hsu (The Tag-Along) and Rong Zishan (End of Summer) to tell the story of a family of four whose happy lives get disrupted by the arrival of a mysterious visitor.
Shooting of Home Sweet Home has just completed and the film is expected to be released in 2019. For now, here’s the Trailer for Project Gutenberg:
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