On May 23, 2017, Arrow Video will be releasing the Blu-ray & DVD for 1975’s Wolf Guy (aka Wolfguy: Enraged Lycanthrope), a multi-genre flick directed by Kazuhiko Yamaguchi (Sister Street Fighter: Hanging by a Thread) and starring the one, the only Shinichi ‘Sonny’ Chiba (Hiroshima Death Match).
Shinichi “Sonny” Chiba is a martial arts “manimal” in the ultra-70’s, 100% bizarre mixture of horror, action and sci-fi that is Wolf Guy(read our review), one of the rarest and most sought-after cult films produced by Japan’s Toei Studio. Based on a manga by Kazumasa Hirai (creator of 8 Man), and never before released outside of Japan, it’s a genre film classic waiting to be discovered and a completely unclassifiable trip into phantasmagoric funk.
Chiba stars as Akira Inugami, the only survivor of a clan of ancient werewolves who relies on his supernatural powers to solve mysterious crimes. After a series of bloody killings perpetrated by an unseen force, Inugami uncovers a conspiracy involving a murdered cabaret singer, corrupt politicians, and a plot by the J-CIA to harvest his blood in order to steal his lycanthropic powers! At the same time, Inugami also discovers the truth behind his family heritage, and that he may not be the last of his kind.
Directed by B-movie genius Kazuhiko Yamaguchi (Wandering Ginza Butterfly, Karate Bear Fighter), Wolf Guy truly is one-of-a-kind, with Chiba in full effect as the part-man, part-wolf, all-karate action hero and a collection of familiar 1970’s Toei actors in support. Violence, action, nudity, real surgical footage, and a psychedelic musical score all work together to create an unforgettable trip to the heights of Japanese cinematic weirdness.
Special Features:
High Definition digital transfer
High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentations
Original uncompressed mono audio
New optional English subtitle translation
New video interview with actor Shinichi “Sonny” Chiba
New video interview with director Kazuhiko Yamaguchi
New video interview with producer Tatsu Yoshida
Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Wes Benscoter
First Pressing Only: Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Patrick Macias and a history of Japanese monster movie mashups by Jasper Sharp
A reboot of the highly successful 1999 sci-fi film The Matrix is brewing at Warner Bros. According to THR, Zak Penn (Ready Player One) is in talks to pen the screenplay and the studio is eyeing Michael B. Jordan (Creed) for the lead role made popular by Keanu Reeves (John Wick 2). There are currently no directors attached.
“At this point, the Wachowski siblings, who wrote and directed the original and its two sequels, are not involved and the nature of their potential engagement with a new version has not been determined,” THR reported.
The Matrix centered around a computer hacker (Reeves) who learns about the true nature of his reality and his role in the war against its controllers. The film spawned two sequels, The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions, both of which were released in 2003.
The films were known for their originality, cutting edge special effects (origin of the slow-motion “bullet time” effect) and of course, their fast-paced martial arts sequences, which put choreographer Yuen Woo-ping (Dance of the Drunken Mantis) on the Hollywood map.
Updates: According to BMD, Warner is not interested in rebooting The Matrix, but rather in exploring expanded universe concepts. And according to two independent sources BMD has spoken with, one idea that’s gained a lot of support is a prequel film starring Michael B. Jordan as a young Morpheus.
“On Her Majesty’s Secret Service” Japanese Theatrical Poster
Director: Peter Hunt Writer: Richard Maibaum Cast: George Lazenby, Diana Rigg, Telly Savalas, Bernard Lee, Gabriele Ferzetti, Ilse Steppat, Lois Maxwell, George Baker, Yuri Borienko, Desmond Llewelyn Running Time: 140 min.
By Paul Bramhall
Ask any James Bond fan which entry in the series has the ‘Asian connection’, and many will likely say 1967’s You Only Live Twice, which has Sean Connery gallivanting around Japan while taking on ninjas and training in the bushido arts. But I’ll beg to differ and present the case for On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, not so much for the content of the movie itself, but for the actor playing 007 – George Lazenby. The sixth entry in the series, and the one that closed out the 60’s, OHMSS (as I’ll refer to it from here on it) would be the first and last time Lazenby would take on the role of Bond in the official franchise.
The reasons behind Lazenby’s one-off tenure as the famous British agent are well documented – a mix of his own arrogance (which was what arguably got him the role in the first place), and his declaration that Bond was an obsolete character during its release, saw him quickly branded as being difficult to work with. These days he’s a much more affable fellow, and openly admits that he made mistakes during the initial years he spent in the film industry, but back then it was a different story. By 1973 he recalls being completely broke, and headed for Hong Kong to meet with Raymond Chow and Bruce Lee to discuss a role in Game of Death. Lazenby was booked to meet Lee for lunch on the day of the Little Dragons untimely passing, resulting in the collaboration never coming to pass, however Chow did sign Lazenby up for a 3 picture deal.
The result saw the one-time James Bond starring alongside the likes of Angela Mao and Hwang In-sik in Stoner (not to mention a sex scene with the actress whose bedroom Bruce Lee was found dead in – Betty Ting Pei), throwing down against Jimmy Wang Yu in The Man from Hong Kong, and mingling amongst such names as Dean Shek and Bolo in A Queen’s Ransom (which ironically saw him involved in a plot to kidnap the queen, rather than serving her). Quite the unusual career path for the Australian born actor, however maybe not completely unexpected. Members of the production on OHMSS recall Lazenby’s insistence to do all of his own fights and stunts, and he also contributed his own ideas for the action, suggesting the inclusion of a scene in which Bond would ski off the edge of a cliff with a parachute. Due to time constraints and resources the idea wasn’t feasible, however it was used 8 years later in the opening of The Spy Who Loved Me.
Watching OHMSS now, over 45 years since it was first released, it’s easy to appreciate just how ahead of its time it really was. Not only was it Lazenby’s acting debut, but it was also director Peter Hunt’s first time at helming a full length feature as well. Having worked as an editor on the first three entries in the 007 series, the producers believed he’d be up to the task of moving the franchise into a new and exciting direction. The case for them being right is a strong one, as in many ways OHMSS bears several similarities to the 007 reboot which would start with Casino Royale, a whole 37 years later. Hunt portrays Lazenby’s Bond as much more physical than Connery’s incarnation, gone is the focus on cars and gadgets, and in the first third there’s hardly a single gunshot fired, as Lazenby instead get involved in numerous fight scenes.
The way the fights are shot foreshadows the quick cut editing technique that Paul Greengrass would use in the Matt Damon starring Bourne sequels over three decades on, and delivers an effective sense of urgency and impact to the scenes. One particular fight that takes place within the confines of a hotel room is satisfyingly chaotic, with the whole room getting completely trashed in the process. It’s a template which would be used for many years to come, from Gina Carano vs Michael Fassbender in Haywire to Michelle Rodriguez vs Ronda Rousey in Furious 7. The fights are visibly undercranked, but for a 1969 British production, there’s a raw physicality to them that still feels fresh and immediate even now.
Also drawing on the similarities to Casino Royale, OHMSS flirts with shifting Bond into a darker direction. The opening sequence has Lazenby observing Avengers actress Diana Rigg from a distance, as she staggers around on a deserted beach. When it becomes evident that she is in fact trying to take her own life, he rushes out to save her. This opening pre-credit scene, as compact as it is, accurately represents all that’s good and bad with OHMSS. The dark undertones of a mob bosses daughter having no will to live is instantly engaging, and we’re drawn into Lazenby’s bold move to rescue her. However then he opens his mouth. Immediately introducing himself as “Bond, James Bond”, his delivery is a little too energetic and excited. Bond should be smooth and suave, however Lazenby’s line delivery is anything but. However no sooner has he spoken, than he’s involved in a fight against two assailants, which is satisfyingly intense and chaotic.
The elephant in the room in any discussion of OHMSS is, of course, how the opening pre-credit sequence ends. Having dispatched of the two assailants, and then come to the realisation that Rigg has driven off while he was fighting, leaving him alone on the beach, Lazenby breaks the fourth wall, momentarily glancing at the camera before stating, “This never happened to the other fellow.” So in just a few short minutes, the sequence acts as a micro-nutshell as to what can be expected from Lazenby’s outing – it’s intense, dark, physical, and also pretty goofy, not always in equal proportions.
For those that classify Lazenby’s outing as Stoner to be a heap of goofy psychedelic trash, the plot device is basically the same as OHMSS. Whereas Stoner revolves around Lazenby’s attempts to track down the creator of ‘the happy pill’, an addictive drug that acts as a hallucinogenic aphrodisiac (seemingly only on well-endowed naked females), OHMSS revolves around an infertility drug which will put an end to the world population. It’s revealed that Blofeld, played by Telly Savalas (replacing Donald Pleasence’s memorable turn as the villain), is operating under the cover of running an allergy research program. Up in the Swiss mountains, a bevy of women (later revealed by Savalas to be his “angels of death”) believe they’re undergoing a treatment of hypnotism for their allergies. We get to see the treatment in action with one particular patient, played by Angela Scoular, who has an allergy to chickens (which when she explains it is actually more of a phobia). As she lays down in bed, a series of psychedelic flashing lights fill the room, and Savalas comes on over the room speaker – “I’ve taught you to love chickens, love their flesh, their voice.” Seriously.
All of these bizarre shenanigans are completely at odds with Lazenby’s budding romance with Diana Rigg. Although at first he insists that she’s mentally unstable and needs a psychiatrist, as the plot progresses these interesting elements are largely cast aside. This is forgivable though, as the decision to introduce a female character that Bond actually falls in love with, and ultimately ends up marrying, is a worthy and bold move for the character. I don’t think it would class as a spoiler to reveal the ending of OHMSS, but just in case I’ll spare the details and simply say that the final minute remains as the single most emotionally poignant scene in the whole franchise to date. Lazenby performs the scene so well that it’s enough to forget about some of his less than stellar line deliveries in the rest of the movie, and make you wish he’d stayed as the character longer. As it stands though, the events that close out OHMSS act as little more than a footnote in the pre-credit sequence of For Your Eyes Only in 1981, over a decade later.
While the middle section of OHMSS is undeniably goofy, director Hunt reigns things in for an entertaining action finale. Consisting of an exciting downhill chase on ski’s, during which Lazenby broke his arm practicing for, it made enough of an impression that Christopher Nolan cited it as an influence on a similar scene in Inception. Lazenby amusingly slips out of his British delivery during this scene, at one point yelling to Rigg, “Keep going!” in a distinctly Australian accent, however considering he has enough to concentrate on, the small slip is excusable. There’s also a nice John Woo style moment, as he slides horizontally across the ice-covered ground while firing a machine gun at the bad guys. It’s a scene which is immediately reminiscent of the finale in Tsui Hark’s Knock Off, which has Van Damme horizontally sliding between containers while also shooting at the enemy.
The bobsleigh finale also earns its action merits, partly thanks to it being re-written to include the footage of stunts gone wrong while practicing the scene. Because of this decision, there’s a great shot of Bond crashing out of the bobsleigh and into the snow, great of course, because that’s what actually happened to the poor stuntman involved. Re-using stunt footage gone wrong was remarkably ahead of its time, and became a practice widely used in Hong Kong action cinema in the 80’s and 90’s (Conan Lee’s failed street light jump from Tiger on the Beat 2 springs to mind). This, along with other more subtle references, indicate that OHMSS is probably more highly regarded than many care to recognize. One of the more subtle examples come in a scene which has Bond make a fake coat of family arms, and it’s explained that the Latin on the coat is translated as The World is Not Enough, which of course would become the title of Pierce Brosnan’s 3rd outing as the character in 1999.
While the path of playing the revered secret agent wasn’t to be travelled by Lazenby, OHMSS deserves to be recognised as a worthwhile entry into the franchise, with action scenes that were well ahead of their time, and a plot which wasn’t afraid to imbue the character with a sense of loss. The closing credits of OHMSS proudly declare that ‘JAMES BOND WILL RETURN IN DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER’, and indeed he did, but it was Sean Connery who stepped back in the shoes of 007, or as Lazenby would say, “the other fellow”. As James Bond he may have been replaced, but thankfully, we’ll always have Joseph Stoner and Jack Wilton, so regardless of whether you have a chicken allergy or not, next time you need a 007 fix, consider OHMSS as your Bond of choice.
Director: Lau Kar Leung Producer: Mona Fong Cast: Gordon Liu, Kara Hui, Robert Mak, Wang Lung Wei, Ku Feng, King Chu Lee, Chu Te Hu, Wilson Tong, Hsiao Ho Running Time: 102 min.
By Chris Hatcher
Of the storied directors in old school kung fu cinema, none stand higher on the mountain top than the great Lau Kar Leung. His directorial run from 1975-1986 produced some of the Shaw Brother’s most celebrated classics including The 36th Chamber of Shaolin, 8 Diagram Pole Fighter, and Legendary Weapons of China. Known for creating realistic training and fight sequences influenced by the Chinese martial art of Hung Gar, Lau saturated his films with some of the most authentic choreography in the genre’s history. And no one added to his formula for success as frequently, or as spectacularly, as the Master Killer himself, Gordon Liu.
Lau cast Liu in 18 films and starred him in over half of those during a time of forging a new path in martial arts cinema. He ended his long-time work as an action choreographer for director Chang Cheh on the set of 1975’s Marco Polo out of need to focus more on the martial arts itself and less on Cheh’s affinity for blood-soaked violence. As one of the few directors to be an actual martial artist and the first choreographer to direct a feature film, Lau mentored actors like Liu in the ways of depicting spectacular kung fu on screen. And his approach paid off; Liu’s breakout role in 36th Chamber sealed their partnership and sky-rocketed both men to superstardom. In short, you can’t have a conversation about the best in martial arts cinema without mentioning Lau Kar Leung and Gordon Liu.
Whenever I read opinions on the duo’s best collaborations, it’s a given to see the films already mentioned sitting in the top spots. However, I’m always a bit surprised to find Martial Club towards the bottom of the list, or nowhere on the list at all. Granted, when you have so many great films under your belt it’s hard to find room at the top for everyone. But Martial Club seems… forgotten. Like it’s the one Lau/Liu film placed on the backburner simply for being a lesser known title in the filmography of these two greats, which is truly unfortunate. Here’s why:
Martial Club contains some of the best martial arts action to never kill a character on screen, which I greatly admire (a feat Lau/Liu pulled off three years earlier in the superbly bloodless Heroes of the East); it also displays an excellent blend of humor and action throughout; and, in what I consider the most compelling argument for its greatness, the finale features the single best Gordon Liu/Wang Lung Wei showdown of their many excellent encounters (which is truly saying something if you’ve ever seen these two go at it). Mix all of this together and you get a film that would likely rank top three on any other filmmaker’s “Best of” list. For a supreme director like Lau, however, it’s just another day at the office.
Martial Club’s plot keeps things light with Liu once again taking on the role of legendary troublemaker Wong Fei Hung (he previously played the part in Lau’s Challenge of the Masters). He and Robert Mak are students of neighboring kung fu schools, each always looking to one-up the other in friendly combat. An opening credits lion dance (featuring rules explanation by Lau) sets the stage for a third school’s head student (King Chu Lee) to break etiquette and challenge Mak’s Wang Yinlin to a lion dance-off. The aftermath finds the two schools’ masters, Zheng (Wilson Tong) and Lu (Chu Te Hu), seeking mediation from Fei Hung’s father (Ku Feng), a process that goes awry and leaves the two sides at odds.
When the hijinx of besting one another leads Fei Hung and Yinlin to ask their closest confidants (Hsiao Ho and Kara Hui) to rig a fight contest on their behalves, the result is a run-in with Master Shan (Wang Lung Wei), a northern kung fu expert who’s come southward to make friends and blend styles. Turns out he’s a guest of Master Lu’s, and an unsuspecting pawn in Lu’s shady plan to exploit the northerner’s talents and lead all rival schools. What ensues is a series of misunderstandings, double-crossings, and deceptions, each spawning a grander scale fight scene than the one before in route to the climactic showdown between Fei Hung and Shan.
Martial Club has been called one of the purest kung fu films ever made in some circles; another reason it demands to be more widely known by the fu fan masses. Lau is truly a master at highlighting kung fu intricacies and this one follows suit in multiple areas. For starters, I love his focus on strength of stance throughout the film with one particular scene showing Fei Hung goading a group of classmates to try and move him before his father secretly slips in to take a turn. The encounter is brief but exhilarating as Liu and Ku Feng demonstrate great footwork in a contest of focus and strength between father and son.
Another similar scene pits Gordon against Wang Lung Wei and Chu Te Hu as they attempt to break Fei Hung’s stance using long drapery-style material being offered as gifts. Each man winds cloth around his legs and attempts to hold his ground in the name of testing its quality when, in fact, the quality of the stance is the very thing being tested. Lau’s play on context is humorous and clever, not to mention pretty cool to watch.
Speaking of humor, Martial Club has plenty of it with Liu’s and Mak’s shenanigans taking center stage (Liu doesn’t play Fei Hung as zanily as Jackie Chan did in Drunken Master, but it works). Whether the two are posing as head coaches of their respective schools and being taught a lesson by a real master or Yinlin is impressing tricks in a brothel with his strength, the story is never bogged down by the silliness. In fact, it’s enriched by it due to Lau’s ability to flow effortlessly from the funny to the fighting and back again. Liu and Kara Hui demonstrate this when a misunderstanding leads Yinlin’s sister (played by Hui) to come after Fei Hung. The result is a school-on-school brawl featuring some great hand-to-hand and weapons combat between the two.
Which leads us to why we watch kung fu films in the first place… the fights. And no one stages great action like Lau with Liu, Hui, and Wang leading the way in a number of exciting clashes. I would go so far as to say Martial Club showcases some of Lau’s very best work and the final showdown between Gordon and Wang is the definitive proof. It’s one of the most breathtaking displays of technical skill I have ever seen in an old school film with the highlight being the alley it takes place in growing smaller in width as the fight progresses! Marvelous styles, stances, and flare throughout… oh, my!
But seriously, the fight is truly spectacular and I love the notion of their showdown being for nothing more than honor and the testing of skill. No revenge, no blood, no death… just honor and skill. It’s the epitomical scene for why Lau decided to sever his ties with Chang Cheh and blaze his own trail as a filmmaker… and the kung fu cinema world is a much better place for it.
CJ Entertainment will releasing The Age of Shadows (read our review) on Blu-ray & DVD on May 2, 2017. The film is directed by Kim Jee-woon, the acclaimed filmmaker behind I Saw the Deviland A Bittersweet Life.
Set in the late 1920s, the film follows the cat-and-mouse game that unfolds between a group of resistance fighters trying to bring in explosives from Shanghai to destroy key Japanese facilities in Seoul, and Japanese agents trying to stop them (via SD).
The Age of Shadows stars Song Kang-Ho (Snowpiercer), Gong Yoo (The Suspect), Han Ji-Min (The Fatal Encounter), Um Tae-Goo (Veteran), Shin Sung-Rok (The Prison), and Seo Young-Joo (Moebius).
On June 27, 2017, Criterion Collection is releasing a fully restored, 4K version of Straw Dogs, a film directed by the maestro of screen violence, Sam Peckinpah (Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia). This thrilling classic stars Dustin Hoffman (Straight Time) and Susan George (Enter the Ninja). Read the film’s official details below:
In this thriller, arguably Sam Peckinpah’s most controversial film, David (Hoffman), a young American mathematician, moves with his English wife, Amy (George), to the village where she grew up. Their sense of safety unravels as the local men David has hired to repair their house prove more interested in leering at Amy and intimidating David, beginning an agonizing initiation into the iron laws of violent masculinity that govern Peckinpah’s world.
Working outside the U.S. for the first time, the filmmaker airlifts the ruthlessness of the western frontier into Cornwall in Straw Dogs, pushing his characters to their breaking points as the men brutalize Amy and David discovers how far he’ll go to protect his home—culminating in a harrowing climax that lays out this cinematic mastermind’s eloquent and bloody vision of humanity.
Special Features:
New, Restored 4K Digital Transfer, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray
Audio commentary from 2003 by Stephen Prince, author of Savage Cinema: Sam Peckinpah and the Rise of Ultraviolent Movies
Mantrap: “Straw Dogs”—The Final Cut, a 2003 documentary about the making of the film, featuring cast and crew
Sam Peckinpah: Man of Iron, a 1993 documentary about the director featuring actors Kris Kristofferson, Jason Robards, Ali MacGraw, and many others
New conversation between film critic Michael Sragow and filmmaker Roger Spottiswoode, who worked as one of the editors on the film
New interview with film scholar Linda Williams about the controversies surrounding the film
Archival interviews with actor Susan George, producer Daniel Melnick, and Peckinpah biographer Garner Simmons
Behind-the-scenes footage
TV spots and trailers
PLUS: An essay by scholar and critic Joshua Clover
An international space crew discovers life on Mars, but when they begin to conduct research on the alien organism, they soon realize that nobody can hear you scream when you’re in space… As you just read, Daniel Espinosa (Safe House) is doing the Alien thing (and that’s not a bad thing) in Life, which hits theaters on March 24, 2017.
Life stars Rebecca Ferguson (Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation), Ryan Reynolds (Criminal), Jake Gyllenhaal (Nightcrawler) and last, but not least, Sonny Chiba protégé, Hiroyuki Sanada (Royale Warriors), who had a similar role in Danny Boyle’s Sunshine (which, interestingly enough, featured his Royal Warriors co-star, Michelle Yeoh).
Updates: Check out the film’s Red Band Trailer below:
Criterion Collection presents the Blu-ray & DVD for Kenji Mizoguchi’s Ugetsu. Read the film’s official details below.
Having refined his craft in the silent era, Kenji Mizoguchi was an elder statesman of Japanese cinema—fiercely revered by Akira Kurosawa and other younger directors—by the time he made Ugetsu.
And with this exquisite ghost story, a fatalistic wartime tragedy derived from stories by Akinari Ueda and Guy de Maupassant, he created a touchstone of his art, his long takes and sweeping camera guiding the viewer through a delirious narrative about two villagers whose pursuit of fame and fortune leads them far astray from their loyal wives. Moving between the terrestrial and the otherworldly, Ugetsu reveals essential truths about the ravages of war, the plight of women, and the pride of men.
Special Features:
New 4K Digital Restoration by The Film Foundation, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray
Audio commentary by filmmaker, critic, and festival programmer Tony Rayns
Kenji Mizoguchi: The Life of a Film Director (1975), a 150-minute documentary by Kaneto Shindo
Two Worlds Intertwined, a 2005 appreciation of Ugetsu by filmmaker Masahiro Shinoda
Process and Production, a 2005 interview with Tokuzo Tanaka, first assistant director on Ugetsu
Interview from 1992 with cinematographer Kazuo Miyagawa
Original Trailers
An essay by film critic Phillip Lopate (Blu-ray and DVD) and three short stories that influenced Mizoguchi in making the film (Blu-ray only)
On May 16th, Mill Creek Entertainment is unleashing Kung Fu Zombies, a new 2-disc compilation that includes 7 movies, which equals 10 hours of English-dubbed, non-stop deadly action.
And here’s what you get: 1981’s Kung Fu Zombie, 1982’s Kung Fu From Beyond the Grave, 2004’s Shaolin vs. Evil Dead, 2007’s Shaolin vs. Evil Dead: Ultimate Power, 1997’s Spirited Killer 2, 1998’s Spirited Killer 3 and 1980’s We Are Going To Eat You.
Cityonfire.com and Well Go USA are giving away 3 Blu-ray copies of Three to three lucky City on Fire visitors. To enter, simply add a comment to this post and describe, in your own words, the video below.
We will be selecting a winner at random. Be sure to include your email address in the appropriate field so we can contact you for your home address. Also, please ‘Like Us‘ on Cityonfire.com’s Facebook by clicking here.
Three will officially be released on April 4, 2017. We will announce the 3 winners on that date
CONTEST DISCLAIMER: You must enter by April 4, 2017 to qualify. U.S. residents only please. We sincerely apologize to our non-U.S. visitors. Winners must respond with their mailing address within 48 hours, otherwise you will automatically be disqualified. No exceptions. Contest is subject to change without notice.
AKA: Eighteen Martial Arts Director: Kim Si-hyun Writer: Kim Kyeong-il Cast: Dragon Lee (Mun Kyong-sok), Yuen Qiu, Choi Min-kyu, Baek Hwang-ki, Kim Ki-ju Running Time: 83 min.
Paul Bramhall
Back when I was first getting into the kung fu genre many years ago, upon witnessing a handful of Korea’s contributions, I confess to being quick to write them off as low budget imitations of Hong Kong’s far superior output. Looking back, I now feel like I jumped to that conclusion in haste, and over the years have become more and more convinced that, far from being imitations of Hong Kong’s own kung fu flicks, the Korean kung fu movie exists in its own quirky little world. Admittedly, many of the countries titles are all but impossible to view in their original language and version, with those readily available being re-titled, re-dubbed and re-cut versions released by Godfrey Ho and Tomas Tang’s Asso Asia distribution company. It was a practice that formed a successful business model in the late 70’s and 80’s, as western audience’s appetite for kung fu movies secured a successful return for these radically altered variations of the original production.
Director Kim Si-hyun’s 1981 movie Eighteen Martial Arts is one such example of this, with the Dragon Lee starring adventure re-titled Dragon, the Young Master for its western release. Si-hyun was no stranger to making kung fu movies, and is a name synonymous with the genre in Korea. His movies were also no stranger to being given the Asso Asia treatment, with his other collaborations with Dragon Lee, such as A Fight at Hong Kong Ranch, being re-titled to Golden Dragon, Silver Snake, and Secret Bandit of Black Leopard being re-titled to Enter the Invincible Hero. Both Si-hyun and Lee had extremely busy years in 1981, with Si-hyun helming 4 productions, and Lee starring in a total of 6 movies, the highest number in his filmography (note the source for these figures is the Korean Movie Database).
The plot for Dragon, the Young Master revolves around the mysterious figure of the Silver Ninja. Indeed the biggest part of the characters mystery is that he’s not silver at all, but rather is distinctive thanks to his all white attire and knitted white balaclava. Yes, if you’re thinking that he’s also technically not a ninja either, you’d be correct. Amusingly, when not involved in any action, the Silver Ninja wears a triangular black hat which covers his whole head, with two holes cut out for the eyes, giving the appearance of a low budget kung fu Darth Vader. Trust me when I say that it’s no spoiler to reveal that the Silver Ninja is Dragon Lee, from the moment he appears on screen and starts gesturing with his head and giving the thumbs down to a group of bandits, it’s blatantly obvious. So for those who want to see Dragon Lee unleashing his kicks while wearing a white balaclava and cape (correct, a cape), you’ve come to the right place.
As with too many Dragon Lee movies to mention, here he plays a wanderer, and as usual, it turns out that he has a secret agenda of revenge. For Dragon, the Young Master he’s paired with kung fu femme fatale Yuen Qiu. While these days Qiu is most well known for playing the landlady in Kung Fu Hustle, it’s worth remembering that she went to the same Opera School as the likes of Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung, and back in the day certainly had the moves. Interestingly from 1978 – 1981 she appeared in three Korean kung fu movies, all starring alongside Dragon Lee, with the other two being Dragon Lee Vs. The Five Brothers and The Dragon’s Snake Fist. Lee is soon busting the moves on Qiu’s flower seller, and performs an impressive fight scene against a group of thugs harassing her, were he keeps a white rose between his teeth from start to finish.
Qiu thankfully isn’t relegated to a damsel in distress role, and proves that she’s more than capable of handling herself, eventually teaming up with Lee that sees her on equal action footing with her co-star. The contrast between the pairs fighting styles is one of the highlights of Dragon, the Young Master, with Lee’s trusty mantis fist and Taekwondo kicks nicely offset by Qiu’s acrobatic flourishes and handwork. As with any Korean kung fu movie, the action comes thick and fast, and the heroic pair get to take on pretty much a who’s who of Korean kung fu talent of the era. Taking on both fight choreographer duties, and playing the main villain of the piece, is Choi Min-kyu, an actor who I’d dare say has made an appearance in every Korean kung fu movie I’ve seen (and I’ve seen a lot). Throw in plenty of familiar faces such as Baek Hwang-ki and Kim Ki-ju, and any fan of Korean kung fu cinema from the era definitely won’t be left wanting.
One point that becomes clear as soon as you start watching Dragon, the Young Master, is that it appears to have been filmed in the depths of the Korean winter. If the visible breath didn’t give it away, then the snow covered landscapes certainly do. Thankfully the wardrobe department have given Lee more than his standard white t-shirt to wear this time around, and the winter setting does allow for a great one-on-one fight featuring Lee at the 30 minute mark, which takes place on a snow covered frozen lake. I wasn’t able to identify who Lee is fighting against, however he provides a worthy opponent for Lee’s skills. The fact that they’re fighting on ice introduces the unique sight of them sliding at each other rather than charging, and there’s some nice exchanges. The same fight also highlights the comedic elements of the movie, with Lee at one point crouching down between the legs of his opponent, and unleashing a barrage of head butts to the nether regions.
An equal amount of comedy is conveyed through the often hilarious dubbing. The line “You’re the Silver Ninja!” must be delivered to Lee over 100 times, and rarely a minute goes by without someone being called a fool, bastard, or being asked if they’re tired of living (a staple line of almost every Asso Asia dubbed movie). The intentional comedy doesn’t fare quite as well, and there are some cringe inducing scenes to suffer though, one in particular which sees a thug adorn his head with a pair of horns, and proceed to charge at Lee while he waves a table cloth like a matador. Luckily though these scenes are in short supply, with some nonsensical dubbing always just around the corner to bring proceedings back on track. A highlight sees a group of bandits return to Min-kyu after being heavily defeated, to which he bellows at one of them “Look into my eyes!” Immediately after doing so, the bandit drops dead. However this seemingly supernatural power is never touched upon again, it looks like the dubbing crew just threw it in there for fun as it fit the scene.
The finale eventually builds to a showdown which sees Lee and Qiu team-up to take on a sword wielding Min-kyu and his brother, played by Kim Ki-ju (decked out in a bow-tie combo, which is never explained). It’s a lengthy fight, which for the most part has Lee and Qiu perform empty handed, however mid-way through Qiu does arm herself with a pair of daggers, and Lee also reveals an extendable fencing sword – think Donnie Yen’s extendable baton from SPL. Bizarrely, Lee only uses it to gain the upper hand, and once he has it (about 20 seconds later) immediately throws it away, a decision that I found to be as hilarious as it was random. The finale also allows for Lee to go into wild mode, with some seriously intense head shaking and chicken clucking going on. Even Qui gets in on the madness, at one point deciding to head butt everyone instead of simply punching or kicking them. Needless to say, by the time the pair are ferociously ripping Min-kyu’s clothes off, there’s no doubt that it could only be a Korean kung fu flick.
While Dragon, the Young Master doesn’t quite rank up there with Lee and Si-hyun’s previously mentioned collaborations, there’s still plenty of fun to be had with it. From location spotting (eagle eyed viewers will notice the Lee and Qiu throwdown against Min-kyu is in the same temple that features in Secret Ninja, Roaring Tiger), to the hilarious dubbing, to a manic finale that sees Lee crank it up to 11. For fans of Dragon Lee, there should be no hesitation to check this out, and for everyone else, as long as you remember that white is the new silver, there should be something to enjoy as well.
Australian actor George Lazenby has an upcoming documentary film about his life called Becoming Bond (the film was previously known as This Never Happened to the Other Fella – a title that’s a direct reference to his fourth-wall breaking line in the opening sequence of On Her Majesties Secret Service, his one and only outing as James Bond).
The stranger-than-fiction true story of Lazenby, a poor Australian car mechanic who, through an unbelievable set of circumstances, landed the role of James Bond in 1969, despite having never acted a day in his life. Then after being offered the next seven Bond films and a $1 million signing bonus, he turned it all down…
Following Lazenby’s short venture as 007, his career took in interesting turn with an unusual array of films including an Italian Giallo flick, Who Saw Her Die?, as well as a series of Hong Kong exploitation films:Stoner, A Queen’s Ransom and The Man from Hong Hong.
The Gangster | aka Antapal | Blu-ray & DVD (Magnolia)
Today’s Deal on Fire is the Blu-ray for Kongkiat Khomsiri’s The Gangster (aka Antapal). Set in the 1960s, The Gangster is based on the true story of a notorious gangster and the origins of the Bangkokian mafia.
The Gangster is based on the notorious Bangkokian gangs of the 1950s-60s. The story follows a newly released prisoner who desires to live Straight, but knowing nothing else but the life of a gangster, he returns to his old gang.
The film contains documentary segments in which old-timers from that era are interviewed and talk about criminal activity.
On May 2, 2017, Funimation will be releasing the Blu-ray & DVD for Black Butler, an 2014 action fantasy film by directors Kentaro Otani (Go, Masao!) and Keiichi Sato (Asura).
Inspired by the hit anime series Black Butler, this live-action adaptation brings an all-new story featuring a familiar demon butler doing what butlers do best: helping their masters seek revenge. The Black Butler is back—and there’s an all-new mystery to be solved. It’ll take one hell of a butler to figure it out!
Black Butler stars Hiro Mizushima (Beck), Ayame Gouriki (Gatchaman), Mizuki Yamamoto (Sadako vs Kayako), Yuka (Reincarnation) and Takuro Ohno (Liar Game: Reborn).
When there’s no more room in hell, the dead will walk the Earth. With Hong Kong island under quarantine and the walking dead roaming the streets, small pockets of survivors struggle to stay alive. But when the authorities learn of a potential cure located somewhere within the city, a lone warrior must battle the undead with the fate of mankind in his hands…
That’s the plot for Noriko: The Hong Kong Dead, an upcoming zombie action thriller produced by Mike Leeder (Ultimate Justice, Helios), Spencer Douglas (CFK) and Arne Venema (Neon Grindhouse: Hong Kong), who is directing the movie under the guidance of Vincent Dawn and Dan Findlay. The film stars Hong Kong-based indie actor Joe Fiorello (Love Stalk) and features visual effects by Matthew Blaize.
“Noriko is very much a Hong Kong Grindhouse project, it’s a zombie movie that wears its influences very heavily on its blood stained sleeves; we’re trying to capture that George Romero meets early 80s John Carpenter-feel for the movie, run through a very Hong Kong tilted filter,” says Leeder. “Watch out for some very familiar faces glimpsed amongst the Zombie hordes,” he adds.
Vincent Dawn admits: “I want to make a film about a man on a mission in a city of the undead where the living post as much of a threat as those who should be in the ground… and my zombies don’t f##king run!”
Watch the film’s Teaser Trailer below:
For the latest on the project, visit the film’s official Facebook page.
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Australian actor George Lazenby has an upcoming documentary film about his life called Becoming Bond (the film was previously known as This Never Happened to the Other Fella – a title that’s a direct reference to his fourth-wall breaking line in the opening sequence of On Her Majesties Secret Service, his one and only outing as James Bond).
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