Queen’s Ransom, A | aka International Assassin (1976) Review

"A Queen's Ransom" Chinese Theatrical Poster

“A Queen’s Ransom” Chinese Theatrical Poster

Director: Ding Sin Saai
Producer: Raymond Chow
Cast: Jimmy Wang Yu, Angela Mao, George Lazenby, Ko Chun Hsiung, Tien Ni, Charles Heung, Cheung Pooi Saan, Dean Shek, Bolo Yeung, Peter Chan, Cheung Ging Boh, Chu Tiet Wo, Han Ying Chieh, Hon Yee Sang
Running Time: 93 min.

By Jeff Bona

Three years after the passing of Bruce Lee, Hong Kong’s Golden Harvest Studios was still running around like a headless chicken in search of someone who could fill the shoes of their most bankable asset. This period – between 1973 and 1977 – was a time of trial and error for the once flourishing film company that used to have the biggest star in the palm of their hand. It was a situation that can only be compared to… let’s say… The Beatles losing John Lennon and Paul McCartney at the height of Beatlemania.

To adapt to this challenge, Raymond Chow, head of Golden Harvest, turned to names, old and new, like Ko Chun Hsiung (The Devil’s Treasure), Don Wong Tao (Yellow Faced Tiger), Chan Wai Man (The Handcuff), Jimmy Wang Yu (A Man Called Tiger), Dorian Tan Tao Liang (Hand of Death) and Yue Bing Lung (The Association) to lead some of the studio’s most high concept projects. Heck, they even nabbed one-time Bond, George Lazenby (Stoner), to gain some much needed, world-wide momentum.

Despite some minor hits, none of these guys were able to truly capture the electrifying charisma, intense energy, and most importantly, the enormous box office return that Lee delivered. It wasn’t until a year or two later that Sammo Hung (not as a bad guy or a choreographer, but as a leading man) and Jackie Chan came on board to make Golden Harvest the powerhouse that it once was in the early 70s; but before this was to happen, Golden Harvest took one last stab at creating magic by bundling up some of the aforementioned names into an ensemble project titled A Queen’s Ransom.

In A Queen’s Ransom, a terrorist from Ireland (George Lazenby) leads a group of deadly mercenaries to assassinate the Queen of England. Each of the men have their own special skill: Miyamoto (Cheung Pooi Saan), a Japanese explosives expert; Ram (Bolo Yeung), a Thai boxing champion; Chen Lung (Peter Chan), a Filipino sniper; and Shark (Jimmy Wang Yu), a Viet Cong guerilla warfare expert.

With the help of a bar girl (Tien Ni), Hong Kong police officials (headed by Ko Chun Hsiung and Charles Heung Wah Keung) must race against time and intercept the bad guys before they get to the Queen; little do they know, the bad guys have other sneaky plans up their sleeve.

A Queen’s Ransom definitely starts off on a high note, but goes nowhere but downhill after the first 30 minutes. With its cool title, promising plot and a diverse, all-star cast – including Angela Mao (Stoner), Dean Shek (Drunken Master) and exploitation favorite, Judith Brown (of The Big Doll House fame) – you would think the film would be full of wall-to-wall mayhem, but nope, 85% of it is nothing but dialogue.

Normally, I’m more concerned with the overall pacing of a film, so I don’t need a lot of killings and beat ’em ups to hold my attention; but with A Queens Ransom, you have all these stars that are associated with some of the most memorable action movies of all time, so naturally, I found myself wanting, waiting and begging for some kind of notable fight or action sequence to happen. Eventually, it does happen, but when it arrives, it’s sloppy, sluggish and easily forgettable.

Unlike Stoner and Man from Hong Kong, the absence of Sammo Hung’s choreography is brutally evident. The difference between what Lazenby was physically capable of in Stoner, and what he does in A Queen’s Ransom, is night and day. It’s no wonder Sammo’s name was associated with just about every Golden Harvest actioner of the 70s. He made people, no matter what skill level, look convincing. Instead of Sammo, Lu Tsun handles the choreography, which is crude in every sense of the word. The fact that we’ve never heard of this guy shouldn’t be a big surprise.

I suppose I’d be thinking differently if the non-action scenes were done with more quality in mind, but then again, this is a 70s Golden Harvest flick, and not a well-written episode of Mission: Impossible or The Man from U.N.C.L.E. As it stands, A Queen’s Ransom is filled with a rushed screenplay, careless plot holes and haphazard directing.

A Queen’s Ransom is the third and final film Lazenby would appear in for Golden Harvest studios. After trying to squeeze whatever star power was left in Lazenby with Stoner and Man from Hong Kong, it’s apparent the studio no longer knew what to do with him; so A Queen’s Ransom was produced, which resulted in Lazenby looking like a wooden bad guy with limited screen time.

If you’re wondering if the actual Queen Elizabeth II makes an appearance, she certainly does. However, her “role” is nothing but stock footage (mostly filmed from a distance) during her 1975 visit to Hong Kong, which was spliced into the actual film (a la Bruce Lee’s funeral footage in Game of Death).

At the end of the day, I’d be a fool not to recommend A Queen’s Ransom. Despite being a job to sit through, you can’t deny the film’s dodgy charm and historical spot in the Golden Harvest catalogue. Just be warned, there’s a reason A Queen’s Ransom remains obscure, despite its international star power.

Jeff Bona‘s Rating: 5/10

Posted in Chinese, Golden Harvest, News, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Mifune: The Last Samurai | DVD (Strand Releasing)

"Mifune: The Last Samurai" Theatrical Poster

“Mifune: The Last Samurai” Theatrical Poster

RELEASE DATE: April 25, 2017

Mifune: The Last Samurai (read our review), a new documentary by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Steven Okazaki (Heroin: Cape Cod, USA), hits DVD on April 25, 2017.

Mifune: The Last Samurai explores the accidental movie career of Toshiro Mifune, one of the true giants of world cinema. It also features  interviews with such luminaries as Steven Spielberg and Martin Scorsese, plus a narration by Keanu Reeves.

Mifune made 16 remarkable films with director Akira Kurosawa during the Golden Age of Japanese Cinema, including Rashomon, Seven Samurai and Yojimbo. Together they thrilled audiences and influenced filmmaking around the world, providing direct inspiration for not only The Magnificent Seven and Sergio Leone’s Fistful of Dollars, but also George Lucas’ Star Wars.

Pre-order Mifune: The Last Samurai from Amazon.com today!

Posted in DVD/Blu-ray New Releases, News, Other Notable Titles |

‘Ip Man 3’ star Danny Chan is back as a ‘Romantic Warrior’

"Romantic Warrior" Chinese Theatrical Poster

“Romantic Warrior” Chinese Theatrical Poster

Danny Chan, the actor mostly known for portraying Bruce Lee in both Legend of Bruce Lee and Ip Man 3 (not to mention the Bruce Lee-inspired goalie in Stephen Chow’s Shaolin Soccer), is back in Liu Xiaotong’s Romantic Warrior.

With a title like Romantic Warrior, one can only assume a light-hearted production, but if its trailer is any indication of what to expect, some hard-hitting martial arts action should be scattered throughout the film’s duration.

Romantic Warrior also stars Steve Yoo (Dragon BladeChinese Zodiac) and Xu Dongmei (Little Big Soldier). Don’t miss the film’s trailer below (via AFS):

Posted in News |

Sly and his psychotic gang of mutts are back!

The Expendables Collection | Blu-ray (Lionsgate)

The Expendables Collection | Blu-ray (Lionsgate)

Sly and his psychotic gang of mutts are back! On October 3, 2017, Lionsgate Home Entertainment will be releasing The Expendables 3-Film Collection (on 3 Blu-ray discs, plus digital copies). This action-packed, star-studded bundle includes The Expendables, The Expendables 2, and The Expendables 3: Unrated Edition.

In the series, Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jason Statham join forces with Mel Gibson, Mickey Rourke, Wesley Snipes, Harrison Ford, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Chuck Norris, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Antonio Banderas, Gary Daniels, Scott Adkins and many more legends and rising stars in these epic adventures.

Stay tuned for pre-order information.

Posted in News |

Zombies, Giant Frogs & Hunchbacks: The Pinoy ‘Supergirl’

supergirl pinoy filipino rare

Living in Manila, the capital of the Philippines, always brings plenty of surprises, and so it was one evening in early November 2016, I received the following text message:

“Hi everyone! 7pm tomorrow I am introducing a secret Makati screening of the super-rare, super-strange 1973 Pinoy SUPERGIRL! Interested? txt me for details!”

Andrew Leavold photobombs Paul and friend.

Andrew Leavold photobombs Paul and friend.

The number identified the sender as a certain Andrew Leavold, the Australian filmmaker behind the Filipino cinema documentaries The Search for Weng Weng, and The Last Pinoy Action King. I’d first met Leavold in the basement of an old vintage store which housed his impressive VHS collection, on the Sunshine Coast in Australia, where he screened an early edit of The Search for Weng Weng in 2013. We’d stayed in contact since then, and after I was relocated to Manila with my work in November 2015, it seemed inevitable that our paths would one day cross on Filipino soil.

Leavold was in Manila to begin filming his third documentary on Filipino cinema, one which, almost by default, promises to be entertaining. The focus will be on the bomba films of the 70’s that were made during the Marcos era, and for those wondering, bomba is the Spanish word for ‘bomb’, which in the context of the genre was short for ‘sex bomb’. While over in Japan the Nikkatsu studio was churning out its own brand of bomba with its Roman Porno movies, the Philippines was happily doing its own thing, in a genre made in an era which has made them largely forgotten to modern day Filipino audiences.

Viva La Bomba!

Viva La Bomba!

Bomba movies aren’t the only forgotten Filipino cinema though, as during the 70’s the country also had its own unique style of superhero movie. Today we may have the Marvel Studios releasing a never ending steam of superhero flicks, and Warner Brothers doing the same for DC, but back in the 70’s it was a different story. At the time, it seemed to be Turkey that had the monopoly on making Marvel Comics adaptations. For those that don’t believe me, simply research the movie 3 Dev Adam, and prepare to be amazed at a tale which has Captain America teaming up with masked Mexican wrestler El Santo, to stop evil super villain Spider-Man from terrorizing the streets of Istanbul.

"Shazam Boom" Newspaper Advertisement

“Shazam Boom” Newspaper Advertisement

This movie exists, and even better, is still available for viewing. The same sadly can’t be said for Filipino cinema of the same era. Be it for reasons such as the productions were never intended to be more than temporary entertainment, poor storage conditions, or destroyed during the Marcos era, sadly many Filipino movies from the 70’s are lost to the sands of time. It’s a shame, as the country had its own line of DC movies. There was a Pinoy Superman, with 1973’s Zoom, Zoom, Superman!, and a Pinoy Batman that featured in Fight Batman Fight! from the same year. Throw in the likes of Batwoman and Robin from 1972, Fantastika vs. Wonderwoman from 1976, and even Shazam got his own movie in 1974 with Shazam Boom. Do we really need a Hollywood Justice League movie!?

The one movie which was largely responsible for kicking off this wave of Filipino DC superhero movies wasn’t any of the above though, it was a movie called Supergirl from 1973. Like all of the mentioned movies, Supergirl was also accepted as being lost, the only remnants of it ever existing the original posters that were used to promote it at the time, and those who have memories of it showing on Filipino TV during the 80’s.

"Supergirl" Newspaper Advertisement

“Supergirl” Newspaper Advertisement

Every genre has its own holy grails – for kung fu fans it’s the version of Bruce Lee’s The Big Boss which has the infamous saw in the head scene. For Japanese chambara flicks it’s the rumoured alternate ending of Zatoich Meets the One Armed Swordsman, in which Jimmy Wang Yu walks away the victor. For Leavold, it was the Filipino version of Supergirl.

Proving that not all holy grails are out of reach, Leavold did finally track down a copy of Supergirl on a beat up 16mm reel, and like any true film fan (kung fu community please take note), he was eager to share it with those who enjoy the more bizarre corners of world cinema as much as he does. If the screening was a secret, then the location was even more so. Screening at the Archivo Gallery in Makati, the location of said gallery was hidden away via a small door leading to a set of stairs, at the end of an alleyway between a pair of warehouse complexes. The gallery itself initially seemed like an odd choice to show a pulpy 1973 black and white superhero movie, however a brief glimpse into the kitchen area, in which the staff were busy preparing finger food, revealed its true nature. Adorned on the walls of the compact working space were several original posters of vintage bomba movies, from Silip (readily available on a feature packed DVD from Mondo Macabro) to Scorpio Nights.

Andrew Leavold giving some commentary before rolling Supergirl.

Andrew Leavold giving some commentary before rolling Supergirl.

Suddenly everything fell into place, and Leavold revealed that the curator of the gallery has a huge collection of vintage bomba material, prime fodder for his new documentary. Before the movie starts Leavold provides one of his typically enthusiastic introductions to what we’re about to watch. Yes the picture and sound quality is beat up, yes there’s no English subtitles, and yes this isn’t your typical Saturday night movie in this post-millennial era. But it IS the Filipino Supergirl, so quite frankly, who cares about any of that. Leavold’s energy is contagious, and with an audience stocked up on several cans of already consumed wine and Red Horse beer, the ever so slight level on intoxication provided the perfect mind-set for a trip into the forgotten depths of Pinoy superhero cinema.

The film credit sequence for 1978's Superman cost millions of dollars to make. 1974's Supergirl's credits were done for a couple of pesos and some balut.

The credits sequence for 1978’s Superman cost millions of dollars to produce. Supergirl’s credits were done for a couple of pesos and some balut.

It’s safe to say that Supergirl did indeed live up to Leavold’s hype. Released more than 10 years before Hollywood would concoct its own version of Supergirl, with the 1984 Helen Slater starring oddity, the Filipino version very much brings its own flavour to the characters mythos. A pair of sisters and a brother live in a humble abode out in a countryside barrio, subjected to constant pillaging and harassment from a group of local bandits, and during one of their raids the sister who can see is knocked unconscious. It’s while she’s unconscious, that she’s visited by a 30 foot tall Virgin Mary, who gives her a ring that, when she kisses it, turns her into Supergirl. Yes, Supergirl is a Catholic, powered by the mother of Jesus no less. Who knew?

A Pinky film (not to be confused with a Pink film).

A Pinky film (not to be confused with a Pink film).

These Filipino Catholic influences permeate throughout the production, so those hoping to see a re-envisioning of Krypton, or how the threat of Kryptonite is dealt with, are most definitely in the wrong place. Supergirl herself is played by local star Pinky Montilla (billed in the credits as just Pinky). I’ll be honest and say, having no knowledge of Pinoy stars from this era, that I was expecting the blind sister to become Supergirl. The actress who plays the blind sister is quite slender and slim, while Pinky is carrying a little baby fat, so good on the Philippines for not adhering to body stereotypes of what a superhero should look like, even if it’s not as applicable now as it was then.

"The funk of forty thousand years..."

The funk of forty thousand years.

Pinky appeared to have the superhero market covered, as she also played the role of Batgirl in Fight Batman Fight! made the same year, and would go on to play Fantastika in 1976’s Fantasitka vs. Wonderwoman. After a decade of working in the film industry, she retired in 1980 and is believed to have immigrated to the U.S. It’s difficult to ascertain if Pinky is actually a good actress or not, as she (amusingly) plays her role deadpan from start to finish, and frequently seems baffled at her ability to turn into Supergirl, while never questioning her ability to do so. Unlike the Supergirl from the comics, the only power she inherits is that of flying, and for a 1973 production the flying effects are surprisingly well done. Refreshingly, in an age of mass CGI pixel destruction, this means that whenever she’s faced with bad guys, her form of attack is the straightforward approach of using her fists and feet to send them into oblivion, which she does with gusto.

King Kong who?

King Kong who?

Her rival comes in the form of an evil sorceress played by Odette Khan. What’s striking about this fact is that the 1984 Hollywood adaptation would use the exact same type of villainess, in the form of Faye Dunaway’s occult practicing witch. Is it possible that screenwriter David Odell had somehow seen the Filipino version of Supergirl, before scripting the American take on the character? Of course its speculation, and all indicators would point to it being highly unlikely, not least because if it ever did get shown Stateside, I’m sure DC would be all over it for infringing copyright laws. However it is a remarkable similarity, and definitely raised a few eyebrows for those familiar with both movies.

Pink's Supergirl predates Helen Slater's

Pinky’s Supergirl predates Helen Slater’s by over 10 years.

Khan’s character is delightfully over the top, and as an actress she’s still active in the local film industry today, with Supergirl being one of her first major roles. She keeps a bulging eyed hunchback as a servant, whom she periodically whips as a display of authority, and her mission is to create a serum that will bring her daughters dead husband back to life. Said husband is kept in an open casket in the basement, watched over by the hunchback and daughter, hoping that he’ll be able to be brought back to life soon. Suddenly Faye Dunaway’s standard plans at world domination seem dull in comparison to such a wacky premise.

"Creatures crawl in search of blood... to terrorize y'awl's neighbourhood..."

“Creatures crawl in search of blood… to terrorize y’awl’s neighbourhood…”

Khan’s plans eventually do succeed, but not before she attempts to bring a dead frog back to life, which results in it not only returning to the world of the living, but also expanding to become a Kaiju sized monstrosity, with a deadly tongue to boot. With no Godzilla around to stop the gigantic frog’s deadly rampage through the barrio, it’s up to Supergirl to give it a combo of left and right hooks to the face, and save the village from total destruction. The frog is far from the finale though, with Supergirl also having to deal with the harmless zombie version of Khan’s son-in-law, who comes back to life when none of them are watching, wanders off, and becomes attached to Pinky instead of his widow. What other superhero movie throws in a love triangle between the superhero, the villainess’s daughter, and her dead husband who has come back to life!?

It's adobo. It's a lumpa. It's Supergirl!

It’s adobo. It’s a lumpa. It’s Supergirl!

Ultimately, Khan’s serum ends up reviving all of the dead townsfolk from the local cemetery, leading to an onslaught of the undead that she has control of, and it’s up to Supergirl to save the day. As if ending a superhero movie with a finale that pits the hero versus a horde of the undead is not entertaining enough, her method for dealing with them is about as Filipino as it gets. Luring them to the local church, she grabs one poor zombie and drags him in like a child who doesn’t want to visit the dentist, forcing his hand to make the sign of the cross on his forehead, at which point he falls down dead (again). The others aren’t so lucky, and end up with a variety of kicks and punches to the face instead, but it’s the principle that matters.

Truth, Justice, and the Filipina Way...

Truth, Justice, and the Filipina Way…

The penultimate showdown sees Pinky’s Supergirl facing off against Khan’s whip wielding sorceress, who can now evoke fireballs from the lash of the whip. Naturally, the fight ends up on the rooftop of the church, giving Supergirl a distinct advantage considering we know the origin of her powers. Will the horde of zombies return to their graves? Who’s going to get rid of the giant frog corpse? Will the love triangle with the undead husband be resolved? All of this and more is at stake, and despite the goofiness of it all, by the end you actually find yourself caring.

Hadouken!

Hadouken!

While Supergirl is far from being high art, neither are the current spate of Hollywood superhero movies, however what it certainly has is a lot of heart. It’s a fantastic find for Pinoy cinema, and the unearthing of a movie long considered lost can’t help but make you wonder how many of the other lost movies are out there somewhere. Maybe sitting on an ancient VHS having been recorded off the TV many years ago, or in some dusty old cinema back room on a reel. The discovery of Supergirl at least gives us a glimmer of hope, that maybe one day we’ll also be able to enjoy the delights of Fight Batman Fight! and Zoom, Zoom, Superman!

Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with Supergirl.

Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with Supergirl.

If anyone can find them, most likely it’s going to be Leavold, with his unflinching dedication to ensuring the memory of Filipino cinema long forgotten is brought back for a modern audience. As the countries cinema continues to improve, thanks to the likes of directors like Erik Matti and Pedring Lopez, here’s hoping there are more opportunities to go digging into the past, and if one thing is for sure, whatever’s unearthed is never anything less than entertaining.

Posted in Features, News |

Deal on Fire! The Toho Godzilla collection | Blu-ray | Only $7.99 – Expires soon!

Godzilla Vs. Mechagodzilla II | Godzilla Vs. Spacegodzilla | Blu-ray (Sony)

Godzilla Vs. Mechagodzilla II | Godzilla Vs. Spacegodzilla | Blu-ray (Sony)

Today’s Deal on Fire is the Blu-ray for The Toho Godzilla collection, which contains 1993’s Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla and 1994’s Godzilla vs. Space Godzilla.

In Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla, the United Nations assembles the ultimate weapon to defeat Godzilla, while scientists discover a fresh pteranodon egg on a remote Japanese island.

In 1994’s Godzilla vs. Space Godzilla, Godzilla is threatened by both Mogera – another UN built machine; and Space Godzilla, a beast spawned from Godzilla’s particles in space.

Order the Toho Godzilla Collection from Amazon.com today!

Posted in Deals on Fire!, News |

Contract to Kill (2016) Review

"Contract to Kill" Japanese DVD Cover

“Contract to Kill” Japanese DVD Cover

Director: Keoni Waxman
Cast: Steven Seagal, Russell Wong, Jemma Dallender, Mircea Drambareanu, Sergiu Costache, Ghassan Bouz, Toma Danila, Andrei Stanciu, Camillo Aviles
Running Time: 90 min.

By Paul Bramhall

Steven Seagal. What can you say? In 1990 he was Hard to Kill, in 2003 he was Out for a Kill, in 2008 he flipped the Kill Switch, a year later he was Driven to Kill, he started off 2016 by Killing Salazar, and to round off the year, he received a Contract to Kill. Both of the 2016 movies mentioned were collaborations with who appears to have become Seagal’s go-to director in recent years, Keoni Waxman. Quite how the pair came to form such a partnership is a mystery. With Seagal’s reputation for being difficult to work with, Waxman has made more movies with Seagal than any other director he’s worked with. Kicking off with 2009’s The Keeper, up to and including Contract to Kill, Waxman has been the man in the director’s chair for 9 of Seagal’s features, as well as handling 8 episodes of the short lived TV series True Justice (many of which were paired up and further passed off as movies).

It’s incredible then, that out of the close to 20 productions they’ve worked on together, not one of them manages to be even slightly entertaining. For those that have done the math, you’ll probably realise that during some years they must have cranked out more than one title. This is never truer than in the case of 2016, when apart from Contract to Kill and Killing Salazar, they also made End of a Gun together. But Seagal didn’t stop there, in fact these productions represent less than half of his output for the year, with his hefty presence also gracing such titles as Sniper: Special Ops, Code of Honor, The Asian Connection, and The Perfect Weapon. You’d think that must make Seagal one of the hardest working actors out there today, until you actually see one of the productions, and realise just how little effort he seems to be putting into each one.

Despite the above criticism, I confess to being a Seagal fan. I can’t help it. It’s rare that a studio would have that much faith in a martial artist, with zero acting experience, that they’d make him the star of a movie without bothering to test the waters with supporting or bit roles first. But that’s exactly what happened with Seagal, when at 36 years old he appeared on the big screen out of nowhere as the main character in 1988’s Above the Law (or indeed the title character for its UK release, re-titled Nico). What made him even more unique was that his selling point was his proficiency in Aikido, a defensive martial arts style from Japan, that many considered to be a fools task to try and make appear exciting onscreen. In fact the only notable movie to feature the style before Seagal’s arrival was the 1975 Japanese movie, The Defensive Power of Aikido, which saw Sonny Chiba’s younger brother Jirô Chiba in the title role.

However Seagal was no fool, and throughout the 90’s he proceeded to throw, break, and snap a countless number of thugs in a string of classic action movies. The 00’s weren’t so kind. Apart from a brief theatrical resurgence with the movies Exit Wounds and Half Past Dead (and an odd role in the Korean movie Clementine), the decade was mostly defined by his bloated weight, and omnipresent leather trench coat. His movies became bizarre, often being doubled by someone half his size, and even stranger was the frequent voice doubling, usually performed by someone ‘trying’ to sound like Seagal. If the 00’s were all about the trench coats, then the post-2010 era will most likely become known as the era of the orange-tinted glasses. It’s hard to tell exactly when the trench coats finished and the orange-tinted glasses started, however what I can say with confidence is that in Contract to Kill he isn’t seen without them. Bear in mind he even has a sex scene, in which the girl gets naked and he remains fully clothed, which includes the glasses staying in place.

Contract to Kill is truly bottom of the barrel filmmaking in every way. The plot, for what it’s worth, has Seagal as a ‘re-activated’ agent out to stop a group of Islamic terrorists from entering the U.S., which he does by putting together a kind of Z-grade version of Ethan Hunt’s team from Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol. Russell Wong, who’ll be familiar to action fans as Jet Li’s adversary in Romeo Must Die (and to a lesser extent, Tony Jaa-clone Mike B’s 2009 movie The Sanctuary), plays a drone expert who joins Seagal’s team, along with British actress Jemma Dallender. Apparently Dallender and Seagal’s characters used to be in a relationship, hinted at by Seagal mumbling that he still wears the Rolex that she gave him, but what exactly her area of expertise is we never know. Seagal is just bringing her back into his team to “do what she does best.” I imagine that’s being the only actress available that agreed to get naked and felt up by Seagal.

Speaking of his mumbling, it’s a real problem here. In one scene he’s interrogating a suspect, and switches from English to Spanish to Arabic. The problem is his tone is so incomprehensible it sometimes took me a few seconds to realize he’d switched back to English again. Other times the end of his sentences seem to trail off, almost out of boredom, and sometimes the dialogue in the script runs for so long with no punctuation, that you can hear him running out of breath mid-sentence. For those who like to hear Seagal talk, they’ve certainly come to the right place, as the whole movie is ridiculously exposition heavy, with Seagal sometimes talking for what felt like minutes at a time, explaining everything that’s going on to the most minute detail.

When he isn’t talking, an awful lot of time is spent on Wong and his drone. Well, let me rephrase that to just his drone. Waxman must have spent a significant portion of the budget on buying a drone, as a disproportionate amount of time is spent on shots of it. We watch it taking off, when it’s in the air we’re subjected to constant cut-away shots of it and its annoying whirring, and we always get to see it land as well. If the movie is ever re-titled, Steven Seagal and the Drones would be a suitable candidate, if he doesn’t relaunch his music career first. Some of the drone scenes also contribute to Contract to Kill’s complete lack of coherence, for example in one night scene Wong sets up the drone to spy into a meeting the terrorists are holding in a hotel. The drone is of course supposed to be an inconspicuous way of doing this, however as soon as it takes off it lights up like a Catherine wheel. Maybe the lights come as standard for night flying.

My other favorite scene that makes no sense belongs to Dallender, who gets dressed up in an elegant and sexy cocktail dress to get up close to the terrorists in the hotel. The scene is set up just like Paula Patton’s scene from Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, complete with Seagal talking to her through an ear piece. However she then proceeds to enter the hotel reception, dressed to the nines, and just stands there watching the terrorists talk outside the elevator. That’s it. I mean if she wanted to blend in, surely it would have been easier to wear a t-shirt and jeans. Contract to Kill is full of nonsensical plot points and scenarios such as these, and that’s not even mentioning the exploding plane, a previous act of terror that the extremists carried out, which is shown so many times in flashback I lost count. It’s even inserted into the final scene, were it has no context whatsoever, other than to remind us that we’ve seen it several times before.

When it comes to action Contact to Kill also sadly falls flat, almost as if Seagal is determined to undo all of his hard work at making Aikido look like a legitimate screen-fighting technique. We’re subjected to the usual hand locks and wrist throws, and at the 85 minute mark, with just a few minutes left to go, we’re given a brief dose of Seagal brutality, but it’s all too little too late. I’ll give credit for at least one moment of unintentional hilarity, which took place when Seagal offs the final bad guy, at which point Dallender laughs, hops over the corpse, and gives Seagal a hug. Seriously. With movies like A Good Man, Sniper: Special Ops, and Code of Honor, playing Special Ops agents seems to be Seagal’s current flavour of the month. However even more so than his never-ending stream of former CIA agents, his characters in these movies are completely bland and interchangeable, which also perfectly sums up the movies themselves. Contract to Kill is no different.

Paul Bramhall’s Rating: 1/10

Posted in All, Asian Related, News, Reviews | Tagged , , |

Lee Byung-Hun’s thriller ‘Master’ hits U.S. theaters in January

"Master" Theatrical Poster

“Master” Theatrical Poster

CJ Entertainment USA is giving Cho Ui-Seok’s Master a limited theatrical release on January 6th, 2017. This upcoming South Korean thriller stars Gang Dong-won (The Priests), Lee Byung-Hun (I Saw the Devil) and Kim Woo-Bin (Friend 2).

An intellectual crime investigation team goes after company Won Network. The company is involved in a massive fraud case. Kim (Gang) is the leader of intellectual crime investigation team. He is smart, charismatic, aggressive and bold to lead the intellectual crime investigation team. President Jin (Lee) is the president of Won Network. Park (Kim) is the Section Chief of Won Network. He is the brains behind Won Network.

Catch the film’s U.S. trailer below:

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James Bond’s connection with Asian and Martial Arts Cinema

"The Man with the Golden Gun" Theatrical Poster

“The Man with the Golden Gun” Theatrical Poster

Being an avid James Bond fan, as well as a writer for City on Fire, I’ve put together a list of Bond titles that are relevant with Asian and martial arts cinema. Whether it be ninjas, samurai, kung fu masters – or just well-known Asian talent  – there’s definitely a connection between 007 and the types of films that are usually covered here at City on Fire. Of course, considering the impact Bond films have had on cinema in general, none of this should come as a surprise.

Dr. No

Even in the first James Bond film, hints of Asian film culture were already evident. 1962’s Dr. No has Bond (Sean Connery) up against the titular villain, Dr. No (Joseph Wiseman), who was 1/2 German and 1/2 Chinese. Surrounded with his deadly Asian henchmen, Dr. No was committed to terrorizing the world with his atomic-powered radio beam. The 1973 Bruce Lee martial arts classic, Enter the Dragon, is considered by many, somewhat of an unofficial remake of Dr. No – in fact, critics have referred to Enter the Dragon as “a remake of Dr. No with elements of Fu Manchu”.

You Only Live Twice

Back in 1967, it was one heck of a gamble for Western movies to feature a prominent Asian cast, but as time went by, there was definitely a demand (similar to the recent rise of online casino and rise of people who look to play bingo), so in a way, You Only Live Twice was a look into the future. Samurai warriors aside, the film served as one of the first major appearance of the ninja in a Western pop culture; and unless you were a fan of Japanese cinema, these masked assassins (and their cool assortment of weapons) were relatively unknown back then. Additionally, the film features popular Japanese actor, Tetsuro Tamba (Harakiri), as well as Akiko Wakabayashi (King Kong vs. Godzilla), Mie Hama (Counterattack of King Kong) and Tsai Chin (who would later make a cameo in 2006’s Casino Royale) in supporting roles.

Goldfinger

1964’s Goldfinger has one of the most memorable, if not THE most memorable, villains of all time: Oddjob (played by real-life Japanese weightlifter/professional wrestler, Harold Sakata). This abnormally strong assassin is armed with his trademark razor-edged bowler hat, which is similar to the “Flying Guillotine” weapon that was popular in many kung fu films. Sakata himself would go on to make appearances in a couple of martial arts titles: 1977’s Death Dimension (with Jim Kelley and George Lazenby) and 1982’s Bruce Strikes Back (with Bruce Le and Hwang Jang Lee) where he practically reprises his role as Oddjob.

On Her Majesty’s Secret Service

Especially for the time, 1969’s On Her Majesty’s Secret Service displays the franchise’s most inventive, hard-hitting action sequences – similar to what we’d see in a John Woo flick years later. In one example, Bond (George Lazenby) is seen sliding belly-down a snowy hill while simultaneously shooting a high-powered machine gun at his enemies. A few years after his one and only outing as 007, Lazenby would join Hong Kong’s Golden Harvest studios and star in a handful of Chinese productions with the likes of Angela Mao (Enter the Dragon) and Jimmy Wang Yu (The Man from Hong Kong) – one of the projects, Game of Death – would have paired him up with Bruce Lee, but due to the latter’s untimely death, the project was put on the back burner (only to be finished a few years later with a Bond-esque credit sequence and a soundtrack by John Barry, who scored most of the Bond films). The most popular, 1975’s Man From Hong Kong, which has Lazenby as a villain, is essentially a James Bond copycat starring Wang Yu. Lazenby also appears in the aforementioned Death Dimension, not to mention the 1977 comedy, Kentucky Fried Movie, which is largely made up of an Enter the Dragon spoof titled A Fistful of Yen, which showcases Grand Master Bong Soo Han (Force: Five) and Evan C. Kim (Megaforce).

Man with the Golden Gun

Thanks to films like 1973’s Five Fingers of Death (aka King Boxer) and the explosion of Bruce Lee, the popular “kung fu craze” was alive and strong in the 70s. This era even influenced Carl Douglas’ to record the song “Everybody was Kung Fu fighting,” which became a major hit. So Bond producers strategically cashed-in on the “Chopsocky” mania and made sure 1974’s The Man with the Golden Gun was heavily infused with some kung fu/karate action. In one fight scene, Bond (Roger Moore), who realizes he doesn’t stand a chance against Charlie Chan You Lam (The Secret Rivals, Part II), takes Bruce Lee’s Enter the Dragon advice: “Never take your eyes off your opponent, even when you bow,” which results in Bond’s victorious escape. The film also stars Soon-Teck Oh (the villain in Chuck Norris’ Missing in Action 2) and Yuen Qiu (Kung Fu Hustle, Dragon Claws).

Licence to Kill

1989’s Licence to Kill, featuring Timothy Dalton as Bond, marked the return of ninjas, which we haven’t seen in a Bond film since You Only Live Twice, 22 years earlier. Although the ninjas (technically, they’re Hong Kong narcotic agents, which doesn’t really make sense) show up for a short amount of time; the sequence can be seen as either memorable or out-of-place, depending on one’s taste. The ninjas are played by Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa (Mortal Kombat) and actress/model Diana Lee-Hsu.

Tomorrow Never Dies 

In this 1997 Bond flick, Hong Kong action star, Michelle Yeoh (In the Line of Duty), joins forces with Bond (Pierce Brosnan) to take on an evil media mogul (Jonathan Pryce). Because Yeoh’s character – a Chinese secret agent who knows kung fu – isn’t your typical damsel in distress, she’s highly regarded as one of the most unforgettable Bond girls. Not only is she a real “co-star” alongside Brosnan, she also gets a chunk of action-packed screen time, courtesy of Hong Kong-based stuntmen, most notably, Philip Kwok (Five Deadly Venoms). 

But wait, there’s more…

The James Bond franchise’ association with Asian Cinema doesn’t stop within the 007 films themselves. The late Richard Kiel (“Jaws” from 1977’s Spy Who Loved Me and 1979’s Moonraker) played a similar character in Tsui Hark’s 1984 action caper Aces Go Places 3 (aka Mad Mission 3: Our Man from Bond Street), a Hong Kong production that stars Sam Hui (Naughty! Naughty!), Karl Maka (Skinny Tiger, Fatty Dragon), Sugiyama Tsuneharu (an Oddjob wannabe), and get this: Sean Connery’s brother, Neil (Operation Kid Brother) as “Mr. Bond.” Kiel would also team up with Jackie Chan in Golden Harvest’s all-star 1984 comedy Cannonball Run II (the first Cannonball Run film, which also stars Chan, includes Roger Moore, who portrays a Bond-like character).

To be continued…

I can sit here and make connections between Bond movies and Asian/martial arts cinema for days (I didn’t even mention all the Bond knock-off films made in Japan and Hong Kong in the 60s), but for now, I’ll end it here.

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Saving Mr. Wu (2015) Review

“Saving Mr. Wu” Theatrical Poster

“Saving Mr. Wu” Theatrical Poster

Director: Ding Sheng
Writer: Ding Sheng
Cast: Andy Lau Tak-Wah, Liu Ye, Wu Ruofu, Wang Qianyuan, Lam Suet, Zhao Xiaoyue, Vivien Li Meng, Cai Lu, Yu Ailei, Liu Wen-Bo, Guo Ming-Yu
Running Time: 106 min.

Kelly Warner

Andy Lau walks out of a nightclub, signs autographs, and waves to his fans. The onscreen text reads, ‘Mr. Wu, Famous Movie Star.’ (I laughed, though I can’t really explain why.) Soon we learn that famous movie star Mr. Wu is known for playing cops and used to perform concerts in years past. It’s as if Andy Lau (Firestorm) is getting a chance to play a thinly-veiled version of himself. And though ‘The Andy Lau Story’ might’ve made for an entertaining film in its own right, in actuality Lau is playing a dramatized version of real-life actor, Ruofu Wu, who in 2004 was abducted by men posing as police officers and held for ransom.

In the film, Mr. Wu leaves the nightclub and is heading to his car when he’s intercepted by men in police uniform who begin to question him. They tell him that his car’s been involved in a hit-and-run. Wu and his associate argue this, then there’s some disagreement about whether Wu’s Hong Kong driver’s license is even legal in Mainland China. It’s at this point, when the civilian knows the law better than the cop, that Wu and his associate begin to question the cop’s legitimacy. Before they know what’s happening, guns are drawn, Wu is handcuffed, and the actor is thrown into the back of a waiting car.

It’s a crime of opportunity. The kidnappers are well-equipped men with enough experience in abduction for ransom, but they seem to pick their targets at random. They simply saw Wu’s fancy car and decided he’d be the target for the night. When it turned out that Mr. Wu was the car’s owner, they couldn’t back out. Quite the opposite, as their leader Zhang puts it: “How could we not kidnap a movie star standing right in front of us?” They demand a ransom and unless Wu’s able to organize a payment within 24 hours, they will execute him.

The film bounces back and forth between the kidnappers, the abducted Mr. Wu, and the cops on the case. It also shifts between the time before the kidnapping, during the incident, and after a key arrest is made. Writer/director/editor Ding Sheng used flashbacks to flesh out the story of his previous film Police Story: Lockdown and while I liked that movie I thought the flashback structure didn’t help the story. So it’s interesting that the non-linear storytelling structure of Saving Mr. Wu is actually one of the film’s finest achievements. Details unfold in the order that best befits the story being told, and if that means jumping back weeks in time to better understand our characters then so be it.

The weakest part of Saving Mr. Wu is the police characterizations. They’re a force to be reckoned with (thankfully without ever devolving into hero worship), but they’re never developed into individual characters. The lead cop gets a phone call from his wife about his son and… that’s it. The son is brought up once more in order to add some drama right before the cop runs into danger but that’s just lazy character development. However, while none of the cops ever make much of an impression individually, their part to play in the story as they track down the kidnappers is often interesting and exciting. I didn’t know this until after the film was done but Ruofu Wu, the actor whose ordeal inspired the film, actually has a supporting part as one of the cops on the case.

Saving Mr. Wu is at its best when focused on the interplay between the abducted and the abductors. Wu utilizes his acting abilities to control his emotions and ultimately try to take command of the entire situation. It’s one of Andy Lau’s best performances in years, allowing him to show a wide range of emotions with total believability.

As the lead kidnapper Zhang, Wang Qianyuan (Brotherhood of Blades) nearly steals the show from superstar Andy Lau. Zhang is quite the character. His criminal tactics are cold and efficient but he’s also something of a lunatic. He never goes anywhere without a hand grenade and collects guns like he’s preparing for a war. Wang Qianyuan is the best thing about the movie—it’s a star-making performance. He never goes for the easy stuff that you see other film villains employ. It’s a smart, intense acting job.

The back-and-forth plays for leverage between Wu and Zhang reminded me of the Paul Greengrass film Captain Phillips, especially in the second half where Tom Hanks was surrounded by increasingly desperate kidnappers. It’s an actor’s showcase for Wang and Lau.

As Mainland China’s film industry continues to expand, it will need more auteurs to elevate at least certain pieces of China’s cinema above the mainstream, government approved blockbusters that seem designed by a computer program more than living, breathing filmmakers. It will need more people like Ding Sheng. Now, Ding Sheng ain’t perfect, but what I like is that he seems to learn from the missteps made on previous films. And he consistently gets strong work from his lead actors, at least some of whom are old-school favorites from the days when Hong Kong movie-making was at its best. I think Saving Mr. Wu is Ding Sheng’s best film so far; a blend of China’s arthouse dramas and its potboilers, with two excellent performances from its lead actors.

 Kelly Warner’s Rating: 7.5/10

Posted in All, Chinese, News, Reviews | Tagged , , , |

Seagal has a ‘Contract to Kill’ Islamic extremists in February

Contract to Kill | Blu-ray & DVD (Lionsgate)

Contract to Kill | Blu-ray & DVD (Lionsgate)

On February 28th, Lionsgate Home Entertainment will be releasing Steven Seagal’s latest film, Contract to Kill, on Blu-ray & DVD. This time around, the legendary action star is taking on Islamic extremists an drug dealers, simultaneously.

Contract to Kill (read our review) is directed by Keoni Waxman (End of a Gun), the writer/director/producer who has helmed several movies with Seagal (End of Gun).

In Contract to Kill, a Special Agent (Seagal) is called back into action when the CIA stumbles upon evidence that a group of extremists is planning to join forces with a drug cartel. He assembles a team of operatives – including Russell Wong (Romeo Must Die) – and devises a daring operation to turn the two groups against each other in an explosive confrontation.

In addition to Contract to Kill, Seagal has a handful of films that he may or may not be working on (he’s hard to keep track of) that include, AttritionChina SalesmanCypherGunfighter, Under Siege 3Four Towers and Above the Law 2. His most recently released film, Perfect Weapon, just hit shelves last week.

Watch the trailer for Contract to Kill below:

Warm your doggies with the coolest fashion from Frank and Beanz!

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Sword Master (2016) Review

"Sword Master" Theatrical Poster

“Sword Master” Theatrical Poster

Director: Derek Yee
Producer: Tsui Hark
Cast: Kenny Lin Geng-Xin, Peter Ho Yun-Tung, Jiang Yi-Yan, Jiang Meng-Jie, Norman Chu, Edward Ku, Ng Yuen-Jun, Wang De-Shun, Guo Jiu-Long
Running Time: 105 min.

By Paul Bramhall

There have been a handful of Shaw Brothers re-makes over recent years. Some of them have resulted in successful reinterpretations of the source material, such as Daniel Lee’s 2010 production 14 Blades, a pulpy re-imagining of Secret Service of the Imperial Court, and Peter Chan’s Wu Xia from 2011, which took its inspiration from One Armed Swordsman. Of course others have arguably missed the mark completely, most notably Andrew Lau’s 2012 jumbled effort The Guillotines, which was based on The Flying Guillotine. However no one has been bold enough to take on one of the many Chor Yuen directed productions, usually based on writer Gu Long’s novels set in the martial arts world. No one that is, until the arrival of Sword Master.

Based on 1977’s Death Duel, the man stepping up to the daunting task of remaking such a well-known classic, is in fact the star of the original, Derek Yee. While many modern day audiences know Yee as the director behind such gritty slices of Hong Kong cinema as One Night in Mongkok, Protégé, and The Shinjuku Incident, it’s important to remember that he was also very much an active player in the Shaw Brothers studio. When director Chor Yuen went through his phase of adapting Gu Long novels from the mid-70’s to the early 80’s, Yee was a regular sight in many of them, even playing the lead in the likes of Full Moon Scimitar and Descendant of the Sun.

Sword Master marks the first time both for Yee to attempt a remake, and his first foray into the wuxia genre, however the production definitely comes with the right talents behind the camera. In the producers chair is Tsui Hark, one of the few directors in the world who’s successfully found ways to innovatively use 3D technology during action sequences. Most likely due to Hark’s involvement, the action direction is in the capable hands of Yuen Bun and Dion Lam. Bun has frequently worked with Hark in recent years during his forays into 3D action filmmaking, and you can certainly see him honing his craft when witnessing the progression of the action in the likes of the Detective Dee series, through to the likes of The Taking of Tiger Mountain. He’s one of the few choreographers from the golden era who’s found peace with modern technology, and the same can be said for Dion Lam, who also handled the action in League of Gods, from the same year.

As far as plot goes, for anyone who is even vaguely familiar with the Shaw Brothers adaptions of Gu Long’s novels, you’ll know that things tend to get convoluted very quickly, while somehow still maintaining an acceptable level of coherency. That’s also the case here, so to avoid filling up the next 5 paragraphs with a plot synopsis, I’ll try and keep it short. Events open on a snow covered bridge spanning a frozen lake, as 2 swordsman face off against each other. It’s certainly difficult to think of a more appropriate way to kick off a wuxia movie. One of the swordsman is played by Peter Ho, sporting a tattooed face which almost makes him look like a wuxia version of The Crow, and his only desire is to be the best swordsman in the land, for which he needs to defeat the legendary Third Master.

The role of the Third Master is the character that Yee played in Death Duel almost 30 years prior, and here his shoes are filled by Kenny Lin, who’s left his identity behind and seeks a life of solitude, with his own family declaring him dead. The rumours of his death quickly circulate and throw the martial arts world into disarray, with his ambitious and power craving bride-to-be, played by Jiang Yi-Yan, demanding proof of his death. Away from the chaos, Lin takes on the job of an errand boy in a brothel, and while there begins to fall for the charms of a naïve prostitute, played by Jiang Meng-Jie. However when Lin is sighted by a former adversary, he has to deal with Ho’s fame seeking swordsman, a spurned bride-to-be, and threats from multiple clans that seek to overthrow his family as the leaders of the martial arts world.

For those who have seen Peter Chan’s Wu Xia, the above may sound familiar, as that movie concerned itself with Donnie Yen’s clan member who also gives up his identity for a peaceful life. However those comparisons really only hold up on paper, with Sword Master very much being a different type of production. Indeed out of all the recent Shaw Brothers remakes, it’s arguably Yee’s effort that recaptures the atmosphere of that era of filmmaking the most. In many scenes the surroundings are created by CGI, however the look and feel is not going for realism, just like the many studio bound sets of the Shaw Brothers could never be mistaken for a real outdoor setting. Instead they create a fantastical and mythical setting, one which provides an appropriate backdrop for the lonesome swordsmen and lovelorn swordswomen to muse on their fates and the meaning of it all.

Indeed the script for Sword Master could have come straight out of a Shaw Brothers wuxia. Characters whimsically dwell on what it means to be the best, reminisce on lost love, and deliver such wonderful lines like “I sharpen my blade on talkative men’s throats.” Both Yee and Hark penned the script, along with Chun Tim-Nam, who has worked with both directors before, penning the likes of Seven Swords and The Shinjuku Incident. The dialogue and story are arguably Sword Master’s biggest strengths, ensuring characters motivations and personalities are fully fleshed out, and notably drawing some surprising laughs from a sharp sense of wit occasionally on display.

Old school fans will no doubt appreciate the inclusion of Norman Chu as the father of Lin, which also makes him the only returning cast member from the original. At over 60 years old he cuts a commanding figure, and provides a welcome link to those movies that came before. For those who hope to see him in action, the good news is that he also throws in some slicing and dicing for good measure. While we’re on action, as mentioned previously the expectation that having Yuen Bun and Dion Lam on-board comes with thankfully doesn’t disappoint. Purists will no doubt cry foul at the CGI enhancements, however these are also likely the same purists who complain that the action in the Shaw Brothers wuxia’s is too flowery and stylised. Amongst the shots of flowing material and CGI projectiles, Bun and Lam have crafted some solid swordplay that delivers the goods.

When Norman Chu yells to “Get into formation!” It almost felt like it was the first time hearing this line in such a context since watching movies like Shaolin Intruders and The Emperor and his Brother. The merging of the old-school action style created with modern day filming techniques is never going to please everyone, however if this is the direction that wuxia action is going to take, then it stands as a worthy update and homage to what’s come before. From one-on-one sword duels, to clan vs. clan attacks using a variety of weapons, all of the action scenes are choreographed to a high level, with the performers moving both to avoid real weapons and CGI ones that would be added in post. To perform against an attack that’s not there, and then seamlessly carry on performing choreography against those that are there, is a skill in itself, and shouldn’t be written off as technology doing all the work.

All things considered, Sword Master isn’t just an imitation of the era its source material is from, instead Yee’s movie feels like a bold reimagining of how the wuxia genre can still work using modern technology. If the Shaw Brothers wuxia’s charmed with their sets and elaborate costumes, 90’s wuxia’s wowed with their elaborate wire work and set pieces, then wuxia from this era will hopefully be defined by its strong storytelling and CGI infused action. Let’s hope that for other filmmakers, Sword Master sets the bar.

Paul Bramhall’s Rating: 8.5/10

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Eliminators (2016) Review

"Eliminators" DVD Cover

“Eliminators” DVD Cover

Director: James Nunn
Cast: Scott Adkins, Wade Barrett, Daniel Caltagirone, James Cosmo, Mem Ferda, Ty Glaser, Olivia Mace, Stephen Marcus, Bruce Johnson, Sean Cronin
Running Time: 94 min.

By Zach Nix

British martial artist and actor Scott Adkins has had a busy year in 2016. He appeared in numerous supporting roles, whether it be within low budget direct to video efforts (i.e. Jarhead 3: The Siege, Home Invasion) or theatrical blockbusters (The Brothers Grimsby, Criminal, Doctor Strange). He also starred within arguably the most anticipated direct to video release of the year, Hard Target 2, the ‘in name only’ sequel to John Woo’s classic original. With all of that work under his belt, Adkins could have stopped there and called it a fruitful and successful year.

However, it appears that Adkins has one last trick up his sleeve for 2016, as he has arguably saved the best for last. His latest direct to video (DTV) release, Eliminators, is easily his best action vehicle of the entire year. While Hard Target 2 may have been the blockbuster DTV event that all action fans were pumped for, Eliminators is the underrated sleeper hit of the year, seemingly coming out of nowhere. Adkins previously worked with the film’s director, James Nunn, on the well-received Green Street 3: Never Back Down. And while that film introduced viewers to Nunn’s abilities as a director of low budget action, it’s clear that he has now joined the ranks of DTV cinema’s finest with Eliminators, one of the most affective DTV actioners in quite a while thanks to an engaging story, genuine tension, and fantastic action sequences.

The plot is fairly straightforward, at least from DTV standards. Adkins plays Thomas, a single father to his younger daughter. After a group of thugs break into his house and threaten he and his child’s life, Thomas has no choice but to kill the men in self-defense. When Thomas’ name and face are plastered all over the news after the incident, his worst fears are realized, as his identity and whereabouts are made public to his former enemies whom forced him into witness protection. Thomas is than placed into a race against time as he must retrieve his daughter and fight off a deadly assassin, Bishop (Stu Bennett), sent by the man whom killed his wife.

Produced by the prestigious WWE studios (it’s nice to see Adkins finally do one of theirs), Eliminators is a nice blend of family drama, witness protection gone wrong, and Terminator-styled cat and mouse chases. It’s all well-paced too, as the family element is introduced first in order to invest viewers in Adkins’ plight before he is plunged into a nearly non-stop showdown against Bennett’s menacing prowess. Nunn crafts some solid tension amidst the two’s chase across London and throws obstacle after obstacle at Adkins once he escapes from police custody.

The final product is made all the better thanks to the film’s showcase of quality DTV action, courtesy of both Adkins’ prime physical abilities and Nunn’s affective direction. There are almost no signs of DTV cinema’s worst crimes, save for a few moments of silly digital green screens on computers or hand held devices and an instance or two of digital sounding text along the bottom of the screen. With the level of production value and quality action on display here, it’s still a shock as to why Adkins is not headlining mid-budgeted theatrical releases, let alone why DTV directors are not graduating to the theatrical big leagues.

Fans of action cinema may notice the connective tissue between Eliminators and other well-regarded action features if they look carefully enough, or if they have seen as many action films as I have. The opening scene is very reminiscent of Adkins’ own Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning, in which he and his family is assaulted by masked figures. Thankfully, Adkins’ family is not brutally murdered this time, and he actually gets to kick some ass and fight back this time.

This same scene also rings similar to John Wick in which some young punks mess with the wrong person whom has a dangerous past, which thereby sets them off on a crime filled journey against their former employers and enemies. The initial set up of the film is also similar to David Cronenberg’s A History of Violence in which an act of burglary messes with a person’s new found identity and life. All of these recognizable themes and plot points turn Eliminators into a nice melting pot of previously successful action films.

It’s nice to see Adkins star in a film set in his own native country, but it’s a shame that he still has to put on an American accent. I understand that the creative choice is meant to make Adkins’ character seem like an outsider to where he lives, but I just wish that Adkins could let his natural voice let fly. I’ve stated before how wonderful it is to hear Statham let loose his full-fledged British accent in British productions like The Bank Job and Redemption. Therefore, it’s about time that Adkins gets his chance to do so, let alone within a film set in London.

As far as Adkins’ characters come, Thomas is a decent one, very much along the lines of Hard Target 2’s Wes Baylor or Ninja’s Casey Bowman. He’s a strong, dedicated, and honorable man, whom every viewer will admire, but a far cry from the multi-layered complexity of Undisputed’s Yuri Boyka. Action stars like Adkins typically play two kinds of characters, variations of themselves or completely unique and complex individuals that are fairly unlike them. The unique and complex ones are typically the ones that become the most iconic, but there’s nothing wrong with enjoying a shameless action vehicle where the star essentially plays themselves, as Adkins does here.

The rest of the supporting performers are quite good, especially on the villain front. Bennett, also known by his wrestling name Wade Barrett, gives a Terminator-like performance as an unstoppable assassin whom gives Thomas a run for his money. Bennett, previously unheard of and unseen by me, is a surprisingly reliable screen performer, thanks to both his imposing voice and physical stature.

And while Bennett is the main physical villain of the film, the heavy dramatic villain of the film goes to Cooper, played by James Cosmo of many cinematic epics like Braveheart and Troy. His character is especially complex, as he is a gangster whom ‘loves’ his granddaughter, yet wishes for Thomas to be nothing but dead, even though he is her father. Cosmo’s performance in the final few scenes of the film is very affective and helps elevate an otherwise genre-infused thriller a few dramatic notches higher. He also lives in a neon-lit house that looks like something out of Suspiria or a Nicolas Winding Refn film, it’s a neat artistic choice.

Eliminators could have settled for technically sound but repetitive action that would have resulted in a decent or mediocre genre effort. However, what makes its action sequences so affective is how varied and lengthy they are. I am a huge fan of variety, and Eliminators features numerous different types of action sequences in different settings and locales that produce a different experience each time, ranging from one on one throw downs to shootouts with multiple performers. One such notable fight is a throw down between Adkins and two local guys inside of a gondola atop London. It offers up a different opponent for Adkins to fight in between his repeated bouts with Bennett and results in a ‘how did they pull that off’ kind of sequence.

There are also two fights between Adkins and Bennett, which is what most action films will be writing and talking about. Their first is clearly the superior, as it occurs after a solid amount of build-up, while the second sort of pops up out of nowhere. There is also a solid body count on both sides of the coin here, with Adkins killing a nice handful of assailants and Bennett dispatching poor innocents here and there. While on the note of violence, I have to say that some of the deaths of innocent people in this movie really bummed me out. I know that innocent people die in lots of action movies, but it repeatedly happened here all throughout, and to small supporting characters too who clearly didn’t deserve it. All in all, Eliminators is jam packed with action sequences, some more memorable and inventive than others, but all rock solid.

Here I was, thinking that I knew what my top action films of 2016 list would look like, and out of nowhere comes Eliminators, quickly wiggling its way onto the list. While James Nunn was previously unknown to me, his name is now synonymous with the likes of Roel Reine, John Hyams, and Isaac Florentine, as he knows action, but also has a nice handling on character and story, with room for improvement here and there. Next time a DTV joint by Nunn pops up, such as the currently in development The Marine 5, I’ll know to get excited and not simply wait for the finished product, as Nunn knows his stuff.

As for Adkins, Eliminators is one of his absolute best films. It may not feature the dramatically compelling character work of the Undisputed films, or the sheer B-movie action of Ninja: Shadow of a Tear, but what it does offer is a sleek, streamlined, assassin-showdown picture that is nothing but simplistic and affective action entertainment. It’s clearly a one-off, and not designed for sequels, but Eliminators is easily Adkins’ crowning achievement of the year, as well as the best DTV actioner of 2016.

Zach Nix’s Rating: 8/10 

Posted in All, Asian Related, News, Reviews | Tagged , , , |

Bounty Hunters (2016) Review

bounthunters

“Bounty Hunters” Theatrical Poster

Director: Shin Tae-Ra
Producer: Raymond Wong
Cast: Lee Min-ho, Wallace Chung, Tiffany Tang, Jeremy Xu, Karena Ng, Fan Siu-Wong, Yang Mi
Running Time: 105 min.

By Paul Bramhall

In 2016 China continued its mission to create a watchable Hollywood style action blockbuster, and this time they’ve called in some help to back them up. Bounty Hunters is produced by Hong Kong based Raymond Wong, and perhaps sensing that leaving such a blockbuster in local hands could result in something that resembles a sequel to Switch, the directorial reigns have been given to Korean Shin Tae-ra. The director behind such middle-of-the-road Korean action comedies like My Girlfriend is an Agent and Runway Cop, Tae-ra may not be a hot ticket to success, but his background does make him an obvious choice to helm a globe-trotting action adventure.

Tae-ra isn’t the only Korean influence in Bounty Hunters though, with Lee Min-ho also coming on-board as co-lead alongside Chinese actor Wallace Chung. Min-ho is known for his handsome looks, and in most of his career has arguably been cast in many a Korean TV drama because of them, which has resulted in him having a huge fan-base not only locally, but also in China. However his previous movie role, as the lead in 2014’s Gangnam Blues, proved him to be more than just screen candy, with a convincingly gritty performance that also allowed him to show off his action chops.

As mentioned Min-ho is paired with Wallace Chung, and in Bounty Hunters they play a pair of slacker bodyguards. Both used to be agents for Interpol, but due to the usual story of a mission gone wrong, they were dismissed, and now run their own agency to provide their services to those who need protection. The pair are hired to protect an informant, who has information on a terrorist responsible for blowing up hotels across Asia, however when things go wrong and the informant is compromised, they end up in the cross-hairs of a pair of female bounty hunters, played by Tiffany Tang and Karena Ng. Oh, and their gay butler played by Fan Siu-Wong.

If that last line seems a little out of place compared to the rest of the plot description, then let me further adjust expectations, that it’s the last line which represents the tone of Bounty Hunters more than anything else written. It may not reach the towering badness of Switch (and none of the actors have apologised yet for appearing in it), however this has more to do with it having a marginally shorter run time than anything related to the move itself. Bounty Hunters is the kind of bad movie that only China seems capable of making, the type of bad movie ear marked by the ridiculously high budget that’s been thrown at it, and the ridiculously low level of talent tasked with making it.

Illogical decision making and incoherent story telling are the orders of the day, built around a script that was probably written on the back of a coaster by a chimp. At one point Min-ho and Chung check into a hotel room with the informant, and find a cake waiting for them on the table. Identifying that it’s a bomb, instead of attempting to dispose of it, they simply leave it in the room and calmly vacate the hotel, leaving it to go off and wipe out who knows how many innocent lives. There are countless more examples. As they’re witnessed with the informant, the pair end up as suspects behind the bombings, however not once do they ever run into any cops or law enforcement during the whole run-time. This might be 1% plausible if they remain in Hong Kong, however the fact that they then then travel unhindered to Tokyo in Japan, Incheon and Jeju Island in Korea, and Bangkok in Thailand, doesn’t just demand that you leave you brain at the door, it assumes you never had one if the first place.

Let’s talk about Fan Siu-Wong. He must have had a gun held to his head to appear in this, either that, or work must be really scarce for talented martial artists in 2016. Siu-Wong has long been one of the most underrated martial arts stars of Hong Kong cinema, and never really got the break he deserved, partly due to what he blames on his decision to star in 1992’s hyper-violent Story of Ricky (don’t mention the sequel). While this may be true, whatever movies he does appear in are usually brightened up by his kung-fu skills and likeable presence. Not so here. In the role of Tang’s heiress characters gay butler, he has precisely zero action scenes (unless you count displaying some shapes to open motion sensor curtains). Instead, he’s reduced to being a personal fashion assistant to Min-ho and Chung when they go on a shopping trip, acts as everyone’s waiter, and pines after Min-ho.

Min-ho himself doesn’t fare much better. It becomes apparent from the moment the movie starts that he’s there to bring in his large female fan-base, and little else. His job is to look pretty, and to that end he performs it well. Even when he’s been involved in a high impact car crash, he emerges out of it with cuts that look pretty. To ensure a tone of glaring predictability is maintained, a romance develops between Min-ho and Tang, which brings the male and female bounty hunters together. The pair share a scene tied up and locked in the trunk of a car together, clearly trying to recreate the similar scene of sexual tension that George Clooney and Jennifer Lopez performed so well in Out of Sight. However they have a non-existent chemistry, and instead the scene is embarrassing and awkward to watch, even more so than the rest of the movie.

As a villain of the piece, Chinese actor Jeremy Xu is an irritating failure. Sporting orange hair and suit shorts, his reasoning behind blowing up the hotels relates to his rich parent issues, and is about as threatening as he sounds. That is, not at all. His character talks a lot, jumps and screams even more, and constantly refers to the explosions that he watches from nearby vantage points as ‘fireworks’. No matter how much of the script is taken up by his inane ramblings though, the fact is orange hair and suit shorts don’t amount to a worthy villain, and it’s impossible to ascertain how anyone involved in the production thought otherwise.

There is action in Bounty Hunters, it is after all an action comedy, and most of it goes to Min-ho, most likely for no other reason than to appeal to the audience that are watching it for his presence. The action scenes are brief, but manage to maintain a degree of competency. One particular sequence has him taking on a room full of suited attackers, which thanks to some camera trickery gives the illusion of being filmed in a single shot, and the usual wire-assisted high kicks are present and accounted for as well. Tang doesn’t fare so well, as she cuts such a slight figure that it’s impossible to believe there’s any degree of power behind her blows, with it instead falling upon the stuntmen to make their reactions and falls look convincing.

As a comedy, it fares much worse. The scenes that involve characters speaking English invoke laughter for all the wrong reasons, thanks both to the actor’s delivery and the lines themselves, which have blatantly been written by a non-English speaker. However the intentional comedy is a write off. Several scenes aim to derive their laughs from the use of a stun gun, usually involving one of the bounty hunters threatening to use it, in a way that will have the others being caught in its range. However watching a group of grown-ups having spasms and twitching on the floor in a ‘comedic’ manner wasn’t funny in the first scenario, so when the same joke is recycled for a second time, it’s just lazy. The procrastination that takes place in these scenes, almost as if Tae-ra is imagining the audience settling down from their side splitting laughter before delivering the punch line, is equally as painful to watch.

The problem with these big budget Mainland China movies is that, even if every review reaches the same conclusion that they’re terrible, local audiences still flock to see them. It happened with Switch, and it will happen here as well. Lee Min-ho is in it, so that factor in itself brings a built-in guaranteed audience. It’s a smart business case which will likely ensure a return on investment, but as a legitimate piece of filmmaking it’s a soulless exercise, as incompetently made as it is glossy. For those wondering what kind of movie would have a final scene that contains Fan Siu-Wong attempting to French kiss Lee Min-ho while straddling him, then you’ve come to the right place, for everyone else, steer well clear.

Paul Bramhall’s Rating: 2/10

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Operation Chromite | Blu-ray & DVD (Sony)

Operation Chromite | Blu-ray & DVD (Sony)

Operation Chromite | Blu-ray & DVD (Sony)

RELEASE DATE: January 24, 2017

John H. Lee’s (71: Into the Fire) South Korean actioner, Operation Chromite, is exploding its way to Blu-ray & DVD on January 24, 2017, courtesy of Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.

Operation Chromite stars Lee Jung-jae (Assassination), Jin Se-yun (Enemies In-Law), Lee Beom-su (The Divine Move) and Liam Neeson (Taken), who portrays General Douglas MacArthur.

According to THR, Operation Chromite is the codename for the Battle of Incheon that took place on Sept. 15, 1950, shortly after the Korean War broke out on June 25. It was a surprise attack in which U.N. forces landed in the South Korean harbor city to drive out the North Koreans, and is recognized as a turning point for U.N.-backed South Korea against the communist North. Operation Chromite will focus on eight Korean war heroes.

Pre-order Operation Chromite from Amazon.com today!

Posted in Asian Titles, DVD/Blu-ray New Releases, News |