Game of Death (1978) Review

Posted on February 20, 2011 by JJ Bona
"Game of Death" Japanese Theatrical Poster

“Game of Death” Japanese Theatrical Poster

Director: Robert Clouse
Cast: Bruce Lee, Kim Tai-chung, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Colleen Camp, Gig Young, Dean Jagger, Sammo Hung, Bob Wall, Mel Novak, Hugh O’Brian, James Tien, Roy Chiao, Hon Tsoi Chi, Casanova Wong, Billy McGill
Running Time: 92 min.

By Joseph Kuby

At best, this is a quintessential example of a good/bad movie. Brandon Lee was said to have hated this film with a passion! It’s funny, because even with the original footage, I don’t like Game of Death as much as the sequel. I guess it’s just standards with the foresight of knowing that if Bruce lived it would have been better.

But that’s not the only thing. There’s something about Game of Death that always projects bad vibes – maybe it’s the foreshadowing of Brandon’s death, the dark atmosphere or the dull direction. Also, it made Bruce look like a weak fighter whereas the sequel plays to the myth (and legend) of Bruce being a master fighter who never gets hurt and fails to lose fights.

The sequel also has a nice lighthearted feel to it. The sequel seems less exploitational. I never liked all of those shots of Bruce Lee’s funeral in the predecessor. Also, it’s plain obvious that the old footage doesn’t work with the new footage, particularly when it becomes obvious during the finale that Bruce is fighting at daytime than night-time. I suppose they did their best given the resources and circumstances.

Is it just me or does the final duel between Billy Lo and Carl Miller look a bit slip-shod? I don’t mean the editing of the footage but of the audio. After When Bob Wall says “Christ…”, we cut to a shot of Bruce Lee from Way of the Dragon where the dialogue continues albeit in a different voice “… Billy Lo”; it feels like they took that bit from the trailer or something i.e. “Bruce Lee as… Billy Lo!”

What’s even funnier is that whilst future filmmakers would depict the catsuit as being a shiny yellow catsuit, it’s clear (when looking at behind the scenes pictures and the Curse of the Dragon documentary) that it’s really a light orange catsuit. It’s more of a dark yellow catsuit, if anything remotely yellow. Maybe the perception of it being a strong yellow catsuit was due to the way the film print was preserved.

The Spanish title for Game of Death is Juego Con La Muerte (Game with the Death), whilst the French title is Le Jeu De La Mort (Play of Death).

After the success of Bruce Lee: The Man, The Myth, Ho Chung Tao was approached by Golden Harvest to play the role of Billy Lo in the official version of Game of Death. Offering to cancel all of his prior commitments, Chung Tao was anxious to do his best to commemorate Bruce Lee. When confronted with the concept that two other actors would join him in the role in an attempt (yet again) to fool the audience, Ho ultimately and quite nobly refused to be associated with the project.

But I don’t think even Ho Chung Tao would have made much difference to Clouse’s “vision” as it were, though it would been a sight to see how he would have coped with Sammo’s ever-so-demanding high standards for excellent fight choreography.

At the time of its production, Game of Death was the most expensive film Golden Harvest had yet undertaken to make (i.e. without production financing from a Western company, instead Columbia Pictures focused on distribution). The film’s budget was HK$ 4.5 million (US$ 580,465). In Hong Kong, the film made HK$ 3,436,169 (US$ 443,245). It actually made more money in Hong Kong than Enter the Dragon did, which made HK$ 3,307,526 (US$ 426,650).

At one point during the planning of Game of Death, Golden Harvest approached both Steve McQueen and James Coburn to appear and later contacted Muhammad Ali and the Brazilian football star Pele! In the promotional material for the film, Robert Clouse is quoted as saying “This electrically charged film contains the most spectacular footage of the Chinese-American superstar ever filmed. It is, we feel, a fitting memorial to Bruce Lee.”

Despite the hack job which Bruce’s uncompleted project was given, the film was actually a bigger hit in Japan than Enter the Dragon was and the box office revenue elsewhere equalled that generated by Enter the Dragon (basically making more than US$ 200 million) since by the late 1970s audiences were so desperate to see any ‘new’ Bruce Lee footage.

On the subject matter of footage, my personal theory concerning the making of Game of Death has always been that Bruce Lee had shot the planned fight scene with Whang Inn Sik for this film (i.e. the one where Bruce and Co. enter the first floor of the pagoda after taking out Bolo and his karatekas).

Think about it, Whang was already in Hong Kong making Hapkido and The Way of the Dragon back to back. So it’s likely he would have been working on Fist of Unicorn and Game of Death back to back as Bruce would have been keen to enlist his talents as soon as possible in case Whang was besieged with offers thus making the project even more delayed. The reason why the footage may not have been used in Clouse’s take of the film is because it would have been even harder to obscure Sammo, James Tien, Chieh Yuan and the fourth assistant. The reason why the footage may not have been included in John Little’s take is that there wouldn’t be much consistency since Taky Kimura never shot (much less completed) his scene as the preying mantis exponent guarding the second floor and also if you think about the positioning of the staircase from floor to floor, thus the transition between Bruce and the actor they used to fill in his shoes would have been more haphazard and inconsistent.

As to why people might not have known about it until now, one has to remember that for a long time in Hong Kong nobody (i.e. the audience) was aware that Bruce had shot the scene with Chi Hon Joi (though in some Asian territories it was seen halfway through the film), so it’s more likely that no-one up to this point of time would have been aware of the Whang fight. Especially seeing as how it would have been difficult to use that scene hence why no publicity has circulated regarding its existence. But then again this is just me entertaining a thought or a suggestion rather than proclaiming fact.

Having mentioned both Chi and Hwang, Chi was the classmate of Bong Soo Han (fight choreographer of Billy Jack and stunt double, in said film, for Tom Laughlin – the latter of whom had his scenes deleted in the John Wayne/Richard Attenborough crime thriller, Brannigan). Whang appeared in Bruce Lee and I at Chi’s behest since Chi’s formidable reputation in Hong Kong at that time was veritable. Chi had a role in Bruce Lee and I as the guy who lifts him in the air with a staff. Disregarding common belief that the relationship between Lee and Chi was strictly professional, they were actually good friends prior to the making of Game of Death. Lee even suggested Chi’s services to the makers of Fist of Unicorn. However, it has been said that Chi had experienced Bruce actually hitting him at times, something that also annoyed Shek Kien, as, he too, was on the receiving end while filming Enter the Dragon.

For the time, this film features some fairly famous faces which brings to mind another thing which makes Bruceploitation movies watchable – for a questionable sub-genre, Bruceploitation sure knows how to grab talent whether it be Jane Seymour (Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman), Jack Klugman (Quincy) or Morgan Fairchild (who played Nora Tyler Bing in Friends). Although it is doubtful that these celebrities, even to this day, realized that they were in the middle of a Bruceploitation picture (in the case of the three celebrities just mentioned – they appeared in Challenge of the Tiger, which starred Bruce Le, Hwang Jang Lee, Bolo Yeung and gwailo ninja star Richard Harrison).

Then there’s the performers who resemble famous celebrities e.g. in the film Enter the Game of Death, one of the Western villains looks a lot like British comedian Jimmy Carr. Even when it comes to dubbing talent, there’s voices you’d swear belonged to someone famous or recognizable e.g. Lung Fei’s English dubbed voice in Goodbye Bruce Lee: His Last Game of Death sounds a lot like a young Jonathan Frakes (in said film, the guy who does the voice for James Ho sounds like John Demita – the guy who does the voice for Jet Li in practically every English language version of his films).

This is actually the second time Gig Young and Dan Inosanto appeared in a film together as their earlier effort was a martial arts action movie made by Sam Peckinpah called The Killer Elite, which starred James Caan, Robert Duvall, Bo Hopkins and Mako.

Another interesting point to make is that Tiana Alexandra appeared in The Killer Elite as well, the relevant significance being that she was the only woman to be personally trained by Bruce Lee. Tiana considers herself the female equivalent of Bruce Lee. In 1987 she starred with Rod Steiger in the movie Catch the Heat which was written by Bruce’s writer/friend Sterling Silliphant. This is perhaps the peak of her career as an actress. She released some music videos in France in the mid 1980s under the name Tiana Banana for Warner France and did something similar to what Billy Blanks did with his Tae Bo exercise videos, by releasing a self-defense/exercise program called Karatix.

Actually with The Killer Elite, Sam Peckinpah showed a great aptitude for directing martial arts flicks and it would have been interesting and promising to have seen him as the director for American/Non Asian martial arts movies, in particular Game of Death would have been handled by a far more slicker hand of professionalism and a keen ear for dialogue (one has to remember that Robert Clouse was almost completely deaf and he employed assistant directors who could verify that actors had delivered their lines correctly, leaving Clouse to be a director who worked mainly in the visuals of cinema though he has been described as hard-working).

Anyway, Game of Death is only watchable thanks to the Bond-esque opening credit sequence, stellar performance of Hugh O’Brian, the first-rate choreography of Sammo Hung and a suitable fash-paced reworking of Bruce’s original finale which is backed up by an excellent score which rouses the emotions.

Now if only the filmmakers of the recently developed CGI Bruce Lee movie were to dedicate their time and money to complete Game of Death and recreate the actors in the original movie (e.g. the way James Tien would have looked back in 73) ala The Crow alas this might not be the case, which makes the project pointless given that seeing a CGI Bruce Lee movie won’t contain any merit besides seeing how good the special effects are.

Interesting Trivia:

* In the original script for Game of Death (that involved Bruce’s sister and little brother being kidnapped by a malicious boss in order to get Lee’s character to take part in the raid on the pagoda), Nora Miao would play the role of Bruce’s sister.

* Sammo Hung was originally going to be play Chieh Yuan’s part in Game of Death until Bruce finally opted to have Sammo play one of the other four accomplices.

* Comic actor Lee Kun (stocky funny guy from Big Boss and Fist of Fury) was to be another accomplice of Lee’s for Game of Death, but not as one of the four accomplices assisting Lee for combat. His character is chosen for the mission because he’s cheap, an alcoholic and a petty thief as well as a master locksmith, who would pick the lock to the temple to allow the martial artists inside. The character would not join the other members of the team, instead staying down below as lookout. Kareem’s name was Mantis (contextually it makes sense when thinking about that scene in Enter the Dragon with the little mantis overpowering the big one).

* Paul Li, a Bruce Lee historian in Hong Kong, relayed to John Little that Lee had told someone in the Hong Kong press that when his character reached the bottom of the pagoda, he would have his exit way obstructed by a Wing Chun practitioner who assumed the tong sao position. Lee would then draw himself together and fix the man with a deadly stare, causing the man to stumble backward in fear, trip and fall. Bruce would then roll his eyes and leave the pagoda.

* Before deciding on using Whang Inn Sik for Game of Death for the master of the kicking style (this is before he decided whether it should be Karate or Taekwondo), Bruce had planned to approach other similar stylists such as Bob Wall, Chuck Norris and the top Taekwondo practitioner Jhoon Rhee.

* When Bruce flew in Chi Hon Joi (a seventh-degree black belt in Hapkido), over from Korea, he was disappointed with the caliber of the man’s performance. While filming their scene, the Korean had a rigourous enough time of it to comment that he did not want to act in any more movies with Bruce Lee. Bruce considered using an alternative Hapkido exponent, Angela Mao (Lee’s sister in Enter the Dragon) of whom (coincidentally) did a film called Hapkido co-starring Sammo (who was in ETD) and Whang Inn Sik).

In hindsight of Bruce’s script-notes that were filmed for his version of GOD, it’s easy to see how he re-wrote it to work regardless of who was the Hapkido practitioner i.e. the complex, universal and multi-layered symbolism that Bruce Lee intended works regardless of gender e.g. the combination of the red light (think of The Police/Sting song Roxanne) and the bed on the 3rd floor indicating the fact that Angela is a hooker and considering the idea of the finale being a prolonged fight sequence – the old adage “if you can’t beat them, join them” springs to mind when we see the three remaining protagonists enter the fray and notice the female Hapkido expert rise from the bed.

Also, seeing Bruce and James frown upon Chieh in a patronizing shameful manner implys that not only is Chieh Yuan too stiff with his tradition but he just got his ass handed over to him by a woman. Of course, if you read further into it, seeing Chieh Yuan and James Tien run up the stairs suggests that they don’t see why they should wait around and be slugged around because of a woman thus their early demise – highlighting that man’s ability to overcome bias against sex is their own downfall.

* The final message behind Game of Death:

A lot of people tend to be disappointed that Bruce didn’t climb proceed to the top of the pagoda to get the treasure. In Bruce’s scripts for The Silent Flute and Southern Fist, Northern Leg, when the hero finally overcomes his tests and arrives at his goal, he rejects it and leaves, having obtained internally the insight of what is truly valuable: life itself, a treasure of far greater value than the one he was pursuing. Similarly, in the final footage that Lee shot for Game of Death, when the hero finally overcomes the last obstacle to his goal, instead of climbing the final set of stairs to retrieve the prize, he no longer pursues it. Something about his trial caused him to become awakened to a higher truth. He turns and descends the stairs, exiting the pagoda to return to the world, an enlightened and wiser human being. Another interpretation is that often the object you are pursuing is not as important as you think it is; however, the journey is worth taking, the energy is worth expending, because during the course of your quest you just may catch a glimpse of something of far greater worth than the task at hand.

The external quest for which you are striving is not the meaning of your life; you are not your job, you are not your bank account, you are not your trophies. The quest to discover your true self is, ultimately, the greatest adventure in which you can take part and the most fufilling one in all of life. Money, fame, prestige, position, standing, honour – these are not the important things. They hold no intrinsic worth. Seeking those things is significant only if they present you with an opportunity to take part in your own hero’s journey and to realize what is and is not truly important. In Game of Death, the treasure at the top of the pagoda proved to be, in the final analysis, only one more of life’s distractions. The real treasure lay within the soul of Lee’s character. The point being: are you going to be distracted all your life or are you going to live your life fully in the moment? Whatever you think is so great in the future pales in comparison with what is so great right now. The secret that some people never get is that it doesn’t matter what’s at the top of the “pagoda”.

If you are disappointed that Bruce Lee’s character didn’t proceed to the top of the pagoda to get the treasure, you needn’t be, because he understood what’s at the top of every pagoda (figurarively speaking): enlightenment. And so the deeper meaning of Game of Death is the eternal conflict of ascending in one’s own consciousness. And the metaphor that Bruce utilizes to convey this message is the notion of styles in the martial arts. The final level of the pagoda can be seen to represent man’s greatest obstacle: his ego or excessive sense of self-consciousness, which is what causes suffering and fear – the one thing seperating man from connecting in a deeper sense with the rest of the world. This lesson, being fully alive in the moment, is the real treasure the hero had been seeking all along, but it had taken a physical, bodily pursuit to awaken this realization. As Lee once told his student Daniel Lee, “What man has to get over is the consciousness of himself.” This was actually the same lesson he would discuss with the wise old monk in ETD when he said, “There is no opponent because the word I does not exist”.

Joseph Kuby’s Rating: 7/10

By Joe909

This weekend I had the misfortune of watching this whole movie, the first time I’d watched it all in about 6 years. Like most people, usually I just watch the actual Bruce footage at the end, and skip everything in between. But my roommate and I were up for some punishment and sat through the movie. Here’s some funny things I noticed that may help you get through your next viewing:

1. How smashed Gig Young is throughout the movie. The guy was obviously tanked on something during shooting. Notice his occasional slurring of lines, especially any scene in which he’s on the telephone. Sadly, I read on the Internet Movie Database that Young killed himself in ’78, as well as his wife. Notice that the year of his suicide was 1978, the same year GOD was released to the world…coincidence?

2. Dean Jagger. The poor man seems almost senile, like he’s not very sure where he is. I love the way he screams his lines, especially when he yells “Kill! CARL!!” During the Bob Wall/Sammo fight. Even though he appears to be at death’s door in this movie, Jagger amazingly lived another 13 years.

3. Speaking of Bob Wall, I love that expression on his face in the locker room fight, after the fake Bruce knocks him on his behind. Bob’s mouth is hanging open and he blinks a couple of times in shock, looking like he’s just had the greatest sexual experience of his life and it’s blown his mind.

4. The thugs in this movie are even less threatening than those in Way of the Dragon. That sounds impossible, doesn’t it?

5. The stand-in for Kareem is also hilarious. The guy looks like he’s barely over 6 feet.

6. Notice how that even though this is Hong Kong, every main character in the film save for the fake Bruce is a white American. White Americans controlling a crime ring in Hong Kong, white American staff reporters for Hong Kong papers, etc. Just like real life, huh?

7. The ineffectual assassin “Stick.” Watch how he “perfectly” blends in with the extras and stagehands on the set of the Fist of Fury rip-off, in which the fake Bruce rushes the cameras and is shot (in the cheek?) by Stick. As if the people on the set wouldn’t notice some sneaky-looking stranger with shifty eyes, dressed in the classic mafia get-up, carrying a revolver.

8. Four words: “You lose, Carl Miller!”

It’s a shame Game of Death is so bad, especially considering that the final ten minutes, with the actual Bruce Lee in scenes that he shot for the REAL Game of Death, contain some of the best martial arts footage ever seen on film. Bruce just looks cooler than cool, in that yellow and black getup, almost like a living Hanna-Barbera cartoon character. No one knows how much of Game of Death Bruce actually completed, however there is at least 30 minute’s worth, all of which will be seen in the soon-to-be-released documentary Warrior’s Journey. So keep your eyes peeled for that: Game of Death looked like it would have been Bruce’s best movie yet, so it will be great to finally see it in the way he intended it to be seen, and NOT full of cut-rate B actors and beard-wearing imposters.

Joe909’s Rating: 4/10 for the movie, 10/10 for the ending fights with the actual Bruce Lee

By James H.

Shameful. Disgraceful. The tainting of a legend. This is how I would describe Robert Clouse’s 1978 film “Game of Death” starring the late Bruce Lee. This piece of celluloid rubbish was released five years after Lee’s untimely death. One must wonder how the producers could get away with making such a disrespectful film.

They credit Bruce Lee as Billy Lo, when in reality Bruce Lee himself was in it for only 20 minutes or so. As far as I can figure, they got five or six imposters to play the part. Some were not even look-a-likes, they were wearing hats and sunglasses, or were bandaged up. How could this get worse, you ask? How about a still picture of Lee’s head (poorly) superimposed over top of someone else’s? Yeah, that would do it.

In addition to all of this, they turn Lee’s original (and somewhat better) story into a cliched and contrived story about extorting money from a movie star. Good thing screenwriter Jan Spears hasn’t worked since “Game of Death”.

The only, and I mean only, saving grace of this film is the footage of the actual Bruce Lee fighting Danny Inosanto and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. They are very well choreographed and executed, but even they cannot save this film from the trash bin.

James H’s Rating: 3/10

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

Beauty Investigator (1993) Review

Posted on February 19, 2011 by Brmanuk
"Beauty Investigator" US DVD Cover

“Beauty Investigator” US DVD Cover

Director: Lee Tso Nam
Producer: Cheung Bo-Wing
Cast: Moon Lee Choi-Fung, Yukari Oshima (Oshima Yukari), Gam Chi-Gei, Chui Jing-Yat, Sophia M Crawford, Melvin Wong Gam-San, Billy Ching Sau-Yat, Peter Yang Kwan, Billy Chow Bei-Lei, Shum Wai, Chung Faat, Tai Bo, Jackson Ng, Ng Ming-Choi, Dang Taai-Woh, Kei Ho-Chiu
Running Time: 90 min.

By Brmanuk

Two bickering partners are ordered to go undercover at a hostess club in order to capture a ‘sexual maniac’ who is murdering women. Whilst scouting out the club they learn that a triad gang is planning a war with a rival Japanese gang over arms trading. In an attempt to impress their superior, the cops decide to take on both cases whilst avoiding a mysterious female Japanese assassin who is working for the Triad gang.

Despite being a fairly average girls and guns actioner, I rather enjoyed Beauty Investigator. The scenes in which the two undercover girls try to avoid the advances of perverted old men are amusing and light-hearted, although the comedy is a bit forced at times. As always Moon Lee and Yukari Oshima are fantastic and deliver some great action scenes including an excellent car chase. Towards the end of the film there is a shocking and completely pointless twist that would have spoiled the film had it not been for the satisfying warehouse finale in which the girls blast and kick their way through hordes of bad guys.

Beauty Investigator doesn’t break any new ground and is as clichéd as they come, but that’s what I enjoyed about it; I knew exactly what to expect and the film delivered. And isn’t that what you want from genre cinema? Although the Universe VCD is rated Cat III, for better or worse the infamous Sophia Crawford shower scene was edited out.

Brmanuk’s Rating: 6/10

Posted in Chinese, Reviews | Tagged , , , , |

Secret of the Urn DVD (Animego)

Posted on February 19, 2011 by JJ Bona
"Secret of the Urn" coming 4/12

"Secret of the Urn" coming 4/12

RELEASE DATE: April 12, 2011

After losing both an eye and an arm to treachery while on a mission for his clan, Samanosuke (Kinnosuke NAKAMURA) becomes a ronin who calls himself TANGE Sazen. When a stolen urn that contains the secret to a treasure worth a million gold coins falls into his one remaining hand, all sorts of villains, including a high-ranking Shogunate minister, plot to relieve him of his burden — and his life.

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

Jet Li 3-Pack Blu-ray (Dragon Dynasty)

Posted on February 19, 2011 by JJ Bona

Dragon Dynasty Logo

RELEASE DATE: May 24, 2011

Dragon Dynasty is releasing a special 3-pack Jet Li Blu-ray set. No word on what the titles will be, but since it’s it’s specially priced set, it will probably be the previously released (individually) Blu-ray titles: Fist of Legend, Tai Chi Master and The Legend (aka Legend of Fong Sai Yuk).

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

Young Master, The (1980) Review

Posted on February 18, 2011 by JJ Bona
"The Young Master" Japanese Theatrical Poster

“The Young Master” Japanese Theatrical Poster

Director: Jackie Chan
Cast: Jackie Chan, Wai Pak, Lily Li, Sek Kin, Yuen Biao, Tien Feng, Wang In Sik, Fung Hak On, Lee Hoi San, Chiang Kam, Fan Mei Sheng, Fung Fung, Ma Chao
Running Time: 105 min.

By Numskull

Would it be considered heresey, sacrilege, blasphemy, etc., if I said that this movie is superior to Jackie’s most beloved ’70s kung fu comedy, Drunken Master? Well, it is, in my opinion…but before you tighten that noose (or, if you prever the medieval method, stoke that fire), please be aware that there is already a waiting list for executing me. James Cameron wants me dead for not seeing Titanic fifteen times, Jimmy Wang Yu has a contract out on my life for telling a Hong Kong tabloid about his lust for eviscerated mules stuffed with Spam, and Jeff “I say ‘low budget’ a lot, hahaha!” Bona himself recently sent a couple of hitmen to my doorstep as punishment for this review being late merely because I had to work about 60 hours this past week (at my real job). (By the way, Jeff, do you want their bullet-riddled bodies sent back to you, or shall I dispose of them myself?)

Anyway, this movie was a refreshing departure from Drunken Master, Snake in the Eagle’s Shadow, and Fearless Hyena, largely because Jackie doesn’t need any 90-year old men with hair growing out of every bodily orifice to teach him how to fight (that is, if the word “fight” can be used in reference to Jackie jumping around and making faces while his opponent stands there looking like a colorblind person struggling with a Rubik’s Cube). Also, Jackie’s character isn’t a juvenile delinquent, though the scenes where he’s under arrest would have been spruced up considerably if he were. “Fuck you, pig! Get your fuckin’ pig hands offa me! Fuck, man! Go fuck yourslef, you fuckin’ pig! Gonna sue your fuckin’ pig ass off, you pig motherfucker! Fuck you, you fuckin’ pig! Fuck!”

The last fight scene in this movie is more exciting than the one in Drunken Master (this one ONLY gets interrupted about seven times so some guy wearing glasses can pour water down Jackie’s throat. While he was fighting, I half-expected him to call time-out for a potty break). The part where that girl who was in almost every Lo Wei movie lets Jackie (pretty much a complete stranger) use her shower was quite stupid. Didn’t she learn from all those other movies? Remember, if you are a woman living in ancient China and you go for a walk and you get gang-banged by kung fu students who spend their free time getting wasted on tea and noodles, it’s your fault for wanting to take a walk! Oh yeah, Yuen Biao is in this movie, and he gets more screen time than he did in Project A or My Lucky Stars…but then, he kinda HAS to. That’s all for now, folks. Try not to sodomize any barnyard animals (they bite).

Numskull’s Rating: 6/10

By S!DM

While watching Young Master, I couldn’t help but think that there was something very peculiar about this film…I couldn’t pin my finger on whether this film seemed more like his older Drunken Master and Snake in the Eagles Shadow type movies, or more like a period piece filmed in the modern day, with higher production values, different camera angles, camera techniques, and story-telling approaches. By that, I mean that the villain seemed stronger, the movie more fast paced, and the fight scenes ultimatley more interesting. Then I understood!

If you ever wondered where the seventies era of kung fu film ended, I can safely say that it halfway ended here! This is THE transition between old Jackie style fight choreography and the more modern day fast paced stuff! In short, Jackie must save his runaway kung fu comrade and bring him back to his master’s school, which is not an easy task. Needless to say, he runs into a little trouble along the way, in the form of an escaped convict. But this is not your ordinary, “shank you in the back” convict. We’re talking about Whang Ing Sik, here, and he is shown nearly to the extreme in skill level, particularly when he escapes his captors…that scene was where the old school Jackie up and walked out the door and let a new era come inside. His kicking is GREAT in this scene, the camera angles highlight every move and tumble and fall to the highest level!

Now, the end fight scene. This scene was listed as one of the top ten Jackie Chan fight scenes by Jackie himself. Personally, things got interesting I think towards the second half of the fight, where Whang Ing Sik busts out some cool supermoves.

This film is inspiring fight footage. Period.

S!DM’s Rating: 8/10

By Ro

This is unlike any other old Jackie movie I’ve seen. He actually knows Kung Fu at the start and doesn’t learn it in 5 days from a crippled senior citizen. He plays a member of a gym where his brother, Tiger (the star of the school) betrays them for money. The master finds out and kicks him out, then Jackie follows to bring him back. In the meantime, Tiger gets involved in criminal activities that Jackie gets blamed for because they have identical white fans.

Most of the comedy is about Jackie running straight into the arms of the chief of police, then his son’s (Yuen Biao in a lovely cameo), then his daughter’s. I found this a lot funnier than any of his early stuff (or maybe I’m just getting used to Chinese humor). The bit where Jackie and the police chief bond over his dissatisfaction with his son is priceless. And the use of the water scooper to protect Jackie’s ‘dignity’ is extremely clever.

Anyway, there’s enough fighting and stunts to make any Chan-fan happy. The stunt of Jackie stretching his length between two walls and climbing up with this hands on one wall and his feet on the other has to be seen to be believed. And the final fight scene with the Master Criminal is awesome! Can this guy kick or what!!

All the fight scenes are much faster paced than his earlier movies and he started using props (he fights with a fan and a skirt, one bad guy fights with a rope and Yuen with a bench), which makes it more interesting. He doesn’t dub his own voice, but it is definitely my favorite of his early stuff. (I haven’t seen The Drunken Master yet)

Ro’s Rating: 7.5/10

By James H.

As you may or may not know, I’ve made a point to comment on the music in Jackie’s films. I can say that “The Young Master” has some of the best music to appear in a JC film. The reason: Holst.

Now that that’s out of the way, let’s go on. I am not really a fan of “old school” kung fu flicks. How can I tell if I am watching an “old school” kung fu flick you may ask. Well, the easiest way to tell is the camera movement. If you notice the camera zooming in (or out) really fast during a fight, or to see a facial expression, then you are watching an “old school” kung fu flick. There are other ways too, like all are set in rural China in the 1800s.

As I was saying, I don’t really like “old school” kung fu flicks, and this is one of them. I did, however, find it to be enjoyable. The only real problem is that when there is no fighting, it is boring. So, let’s skip the boring parts, shall we?

The fights are done superbly. They are increadibly choreographed, especially the finale. The reason these fights were so good was the editing. There are two or three fights in the film that look absolutley flawless. And there are others that are somewhat shabby.

If you’re gonna see it, go ahead, you should. Just use the fast forward button. Also, watch for an amazing fight about 30 minutes into the movie.

James H’s Rating: 6/10

By Dorgon

Young Master is like Led Zeppelin I. It’s like Queen’s first album. It’s like Cold Spring Harbor. What can see here is flashes of what Jackie will become. This is a classic not because of what is on screen, but because of what it portends.

The best fight scenes in this movie are the fight between Jackie and Yuen Biao and the final battle between Jackie and an actor whose name I don’t know. They both give off a sense of being very rythmic and choreographed whereas in later movies Jackie’s fight scenes feel smooth as if they were shot without any advance planning.

You can also see the growth of Jackie the comedian. I am sure most of the funny stuff comes off a lot funnier if it were not dubbed in such an awful way. I own the Tai Seng letterboxed/dubbed and the voice used for Jackie is ridiculously bad. It sounds like Shadoe Stevens doing a John Wayne impression poorly. A lot of the other voices are just as bad, especially the Yogi Bear like voice of the policeman who keeps asking for everyone’s sword.

This is a fairly quick paced movie with a lot of good moments, but it is still very raw. It is an important movie because of what was to come, but if Jackie Chan had never made another movie, it may have been forgotten, but we’ll never know that, will we?

Dorgon’s Rating: 7/10

By Marcia

I first saw this movie in English, and really liked it. Now that I have the subtitled version, the story makes a bit more sense. For those of us who enjoy the action (read: fight) scenes, the subtitled version has more to offer. The final scene makes more sense when pieces aren’t cut out of it, but I did find it rather dragged on. At least the stale tobacco water didn’t take effect immediately like it did in the dubbed version…

Part of the reason I adore this film so is the lion dance at the beginning; what a beautiful bit of culture! They bat their eyes so coyly. Heh. I also love the fights with fans, particularly when Jackie’s character first goes looking for his brother at the rival school. The little exchange between him and “Bull” as he’s leaving — though no words are spoken — translates to any language.

Overall, I’d have to say that there are some overacted parts, and the fights will occasionally drag on a bit too long, but this one’s a winner. There is just the right mix of comedy and action for me, and one of the first Jackie films I saw remains one of my favorites.

Marcia’s Rating: 9/10

By Shazbot!

A colorful and off paced film with good action and fighting, but lousy continuity. This movie is where JC is coming into his own. It is mostly a mish mash of things, as the whole movie looks experimental. It begins with a lion dance, which looked great even on a grainy video transfer. It captures a great moment of early early Sino culture.

Later, JC is mistaken for a murderer, which sets up a great tete-a-tete with Yuen Biao and his sawhorse. There is a great swordfight (reminiscent of Fearless Hyena) with the police. There is good comedy bit in the middle when Jackie ends up in the house of the Sheriff who is after him (a blueprint for the more complicated gag in Project A II). It results in a great fight with the sheriff and his daughter. The latter inspires him to don a skirt when he is losing a fight in town.

The final showdown seems out of place with its tone, as it is downright brutal, as if to show how much punishment he can take. Watch this movie for its action.

Shazbot!’s Rating: 5/10

By Tyler

Jackie was probably crying with joy when he started to do this film, first no more low budget films, no more “NEXT BRUCE LEE”, and finally freedom from Lo Wei (yeaaaa!). The film brings to use a great cast with Yuen Biao and Wei Pai, and our favorite old school corny comedy you’d expect from a Jackie Chan film. Everytime I watch this film I find new suprises and joy. Jackie also expresses his extreme athletic abilities by climbing up walls and a grueling Dragon dance. Kung Fu with benches, staffs, swords, pipes, and FANS. A Chop Sockey kung fu classic, one of Chans best films. The villain is one of the best kickers I’ve ever seen, the way he moves…it’s incredible. The last fight scene got a little annoying, with that guy always giving Jackie water then fighting again, it got a little tedious, yet its still very exciting. Buy it, it’s real good even if your a modern day kung fu fan.

Tyler’s Rating: 9/10

By Aloho

I first saw the regular version (No subtitles). Awhile later I traveled to a store called Suncoast and bought myself a copy of the Young Master with subtitles. That certainly helped, before I thought it was a drama! The film turned out very funny, but enough of that now, lets move on. The dragon dance in the beginning is delightful but no big deal for whats to come.

The first fight consists of Jackie wielding a fan. Afterwards, a load of men attack him with swords showing off the best swordsplay I have ever seen. Then Jackie fights Yuen Biao (!) both using sawhorses, those small wooden benches. After a hilarious bathing scene, Jackie escapes the blows of a sword and then gets his ass kicked from a woman using the fighting style called skirt kick. Skirt kick was later portrayed by Jackie after an acrobatics extravaganza.

To top it off is about a 15 minute fight with Whang Inn-sik. Although this fight showed off some quite good moves, I thought it was repetitive and it dragged a bit. One fight near the beginning I think uses wires really badly.

Aloho’s Rating: 9/10

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

Five Deadly Venoms Blu-ray (Dragon Dynasty)

Posted on February 18, 2011 by JJ Bona
Chang Cheh classic will be available on Blu-ray on 5/17

Chang Cheh classic will be available on Blu-ray on 5/17

RELEASE DATE: May 17, 2011

The Chang Cheh classic, as you’ve never seen in, in hi-def! The dying master of the powerful Poison Clan assigns his final martial arts student one last, epic quest find his 5 most mysterious and dangerous disciples, each trained in a different fighting style, and bring them together to root out a conspiracy that could divide and destroy the entire clan.

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

Fulltime Killer (2001) Review

Posted on February 16, 2011 by JJ Bona
"Fulltime Killer" Japanese Theatrical Poster

“Fulltime Killer” Japanese Theatrical Poster

AKA: Full Time Killer
Director: Johnnie To, Wai Ka Fai
Cast: Andy Lau, Takashi Sorimachi, Kelly Lin, Simon Yam, Cherrie Ying, Lam Suet, Teddy Lin Wai Kin, Rocky Lai Keung Kun, Liu Chun Hung
Running Time: 96 min.

By Alexander

Johnnie To hasn’t had the international success of Zhang Yimou (Hero, House of Flying Daggers); the critical acclaim of Wong Kar Wai (Chungking Express, In the Mood For Love); or the international success AND critical acclaim of John Woo (The Killer, Bullet in the Head). However, he has churned out countless quality films over the years as both producer and director; films of wildly divergent genres and often-excellent performances. He’s one of the few filmmakers in the world that is adept at shifting from one genre to the next–from romantic comedy (Love on a Diet, Needing You) to slap-stick (Running on Karma) to gritty crime drama (PTU, The Mission, The Longest Nite). As one of the most prolific filmmakers around, it’s easy to excuse To for the occasional misstep, like My Left Eye Sees Ghosts. It’s easy to forgive the guy when he rushes a turd like Help!!! to the screen when–every now and then–he drops a new classic like Fulltime Killer into our laps.

Fulltime Killer (FTK) has been reviewed to death, so there’s not much more I can touch on that hasn’t already been mentioned in countless reviews, chatrooms and message boards. But I will offer that FTK is a great action film, primarily due to Andy Lau’s (“Tok”) and Takashi Sorimachi’s (“O”) performances; the innovative spin on an oft-used plot (assassin versus assassin and the woman that comes between them); and the deftly filmed action scenes (particularly the Macau showdown between the two killers).

There are a few things preventing me from exclaiming “It’s as good as The Killer!”, namely Simon Yam’s over-the-top performance (odd, since he was so reserved and reliable in To’s PTU) and the abrupt and awkward focus on his character towards the end of the film. I also didn’t believe in Shin’s (Kelly Lin) allegiance with either of these guys. More backstory profiling HER motivations would have made her role, which is central to the story, far more convincing. My final nitpick (and one that plagues far too many Asian films nowadays): the lack of sympathetic characters. We do understand the motivations of Tok and O, but because they recklessly kill innocent bystanders throughout the film in increasingly callous ways, why should we give a shit about either of them? Likewise for Shin, whom we know so little about (other than her apparent enamor of two hired killers). Likewise also for Lam’s detective, whose breakdown is so sudden and unexpected that we do not get a chance to muster much sympathy for him either.

Again, I’m nitpicking, as these details do not detract too much from what is otherwise one of Hong Kong’s best action offerings ever.

Alexander’s Rating: 8.5/10

By Joe909

An intriguing mix of hardcore action and floppish pretension, Fulltime Killer is one of the more visually-appealing movies Milkyway has released. Co-directed by Johnnie To and Wai Ka-Fai, I’m betting To did the action bits and Wai did the more artsy shots (such as the scene with Andy Lau and Kelly Lin together in her bedroom, with the flickering lamp). These two genres don’t always match up, but it’s still nice to see something that strives to be more than just another action movie.

I came across a snobbish review for the Korean movie “Guns & Talks” on MediaCircus.net by one Anthony Leong, who compared G&T with Fulltime Killer. Calling Fulltime Killer “unforgivable,” Leong went on to write that it was an “incomprehensibly pretentious blend of ‘Assassins’ and ‘Moulin Rouge'(!).” He then gushed all over “Guns & Talks.” I’m not sure if Leong and I saw the same movies, because the “Guns & Talks” I saw was a goofy, maudlin piece of shit, when compared to Fulltime Killer. Who knows, maybe Leong just can’t handle scenes that feature guys getting shotgunned to death, stabbed with nicotine-laced syringes, or puking their guts out after a hard run. But for those of us who can, Fulltime Killer is a nice diversion from the travails of ordinary life.

Even more of a tribute to action films than the previous To movie “A Hero Never Dies,” Fulltime Killer employs a multiple-character narrative that flows smoothly at first, but derails near the end when Simon Yam’s character suddenly takes center stage. This could easily have been fixed by giving Yam a little narration/introduction of his own at the beginning of the film, as all the other main characters are given. But instead we just see him trying to catch O and Tok, and don’t get into his head until he’s thrust down our throats as the caretaker of the O/Tok story. On my first viewing of FTK, this part really threw me off, but after successive viewings you’re prepared for it, and don’t mind as much.

Cast-wise, Andy Lau shines as Tok, a man who truly loves his job. I’ve never had a problem with Lau, so I think he does a fine job, playing up his real-life celebrity image in the role of the flamboyant killer for hire. Nice clothes, too. The Sorimachi cat is good as O, but I would’ve preferred Takeshi Kaneshiro. Kelly Lin is also good, if a bit too grungy for a leading actress. I thought O’s first housekeeper was cuter.

The action scenes are all well-directed and staged, but I do admit I’m getting tired of all of these one-sided gun fights. Most of the action scenes in Fulltime Killer are comprised of either Tok or O shooting at unarmed victims. There are a handful of two-sided battles, though (and in one case, three-sided), and these really recall the heroic bloodsheds of the past. But still, it always upsets me that recent HK action movies have failed to match the sheer over-the-topness of John Woo in his prime. When Woo had gun battles, they were epic. In these modern-day movies, they’re over too quick, and they just don’t have that sense of apocalypse that Woo’s did. Fulltime Killer is no different.

The thematic differences between O and Tok are highlighted throughout the movie, giving FTK a nice touch. This really shows up in the final battle between O and Tok, in which O hides quietly in the shadows (just as he goes about his jobs in a silent, casual manner), whereas Tok blasts away, drawing all kinds of attention to himself. I also like how Tok and O are presented as larger-than-life characters, who sometimes interact with ordinary mortals. This is what I took from the scene between Lau and Yam, in Yam’s office; Yam’s character has Tok cornered in a cell, with no way out. But when Yam turns around, Tok has disappeared. No ordinary person could’ve done this, it’s impossible. And in fact, this drives Yam insane, for after all, he’s a “real person,” trying to catch two men who are more myth than real.

In all, a more traditional action/killers-for-hire movie than the usual Milkyway film, but the artsy little montages sometimes get in the way, and the ending with Simon Yam could have been fixed up. Probably the worst thing about Fulltime Killer is that To et al never followed up on it. At the time of the film’s release, To announced to the press that Fulltime Killer was the dawn of a “new era for Milkyway,” one in which they would really focus on making quality action movies. Instead, they released “Running Out of Time 2” and a bunch of lame comedies.

Joe909’s Rating: 9/10

By Canuck

‘Who the fuck do you think you are? O?’

Fulltime Killer is just like Time and Tide, people love it to death, while the rest just think it’s a piece of crud and a waste of an hour and a half. For me, I’m with the group who think this movie just plain kicks ass.

Andy Lau plays contract killer Tok, a hitman who once had a chance for a gold medal at the Olympics is now an up and coming hitman, he ain’t like your normal batch of killers, he’s cocky, charismatic and of course, has a huge fetish for moviesÉaction movies to be precise. Then you have O (Takashi Sorimachi) he’s nothing like Tok at all, he’s more of a loner, and with all those cameras in his apartment, one would think this guy is a stalkerÉor even a pedophile for that matter. But he’s the number 1 killer in Asia, so I guess it’s alright for him to do that then, eh? And in the middle of all of this is Shin (Kelly Lin) who is a cleaner for O, and works at a video store as well. Then of course you got Interpol agents (Badass Simon Yam and newcomer Cherrie Ying, who has her voice dubbed over for some odd reason) after O’s ass as well, so now all hell is gonna break lose!

Ahhhh, Fulltime Killer, in my opinion one of the finest movies to come out of HK for awhile. How can you not like a movie where the main star (IMO) is a huge movie buff and uses his movie knowledge for his hits? And if you don’t like the guy, at least you can deal with O. Or even Kelly Lin for that matter.

Since this movie deals with killers, you know you’ll get your dose of action and FTK definitely delivers. Johnnie To once again shows his stuff and makes some damn fine classic scenes, you can’t go wrong with ‘Bill Clinton’ gunning down some baddies with a shotgun while some opera tune playing in the background. But that one part where the Jerry Lamb wannabe gets his kneecaps blown out is a scene to behold. You also get some Apartment Complex shootout and a scene where Tok takes out a few coppers up on a room a mile away! Fun times!

Now, the only problem I had (and with everyone else) are the scenes with Simon Yam after the halfway mark. We get going with Tok/O/Shin when all of a sudden Yam pops out of nowhere and all of a sudden becomes suicidal (I guess it was for Cherrie biting the dust) I’m not sure why this had to do with the movie, since it deals with ‘Fulltime Killer’ but I must say Yam speaks some ok English, better then Michael Wong’s Chinglish I might add (I think I’m pushing it nowÉ) and what was up with Lam Suet (aka my hero) speaking English? And with everyone else speaking every language known to man as well? I know there trying to get some international flavour into the movie. But one or two languages are enough for one movie!

Acting wise, everyone was good. Andy Lau steals the show as Tok, I’m not a fan of his Canto Pop shit, but he makes Tok one badass motherfucker! Sorimachi does well with O, I haven’t seen his ‘GTO’ work, but he acts like a hitman with flying colours. Kelly Lin is still number 1 in my book. I’ll always have my zooming button ready when that ass shot hits!  But the one thing I quickly want to talk about is Lam Suet. I thought he rocked as ‘Fat Ice’ it’s just a shame he isn’t in the movie a lot more then he is. Since ‘Fat Ice’ is one cool snobby boss.

In all, a great action that does have some flaws, but in the end, it’s still a winner. I wish I had the DVD instead of the crummy VCD, since I’ve heard some great things about it.

Check it out; it’s one of the best action flicks to come out of HK in a long time!

Canuck’s Rating: 9/10

By TheFrankEinstein

Before Fulltime Killer, I didn’t like Andy Lau. From what little I’d seen of him, he, for some reason, reminded me of Dr. Smith from Lost in Space. The British guy from the original TV series, not Gary Oldman. But now I don’t know what to think of him. He kinda reminds me of Austin Powers now, with those elfish Italian boots. But what the heck, he turned Tok into a likeable, sympathetic, foamy-mouthed anti-hero, so he can be my guest and wear the hell out of those skin-tight black leather pants.

As for the guy who played O… well, I didn’t know him before, and I really don’t know him now. I don’t object to anything in his performance, but he was greatly overshadowed by co-stars Andy Lau, Kelly Lin and Bill Clinton.

Simon Yam, I love the guy, but he can’t speak English very well. Or, at most, he speaks it gutturally, reminiscent of Donald Duck. And is over-acting a familiar thing with him? I’d never noticed anything like this before. When he ran through the library, gun drawn, looking to blow the head off any old lady looking up radish sauce recipes, I was shocked. “Is this the Simon Yam I know?” I wondered aloud before my friend also wondered aloud “You know Simon Yam!?”. But other than the over-acting, he was completely wasted. Not coming to the forefront of the movie until the third act, this painfully short movie could have done so much with him given another half hour. I agree with what Tequila has said below, the latter third of the movie shifts far too much of its weight onto this character who’d up until then been nothing more than a supporting player.

Kelly Lin, as Chin, appears to speak enough languages to intimidate me to no end, and looks really cute too. Hey, American actresses have gotten an Oscar nod for half of that (I’ll let you guess which half.) Her character shifts speeds a little too abruptly for my tastes, but that’s not Ms. Lin’s fault.

About two-thirds of the way in, I still thought I was watching a Hollywood movie made in Hong Kong. And to be honest, I felt betrayed. I was the bitter Trekkie to whom Brent Spiner wasn’t overly gracious to at the Star Trek convention. But then (SPOILER!) O started shooting cops! Then Chin joined in! What the hell! Isn’t this the good guy? And he’s shooting cops? AND THE VIDEO STORE CLERK? And then I remembered that I got this from Hong Kong. And it was at that point Fulltime Killers redeemed itself. It became unpredictable in the way that I had expected (huh?). The way I expect all Hong Kong movies to be. The way all Milkyway movies are. Then things really got nutty when Simon Yam proceeded to not pay a bit of mind to the fact that cops were dropping like flies all around him, obsessed with the capture of his quarry before the safety of his officers. So this was a Hong Kong movie after all. (END SPOILER)

In reflection, I really was looking forward to this movie. I’d enjoyed all previous Milkyway movies I’d seen, and had high expectations for this one. And then that DVD case! Wow! And the little DVD snappy holder thing! I was entertained by the box for two days before I even touched the movie. I’ll go ahead and admit it, this was a very sparkly movie. It was a Hong Kong movie given (at least what appeared to be) a Hollywood budget. So it had the great look of your average American blockbuster, but then the characters began doing things that the MPAA would never approve of. So I did enjoy the glimpse into what would happen if the Hong Kong industry invaded the Hollywood hills like in the days of the Song Dynasty. But as the closing credits rolled, I felt empty. I expected depth, I expected originality, I expected insane action sequences. But what Fulltime Killer delivered was a forgettable story, a mutant rehash of The Longest Nite, a couple of one-sided “gunfights” in which only one party fires their weapons and, contrary to the rest of the movie, a predictable ending, all to complete a movie that I don’t see as all that worthy of the Milkyway seal of quality (much less that great theme song!) So, to make a long-winded review a little longer, my high hopes for Fulltime Killer proved more than the actual movie could bear. But I’ll be doggoned if it didn’t come in a cool box!

TheFrankEinstein’s Rating: 6/10

By EKU®

Andy Lau plays Tok, a flashy assassin who always get his jobs done. He watches movies and tries to copy their styles of killing… He tries to claim the #1 assassin title. Takashi Sorimachi is Ono (or “O” for short), a quiet famed assassin who lives in a lonely world. He is coping with the lost of his love, Nancy. He hires a new girl (Chin) to clean his flat, who he watched from the building across the street. Simon Yam is the international cop hot on the tail of “O”, trying to catch him. Tok becomes friends with Chin and hence creating a triangular relationship between them and “O”. And so, the story begins..

During the movie, I found that it made many references to things of my childhood. For example, Tok makes a statement about “Crying Freeman”, and he later refers to the video game “Metal Slug”. I found his character very interesting. Sometimes, he acts so normal, you almost forgot that he’s got some serious personal problems. Some scenes kinda makes you feel bad or sorry for him. He is a hero, or a fallen hero. Johnny To does another good job making this film.

This movie has elements from “A Hero Never Dies”, and “The Longest Nite”, both directed by Johnny. I didn’t find any theme music that occurs throughout however… although, there were multiple classical pieces with I know of. For example, Beethoven’s 9th was in there… and also, Chopin’s piano piece was also there… very cool how those pieces fit into the movie. All the actors/actresses did an amazing job. But, Andy’s acting was the strong point here. This movie was successful and it had to do alot with him. It’s nice to see how he has become an mature actor throughout the years.

EKU®’s Rating: 8.5/10

By Tequila

just saw the new Johnnie To/Milkyway flick and I have to say, he did a good job.

O is a famed hitman, he is Japanese. He hires a cleaner, Chin (Kelly Lin), for his flat but he doesn’t actually live there; he watches from across the street. He only uses the place as a fake address, see: his previous cleaner was killed by those looking for him. Meanwhile, Lok Tok Wah (Andy Lau Tak Wah – they really changed his name a lot, huh?) is a new hitman on the scene but he is very flamboyant and watches a lot of movies, copying them. In a great scene he executes a target wearing a Bill Clinton mask, pretending to be in Point Blank. Tok is out to kill O as he wants to be a legend. Meanwhile, he befriends Chin.

I don’t want to talk about the plot as it is hard to explain it without giving a lot away, but the film itself is very good and a worthy addition to the Milkyway resume.

The problems with the film may bug you a lot, or you won’t care too much and love the movie even more. Simon Yam isn’t in it much and the ending kinda suffers as he becomes very prominent at the end and the lack of build up with his character could have been rectified as Fulltime Killer is only 90 odd minutes long and I wouldn’t have minded another half hour. Also, it doesn’t know if it wants to be arthouse or mainstream – I loved the approach but you might not. Oh, and one other thing – Tok’s epilepsy isn’t used enough in my opinion – okay, it’s vital to the plot but the finale could have been more inventive in that way.

Andy Lau is great in this as the movie buff psychopath, I really thought that it’s his best performance in a long while – he’s a bit like a cross between Kevin Spacey in Se7en and Brad Pitt in Fight Club with a bit of originality; he has the psychotic element of Spacey and the flamboyancy of Pitt.

O (Takeshi Sorimachi I think his name is) is played well, he could be a name to watch out for in the future but his role wasn’t as challenging as Lau’s in my mind, so you can review him for yourself if you want.

The support is done well by all, and the cinematography is very “A Hero Never Dies” like, only with more city involved.

Tequila’s Rating: 8.5/10 (maybe a little too slick and Hollywood for some, but I loved it’s style – like Leon if made in HK)

Posted in Chinese, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , |

Men Suddenly in Black (2003) Review

Posted on February 16, 2011 by JJ Bona
"Men Suddenly in Black" Chinese Theatrical Poster

"Men Suddenly in Black" Chinese Theatrical Poster

Director: Pang Ho Cheung
Producer: Eric Tsang
Cast: Eric Tsang, Jordan Chan, Chapman To, Gu Zong Chao, Teresa Mo, Candy Lo, Marsha Yuen, Tiffany Lee, Tony Leung Ka Fai, Maria Cordero
Running Time: 99 min.

By Equinox21

I’ve seen a number of parodies of Hong Kong crime movies, comedic plays on the ol’ cops vs. triad genre, but none so well done and funny as Men Suddenly In Black. This movie plays out exactly like a triad/cop movie, only in the role of the triad gang are the husbands and in the role of the cops are the wives. But believe me when I say that it’s much funnier than it sounds.

When their wives go to Thailand for a day trip, Tin (Eric Tsang), Cheung (Jordan Chan), Chao (Chapman To) and Paul (Spirit Blue) decide to live it up for the day with sex, parties and well, more sex. They have an elaborate system in place (that’s worked for years) of putting aside a little cash every month so they won’t have to leave any trails by using their credit cards, they have an inconspicuous taxi for their use, they have enough condoms to last as long as any man would need for a day, and they have the memories of past fallen brothers (i.e., suckers who have gotten caught by their wives for being careless in the past and are now incarcerated in their own homes). When they realize they are being followed by their wives they know that they have only two choices; go home and give up the partying or risk it for a day of fun and fornication.

MSIB was one of the best Hong Kong movies I’ve seen in a while. It’s funny in so many ways. It keeps up, through the entire movie, the parody of the crime genre. We are even treated to a terrific “shoot-out” between the 4 friends and photographers that have come to snap shots of a brothel bust. However, instead of slow-motion shots of action stars diving with a pistol in each hand, here they have slow-motion shots of the stars diving with water hoses and cameras (making the sounds of gunshots) in their hands. It is pure fun and extremely funny. Every little nuance of these scenes plays out like a triad “brotherhood” movie.

The acting was superb, especially from the four friends, but even the supporting cast was terrific. I have to give Chapman To special recognition here for not playing his usual, annoying, slapstick character and instead playing just one of the guys. Eric Tsang was perfect as the “leader” of the friends, a caricature of a small time triad boss. But one of the best cast was Tony Leung Ka-Fai as Ninth Uncle, a man who was at the height of his success in pulling off these day parties when, a few years back, he heroically sacrificed himself for the rest of the group when the wives came home early. The scene where they go to see him in prison… er… his home was simply excellent.

Every fan of Hong Kong movies must see Men Suddenly In Black. It’s a terrific comedy. It’s a terrific parody. It’s wonderfully done in all respects. I highly recommend it to everyone.

Equinox21’s Rating: 10/10

Posted in Chinese, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , |

Anna Magdalena | aka Kissing You (1998) Review

Posted on February 16, 2011 by JJ Bona
"Anna Magdalena" Chinese DVD Cover

"Anna Magdalena" Chinese DVD Cover

Director: Yee Chung Man
Writer: Ivy Ho Sai Hong
Producer: Claudia Chung Chun
Cast: Kelly Chen Wai Lam, Kaneshiro Takeshi, Leo Ku Kui Kei, Aaron Kwok Fu Sing, Wei Wei, Pauline Yeung Yung Lin, Jacky Cheung Hok Yau, Leslie Cheung Kwok, Josie Ho Chiu Yee, Eric Tsang Chi Wai, Anita Yuen Wing Yee
Running Time: 98 min.

By Vic Nguyen

The UFO Film Group and Japan’s Amuse Entertainment collaborated to bring the audience this lighthearted approach to love between opposites. Filled with cameo’s by stars of UFO’s past (Leslie Cheung Kwok-wing, Anita Yuen Wing-yee, Eric Tsang Chi-wai, and Jacky Cheung Hok-yau), along with stars from a newer generation (Takeshi Kaneshiro, Kelly Chan, and Aaron Kwok), the cast is star-studded and talent filled. A fun and quirky script, along with stylish yet unpretentious cinematography by Peter Pau, makes this one of the top ten films of 1998.

Vic Nguyen’s Rating: 8.5/10

Posted in Chinese, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , |

Whispering Corridors (1998) Review

Posted on February 16, 2011 by JJ Bona
"Whispering Corridors" Korean Theatrical Poster

“Whispering Corridors” Korean Theatrical Poster

AKA: Whispering Corridor
Director: Park Gi-Hyeong
Producer: Lee Chun-Yeon
Cast: Park Jin-Hee, Lee Mi-Yeon, Kim Gyu-Ri, Choi Gang-Hee, Yun Ji-Hye, Park Yong-Su
Running Time: 107 min.

By Equinox21

Lovers of the 1999 hit Memento Mori take note, its prequel, Whispering Corridors, will definitely entertain. The stories both take place in an all-girl’s school, with some supernatural goings on. Memento Mori was the first Korean film I ever saw, and at the time wasn’t extremely impressed, however, I found Whispering Corridors a bit more interesting, a bit more engaging and even a bit more predictable.

The story centers on a student, Lim Ji-oh, and her new friend, Jae-ji, who are in their senior year at a haunted school. After the teacher of classroom 3 is lynched by a ghost, everyone sees her body hanging outside the school and assume that she committed suicide. The perverted, abusive principal of the school, known un-affectionately as Mad Dog, takes over the class while the new teacher, Miss Hur, gets ready to start teaching. Miss Hur is a former student at the school, whose best friend, Jin-ju, killed herself in the school 9-years earlier. Can Ji-oh and Miss Hur discover the source of the school haunting before it’s too late and comes for them? Tune in to find out!

There are definite similarities between Whispering Corridors and Memento Mori, even though they aren’t direct sequels (merely sharing similar themes and settings). The music in Whispering Corridors was adequately eerie, and the colors were dark and moody. I can’t say the movie, which is supposed to be a horror movie, scared me at all, but it was enjoyable. I definitely think fans of horror movies like Memento Mori, The Ring and The Eye will like this one, but I’m not really a big horror movie fan and probably didn’t get as much out of it as others might.

If you’re at all a fan of Memento Mori, or just like horror movies with pretty Korean girls in school-girl outfits, definitely check out Whispering Corridors.

Equinox21’s Rating: 7.5/10

Posted in Korean, Reviews |

Balls of Fury (2007) Review

Posted on February 16, 2011 by ningen31
"Balls of Fury" Japanese Theatrical Poster

“Balls of Fury” Japanese Theatrical Poster

Director: Robert Ben Garant
Cast: Dan Fogler, Christopher Walken, George Lopez, Maggie Q, Thomas Lennon, James Hong, Robert Patrick, Jason Scott Lee, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Patton Oswalt
Running Time: 90 min.

By Ningen

Dan Fogler plays a washed-up ping-pong champion who gets hired by the FBI’s special crime division(led by George Lopez’s character, Ernie Rodriguez) to bust a weapons dealer named Feng (played by Christopher Walken). Since he’s fairly rusty, Randy Daytona (Fogler) decides to get training from ‘pong expert Master Wong (James Hong) and his daughter Maggie (Maggie Q). Once he’s ready, Randy heads to a special tournament to help Ernie take down Feng from the inside.

Essentially a spoof of sports and martial arts movies, Balls of Fury succeeds where Baseketball failed. It doesn’t try to create some sort of weird hybrid of the two genres which no one understands. Nor does it waste time trying to making fun of the players, rather than the conventions of the films. It just goes after recycled cliches such as the older and wiser coach, the “retired” athlete trying to get back into the game, and the tendency to incorporate anthem music into dramatic moments.

Another plus is that it doesn’t go for the obvious jokes, either. For example, it doesn’t (frequently) resort to cheap laughs or insipid puns. It tries to be creative with the material by adding twists and (semi-) surprises in an effort not to treat you like a moron.

Where it does lack is character and story development. For example, Maggie and Randy are fighting, and then, ten minutes later, they’re suddenly dating. Also, the detached relationship between Wong and Feng just isn’t compelling. I know it’s a parody, so those details aren’t really necessary, but they do hurt the potential cult appeal of the film. And some of the more subtle jokes might require you to be more familiar with certain action flicks.

Still, Balls of Fury is a fun spoof which does its job in keeping you amused.

Ningen’s Rating: 6/10

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

Taxi Driver Blu-ray (Sony)

Posted on February 15, 2011 by JJ Bona
"Taxi Driver" (1976)

"Taxi Driver" (1976)

RELEASE DATE: April 5, 2011

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has officially announced Taxi Driver for Blu-ray release on April 5, in a 35th Anniversary edition. This gritty urban drama, written by Paul Schrader, directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Robert De Niro as a man driven to violence by loneliness and desperation, won the 1976 Palme d’Or at Cannes and was nominated to four Academy Awards. In a welcome initiative, SPHE has licensed the use of the original Scorsese/Schrader audio commentary previously only available on the Laserdisc.

Commentaries:
– Director Martin Scorsese and writer Paul Schrader (recorded in 1986 by The Criterion Collection)
– Paul Schrader
Professor Robert Kolker
Interactive Script to Screen
Martin Scorsese on Taxi Driver
God’s Lonely Man
Producing Taxi Driver
Influence and Appreciation: A Martin Scorsese Tribute
Taxi Driver Stories
Making Taxi Driver
Travis’ New York
Travis’ New York Locations
Storyboard to Film Comparisons with Martin Scorsese
Animated Photo Galleries
movieIQ

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

Vengeance of Snow | aka Vengeance of a Snowgirl (1971) Review

Posted on February 12, 2011 by JJ Bona
"Vengeance of Snow" Hong Kong Theatrical Poster

"Vengeance of Snow" Hong Kong Theatrical Poster

AKA: A Daughter’s Vengeance
Director: Lo Wei
Cast: Li Ching, Yueh Hua, Guk Fung (Ku Feng), Tin Fung, Lisa Chiao Chiao, Paul Chang, Wong Chung-Shun, Lee Kwan, Nau Nau, Lo Wei, Hsu Yu, Kok Lee-Yan, Tsang Choh-Lam, Yee Kwan, Nam Wai-Lit, Gam Gwan, Sammo Hung, Chow Siu-Loi
Running Time: 118 min.

By Mighty Peking Man

A crippled female assassin (Li Ching) is on a mission of revenge against those who murdered her parents. Her goal is compromised when she falls in love with her target’s son (Tung Wa).

To some, Lo Wei is known as the prolific director who jump started Bruce Lee’s Hong Kong career by directing him in his first two films: The Big Boss and Fist of Fury. To others, Lo Wei is the guy who couldn’t make Jackie Chan a star, no matter what approach he took.

Then there’s others who are aware of Lo Wei’s pre-Golden Harvest/Bruce Lee/Jackie Chan periods. It was supposedly a time when Lo Wei (employed at Shaw Brothers Studios) was at the top of his game, quality-wise.

Vengeance of A Snow Girl is proof that – with some good writing, a fair budget and lavish set designs – Lo Wei was capable of making solid movies.

At times, it doesn’t feel like the fastest paced film, but then again, there’s never a moment where you lose interest. The production values are slick. The choreography and wire work is pleasant, smooth and sleek; Especially considering the time the film was made.

As cute as Li Ching is, there’s something inexplicably creepy about her playing a vengeful woman who is paralyzed from the waste down. When she’s shown waste up, she glides when she moves. While in combat, she stands still, swinging her arms as she fights off enemies. While she’s walking, she limps like a helpless soul. The rest of the time, she’s flying around. You can almost think of her as having a bizarre hint of Linda Blair from the Exorcist, of course a more beautiful version.

Co-star Tung Wa is a little less vicious than what I’m used to seeing him as. Though he can hold his own, you won’t see him taking on a room full of men, and outdoing them with no problem (ie 12 Gold Medallions). Most of the bloody rampage lies in the hands of Li Ching’s character.

It’s refreshing to see a Chinese film that partially takes place in the snow; not to mention a cheesy, but appreciable, volcano scene, that easily makes us think we’re watching a sci-fi flick for a few minutes. One’s gotta love the “frozen” special effects (probably compliments of Glad® Plastic Wrap).

The bottom line? Compared to something like Lo Wei’s Slaughter In San Francisco, Killer Meteors – or even The Big Boss – Vengeance of A Snow Girl is quality. I’m not saying it’s a better movie than any of those, but it certainly shows that a lot more hard work was put into it.

Mighty Peking Man’s Rating: 6.5/10

Posted in Chinese, Reviews, Shaw Brothers | Tagged , , , , |

5 Pattern Dragon Claws | aka Thundering Fist (1983) Review

Posted on February 12, 2011 by JJ Bona
"5 Pattern Dragon Claws" UK DVD Cover

"5 Pattern Dragon Claws" UK DVD Cover

AKA: 5 Pattern Dragon Claws
Director: Godfrey Ho, Kim Si-Hyeon
Producer: Thomas Tang
Cast: Hwang Jang Lee (Wong Cheng Li), Dragon Lee (aka Mun Kyong-sok, Keo Ryong, Guh Ryong), Philip Chan, Kitty Chui, Chris Yung, David Ding, Terry Wong, John Lung, Ronald So, James Lau, Wilson Lee, Sean Shin, Bruce Chan, Jacky Kim
Running Time: 86 min.

By Joseph Kuby

Average Kung Fu movie with few good moments!

This is really mediocre stuff when held in comparison to most genre efforts yet I found it watchable (and even likeable) due to its simplicity and somewhat intriguing storyline as I was curious to see who would live (kind of like Born Invincible except with less repetitive choreography, though that film was certainly more better in some ways).

The film’s story is somewhat cliche though it’s not predictable (the who-will-die and what-will-happen-next slant that the director chooses makes the proceedings more tolerable). The movie plays out like a Kung Fu Macbeth (lots of revenge, blood, a person who betrays his friends due to his lusting for power and a power obsessed maniac wanting to claim ruler of everything), even moreso than Fist Of Fury (a film which Bey Logan referred to as a Kung Fu Macbeth in his audio commentary for said film).

Any kind of cult classic status this film gains is due to the presence of Hwang Jang Lee who really holds the screen with a formidable screen presence that’s burning with charisma. But then again, one gets this sense that he could do this type of stock role in his sleep (which also applies to his kicking as well – something that would have us losing our sleep over would be something Hwang could do in his sleep).

The film’s production values may not be all that big but they’re competent at best. I know that not every single film can have Shaw Bros. style production values but this film at some points just lacks that certain texture in set-design and costumes, though the film has enough of that to create an atmosphere that the viewer can believe and be absorbed in during the midst of viewing.

The film’s real major problem is the soundtrack that’s used for the final fight scene as it sounds like someone had mixed three scores together! (and I don’t mean that as a critical remark but it literally does sound like that)

The dubbing is laughable in some ways but not annoying so as to distract the viewer from the story.

The action is very typical of the era this was made in (the early traditional Kung Fu movie era i.e. post Bruce or basically from 1973 – 1977), slow-paced and static but still somewhat enjoyable (despite the average choreography); it’s strikingly enjoyable as we draw closer to the end where all of a sudden the fight scenes are now of the quality of something by Yuen Woo Ping.

The last few fights in particular really do feel like something choreographed by members of the Yuen clan – notably with imaginative touches such as two fighters revolving their opposite legs around one anothers (to imagine this, point your index fingers towards each other and spin them around each other to catch the drift of what I’m saying).

There was one inventive thing that the final fight scene had going for it and that was the use of insert shots of lightning (complete with thunder sounds) to show the sheer strength and supernatural force of Hwang Jang Lee’s kicks – a nice touch (though one may argue that this was done to hide the fact that they couldn’t afford fancy visual effects).

Star Wars fans, mainstreamers (mainstream audience members) or arthousians (arthouse audience members) will either cry blasphemy or be amused as they hear segments of the Star Wars soundtrack (though the theme won’t be spotted here unless you watch Magnificent Bodyguards).

There’s two other films (and maybe more) which use the Star Wars score – Snake In The Eagle’s Shadow (with Jackie Chan again) and My Life’s On The Line (which I will review sometime in the future). Both films use the exact same score that’s used as Luke Skywalker is about to destroy the Death Star.

This was the first new Kung Fu film I saw when I arrived in Colne (a town in East Lancashire – Lancashire being a county based in England) thanks to a very friendly neighbour (I got into the genre of martial arts/Hong Kong films in the summer of 1998 when I saw Jackie Chan’s Police Story but moved to Colne in 2001) so naturally there was a nostalgic tinge that creeped up upon me as I saw the film for the second time.

This is one of the few good films Godfrey Ho ever made, which isn’t saying much considering two things…

1) The film was also directed by Kim Si Hyeon, who also directed Dragon Lee in a Kung Fu/Wuxia pian* movie called Dragon Lee Vs. The 5 Brothers (a.k.a. ‘Five Brothers’ or ‘Five Disciples’) which was an Australian/South Korean co-production and which also starred Yuen Qiu (from Kung Fu Hustle and The Man With The Golden Gun) who had appeared with Dragon Lee in two other productions by Kim – Dragon’s Snake Fist and Dragon, The Young Master (both of which have Godfrey credited as presenter).

2) The overall quality of Godfrey’s filmography (including this film) as he’s been best known as the Ken Russell** of Hong Kong cinema, though his usage of stock footage and ability to mix various film footages gives him the status (which he and Phillip Ko truly deserve) of being the Roger Corman of Hong Kong cinema.

Also, the attitudes of the Shaw Brothers (Run Run Shaw and his brothers) were similar to that of Roger’s in regards to their ethics concerning filmmaking, except they churned out more classier movies than Corman ever did. To validate this, here’s a good explanation about the Shaws…

Despite offering an array of classics, Run Run, Runjy and Runme were considered to be the Roger Cormans of China in that not only did they give many future stars and renowned directors their first jobs (allowing them the opportunity to learn the ropes by working on a multitude of productions in a few-frills environment) but due to their business ethic.

An average of seven features was always in production, while the dubbing rooms were shared on a tight scheudle of three shifts daily. They could wrap up a production in three days; a big budget extravaganza might require a week. The films were often shot without a written script, more or less made up by the crew as they went along and edited directly on camera with few retakes.

The emphasis was on ‘fist and pillow’ – violence and sex. This is confirmed by Run Run’s direct approach to filmmaking:

“If audiences want violence, we give them violence. If they want sex, we give them sex. Whatever the audience wants, we’ll give them.”

The budgeting was so cheap that a director was lucky if he earned half of the amount budgeted to pay for the fake blood required for the violent scenes. The whole casts & crews were underpaid too.

Overall, Five Pattern Dragon Claws is a Kung Fu potboiler that’s at it’s best when watching at social occasions with friends or people in general to laugh and drink with.

* Wuxia pian is a term used to describe the swordplay genre in Chinese cinema. It’s used to describe films which feature swordplay/fantasy.

** One of Ken Russell’s sons is Toby Russell, one of the founders of Eastern Heroes (which originally started as a UK Jackie Chan club before becoming a UK Hong Kong action movie club). Toby is now one of the founders of the UK DVD labels Vengeance Video and Rarescope. Rick Baker (his associate/partner-in-crime) is one of the founders for Dragon DVD and Soulblade.

Joseph Kuby’s Rating: 4.5/10

Posted in Bruceploitation, Chinese, Reviews | Tagged , , , |

Exit the Dragon, Enter the Tiger (1976) Review

Posted on February 11, 2011 by JJ Bona
"Exit the Dragon, Enter the Tiger" US Theatrical Poster

“Exit the Dragon, Enter the Tiger” US Theatrical Poster

Director: Lee Tso Nam
Writer: Chang Shun Yee
Cast: Bruce Li (aka Ho Chung Tao, James Ho), Lung Fei, Ma Chi Chiang, San Moo, An Ping, Kou Shao Po, Ban Kwok Leung, Chin Lu, Chang Sing Yei
Running Time: 84 min.

By Joseph Kuby

Hollywood Class Bruceploitation Actioner!

Exit The Dragon, Enter The Tiger is a unique film in the realm of Hong Kong cinema (especially in the 70s) in that it looks and feels like a Hollywood production (minus the wardrobe of Chang Yi’s character who’s dressed as a traditional Chinese mainlander except with a Western style hat and scarf to show that he’s a criminal authority).

Incumbent (or recumbent) to say, the production values (props, use of locations, style, camera work, editing and overall production design) are obviously a lot more higher than your average Bruceploitation movie and certainly more higher than 90% of Hong Kong movies made up to the year this film was concocted (1976).

It really does feel like as if it was a Hollywood film starring Chinese actors, the look of the print (i.e. the credits and cinematography) and the soundtrack are startlingly high.

Speaking of soundtrack, the film borrows from quite a lot of sources (but this is done in a way which enhances the overall quality of the film and makes it seem like a new experience, along with the quality of the dubbing which isn’t the usual British talent we usually hear for these kinda films).

The ‘library’ music cues that are used are from Charles Bronson’s Death Wish (coincidentally both Michael Winner’s and Lee Tso Nam’s films feature a rape attack which leaves the female character traumatized), Jim Kelly’s Black Samurai, Bond flicks and 70s rock.

The film was produced by Jimmy Shaw, so perhaps the film was a co-production between the Shaw Brothers film studio and Dimension Pictures (the distributor for this film – in some ways this is the first example of their butchering of Hong Kong cinema).

Whether there was even an intention to make it seem like an American/quality (i.e. American or American quality) film is open to debate, let alone whose intention it was (if it was on behalf of the Chinese or the Americans). Though having said that, the budget is probably on par with some of Hollywood’s lesser features that get released in cinemas or its TV movies of the era.

The original Chinese language version of this film is called Bruce Lee: Star Of Stars whose opening credit sequence utilizes a larger portion of the Isaac Hayes track of ‘Run Fay Run’ instead of the shorter excerpt used in the dubbed prints. A majority of the additional footage is dialogue rather than fight footage. Dragon is actually referred to as Li Xiao Long (Little Dragon Lee), Bruce Lee’s screen name; and instead of James Ho being named David ‘Tiger’ Lee, he is simply named Tang Lung, in reference to the character played by the real Bruce Lee in The Way Of The Dragon.

During the opening credit sequence, there was a nunchaku and broadsword sequence that was omitted (the version reviewed here is the UK DVD released before the BBFC lifted the ban on nunchakus) though only split-screen frames remain (when you see the sequence you will know what I mean). Though weirdly enough, they still include a single swing of the nunchaku in the very final frame of the film.

Whereas, in the Chinese version, the very opening contains an image of Bruce Lee unleashing his nunchakus in Way Of The Dragon. The Chinese version lasts 6 minutes longer than the 79 minute version on display here. Whilst the Chinese print features more dialogue, the dubbed prints show stock footage of Hong Kong in the film’s opening. Besides this, the Chinese print simply says ‘The End’ when Ho kills Yi, while the dubbed prints use stock footage of a large beach wave, with a superimposed transparent image of James Ho as he listens back to the last words of Bruce Lee.

In the year of 1976 ‘Exit The Dragon, Enter The Tiger’ was a surprisingly big success in the American box office market. It was a huge hit that defeated all blockbuster competition (including the King Kong movie which starred Jeff Bridges) and turned James Ho Chung Tao into a bonafide box office success and bankable martial arts movie star (though he became successful under the name Bruce Li and was forced to use it as a screen name since producers argued that he became famous & popular under that name).

Throughout the 70s, martial arts movies would take up 30% of the American box office and one of its main stars was James Ho. What’s ironic though about Ho was that back in the day his films were money makers all over the world and arguably seen by more people, via theaters, video and cable TV than the films of the real Bruce Lee but the assumption was that since the films were bad and didn’t contain the real Bruce Lee, they were somehow flops (okay….critically, they were flops but if they were flops financially then James wouldn’t have appeared in that many films so there was obviously a market for this Bruceploitation phenomenon).

There were even two unrelated sequels (Return Of The Tiger and The Tiger Strikes Again) which obtained similar success – helping to cement Ho in the number one spot. Return Of The Tiger (originally titled Silent Killer From Eternity) had the same cast but not the same characters and was a very gritty crime thriller and it even had Paul Smith – the torturer from Midnight Express – and Angela Mao.

The Tiger Strikes Back (the UK title for Soul Brothers Of Kung Fu a.k.a. Kung Fu Avengers) was a film with Shaw Bros. Kung Fu star Lo Mang and Billy Chong co-star Carl Scott which had multiple endings filmed (two fates for two different characters). As for the Ho Chung Tao and Lee Tso Nam connection, the only other film they made together was Edge Of Fury which (just like this film) is all about gangsters and sleaze. The film was a big hit all over Europe and featured Yasuaki Kurata (before he appeared in Yuen Woo Ping’s Legend Of A Fighter). Tommy Lee (frequent co-star and action director of Lee Tso Nam) worked as action director.

As for ‘Exit The Dragon, Enter The Tiger’, the story (on the surface level) is exploitation fodder (some would argue filth) capitalizing on how and why Bruce Lee could have died; though the carefully thought-out script and skillfully handled direction beneath more than make up for this despite constant references to Bruce Lee. Some which are passable (posters of Bruce Lee), some which are barely plausible (people mistaking James for the real thing) and some which are plagiaristic (scenes which mimic Bruce Lee’s performance in Fist Of Fury where he did some detective work dressing up as an old newspaper seller and a telephone repair man).

Nevertheless, it is quite harrowing or ar least perturbing with its depictions of torture i.e. torching someone’s back, sticking needles into a woman’s fingers, banging a person’s forehead against a table repeatedly, attempted rape and abuse against women in general. This is not uncommon in Lee Tso Nam’s other film Black Belt Jones 2 (a.k.a. The Tattoo Connection).

Speaking of which, this film has many similarities to The Tattoo Connection such as a scene which takes in a bar with a dancer and famous 70s Western tune (in Black Belt Jones 2, it was this Suzi Quatro song whereas in this movie it is a psychedelic-instrumental version of Gimme Some Lovin by The Spencer Davis Group).

In this bar scene, we see a Napoleon Dynamite lookalike (possibly his uncle) complete with geeky glasses, a dorky demeanour (check out his reactions to the belly dancer) and one goofy afro (bearing in mind this is a white guy).

Other similarities include a fight scene set in an industrial junkyard where you have the protagonists fighting on materials which are laying on their side (e.g. logs of wood or barrels), gritty contemporary crime plots, torture sequences and, of course, violence against women.

Both films exert an American influence (The Tattoo Connection was financed and distributed by Warner Bros. and starred Jim Kelly).

The director, Lee Tso Nam, is a fairly accomplished director. He was the assistant director for Bruce Lee’s The Big Boss and Fist Of Fury. He’s perhaps best known for his independent Kung Fu retooling of ‘The Good, The Bad and The Ugly’ (called ‘The Hot, The Cool and The Vicious’) and other films (which are famous but not as popular) such as Fist Of Fury 2 (starring Bruce Li) and Eagle’s Claw (which sports the villain of this film {Chang Yi} wearing a wizard’s hat).

He also did Challenge Of Death (which had legendary director King Hu as part of the cast), The Woman Avenger (his take on the Brazilian cult classic I Spit On Your Grave), Phantom Kung Fu (a Kung Fu Monty Python), Shaolin Invincible Sticks (Lee’s own version of Lau Kar Leung’s Eight Diagram Pole Fighters), A Life Of Ninja (his ninja classic), Killing In The Nude (his CAT III classic which predates Wong Jing’s Naked Killer and most notably Sex & Zen), Shaolin VS Lama (his answer to the Shaolin Temple films which starred Jet Li), The Leg Fighters (his take on the Secret Rivals films with the emphasis on high-kicking antics), Fatal Needles VS Fatal Fists (his near-classic) and Beauty Investigator (his take on the girls with guns genre).

There’s many more films he did, I just listed the more famous ones. He’s still making movies today!

Many have complained that the fight scenes in this wicked yet wonderful slice of Bruceploitation are too long (these comments coming from people who are fans of martial arts movies) which tells you about the quality of the fights on offer here. While there a few which could be described as good (i.e. fairly enticing e.g. the fight in the industrial junkyard at night time, the fight in a large gymnasium with a female gymnast, the fight on the rooftop and the fight on the seashore) most of the stuff on here is okay if not really all that good.

A lot of the action is spoiled by lack of intimacy with the fighters (due to the positioning of the camera angles) and routine choreography (they repeat almost the same moves but it still proves to be somewhat moderately entertaining) with only a few sparks of wonder.

However, the combination of competent cinematic quality (with above average moments) and okay action (with some decent moments) makes this a good film on artistic terms. But, the entertainment level of this film is big hence the high rating.

Joseph Kuby’s Rating: 7/10

By Alvin George

The production values of “Exit the Dragon, Enter the Tiger” are decent for a Bruce Li movie. It even uses music heard in the Jim Kelly flick “Black Samurai.” Unfortunately, the plot is a been-there-done-that deal, plus the fights involve the standard Bruce Li shit. The dude was better in “The Iron Dragon Strikes Back” and “Bruce Lee: The Man and the Myth.”

Alvin George’s Rating: 5/10

Posted in Bruceploitation, Chinese, Reviews | Tagged , , , |
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