Enter the Dragon | aka Blood and Steel (1973) Review

Posted on April 27, 2011 by T. J. Gushiniere
"Enter the Dragon" Chinese Theatrical Poster

“Enter the Dragon” Chinese Theatrical Poster

Director: Robert Clouse
Cast: Bruce Lee, Jim Kelly, John Saxon, Sek Kin, Ahna Capri, Bob Wall, Bolo Yeung, Betty Chung, Angela Mao Ying, Sammo Hung, Kok Lee Yan, Anthony Lau, Tung Wei, Wilson Tong, Pat Johnson, Meng Hoi
Running Time: 110 min.

By Tgushiniere

The best martial arts film to be produced by an American film company (Warner Brothers). It was made with the association of Raymond Chow (founder of Hong Kong’s Golden Harvest film company), who supplied Bruce Lee and a host of actors and stuntmen.

Finally, a kung fu film with high production values and an international cast. “Enter The Dragon” was written for Bruce and was intended to make him a star in America. Sadly, Bruce died before the film’s release.

Can you name an American-produced martial arts film better than this?

“Enter The Dragon” has a James Bondian theme and feel to it; mixed together with the best from the East. Lee (Bruce Lee) basically goes undercover to Han’s island to gather evidence for a Clandestine government agency. He is joined by Roper (John Saxon) and Williams (Jim Kelly) — both have reasons of their own for attending. Lee gets his evidence but is captured and is forced to a duel with Roper. Roper declines, but since he must fight someone to prove himself worthy of joining Han’s operations, he is put up against Bolo instead. The fight-filled finale has Lee and Roper vs. Han and all of his countless men.

In between the great choreographed fights (by Bruce Lee), there’s enough to hold your interest: Pretty women in the forms of Ahna Capri and Betty Chung; Good spy plot; Bruce Lee’s philosophy (ie “the art of fighting without fighting”); An opening fight with Sammo Hung; Angela Mao Ying vs. Han’s men; And the funky theme music with an Eastern feel by Lalo Schifrin!

What do I love about “Enter the Dragon”?

– Mr. Han! (Shih Kien) He has a steel hand and two other nasty interchangeable attachments – just like a Bond villain. Keep in mind that Shih Kien’s voice is dubbed with the voice of Keye Luke (Master Po) from the hit TV series “Kung Fu.”

– Two great henchmen: Bolo (Bolo Yeung aka Yang Sze) and O’Hara (Bob Wall). One has the muscles and the other, a nasty scar.

– Bruce’s display of awesome moves, including the use of weapons and slow motion.

– The fight between John Saxon and Bolo (Yang Sze adopted his “Enter” screen name of Bolo Yeung, so American viewers could easily identify him).

– Jim Kelly’s funky dialogue: “Bull shit Mr. Han man!” and “Man, you come right out of a comic book!” His appearance in this film made him the number one Blaxploitation martial arts star during the 70s!

It can be argued that “Enter The Dragon” – despite the horrible directing job of Robert Clouse – is not Bruce Lee’s best film, or the best martial arts film ever, but for the year 1973, it was!

Tgushiniere’s Rating: 10/10

By Numskull

All right, here goes…review #200.

You people are SO going to hate me for this one.

Enter the Dragon is considered by many to be the greatest martial arts movie of all time, and I think it’s a reasonably safe assumption that the majority of those “many” have seen no more than a half-dozen genuine, Bruce-free martial arts films in their lives and would pronounce “Yuen Wo Ping” three different ways if you asked them to name three different martial arts choreographers. Having just used the term “martial arts” thrice in one sentence, I suppose I should explain my stance on the subject as far as movies are concerned.

Yes, we know Bruce Lee was among the world’s all-time greatest martial arts practitioners. Yes, we know he could move just about fast enough to break the sound barrier. Yes, we know that the way he clobbers everybody on screen with minimal effort is pretty much what he could have done in reality. And yes, we know that Bruce’s non-violent victories, such as luring the guy from New Zealand into the rowboat and tossing the snake into the control room to cause the bad guys to flee, reflect a healthy martial arts philosophy in which unnecessary conflict is avoided.

BUT…is that what people really want to see in a martial arts MOVIE?

Judging by the number of obsessive Bruce Lee fanboys out there who know all of his movies inside and out while ignoring or turning their noses up at the talents and genre contributions of Sammo Hung, Gordon Liu, Yuen Wah, and any number of other martial arts movie personalities, the answer is “yes”. People would rather watch the good guy plow through an army of human punching bags than watch him fight for his life against skilled opponents and overwhelming odds. Not ALL people, of course, but enough of them to elevate Enter the Dragon to a level of renown and acclaim which it does not deserve. How very sad.

Naturally, Bruce Lee’s sudden passing shortly before the film’s release has helped to make it the stuff of legend. The Crow received the same bittersweet benefit thanks to Brandon Lee’s death in mid-production. The film is famous because of the names and the hype attached to it, not how good it is. I daresay that those who use the “swan song” excuse for lavishing praise upon Enter the Dragon should take Bruce’s advice (“Don’t think…FEEL!”), turn it around 180 degrees, and look at the film through unbiased eyes to see it as the otherwise unremarkable action-adventure it is. What we have here is reputation and reality out of balance.

Way, way, WAY out of balance.

No doubt the snotty, self-proclaimed elite audience of martial arts films would tell me I don’t know shit because I never studied any martial arts myself (hey, it ain’t my fault the town I grew up in had three golf courses and zero martial arts schools). Well, I at least know enough to realize that John Saxon beating Bolo Yeung into unconsciousness is an absolute farce, whatever that’s worth. (Hell, at least it took Mel Gibson AND Danny Glover working together to beat Jet Li in Lethal Weapon 4.)

Let’s say you’ve never had an acting lesson in your life, never been in a school play, never even played cops ‘n’ robbers as a kid. Then, you see a truly awful performance by someone who has the audacity to call him or herself an actor (insert Ekin Cheng joke here). By the line of reasoning described above, you would have no right to scorn their pitiful display, no matter how unconvincing they are, no matter how obvious it is that they’re reading off a cue card, because you yourself have no genuine acting experience.

No? Well, here’s another one: you’re in a restaurant, and you get served this really disgusting meal. The steak has the texture of shoe leather, the french fries are lukewarm and soggy, and the salad has freezer-burnt lettuce and moldy old croutons. You’re about to call your server over to your table and raise all sorts of hell. Ah, but wait…you didn’t get very good grades in Home Ec, did you? No. In fact, you can barely open a can of soup without losing a finger, and the last time you made toast the whole kitchen caught fire. If it weren’t for the existence of restaurants, the “not raw” portion of your diet would consist entirely of Hungry Man TV dinners. What right have you to critique the cuisine?

Still not convinced? How about this: a bunch of research scientists are developing a new kind of bomb, and they accidentally blow up the whole world, reducing every man, woman, and child to a handful of ash which drifts off into outer space. Putting aside the issue of whether or not you’d be able to say or do ANYTHING after such an event, it stands to reason that you’d be pretty pissed off at those scientists. But before you mosey on over to their cloud (or sulfur pit, or whatever) and tell them what a bunch of fuck-ups they are/were, consider this: how much do YOU know about nuclear physics? Not much, probably. THEY’RE the experts. So why don’t you stop pretending you know their business better than they do and get back in line for when St. Peter calls your name, eh?

In a martial arts ACTION (key word) movie, as Enter the Dragon is purported to be, it’s more important to generate excitement than it is to be realistic. It’s about what looks good on the screen, not what works well in real life. Movies are, after all, a form of escapism. And…in this case and in my opinion…the escape is not worth taking. This ain’t how we likes it.

Movies are also supposed to make you care about what happens (if not for the characters themselves) and it also fails on that account. The flashback scene in which Bruce’s sister flees from the bad guys is so drawn out and uninvolving that we don’t care when she offs herself. Williams is so thin as a character (anyone who refers to another person as a “cat” just can’t be taken seriously) that we don’t care how many women he bones at a time. The bad guys are so non-threatening and lacking in presence that we don’t care when Bruce beats the shit out of them. You can replace “we” with “I” if you want, but understand that I’m not the only one with this view.

The fucking point:

There was, perhaps, a time when Enter the Dragon was well and truly king of the martial arts hill, but for those of us who favor cinematic value over sentimental value, that time is long past. Love it if you like, venerate it if you must, put it in a fucking time capsule for all I care, but for God’s sake learn that martial arts movies did not die with Bruce Lee. They kept getting made, and they kept getting better. In terms of all-out fun factor, I’ll match this up against Crippled Avengers or Odd Couple or Last Hurrah for Chivalry or Invincible Pole Fighter and declare it the loser any day of the week, dubbing or no dubbing, OAR or no OAR. For those of you who don’t need to be told this (and I’m assuming that there are more of you than my pissing-in-the-wind stance here would indicate), heat up your Hungry Man TV dinners and get back to your regularly scheduled martial arts movie programming.

There…that’s review #200.

Not a “proper” review, perhaps.

But it’s all this movie is gonna get out of me.

Numskull’s Rating: 4/10

By James H.

Well to tell the truth I’m not a big fan of Bruce Lee. I’ve only seen “Enter the Dragon” and another that escapes me for the moment. When I first saw this movie in Grade 7, it was very cool, but I’ve matured since then. Watching it again 5 years later, it seems old and dated. Look at the cast, it joins Bruce Lee with John Saxon, to ease him into American culture. Then add token Black guy, Jim Kelly, as the jive-talkin’ mutha, who’s a sex machine with all the chicks. He’s even got his own Shaft-like theme music.

After that, add a villain with an island fortress and an underground lair. It just smells like a corporate cut out. The whole way it was filmed looks like the 70’s. Not because of the clothes or the hair styles, but just the film techniques that were used. Director Robert Clouse (who went on to do “The Big Brawl” and many other failures) uses the same type of pan shot every time he wants to establish the setting.

Don’t get me wrong here, it is fun to watch. For me though it’s the end fight that was the best part. It was brilliantly executed. But one must thank those corporate big wigs. If not for them, the kung fu genre may not exist. Yes it is a groundbreaking movie, only because it opened up a whole new genre to the mass public. Is it a timeless classic? No.

James H’s Rating: 6.5/10

By Stockton22

I remembered Jackie Chan years before I knew who the hell he was because of his scene in this movie. Ok, we all know the scene by now. Jackie gets his neck snapped during the “battle with the guards” sequence in the middle of the film. I always thought it was such a awful thing for Bruce Lee to do. Why’d he have to snuff that particular guard? He only seemed to be knocking out everybody else. And it’s not like the guards are evil or anything. They’re just doing their job for Christ’s sake! This guy probably grew up in a slum somewhere (after all, Williams made that comment about ghettos being the same everywhere), no job, no money, no prospects. One day he hears that the local druglord is hiring, and he thinks, “Finally a real job! No more digging through the garbage for fishheads, no more bathing in the river, I’m movin’ on up!” So he starts working, then one day some guy shows up, trips the alarm, and our buddy the guard thinks, “Ok, time to go to work. I want to do a good job. After all, I have to keep sending part of my paycheck home to my sweet silverhaired old mother. Oh yeah, and Bolo took the last guard who screwed up and crushed him to death with his bare hands. I don’t want that to happen. Oh wait, the guy’s back is turned, maybe I can grab him. Ok, here I go.” Then Bruce grabs the head, pulls back the arm, then comes the close-up on Bruce’s face, and CRRRRRUNCHHH! I don’t care if he is the hero, that is just plain cold.

Come on Bruce, of course the guy’s gonna try to guard the complex! HE’S A FUCKING GUARD!!! Give the guy a break! Well, ok, I mean, well you know what I mean. Moving on to the other 97 minutes and 53 seconds of the film, I gotta ask, and I do this at the risk of getting my ass kicked by scores of Jeet Kun Do experts, is anyone else tired of people assuming that everything Bruce did on screen is the cinematic manifestation of godliness? Yeah Bruce kicks ass, yeah he has presence, but I think that if you’re doing a scene where you take on several dozen opponents, who amazingly, attack you one at a time I might add, it’s not all that enthralling if it only takes a single blow to take care of the guy. One punch, down. One kick, down. Yeah, I’m down for the count too. Zzzzzzzzz. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a really good action movie. There are some terrific fighting moments and Bruce truly shows off his extraordinary skill (even though he feels the need to take his shirt off in front of the camera more than that Eric dude from the first season of “The Real World”). But anyone who feels that it’s the greatest Martial Arts movie of all time is deluded (and living in the past).

On the other hand, Jim Kelly as the Mac Daddy kung fu master Williams is a big plus, for both his good fighting and his bad acting. Somehow, when he picks out half dozen girls to bang, then turns to the remaining courtesans and says, “Sorry, it’s been a long day. I’m a little tired.” it works. And how can you top a bad guy with all those funky hands? Especially when they dubbed in the voice of the guy who did the leader of planet Spectra on “Battle of the Planets.” Another point, how come the prisoners look like old, dilapidated human refuse when they’re in the jail cells, but like young healthy kung fu fighters when released? Well, continuity was never a strong point of the genre. And let’s not forget, it was an American production. And to that end, let me ask another question. How badly to you think Bolo Yeung wanted to take John Saxon and pulverize him into the ground until he struck oil? John Saxon has about as much a chance of really beating Bolo Yeung in a fight as I have of winning the Powerball Lottery (The guy couldn’t beat Freddy Krueger for Christ’s sake. I know Freddy’s got the finger knives thing but you’re a cop! SHOOT HIM FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!) . There hasn’t been such wildly false outcome since, hmmm, I guess since the guest appearance of the Green Hornet and Kato on the old Batman tv show. Anyone remember that? Burt Howard as Robin holding his own against none other than Bruce Lee as Kato. Would everybody please care to join me in a huge, collective, “YEAH RIGHT!”

Stockton22’s Rating: 7/10

By Tyler

The film that brought Bruce Lee in the eyes of America, Enter the Dragon. A classic in my opinion, I first saw this film at the age of four (of course I didn’t understand a thing), and I loved it. The beautifully shot film and wonderful choreographed film with plenty of action, and great acting (by Bruce mostly) I mean, who can forget great quotes by Bruce such as, “Boards don’t hit back”. When Bruce uttered those words a chill ran down my spine. Jackie was an extra in this film too, he got his (his character’s) neck broken by Bruce (that’s the only minus in the film). When Bruce kicks it’s like a flash of lighting, it’s incredibly fast, you can hardly see his legs are move!

One thing I didn’t like was John Saxon, I really did not like his performance in the film, but I did enjoy Jim Kelly’s, he was kinda had a clean smoothness to him you know. The Battle between Bruce and Han was very memorable, the mirrors added a very eerie sense, like you didn’t know what was going to happen,but you weren’t sure something was. Another great scene is the big brawl between the prisoners and Han’s minions,great action. One scene that was ridiculous was the fight between Bolo Yeung (a.k.a. Yang Sze), and John Saxon – yeah I really believe that John Saxon could overpower a guy that looked like he could “bench” the whole Island (I mean Bolo is huge). The plot is a little weird,but then again it’s an American production.

Overall this film is pretty good, the colorful costumes and great cast really brighten the sets as well as the actors. Warner Brothers has released it remastered and uncut, so rent it. Take it from me it’s a good film even if it’s not a Jackie Chan film.

Tyler’s Rating: 9/10

By Dan-O

Whenever I take it upon myself to watch this movie for the umpteenth time, I am always deeply compelled to throw things (such as food or feces) at the screen whenever John Saxon flashes his balding, talentless head in front of the camera. Why was this awkward, freaky-lookin’ cracker ever allowed on the set of this otherwise pleasant, although cheesy, BRUCE LEE vehicle (NOT John Saxon vehicle). And don’t all you honkeys out there get your panties in a bunch; I’m whiter than John Boy, in fact I’m almost transparent. But come on, this guy has about half the martial arts know-how of David Carridene.

This movie is directed by Robert Clouse, who went on to direct……….um………that one about………no, wait, wrong movie. Well, China O’ Brian was one of his, right? Aaaah who gives a crap; the guy couldn’t direct a turd out of his rectal area (thanks for that image, Dan).

Bruce is the ONE and ONLY saving grace of this film. Watching him hit people is enough to give you chills all over the place. We miss ya Bruce. Why didja hafta go and croak on us like that. Why didja hafta leave us with all these wanna-be loser imitations of yourself. Oh, and if you are still alive, tell Andy Kaufman I said “Hi”.

Dan-O’s Rating: 7/10 (minus John Saxon: 10/10)

By Vic Nguyen

To me, Bruce Lee will always remain number one. Sure, Jackie Chan is great, but when it comes right down to it, Bruce Lee wins my respect. He is without a doubt, the best fighter the world has ever seen, and this film proves it. Bruce plays his normal ass kicking character, sent to an island to bust up a drug ring headed by Master Han, played by the great Shek Kin. He then enters Han’s kung fu tournament in order to stop the drug ring.

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is all the nostalga that surrounds the film. In the beginning of the film, Bruce is seen fighting a young Sammo Hung. When Bruce gets into a fight with many stuntmen in an underground cavern, Bruce breaks the neck of Jackie himself, and when Bruce does an incredible flip over some Buddist monks, the stuntman that performs the flip is veteren Hong Kong movie star and Peking Opera student Yuen Wah. Now thats entertainment.

The Hong Kong film industry owes much to Bruce because this film broke box office records for a kung fu film in America and planted that Hong Kong films are here to stay in the US. Rumors have circulated on newsgoups that Enter the Dragon will be rereleased. Hopefully rhese rumors are true and the film will be on the big screen where it belongs.

Vic Nguyen’s Rating: 10/10

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

14 Amazons, The | aka The Fourteen Amazons (1972) Review

Posted on April 26, 2011 by JJ Hatfield
"The 14 Amazons" Chinese Theatrical Poster

“The 14 Amazons” Chinese Theatrical Poster

Director: Cheng Kang
Co-director: Charles Tung
Cast: Lily Ho Li Li, Ivy Ling Po, Li Ching, Yueh Hua, Lisa Lu Yan, Tina Chin Fei, Karen Yip Ling Chi, Wong Ping, Ha Ping, Lam Jing, Chan Shen, Chen Yan Yan
Running Time: 117 min.

By JJ Hatfield

This is a wonderful old school film from the Shaw Brothers. Truly an epic, the plot and characters are a small part of the historic writings of “Yang Jia Jiang” (Generals Of Yang Family). After yet another attack on the Yang family those loyal to them formed a group of supporters that turns into a power to be dealt with by their enemies.

Some people refer to this movie as very early feminism. In fact it is another chapter from “Yang Jia Jiang”. This most popular account is found in one long story or written as novels spanning fewer years each. The Yangs were the Generals of the Song Dynasty during the later years of Northern Song. The story makes for an interesting read but it certainly is not required before you see the film. What exposition is required is there but the movie is all about action! The “Fourteen Amazons” takes place after the Yang family men are slaughtered in an ambush. The Seven Yang sons are dead and the father after being seriously injured and seeing his sons die in horrifying ways kills himself.

All of the women are widows who have nothing left to lose and the restoration of the Yang family name to regain, not to mention freedom. China, indeed many countries were not unaccustomed to having women fight. It was not a statement of equality it was a matter of life and death. When marauding armies and savage gangs used might, mostly simply outnumbering their victims, everyone who could fought. No doubt many women and children have found it necessary to fight to survive.

Highly trusted by the Emperor The Yang family was formally charged with defending the territory and maintaining experienced troops to deal with attacks from the Mongols and others who tried to invade China. They were said to be just rulers and beloved by their people.

The Yang family troops fought war after war for over four decades. They always won! Or so they held that reputation. It is difficult to describe the enormous amount of respect and honor accorded them. The Yangs were excellent fighters. It took betrayal and malice to bring down the Yang men. And some very careful planning involving people who claimed to be loyal but answered to those who wanted to annihilate the Yang influence once and for all. However the women of the Yang family had the same courage, skills and love of country as the men. The group is led by She Tai Chun (Yan Lisa Lu ), the General’s widow.

When the need arises the “Fourteen Amazons” go into action and I do mean action! Every one of the women fights with skill, ferocity and determination and they are not afraid of inflicting mortal wounds on invaders nor hesitant to spill their enemies blood. There is something for everyone! Martial arts, many different spears, unique swords, shields, archers, all kinds of axes, knives, even a rope dart or two. There is not much screen time when there is not a match or a battle being fought. When the screenplay slows for a few moments the participants are plotting strategy. The Yangs were known for their exceptional fighting skills however they also were quite brilliant in strategy. This allowed them to fight and win over enemies with greater numbers.

The fights are phenomenal and beautiful in their own way. No hint of pretend fighting because these were *girls*. For a film released in 1972 the physical moves look very realistic. Even the decapitations, amputations, etc. seem to indicate someone has taken some time with the props. Not all of them, some scenes just don’t show the same effort but things happen so quickly there is little time for acute assessment of one particular move or set. Fights are tight and surprisingly realistic for the film. It is somewhat confusing having so many women dressed virtually the same however you begin to see their style of fighting and it becomes much easier to identify the character.

Cheng Hsiao-tung/Siu-Tung hing and Hsiao Sung Liang are listed as the Stunt Coordinators. Fighting Instructors listed as Liang Shao Sung and Cheng Xiao Dong. With the massive number of people mostly fighting there were definitely many more people involved in the actual practice and coordination. There are fights that are more correctly considered multiple stunts. The only reason this movie worked was because most of the women had fought before or at least seen enough of it to look deadly serious. The use of weapons was a real treat. So many fighters with so many weapons will keep you glued to the screen.

The Yangs will be remembered as China’s finest, representing true nobility. Their love of country and self sacrifice for a better China has been used in many ways to inspire the people. They were not in search of glory. They felt it was their duty to defend the people and the land.

The cinematography is tight in the right places and shows off the actors skills though no one is acting hammy. The actors become their role and they stay there. The viewer forgets actors names and becomes invested in the individual characters. “Fourteen Amazons” is not small in any way. From the huge cast to the enormous amount of people required for sets, costumes, weapons, staging scenes this is a big movie! Some of the battle scenes are just incredible. Tremendous numbers of combatants filmed across gorgeous landscapes. The filming is excellent. The result of all those people and all that hard work is a damn good film!

There are a couple of… interesting tactics used that might seem a bit like wu xia or fantasy but again things are happening so fast there is no time to dwell on something so mundane. The editing was a bit odd in some places. It leads me to wonder if bits of the film master are not in good condition.

Although not a huge seller now this film was a box office goldmine and one of the top ten domestic films of the year. Quite a feat! The credit really lies with the entire group effort. Even the extras in town or the big battle scenes did a good enough job to make it seem there was a frickin war coming down on your head.

The directors, Cheng Kang and Shao-yung Tung are to be congratulated for pulling off an excellent epic tale of devotion, betrayal, honor and love of country.

JJ Hatfield’s Rating: 8/10 Highly Recommended

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

Dragon Fist (1978) Review

Posted on April 26, 2011 by JJ Hatfield
"Dragon Fist" Japanese Theatrical Poster

“Dragon Fist” Japanese Theatrical Poster

Director: Lo Wei
Producer: Hsu Li Hwa
Cast: Jackie Chan, Nora Miao, James Tien, Pearl Lin Yin Zhu, Yen Shi Kwan, Ko Keung, Hsu Hsia, Ou-Yang Sha Fei, Chui Yuen, Wong Kwong Yue, Chui Fat, Eagle Han Ying, Wang Yao, Wong Ching, Lam Ching Ying
Running Time: 92 min

By JJ Hatfield

This is one of Jackie Chan’s early films. It is also one of a handful or so produced and directed by the infamous Lo Wei. It remains a mystery how Lo Wei convinced anyone to give him financial support, especially since he could not transform Jackie into a new Bruce Lee. By this time in Jackie’s career he should have been a star. Lo Wei had no idea how to best use Chan’s talents. He still wanted Bruce Lee, with some Lo Wei humor tossed in.

Out of all the films Jackie did for Lo Wei this is the most straightforward and the most action filled. The story is realistic enough and quite serious. You never see Jackie smile but you do see him kick ass old school style on a whole lot of guys!

The story begins as a martial arts tournament is in process with Tang How-Yuen’s Master Kang (James Tien) After taking on all comers including his best student the Master beats them all. Master Kang is given a sign to declare his championship and he is overwhelmed with good wishes. The sign will be hung over the school entrance. With the tournament over Master Kang insists everyone should stay and partake of food and drink. After all this is a celebration!

Without warning a new arrival Cheung Chien-Kuen (Yam Sai Kuan) storms in and is arrogant and insulting. He insists the sign should come down because he is the best fighter. Everyone says it is too late, the Master reigns supreme but since it is so important Kang agrees to fight him but Cheung attacks without warning and fights as if it were a duel to the death! Everyone is shouting at Cheung to stop including Master Kang. He was not prepared for such a fierce onslaught this was a friendly contest! Master Kang tells Cheung he has won but the evil bastard just keeps beating him without mercy. How-Yuen and the others try to separate the two but are fought by Cheung’s henchmen. Only when it is obvious Master Kang is seriously wounded does Cheung stop. He takes the sign with him when he and his men leave laughing and congratulating Cheung. Master Kang’s wife, daughter and How-Yuen do all they can to heal him but his injuries are too severe. His last words are to How-Yuen. He tells him to train and avenge the school. He also tells him he is charged with taking care of Kang’s wife and daughter.

We next see Cheung being congratulated for his school’s success over the last three years. The school has a good reputation and plenty of students. Though Cheung has attained an honorable status and many students want to train there, everything is coming together perfectly when the Cheungs suffer a terrible tragedy. Cheung’s wife kills herself in the hope her death will make up for her husband’s vicious killing of Master Kang. Cheung’s wife and Master Kang used to see each other but it was long before marriage to Cheung. Still he has always held a grudge and had been planning on killing him for his former relationship with his wife. In emotional agony Cheung amputates his own leg to try and atone for his cruel and jealous deeds.

A number of people including Cheung are suspicious of the wicked Master Wei (Ko Keung) when dead bodies start to appear. Cheung has to get to the bottom of the killings and sends two of his most trusted and skilled students to discover the facts.

In the meantime Wei’s henchmen meet How-Yuen. When the gang starts to harass his two charges it is necessary to defend them. Naturally he dispatches them with quick brutal moves. Once Wei hears about How-Yuen’s amazing martial arts skills he starts to think of someway to get him to work for their gang.

When How-Yuen and Master Kang’s widow and daughter reach Cheung’s school they are treated as guests and escorted to see Cheung. How-Yuen is anxious to do his Master’s bidding and kill the bastard that murdered Master Kang. Just as How-Yuen is about to make mush of his sworn enemy he discovers Cheung has cut off his leg. It doesn’t make any difference to him and he is ready for revenge. How-Yuen only halts after the Mistress pleads with him to stop. He is red hot and ready for vengeance but how can he honorably defeat a one legged man?

With everything that has happened the Mistress falls ill. How-Yuen has her see a doctor who tells How-Yuen that she is very ill and there is only one thing that might help. Master Wei’s family has a unique potion that works like a miracle cure. How-Yuen goes to the Wei family and begs them for the herbal potion. This is just the opportunity Master Wei has been waiting for!

Wei cleverly agrees to give How-Yuen the herbs for his Mistress if he will help the Wei clan and their business. How-Yuen loves the Mistress like his own mother. How can he refuse to work for Wei when he needs the herbal medicine to save her very life?

It becomes obvious before long that the Wei family are all thieves, villains and possibly even murderers. How-Yuen loses face and enrages everyone around him except the Wei school. The so called martial arts school is really just a cover for their devious and deadly dealings. Word quickly spreads of this new gang member and eventually the Mistress learns of his actions. How-Yuen cannot tell her the truth or she would insist he quit working for Wei even though she needs the medicine.

For a Jackie Chan movie this one is really pretty dark. That certainly doesn’t make it a bad film. There is no humor and no one laughs except the cackling villains. Jackie’s facial expression ranges from sorrow to “piss off” and then “Die M—-F——!” It’s terrific! Sometimes you just need to watch the hero beat the hell out of the bad guys and this movie is perfect.

“Dragon Fist” is unique in several ways aside from being a dramatic film. There are no attempts at humor, for which viewers will be eternally grateful! Before How-Yuen goes off for revenge he apparently trains but there are no training scenes. And the story is actually fairly good with plot twists aplenty.

The fantastic finale is fighting on a massive scale. And it isn’t just How-Yuen! The whole screen is filled with fighting – the Cheung family and their school against Wei and his evil gang. There is a wide variety of fighting styles, weapons and even foes as one person goes to help another. How-Yuen is the one doing most of the beating and suffers injuries along the way but he never loses his ferocity or thirst for revenge.

“Dragon Fist” is an excellent old school style film that will keep you guessing while keeping you entertained. Highly Recommended.

JJ Hatfield’s Rating: 8/10

By Alvin George

“Dragon Fist” is yet another deadpan old-school kung-fu movie Jackie Chan made with Lo Wei way back when. For a Lo Wei film, this film has better-than-average plot developments (Jackie actually betrays his late master’s family at one point), better-than-average characters (one villain cuts off his own leg as a penance for his wrongdoing), and better-than-average fight scenes (especially toward the end). However, this film was nevertheless tough sledding for me. The dubbing was sloppy (as usual) and the dialogue was lame (again as usual); perhaps something got lost in the translation. As a Bruce Lee type, Jackie Chan is miscast, as he often was during the 1970s. If you can stand the dubbing and the dialogue, enjoy this movie and especially the fight scenes. As for me, I rather sit through Slayer’s “Show No Mercy” album.

Alvin George’s Rating: 5/10

By T-Man

This movie is based on the old (and much overused) ‘you killed my master, now you must die’ plot. But the movie offers enough plot twists to keep the average viewer mildly interested (if not confused). I must admit that I got a little confused at one point (I blame it on the bad dubbing). In the end, all questions are answered and it’s time for Jackie to kick some ass.

Jackie Chan plays a serious role, so there is none of the famous Chan comedy. The real reason to watch the movie is for the fighting. The choreography is fast and elegant (especially at the end). The fighting alone makes it worth a watch. I recommend double featuring this with ‘Young Master.’ Both have excellent (but different) fight choreography. One is serious, the other is down-right goofy. Regardless, if you’re a Chan fan, check it out!

T-Man’s Rating: 8/10

By Tigerlily

You can’t get much more serious than this among Jackie Chan movies. Dragon Fist has a good plot (when compared to his other movies). There are a couple of well choreographed fights, especially at the end. On a lighter note, the background music and some of the scenery (especially during a fight where Chung Chu Ping tells Chan to stop fighting) is very lovely. Although I like Chan’s comedic movies better, this movie was thoroughly enjoyed by this Chan fan!

Tigerlily’s Rating: 7/10

By Numskull

Lo Wei takes the standard “You killed my teacher/family member/best friend/boy-toy, now you must die” theme a step further with this one. It was the first oldie I saw starring JC and is still probably my favorite. The deceased master has a widow and daughter who accompany Jackie in his search for the killer. He gets involved with his target’s rival gang, which is run by three brothers who are a little too close if you ask me (I’m convinced they’re up each other when the camera’s not on them). The fighting is spread kinda thin, up until the excellent 15-minute finale, which features an incredibly long armed duel between Jackie (with a crutch) and…another guy (using a pair of tonfa).

Another major highlight is when Jackie re-starts the interrupted brawling by punching the most annoying villain about 50 times in 14 seconds. And, in the nifty ideas department, there’s a master who refuses to let the fact that he only has one leg keep him from joining the festivites. On the down side, none of the humor in this movie is intentional (gotta love that dubbing…”You’re a viscous, stinking BUNCH!!!”). Still, if a group of Iraqi terrorists strap you down and force you to watch a Lo Wei movie of your own choosing, you could very easily do worse than Dragon Fist.

Numskull’s Rating: 7/10

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

Bruce Lee, Sonny Chiba and Brandon Lee in 3-D!!!

Posted on April 25, 2011 by JJ Bona
Something tells me the only 3rd Dimension we'll experience will be an aspirin shooting right in our mouths.

Something tells me the only 3rd Dimension we'll experience will be an aspirin shooting right in our mouths.

Buyer beware! Even though it’s my duty to report releases like these, it’s obvious that these are the very low budget, public domain versions. No specs are given at all (Amazon.com doesn’t even list a a brand or distributor!). I doubt they’re even letterbox versions. Come to think of it, you might even have to supply your own 3D glasses (so run to your nearest 7-11!).

They even list “Chinese Connection” as having the AKA’s of “Fist of Fury” and “The Big Boss”; historically speaking, they’re unintentionally correct (when the films were originally imported here in the 1970’s, “The Big Boss” was supposed to be called “Chinese Connection,” hence “French Connection,” but a mix-up in the labeling screwed that up forever). The only way we’ll figure out if it’s Bruce’s 1st of 2nd Golden Harvest movie is if we buy that damn thing.

And as far as these releases being in 3D? Well, I’m not familiar with what kind of cheeesy alterations they’re able to pull for made-for-2D titles, but I’m pretty sure the 3rd dimension will be a disappointment.

Anybody wanna be the guinea pig?

Posted in News |

Kung Fu Dunk | aka Slam Dunk (2008) Review

Posted on April 25, 2011 by JJ Bona
"Kung Fu Dunk" American DVD Cover

“Kung Fu Dunk” American DVD Cover

AKA: Shaolin Basket
Director: Chu Yen Ping
Cast: Jay Chou, Eric Tsang Chi-wai, Wilson Chen, Charlene Choi, Ng Man Tat, Wang Gang, Huang Bo, Will Liu Keng Hung, Leung Kar Yan, Eddie Ko
Running Time: 98 min.

By Mighty Peking Man

From Chu Yen Ping (aka Kevin Chu), the director of Fantasy Mission Force (1982) comes Kung Fu Dunk…

Since when did Chu Yen Ping become a hot shot director working with extremely famous stars like Jay Chou? What’s going on here? Does Jay Chou owe Jimmy Wang Yu a favor or something?

I’m not knocking Chu Yen Ping, but judging from his filmography, his career is bizarre. Every time the guy makes a movie with major talent (which has only been a few times out of his 60+ movies), they’re strange ensemble pieces.

Take Island of Fire (1991) for instance: It stars Andy Lau, Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung and Tony Leung Ka Fai. Of course we’re all aware of how Jackie took the role as a favor to Jimmy Wang Yu (he saved Jackie from Lo Wei, who wanted to kill Jackie, literally); It’s public knowledge that Jackie disowned Island of Fire. He also disowned Fantasy Mission Force. Both directed by Chu Yen Ping, both presented/produced by Jimmy Wang Yu. Go figure. As far as the other three stars, who knows? I’m sure they owed something to somebody.

After Island of Fire, Chu Yen Ping went back to making obscure films with either has-been stars or unknowns — that is until Kung Fu Dunk came along. Even Chu Yen Ping’s next movie was another big budget, effects-driven film called Treasure Hunter (2011), also starring Jay Chou…

Okay, now that I got that out of the way, I feel like I can officially start with this review…

I think if I was a corny 15-year old Chinese girl with red streaks in my hair, I’d have a little more appreciation for Kung Fu Dunk. I knew what I was getting into beforehand: Pop stars, guys with dumb hair and arm tattoos, Eric Tsang acting like his usual self (I’m getting sick of this guy), and useless Charlene Choi doing nothing but cheering the team on the whole time. What a stupid character. Speaking of which, what’s up with her marijuana-leaf cap? Shouldn’t she be in jail and sentenced to death for wearing that in a Chinese film?

As for Jay Chou, I was very impressed with him. I’ve never seen any of his movies before. I didn’t even know he existed until he got the part as Kato in The Green Hornet (2011) movie. When he did get that role, I was thinking to myself: “Why that guy? Who the hell is he?”…

Now that I’ve watched Kung Fu Dunk, I understand why the producers picked him.

I’m not saying he’s my current favorite star, but he is good. There’s something about his presence that most young stars lack these days. He’s different. Whether he’s fighting dozens of guys or flying around with a basketball in his hand, I was actually sold that his character was capable of doing those amazing things. I don’t mean to sound gay, but you know what, I like Jay Chou; and I’m officially looking forward to The Green Hornet because of his performance in Kung Fu Dunk alone.

Jay Chou aside, Kung Fu Dunk is average. It has a few hilarious moments, but as whole, I’m just not feeling it. Again, I knew what I was getting into, so I was expecting all the over-the-top basketball scenes dipped in a shit load of computer generated effects. Sure, the story has a sappy message but seriously, who cares? I can get the same message from watching an episode of Full House.

Considering Kung Fu Dunk is directed by Chu Yen Ping, it could have been a lot worse. Jay Chou definitely saves it from being unwatchable.

Or maybe I’m just getting too old for this shit.

Mighty Peking Man’s Rating: 6/10

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

Norwegian Ninja DVD (MPI)

Posted on April 24, 2011 by JJ Bona
Norwegian Ninja DVD (MPI)

Norwegian Ninja DVD (MPI)

RELEASE DATE: June 28, 2011

Norwegian Ninja is a 2010 Norwegian action comedy film, directed by Thomas Cappelen Malling. The film, based on a 2006 book, presents real-life espionage-convicted Arne Treholt as the leader of a ninja group saving Norway during the Cold War. Though most details of the movie have been kept secret, it is known that Mads Ousdal will play the part of Treholt.

Check out the trailer here.

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

Chinatown Kid (1977) Review

Posted on April 24, 2011 by Jeff Bona
"Chinatown Kid" Chinese Theatrical Poster

“Chinatown Kid” Chinese Theatrical Poster

Director: Chang Cheh
Producer: Run Run Shaw
Cast: Alexander Fu Sheng, Shirley Yu, Siu Yam Yam, Philip Kwok, Lo Meng, Chiang Sheng, Sun Chien, Jenny Tseng, Wong Lik, Johnny Wang, Jamie Luk
Running Time: 120 min.

By Jeff Bona

After getting into trouble with both the Hong Kong police and the local crime syndicate (headed by Johnny Wang Lung-Wei), Tang Dong (Alexander Fu Sheng) heads to San Francisco to hide out and lead a normal work life. Upon his arrival, he gets a job at a Chinatown restaurant where befriends a co-worker named Yang Jian Wen (Sun Chien), a student from Taiwan.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t take long for Tang Dong to find himself in yet another predicament. While on a routine stop at a laundromat, Tang Dong notices men extorting money from the owners. With extreme ease, Tang Dong fights them off and scares them away. As it turns out, the men Tang Dong took on were members of the Green Dragon gang (headed by Lo Meng).

When word gets around that Tang Dong single-handedly beat up a pack of Green Dragon members, a rival gang called the White Dragon gangsters (headed by Phillip Kwok) decide to recruit Tang Dong. What follows is saga of struggle, wealth, betrayal, friendship and morality.

Chinatown Kid is one hell of a movie. It’s paced just right with a little bit of everything: comedy, gangsterism, kung fu and even some violent shoot out sequences.

The charismatic Alexander Fu Sheng shines throughout. His boyish charm works perfectly for his character’s tough, but naive personality. As for Sun Chien? I like the guy, but he plays an odd character who feels a little out of place. I keep all my reviews spoil-free, so you’ll have to watch this movie to see what I mean.

Along with The Brave Archer, Shaolin Temple and The Naval Commandos; Chinatown Kid features cast members who would be widely known as the “Venoms” a year later. It’s only Sun Chien, Lo Meng and Philip Kwok who have chunky roles; Lu Feng and Chiang Sheng are barely in the picture; Wai Pai is the only member who is absent. On an interesting note, this is the only film where you get to see the Venom members sport bell-bottoms and shoot firearms.

Chinatown kid also features a lineup of groovy babes: Shirley Yu Sha Li (Life Gamble), Jenny Tseng Yan Lei (Boxer Rebellion), Shaw Yum Yum (Human Lanterns) and last, but not least, a cameo from Kara Hui (My Young Auntie).

Chinatown Kid has been compared to Brian DePalma’s Scarface (1983). In fact, it’s easy to imagine Giorgio Moroder’s theme playing in the background as Tang Dong rises to power. I personally doubt DePalma drew inspiration from Chinatown Kid, but the two movies do share a lot of the same qualities, both visually and in plot. But then again, this is DePalma we’re talking about (he’s often criticized for ripping off everyone from Alfred Hitchcock to Sergei M. Eisenstein), so who knows?

WARNING: The Celestial DVD has a completely different “happy” ending with a chunk of violence cut out, as well as other changes here and there. What sucks is the Celestial version is the only legit version available (although it’s currently out of print). The only other options you have is to find an old Southgate VHS tape or purchase the shady Pan Media DVD. I’m not the biggest bootleg fan, but It’s situations like these where I’m totally for them. For more details about the difference between the two versions/endings, click here. Watch out for spoilers.

The Celestial DVD is a good way of viewing the alternative ending as an extra if you’re curious, otherwise it’s an unnecessary version that only hurts the film.

Jeff Bona‘s Rating: 9/10 (Celestial DVD edit: 5/10)

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

Heavy Metal Blu-ray (Sony)

Posted on April 24, 2011 by JJ Bona
Heavy Metal Blu-ray (Sony)

Heavy Metal Blu-ray (Sony)

RELEASE DATE: June 14, 2011

First time on Blu-ray! Based on the fantastical illustrated magazine Heavy Metal, producer Ivan Reitman enlists the help of some of Hollywood’s animation masters to create the otherworldly tale of a glowing green orb from outer space that spreads destruction throughout the galaxy.

Click here for more information.

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

Battle Beyond the Stars Blu-ray/DVD (Shout!)

Posted on April 24, 2011 by JJ Bona
Battle Beyond the Stars Blu-ray/DVD (Shout!)

Battle Beyond the Stars Blu-ray/DVD (Shout!)

RELEASE DATE: July 12, 2011

Battle Beyond the Stars is a 1980 Roger Corman-produced cult classic science fiction film, directed by Jimmy T. Murakami (Humanoids from the Deep). The film, intended as a “Seven Samurai in outer space.” The screenplay was written by John Sayles (Eight Men Out), the score was composed by James Horner (The Terminator), and the special effects were directed by James Cameron (Aliens).

Check out the trailer here.

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

Mischievous Kiss DVD Set (Ya Entertainment)

Posted on April 24, 2011 by JJ Bona
Mischievous Kiss DVD Set (Ya Entertainment)

Mischievous Kiss DVD Set (Ya Entertainment)

RELEASE DATE: May 31, 2011

Based on the popular Japanese comic Itazura na Kiss (also available in English from Digital Manga Productions) – which has sold over 30 million copies worldwide – Mischievous Kiss is an adorable Korean TV drama series that follows in the footsteps of hits like Palace and Boys Over Flowers.

Check out the trailer here.

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

Torso Blu-ray/DVD (Blue Underground)

Posted on April 24, 2011 by JJ Bona
Torso Blu-ray/DVD (Blue Underground)

Torso Blu-ray/DVD (Blue Underground)

RELEASE DATE: Jul 26, 2011

Giallo master Sergio Martino’s Torso is now available in high Definition and is freshly transferred from the original negative. It’s presented here in its Uncensored English Version for the first time ever! The Blu-ray edition comes with both the English Version and the Full-Length Italian Director’s Cut!

If you have the guts, check out the trailer!

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

Brazil Blu-ray (Universal)

Posted on April 24, 2011 by JJ Bona
Brazil Blu-ray (Universal)

Brazil Blu-ray (Universal)

RELEASE DATE: July 12, 2011

In the future, a clerk at the all-powerful Ministry of Information sticks to his ideals and ends up crushed by the system in this half comedy, half horror story from former ‘Monty Python’ animator Terry Gilliam (Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas). Like Orwell’s novel ‘1984’, which it echoes, the future is seen from a 1940’s perspective. Jonathan Pryce stars, with Robert De Niro making a cameo appearance as an excessively diligent sewage inspector.

Check out the trailer (warning: may contain spoilers).

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

Saga of the Phoenix (1990) Review

Posted on April 23, 2011 by JJ Hatfield
"Saga of the Phoenix" Chinese Theatrical Poster

"Saga of the Phoenix" Chinese Theatrical Poster

Director: Lau Shut Yue, Nam Nai Choi
Cast: Yuen Biao, Gloria Yip Wan Yi, Rachel Lee Lai Chun, Shintaro Katsu, Jacqueline Ng Suet Man, Lau Sek Yin, Pauline Wong Siu Fung
Running Time: 93 min.

By JJ Hatfield

Saga of the Phoenix is a sequel to Peacock King.

Ashura, Hell’s virgin really wants to visit outside Hell. She wants to feel the sunshine and smell the flowers. Peacock and his brother plead with the Master to let Ashura on earth and promise to keep anything from happening. The Master, overcome with the girl’s seemingly simple request agrees to give her seven days on earth. She is sternly warned what could happen if she is in Hell now.

Her two guardians turns into one when Peacock (Biao) is literally frozen in Hell after an attempt to kidnap Ashura. His brother and Ashura go outside of Tokyo to hide out from Hell’s villains. In the meantime Ashura meets up with the only friend she had in hell. At this point you can pretty much give up on any cool action. Ashura’s friend is a doll/puppet thing that likes to cause trouble and eat a lot. These habits bring him (it?) into conflict with the owner of the house who is an inventor where everyone just shows up and stays there. Well at least until the seven days run out for Ashura.

The creature is a real pain in the ass but there are some downright cruel pay backs from the inventor. A bit over the top behavior by a grown man. Boring as hell but little ones might be frightened by the “evil” stuff. No doubt though they will like the ridiculous puppet. Even the brother has changed and is about 5 inches taller but he still does not fight well. The fx, cgi was tolerable. To replace time Biao would have been on the screen they even experiment with time/space travel. They were getting that desperate.

I just realized I may have watched and reviewed a forbidden film! This may violate the recent edict from the powers that be in government and movies, that “time travel” etc is forbidden in films and books – in China! I’m not picking on China. Any governing body that attempts thought control, through whatever means is doing a bad thing. Of course that has never stopped anyone from trying. If it was the U.S. I would be quite loud and active on the subject. I rather doubt anyone would be concerned about this movie leading anyone astray from reality. Indeed I was very aware of the passage of time and how it really did feel different if you were having a good time, which I was not.

Pass this one by and pick up Prodigal Son, Project A, Dragons Forever or Righting Wrongs instead.

JJ Hatfield’s Rating: 2.5/10

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

Hero of Swallow, The (1996) Review

Posted on April 23, 2011 by JJ Hatfield
"The Hero of Swallow" Chinese DVD Cover

"The Hero of Swallow" Chinese DVD Cover

Director: Siu Sang
Writer: Siu Sang Studio
Producer: Cheung Chung Ping, Hu Chin, Allen Lan Hai Han
Cast: Yuen Biao, Athena Chu Yan, Eddie Ko Hung, Lily Chung Suk Wai, Ma Chung Tak, Elvis Tsui Kam Kong, Yvonne Yung Hung, Allen Lan Hai Han
Running Time: 96 min.

By JJ Hatfield

“The Hero Of Swallow” is set in pre – WWII China. There is a tremendous amount of misery caused by the Japanese invasion and the “Swallow” lives a nomadic rob the rich – give to the poor code. He also has another reason for traveling so much. The motivation to go to Beijing was mostly to look for his sister who was abducted and sold into prostitution. He has taken a vow to never stop looking until he finds and rescues her.

The Swallow is Li San (Yuen Biao) He is searching for Ching Li /Chinny (Athena Chu Yin). However his robberies have not gone unnoticed. His name comes from the fact that he can leap such great distances he seems to almost fly. Not only is he in danger for his stealing from the wealthy but he is being set up to be a thief caught in the act of virtual treason.

When we first see Li San in action he is dressed in his robbing attire, a rather ninja type affair. It’s unfortunate it is at night because he pulls off some great moves but it’s hard to see much of anything! I have seen two different copies and both are too dark in the first big fight scene as well as other visuals. Swallow wins of course and frees many girls but doesn’t find Ching Li.

Li San/Swallow has a police investigator following him, Captain Tang Yue Chi. (Ma Chung Tak) who is not as easily fooled as most of the police. After a particularly daring theft of a rare antique
the Japanese are after Swallow as well.

His only friends are a young pickpocket who pretends to be a guy but is a girl. (No it is not at all convincing just like in all those other movies) and a disabled war veteran (Tsui Kam Kong) that was once helped by Li San/Swallow. Biao wanders all over the place mixing with the bad guys and no one figures it out.

LiSan/Swallow also discovers corruption and machinations of cut throat business owners, a villain who will not stop until he has stopped – and he is trained in the same school technique. The places for him to hide while searching for Ching Li/Chinny are dwindling. No matter what happens there is going to be a big fight. How can it be resolved without someone dying?

Neither the soundtrack nor the visuals help raise the level above mediocre. Just when you think think, “Ok now we’ll see Biao do his stuff” – he doesn’t. Or it is one or two moves. I can only assume filming was done in the dark to perhaps hide all the wires, except those you could actually make out at times.

I personally take issue with the two-part ending. It isn’t the number of acts or parts – it is the ending itself. It felt rushed, muddled and then who gives a f#ck. Obviously no one had a clue as how to wrap up the movie. Which shouldn’t be too surprising since no one had any idea how to film the movie. The ending left several things unresolved and then went on for what felt like hours to the point you want to yell at your TV screen “We get the frickin’ point!”

This film has problems. There are a few moments of cool fights but much of it is literally hard to see in the dark. That might be a blessing though at least you don’t see Biao swinging from wires. This is not used as wire assisted to make hits and kicks look a little rougher I mean like jumping from the ground to second story roofs. Even that would be acceptable if done well, but who knows it’s impossible to see!

When Biao is not in fighting mode he seems to be confused at to what the hell is going on. He is not alone. The viewer may experience a similar sensation. The script was apparently changed …well more than once. Actors would come and go for roles. Funding was difficult to arrange. The primary shooting was done in a rural China village not for effect, but to prevent having to spend money. It actually provided for some scenic backdrops but they were supposed to be in Beijing.

I’ve yet to find a version I can recommend. None are even decent in quality especially visually. There may be a re-master somewhere I am not aware of yet. The worst copy comes courtesy of Mei ah. If you enjoy watching movies with your eyes 1 3/4“ from the screen this is the movie for you! It’s so frickin’ dark. The subtitles also require watching extremely close. They are burned in, double subtitles, one on top of the other. When you are able to see anything the movie is grainy, skips here and there…..etc.

Considering the quality of many Yuen Biao films just skip this one. Check out “Prodigal Son”, “Project A” and “Righting Wrongs”. You will thank me later.

JJ Hatfield’s Rating: 3.5/10

By Numskull

It’s December the 24th, and whereas under most circumstances I would be standing on the roof, merrily dumping cauldrons full of boiling oil onto unwary Christmas carolers, I happen to be in a pissy mode right now due to a throat infection which makes my voice sound like that of a laryngitic toad and makes it impossible for me to go more than two minutes without coughing, so I’m just gonna stay indoors and tell you about this remarkable film I saw called The Hero of Swallow (how ironic is that? With this throat infection, it kinda hurts to swallow. Ain’t that a bitch?).

It’s not remarkable because it’s particularly good or bad, but because I couldn’t help but notice some rather…no, make that VERY distinct similarities between it and the highly regarded Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. I won’t be satisfied with just saying “yeah, some of the shots are similar, so the fuck what” so I’m afraid I shall have to discuss this issue in some detail before talking about Hero of Swallow in and of itself (aside from a mandatory plot summary). Henceforth the abbreviations HOS and CTHD will be used for the two films in question (you guess which is which). I will assume that you, dear reader, are already familiar with CTHD and that I may forego a certain amount of description for that film without losing you.

HOS follows the exploits of Li San, a.k.a. Hero Swallow (Yuen Biao), a Chinese Robin Hood type (no comparisons to Iron Monkey, please…there’ll be enough comparing going on here soon enough) who dresses in an all black, ninja style suit, steals stuff from rich people, and gives money to those in need. He is particularly attentive to women sold into forced prostitution since his own sweetheart, Chinny (Athene Chu) was kidnapped and raped by some rich guy, then sold off to God knows who. Yuen Biao leaps…well, flies, actually, thanks to the miracle of wires…from rooftop to rooftop in a way which will no doubt recall Zhang Ziyi’s nocturnal antics in CTHD. A finger cannot be placed squarely on any one particular “theft” shot or sequence in HOS which has a direct parallel in CTHD, but the overall look and feel of Yuen Biao’s night prowling is something that Ang Lee obviously sought to emulate in his film. It only looks better in CTHD because you can’t see the wires.

HOS’s first fight scene starts almost immediately and will give first-time viewers a distinct feeling of “Aw shit, this looks like it’s gonna be one of those old Lo Wei Jackie Chan movies” (this is not the case, as you will later see). Yuen Biao beats up a few guys and then concentrates on one guy. The first battle in CTHD takes place about 20 minutes into the film, so at the very least, Ang Lee didn’t swipe HOS’s sense of pacing, and while Zhang Ziyi and Michelle Yeoh give each other a serious workout, with Michelle generally getting the better of her young adversary by a slim margin, Yuen Biao’s opponents provide considerably less competition. Additionally, when Yuen climbs walls in HOS, and when others do the same to try and catch him, the “scampering” movements and camera angles are undeniably similar to those displayed by Michelle Yeoh while she’s chasing Zhang Ziyi around in CTHD, and that sense that the wall isn’t even being touched is also present.

HOS also features a fight scene with Yuen Biao and his foe clinging to treetops. It looked goofy as hell in CTHD and it looks goofy as hell here, but this scene is much shorter than its more well-known counterpart (thank God).

This stuff really is small potatoes for the most part, but I haven’t told you about the best (?) part yet. Without a doubt, the biggest smoking gun in favor of the argument that CTHD plagiarizes HOS is the wedding procession scene. No rational human being can possibly deny that the two scenes share unmistakable similarities. Here’s how it works in HOS: Li San’s lost love Chinny used to be the star attraction of the whorehouse she was staying at. But, she caught some rich guy’s eye and he buys her from the whorehouse to make her his wife. Yuen Biao, naturally, is displeased by this news and sends his disciple (Yuen Biao’s Disciple = YBD) to throw a monkey wrench (I was SO tempted to put “Iron monkey wrench” there…lame, lame, lame) into the rich guy’s plan. So, before the ceremony, there’s a big parade and Chinny gets carried down the street in a palanquin (that’s that thingie the bride rides in). The sequence of events here goes like this:

INSIDE THE PALANQUIN: Chinny is shown, dressed all in red, with her head lowered. She’s wearing a big hat which conceals her face from us.

OUTSIDE THE PALANQUIN: YBD shows up and starts beating up parade people, loudly announcing that this wedding must not take place.

INSIDE: Chinny hears the commotion and looks up in surprise.

OUTSIDE: YBD fights off more guards and shouts a message to Chinny (“Li San is here for you,” etc.) and takes off.

Sound familiar?

Of course, this description is pretty vague. A picture, however, is worth a thousand words, and if they were Siu Sang’s, I imagine a good number of them would be very choice words indeed for Mr. Ang Lee. Anyone who watches HOS’s wedding procession scene and says that CTHD’s bears no similarities is a fool, a liar, or both. That is not my opinion…it is a FACT.

I could go on, looking at the whole damn thing frame by frame for CTHD blueprint material, but that would be a waste of both your time and mine. I mean, I could REALLY be a nit-picker and point out the fact that Yuen Biao executes a jumping sort-of-splits kick, hitting two guys at once, much like the one Zhang Ziyi performs on the desert bandits, but I hardly think that HOS and CTHD are the only two martial arts films ever to display such a maneuver. So where do we go from here? Hell, I dunno. Is Ang Lee guilty of plagiarism? Yes. I know he has said that CTHD was a sort of homage to the kung fu movies he loved as a kid, but HOS is from 1996, at which point I think it’s safe to say he was no longer a “kid”. Of course, movies in the same genre are going to have similarities, but when THIS MANY “similarities” are shared by two films, one of which came after the other, the line between good-natured imitation and flat-out theft has been crossed. But what if it wasn’t Lee’s doing? What if cinematographer Peter Pau is to blame? That’s possible, I guess…and if that’s the case, then he doesn’t deserve that Oscar…but I’m more inclined to believe it’s Ang Lee’s doing (by the way, before you say “What if…”, the cinematographers for HOS were Wong Wing Fei and Ho Hak Wai…so no, Peter Pau did not simply do the same thing in two different films). What about the screenplay, then? The CTHD script had several writers, Ang Lee not among them, and was based on a book (which, by the way, I still can’t believe nobody has yet translated into English and released in North America to capitalize on the success of the film). Let us not forget that the screenplay is what dictates what needs to be shot. It doesn’t dictate camera angles, however, and that department is the biggest offender here.

How much of a stink should be raised over this? That’s not for me to decide. If I had five minutes alone with Michelle Yeoh or Zhang Ziyi, I would definitely make a point of asking them if they’d ever seen or heard of this film…I’m curious as hell about that. But how much good would it do? Would Hero of Swallow get a re-release with new text on the back of the package saying “acknowledged as a major source of inspiration for the smash hit Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” or something like that? Would Entertainment Weekly do a half-page mini-story on it with corresponding still photos from both films, ending with “Sony Pictures Classics representatives declined to comment”? Would Chow Yun-Fat get pissed off about being suckered into starring in a cut-and-paste film and perforate Ang Lee with a pair of .45 automatics? Or would the whole thing just be totally ignored by those less enlightened than us? That last option would be my guess. Do we keep this juicy knowledge a relative secret…or do we piss in the wind with everything we’ve got?

What I wanna know is, what goes through filmmakers’ minds when they pull shit like this? Do they think, “Oh, man, if anyone sees how much I stole from this movie I’m good and fucked” or “Ah screw it, I’ll copy this and this and this all from the same movie, if somebody finds out, big deal” or “If I get asked about this I’ll close my eyes and put my fingers in my ears and say ‘la la la la I am not listening’ and wait for them to go away” or what? Ang Lee had to figure on someone associated with HOS seeing CTHD and noticing the similarities. Did he arrange for Sony Pictures Classics to buy the silence of those people…or just plain silence them? (Hello, Oliver Stone? I have a conspiracy theory you haven’t made into a movie yet.)

One question that begs to be answered: is HOS a better film than CTHD? Hell no. Not even close. I kinda hate to say that, but the best thing about CTHD in my opinion has nothing to do with Ang Lee’s questionable filmmaking, and that’s Yuen Wo Ping’s justly esteemed fight choreography. I don’t mind telling you that I don’t give two shits about how much Li Mu Bai and Shu Lien secretly long for each other, or how often Lo whacked off after Jen Yu took off with nothing for him to remember her by except for some silly-ass comb (you know, the one she spent an hour and a half trying to get back, then decided to let him keep). The fight scenes in HOS are nothing to sneeze at, but they aren’t that special, either. Some of you will be pleased to know, however, that they’re refreshingly wire-free.

To be honest, I’m not sure why Ang Lee chose to swipe so much stuff from this movie. In many ways it’s a substandard chop socky adventure, with a script full of inanity, melodrama aplenty, and a depressingly small array of mistimed sound effects. He must have done it since HOS was presumably seen by very few people (after all, it stars Yuen Biao…Mr. Underrated, remember?). At least he (Lee) was smart enough not to copy the scenes where Hero Swallow escapes from prison by inexplicably squeezing through the gaps between the bars, which are clearly far too narrow to accommodate him (we just see his clothes flying from one side of the bars to the other). Even worse, there’s one instance where a still shot of Yuen’s head is shown shrinking, passing between bars, then expanding back to its normal size. If you thought special effects like this went out with the ’70s, think again.

SPOILER PARAGRAPH: HOS takes a turn for the worse away from the tried and true kung fu movie path as the conclusion draws near. A final showdown between Yuen Biao and Eddy Ko is set up beautifully…then gets cut agonizingly short. The cops finally nab Hero Swallow, and the final scene has him being paraded through the congested streets, almost as a Christ-like figure, while onlookers throw stuff and weep (mixed crowd). This goes on for longer than Yuen got to duke it out with Eddy. I’m all for tragic endings as long as they’re done well, but this just sucks. It doesn’t bring a tear to your eye or take your breath away with its emotional impact…it just pisses you off. Come to think of it, there’s another thing CTHD has in common with HOS…an unsatisfying ending. You can’t convince me that most people didn’t want to see a climactic duel to the death between Li Mu Bai and Jade Fox, as opposed to that lame poison needle shit.

That’s about it, I guess. Looks like I spent more time and energy discussing CTHD’s debt to HOS than I did on HOS in and of itself. Well, so be it…there’s not much to say about it, really. Mindless CTHD fanboys who want to tell me I’m full of shit and that Ang Lee is a creative genius are encouraged to kiss my ass; anyone else who has something to say to me, go ahead and say it. In the meantime, I’ll be pouring glass after glass of water down my swollen throat, partly to help fight this damn infection and partly to get rid of the foul taste that this whole mess has left in my mouth.

Bah. Humbug.

Numskull’s Rating: 5/10

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

New York, New York Blu-ray (MGM)

Posted on April 23, 2011 by JJ Bona
New York, New York Blu-ray (MGM)

New York, New York Blu-ray (MGM)

RELEASE DATE: June 7, 2011

An egotistical saxophone player (Robert De Niro) and a young singer (Liza Minnelli) meet on V-J Day and embark upon a strained and rocky romance, even as their careers begin a long uphill climb. Directed by Martin Scorsese (Taxi Driver, Goodfellas).

Check out the trailer here.

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