Memoirs of a Lady Ninja DVD (Tokyo Shock)
RELEASE DATE: May 17, 2011
Ninja are assassins with remarkable abilities, and that remains true for their female subset, the kunoichi. When one particular blue-eyed lady ninja discovers a secret scroll of immortality, she finds herself succumbing to the tragic fate of all those who work from the shadows. Memoirs of a Lady Ninja (Onmitsu Kunoichi Retsuden Himerareta Onna Shinobi) is a Japanese original video release written and directed by Jiro Ishikawa.
Malay Chronicles: Bloodlines DVD/Blu-ray (Image)
RELEASE DATE: August 9, 2011
Directed by Yusry Kru, The Malay Chronicles: Bloodlines (released in Malaysia as “Hikayat Merong Mahawangsa”) is an adventure feature film set against the backdrop of ancient Malay, Roman and Chinese civilizations. It tells the tale of the journey of Merong Mahawangsa escorting a Roman prince to wed a beautiful Chinese princess during the 2nd century. Featuring an international cast, The Malay Chronicles: Bloodlines combines elements of romance, adventure, coupled with a strong dose of hand-to-hand combat & martial arts.
RELEASE DATE: May 17, 2011
In this cool, seductive jewel of the Japanese New Wave, a yakuza, fresh out of prison, becomes entangled with a beautiful yet enigmatic gambling addict; what at first seems a redemptive relationship ends up leading him further down the criminal path. Bewitchingly shot and edited and laced with a fever-dream-like score by Toru Takemitsu (Woman in the Dunes, Ran), this breakthrough gangster romance from Masahiro Shinoda (Samurai Spy, Double Suicide) announced an idiosyncratic major filmmaking talent. The pitch-black Pale Flower (Kawaita hana) is an unforgettable excursion into the underworld.
With the infinite amount of websites, eBay, and other online retailers; Asian/kung fu movie fanatics have it really good these days. Especially for the crowd who take advantage of bootlegs, DVD-R swapping and those sneaky forms of file sharing.
This wasn’t exactly the case in the 1980s and throughout most of the 1990s; back then, Asian movies were obtainable, but they weren’t a click away.
The Early-Mid 1980s: Rent it. Watch it. Record it.
I’m not old enough to have experienced the Grindhouse movie houses of the 1970s, but I can only imagine how awesome it was watching Five Fingers of Death in an actual theater. My first taste of the dubbed kung fu movie actually started in the early 1980s, when I was introduced to one in the form of a VHS cassette tape.
There was a time when you had to go to a theater to catch a kung fu flick. Watch out for sticky floors, because most-likely, a porno was playing the night before.
Now you can enjoy kung fu flicks in the comfort of your own home. Unfortunately, the days of “mom and pop” video rental stores like this are over.
The cheesier the logo, the better the movie.
It was the peak of the VCR (or Betamax, if you were a sucker) and my love for kung fu movies started to blossom. I had my share of renting movies from my local video rental store, then recording 4 or 5 movies onto 1 tape in EP mode. I absolutely loved walking into “mom and pop” video stores (90% of them were family owned in the 80s), mostly because there was always an extensive martial arts genre section, and every individual store always had certain titles that the others didn’t.
Artist Kung Fu Bob doesn’t mess around. His old collection consists of one movie per tape; back in the day, that was equivalent to Hi-Def 1080P. VHS labels never looked so cool.
My other option was recording Black Belt Theater (or Kung Fu Theater), a TV program that aired a different kung fu flick every Saturday afternoon. It was all about the anticipation, so it didn’t make a difference whether or not the movies were good; all that mattered was that it had funny dubbing, crazy sound effects and Asian guys fucking each other up.
It was a pain the ass to make sure you didn’t record the commercials, but that’s what the rewind button was for. Keep in mind, there was a time when VCRs didn’t have remote controls, so you literally had to get your ass up and run to the device to stop it.
Don’t forget to adjust the tracking. As far as Laserdisc players? I never owned one. Not then. Not in the 1990s. Not ever. So, let’s pretend those don’t exist.
The Late 1980s/Early 1990s: High Prices and Bootlegs
We all slipped a Black Belt or Inside Kung Fu Magazine in our mom’s grocery shopping cart at one point in our lives. We never thoroughly read the damn things. We mostly just looked at the pictures and drooled over the ninja weapon advertisements – or – we browsed the the ads that were selling kung fu videos.
Inside Kung-Fu and Black Belt Magazines had cool advertisments in them. The Ninja Magazine always had a cool poster pull-out.
There were two video advertisements that always caught my attention:
Unique’s Action Video Library, which sold titles by “All Season’s Entertainment” (in really big Porn-like boxes). Basically, they were a collection of Jackie Chan’s pre-stardom Lo Wei produced/directed films, like Fearless Hyena, Dragon Fist, To Kill With Intrigue, Spiritual Kung Fu, etc. Each tape was $34.95 plus shipping & handling. The same company also offered the short-lived Cinema Group label (each box tagged “The Reel Thing”), which featured Golden Harvest titles, such as Dragon Lord, Police Force (aka Police story), Dreadnaught, Game of Death II, The Association and The Invincible Sword. These were a lot more expensive at $59.95 a pop, and $79.95 for Police Force — lucky for me, my local video store had this one for rent.
$35 to $80 per tape, plus shipping and handling AND you had to wait 6-8 weeks? Fuck that.
The other advertisement I remember was Dragon Video, a New York-based bootleg company (supposedly owned and operated by George Tan, the notorious Bruce Lee historian) which carried everything you normally couldn’t find in America: Chinese language versions of uncut Bruce Lee films, Shaw Brother films; as well as titles by Jackie Chan (Police Story II, Armor of God, Project A, Dragons Forever), Sammo Hung (Shanghai Express, Eastern Condors, Enter the Fat Dragon) and Cynthia Rothrock (Righting Wrongs, Magic Crystal). They had everything you wanted for about $34.95 a tape. It’s important to keep in mind that this was the late 1980s/early 1990s, so a lot of these titles weren’t legitimately available until years later. As long as you could put up with sketchy PAL transfers, grainy video quality and cut-off subtitles, this place was a dream come true.
Dragon Video advertisement.
Depending on where you lived, you could have probably found these titles at your local Chinatown or Chinese video rental stores. However, it was a hit or miss when it came to knowing if they had English subtitles or not. More importantly, I’m a non-Chinese, so it was always interesting to see how the clerks reacted to my presence. They would get nervous and most of them wouldn’t even want to deal with me. I’ve been there, trust me. It’s a good thing I had a lot of Chinese friends.
2nd Dragon Video advertisement.
Footnote about Dragon Video: When I was a kid I used to call my orders in (remember CODs?), that way I wouldn’t have to wait an extra week for my payment to get there. To make a long story short, whoever was answering the phone was an asshole. They basically acted like you were bothering them every time you made a purchase, and they always took me for an idiot and tried to sell me the lamest titles: “You should get Killer Meteors. It’s one of Jackie Chan’s best. It’s the only film where he fights Wang Yu. A must have. You want it? No? You’re dumb. You don’t know what you’re talking about, kid!”…
By the way, don’t ask me where I got all my money to order these tapes. That’s a whole other story. Damn, I was a horrible kid.
3rd Dragon Video advertisement.
Jars Video Collectibles advertised in many martial arts magazines as well; they also did direct mail pieces like this. Note the very high prices for some lesser known movies from Unicorn Video, Inc. and Magnum.
Another option was if you walked into your local Kmart or drugstore, you always had the option of picking up titles put out by low-budget companies like Goodtimes Home Video, Video Treasures and Best Film Co., who were notorious for putting out various Bruce Li and Bruce Le movies like Bruce vs. Bill and Legend of Bruce Lee. These usually went for about $6-$9 per tape, and they were always recorded in EP, so the quality would be worse than bad.
What did Kmart, Savon and Walgreens have in common? They all carried these bullshit EP-mode titles. Don
VHS Bootlegs often come in clam shell plastic cases, with xeroxed paper inserts of ameteur designs. At the time, this was the only way to watch some of these classics.
Southgate, Forum, and Vista were some of the few companies that released legitimate Shaw Brothers titles in the 1980s. Warner Bros. and 20th Century Fox also bought rights to a few films, such as Seven Blows of the Dragon.
The Late 1990s/Early 2000s: U.S. Release of Rumble in the Bronx changes everything.
While watching the 1995 MTV Movie Awards, something unexpected happened that would change everything: Jackie Chan was honored with a MTV Lifetime Achievement Award (which was presented by Quentin Tarantino, hot off his Pulp Fiction success), and viewers were treated to film clips featuring his breathtaking stunts and martial arts skill. All-of-the-sudden, Jackie Chan was the talk of the town. A few months later, Rumble in the Bronx was released theatrically, and before you knew it, Jackie Chan was everywhere.
After failed attempts with The Big Brawl (1980) and The Protector (1985), Jackie Chan finally did it his way with 1995’s Rumble in the Bronx. From this point on, Van Damme and Seagal were looked down upon, and the first Asian star (since Bruce Lee), takes America by storm.
Exploitative video companies like Simitar and Xenon decided to cash in on the Jackie Chan phenomenon, so they began to release obscure (and very awful) Jackie Chan films like 1973’s Police Woman (re-titled to Rumble in Hong Kong). More titles followed, mostly with ‘new’ images of him sporting his black tank top from Rumble in the Bronx, which are then slapped on to older movies boxes to fool people into thinking they were fairly new titles. They even started putting his name and image on films like Pink Force Commando (re-titled to Jackie Chan’s Crime Force), a 1982 film that he doesn’t even appear in.
Low budget companies like Simitar and Xenon packaged older Jackie Chan movies to make them look like recent hits.
This exploitative practice was actually nothing new. After Bruce Lee’s death in 1973, greedy movie producers started churning out Bruce Lee imposter movies (aka Bruceploitation) with names like Bruce Li, Bruce Le, Dragon Lee and Bruce Lai. The films were titled using combinations of the words “Dragon”, “Fury”, “Boss”, “Enter”, “Game” and “Fists” (ie Enter Three Dragons, Big Boss of Hong Kong, Edge of Fury, The Iron Dragon Strikes Back), to mesh with with Bruce Lee’s real films: Fists of Fury, The Big Boss, Way of the Dragon, Enter the Dragon and Game of Death.
Similar situations happened when both John Woo and Chow Yun Fat gained popularity in Hollywood with hit films like Face/Off, Replacement Killers and The Corruptor — again, third rate companies got their slimy hands on their older, below average films, and they were re-titled Hong Kong Face-Off, Hong Kong Corruptor, etc.
Xenon is at it again, this time using any words that contain Killer, Face-Off or Corruptor on 3rd rate films from John Woo and Chow Yun Fat’s early years.
Another company called Tai Seng has been importing legit Chinese releases for years; Oddly, they would sell titles that would be spread out on 2 VHS tapes, even though they could have easily fit the film on a single cassette. Maybe they thought that justified their expensive price tag of about $60 per double tape.
During the “Rumble in the Bronx” era, Tai Seng finally started releasing dubbed versions of Jackie Chan movies like Young Master, Heart of Dragon and Wheels on Meals; not to mention other popular titles like Untold Story, Zu: Warriors from the Magic Mountain and Organized Crime and Triad Bureau – at about $20 a tape, I say Tai Seng redeemed themselves.
Tai Seng was one of the few legitimate importers for Chinese films; however, they thought it was funny to sell us a 90 minute movie on two VHS tapes for over $70. They redeemed themselves in the late 90’s when they started to release widescreen, dubbed versions of films like The Prodigal Son and Young Master.
Somewhere between 1996 and 1998, the Internet became one of the biggest spectacles since radio and TV — hence advertising, hence retail, hence “I can now order anything from anywhere at any time…”
You want to see what else Michelle Yoeh did before she was a Bond girl in Tomorrow Never Dies? You want to purchase more of Jet Li’s movies after seeing him kick ass in Lethal Weapon 4? You want to see more of Yuen Woo-ping’s work after watching The Matrix? Go on to the internet, do some research, and order some shit.
During the late 90s, the DVD (Digital Video Disc) Player emerged and within a couple of years, the new format replaced the VCR (and whatever was left of the Laserdisc). With multi-language tracks, subtitle options, super clear picture quality and compact disc size; it became one of the most satisfying pieces of technology, convincing Asian film fanatics that their possibilities of film choices are limitless.
Video killed the radio star. But video’s kung fu was no match for the digital discs.
DVD players also play VCDs (Video Compact Discs), which was a format very popular in all of Asia (with the exception of Japan). The bad thing about VCDs is that the movies were usually spread out on two discs, picture quality was blocky due to poor video compression; in fact, they were probably worse quality than VHS tapes. The good thing about VCDs was they were ultra cheap (usually about $5 a pop) and there were a lot of titles to choose from – and bootlegs were EVERYWHERE.
There is a slight downside to buying import DVDs. Every once in a while you’ll run into a Region coding problem, but it can easily be fixed with a $50 All Region DVD player. If you’re lucky, you may able to hack your current one – it’s as simple as typing your model number onto a google search.
2000-Current: It’s a small world after all…
Since then, Asian film culture in America has multiplied; and it’s not just Chinese films, it’s Japanese, Thai, Vietnamese and Korean filmmakers as well. They’ve all pumped out their share of memorable titles and undisputed classics. Many have been re-released (Legend of the Drunken Master, Sympathy For Lady Vengeance, Zatoichi), some have been re-made (The Departed, The Grudge, The Ring) and a lot of them have simply influenced Hollywood’s most creative talents (Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill Vol. 1 and 2; Wachowski Bros.’ The Matrix Trilogy).
The many books and magazines dedicated to Kong Kong and martial arts film. The market for martial arts film is still going strong.
Whether you’re watching them, buying them, or even just reading about them; Asian film is a hard subject to keep up with. Hong Kong companies like Universe, Joy Sales, IVL and Mega Star are not only releasing current titles every day, but old ones as well; with more new features, improved image and sound quality.
Even U.S.-based companies, like Well Go USA, Image, FUNimation, Discotek Media, Vivendi (Dragon Dynasty), Tokyo Shock, Kino, Criterion, Magnolia, and First Look; all released everything from Shaw Brothers titles (from the same Celestial masters the HK editions use) to just about every popular Asian movie out there. Even some of the heavies like Columbia/Tri-Star and Fox have had their wave of releasing numerous favorites – new and old.
Since the average kung fu title isn’t as demanding as say a more mainstream title like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, expect many out-of-print issues with all these companies, but nothing that can’t be solved by visiting ebay or amazon.com, where you can find new and used copies of DVDs that are no longer in circulation.
Of course, every era has its “Dragon Video”. With today’s computer technology, graphic design software, and commercial DVD duplication machines, you bet your ass bootleggers are running more rampant than ever before. Unlike the VHS days, there’s no decline in picture quality since every byte is getting transferred flawlessly.
Companies like VideoAsia are following the footsteps of Xenon by exploiting popular films like Kick-Ass (Kick Ass Heroes), Jackie Chan
Gone are the days of having to mail-order bulky VHS tapes of your favorite Asian films, and waiting “4-6 weeks” for their arrival. Now you can walk into a retail store – or better yet – find more of them online with the quick delivery of today’s parcel services. As far as super-rare titles go, just visit a Asian film forum, make some friends, and they next thing you know, you’ll have DVD-R copies of these titles for a few bucks — or trade. There’s also the option of downloading torrents (which I’m not condoning, but sometimes it’s the only way) or even watching what you can on youtube, which offers endless rare clips and trailers.
But let’s not get too excited just yet…
There are still countless titles that haven’t seen the light of day since their VHS or theatrical release dates. Take for instance, The Big Boss Part II (not to be confused with anything you’ll find on the net, trust me…), starring Lo Lieh and Bruce Le; or even some of the current alternate cuts of existing films, like Bruce Lee’s infamous saw-in-the-head scene from the original The Big Boss. Even if some of these films do turn up, there’s always the same issues: Is it widescreen? Is it cut? Was it cropped? How’s the quality? Is it dubbed? Are the subtitled legible? Of course you always get that one guy who ‘owns it’. Maybe he does, maybe he doesn’t? If he does, it’s ashame that we may never see it, due to pride or greed issues. Bastards. What’s even worse is the fact that many of these movies are sitting somewhere collecting dust in some basement. Just ask Bey Logan (Hong Kong film historian), if it wasn’t for this guy roaming around the gritty film archives of Golden Harvest’s backrooms, that raw Game of Death ’73 footage would still be shit mats for rodents.
For the most part, the best of the best is obtainable.
Welcome to the future.
We now have High Definition TVs, Blu-ray players, and updated 3D technology; it’ll be interesting to see where this all takes us. LCD and LED TVs will probably continue to get bigger and thinner; but bersonally, I think we hit a brick wall. Currently, the modern TV displays are a lot clearer than my eyes can handle. As far as this new wave of 3D, I could give a shit about it. It’s a cool novelty for about 10 seconds, but as a whole it adds nothing to the experience of what a good movie is all about.
So, what’s next? See you in 30 years… (if you don’t want to wait 30 years, click here to read Part II of this article).
Special thanks to Dan Jackson, ThunderScore, Kung Fu Bob and CoolAssCinema.com for supplying me with videotape artwork and magazine covers and advertisement scans.
“The Prodigal Son” Chinese Theatrical Poster
AKA: Pull No Punches
Director: Sammo Hung
Cast: Yuen Biao, Frankie Chan, Lam Ching-Ying, Sammo Hung, Wei Pei, Peter Chan, Dick Wei, Wei Pei, Wu Ma, James Tien, Pang Yun-Cheung, Yuen Miu
Running Time: 100 min.
By Joe909
In my “Invincible Shaolin” review, I wrote that I’d never seen a New Wave Hong Kong movie that could hold a candle to a Shaw Brothers film. Well, I finally have, and it’s called Prodigal Son.
This movie has it all: great action, story, acting, drama, comedy, and most importantly, some kick-ass martial arts that (I hate to admit) actually makes Shaw Brothers fighting look tame in comparison. Whereas Shaw Brothers movies starring the Venoms belie their Peking Opera training, with plenty of flips, acrobatics, and precisely-timed choreography, the actors in Prodigal Son go at it with ferocity, and really look like they’re beating the shit out of each other.
Yuen Biao plays Chang, a spoiled punk who thinks he’s a kung-fu genius. Traveling Peking actor Lam Ching-Ying shows him otherwise, and Yuen forces himself into Lam’s life, begging to become his pupil. When Lam’s challenged by Ching official Ngai into a “friendly match,” tragedy catches up with Lam’s opera troupe, as they’re attacked in the night by ninja-like assassins. This scene is probably the best in the film, as Lam and Yuen Biao take on these ninjas in a burning theater. Lam and Biao retreat to Sammo Hung’s home, where Lam finally relents and teaches Biao wing chun. Now ready to take on anyone, Biao ends the film with a magnificent “friendly match” with Ngai that has to be one of the most hard-hitting, fast-paced, brutal kung-fu matches ever seen on film.
There’s comedy interspersed throughout the film, which in truth comes off a bit jarring, especially when placed directly after a disturbing scene of people being murdered cold-blooded in the night. Sammo though is very funny, and his braggart character is one of the film’s most memorable. He has a great scene where he attempts to master calligraphy, and also instructs Biao on the more offense-based aspects of wing chun. But whereas the comedy in “Dreadnaught” totally derailed the movie, the humor in Prodigal Son is less slapstick and doesn’t get in the way of the action.
Some familiar faces pop up in smaller roles: Wei Pai (the “Snake” Venom) plays one of the opera actors, but he doesn’t do any kung-fu. James Tien (who appeared in all of Bruce Lee’s Hong Kong movies except for “Way of the Dragon”) shows up in a cameo as a guy looking for a rematch with Ngai. But Biao is the true star, excellent in his role as the spoiled brat who eventually becomes a kung-fu master.
Bey Logan put Prodigal Son in the number one spot in the “Top Ten Kung-Fu Movies” list he published in Stefan Hammond’s book “Hollywood East.” I don’t know if it’s the best ever, but it’s up there for sure. If I had to lodge any complaints against the movie, it would be that the way in which the murderers of Lam Ching Ying’s opera troupe are dealt with is anticlimactic, and the meshing of comedy and drama is off-setting at times. But that doesn’t detract from what is otherwise a near-perfect film. It’s certainly a classic, and I recommend it even to those who don’t like martial arts movies.
Joe909’s Rating: 9.5/10
By Numskull
Prodigal Son is clearly a cut above your average Saturday morning revenge-based chop-socky adventure, but the size of that cut is relative to what you like to see in a kung fu flick.
You like fighting? Of course you do. What kind of insipid, braind-dead dolt doesn’t want to see fighting in a martial arts movie? Certainly not I. There’s combat here, and there’s a fair amount of it, and Sammo Hung is the captain of this ship so you can be sure it’s good (he makes an appearance as a guy who has only one good arm to do battle with). Don’t expect modernized “action fighting”, though…this is strictly a martial arts movie.
You like comedy? Then go watch The Simpsons or fall off a cliff or something. Prodigal Son makes a few stabs at being humorous, but it isn’t often successful. Yuen Biao gets knocked into a river a couple of times, a guy gets his face painted while attacking an opera performer, and “Pork Pie” gets over-zealous while practicing calligraphy. Maybe you’ll think it’s hysterical, but personally, when I want to laugh I’ll take my car out for a spin on Friday nights and stampede drunk teenagers into telephone poles.
You like stunts? Well, the money-grabbing shot here is Lam Ching-Ying doing a backflip over a burning flag with which Yuen Biao is fending off a pair of assassins. And when I say “burning flag”, I don’t mean like in those street demonstrations held by people whose social lives make mine look exciting by comparison, where the fire in question would barely set off a smoke alarm. I mean BURNING burning, with nary a patch of cloth visible and a great big swath of flame left behind to mark its path through the air. Fuckin’ cool. You won’t see any car chases or leaps from atop mile-high skyscrapers, though…this ain’t one of those Fantasy Mission Farce-style time warp movies.
You like drama? Look somewhere else. Lam Ching-Ying doesn’t have eyelashes, but if he did, he wouldn’t bat a single one of them at the sight of his entire opera troupe butchered in their beds. Yuen Biao’s character gives us little reason to wish hiim well in his seemingly endless crusade to acquire some decent kung fu training. And the big baddie who just loves to fightt really ain’t such a baddie at all.
You like gorgeous women? Sorry, no dice there either. Pork Pie’s daughter is a rather bulbous young woman named Twiggy (Ah…irony. Is there anything so bitter yet so sweet at one and the same time?) and the actress who plays her seems to have abandoned all sense of shame in accepting the role. The only other…ah…um…er…”woman” of prominence in this movie is an opera performer who, after fighting off the unwanted attentions of a lusty young nogoodnik, turns out to be a man. If you haven’t seen it and you’re now bitching me out for that little spoiler, don’t, because, unless you possess the intellect of a gnat, you would have seen it coming a mile away even if I hadn’t told you. So shaddap!
Last but certainly not least, do you like climactic, exciting endings? Really? Me, too. But here’s where the movie kind of half-succeeds and fizzles instead of exploding in your face. There’s a great, expertly-choreographed, hard-hitting, one-on-one fight to finish things off, but, getting back to that “drama” bit, it won’t exactly have you jumping out of your seat, cheering the hero on. In fact, his opponent isn’t even a real villain…he’s just a poor shmoe in a predicament quite similar to the one our boy Yuen found himself in not long ago. At least in a cookie cutter revenge movie there’s good reason the for the good guy to beat the shit out of the bad guy, no matter how trite it may be. Here, it’s just two guys fighting because they can. They do a damned good job of it, but it just doesn’t have the impact it could’ve had if the story had taken a slightly different direction.
But hey…don’t let ME stop you.
You never have before…right?
Numskull’s Rating: 6/10
By Perkele
Sammo’s sequel [or actually prequel] to his ground-braking masterwork “Warriors Two” comes off as another near-perfect kung fu film. While not quite as good as it’s predecessor, “The Prodigal Son” is considered to be his finest directing work [at least he things so himself]. I also got my hands on the subtitled version and think that the film’s surprisingly clever dialogue definitely suffers when dubbed.
All the performers are in top form: Yuen Biao, Lam Ching-Ying, Frankie Chan, everybody. Fights are realistic, imaginative and delightful. The highly praised end fight is worth all the hype, but why Biao had to beat the poor Frankie up SO badly? The ignorant Frankie wasn’t even an evil guy, just a misled prodigal son just like Biao himself! That was rude! And for everybody who think that this is the best Wing Chun movie of all time: check out “Warriors Two”, it’s even better.
Perkele’s Rating: 9.5/10
By Vic Nguyen
Considered to be the finest Wing Chun movie ever made, this Golden Harvest production remains a firm classic with martial arts fans worldwide. Although Yuen Biao and Frankie Chan star and deliver worthy performances of their own, it is the late, great Lam Ching-ying who totally steals the show. His performance as the asthmatic Peking Opera performer is incredible, and is one of the best roles he’s ever taken in his long and illustrious career. Hung again delivers fantastic martial arts to the mix, and the final reel, pitting Yuen Biao against Frankie Chan is considered by many to be one of the best fight finales ever filmed. It takes no genius to figure out that I highly recommend this gem, which deserves all the recognition it gets.
Vic Nguyen’s Rating: 9.5/10
By S!DM
Arguably Sammo’s finest directorial effort, The Prodigal Son tells the tale of Leung Jarn (Biao), a self-absorbed and over-protected martial artist who boasts an incredible record of over 300 fights, without a single loss. Unbeknownst to him, his moneyed parents and servant (Peter Chan Lung) have been “fixing” his fights, and literally paying off his opponents. With a head filled with over-confidence, and no real skills to match, Jarn challenges a traveling opera performer (Lam Ching-Ying) to a duel, and promptly loses, thus beginning Sammo’s masterpiece! Unerringly, Sammo and the cast seamlessly blend the best Wing Chun fights seen on film with comedy and dramaÉAll culminating into a truly spectacular battle between Yuen Biao and Frankie Chan – It’s safe to say that this is one of the greatest kung fu battles of all time. Don’t miss “The Prodigal Son.”
S!DM’S Rating: 10/10
“Righting Wrongs” Theatrical Poster
Director: Corey Yuen
Producer: Leonard Ho
Cast: Yuen Biao, Cynthia Rothrock, Melvin Wong, Corey Yuen, Wu Ma, Fan Siu Wong, James Tien, Sandy Chan, Karen Sheperd, Lau Siu Ming, Baan Yun Sang, Stephen Chan, Cheng Siu Ping, Roy Chiao, Chin Yuet Sang, Peter Cunningham
Running Time: 100 min.
By Numskull
I don’t know what to say.
Did you know…
DID, YOU, KNOW that the legal system protects the guilty, rather than the innocent? That it allows criminals to escape the consequences of their actions due to some trifling little thing called “lack of evidence”, rather than condemning them based on the testimony of a smelly old bum who washed the windshield of somebody whose next-door neighbor is good friends with a girl whose boyfriend thinks he saw them breaking the law? That it writes murderers, rapists, and thieves a ticket to roam the streets with impunity, rather than locking them up in a dank little 10’x12′ cell with a 300 lb. convict named Tiny whose favorite game is “Pack the Fudge”?
It’s true, my friends. Sad but true.
This movie changed me, oh yes it did. I used to be foolish and naive. I used to believe that Bill Clinton dropped bombs on Iraq when he did to protect our national interests and not to draw the public’s attention away from his affair with Monica Lewinsky. I used to believe that O.J. Simpson was innocent of any wrongdoing and that he was tracking down the real killer by searching every golf course in the country. I used to believe that Britney Spears was so successful because she has tremendous musical talent and not because some corporate executive reached the brilliant conclusion that millions of zit-faced teenage males with their hands permanently wrapped around their penises like to ogle girls with big tits.
But no more.
NO
MORE!
I have seen the light. I have seen the world for the sham it really is.
And I owe it all to this movie.
Here, let me tell you about it.
Yuen Biao is a prosecutor who doesn’t like it when criminals slip through the cracks in the justice system (“justice”, indeed! Hmph!). Cynthia Rothrock is a cop who doesn’t like it when guys like our boy Yuen take the law into their own hands. So when he starts dishing out HIS law to a group of murderous drug lords and the uppity Cynthia gets assigned to the case, sparks fly, people die and plans go awry. There’s impressive fighting, a high body count, an eye-popping stunt finale, and a plot that’s a little more complex than you may have come to expect from mid ’80s HK action films.
Mind you, that complexity isn’t always a good thing. While not devoid of cool surprises and some involving non-action scenes, Righting Wrongs is laughably overwritten in some ways and bafflingly underwritten in others. The diatribes about the true effectiveness of the Law (always capitalized) and the relative advisability, or lack thereof, of taking it into your own hands just eat up the time and trigger a “Well, DUH!” reaction from the viewer. At the same time, the movie suffers from a couple of really big-ass plot holes…but so what. Too much chatter gets in the way of the ass-kicking, and that is one respect in which Righting Wrongs is beyond reproach.
The fight scenes are all good, and they’re well spaced-out throughout the film. Yuen and Cynthia have a great outing against each other but, sadly, don’t do any team-up fighting. Also noteworthy is Cynthia’s duel with Karen Shephard. Interesting to see two Caucasian women given such a great showcase for their talents in a Hong Kong movie. A stunt double is used for some of Cynthia’s spots, but this isn’t as big a problem as it was in YES MADAM, another Corey Yuen flick in which she appeared (check out her miraculous color-changing hair in the chandelier bit).
The climax has a great bout between Yuen Biao and Melvin Wong, who I think makes a pretty good villain. It’s followed by one of the most impressive stunts I’ve yet seen, since we all know that HK movies from the 1980s don’t use computer effects to fill in for real people.
(SPOILER ALERT: skip this paragraph if you don’t want to find out what happens at the end.) Ah, that ending…what a kick in the nuts. Yes, I know there are TWO endings, and I’m actually talking about both of them. In the original, everybody dies. In the revised one, Cynthia lives but looks ready for eight weeks of physical therapy, and Yuen gets fucked over by the system he once served (although there’s no question that he brazenly violated the law…oops, I mean the Law…no matter how justified his actions were). I think a synthesis of the two endings would have worked best of all; I would have had Cynthia survive (but only just), and had Yuen sacrifice himself in his kamikaze-like quest to bring down the bad guy. If the audience finds it “too shocking”, I say fuck ’em.
It’s a very good action movie…maybe a little too harsh for some, but such is life. If nothing else, it proves that Yuen Biao is capable of carrying the lead role instead of playing second or third fiddle to Sammo Hung and/or Jackie Chan. RW is well deserving of a recommendation.
And now, if you’ll excuse me, there are some wrongs that need righting.
Britney Spears, I’m comin’ for YOU (no, not THAT kind of comin’).
Numskull’s Rating: 8/10
"Anonymous Heroes" Chinese Theatrical Poster
Director: Chang Cheh
Producer: Sir Run Run Shaw
Cast: David Chiang, Ti Lung, Cheng Li, Ku Feng, Wang Chung, Tong Dik, Yen Shi Kwan
Running Time: 100 min.
By Joe909
Most old school movies ask for a suspension of disbelief, but Anonymous Heroes asks you to abandon all concept of reality. If you buy into the film, you will be treated to a light-hearted (albeit violent) adventure, but if you don’t, you’ll be rolling your eyes for 90 minutes. I’ve found the best way to appreciate it is to treat it like an Airplane or Naked Gun-type movie, though I’m sure that was not Chang Cheh’s aim.
David Chiang and Ti Lung are buddies who like to gamble, whore, and fight each other. Ku Feng appears as a representative from the resistance, but we are never told if he represents the Nationalists or the Communists. He wants to hire Chiang and Lung to steal a cargo shipment of rifles from the corrupt army, and deliver them to the resistance. We’ve already stumbled onto our first obstacle. Why would Feng want these two guys for such a huge job, guys who have nothing to do with the resistance? And why would Chiang and Lung accept so eagerly, even when they find out they won’t be paid for the job? Chiang at least seems hesitant at first, but after Ku Feng gives him a half-hearted lecture, Chiang accepts the job. Chiang’s girl Cheng Lee shows up in time to jump on board, even though she at first demands payment. But when she’s told it will be to help a good cause, she’s all for it. It’s very hard to buy.
Here’s where we get to the fun stuff. Cheng’s father happens to be an officer in the army, and she tries to get two army cargo trucks from him. So, she basically emasculates him in from of his soldiers, pouting and demanding the trucks. And he gives in to her! Chiang and Lung then sneak onto the base and get some uniforms. Now their plan is in full swing. They next easily kidnap a general and escort him to the base that’s holding the 3,000 rifles. Here we see the type of heroes we’ve been given: Chiang, all grins, shoots a soldier point blank, in cold blood, so Ku Feng can take his uniform. Never mind that such a close-range shot would leave a hole in said uniform, not to mention blood.
This leads to my favorite moments in the movie, as the two “anonymous heroes” take the general into the base and try to convince the dude in charge that they’re supposed to pick up the rifles. You’d think they wouldn’t fool anyone, two cocky guys who obviously have no military discipline, escorting a profusely-sweating and nervous general. And every time the kidnapped general doesn’t do what they want, Chiang and Lung will put a pistol to his head, right in front of the guys they’re trying to fool! And no one notices! It’s sheer comic genius, though again I doubt this was Chang’s intent.
But it gets better. The guy in charge won’t budge unless he gets official documentation. So Chiang and Lung take off on borrowed motorcycles to get it! First of all, they don’t even have a clue what this document is! And more importantly, they aren’t even real soldiers! So there goes careful planning. You’d think the kidnapped general might take this moment to tell the guy in command that he’s been abducted, but instead he just continues to comply with Ku Feng, who again threatens him with a pistol every few moments. And still no one notices. By this point I was rolling.
After several coincidental twists, our heroes finally do get the rifles, which are placed into their cargo trucks. Moments after taking off, the dictator in charge figures out what’s going on, and we head into chase territory. More comedy ensues as Chiang, Lung, and Feng hold off several soldiers on horseback, shooting at them from the top of the train. The movie shows its age here, with Lung and Chiang trading “action hero” poses as they shoot at their pursuers. Eventually the train crashes, leading to the infamous shot of an obvious toy train dropping into a small pool of water. It looks very, very bad.
More hijinks ensue once the heroes get to their destination city. Feng has been killed en route, so the boys aren’t sure who their contact is. They get fooled easily, of course, which leads to a melee in a gambling hall. Chiang again shows his incompetence in the martial arts, basically waving his arms around and bitch-smacking his opponents. Ti Lung looks much more believable. Chiang gets captured, meets the dictator, and falls for it when he’s told he’s free to go.
This of course leads to Chiang unknowingly leading the entire army to their hideout, and Chiang and Lung then take on all of them. Wave after wave of soldiers come after our two heroes, never once realizing that they could just shoot them. Instead they harmlessly swing their rifles or jab with their bayonets. Chiang and Lung decimate a full squadron of men in a scene so over the top in its unbelievability that you have to admire it.
But hey, this is a Chang Cheh movie, so you know how it’s going to end. This one’s just a bit more light hearted than most. Another fun element of the movie is spotting all the familiar faces in the cast. You’ll even catch Wang Chung, the Delinquent himself, as an army officer. The gore factor isn’t high, but there’s a lot of that bright red Shaws blood flowing at the end. So in conclusion, the movie is enjoyable, but the severe lack of believability and utter stupidity of the main characters harms it in the end.
Joe909’s Rating: 7/10
“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
“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
"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.
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).
“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
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.
“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)
"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
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