JCVD (2008) Review

"JCVD" US Theatrical Poster

“JCVD” US Theatrical Poster

AKA: J.C.V.D.
Director: Mabrouk El Mechri
Cast: Jean-Claude Van Damme, François Damiens, Zinedine Soualem, Karim Belkhadra, Jean-François Wolff, Anne Paulicevich, Saskia Flanders
Running Time: 96 min.

By Mighty Peking Man

Back in 1988, I remember walking into a video rental store and taking a chance with an unknown, newly-released movie called Bloodsport. Not only did the catchy title of the movie interest me, but so did the odd image of some muscle-bound white guy, who sported a spandex-like Karate outfit – it wasn’t exactly your common martial artist’s attire.

Once I pressed play, adjusted the tracking, and got through a couple of Cannon Film preview trailers, it didn’t take long to realize that there was magic happening on the TV. To simply put it, Bloodsport was a phenomenon, especially to a kid in his early teens.

It was the beginning of the kickboxing boom and the arrival of Jean-Claude Van Damme, aka The Muscles from Brussels, who made the sport popular onscreen. All of the sudden, Saturday afternoon kung fu movies were a no longer exciting, ninja flicks were out of style and Chuck Norris was a corny joke.

It only took a year or two before the rest of the world caught on to this Belgian martial arts star. Each of his new movies released after the other became more and more polished. Roland Emmerich, future ID4/Godzilla director, experimented with him in Universal Soldier. John Woo, a living legend of Hong Kong action film, directed him in Hard Target (rumor has it that it was Van Damme who hooked him up with Universal Pictures). Peter Hyams, a critically acclaimed filmmaker, brought him to his peak in Timecop. Steven E. de Souza, writer of Die Hard, cast him as Guile, in the live-action Street Fighter movie, adapted from the immensly popular video game of the same name.

Van Damme was officially a household name, a box office champ, and held a career strong enough to go head-to-head with some of the Hollywood’s biggest action stars. In a way, he had a one-up on heavies like Stallone and Schwarzenegger; not only did he have the physique, charm and charisma; he also had the martial arts training, as well as the ability to do the splits and actually look cool in the process (well, back then, at least).

Then the late 1990’s came. Big budget movies like the self-directed The Quest was a box office failure. Hong Kong’s best were brought in to add a new edge in his films, like Ringo Lam’s Maximum Risk and Tsui Hark’s Double Team – both decent, but it was too late and the public didn’t care anymore.

People were now interested in the 2nd coming of Jackie Chan, who struck instant stardom in Hollywood, when his Hong Kong-made Rumble in the Bronx was re-released in the states. Chan’s hair-raising fight choreography made Van Damme seem slow, boring and antique. Chan did most of his own stunts, while body doubles were becoming more and more visible in Van Damme’s movies, even during the most simple feats.

Even Van Damme’s personal life was on the rocks. Domestic violence, numerous marriages, bar fights and drug abuse. You name it. The media had a field day.

Despite all his troubles, Van Damme was given another chance with moderately budget, theatrically released movies. 1998’s Knock-Off – which was again directed by Tsui Hark, written by Steven E. de Souza, with fights choreographed by Sammo Hung – was a cutting edge movie that was way ahead of its time, but its corny overtones made it sink at the box office and was panned by critics everywhere.

1999’s Universal Soldier: The Return was his final theatrical release, but it didn’t do so well either. By this time, Jet Li had followed Jackie Chan’s footsteps and was the new talk-of-the-town, especially after his impressive supporting role in Lethal Weapon 4.

Van Damme was now a has-been. From 1999 on, he made over a dozen straight-to-video movies ranging from decent (In Hell, Replicant) to embarrassing (Derailed). It was amazing how a guy went from A-list action star to competing with Don “The Dragon” Wilson in the straight-to-video market.

This brings us up to 2008. As his latest straight-to-video movies were still popping up, teaser trailers for a strange foreign movie starring Van Damme began to show up online. Even more odd was the fact that it was called JCVD, obviously standing for Jean-Claude Van Damme. By the time the time a full trailer was released, it was apparent that JCVD was going to be unlike anything Van Damme has ever done.

Okay, enough with Van Damme 101, and on with the actual review of the movie:

JCVD is a French film directed by French-Algerian director Mabrouk El Mechri, and starring Van Damme as himself, a fallen action star whose career is headed nowhere, and he is about to lose his daughter in a legal battle with his ex-wife. To make matters worse, he finds himself in the middle of a post office heist.

The opening of the film has Van Damme filming a movie (within the movie) and features an impressive one-take, action extravaganza, featuring everything from his trademark martial arts moves to killing enemies using any means necessary – and it’s all him. No body doubles at all – at least, none that I notice. As soon as the filming is over, Van Damme is whining about how he’s too old to do single long takes. The Asian director ignores him and makes the crude remark: “Just because he brought John Woo to Hollywood doesn’t mean be can rub my dick with sandpaper.”

What follows are more jokes that are along the same lines, most of which are based on his factual career – including references to Steven Seagal, Chuck Norris and again, John Woo. Then there’s the conversations with his agent about how he needs a cash-advance from an upcoming straight-to-video flick he has yet to film – to pay his legal fees – because his lawyer is threatening to quit the custody case, due to late payments from Van Damme.

One of the most important scenes in the movie has Van Damme performing a six-minute, one-take monologue. He talks about his rise, his drug problems, his numerous wives and his fall. It’s a emotionally charged scene where he cuts his heart out and dumps it on the floor for all the world to see. It’s probably the first time anyone will notice just how good his acting can be. It’s so good that you believe every word he says – and every word that he says IS a true.

The best way to sum up JCVD is to think of it as Dog Day Afternoon meets Being John Malkovich meets E! True Hollywood Story. Don’t expect an action movie, because you’ll be very disappointed. What you can expect is a great performance in an unconventional, but very entertaining film.

Van Damme is definitely back. Not as an action star, but as an actor.

Mighty Peking Man’s Rating: 8/10

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Karate Kid, The | aka Kung Fu Kid (2010) Review

"The Karate Kid" (2010) US Theatrical Poster

“The Karate Kid” (2010) US Theatrical Poster

AKA: Kung Fu Kid
Director: Harald Zwart
Cast: Jackie Chan, Jaden Smith, Taraji P. Henson, Yu Rong-Guang, Wenwen Han, Zhenwei Wang
Running Time: 139 min.

By Ningen

An updated Karate Kid which should technically be more of a remake of the second film than the first film, it’s about a kid (duh) named Dre who moves to China, runs into some punks, gets beaten down by ’em, and then, with the help of a maintenance man named Mr. Han, confronts them one-on-one in a kung fu tournament.

So, I turned in my man badge, and bought a ticket for Karate Kid 2.0, because I was told this film didn’t actually suck. Well, that’s true, if being mostly average, rather than absolutely crappy, is your measuring stick for quality. I actually don’t have a problem with Jaden, since everyone who’s saying, “OMFG! He’s a little black boy with corn rows!” lost their cred when they hypocritically over-praised a certain nameless movie with a little girl dressed like Britney Spears who uses words like “cunt” a lot. [And don’t tell me it’s not a race thing, because your asses didn’t nearly go as ape-shit with the Hillary Swank version of the Karate Kid-and that was DTV acting right there.]

So, yeah, back to Jaden. He’s fine. His one-liners are flat, and his character needs more motivation to want to be in his new locale than just “dating” that “love interest”. [And yes, I’m aware the last KK was just as “minimalist” in its approach, but the situation was more run-of-the-mill, and thus tangible, while this scenario seems a bit more of a wish fulfillment-type deal.] Personally, I think the problem is that the movie needed a Chinese equivalent to Bill Zabka. In that sense, I think CJ 7’s the better kiddie film, ‘cus it had child actors who didn’t just act like bullies, but looked like ’em as well. The supporting cast could also use some work. The actress playing Jaden’s over-bearing mom could be axed entirely, or at least put in the background. I was also hoping the teacher of the bullies would get into a fight with Jackie’s character near the end, sort of like that show-down in the parking lot in the second film.

Plus, the film tends to drag, because it goes into pointless sub-plots, like Han’s family life. I get why Jackie comes off a bit surly, especially after doing Spy Next Door, but the background info really brings the film down, when it’s supposed to be an underdog story. And it seriously needs to be tighter, even though it has the same running time as the original. Fortunately, the music isn’t as High School Musical/Glee-esque as I was afraid it’d be. In fact, they even insert some classic rock snips into later fights to appease old white “geezers” like myself. The fights themselves are sort of hard-core for their rating, but you rarely feel like they have the impact they should-probably because there are so many kids fighting in general. In fact, a scene where a martial artist stares down a (hopefully CG) cobra impresses me more than most of the other matches. [Too much “been there, done that” with the kids in Jet Li movies like Bodyguard From Beijing, I guess…] So, as a remake, Karate Kid’s ok. But it’s not really worth more than a quick Netflix rental. Though at least it’ll keep Will Smith away from Oldboy.

Ningen’s Rating: 5/10 – Story and characters. 6.5/10 – Fights. Overall – 7/10 if you haven’t seen the original films. 6/10 if you have seen the original trilogy and Sidekicks

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Corruptor, The (1999) Review

"The Corruptor" US Theatrical Poster

“The Corruptor” US Theatrical Poster

AKA: N.Y.P.D. 15
Director: James Foley
Cast: Chow Yun-Fat, Mark Wahlberg, Ric Young, Paul Ben-Victor, Jon Kit Lee, Andrew Pang, Brian Cox, Elizabeth Lindsey, Byron Mann, Bill MacDonald
Running Time: 110 min.

By Numskull

After seeing this movie, I breathed a huge sigh of relief. While not spectacular, it’s very solid in every way that counts, and after the abysmal Replacement Killers, Chow Yun-Fat was in dire need of a well put-together film with reasonable mainstream appeal to regain lost ground with American viewers.

It appears I breathed too soon, though, as neither The Corruptor nor CYF’s next U.S. film, Anna and the King, made significant impact. He had to return to Asia to make a movie that really delivered financially as well as artistically (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon). So does this mean his Hollywoodization is a doomed prospect? Maybe so, but never let it be said he didn’t put some effort into it.

The Corruptor has unjustly been labeled an action movie. I suspect that this is not so much because the powers that be are aware of what brought Chow Yun-Fat to the dance (his collaborations with John Woo, mostly) but because American standards regarding what constitutes an action flick are all fucked up.

“Oh, look, a shootout. File under action.”

“Oh, look, a car chase. File under action.”

“Oh, look, that girl slapped that guy. That’s almost a fist fight. File under action.”

Well, The Corruptor does have a couple of shootouts, and it does have a car chase (a ferocious one at that), but these are plot points. Storytelling tools. The violence is not the focal point of the whole film. It’s a story with familiar HK themes of redemption, betrayal, and honor among thieves. Perhaps this is why it didn’t sell well to most Americans…it’s too complicated for them.

In the wretched pile of feces known as The Replacement Killers, Chow Yun-Fat had his first English-speaking role and was stuck with an absolutely clueless director. He just kind of coasted through the whole thing, trying to look cool and not trip over his tongue. Here, he is clearly much more comfortable with the English language and does some actual ACTING instead of just reciting his dialogue for the camera. There are a few “What did he say?” lines but most of his speech is quite sufficient.

Unlike Antoine Fuqua, director James Foley “gets it”.

CYF’s co-star Mark Wahlberg is a former rapper and therefore obviously has no taste in music, but his acting abilities really aren’t bad. The supporting cast, which includes quite a few Chinese, is remarkably solid. There are no performances that truly suck. Almost every character in this movie is a villain on some level, and most of them are suitably despicable.

Really, the only bad thing about this movie is the soundtrack. It’s loaded with rap and pseudo-rap, the lowest forms of communication ever devised. Mercifully, none of it lasts very long, and it’s generally not obtrusive.

No reason not to watch this one, folks. It may not be spectacular but it’s finely polished and it’s got heart and originality, two things Hollywood films almost always lack.

Numskull’s Rating: 8/10


By Yates

James Foley’s The Corrupter isn’t a terrible film. It is an American one. Don’t go in expecting The Killer, this is more along the lines of Year of the Dragon. One thing I really liked about the film was the acting. Chow Yun-Fat gives a wonderful performance as the corrupted cop, Nick Chen, and Mark Whalberg is fine in his role. The cinematogrophy is another plus, and so is some of the action. The few complaints I have about the film are that there are too many under developed characters and a rather anti climactic ending. If you liked Year of the Dragon, you will enjoy this film.

Yate’s Rating: 7.5/10


By James H.

“The Corruptor” is a step in a new direction for James Foley. He has never really directed an action film before. He’s made outstanding character dramas (“Glengarry Glen Ross” and the brilliant “At Close Range”), but never an action-oriented film like this.

The plot concerns a white cop, Danny Wallace (Wahlberg), joining the Asian Gang Unit in New York’s Chinatown. A veteran of the Chinatown beat, Nick Chen (Yun-Fat), takes him under his wing. Together the two try to take down the head of the crime syndicate, and learn along the way that all is not what it seems.

Foley’s directing has this almost hyperkinetic energy to it. There is some really beautiful cinematography. The car chase in the film is exceptional. It’s one of the more realistic I’ve seen in a while. It shows the consequences of the stray bullets. The violence in “The Corruptor” is quite graphic. It is in no way glorified and some of it will make you cringe.

I think this film failed at the box office for two reasons. First, I think people were expecting another “Replacement Killers” kind of flick. Lots of guns, lots of explosions and very little plot or character. This film did have a plot, and while maybe a bit cliched, it still worked very well. Also, the characters were somewhat developed.

The other reason is that Mark Wahlberg is in it. For some reason people look down on him because he was once leader of the Funky Bunch. Some people might have to face the fact that Wahlberg is a decent actor. His performances in “Boogie Nights” and “Three Kings were not just accidents. Wahlberg was able to hold his own on screen with Chow Yun-Fat.

The DVD put out by New Line is a dandy one. It has plenty of extras, such as a very interesting documentary on the making of the film. The documentary contains the original version of the car chase which is longer, bloodier and more violent. DVD owners are in luck, the disc also has the widescreen version, which is much better than the pan & scan. The sound is also very clear and crisp; the gunshots sound incredible.

“The Corruptor” is an American film starring Chow Yun-Fat. It is directed by James Foley. If you rent it expecting a John Woo-type movie like “Hard Boiled” or “A Better Tomorrow”, go rent “The Killer”.

James H’s Rating: 8/10

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Bermuda Depths, The (1978) Review

"The Bermuda Depths" US Theatrical Poster

"The Bermuda Depths" US Theatrical Poster

Director: Tsugunobu Kotani (billed as Tom Kotani)
Writer: William Overgard (screenplay), Arthur Rankin, Jr. (story)
Cast: Leigh McCloskey, Carl Weathers, Burl Ives, Connie Sellecca, Julie Woodson, Ruth Attaway
Running Time: 97 min.

By Alvin George

A live-action TV movie from Rankin/Bass Productions (the same company that put out the cartoon “Thundercats” and that deathless stop-motion classic “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”), “The Bermuda Depths” has acquired a significant cult following over the years. The main protagonist is Magnus (future “Dallas” regular Leigh McCloskey), a young white dude who was orphaned when he was a young boy. As a young adult, he is back in Bermuda after traveling around to various places. Jennie Haniver (Connie Sellecca, who would later appear opposite William Katt on the TV show “The Greatest American Hero”), a dark-haired beauty who had played with Magnus as a child, mysteriously re-enters his life. Magnus hooks up with his black friend Eric (Carl “Apollo Creed” Weathers) and an eldery marine biologist (Burl Ives, the voice of the Snowman in the aforementioned “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”) to help him with matters. Former Playboy Playmate Julie Woodson plays Weathers’ wife, while “Conrack” actress Ruth Attaway plays an old lady who has a disturbing story to tell about Jenny.

Helmed by Japanese director Tsugunobu Kotani, “The Bermuda Depths” is…something. I admit to being somewhat of a pushover for vintage made-for-TV movies. There has been “Black Water Gold,” “Hunters of the Reef,” “Contract on Cherry Street,” “The Hunted Lady,” “The Norliss Tapes,” “Terror on the Beach,” etc.

Curiously, none of the three principal black actors (Weathers, Woodson, and Attaway) seem to utilize a noticeable accent. Lou Gossett, Jr. utilized one in “The Deep”, another Bermuda-based movie. Weathers, Woodson, and Attaway all admittedly came from the continental United States, but so did Gossett. The special effects are not the best (this is a TV movie from the late 1970s, after all), and that giant sea turtle might evoke Gamera in some people’s minds (though I can’t say I ever really watched a Gamera movie). “The Bermuda Depths” is not bad, and there are some nice shots of Bermuda in it–not to mention an aura that’s eerie and ultimately downbeat. However, the story isn’t super-compelling, and the dated special effects might make this flick worthy of the “Mystery Science Theater 3000” treatment.

Alvin George’s Rating: 6/10

Posted in Asian Related, Reviews |

Year of the Dragon (1985) Review

"Year of the Dragon" French Theatrical Poster

“Year of the Dragon” French Theatrical Poster

Director: Michael Cimino
Producer: Dino De Laurentiis
Cast: Mickey Rourke, John Lone, Ariane, Leonard Termo, Raymond J. Barry, Caroline Kava, Eddie Jones, Joey Chin, Victor Wong, Fan Mei Sheng, Mark Hammer
Running Time: 134 min.

By James H.

Stanley White is a man obsessed. He is a Vietnam veteran, and a New York cop assigned to Chinatown. Moreover, he is a racist. His experiences in ‘Nam have left him jaded and hateful. He has a personal vendetta against Chinese, and wants to clean up Chinatown. He is obsessed with his job and leaves everyone else behind him.

White is played by Mickey Rourke (“9 1/2 Weeks”, “Johnny Handsome”, “Double Team”) with style and conviction. And for some reason, he looks like Bruce Willis. This should have been a career making performance for Rourke, but for some reason he has fallen into oblivion. He’s engaging and relentless in his performance. With Rourke, we don’t see any of him show through in Stanley. No one could have pulled off a better performance as White.

The supporting cast also does a terrific job, with the exception of Ariane. Ariane plays Tracy Tzu, a TV reporter who befriends White and helps him bring the underworld of Chinatown to the surface. Her dialogue comes across as very wooden. Come to think of it, most of her lines are just shouting at Rourke for being an asshole and a son of a bitch.

The other principle actor, John Lone (“The Last Emperor”), shines as well. He is absolutely brilliant as the sly and conniving young Triad Godfather. He always remains cool and composed. Lone is definitely something else. He oozes as much charisma as Chow Yun-Fat and Sean Connery.

“Year of the Dragon” can be found in most video stores under the Action section, which I think is misleading. There is some action in this film, but it is by no means an action movie. The film’s violence is quite realistic and graphic (blood spurts from gaping bullet wounds). The action sequences are kept gritty and low key for the sake of the story. The story would not be half as believable if the film featured outlandish, John Woo-like action scenes.

Michael Cimino (“The Deer Hunter”, “Heaven’s Gate”) keeps the film moving at a slick pace, and never really loses sight of its thought. It’s a very tense film, loaded with great dialogue (it was scripted by Cimino and Oliver Stone). The cinematography is very picturesque, and stylish. Also, David Mansfield’s score beautifully underlines the action on the screen.

“Year of the Dragon” definitely ranks as one of the best Triad films ever. It has some great performances and is a very powerful film. It is also a brilliant character study, dealing with Stanley’s obsession to fight his own personal Vietnam on the streets of Chinatown.

James H’s Rating: 9/10


By American Ninja Man

I really can’t say much about the over-complicated plot. I can say I enjoyed this movie a lot. Mickey Rourke plays the best cop in years. His personality is so cool – so hardened, so mean, so selfish and so racist; he’s just plain obnoxious and it sometimes hard to feel sorry for him. The supporting cast are good with the exception of Ariane, who sounds like she’s reading off her que cards throughout the movie.

John Lone, in my opinion, gives the best performance in the film. He plays the chilling villain; he’s surprisingly sympathetic and interesting. The showdown is built up to where nobody really knows who to root for and this is what prevents Year of the Dragon from being an excellent movie.

Year of the Dragon is at least 3 cuts above the usual cops/revenge stuff. Highly recommended!

American Ninja Man’s Rating: 7/10

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Tears of the Black Tiger (2000) Review

"Tears of the Black Tiger" US DVD Cover

“Tears of the Black Tiger” US DVD Cover

Director: Wisit Sasanatieng
Writer: Wisit Sasanatieng
Cast: Chartchai Ngamsan, Stella Malucchi, Supakorn Kitsuwon, Sombat Metanee
Running Time: 110 min.

By Mighty Peking Man

Bravo, Wisit Sasanatieng!!!

Tears of the Black Tiger is a Thai Western flick, a romance-drama and an ultra violent spectacle all rolled into one; But here’s the kicker – it was filmed in black and white, then artificially colored, tinted and tweaked to make it look like a classic 1950′s classic Thai film.

It’s not all retro, though. There are zooms, extreme bullet close-ups, and all sorts of cinematic surprises that pop up out of nowhere.

The result: a catchy piece of innovative entertainment that’s years ahead of its time.

You can just feel the creative energy throughout its 110 minute duration; And just when you think you’ve think the visual novelty has reached its maximum potential, the next scene happens and your appreciation is renewed all over again.

There’s something for everyone — old folks will appreciate it because it looks like a movie of their time. Women will enjoy it because of the heart warming love story. Action fans will dig the pleasant amount of action and explicit violence. And if you’re cool enough to let some kids watch it, they’ll be glued to the screen in deep fascination.

Keep in mind that a lot of the scenes are intentionally campy, cartoonish and may go over people’s heads. Even then, they’ll realize how good this film works.

Tears of the Black Tiger is one of those movies that promises everything you see in the trailer and a lot more.

Mighty Peking Man’s Rating: 8/10 (10/10 if you pause any shot with Stella Malucchi’s face)


By Ningen

The title refers to the name of a bandit who parted ways with his childhood friend Rumpooey, but still holds her close to his heart. The ‘tiger comes from a working-class background, while his main squeeze is loaded. Unfortunately, those class differences are what separate the pair for years-until they meet again in college. Dum(the Black Tiger’s real name) is initially reluctant to talk to Rumpooey, due to a childhood injury he received protecting her. Unfortunately, he’s forced to “reveal” his identity, when she once again gets attacked by the same gang. Adding to that misfortune is that Dum is kicked out of college, and winds up joining a gang himself. The group he’s in commits armed robberies. When they’re not stealing, they kill squealers. When Dum is forced to kill Rumpooey’s new fiance, Captain Kumjorn, he lets him go, but has to contend with a gang that’s turned on him, and a police force which doesn’t trust him.

I can clearly understand why Miramax buried this gem for so many years: people would find out that Kill Bill “borrowed” its color scheme. While ‘Tiger admittedly swipes action from Woo and Lam, too, at least you can tell it’s its own film. From the ethnic wedding outfits to the lily ponds, no expense is spared on creating the sense of a different world which isn’t quite a traditional Western, but isn’t quite a traditional interpretation of Thailand, either. For example, bazookas are included in gun-fights, and churches and Buddhist statues are equally used for ceremonies.

And the back-drops are so gorgeous and full of detail, that even the ones you know are fake look too good for you to care! The music is very emotional and adds to the atmosphere. The camera-work is very slow, but sweet, allowing you to absorb the settings without getting tired of them.

The dialogue is a little bit on the hammy side, because of the way characters drawl when they walk. In addition, the gratuitous violence is casually mixed in with more “quaint” settings. But the drama more than makes up for the campy side of this film. It’s just amazing how much depth you get from such intentionally two-dimensional caricatures and scenes. (One of whom has a moustache painted on his face!) It probably helps that-unlike most movies nowadays-there’s no subtext, no sub-plots, and the violence isn’t milked so much(i.e. shock and awe) that it becomes snuff. You just get normal people who aren’t slackers or wise-cracking gangsters, but who nonetheless have important desires and motivations which help them break them out of their molds. I wish more “indie” films were this deep.

Tears of a Black Tiger is an art film, an homage and a cult film rolled into one. But what makes it work where other similar movies would fail [I’m looking at you, Sky Captain and Grindhouse!] is that it doesn’t let the genres it’s referencing drag down the story. I can “get” the joke and still enjoy what’s happening on-screen, not have to worry about whether I “know” what the’s director seen in the past.

Ningen’s Rating: 10/10 for the visuals; 6/10 for originality; 9/10 for the characters; 8/10 total

Posted in Reviews, Thai | Tagged |

13 Beloved | aka 13: Game of Death (2006) Review

"13: Game of Death" UK DVD Cover

“13: Game of Death” UK DVD Cover

AKA: 13 Beloved, 13 Game Sayong
Director: Chookiat Sakveerakul
Cast: Krissada Sukosol, Sarunyoo Wongkrachang, Achita Sikamana, Nattapong Arunnate, Namfon Pakdee, Piyapan Choopech, Philip Wilson
Running Time: 109 min.

By Mighty Peking Man

Chit is a young salesman who is experiencing rough times: His girlfriend just left him, he’s in serious debt and his car has just been repossessed because of late payments. To make matters worse, he comes into work to find out that his company is letting him go because of his poor sales performance.

One day, Chit gets a mysterious call from a cell phone-based “game show” that offers him the chance to take part in a contest where he can win $100 million dollars. The rules are simple: He has to complete 13 tasks given by an automated operator. With each task he completes, large sums of the money are instantly deposited into his account.

Though the first few tasks are easy and fun (ie “kill the fly that’s buzzing around you with a newspaper”), the ones that come later become less appealing, gruesome and deadly; and just when you think the tasks can’t get any worse, they do.

13: Game of Death (also known as 13 Beloved) is a pleaser from start to finish. I was always in suspense at what – or how f*cked up – the next challenge would be. Even though the film relies mostly on gore and shock value, there are surprising turns that play an important part into the plot.

13: Game of Death is definitely a great change from the typical horror/ghost movies that Asian film directors have been pumping out. Give it a shot. If anything, it’s a decent R-rated popcorn flick. In 2014, the film was remade by Daniel Stamm (The Last Exorcism) and called 3 Sins.

Mighty Peking Man’s Rating: 7/10

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Crazy Thunder Road (1980) Review

"Crazy Thunder Road" Japanese Theatrical Poster

"Crazy Thunder Road" Japanese Theatrical Poster

Director: Sogo Ishii
Producer: Mitsuhiko Akita, Hiroshi Kobayashi
Cast: Tatsuo Yamada, Hiroshi Kaiya, Masamitsu Daichi, Yōsuke Nakajima, Tadashi Kamiya, Akihiro Kimura, Hiroyuki Kiyosue, Katsunori Hirose, Masahiro Ōzeki, Nenji Kobayashi, Masashi Kojima, Koji Nanjō, Michiko Kitahara, Naoto Ōmori, Masahiro Yoshiwara, Akemi Morimura
Running Time: 90 min.

By Joe909

As of this writing, I’m 27 years old, and I’ve realized through the wisdom of age that one shouldn’t get too excited to see a movie; you’re generally bound to be let down by it, if you do. Well, after reading a tremendously positive review for Crazy Thunder Road on Teleport-City.com a year ago, I got so excited to see this movie that I’ve spent the past twelve months searching for it. I envisioned an apocalyptic, balls-to-the-wall, pure rock n’ roll action extravaganza. What I got was just your basic, tedious, talky Japanese film.

I’ve never liked Japanese movies. Matter of fact, I hate most of them. This isn’t just a thoughtless hatred. I lived in Japan for a time, spent a few semesters of college there, and also studied the language throughout high school and part of college itself. Throughout these periods I watched many Japanese movies, in order to gain a better understanding of the language and culture. Other than “Tetsuo 2,” every damn movie I saw was a dud. Boring, slow-paced, high on exposition and low on action, Japanese movies just left me unsatisfied. Until I saw “Versus,” which will hopefully act like an opening shot for Japanese movies of the future: it has everything Japanese movies typically lack, and it’s everything Crazy Thunder Road should’ve been. But this review isn’t about “Versus,” so if you want my thoughts on that one, check out the review.

First of all, this movie is ultra low-budget. Not low-budget in a good, “Mad Max” kind of way, but low-budget in an amateurish, “Manos: Hand of Fate” (of “Mystery Science Theater 3000” infamy) kind of way. Herky-jerky direction, cheesily-overdubbed dialog, and occasionally-bland acting. The writing’s helter-skelter, too. Only the English subtitles look professional, but they’re funny in that they primarily use British slang. For example, main character Jin (possibly the most unlikeable lead character since that punk in the Ô90s “Dennis the Menace” movie) at one point calls his foes a “bunch of tossers.” But back to the low budget. The ending features what’s supposed to be a climactic showdown between Jin and his oppressors. It features Jin in what looks like a Power Rangers suit made of leather (with humongous, football-type shoulder pads) blowing things apart with a rocket launcher. Meanwhile, all he’s really shooting are flares. Seriously. There aren’t even any explosions, just a lot of smoke. Plus, when people shoot guns, not even the barest of a spark comes out of the barrel. I know this is coming off as picky, but I was wondering, why bother? If you can’t afford to film a huge, rocket-launching conclusion, then film another damn type of ending. As it is, I’ve seen more realistic depictions of action in “The A-Team.”

But that’s just the ending. To get there, you have to sit through multiple scenes of leather-clad motorcycle punks talking about how bad things are, what with the unionization of biker gangs and all. They’ll talk about it a bit, then talk about it some more. Then they’ll drive around for a while, then they’ll talk some more. There’s even an atrocious scene in which Ken and his girlfriend relate their feelings for one another in a musical montage. As if we’re suddenly watching “Grease.” Of course, there’s also the traditional scene of torture that Japanese filmgoers apparently demand: Jin’s best friend (and possible lover, though it’s never directly stated) gets caught by rival bikers and beaten to a bloody death.

Jin attempts to take revenge for his friend’s death, and gets beaten badly in the process. He’s saved by the appearance of the “Ultra-Righters,” former bikers who’ve gone on to become Japanese Nazis. They take in Jin and his three surviving friends and proceed to reprogram the hell out of them. Soon enough Jin’s wearing a military uniform and passing out leaflets on the streets. But after a confrontation with a group of his former, biker enemies, Jin realizes that the military life isn’t for him. He bails out, much to the dismay of the apparently-gay leader of the Ultra-Righters, and takes back to his motorcycle. Not even five minutes back out on the street, and Jin’s attacked by his former adversaries, who chop off his arm with a chainsaw (this isn’t shown, just implied.) After recuperating in the hospital, Jin limps back to his bike, wearing (hilariously), a cast that covers his entire arm. I mean, if his arm was chopped off, why does he need a full cast? They could’ve at least tied the actor’s arm to his side, and hidden it under his shirt, or something.

Jin comes across a prepubescent brat who works for an old gun dealer. This is the guy who supplies Jin with a rocket launcher and the Kamen Rider meets Mad Max outfit (which isn’t as cool as it sounds). Jin of course unleashes merciless revenge upon both the Ultra-Righters and the bikers, taking at least a dozen bullets in the process. I’m guessing Jin’s outfit is bullet-proof, as these bullets unfortunately don’t kill him. Instead, he staggers away from the carnage, hops on his bike, and drives off “El Cid” style into the sunset, mercifully ending the movie. At least it wasn’t too long.

Joe909’s Rating: 4/10

Posted in Japanese, Reviews |

Kamui Gaiden | aka Kamui The Lone Ninja (2009) Review

"Kamui Gaiden" Japanese Theatrical Poster

“Kamui Gaiden” Japanese Theatrical Poster

AKA: Kamui
Director: Yoichi Sai
Cast: Ken ichi Matsuyama, Koyuki Koyuki, Kaoru Kobayashi, Koichi Sato, Hideaki Ito
Running Time: 120 min.

By Mighty Peking Man

“Kamui Gaiden” is the story of a Kamui (Ken’ichi Matsuyama), an ex-evil ninja who turns his back on his evil ways to pursue a peaceful lifestyle. However, everywhere he goes, he is followed and attacked by his former ninja clan, who now consider him a traitor.

“Kamui Gaiden” (not to be confused with “The Dagger of Kamui,” a novel/anime that explores similar themes) is based on the popular manga “The Legend of Kamui,” but don’t let that fool you into thinking you’re walking into a happy-go-lucky, bubblegum tale. Sure, it has its cutesy moments, but mark my word – this flick is bloody, brutal, and surprisingly, downbeat.

The martial arts choreography is swift, simple and easy on the eye. As expected in a ‘ninja’ film, there a bit of jumping and flying around, but it never gets completely out of hand. The cgi effects, which are spotty, somehow work. I enjoyed the brief descriptions of Kamui’s specialized attack moves, which are reminiscent to reading about what a video game character can do.

Not all the action consists of blades flying, dicing and slicing; there’s a brief moment where are Kamui takes on killer sharks, which seems a bit out of place (I’m not sure if this is a scene taken from the manga).

Whether it’s Korean, Chinese or Japanese, I’m not the biggest fan of these newer swordplay/fantasy/period/martial arts movies. These types of films bore me to death. Call me an old geezer, but I’ll take some 1960/1970’s Shaw Brothers shit before the majority of this new stuff any day.

“Kamui Gaiden” is an exception. Together with a brief Manga-style intro, and an opening action sequence (think George Miller’s “Road Warrior,” only without the cars), “Kamui” grabbed my attention instantly. There are some slow-moving, talky instances, but for the most part, the film is never boring.

See if you can spot Hong Kong star Ekin Cheng (“Young and Dangerous”), who has an extended cameo in the film (even in Japan we can’t get away from this guy).

Recommended.

Mighty Peking Man’s Rating: 7/10

Posted in Japanese, Ninja, Reviews | Tagged , , , |

Bruce Lee: The Man, The Myth (1976) Review

"Bruce Lee: The Man, The Myth" US Theatrical Poster

“Bruce Lee: The Man, The Myth” US Theatrical Poster

AKA: Bruce Lee – True Story
Director: Ng See Yuen
Cast: Bruce Li (aka Ho Chung Tao, James Ho), Unicorn Chan, Chu Chi Ling. Fung King Man, Alan Chui Chung San, Sham Chin Bo, Mars, Fung Hak On, Lee Hoi San, Carl Scott, Chung Chaan Chi, Fong Yuen, Gam Tin Chue, Lau Kwok Shing, Leung Siu Chung, Wong Mei, Yip Chun
Running Time: 85/90 min.

By Joseph Kuby

Fun Filler!

Like The Dragon Lives (a.k.a. He’s A Legend, He’s A Hero), Bruce Lee: The Man, The Myth (a.k.a. Bruce Lee: The True Story) shouldn’t be taken too seriously.

The film practically steers away from his life as a father and husband, so whilst Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story would win out in that regard (as well as being, cinematically, the superior film) the latter is just simply an expensive version of the Bruceploitation movies made in a bygone age (as Bruce Thomas rightfully so pointed out and argued in his book Bruce Lee: Fighting Spirit).

It provides good hokey comedy value and whilst the film isn’t a comedy laughathon riot like Dragon Lives, it still has its fair share of comic moments like the old caucasian man Bruce meets at the car wash and the scenes where we see Bruce working out in resembles a laboratory than an exercise facility and his training room (which is certainly nothing like Bruce had ever worked out in…and at one point it even resembles a medieval weaponary chamber/S&M-esque room)!

Whilst there is some basis in reality in that Bruce had done weight training, jogged and did electro-shock therapy; I doubt Bruce performed a contemporary/post-modern version of the training Jimmy Wang Yu’s character anticipated in for the film The Chinese Boxer i.e. dipping your hands onto a hot substance (in Jimmy’s case, it’s iron and in Bruce’s case it’s some kind of stereotypical foaming-at-the-seams laboratory chemical basin).

What did it for me (humour wise) was when it depicts Lee punching into these increasingly smaller holes in a giant mechanical device that beeps and lights up these varied coloured bulbs as it registers the force of his hits – it foreshadows a similar scene in Dragon Lives.

Come to think of it, the only scene that’s portrayed with the most accuracy is Bruce’s death scene as Betty Ting Pei, Raymond Chow and her respective doctor try to wake up Bruce before calling an ambulance to take him to the Queen Elizabeth hospital.

With all the moments of inaccuracy and conjecture that drown the film, it’s a wonder that they even bothered to find out that Bruce had been selling his script of The Silent Flute to Hollywood film moguls.

Astonishingly, they were even spot on with the original idea for Game Of Death where Bruce was to fight 7 martial arts champs! (check out the features section on this site to read the Bob Wall interview for more information)

The dubbing was very different than all the usual Kung Fu movies because the recording sessions were done in America. In some ways this film is similar to ‘Exit The Dragon, Enter The Tiger’ in that not only is the dubbing more unique & better but the soundtrack is composed with more originality than usual and with better choice of tracks (again, one cue from a 007 flick), though it frankly doesn’t compare to the brilliant soundtrack that permeated James Ho’s other flick. However, the war cries used for both Bruce and his assailants is laughable and in some occasions badly synched. Other similarities are the high production values as the film was shot in Seattle, San Francisco, Long Beach, Bangkok, Hong Kong and Rome (they actually did location shooting in the colosseum). Of further note is the feel of a Western feature as there are lots of caucasian actors and it’s pretty clear that a lot of the dialogue scenes were originally shot in English.

Of course, it’s the fight scenes which sell the picture as they are neatly choreographed with a very tight feel to them with little sense of rehearsal (something which reflects Bruce Lee’s philosophy of realistic fights not being rehearsed routines) thus the fight scenes have a natural feel to them.

As you can imagine from the geographical scope of the story, there’s a welcome mixture of styles such as Karate, Thai boxing, traditional Kung Fu and Bruce Lee’s Jeet Kune Do (the stylized version anyway).

Speaking of scope, the film has a pool of talented faces and we even get cameos from people who appeared in Bruce Lee’s Big Boss and Way Of The Dragon. Just to list a few examples: Billy Chong co-star Carl Scott can be seen as one of Bruce’s students in the American section of the film. Alan Hsu (villain in Wong Jing’s Last Hero In China and senior of the protagonists’ Kung Fu school in the Joseph Kuo/Yuen Woo Ping collaborative effort ‘Born Invincible’) has a cameo along with Jackie Chan’s best friend Mars (who can be seen in Dragon Lord) and I think even Lo Wei as himself during the shooting of The Big Boss.

Directorially, the film has its moments such as when Bruce thinks back to a conversation with a Hollywood executive producer as he’s in a dark room at night time where the whole screen darkens & lightens before and after the flashback. Another nice touch was a juxtaposition sequence prior to this challenge match where Bruce’s challenger is being told how to fight Bruce by his cohort while Bruce is telling his assistant about the very last fight scene which needs filming.

Conclusively, there’s one scene towards the very end of the film which gestures to how Bruce could have died as it alludes to the mere notion that he had been ambushed by street thugs armed with machetes. The way the scene is filmed half-way through the slaughter seems to have been lifted from a Shaw Bros. movie directed by Chang Cheh as the whole screen turns red, the quality of the print is shiny and it’s played in slow motion with a wise choice of camera angles to accentuate what is an otherwise grisly and somewhat tacked-on scene.

My personal disappointment with this release of the film (UK DVD) is the quality of the film print (which is one of the worst I’ve experienced DVD wise though there are worse prints out there e.g. prints where the image is completely damaged {numbers, cigar burns, scratches} and where colours are hardly existant and all you see is one hue of a particular colour plastered all over the screen making everything seem single-coloured and rather monotone).

To rub salt onto old wounds, there’s even a nunchaku scene which has been trimmed (ironically when the film details Bruce’s making of Way Of The Dragon, ironic because just like in the original UK version of Bruce Lee’s classic movie, as soon as James Ho takes off his jacket we immediately cut to what happens after the nunchaku encounter). It’s kind of a shame really as the concept of the fight scene seemed ace: Bruce utilizing a nunchaku to counteract the mace of a Karateka.

Missed opportunity on behalf of the filmmakers to add some depth to the film if they took the film more seriously (i.e. make it as credible as it is incredible), but still a fun effort that should please Bruce Lee fans and chop-socky aficionados who don’t seem to mind watching films where a star is exploited for the gain of big bucks and shallow entertainment – though having said that there’s much better in that regard (especially within the realm of Bruceploitation fare…or really farce)!

UK fans beware, the UK DVD entitled Bruce Lee: True Story is not the same as the American disc as not only are the special features related to the film absent, but it’s not even the same film (it’s Bruce Lee’s Secret which is also available in the UK as The Bruce Lee Story and will be released on a new disc entitled Bruce Lee’s Secret) despite featuring the same cover art and even stills from this film (e.g. the electro-shock therapy bit).

Josephy Kuby’s Rating: 7/10


By Numskull

OH MY GOD, YOU GUYS!!!

Check this out… I’ve just learned all about my new idol Bruce Lee (sorry Mr. Spock, you’ve been replaced!) from this badass movie, BRUCE LEE: THE MAN, THE MYTH. I’m telling you, it’s DA BOMB!!!

Bruce Lee is from a place called “Hong Kong.” You with me so far? And he practices… nay, EMBODIES the awesome art of KUNG FU!!! What is kung fu, you ask? Well basically it’s used to beat up bad guys by hitting them hard and fast… even more hard and fast than the X-Men when their sense of teamwork is at an all time high! There are other kinds of fighting out there like “karate” from Japan (home of Voltron!) and “thai boxing” from a place called Siam, but KUNG FU beats them all! Wherever Bruce goes, people who study these weenie fighting styles challenge him to prove that their style is the best but Bruce beats them all without breaking a sweat! It’s even more one sided than if Superman fought Batman without all of his stupid gadgets he uses since he doesn’t have super powers. The other really cool thing about Kung Fu is that it’s also the name of a totally rad Nintendo game I have where you control a guy named Thomas. He can punch AND kick AND jump! I’m not past the first level yet (that guy with the stick is really hard!), but Bruce never gives up so neither will I!

Anyway back to the movie. Bruce goes to Seattle for his education and he teaches some of his fellow students some kung fu, and since he’s such a sport, he does it for FREE, and pumps gas to earn money! After college he gets a sidekick named Butchie. Well I guess every great role model needs a sidekick. The Lone Ranger has Tonto, Snoopy has Woodstock, and even after Superman beats him up Batman will still have Robin with his sexy green underwear. Bruce wins a fighting tournament in Long Beach in a building where everything is orange, and he develops a super powerful form of kung fu called jeet kune do, and he gets married and has two children, and he makes his own movies, and he fight bullies who pick on the little guy wherever he goes, most notably a fat old white guy who is going bald! And he proves that he’s the real deal when he says one of the greatest movie lines of all time: “I’m not doing the talking here, kung fu is!” WOAH! Move over, Dirty Harry!

The fights in this movie are unbelievable! I’ve never seen anyone move so fast…. not even me, when I got chased out of the girls’ bathroom! Right punch! Left punch! Jump kick! TAKE THAT! HIIIIIIYYYYAAAAAAAHHHH!!!!!!! Sorry I got a little carried away there! But who could blame me? This is a movie that now has a permanent home in my brand new Betamax VCR, and I am proud to have the video box displayed on my shelf. It looks so cool sitting there surrounded by my Star Wars guys; Chewie on one side and the Fett-man on the other! Yeah, baby!

I think my favorite fight scene is the one in Rome where Bruce fights three guys in the Coliseum. The Coliseum is where gladiators fight! I beat Bruce could beat Russell Crowe with both hands tied behind his back, and he could do the same to a modern day gladiator, Hulk Hogan! The Hulkster may be a true American and Hulkamania definitely rules but Bruce has the awesome power of jeet kune do on his side! Anyway Bruce fights these guys and when it becomes obvious that they are no match for him their boss throws one of them a light mace. Well that’s no good! Doesn’t he know that a light mace only does 1d6 damage, plus or minus the user’s Strength modifier? I bet not even a Fireball cast by a level 20 wizard could kill Bruce. He’s just that damn good! So in response to the mace Bruce pulls out these two sticks connected by a chain and wields them with incredible skill! Soon he wins the fight and earns the respect of everyone watching, especially ME!!!

Now for the shocking part: the movie ends on a sad note as Bruce suddenly gets a splitting headache and DIES… or does he? According to the movie, many people believe that Bruce is living in seclusion (in spite of his tombstone… which, by the way, is RED!!!) and will make his triumphant return in 1983, ten years after his death was announced. I’m marking off the days on my Dukes of Hazzard calendar already! But in the meantime, I wonder what Bruce’s wife is up to and whether or not receiving his mighty jeet kune seed gave her jeet kune powers of her own and increased her physical performance to its full jeet kune capacity? If so I would not want to mess with her. She would beat me up even worse than the girls on the playground!

Now I know what you’re thinking! “Wait a minute…if Bruce Lee is dead or in hiding, then how did they make a movie about him?” I’m glad you asked! You see, Bruce Lee had amazing powers of foresight in addition to his phenomenal combat skills. BRUCE LEE: THE MAN, THE MYTH is pieced together from footage shot of Bruce by the cameraman who followed him everywhere while he was still around and they even made sure we could hear everything by having some other guy do his voice so it wouldn’t be obscured by the sounds of traffic and everything! I just wish that they included every single piece of footage ever shot so the movie would be 35 years long (Bruce was around from 1940 to 1973)!

In conclusion I would just like to say that this is the greatest movie ever and LONG LIVE BRUCE LEE!!!

Numskull’s Rating: 2/10


By Joe909

This was the film that marked Bruce Li’s rise from mediocrity to capable on-screen fighter. Instead of unconvincing mimicry, Li suddenly evolved into a lightning-quick martial artist. The irony is that this is an outright Bruce Lee biopic, instead of the usual run of the mill, early Bruce Li movie, where he just pretends to be Bruce Lee but fights like a drunk clown.

The reason behind Li’s advanced style is due to the fact that he trained like a demon for this role, practicing jeet kune do from morning to night. Bruce Li toiled as hard as a Mexican day worker for his movies. Nowhere is that more apparent than in his sudden excellence in on-screen combat. Just watch “The New Game of Death,” from 1975, and then watch this, a movie released two years later, but probably filmed in 1976. It’s like night and day.

Of course, this being a Bruceploitation flick, you’re treated to a large number of fights. More than can easily be digested in one sitting. Bruce fights muggers, Japanese opponents, Mafia thugs, irate kickboxers, cocky extras, and even a metal wall with flashing lights. “Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story” has been dragged through the mud over the past few years, but it’s still a more realistic depiction of Bruce Lee’s life than this. “Dragon” just overdoes the PC element with its portrayal of a jilted Bruce struggling against racism, whereas The Man, The Myth overdoes the “greatest fighter in the world” element with Bruce fighting anyone and everyone in his path.

As a matter of fact, the producers are so intent over showing Bruce fight that they even skip over things an audience might find important, like Bruce getting married and starting a family. Literally, Bruce’s wife and kids just appear midway into the movie, without any introduction. As a side note, the actress playing Bruce’s wife is a dead ringer for the real Linda Lee Caldwell.

An interesting thing about this movie is that it features several familiar faces from past Bruce Lee movies. There are a few actors and extras from “The Big Boss,” a fat thug from “Way of the Dragon” shows up as an English Army sergeant (who of course challenges Bruce), and most notably, Unicorn Chan (Jimmy in “Way of the Dragon”) shows up as himself.

I’ve always wondered about this. Unicorn Chan was one of Bruce Lee’s oldest friends. They had a falling out in late 1972, when Unicorn starred in a movie called “Fist of Unicorn.” The reason for the falling out: Bruce agreed to do choreography for the film. But, unknown to him, Unicorn and the director filmed everything Bruce did, and then, without his approval, injected this behind-the-scenes footage into “Fist of Unicorn.” Bruce was outraged and betrayed, and never spoke to Unicorn again. He was even in the process of pressing charges when he died. So I’ve always wondered if Unicorn’s appearing in this biopic (and, should I mention, Unicorn himself was soon to die, in a car crash a year later) was maybe his way of paying a debt to the real Bruce Lee. Or hell, maybe he was just making another buck off of exploiting his dead friend.

Another interesting note is that for one scene near the end of the flick, a different dubber takes over Bruce’s voice. Maybe the US/British prints got jumbled or something. I have the US-dubbed version, and throughout Bruce sounds like some 1970s Chicano from New York. He really does. But then, in the scene where he meets Betty Pei at her apartment, Bruce is suddenly dubbed by one of those Shaw Brothers voice actors. It’s pretty weird, and I wonder if this is in every US version. Maybe the US producers forgot to dub this scene.

Probably my favorite part of the movie is the end. “There was much mystery surrounding Bruce Lee’s death,” announces the narrator, “and many legends arose over how he might have died.” This leads you to believe that the producers are about to shun these ideas. But no, because right after that the narrator says “Here are a few of those myths.” So we’re treated to a variety of scenes of how Bruce might have “really” died.

In one, he’s murdered by thugs who chop him up with knives. In another, he’s killed in an ambush. But in the best of all, the last one, Bruce doesn’t die, but instead goes off into seclusion, where he will live alone until 1984, at which point he will return to the world. Why? Because a Chinese mystic tells him that the whole world must think he is dead, even his wife and children. And only after ten years has past may Bruce safely walk in public again. Never mind that Bruce died in 1973, so ten years later would’ve been 1983, not ’84. Dates and numbers weren’t much on the producers’s minds; they even say that Bruce was 36 when he died, when we all know he was only 33.

All in all, this is more of a chop-sockey than a serious Bruce Lee biopic, so don’t let the revisionists fool you. “Dragon” is still the superior film.

Joe909’s Rating: 7/10

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

Machete (2010) Review

"Machete" US Theatrical Poster

“Machete” US Theatrical Poster

AKA: Grindhouse, Machete
Director: Robert Rodriguez, Ethan Maniquis
Cast: Danny Trejo, Steven Seagal, Michelle Rodriguez, Jeff Fahey, Cheech Marin, Lindsay Lohan, Don Johnson, Jessica Alba, Robert De Niro, Tom Savini, Shea Whigham
Running Time: 105 min.

By Ningen

Danny Trejo plays the titular character, an ex-Mexican cop-turned-migrant worker who gets caught up in a conspiracy between some rich guy and the drug dealer by the name of Torrez (Steven Seagal) who killed his family. With the help of a freedom fighter/illegal alien enabler named Luz (Michelle Rodriguez) and an American immigration agent named Sartana, he plans to take down the whole operation. Along the way, he has to deal with a xenophobic Senator played by Robert DeNiro and a local militia movement.

So the good news is we finally get an R-rated movie which doesn’t flinch from the violence, but which doesn’t get off on it, either. The lead doesn’t look like a squeaky-clean teenager or 20-something who relies on bullet-time every other shot to get his/her point across. I don’t have to listen to boring conversations about the personal lives of the supporting female characters, either. And you won’t get short-changed on the nudity, as long as you don’t expect it to be from any actual celebrities in the film.

The bad news is this flick ends up being talkier than necessary. Yeah, cashing in on the controversy in AZ makes sense, but that doesn’t mean I want to hear people debate about the issue. Just keep it simple and allude to it, like that recent trailer for Machete. And Seagal apparently wants to out-do Will Sasso’s parody of him [Just look for “MADTV Seagal” on Youtube if you don’t get it already.], since he comes off as a super-brute, rather than a real threat. In addition he just sits behind a monitor most of the time practicing for a stage version of the DePalma Scarface.

And Rodriguez really goes overboard on the extras. The film should be about one-on-one fights, and I generally either get re-enactments of John Woo shoot-outs or the low-rider answer to Braveheart. You do get plenty of knife-fight porn, though, but I wish there wasn’t so much quick cutting of it.

I have no problem with most of the female talent, however, even though Lohan seems like she hasn’t detoxed yet when she appropriately plays the rich guy’s fallen daughter. Still, I usually get more irritated when Alba thinks she’s above her usual school of softcore porn-style acting, and once again-besides in Sin City-RR managed to make her likeable and more down to earth. As someone who is caught between her American and Mexican backgrounds, and she’s not able to easily make quick decisions like everyone else. Michelle Rodriguez could have had more action scenes in her place, though, since I could buy her being able to kick ass more than Alba.

The quips and b-movie mannerisms of the characters in general are pretty catchy, but not quite loose enough. The actors take the material a little too seriously at times, when they should be able to have fun with the lines. But then, as I noted earlier, they’re held back by the direction where they’re forced to focus too much on the issues, and not enough on the setting. And yeah, even the ending is dragged out longer than necessary with a pointless DeNiro sub-plot. Still, Machete’s enjoyable for what it is, and I hope, if that alleged sequel happens, it’ll be a smoother ride.

Ningen’s Rating: Nudity: 8/10; Comedy: 8/10; Action and Pacing: 6.5/10; Overall: 7.5/10

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

Merantau | aka Merantau Warrior (2009) Review

"Merantau" International Theatrical Poster

“Merantau” International Theatrical Poster

Director: Gareth Evans
Producer: Ario Sagantoro
Cast: Iko Uwais, Sisca Jessica, Christine Hakim, Donny Alamsyah, Yusuf Aulia, Laurent Buson, Alex Abbad, Mads Koudal, Yayan Ruhian, Rahyma Yanii
Running Time: 135 min.

By Mighty Peking Man

Young Yuda (Iko Uwais) has reached the point in his life where he must leave his hometown, prove his manhood, and find success on his own. It’s his way of following a family tradition known as “Merantau.” So Yuda, a Silat (a Southeast Asian fighting method) expert, heads to the big city of Jakarta, with hopes to make a living by teaching children his martial arts style.

Upon his arrival, he saves a woman (Sisca Jessica) from gangsters, who happen to be connected to a sinister sex trade operation. What follows is a violent adventure that leaves Yuda with a lot more “Merantau” than he bargained for.

Essentially, Merantau is an Indonesian film, but note that it’s directed by Gareth Evans, a Welsh born writer/director (known of his ultra-violent, critically acclaimed debut feature Footsteps). It was during the filming of a documentary series The Mystic Arts of Indonesia: Pencak Silat, that he took special notice in Iko Uwais, a charismatic young man with a solid Silat background. Evans immediately handpicked him for the role of “Yuda,” the main character in a martial arts movie script he had been working on. The rest is history…

What’s makes Merantau so special is Gareth Evans – he’s one hell of a filmmaker! This is a director who treats a martial arts movie with a little more passion than the next guy. Cinematography (beautiful), plot (simple, yet effective), soundtrack (non-tacky) and performances (Iko Uwais has a bright future) aside, we have ourselves a perfectly paced film with a build up that pays off with every minutes that passes.

The action choreography in Merantau is impressive, but far from the best. It’s not as fast and furious as Jackie Chan’s in his heyday (80’s Jackie Chan movies are practically the blueprint for what they wanted to achieve in the action department); Nor is it as intense and brutal as any of Tony Jaa’s movies. However, when the fights are judged within the film’s entire context, they’re actually more exciting. It’s amazing what good content can do to action sequences.

There’s not a lot of that slow motion bullshit or physical circus acts (hopping through hoops or swinging off animals) shoved down are faces. Instead of fight after fight, our hero takes time to catch his breath; Sometimes even meditating to prepare for the next wave of destruction. Gone are the non-action, mediocre filler scenes. No stupid sidekick for comedy relief. Everything is filmed with quality in mind.

Iko Uwais is not a poor man’s Tony Jaa (at first glance of the poster or even the trailer, I can see why some would think that). He’s a natural who is able to pull off a tough guy role without being robotic. Take note of the scene where Uwais hangs up the phone, steps out of the booth, and walks towards the gang to save a woman. He comes across like a real badass.

Merantau is a great movie with an awesome team of choreographers and stuntmen working on the action. And Evans is a skillful director who puts 100% concentration on overlooking the package as a whole. It’s no wonder why Merantau works on so many levels.

Mighty Peking Man’s Rating: 8/10

Posted in All, Indonesian, Reviews | Tagged , , |

Bruce Lee: A Dragon Story | aka Dragon Dies Hard (1974) Review

"Bruce Lee: A Dragon Story" US Theatrical Poster

“Bruce Lee: A Dragon Story” US Theatrical Poster

Director: Shut Dik
Writer: Lui Ban-Chung
Cast: Bruce Li (Ho Chung Tao, James Ho), Na Yan-Sau, Tang Pei, Cheung Tai-Wai, Gam Wing-Cheung, Chu Sing-Yat, Cheng Fu-Hung, Si Wai, Ngai Yat-Ping, Kong Kwok-Ping, Ann Winston, Chow Jun Shih Ting-Ken
Running Time: 90 min.

By Mighty Peking Man

Made in 1974, about a year after Bruce Lee’s death, “Bruce Lee: A Dragon Story” is possibly the first bio-pic on Bruce Lee. It’s also the most dark, action-less and melodramatic of them all. Unlike the constant beat-em-ups in “Bruce Lee: The Man/The Myth”, this is the complete opposite.

One thing’s for sure, “Bruce Lee: A Dragon Story” is downright gutsy, as it wastes no time exploiting the major players:

Bruce Lee: He’s a selfish, uncaring, insensitive bastard who like to neglect his white-bread wife. He also doesn’t know how to shave his scruffy mustache.

Betty Ting Pei: She’s a psychotic, depressed, short-tempered alcoholic; Not to mention an excessive-gambling little whore. At one point in the film, she’s pregnant with Bruce’s baby… (?)

Nora Miao: She’s jealous of all the attention Bruce gives to Betty. Judging from the look in her eyes, she wants to ride Bruce’s cock just as much.

Lo Wei: A money-grubbing fat fuck who sits back in his chair and smokes his pipe, while his grips do the filmmaking. This one is accurate.

Raymond Chow: Like Lo Wei, he’s also a money-grubbing bastard, only half the weight. He doesn’t care for Bruce, he only cares for the numbers at the box office.

Linda Lee: She spends the entire time looking like the saddest woman to ever hold a Martini. I’m surprised they didn’t portray her as some heartless wench who cheated on Bruce while he was in Hong Kong.

Sir Run Run Shaw: This guy was too cheap to give Bruce Lee $10,000 per picture: “Our most famous stars only make $1,000 per picture”, he says. Another one that’s accurate. Sir Run Run Shaw’s biggest mistake.

As you can see, the film is centered on either Bruce’s strange romance with Betty Ting Pei or Bruce’s ups and downs with the film business. It also explores all the back-stabbing idiots who come along with it. Most of the camera time in the film’s second half is given to Betty. In fact, the film ends abruptly – right after Bruce’s death – with Betty walking around on an isolated beach over some high-pitched canto-pop ballad.

The lack of action is probably for the better. As it was extremely amateur-like, even compared to some of Bruce Li’s worst choreographed films.

Make no mistake, “Bruce Lee: A Dragon Story” is a terrible Bruceploitation movie. The shits and giggles come automatically due to its horrendous dubbing (it’s so bad, it’s good!) and all that other cheesy retro stuff.

Mighty Peking Man’s Review: 4/10

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

Bruce and the Shaolin Bronzemen (1980) Review

"Bruce and the Shaolin Bronzemen" Finnish VHS Cover

“Bruce and the Shaolin Bronzemen” Finnish VHS Cover

AKA: King Boxer 2
Director: Joseph Kong
Producer: Robert Jeffrey
Cast: Bruce Le (aka Huang Kin Long, Wong Kin Lung), Chan Sing, Lita Vasquez, Chang Lee, Ruby Anna, Cloyd Robinson, Nona Herrera, Vivian Velasco, Ernie Ortega, Tsing Tong Tsai, Angel Confiado, Ruben Ramos, Jimmy Cruz, Romeo Blanco, Joe Canlas, Ely Rufuerzo, Ed Ramos, Nanding De La Cruz, Bill Feijoo
Running Time: 78 min.

By Joseph Kuby

One film critic put it best when he said…

“With all the realism and reason in most today’s movies, this was briskly anarchistic in terms of boring rules of movie making.”

The credits verify this. We have a Perry Boy, Peedoy, D’vultures, Paeng Giant and SOS Daredevils (Filipino’s elite stunt team). There’s an actor called Chang Lee whose name is separated, giving the impression of two one-name actors.

King Boxer 2 seems to be a family affair. We have a trio of Velascos (Joseph, Vivian and Leonardo) and a quintet of Ramos’ (Ruben, Ed, Ever, Segundo and Amber). The disjointed nature of the production may as well have been due to a case of family feud or nepotism that may have occurred on set or off.

The plot is best described as a comedic version of The Gold Connection with everyone getting their necks deep into some priceless treasure all the while a mysterious hit man keeps a watchful eye. The stark contrast in those films is akin to comparing Jackie Chan’s distinctive (to the point of conflictive) 1993 efforts, City Hunter and Crime Story.

However, Bruce Le (a less talented Chinese Jeff Bridges) is no match for James Ho (or Dragon Lee for that matter) and for a Filipino actioner it could have done with Inosanto’s presence to seal the deal on the martial arts stakes. Given today’s climate when it comes to action cinema, I think the whole world could benefit from seeing an authentic Filipino action hero who reveled in the beauty of Escrima and the likes.

I admire Dan for helping Escrima and Jeet Kune Do gain more exposure in the West but his mastery of the martial arts, along with his knowledge of action directing, could have made him an ideal stunt coordinator for the Filipino film industry. His creative input could have easily bolstered the quality and boosted their place in world cinema and right now we would have decent quality films from the Philippines that would rival Ong Bak in their artistry. Daniel Inosanto could have done for the Filipino film industry what Bruce Lee did for the Chinese one.

That may seem like a bold comment to make but bearing in mind that Danny’s experience on Hollywood and Hong Kong features gave him a truly dual-world perspective, an advantage that not many people had back in 1982. As such, Filipino action cinema has been stunted in its growth as a powerhouse in action film-making. Filipino cinema, as a result, has been impeded with the cheap-as-hell tag.

As you can tell from what can be read above, this is a somewhat disappointing film which had the potential to genuinely put Filipino action movies on the market but alas this film is ruined with a loosely connected plot whose unfocused narrative makes the confusing mess of Enter the Game of Death look startlingly linear.

Both movies were made by Joseph Velasco (a.k.a. Joseph Kong Hung) but unlike the latter (which was the film he made prior to this), this one lacks any real sense of coherence despite the protagonist seeming to have more drive and purpose in his actions than in the previous outing. To say there’s plot holes would be a vicious understatement. You’d think bad decisions with the editing, rather than the script, are what caused these gaps.

Unlike their previous collaboration, there are no celebrity look-alikes. For instance, in Enter the Game of Death there’s a Caucasian man with dark hair and facial hair who looks like British comic Jimmy Carr and one of the black martial artists looks like Michael Winslow from Police Academy (I saw this film lately at a house party and one of my friends swears it’s him). Don’t let that put you off King Boxer 2. The film isn’t too far from the term “so bad it’s good.”

The director is the same dude responsible for Bruce’s Deadly Fingers (which boasted having Lieh, Nora and Bolo), Bruce and Dragon Fist, My Name Called Bruce (written by a Zackey Chan), Bruce and Shaolin Kung Fu, Enter Three Dragons (a.k.a. The Dragon on Fire which had Philip Ko, Bolo, Lee Hoi San and Bruce Lei or Dragon Lee) and Eye of the Dragon (a.k.a. The Ninja Strikes Back with Hwang Jang Lee, Casanova Wong, Bolo, Oddjob and Chick Norris).

He also helmed Return of Bruce (a.k.a. Boxing Brothers which also had Lo*) and Cobra (not with Sly Stallone but with Bruce Lei).

…and I’ve not even hinted at the two “special” Leesploitation chop-sockies he did. Hahahahaha!

As with a lot of martial arts movies, what you can always rely on to salvage a film with a weak plot are stellar action sequences but that depends on how good the action director is. Despite there being plentiful chances for culturally diverse slugfests, the film’s bouts of martial combat range from average to slightly above average barring one truly good duel that happens later on in the film. This happens during the course of the third act (in the beginning of said act) and not surprisingly it’s with another Chinese fighter but I’ll talk about that later.

On the plus side, if you want something that’s unusual to the point of being bizarre (if nonsensical) then you will enjoy watching the eccentricities that are inherent (if not wildly abundant) in this film. The best way to describe this movie is imagine watching a film that was a combination between Godfrey Ho (minus the ninjas) and Ken Russell.

There’s a surrealist tone to this film which makes the film wacky to the point of being incoherent. Not quite in league with Chu Yen Ping’s Fantasy Mission Force or Chan Mei-Kei’s The Eternal Evil of Asia but almost vying for the same level of attention. Honestly, after watching this movie, I’ve come to see Wong Jing as David Lynch.

Let’s see, this film has a bunch of henchmen who are dwarfs (one of whom fires a pistol as if it was a shotgun), a homosexual rapist, a tribe of sickle-armed dwarfs, a very hot snake fist-styled Filipino lady, a group of similarly clad dagger-wielding femme fatales, a murderous obese masseuse, a transvestite who’s accosted by Bruce Le and a team of Shaolin Bronzemen. After all, this was made by the same team who brought us Clones of Bruce Lee. However, the film is misleading with its alternate title of Bruce and the Shaolin Bronzemen as they’re only featured in one scene.

Equally dubious is the title King Boxer 2 as this has nothing in common with Lo Lieh’s breakthrough film. Actually, given the nature of Lo Lieh’s appearance in Big Boss 2**, it would have arguably been more fitting if these two films switched titles. These films would probably have benefited more in reception, especially in the case of Le’s flick since if people can confuse Chinese with Japanese then they can confuse Filipinos with Thais.

With that said, there are a few scenes which seem similar to The Big Boss with one of the antagonists taking pleasure in watching their hired men spar with each other as well as joining in for a martial arts demonstration. Even some dialogue at the end recalls something Lee uttered in the finale of said film.

Notwithstanding possibly intended allusions to Bruce’s first action film, it’s a shame that there weren’t that many Bruceploitation films that capitalized on The Big Boss. The grisly nature of the film’s violence coupled with the prostitute angle was enough for exploitation movie moguls everywhere to expound upon. There was never a Bruceploitation film that truly quenched the thirst of porn pundits and fed the hunger of bloodhounds. Had there been so, exploitation cinema junkies would have sought highly after these films regardless whether they liked martial arts or not.

Opportunities were also missed on directly cashing in on Enter the Dragon. Given the plot elements of escorts and captives, filmmakers could have remade Enter as a “women in prison”*** movie with tons of sexploitation and lots of multi-ethnic diversity to entice global audiences. If Wong Jing was a director in the ‘70s, he would have explored such a concept. Jingie is an exploitive genius who would have given us enough sex, violence, juicy foul language and ‘70s cultural tidbits to satisfy the most ardent of grindhouse fans.

Back to this movie, which should not be confused with Treasure of Bruce Le (directed by Joseph Kuo****), it is a fairly middling affair with slightly meandering direction in light of both characterization and action. If there had to be one film that is required to be watched with friends and consumed substances, in order to be fully enjoyable and not utterly pointless, then this is the one. Whilst the film occasionally shines with inspired moments, it just plods along aimlessly in search of meaningful direction.

Looking back in retrospect, the main deficiency here is the dubbing. No one is a native English speaker so it’s hard to fully immerse ourselves with the interaction that exists between the characters. The dubbing is notable for having artists whose native language is obviously not English. Everyone sounds Mexican. Bruce Le sounds as if he’s dubbed by a Spaniard who sounds like Antonio Banderas. The guy who does the voice-over for Bruce pronounces uncle as “ancel.”

Another issue with the dubbing is that there’s moments when someone is speaking but nothing is heard, something that becomes quite apparent during the fight scenes where the usually present war cries are fairly absent (this happens with other kinds of sound effects during some of the scenes). This makes for an emotionally detached experience, though (save for a few okay actors) the sub-par acting on offer belittles any substantial levels of engagement the filmmakers were aiming to derive from the audience.

Then again, the dubbing could have thwarted some decent voice acting since I’ve always believed that if an actor is limited facially, they can deliver vocally (take for instance John Hurt in The Elephant Man). Maybe someone felt having foreign dubbing made it realistic but that is a jarring thought to consider since the problems of comprehending the dialogue diminish any well intentions of the sort.

The post-production team could have at least attempted in getting an actor like James Hong (who had lent his talent to several characters for the Li feature Exit the Dragon, Enter the Tiger). Gone are voice artists who sound like celebrities (like the Sean Connery soundalike for the villain in Interpol). No longer do we have dubbers who sound like John DeMita (Li’s role in New Game of Death) or Jonathan Frakes (Lung Fei’s villain role in New Game of Death).

George Lucas once said that film is 50% sound and I think this film displays a stark contrast between quality of dubbing and scoring. King Boxer 2 is testament to how much a decent quality soundtrack can enhance the experience of a film. What the film may lack in its visual components, it certainly does not lag with its audio composites. There are some rousing moments of orchestration which help make the film more achieved than it deserves (the accomplished fight scene with the Chinese hit-man being the highlight).

We’re treated to some classic funkadelic beats (‘70s bass lovers will get a kick outta this flick) and one rip-roaring fight scene with a Filipino gang near the beginning is a notable example. Of course, like a lot of the Hong Kong films during the period, this film contrives some cues from other movies (The Sand Pebbles must have been a huge hit in Hong Kong because its music was ripped off majorly for Jackie Chan’s Dragon Fist).

On the surface, the film seems to have the ingredients of a classic Bruceploitation film but it never really gels those ingredients together in a truly cohesive whole. It starts off like a traditional Kung Fu movie with some guy showing off his repertoire of movements. The only thing here being remotely different is the aspect of lighting with Bruce Le being illustrated fairly vibrantly in a red coat of light in front of a pitch black background (you gotta dig the contrast) then we get taken to some scenic agricultural setting where Bruce is training (with some of the most over the top sound effects ever heard).

Next we see Le trying to survive in the wilderness by hunting for fish and using darts to snatch melons from trees. We then come across his martial arts master in ancient garb and we get the impression this is some period tale but then afterwards we get taken to a scenario with thugs in contemporary attire. In any other movie, this would have been seen as defying audience expectation (since it is common for Chinese people to wear ancient robes in a modern setting e.g. the Waise Lee movie The Cat*****). In this movie, it’s just an example of the filmmakers deciding to make up things as they went along.

Le’s character is questionable morally as when the thugs attempt to rape a woman, he doesn’t do anything until they accidentally kick his pot of cooked fish. There’s nothing wrong with having protagonists whose agendas are with shades of gray (like Eastwood’s in the Dollars trilogy) but there doesn’t seem to be many plot points which allow for these filmmakers to explore the possibility of having a morally ambiguous “hero” (either that or they decided to drop the act after failing to come up with more angles on this). Once more, the would-be rape victim tries to kill Le moments later!

After foiling an ambush attempt by some random goons, Le encounters a mysterious martial arts expert played by Cheung Lik (who played the nunchaku exponent in Enter the Game of Death). Cheung was the fight choreographer for both this and Enter the Game of Death. The problem with this film is that during the group conflicts, it’s more obvious than ever that the stuntmen are just waiting to get hit than to be giving the impression that they’re that involved in the fight.

Throughout a lot of these fights, they come off as referees overlooking the action before anticipating in the combat. The filmmakers of this could have learned a lot from Last Fist of Fury from the composition of similar-themed fights. Despite this, both movies share scenes involving one of the protagonists being entangled in rope during a melee.

Some of the humour in the feudage helps to give the film an endearing touch even if some of it is quite hokey (if not ho-hum), namely when one of the gang leaders punishes a fellow hooligan by pulling out some of his facial hair.

Bruce Le’s vest, in some scenes, reads Saplot which is also the name of a feature-length presentation sex drama. Which reminds me, King Boxer 2 could have done with some nudity and porn. Given the randomness of the movie, the producers really missed out on going full-tilt with the exploit-everything angle. Nothing beats a good ol’ fuck and fight flick.

The actress who plays the villainess is Lita Vasquez who was thought of as the Philippines’ answer to Angela Mao. Lita can be seen in the Filipino cult classic Darna and the Planet Women.

The scene with the miniscule tribemen was, no doubt, inspired by the popularity of Weng Weng whose major claim to fame was the Bond spoof For Y’ur Height Only******. Weng had fought Lita in The Impossible Kid which was released one year after For Y’ur Height Only.

Yukari Oshima would be the next big female action superstar for Filipino audiences, although her status is surpassed by actress Vilma Santos who is seen as the Filipino Meryl Streep (conversely yet curiously, Cynthia Rothrock’s popularity in Jakarta was such that she was, oddly enough, viewed as a martial arts Meryl Streep).

No Bruceploitation movie could be complete without the requisite humour, even if a lot of it is unintentional (save for a Filipino equivalent to the type of Waylon Smithers-esque role usually reserved for Lee movie expat Wei Ping Ao). A sign on the door of a sauna (for men) reads ‘keep smiling’ (eerily unsettling given the nudity on display). One of the female protagonists informs Le that one of the crooks is as big as an elephant and when Le is at an amusement park, the director attempts to make the statues of creatures look scary but this would only work in a film like Jurassic Park. Here, it comes off as tawdry.

Rape scenes are never intended to be funny (unless you’re Wong Jing) but in this movie some Filipino thugs try to steal this fat guy’s big bowl of white cream (innuendo unintended) and one of them tries to undress him, causing the chubby guy to moan like a puppy dog as he yearns for his food. If Wong Jing was behind the camera (and left to his devices) this would be on par with his scripted James Ho movie, The Lama Avenger (o.k.a.******* The Three Avengers) which, believe it or not, isn’t as tacky as one may think.

A “poignant” scene takes place nine tenths into the film but rather than being tear-jerking, we’re succumbed to laughter as we see Bruce Le became Bruce Banner. Heheheheheheheheheh!

The brawls presented are literally a case of hit and miss but one fight that’s likely to excite viewers is what should have been the true denouement given the limited skills of Lita and the element of suspense that the film was trying to generate with the mysterious Chinese fighter.

The martial joust illustrates what we’re missing in the other fights: a sense of urgency and a feeling of danger. Mr. Lucas once said that a film is only as good as its villain and throughout the majority of this movie we never get the impression that Le is closer to the threshold of death. This is only hinted at with the premise of each fight rather than explored to devastating effect.

Le is engaged in a fast-paced battle of wits involving having to constantly change his style to jinx the concentration of the hired killer. Le and Lik constantly utilize different styles of Kung Fu, back and forth, in a way that makes other Kung Fu films look stilted and formal in their progression of styles. Le uses an assortment of leopard, dragon’s tail, snake, crane and tiger techniques to combat whatever Lik throws at him. There are parts where they even have to engage in the more conventional fisted combat just to gain an advantage. Lee would be impressed.

Describing the structure on a basic chronological format is fairly daunting, let alone describing the way they employ their techniques. Simply put, the duel serves as a master class seminar in how to counteract the other duelist’s style. It would have been the icing on the cake to have had some mantis and eagle (thumb, index and middle fingers) stylings going on. Having some monkey and panther-fist (middle knuckle raised) shenanigans would have been the cherry on top.

The unconventional conclusion of this bout may have motivated the development for the one between Jackie Chan and Don Cheadle in Rush Hour 2. The music even sounds similar but then that’s probably just me.

The finale is pretty exciting for what it is in theme although it’s kinda uneven in that the very final fight scene doesn’t live up to what preceded it: a series of progressively enthralling fight sequences. We have Karatekas with blades, Karatekas with poles and some Escrima exponents thrown in for good measure. To be honest, Le fought so many people that I think I may have left out something.

Now, if we had Dan Inosanto leading a pack of Escrima-styled cronies against Le then this could have rivaled James Ho’s Chinese Stuntman or even Bruce Lee’s Game of Death for that matter. As is the case here, the premise for the third act never really delivers in a way it should, making the likes of Enter the Game of Death look like Tower of Death. Which is all the more insulting to all concerned when you consider that Enter the Game made New Game of Death look like the original Game of Death.

I wonder how big this film would have performed at the Filipino box office had Weng and Dan appeared in it. Perhaps, Dan was offered to join but was weary of Le and Weng may not have been content at doing a cameo as a Filipino Ewok (he still could have played Agent 00 gunning down would-be gunners attempting to foil Le’s path to obtain justice).

Some gaffes can’t be ignored though. For instance, there are two topless guys who are waiting to pounce on Le in some hotel lobby but the receptionist only notices them when they start fighting (bearing in mind that one of them is standing very near her). Le hits a guy’s thigh but the guy reacts like his extended mushroom and bag of prunes (*cough* *cough* *nudge* *nudge* *wink* *wink*) have been tremendously whalloped.

Some of the kicks don’t look effective since they obviously miss their intended target. Even if people don’t want to get hit, there are ways of obscuring these things with camera positioning but thankfully this never becomes too frequent.

When Le defends himself against the masseuse, she actually smiles after she gets hit. This is an inadvertent example of someone reverting from sadism to masochism. Add a few more techniques at the proverbial hands of Le (as well as some suggestive grimaces) and the term sadomasochism would spring to mind too. The director is prone to some bizarre moments of creativity so maybe Le should have fist-fucked her too.

The villainess of the piece tries to invite Le for a swim but even in the shallow end of the beach she struggles. Despite having reasons to distrust her, he helps her anyway only to be attacked then later on he kisses her like as if the whole thing was just a game of hard to get. When Le fights the first wave of Karatekas, they scatter away for some reason (leaving another group to get wiped out) and then they come back again. It’s like the director had suddenly found a way to extend the finale mid-production.

A good example of the lousy film-making apparent is that in one shot we can see the reflections of the film crew in Le’s shades. Thankfully, we don’t get too many shots like this otherwise this film would be plagued in its attempts to take the viewers to a world that seems to exist outside a filmic environment.

This film is so flawed that it makes Last Fist of Fury look like the work of Akira Kurosawa. Yeah, it’s that bad. Writing and directing mean nothing if the lead actor is not capable. Bruce Le, at best, is an average actor who manages to make the minimalistic Chuck Norris look like a subtle method actor. At worst, Le is a bad actor who can convince movie goers that Michael Wong can evoke the presence and mood of Anthony Wong.

Seriously, Le lacks the expressionistic texture that separates good actors from bad actors. Given the animated nature of some of the other talents Kung Fu cinema had to offer, Le can not hold one’s attention when he’s not in action. Le exhibits little of the charisma and charm Li effortlessly conveyed. He also makes Dragon Lee look like Jason Scott Lee.

Like what Michael Caine said, an actor is always thinking if not talking. Unlike James, we don’t get to see much introspection from Le. Maybe it’s the lack of opportunity to explore facets of emotion but Le is as one dimensional as they come. If Ho was in this movie, this would have been an above average feature if not an entirely good one (like the offbea Bruce Li in New Guinea – also directed by Joey Kong). As it stands, this is quite a bad film with redeeming qualities that stop it from being deemed as terrible.

In spite of this, I feel reluctant in calling this a terrible film since it would be an insult to those who’ve seen worse films. This film, whilst not being consistent, is at least unpredictable and manages to deviate from an unbearably slow pace considering its script seems to have been improvised on set. There are some nice scenic locales too.

Even if the film was without merit, watching bad movies can be good so as to help you be aware of what it means to make a good film and certainly watching terrible movies can make you more aware of the overall standards.

On the whole, this film is worth checking out if you’re looking for a film that’s out of this world. It’s not the worst Bruceploitation movie but nowhere near the best, not by a long shot.

The UK DVD, courtesy of 23rd Century, is missing a good part of the Filipino samurai segment where Le gets cut and uses the nunchaku to bring down the Karatekas. The French title for this film is Le Vainqueur which means The Winner.

Joseph Kong Hong’s filmography probably makes Lo Wei look like Chang Cheh but he’s not without his credentials. Yuen Woo Ping’s second job as stunt coordinator was for Joseph’s directorial debut Tough Guy (starring Chan Sing, Fung Hak On and Mars). Ping would go on to work with Joey on Tiger Force (starring Michael Chan Wai Man, Chan Sing and Jimmy Lee Fong). His last effort with Lo Lieh was The Furious (not to be confused with the Dragon Lee movie of the same name).

His last directorial credits were Thundering Ninja and Out of Danger. Joe’s last movie (as producer) was Black Spot, a film which would motivate the team responsible for Police Story 3: Supercop to pull ideas from it (in story and action). To speak of the devil, Jackie also reinvented the playground fight from New Game of Death for Police Story 2.

As much as Chan criticizes the Bruceploitation (or Bruce-spoof) franchise, it obviously left him an impression (intentionally or subconsciously) to the point of lifting the bus fight gag from Golden Sun (a.k.a. Bruce Lee, We Miss You) for the first Police Story. Criticize he may, Jackie can’t deny the importance these JKD rip-offs had.

Call them purid, full-length presentation, comedy sketch-shows or trash-taste crap-fests but if it weren’t for the Bruceploitation sub-genre, Hong Kong action cinema would have not maintained the popularity it did in the West. It helped bridged the gap between Lee and Chan in terms of sheer commercial momentum.

Many would like to think that these films failed in Hong Kong but if they were well and truly turds that stank up theaters, the local filmmakers wouldn’t have felt inclined to make dozens of them. Exploitation cinema doesn’t get more exploitive than capitalizing on people wanting to see their deceased hero. Critically abysmal? Yes. Commercially dismal? No.

At the end of the day, if you wanna watch a Filipino Bruceploitation actioner that delivers and doesn’t disappoint then check out Chaku Master which stars Bruce Ly (he sort of looks like a Filipino Ngai Sing/Collin Chou). One example of classic humour from that film is the uncanny usage of symbolism during an oral sex sequence. Coincidentally, both flicks offer some of the same locations such as the female villain’s Manilla villa. Heck, Le’s appearance in the Bollywood action flick Katilon Ke Katil, starring Dharmendra, is worth watching than this.

In retrospect of how his career turned out, Bruce Le should have concentrated on making either American or Hong Kong movies than working in the Philippines which is seen as the hell to Hong Kong TV’s purgatory for action movie stars.

After making this movie, Bruce Le worked on the fight scenes for a Chansploitation film called Fearless Hyena 3 starring Jacky Chen Shao Lung (which had Bolo Yeung). Bruce would then be choreographed in a film called Treasure Hunters by no other than Bill Yuen Biao (this shouldn’t be confused with the Wong Jing scripted Shaw Bros. movie which starred Al’ Fu Sheng, Wang Lung Wei, Gordon Liu, Lau Kar Wing and Wilson Tong).

With hindsight, this film seemed to inspire Sammo Hung for some of the comedies he made with Jackie Chan and Yuen Biao. If you were to watch this flick followed by Twinkle Twinkle Lucky Stars and Winners and Sinners, you’ll see how he incorporated certain elements into better movies. It’s a shame no one started up a Hungsploitation genre, get some Japanese fella and rename Sumo Hung. Hey, even Nora Miao had an imitator – Cora Miao. Hong Kong favourite Cheung Hok Yau was named after Jackie.

The gag of having an action sequence take place at a gambling horse den seems to have influenced Joe Cheung for the finale of Flaming Brothers (with firepower replacing fist- and feeticuffs).

You know, for a critically maligned sub-genre, Bruceploitation offerings have had a fair amount of influence. New Game of Death motivated John Woo with using freeze-frame techniques to emphasize dynamic parts of his films and Storming Attacks (Image of Bruce Lee) was given a sly nod by Wong Jing for his overlooked 1989 action comedy classic, Crocodile Hunter (starring Andy Lau). Then there is the correlation that occurs between The Dragon Lives and Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story along with others.

As for Filipino cinema, it should at least be noted for making a name out of this particular Hong Kong movie star.

* How Lieh avoided the label “Lo budget Lieh” is anyone’s guess since his willingness to appear in tacky dreck (like Fist of Fury 2) almost tarnished his respectable reputation.

** Not to be confused with the Dragon Lee movie of the same title which was alternatively titled Dragon Bruce Lee 2.

*** Usually referred to as WIP.

**** Like the American cartoon, Ed, Edd and Eddy, it would have been canny to have had a production with Koo, Kuo and Kong. Joseph Koo being a film score composer as avid Bruce Lee fans would attest.

***** Which boasts one of the greatest fight scenes ever depicted on film…between a mutt and a feline, it has to be seen to be believed (the action director was Philip Kwok a.k.a. Kuo Chui who also appears in the film).

****** Otherwise known as.

******* Peculiarly, James Ho had done a film prior to Weng’s cult classic which had him up against Oddjob and a mini-me variation of him.

Joseph Kuby’s Rating: 5.5/10

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

Better Tomorrow, A III: Love and Death in Saigon (1989) Review

"A Better Tomorrow III" Japanese Theatrical Poster

“A Better Tomorrow III” Japanese Theatrical Poster

AKA: A Better Tomorrow 3
Director: Tsui Hark
Producer: Tsui Hark
Cast: Chow Yun Fat, Tony Leung Ka Fai, Anita Mui Yim Fong, Sek Kin, Nam Yin, Maggie Cheung Ho Yee, Saburo Tokito, Andrew Kam, Wong Chi Wai
Running Time: 125 min.

By Joseph Kuby

Aplomb-filled Saga!

A Better Tomorrow 3 is a prequel to the first film. It’s set in war-torn Vietnam and was directed by Tsui Hark.

Despite not being as excellent as it should have been, it’s still underrated and undervalued by fans & critics for being very different to Woo’s films. It’s not a bad film, it’s a very good one but just one that doesn’t live up to Tsui’s brilliance as a director (what can be said about Tsui as a director can be said about Chow as an actor i.e. what may be a lesser-than-usual outing from him is still better than the average director).

Watching Tsui Hark’s movie back to back with John Woo’s Bullet in the Head is like listening to Metallica’s Kill ’em All album back to back with Megadeth’s Killing in my Business…and Business is Good! in that it’s very easy to perceive the same ideas done differently. As much as Tsui is the Chinese Spielberg, it’s Woo’s on take of the Heroic Bloodshed-in-Vietnam story that is the Spielberg-quality masterpiece, leaving Tsui’s movie (by comparison) nothing more than the Missing in Actions with better plotting and acting.

This prequel has its moments (e.g. Tsui Hark’s famous references towards time, a memorable soundtrack, etc.) and is good enough to be classified as a cinematically worthy follow-up to the other two films (and certainly better than most reactions from fans would have you believe) but I wish Tsui Hark could have focused on the relationship between the characters that we come to know and love in the first two films (especially as a way to make up for the previous installments’ deleted scenes unless maybe Tsui sensed that he’d be able to release the uncut versions of the first two films one day).

There really isn’t that much of a connection between this and the other A Better Tomorrows (besides this REALLY cool scene where Chow and Tony Leung Kar Fai step off this plane with the dark melody from the first film’s restaurant scene playing in the background). It might as well be a different film altogether. They should have just used the subtitle as the main title for the film. Ironically, it was by using a famous title that meant that people went in with wrong expectations and ended up getting disappointed although it still made more money than Bullet in the Head.

That doesn’t mean to say that the film fared any better critically. Many complained that Anita Mui teaching Chow how to fire guns was like Madonna teaching Bruce Willis to fire guns in a Die Hard prequel set in Vietnam where she plays a French femme fatale (which makes sense given the French occupation of Vietnam at the time of the war). One has to understand that Anita wasn’t established as an action icon at that time, as she would later be with Moon Warriors, The Heroic Trio and My Father is a Hero.

As it is, A Better Tomorrow III: Love and Death in Saigon comes off as an exploitative movie. Not merely on an action level but it feels like Tsui Hark used the A Better Tomorrow title just to make his own heroic bloodshed movie and to give his own take on the genre much commercial value. It was like as if he was trying to show Woo (and everyone else) who was the better director not just for the series but in general.

This addition to the series feels like Tsui merely used the name to craft not only his take on the genre, but to craft his own personal take on the Vietnam war and the things that happen in times of war. Perhaps if this was done by John Woo, the action would have been better as well as a better story told. Woo would eventually do his own take on the much planned A Better Tomorrow prequel though one that was heavily rewritten – this was the masterpiece Bullet in the Head, which is really Citizen Kane in comparison to this picture (funnily enough the cinematographer who worked on A Better Tomorrow III was the same as the one used in Bullet in the Head).

Even when taking this all into account, it beats watching the Rambo and Missing in Action films. Despite this being a film made on a smaller budget than those films, the action is far more watchable with plenty of rewind moments and memorable inclusions. The acting is suitably low-key and the action is over the top (particularly the finale involving machine guns, a tank and a motorbike). If this was done by any other director (besides Woo), it would have been seen as a better film but it’s just that coming from Tsui, expectations were meant to be reached and surpassed, something that he never really does with this film.

Be sure to check out the Taiwanese version of the film which is the full uncut version.

Joseph Kuby’s Rating: 7.5/10

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