Better Tomorrow II, A (1987) Review

Posted on January 29, 2011 by JJ Bona
"A Better Tomorrow II" Korean Theatrical Poster

“A Better Tomorrow II” Korean Theatrical Poster

Director: John Woo
Producer: Tsui Hark
Cast: Chow Yun-Fat, Ti Lung, Leslie Cheung, Dean Shek, Emily Chu, Kenneth Tsang, Regina Kent, Kwan San, Chindy Lau, Dean Harrington, Mark King
Running Time: 103 min.

By Joseph Kuby

Awesomely Ace Addition!

A lot of people hate this movie, like as if Wong Jing had bought the rights to the series and messed things up. To be honest, I think the problems that lie in the film don’t result from the actual quality of the film but from the way it was edited. When you cut any film, there’s bound to be pivotal things missing but when you have a film where not one editor has any idea what the other is doing then the situation ends up looking like a bunch of screenwriters writing sections of a film without any one’s knowledge or consent (likewise if the same thing happened with a team of directors).

This film was originally over three hours in length and the studio balked at Woo for its length. The film was then cut down to two hours and forty minutes so John Woo & Tsui Hark (the producer) had to cut the film separately under a very limited period of time due to pressure from the studio and distributors to trim the film down to get more screenings in cinemas. Therefore, the film had suffered terribly causing Woo to disown it.

The problem is that Woo was given a very short time to edit the film and to make matters worse both Woo & producer Tsui Hark had clashed as to how the film should be made so with Tsui being the producer, he had equal control with the editing of this film along with three others (Woo being the fifth editor). Woo didn’t even know who was editing what. Needless to say, the editing makes the film incoherent, incomprehensible, inconsistent, inane and insane (not to mention irresolute); which is really a shame as if it was left uncut, it could have been a classic.

At best, the recent/regular version is a cult classic but even in its hideously disfigured form, the film still has shades of bravado even if those shades are merely shadows of its former brilliant self.

The second time I saw this film, I compiled a list of scenes that were cut (i.e. scenes that looked like they were abridged…even frames of a single shot) and it’s really obvious that a lot of scenes were cut.

The catchy music cues from 52 Pick-Up are inspired and really help to elevate the excitement and adrenaline rush (particularly during a prolonged shootout/car chase in the streets of daytime New York).

Besides having one of the most bloodiest shootouts ever shot on film, it also has one of the best set-ups/double crosses I’ve ever witnessed on celluloid.

It helps that Chow Yun Fat’s usage of a shotgun rivals that of any film (minus Woo’s others) featuring the handling of a similar weapon, whether it be Bronson’s in Mr. Majestic or Arnie’s in Terminator 2, but with Woo as the director even Sam Peckinpah’s work comes off as overrated.

People usually ignore or don’t realize the themes which are at work here; besides the usual symbolism and metaphors, the film develops John Woo’s themes of religion with Chow’s character being resurrected in the form of a twin brother called Ken (think of Jesus Christ resurrecting before going back into heaven and you’ll see amazing parallels with Ken – especially given one of the final lines of dialogue that’s uttered in the film “We are dying. Can we leave?”).

Another thing which is overlooked in the sequel is John Woo’s insidious sense of humour (he used to make comedies before going into action movies), especially here in the form of self-deprecating humour (which can also be found in his film Just Heroes which makes references to this film) thus making A Better Tomorrow 2 a semi-parody of the first film.

Also the sequel shows Woo’s ingenious strokes of irony: Dean Shek’s character Lung is a godfather to Ken – making Ken a younger disciple/underling but when the former becomes shell-shocked, the latter ends up being the father to the childish former. However, it’s when Ken is in peril that Lung jumps back into reality to take on the foes who have threatened his life and one of his “sons”.

Both John Woo’s sense of irony (usually with his trademark juxtaposition sequences) and religion is pushed to the fore as we see the death scene of Leslie Cheung played out alongside the birth of his son thus making way to the Buddhist belief of being reincarnated. Henceforth John Woo contrasts two different ideologies of what happens after when you die.

The addition of comedy was a welcome touch to this film and just seeing Chow (whose character should have been called Ben or even Kenny* to reduce the confusion with another character called Ken), Leslie, Ti, Kenneth Tsang and Dean Shek side by side in the same scene (and shot) really gave it that special event feeling and thus increasing the momentum & fun factor of the story – leading to the build-up of a horrific yet kind of hilarious showdown.

Considering the usage of irony in this film, it’s ironic that Ng Man Tat gives a villainous performance which barely foreshadows his comic genius in his Stephen Chow outings (his comedic sidekick had appeared in Woo’s Just Heroes).

A Better Tomorrow 2 is like Kill Bill in a way in that, besides the gory showdown (which inspired Tarantino for part one of Kill Bill), there are many references to other films – some more subtle than others. The killer with the white gloves is a nice throw-back to Le Samourai, whilst also a foreshadowing to The Killer (a Chinese remake of Le Samourai). The “black suits with skinny ties” look that the heroes adopt near the end was inspired by Le Samourai.

The scene where Leslie faces off against the hitman (with intercutting shots of his pregnant wife in hospital giving birth) was no doubt taken from the Spaghetti western, Keoma. The shot where Lung is sprayed in the face with a hose by a little girl is inspired by one of the first short films ever created, the Lumiere brothers’ Watering the Gardener (a.k.a. The Sprinkler Spinkled).

The shootout in the apartment was inspired by two Paul Schrader-scripted movies: Taxi Driver and Rolling Thunder (two movies adored by Quentin – which could explain why he likes A Better Tomorrow 2 so much to the point of influence).

The very structural concept of the action sequence (environmentally as well as cinematographically) is similar to the finale of Taxi Driver but Woo has said to have been even more inspired by Rolling Thunder with Chow sporting a shotgun ala Tommy Lee Jones (Chow is even similarly dressed as Tommy) but even with the concept of two psychologically worn-out characters (one physically able than the other) taking on an overwhelming amount of thugs as they descend a building.

A Better Tomorrow 2 not only inspired the dual gun action and looks of the Reservoir Dogs characters (although the look initially came from Le Samourai), but even the crazy dialogues which Tarantino is infamous for as seen & noted in the rice scene where Chow force-feeds an Italian New York-based mafioso to devour rice (the humourous black cop was a wonderful addition as well as Chow’s comic touches – which is saying something as I was really just expecting it to be more of a serious scene with brief touches of darker than dark/blacker than bleak humour). I think even the ending influenced Tarantino’s for his directorial debut although the ending for Ringo Lam’s City On Fire (the main inspiration for Reservoir Dogs) equally holds that honour as well!

This is just proof that Woo is capable of inspiring people through words besides actions. Though speaking of actions, not only did Woo inspire himself for the sliding-down-a-staircase-with-dual guns for his action masterpiece Hard Boiled but even Keenen Ivory Wayans decided to follow suit for his film A Low Down Dirty Shame.

Is this film action-packed? Well, the film is certainly not action-lacked as there’s thirteen action sequences as opposed to the five in A Better Tomorrow, so the action-packed pace of the sequel should appeal more to action movie fans than the first one.

Fun, funny, frenetic, fast-paced, feverish, fervent and utterly & ultimately furious……what more could you possibly want?! Overall a great follow-up to a classic film!

Just one more thing, it’s funny how people refer to the finale as running for twenty minutes because, after calculating the length (starting with the funeral, which in itself is like the introduction to the finale), it’s only twelve minutes long.

* Like his South Park counterpart, Chow’s resurrection from death but to succumb to death is gratuitous but funny. In all due fairness, I think the character of Ken was Woo’s way of saying that Mark had been resurrected (metaphorically speaking) because of his selfless heroism in the first movie. So even if the coherency isn’t as consistent, certainly Woo’s Catholicism is.

Joseph Kuby’s Rating: 9/10

By Numskull

Holy crap, did this series go downhill in a hurry. I suppose it’s comforting, in an odd sort of way, to know that Hollywood isn’t the only film industry that shamelessly milks its cash cows. A Better Tomorrow 2, while not a thoroughly crappy film in and of itself, is a pretty crappy sequel (to a movie that should never have had a sequel to begin with).

The original cast is reunited, with Chow Yun-fat playing the twin brother of his previous character, who got perforated at the end of the first film. Pretty lame way to bring an actor back for round two, but it could have been worse…they could have said that he was critically injured but not killed (“Yes, all 57 bullets missed Mark’s major organs”), that he was only killed in a dream or hallucination of some kind (“Yes, both of you were unwittingly inhaling turpentine fumes during that shootout and Mark actually made his getaway on the boat as planned”), or that he was brought back from the dead somehow (“Yes, Mark is, in fact, Jesus Christ reincarnated…surely you didn’t think he was merely speaking figuratively when he said ‘I’m the God’?”).

The stupidity doesn’t stop there. This time, Chow Yun-fat’s character is named Ken.

“Wait a minute, Numskull…wasn’t Ken the name of the guy who ran the taxi service in the first movie?”

Right you are! And that character is back this time ’round, as well. So what do they do to avoid confusion? They simply refrain from having anyone call the cab guy by name. You see, they just HAD to have two characters named Ken. Who are you to question why?

There’s a new face in the crowd here, Dean Shek, and his character is so pathetic you’ll want to thrust your hand through the TV screen and bitch-slap him on more than one occasion. He loses it when he sees a buddy get popped and spends 45 minutes or so acting like a brain-dead mental patient who has just consumed a prodigious quantity of jewelry polish. If John Woo intended us to feel sorry for him, he failed.

Plenty more stupidity to discuss before all is said and done. Most noticeable among the plot holes is Chow Yun-fat informing Dean Shek that “Peggy is dead.” Those with a keen eye for continuity will note that CYF’s character never witnesses Peggy’s death, nor is he informed of it by anyone else. But somehow, he just knows. Go figure.

In another scene, Ti Lung has to plug Leslie Cheung not once but TWICE (!!!) in order to keep his cover. Now, see, here’s the thing that bugs me…if you’ve got this guy who you know is a cop, and you’re a gangster with about 30 heavily armed henchman, and you have one of them shoot the cop a couple of times, don’t you think you should…oh, I don’t know…MAKE SURE HE’S DEAD before you drive away?!? Not these guys…they don’t check for a pulse or anything of the sort. Bang, bang, and then they pile into their cars and take off. Whataloadacrap.

The first scene in the Four Seas Restaurant is one of the stupidest things I’ve ever seen. Some fuckwad white guy loudly announces that he’s going to blow the place up because their fuckin’ food stinks. Bravo. Ken then makes him apologize to the rice. In the Cantonese DVD track, this scene has English dialogue. This part of the movie is so fucking lame, I can actually picture some red-hot chick with a scorching case of nymphomania bursting into the viewer’s room, absolutely determined to have sex with him despite not knowing him, then seeing what a fucking stupid scene he’s watching in this weird Chinese movie, and having second thoughts about the whole thing and going elsewhere in search of a frozen hot dog or something like that, all because this scene is so painfully, miserably, abominably sucky.

Most of the movie’s flaws are in the first two-thirds, and after Dean Shek’s character gets his shit together, the film partially redeems itself. The scene where Tse Kit calls his wife in the hospital is probably the best dramatic scene (most of the others being too limp to elicit any noteworthy emotional response from the audience), and the climactic action sequence is a pretty good one, although it requires a sizable suspension of disbelief (the good guys each get shot like seven times, and all it seems to do is stain their clothes red and make them a little sleepy).

Sorry Mr. Woo, but this movie was a waste of talent, both yours and those of the cast. Anyone who saw the first A Better Tomorrow and loved it, don’t think for a minute that you are somehow obligated to watch the sequel too. Its rightful place is in the shadow of its predecessor.

Numskull’s Rating: 5/10

By Alexander

Thank goodness I watched “Hardboiled” and “A Bullet in the Head” before picking up the absurdly over-the-top “A Better Tomorrow 2.” While each of those Woo/Yun-Fat classics are fairly evenly paced and reward the viewer with frequent scenes of mayhem, “ABT 2” weakly lurches forward to a barely satisfying grenade-tossing, blood-soaked finale. (I’m convinced the chapter search function on DVD players was invented solely for this film.)

The most distracting thing about this film isn’t the ridiculous plot, but rather how dated it looks. The Flock of Seagull haircuts, bandanas, and tight-ass George Michaelesque jeans all scream 1980s. Part of the appeal of “The Killer,” “Hardboiled,” and even “ABT” is their timelessness. With a few exceptions, these films — and other greats like a “A Hero Never Dies” and anything by Wong Kar Wai — don’t FEEL like they belong to any one decade and hold up well to repeated viewings.

Alexander’s Rating: 6/10

By Yates

This film is really great in some aspects and really bad in others. It is great in that it has amazing action and a couple of really great scenes (the rice scene, the final 20 minutes). Of course, as anyone who has seen it knows, it had nothing on ABT. The script is filled with laughable contrivances and numerous plot holes (most likely due to John Woo and Tsui Hark’s arguments over the editing), the middle part where Dean Shek goes insane is a bit tedious, and for the love of Christ: Ken??!??!? I mean, come on! A superior heroic bloodshed, but not a superior entry in the ABT trilogy.

Yates’ Rating: 8.5/10

By James H.

“A Better Tomorrow II” is a sequel in the true Hollywood sense. Its purpose is to cash in on the success of its predecessor. Made only one year after the groundbreaking, and record-breaking original, it reunites the cast, even though Chow Yun-Fat’s character died in the first. However, ABT 2 doesn’t fall flat like several sequels do. Woo takes what he learned from the first film and builds on that framework. The action is bigger, better and slicker. Gun shots a louder, shotgun wounds are bloodier, the body count is higher. Although this may seem all well and good, the story suffers from it. I’m sure you all know by now that Chow Yun-Fat plays the twin brother of his character from the original film. And now Chow is the centre of attention, whereas in the first film, he was a secondary character.

This movie is not about story though. It is about the action. The action in this film is mind-blowing, although not as good as Woo’s later works like “The Killer” and “Hard-Boiled”. There are a few scenes that are indeed worthy of high praise. However, with the bigger action comes the ridiculousness. The climax of the film is so full of excess it becomes preposterous, and one cannot help but snicker. Yes, it is a good movie. It is good, violent, fun. And yes, it does how Chow Yun-Fat. But it does not live up to other works by Woo.

James H’s Rating: 7.5/10

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

Better Tomorrow, A (1986) Review

Posted on January 29, 2011 by JJ Bona
"A Better Tomorrow" Japanese Theatrical Poster

“A Better Tomorrow” Japanese Theatrical Poster

Director: John Woo
Producer: Tsui Hark
Cast: Chow Yun-Fat, Ti Lung, Leslie Cheung, Waise Lee, Emily Chu, Kenneth Tsang, Shek Yin-Chi, Tien Feng, Kam Hing-Yin, Wong Hap, John Woo, Shing Fui-On
Running Time: 95 min.

By Joseph Kuby

Definitely worth the hype!

This film is slightly melodramatic (due to Chow Yun Fat but more particularly Leslie Cheung) though the film has a strong emotional undercurrent running through it which beats not only John Woo’s U.S. work but most dramatic films in general.

For those who like low-key and subtlely played yet heart-felt performances, I’d say that Ti Lung’s is the best in the film. Ti’s performance as a man caught up in a dilemma is fascinating whereas Leslie overdoes some of it, with Chow lingering somewhere in between being subtle and histrionic.

The action is groundbreaking for the time although somewhat rigid as it was John’s second contemporary action film (besides martial arts i.e. guns, pyrotechnics and car chases) so it doesn’t compete with his later works (which is why the action scenes in Schwarzeneggar’s Raw Deal* {released if not completely made in the same year as A Better Tomorrow} is on par with this, which is funny given the common perception that Hong Kong action films are superior to anything put out by anywhere else, films like Raw Deal and Drive prove likewise). Yet, the originality and style of the restaurant shootout is what makes up for the loose nature of the gun battles that precede and follow it.

Beyond the action, what’s important about this film was the way people looked at action movies on a non-action level. People can argue that there was always strong storytelling in action films before Woo came along but it can be argued that Woo helped to maintain and raise those standards with this film.

It’s a shame that the sequels are under-appreciated, which just goes to show you the benchmark standard Woo had raised with this film.

It’s really hard to imagine what would have happened had A Better Tomorrow been about female criminals (Tsui’s original interpretation of the story which is sort of reflected in the third installment).

* What’s interesting is that the director of Raw Deal, John Irvin, seemed to have been influenced by Woo’s movie as Irvin’s 1989 film, Next Of Kin (starring Patrick Swayze and Liam Neeson), was essentially the first American heroic bloodshed movie. It plays like a semi-remake of A Better Tomorrow for those who care to spot the similarities.

Like Woo’s film, it’s an action film with the emphasis on family drama. It’s about the bond between brothers and what happens when that bond is broken, with Patrick’s cop character, Truman, is someone torn in a moral dilemma (ala Woo’s protagonists) between seeking vengeance for a fallen brother and upholding the law.

Tension mounts between Truman and Briar (ala Ti Lung’s Ho and Leslie Cheung’s Kit) after the death of a fallen family member before teaming up as a last resort to combat the mafia (especially with both of them on opposite sides of the law).

Mark wants revenge against his oppressors but wants help just like how Briar needs Truman’s assistance (of course Mark and Briar share the same grim fate).

Truman threatens to arrest Briar if he chooses to break the law to avenge their brother’s death (like how Kit threatens to arrest Ho) and even hits him (like how Kit does with Ho). Just like Kit’s wife, Truman’s wife is a classical musician who plays in concerts.

Funnily enough, just like A Better Tomorrow 2 and Just Heroes, Next Of Kin has the distinction of having a comic actor appearing in an early serious role (i.e. Ben Stiller).

Joseph Kuby’s Rating: 9.5/10

By Numskull

“A Better Tomorrow.” Not just a sappy phrase to indicate hope for a hopeless future. Not just the name of a cool track by Kreator after they matured past their “I’ll rip your flesh and torment your face” (actual song lyrics) phase. Not just the title of a Hong Kong movie…it’s the title of one of the BEST damn Hong Kong movies out there, one which has rightly achieved fame as an “ice breaker” for those just getting into the whole shebang (I refuse to label a film industry running the gamut from action to comedy to drama to horror as a “genre”).

This here be the film that made John Woo and Chow Yun-fat mega-stars and brought Ti Lung out of an alcoholic stupor and into the limelight again. It’s also considered the first and defining film in the “heroic bloodshed” genre (THERE’S that word). Woo’s preceding film, Heroes Shed No Tears, had lotsa guns but was more of a war-based action movie, and a rather sloppy one at that. A Better Tomorrow clearly shows immense maturity as a storyteller on Woo’s part, achieved in a very brief period of time.

Ti Lung skillfully emits a haunted, frustrated mood, Leslie Cheung is so pissy you want to slap him, and Chow Yun-fat’s job is mostly to just look cool. It certainly worked on Quentin Tarantino, who donned trenchcoat and sunglasses to emulate his new hero after seeing this film for the first time and put “Chow Yuen Fat” on the special thanks list for the Reservoir Dogs screenplay…and THEN, several years later, said of CYF in The Replacement Killers: “He sucks bad in that movie.” As if the overwhelming shittiness of the movie itself wasn’t at least partly to blame. Stupid fuckwad.

Anyway…not quite as much action here as in later classics like Hard Boiled, but that ain’t the point. The point is the expertly told (and deceptively simple) story, marred somewhat by poorly translated and ill-timed subtitles, but still plenty enjoyable. Many people have used A Better Tomorrow as a jumping-on point for HK cinema…including, unfortunately, Antoine Fuqua, director of The Replacement Killers, whose astounding incompetence made Chow Yun-fat’s first impression on the general American public a profoundly unpleasant one.

A Better Tomorrow is fast-paced without being rushed, kinetic without being mindless, emotional without being saccharine. Few films deserve their sterling reputations as much as this one does. Gotta love it.

Numskull’s Rating: 9/10

By Dan-O

I, Dan-O, of sound mind and even sounder body ( if anyone wants any beefcake pics of myself that I personally clipped out of Playgirl magazine, from pics that are clearly NOT of me, please e-mail me immediately) promise to all of you loyal readers out there that I will NOT write ANY “dirty words”, “cuss”, or otherwise say weird things, in this here review. I am doing this because it has recently come to my attention that some people out there in Internetville are “offended” by the “curse” words often written by me in my “reviews”. It is for this reason why I choose to censor myself here today. After all, I would like people to have the impression that I could easily communicate a simple and straightforward point of view without having to resort to such base forms of communication as “Guttural Slang”. I will not, for instance, say things like Shit, Shit-face, Fuck, Shit-Fucker, Shit-Face-Fucker, Cocksucker, Motherfuckingcocksukingtwatfacedshitfucker, Dildo, or Robert Clouse is a…(any of the above).

Now on with the show:

Ok, I like this movie, but who cares about that? If you do, ask yourself why you do… see what I mean. Feel silly don’t ya? Uh huh. I thought so.

Fact is, you DON’T really care that I like this movie. You already KNOW this is a good movie, just read all the other reviews…. THEY love it more than they love their own families! They wouldn’t lie, would they? Of course not.

What you REALLY WANT (yet you would NEVER admit to), is for me to rip this movie up one side and down the other, for NO REASON. You want to see this movie eviscerated, gutted, cooked over a high flame, served on one of those cute little revolving plates, all to serve your lowly carnivorous appetites.

Well, guess what. TODAY IS YOUR LUCKY DAAAAAY!!!!!

Congratulations.

This pile of GARBAGE from John Woo starts off with Chow Yun Fat and what appears to be his gay lover licking their lips in a pointless scene so boring that it could only have been written by a hyperactive corpse. Then there’s some guns and shooting, which suck giant huevos. Chow Yun Fat gets shot in the leg, then looks like a pile of crap throughout the rest of this rat-ass film. Then he does some lovely crying, which he does allot in movies, and he happens to quite good at it. What a wussy. ‘Guess all those SOAP OPERA gigs served him well in the crying department. Then were treated to an extra heaping helping of this BLAMBLAMLAMBLAMBLAMBLAM, oh, someone tell Mr. Yun Fat to PLEASE stick that noodle back in his mouth. Stick the noodle… Chow…. the noodle, stick it in your….. are you listening….the noodle, Chow… it’s been dangling there for an hour out of the side of your mouth…. just take your finger, yeah that one… put Mr.Noodle back in the hangar…. theeeeeeere ya go!!! Goooood boy!!

Oh, the ending is awful too, really depressing. Chow Yun Fat dies….Awwwww, did I spoil the movie, did the mean man give away the surprise? Well, next time, to avoid such things, be a doll and WATCH THE STINKING MOVIE before you read a review, jackass.

*The preceding ‘load’ was not an actual review… If indeed you thought that this was an actual review you probably used to ride the short bus to school in the morning. It (the ‘load’) was written because the author is tired of writing normal, sunny, happy, John Q Public kind of reviews and wishes to write something more interesting than “It was awesome!” or “I would rather eat my own crotch than watch this movie again”. He failed, but hey, you got sucked into reading this anyway, so the author has accomplished his task(?) You wiener!

Go back to bed.

By the way, it was good movie. I like movies. This one also. Here’s a smiley for you to have 🙂

Dan-O’s Rating: 7/10

Vic Nguyen

The film that singlehandedly rejuvenated the career of John Woo, and gave Chow Yun-fat another best actor trophy. Shattering all previous box office records, this top grade production features superbly edited action sequences, a stirring theme song, excellent characterization and strong melodrama. One of Woo’s most heralded productions, this film influenced two sequels, countless ripoffs, and even started a brief fashion trend in Hong Kong. Unquestionably one of the most accomplished pieces by the director, this is a production that I cannot recommend enough.

Vic Nguyen’s Rating: 10/10

DJ Nixon

Chow Yun-Fat is my favorite actor in the world; and this movie, along with several others, show why I think this. This film is Chow’s first major break into movies, he even won a HK Oscar for it. The plot is very good and very emotional; Chow Yun-Fat and Ti Lung’s performances are great. The gun fights are great too; although they are not as good as Chow’s later films such as Hard Boiled or The Killer; they are still very well done. I especially loved the brief but very good gun fight where Chow comes into a room and blasts away at about 15 guys with two .45’s (his trademark weapon). He ends up getting shot in the leg two times though, and is crippled for the rest of his life. A awesome movie, whether you like drama’s or hardcore action, this movie is great!

DJ Nixon’s Rating: 10/10

By S!DM

John Woo’s classic melodrama about two troubled brothers. One is a cop who refuses to accept his brother, a criminal who decides to come clean. It plays almost like a soap opera, but with John Woo’s excellent direction and storyline. Tsui Hark produces this modern day hit, one of the milestones of HK cinema. Kit, the cop, his brother Ho (played by Ti Lung), and a guy that is coolness incarnate (Chow Yun Fat), eventually become involved with each other after each has an important event happen in his life. Kit and his wife see his father brutally murdered, Ti Lung’s character is arrested and put in jail, and Mark (Chow Yun Fat) is crippled after he kills an enemy. After these things take place, we see that each character is changed spiritually. Mark is now a lowly window washer and bum, Kit is depressed and refuses to accept his brother, and Ho promises to go clean by leaving a triad, but he finds that it’s not so easy…That’s when all three team up to help each other in an explosive finale.

S!DM’s Rating: 10/10

By James H.

“A Better Tomorrow” marks the beginning of an era. This film singlehandedly rejuvenated John Woo’s failing career. It also boosted supporting actor Chow Yun-Fat to superstar status and, in my opinion, coolest man on Earth. “A Better Tomorrow” had an inspired mix of violence and melodrama not seen since the earlier days of Sam Peckinpah.

The plot concerns a young cop (Cheung), his criminal brother (Lung) and how their paths cross. Things get complicated and bloodbaths ensue. While a very strong story, the screenplay trips up by adding a small amount of comedy in the first act.

It is a very good, and very well made film. But it does have its faults. For instance, the two main actors, Leslie Cheung and Ti Lung, are not necessarily strong actors. Neither of them have the ability or charisma to carry an entire film. Chow, however, saves this film from becoming just another HK action flick. He gives a well developed and believable performance for which he was awarded best actor at the Hong Kong Film Awards.

The action scenes are well done, although not as polished as some of Woo’s later works like “Hard Boiled” and “The Killer”. The shootout at the end is the most memorable, but the one with Chow in the restaurant stands out too.

I have seen both US and HK versions of the film. The HK version runs 95 minutes and has almost illegible subs. The US version runs 89 minutes, and is the most widely available. It features bad dubbing, and is missing a couple of scenes that are not really important to the plot.

James H’s Rating: 8.5/10

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

White Valentine (1999) Review

Posted on January 28, 2011 by JJ Bona
"White Valentine" Japanese Theatrical Poster

“White Valentine” Japanese Theatrical Poster

Director: Yang Yun-Ho
Cast: Park Sin-Yang, Jeon Ji-Hyeon, Jeon Mu-Song, Kim Se-Jun, Kim Young-Ok, Yang Dong-Keun, Kang Jin-Wu, Jang Myeong-Cheol, Park Mi-Rae
Running Time: 89 min.

By Mighty Peking Man

Jung-min (Jeon Ji-Hyeon) is a young woman who drops out of school to pursue her love for “art,” a pastime she wants to make her career. She mysteriously lost her parents when she was very young, and now, lives and works for her grandfather who runs a small book store. When she’s not working, she spends her free time drawing birds and other sceneries at the park.

There’s one only thing she’s missing – a cure for her loneliness. You see, years earlier she was so desolated that she became pen pals with a man that was 10 years older than her. She developed a likeness to the guy so much that she lied about her age and told him she was a school teacher. When the man decided to visit her, she stood him up, only to change her mind the very last minute. By that time, it was too late. As a result, she had lost her pen pal, and her loneliness continued.

One day, while sitting in her bedroom, a pigeon comes flying through her window with a message attached to it…

You know what, screw this.

I’m not going waste my time writing about the plot. Instead, I’ll just attack the hell out of this film. It’s got nothing to do with the writers or the acting. It’s Yang Yun-Ho, the director of this film. He needs to open his eyes. He’s either: 1) Suffering from some type of serious eye stigmatism; 2) Has very bad taste in choosing a certain look for a film; or 3) He’s simply an idiot.

I’ll go for 3.

Look dude, you’re working with Jeon Ji-Hyeon. She’s a fine actress, the camera loves her face. I’d say that’s a damn good reason to film her a little closer, instead of filming her from 10 miles away. While you’re at it, do the same with everyone else.

These are actors and actresses you’re dealing with, not extras. I would have loved to see the expression on Jeon Ji-Hyeon’s face the first time that bird came flying in, but no, she was filmed so far away that all I saw from a distance was her body, her bed, her hamper, her clothes and her dog; I even saw the bakery outside where the two idiots were buying fresh bread.

After awhile, all these faraway shots made me seriously nauseous. I know I sound crude, but if you ever watch this film, you’ll realize how awful the camera work was. If the filmmaker had any common sense, White Valentine could have been a decent film.

Mighty Peking Man: 2/10

Posted in Korean, Reviews | Tagged , |

Windstruck (2004) Review

Posted on January 28, 2011 by JJ Bona
"Windstruck" Korean Theatrical Poster

“Windstruck” Korean Theatrical Poster

Director: Kwak Jae-yong
Cast: Jeon Ji-hyun, Jang Hyuk, Kim Jung-Tae, Kim Su-Ro, Lee Ki-Woo, Lim Ye-Jin, Cha Tae-Hyun
Running Time: 123 min.

By Owlman

Kyung-Jin (Jeong Ji-Hyun) is a young police officer. She meets Myung-Woo (Jang Hy-Yuk), a schoolteacher, in the most unusual circumstances. They fall in love. Tragedy ensues. Lots of tears and, as a testament to the title of the film, lots and lots of wind. More tears. A couple of suicide attempts by Kyung-Jin. An action scene with a bad guy. A scene of closure to the film that is so cheesy, I thought Whoopi Goldberg and the use of the word “ditto” were going to appear. A final scene that apparently hints towards Windstruck being a prequel to My Sassy Girl – although I wouldn’t know because I’ve never seen MSG.

All of this add up to a bad viewing experience. It’s too bad that movies can’t be put on vinyl because if Windstruck was available in such a format, I would take it right now and smash it over my head.

Owlman’s Rating: 1/10 (only for that scene with Kyung-Jin and the two street kids)

By Iuxion

To date, I’ve watched Windstruck three times, which is a lot, considering that I didn’t like it very much the first time around. Marking the reunion of director Kwak Jae Yong and actress Jeon Ji Hyun, who first worked together in My Sassy Girl, Windstruck is without a doubt, something of a disappointment. While that film managed to go on to become Korea’s best selling DVD (and is currently being remade by Dreamworks, unfortunately, for the US), I doubt any of that will happen for Windstruck, much to the chagrin of Edko Films, the Chinese distributor that partially funded this Korean film in the hopes that the lightning would strike twice. So what went wrong?

The film opens with a shot of Gyeong Jin (Jeon Ji Hyun), moments away from plummeting off the top of one of many skyscrapers in Seoul. We aren’t told what or why, and from here the story flashes back in time to the meeting of Gyeong Jin and Myung Woo (Volcano High’s Jang Hyuk), follows their subsequent romance, and then leads up to the events that started the film off atop the city skyline. Jeon Ji Hyun plays pretty much the same character that she did in My Sassy Girl, and while the first half of the film effectively mimics the structure and style of its popular cousin, the second half strays into heavy-handed melodrama, giving the movie a more soap opera quality. No scenes drag, per se, but many don’t really fit in with the overall feel of the movie and probably should’ve been left on the cutting board. The film’s soundtrack, which is an odd fusion of Korean pop music, classic rock and roll, and orchestra numbers (while not bad on it’s own) is poorly used in some instances, with songs sometimes repeating themselves literally seconds after they were previously played.

This, and more, kind of makes me believe that Mr. Kwak just didn’t know what to do anymore, half-way in: the film in its final form is basically representative of every major cinematic genre (it’s got comedy, romance, action, horror, etc.), but it doesn’t really do anything particularly well and just isn’t that memorable on its own.

Being a huge fan of My Sassy Girl compelled me to pick up this film and give it another chance after being disappointed the first time. I can’t say that it was really a bad decision; while Windstruck is flawed, it definitely has its charm, especially for those who loved that other movie, which I’d recommend seeing first (for the few of you who haven’t checked it out yet), in order to fully enjoy this one. In fact, Windstruck’s connection to My Sassy Girl may be both its greatest strength and greatest weakness: while disappointing in comparison, some of the personality that made My Sassy Girl so original and memorable can be found here as well.

Iuxion’s Rating: 7/10

Posted in Korean, Reviews | Tagged , , |

Last Samurai, The (2003) Review

Posted on January 28, 2011 by JJ Bona
"The Last Samurai" American Theatrical Poster

“The Last Samurai” American Theatrical Poster

Director: Edward Zwick
Cast: Tom Cruise, Ken Watanabe, Billy Connolly, Koyuki, Tony Goldwyn, Seizo Fukomoto, Timothy Spall, Hiroyuki Sanada, Masato Harada, Sosuke Ikematsu, Shin Koyamada, Aoi Minato, Shichinosuke Nakamura, Shun Sugata

Plot: Epic Action Drama. Set in Japan during the 1870s, The Last Samurai tells the story of Capt. Nathan Algren (Tom Cruise), a respected American military officer hired by the Emperor of Japan to train the country’s first army in the art of modern warfare.

As the Emperor attempts to eradicate the ancient Imperial Samurai warriors in preparation for more Westernized and trade-friendly government policies, Algren finds himself unexpectedly impressed and influenced by his encounters with the Samurai, which places him at the center of a struggle between two eras and two worlds, with only his own sense of honor to guide him.

By Numskull

In recognition of Japan’s most well-known contribution to the world of poetry, I now offer a haiku synopsis of The Last Samurai:

This seems familiar.
“Dances with Wolves in Japan”?
Yes. More combat, though.
Hey, that was easy. Quick, too. And accurate. I should do this more often.

Review #300, here I come!

Numskull’s Rating: 7/10

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

Blood: The Last Vampire (2009) Review

Posted on January 28, 2011 by ningen31
"Blood: The Last Vampire" Japanese Theatrical Poster

“Blood: The Last Vampire” Japanese Theatrical Poster

Director: Chris Nahon
Cast: Jun Ji Hyun, Koyuki, Michael Byrne, Colin Salmon, Allison Miller, Masiela Lusha, Yasuaki Kurata
Running Time: 89 min.

By Ningen

Saya is a vampire hunter who’s half-vampire herself. Working for the feds, she tracks down her nemesis, Onigen, in Japan. In an attempt to be discrete and blend in, she poses as a schoolgirl on a U.S. airbase situated in that country. However, she ends up partnering with an unlikely ally in the form of a high-school army brat-by the name of Alice-who has the misfortune of being caught in the cross-fire between humans and the undead. [And, in some cases, humans who are just as bad as the undead.]

Gianna Jun’s [Yes, I’m too lazy to spell out her Korean name.] international debut has been a source of speculation for a while. Is she too old for the part of a schoolgirl? Would they screw up her fight scenes with that much-hated “close-up camera”? Could she pull off a believable fight scene, given that she’s not known for action roles? Well, I’m proud to say she passed with flying colors. The movie is another story. But, given that I’m still reeling from the amateur writing, directing, and cutting we got from Speed Racer, and given that I’m ignoring the shoddy production released by a major studio which wouldn’t have passed muster 20 years ago, which got called Dragonball, Blood is a breath of fresh air.

Directed by the guy who gave us [Crackwhore’s] Kiss of the Dragon, Blood doesn’t suffer the same fate of being written by Luc Besson, which means no random hookers with hearts of gold or brawny guys popping up randomly for no reason, along with (bad) rap music blaring in the background. What it does suffer from is some disappointing creature-shop FX and the need to balance two intertwining plots involving Gianna’s character and a girl who looks like Lindsay Lohan’s dumpy younger sister. Oh, and the setting occasionally shifts between “modern” 1970 Japan and feudal Japan. But no biggie.

All one really needs to know is that Saya is going through an identity crisis in which she can’t decide where she falls under-human or vampire. And her C.I.A. agent compadre can’t think of any place for her, after she’s accomplished her mission. Drifting from place to place with her sword, and her jug of blood, her only companions, Saya clearly needs some emotional support, which she gets with the help of her friend, Alice. On the surface, she’s a bookworm, but Alice is a free spirit at heart; and she even steals her dad’s car to hang out at local party spots in town. Unfortunately, the party’s over when she finds out people at her school are actually vampires. Saya cuts ’em up, but blows her own cover in the process. So her only recourse is to lay low for a while. However, the beauracratic in-fighting between Alice’s father-a general-and the CIA agents, turns deadly, and Saya is forced to protect Alice while escaping a back-stabber in her organization. But with Alice’s help, Saya manages to find Onigen’s hide-out where final showdown between old enemies takes place.

As an actress, Jun holds her own, emotionally, and even displays better English ability than her voice-over in the trailer would suggest. As a fighter, I don’t feel she stands out as well; but that’s only because of the overuse of slow-mo and CG blood. The fight scenes are also mostly one-sided, with very little actual sword-play. Still, it’s nice to see some the hits connecting, for once, and not having to deal with the camera pull back or put more emphasis on flipping than actual fighting. I also can actually believe that Jun had some training, since she doesn’t pull off any moves which are hard to believe for her build?. Nor does she act like each fight is a breeze, and come off barely scratched from each encounter. I really appreciate that they didn’t try to make me think otherwise, like they do in other “wire-fu” flicks nowadays.

The supporting cast could use a little more character development, but at least they don’t stand around looking pretty all day. They also look like they’re prepped for action. In addition, the actors are able to avoid falling into the trap of doing one-note performances common to this genre, while keepin the pace of the movie steady. Part of that is due to their wardrobes and hair-styles which actually blend in with the settings. I’ve never seen a recent movie so invested in at least getting the “look” right. So, regardless of how you feel about the final product, Blood should at least win some awards for make-up and fashion, if nothing else.

The monsters could use some work, since they look like leftovers from Raimi’s Evil Dead films and Whedon’s Buffy show. But the actors do try to make me feel like they’re menacing. And that’s what counts. In the end, though, Blood is really a b-horror flick with a pretense of depth.

Ningen’s Rating: 8/10 for set design, gore, and emotional range; 5.5./10 for hoaky creatures of the night; 6/10 for sloppy story; 7/10 for the overall product

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

Legacy of Rage | aka Fire Dragon (1986) Review

Posted on January 28, 2011 by JJ Bona
"Legacy of Rage" Japanese Theatrical Poster

“Legacy of Rage” Japanese Theatrical Poster

Director: Ronnie Yu Yan-Tai
Cast: Brandon Lee, Michael Wong Man-Tak, Michael Chan Wai-Man, Regina Kent, Bolo Yeung, Ng Man-Tat, Mang Hoi, Tanya George, Louis Roth, Stuart Smith
Running Time: 86 min.

By Joe909

You know you’re in for trouble when even the opening theme song is half-assed; it sounds like someone turning on a cheap Casio keyboard and goofing off with a few keys. Probably the most depressing movie I’ve ever seen, Legacy of Rage plods on through its 90 minutes, giving us an 8-year view of the terrible life lead by Brandon Lee’s character, who is named, oddly enough “Brandon.” He’s set up by his best friend ? who also continuously hits on Brandon’s fiancé ? he’s sent to prison, his fiancé moves to Brazil with an older guy, and, even in prison, Brandon has to put up with daily assaults by a gang of gwailo. Luckily, Brandon meets Four-Eyes, who happens to be a gun runner, and upon release from prison, Brandon works a few odd jobs before going all out in his vengeance.

Like A Better Tomorrow Part 2, Legacy of Rage is only notable for its dynamite ending. Bey Logan has it listed in his “Hong Kong Action Cinema” as one of the top heroic bloodshed battles, and it deserves to be listed there. Brandon and Four-Eyes blast apart countless goons in a 15-20 minute orgy of violence. I wouldn’t say that the scene is as good as ABT 2, but it does pack a big wallop, especially after the preceding hour of trite melodrama.

Supposedly Brandon Lee wasn’t very interested in martial arts when he made this movie, in 1986, so that might explain why there are only a few seconds of kung-fu in the film. Even his fight with Bolo Yeung is over before it starts, to quote Bey Logan. But even considering that Brandon didn’t want to do martial arts at the time, that still doesn’t explain why he would agree to such a depressing, dark movie. At least his sister got it right, by debuting in the pure actioner Enter the Eagles.

As it is, I’d just recommend skipping through the movie to the final fight. You don’t need to know the characters, or, worse yet, their plights. Just enjoy the shenanigans and gun fire, and like those guys on SCTV, you can chuckle and say “that blew up real good” when you see things exploding.

On a final note, I first saw this movie around ten years ago in its English-dubbed version. Brandon was dubbed in English throughout by another actor, except for the scenes in prison, where he talks to the gwailo bullies. There Brandon spoke in his own voice, saying short statements like “How do you wanna play?” and “No more.” I believe those scenes were recorded in sync-sound; at least, they sounded like they were. On the HK dvd Cantonese dub, Brandon’s voice is dubbed the whole time, even when he speaks English; the actor doing his voice for the English lines can barely speak the language. I wonder why they didn’t use Brandon’s voice. It isn’t a big deal, though, as the HK dvd’s picture blows away the quality of my old, English dubbed video, which was fullscreen and had Dutch subtitles. Those damn Dutch.

Joe909’s Rating: 4/10

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

Crow, The (1994) Review

Posted on January 28, 2011 by JJ Bona
"The Crow" Japanese Theatrical Poster

“The Crow” Japanese Theatrical Poster

Director: Alex Proyas
Producer: Edward R. Pressman
Cast: Brandon Lee, Ernie Hudson, Michael Wincott, David Patrick Kelly, Angel David, Rochelle Davis, Bai Ling, Laurence Mason, Michael Massee, Bill Raymond, Sofia Shinas, Anna Levine, Tony Todd, Jon Polito
Running Time: 100 min.

By Numskull

The Crow is a movie full of rare things.

It’s rare for a person to get killed during production, especially the lead actor. But, as I’m sure you’re aware, Brandon Lee died of a gunshot wound before filming was complete.

It’s rare for a movie to enjoy mainstream success when it deals rape, drugs, incest, and people having their eyes removed in various ways. But Shelley Winters gets gang-banged, half the characters abuse controlled substances, Michael Wincott makes it perfectly clear that he bones his sister, and people do indeed have their eyes removed in various ways.

It’s rare for a child actor or actress to actually have talent. But, the girl who plays Sarah (I can’t read her name on the credits because they’re so damn blurry, but I think her first name is Angel) succeeds admirably in her role instead of just being a female Macauly Culkin. You might complain that she’s too dead-eyed and automatonlike, but consider this: when was the last time you saw a kid that age get excited about anything without the word “Pokemon” on it?

It’s rare for a movie to have a strong supporting cast of small names. But here we’ve got a very memorable crew of bad guys (especially Skank, the speed freak who feels like a little worm on a big fuckin’ hook) led by the criminally unknown Michael Wincott (also in Strange Days, a personal favorite of mine). Also there’s Ernie Hudson, who is a hell of a lot better as a beat cop than he was as a Ghostbuster.

Sadly, The Crow is also a movie full of common things.

It’s common for a movie to have some crappy actors mixed in with the good ones Alas, there’s the bartender, there’s MIchael Wincott’s bodyguard guy, and there’s the cop who says “I hate this. They can’t even call it ‘cream’ legally.”

It’s common for a movie to have a soundtrack loaded with over-rated, under-talented MTV sweethearts. Alas, you’ll be subjected to agonizing garbage by the likes of Nine Inch Nails (led by Trent Reznor, the man who loves nothing more than to fiddle with a sound mixer and scream about his penis), Stone Temple Pilots (led by Scott Weiland, the man whose shoe size equals the number of times he’s been busted for heroin), and Rage Against The Machine (led by…well, I don’t know any of the members’ names, but they’ve got that “rap with electric guitars” thing going on and I really, really hate that shit).

It’s common for a movie (or a person, for that matter) to misuse the word “anarchy”. Alas, the line “Disorder…chaos…anarchy…now that’s FUN!” was pulled out of someone’s ass The true meaning of anarchy has about as much to do with “disorder” and “chaos” as Marilyn Manson (and thank God HE’S not on the soundtrack) has to do with “wisdom” and “integrity”.

It’s common for a movie to spawn a really bad sequel. Alas, The Crow: City of Angels came into existence and, well…the less said, the better.

Happily, the pros here outweigh the cons.

Mr. Bona doesn’t seem to be too impressed with Brandon Lee’s acting skills. After watching Rapid Fire I would agree, but I really think his performance in The Crow is solid. Unfortunately, computer images were used to fill in for him after he died, so for certain parts, the techies must share in the credit.

That reminds me. How come there wasn’t more of an uproar about HOW Brandon Lee died instead of the simple fact that he DID? I personally don’t think that “tragedy” and “accident” are valid explanations for a real bullet being placed in a gun that was only supposed to be loaded with blanks. Is anyone with me or did I miss something?

Mr. Bona also doesn’t seem to be too impressed with the special effects during the “Look at my hand and watch the bullet hole magically vanish” scene. That, I cannot dispute.

Surely I’m not the only one who read the graphic novel upon which this movie is based. Does anyone else wish they had included the part where Eric Draven uses Funboy’s blood to write “I KNOW WHY JESUS WEPT, MOTHERFUCKER” on the wall?

A pity.

Oh well.

I like this movie.

My mom liked it, too.

Some of her favorite movies are Home Alone, Sister Act, and Beauty and the Beast (the Disney one).

In spite of that, you should see The Crow if you haven’t done so already. Just don’t go joining any little merchandise-clad subculture, OK?

Numskull’s Rating: 8/10

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

Rapid Fire | aka Moving Target (1992) Review

Posted on January 28, 2011 by JJ Bona
“Rapid Fire” Theatrical Poster

“Rapid Fire” Theatrical Poster

Director: Dwight H. Little
Cast: Brandon Lee, Powers Boothe, Nick Mancuso, Raymond J. Barry, Kate Hodge, Tzi Ma, Tony Longo, Michael Paul Chan, Dustin Nguyen, Brigitta Stenberg, Basil Wallace, Al Leong, François Chau, Quentin O’Brien
Running Time: 95 min.

By Numskull

A VHS copy of the last movie Brandon Lee completed can probably be found in the bargain bin of your local Blockbuster or Walmart (North America only), and though I wouldn’t label it a “classic” or a “masterpiece”, I will say that I think it deserves a slightly better fate than that. All things considered, it’s a “B” grade film through and through, but it’s still moderately fun and the action is pretty solid.

None of the acting is really good, but the only significant performance that stands out as really BAD is Kate Hodge’s. About two-thirds of the way through the movie, she and Brandon Lee have one of the most ridiculously spontaneous, totally unnecessary, and brazenly gratuitous sex scenes in the history of motion pictures. I’m not some tight-ass who screams bloody murder at the sight of a naked breast, but…come ON. They’re like, “Well honey, the movie’s been going for an hour now, give or take a few minutes, and we’ve had about 45 seconds of screen time together. I think it’s high time we exchanged bodily fluids.”

The limp story isn’t worth describing in great detail, but I did find Jake Lo’s transformation from a free-thinking loner into a gloriously heroic figure willing to risk it all for a fashionably noble cause quite nauseating. Good thing we don’t watch this stuff to think deep thoughts. In fact, the deepest though I have here is whether or not Jackie Chan would have called the action bits copied from Police Story “flattering” in his autobiography if Brandon had been alive when it was written.

The fighting, shooting and so forth are frequent and good enough to hold your interest through the slow parts. Just don’t expect anything too epic.

Not bad for a movie of this type. Better than some Van Damme shit, that’s for sure. Give it a try if you’re bored sometime and you can’t clip your toenails any more.

Numskull’s Rating: 6/10

By James H.

Brandon Lee’s penultimate film was Dwight Little’s “Rapid Fire”. It can be seen as almost a tribute to HK action films. It tries to combine the gun fights of John Woo flicks and the martial arts of Jackie Chan (look for references to “Police Story”). The film succeeds as an attempt to cash in on HK-style action, but that’s it really.

Brandon Lee stars as Jake Lo, an arts student in LA. He is asked to speak at a rally against China and that whole Tiennamen Square fiasco. While there, he witnesses a murder by a mob boss. The Feds then ship Jake off to Chicago to testify. Things do not go so smoothly when the baddies try to kill Jake; lots of punching and kicking (obviously) ensues.

Brandon stands out in this film. His acting abilities have developed very well since the days of “Legacy of Rage”. His character is surprisingly well developed for a movie of this nature. Unfortunately, that means the rest of the characters suffer from this. Personally, I would like to have seen the relationship between Brandon and Powers Boothe (a cop with the wonderful soap opera name Mace Ryan) been developed further.

Dwight Little (“Murder at 1600”, “Marked For Death”) does a decent job with the action scenes, but the gun fights suffer from being somewhat uninteresting and rather generic. “Rapid Fire” is at its best when Brandon is kicking ass. The martial arts scenes, choreographed by Lee and, pay homage to some of Jackie Chan’s films, as I said earlier.

“Rapid Fire” is Brandon Lee’s second last, and second best film (“The Crow” wins the number one spot). It’s a good, fun action movie, although at times it follows action movie cliches a little too closely from time to time.

James H’s Rating: 6.5/10

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

Bruce Lee: A Warrior’s Journey (2001) Review

Posted on January 28, 2011 by JJ Bona
"Bruce Lee: A Warrior's Journey" American DVD Cover

“Bruce Lee: A Warrior’s Journey” American DVD Cover

Director: John Little
Writer: John Little, Bruce Lee
Cast: Bruce Lee, Dan Inosanto, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Ji Han Jae, James Tien, Chieh Yuan, Taky Kimura, Linda Lee-Caldwell, Bey Logan
Running Time: 100 min.

By Joe909

If I had to make a top ten list of my favorite kung fu movies, the Game of Death footage Bruce Lee shot in 1972 would be in it. There’s just something cool about it. It has that funky ’70s kung fu vibe I like so much (like James Tien’s outfit), as well as the feel of a period martial arts movie, what with the pagoda sets and the classic costumes worn by the guardians. Man, I wish Bruce had finished the movie. But instead he took up Warner Brother’s offer to do Enter the Dragon, and never returned to his pet project Game of Death.

Ignore the bullshit rumors about Game of Death being a completed movie, but just hidden away from the public (because Bruce, of course, would have wanted it that way), or that there were multiple levels in the pagoda: Bruce fighting samurai, ninja, little green men, etc. All he shot was a few hours of footage, most of which consisted of outtakes. Only forty minutes of actual scenes can be assembled from this footage, and it is comprised of Bruce and his assistants, James Tien and Chieh Yuan, fighting Dan Inosanto, Ji Han Jae, and Kareem. There’s nothing else, save for some herky-jerky footage of Dan, Jae, and Hwang Ing-Sik (of Way of the Dragon) fighting karate students in a wooded area, but no one’s sure if this is “test footage” or was intended for Game of Death.

This documentary puts the footage together in the way Bruce Lee intended the completed film to be seen, as shown in his outline notes. John Little does a much better job than the Japanese company Artport did, in their 2001 production Bruce Lee in G.O.D. Artport basically showed everything Bruce shot, without any sense of cinematic timing. Literally, several shots begin in Artport’s presentation of Game of Death with Bruce and whomever he’s facing down just staring at the wall, waiting for someone to yell “action.” In their effort to show all of the footage, Artport forgot that a few seconds would need to be trimmed here and there to make it all look like a “real” movie, which is exactly what John Little managed to accomplish. I guess it helped that he had Bruce’s notes, whereas Artport did not. Apparently, the Artport presentation is what’s featured on the Hong Kong Legends Game of Death DVD release.

Warrior’s Journey spends its first hour inspecting jeet kune do. This part is interesting, but doesn’t have much re-watch value. Then we get to the good stuff. We learn Bruce’s story for Game of Death: he was to play a retired martial arts champion named Hai Tien, who is blackmailed by gangsters into retrieving some item from a pagoda in Korea, a pagoda that’s guarded by several expert martial artists. A simple story, for sure, but Bruce planned on loading it with multiple layers. Little’s book, which shares the same name as this documentary, goes into much greater detail about the story, even reproducing Bruce’s original outline and dialog notes.

From there we get a quick tutorial on who’s on the mission with Bruce: there’s Chieh Yuan, a simpleminded but strong karate expert. Then there’s James Tien, a duplicitous street fighter who greatly dislikes Bruce’s character. As a matter of fact, the book reveals many humorous dialog exchanges between the two that take place before the pagoda raid. There were to be three more assistants, one of them a white guy, another a drunkard locksmith, but Bruce never cast these roles, and besides, their characters were dead by the time they reached the third floor, Dan Inosanto’s domain, so Bruce never got a chance to film their scenes. We also learn that Bruce planned to have Hwang Ing-Sik as the guardian of the first floor, portraying a kicking expert, and Taky Kimura (one of Bruce’s students) as the guardian of the second floor, portraying an exponent of a preying mantis/wing chun hybrid style.

The assembled footage begins with Dan Inosanto cleaning the floor with James Tien. It seems that a few seconds of footage proceeding this, consisting of Chieh Yuan attacking Inosanto with a log, and Inosanto responding by thrashing Yuan, has gone missing over the years. All that’s left of this footage are a few seconds from the 1978, Robert Clouse-directed abortion Game of Death and the 1984 Golden Harvest documentary Bruce Lee: The Legend. What happened to this footage is anyone’s guess.

The remaining footage itself is all action, so don’t expect much dialog. It’s mostly just the pagoda guardians tearing up Chieh Yuan and James Tien, only to have their asses handed to them by Bruce. But Bruce isn’t the superhuman he is in his other movies, taking down twenty men without breaking a sweat. Here he’s facing foes almost as good as he is, and each of them give him a run for his money. It is pretty cool how he gives Dan Inosanto such a hard time, though. Bruce’s character in this was much different than any he’d portrayed before; in some ways, he seems to be playing himself, all cocky and self-sure. He sure as hell isn’t playing Tang Lung, the humble character from Way of the Dragon, so ignore the rumors that GOD was intended as a sequel to that film, as well.

But despite the fact that this is mostly forty minutes of guys punching and kicking at each other, this footage still contains some of the best, most realistic martial arts ever put on film. Bruce was way ahead of his time, and this kind of on-screen combat will always look better than that sped-up, hanging from wires, shot-from-twenty-angles Matrix shit. It looks better because it looks real. And even though it’s mostly action, Bruce still found a way to inject a lot of comedy and even drama into the mostly dialog-free scenes. I laughed out loud several times at the expressions Bruce and James shoot at each other throughout the footage.

The fights are, of course, much more fleshed out than as shown in Clouse’s movie. We even learn that Kareem’s character is some sort of demon or something, which explains his fear of sunlight. Speaking of which, this is the one and only area in which Artport presented the footage better: at the end of Bruce and Kareem’s fight, Kareem loses his sunglasses, and we see his eyes. Bruce shot two versions of this scene. In one, Kareem has blood-red eyes. In the other, he has lizard eyes. Little chose to go with the “red-eye” look, whereas Artport went with the scarier, and more effective, “lizard eyes.”

My only other complaint with Warrior’s Journey is that Little had Kareem and Jae dub their own voices. Inosanto was approached to do the same, but declined; instead, he provides his voice to the Artport production of Game of Death. But it is very apparent that Jae and Kareem are not actors; their vocal delivery is sub-par. Jae in particular butchers the English language in a way never before witnessed. I guess Little had these two dub their voices for the sake of legitimacy, but it’s obvious Bruce wouldn’t have used them. I mean, he didn’t even have Chuck Norris dub his own voice in Way of the Dragon, and Bruce himself didn’t dub his own voice in any of his movies.

Bruce was at the top of his game, choreographing and directing this footage. The shots where James Tien is upstairs fighting a losing battle against Kareem, while Bruce continues his battle against Ji Han Jae downstairs, really proves how capable of a director Bruce was. And the film gives you a great look at Bruce’s jeet kune do principle of offensive defense; Bruce defends himself from countless strikes by harming his opponent. This is one of the few kung-fu movies where you can actually learn some moves while being entertained at the same time.

You just can’t get much cooler than Bruce Lee. And nowhere did he look more cool than in Game of Death. That yellow and black tracksuit with matching sneakers burned an indelible image into my brain when I was a kid: it was and still is the coolest costume I’ve seen in a martial arts movie. Bruce looked like a living cartoon super-hero; sleek, hip, and bad-ass.

Had it been completed, Game of Death would’ve been one of the greatest kung-fu movies of all time. There’s something just downright awesome about Bruce’s original vision for it. I’ve wanted to know the full story behind it since I was a kid, and now finally I do. I’m ecstatic that Warrior’s Journey has finally been released. It was supposed to come out in April of 2001, and when it didn’t, I was glad that I’d spent $40 for a bootleg copy of the pre-release a few months before. The DVD and VHS were officially released in July of 2002, and the book came out a month later. So throw away your copy of that shitty 1978 production starring Dean Shek and “Tang Lung” that dared call itself Game of Death, and revel in what could have been.

Joe909’s Rating: 9.5/10 for the documentary, 10/10 for the footage itself

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

Big Boss, The | aka Fists of Fury (1971) Review

Posted on January 27, 2011 by JJ Bona
"The Big Boss" Chinese Theatrical Poster

“The Big Boss” Chinese Theatrical Poster

Director: Lo Wei
Producer: Raymond Chow
Cast: Bruce Lee, Maria Yi, James Tien Chun, Han Ying Chieh, Nora Miao, Lee Kwan, Anthony Lau, Lam Ching Ying, Billy Chan Wui Ngai, Peter Yang Kwan
Running Time: 115 min.

By James H.

There are movies with low production values and then there are movies with Lo Wei production values. This movie was made for $100,000, and it looks like it was made for $50,000. It is about a country bumpkin (Bruce Lee), who leaves the farm to pursue work in an ice factory. It is then revealed the boss of the factory is a drug lord. As you may have guessed, fights and carnage ensue.

The film itself looks very cheap. The direction is lacking, the editing is choppy and it looks like a home movie. Despite these elements, it’s still a fun, entertaining movie. It is not the groundbreaking film Bruce Lee fanatics make it out to be. The reason it has been touted as the unprecedented event in cinema is because it was so violent. It may have been groundbreaking by HK standards, but North America already witnessed Sam Peckinpah?s “The Wild Bunch”, a film that broke more rules than “The Big Boss”.

The American version is titled “Fists of Fury”, which just happens to be the version I saw. The print looks tired and faded, the music is terrible and the dubbing is about as bad as you can get. But still, I enjoyed it. I enjoyed the campiness of it all. Let’s face it, the fights are not that good, and they are incredibly hokey and unbelievable.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s a fun movie for a Saturday afternoon or Sunday morning. It just doesn’t have all the right elements to become a true classic, but it is definitely a cult classic.

James H’s Rating: 6/10

By Tyler

The plot is your basic chop-sockey story line. Cheng Chao An is brought to Thailand by his Uncle. Upon arrival he meets his relatives, and a cute girl (Maria Yi). The next day he starts work at an ice factory where he accidentally breaks a large piece of ice containing a white pouch. The two workers that see the package disappear, killed by a rich womanizing boss. After two other workers disappear the workers refuse to work until the find their friends. This causes a Kung Fu brawl which leads Chenge Chao An (Bruce Lee) to beating the crap out of the thugs. This causes (inadvertainly) his whole family getting killed, and the cute girl getting kidnapped. Cheng Chao An rather then calling the police takes the appropriate action in getting revenge on the Big Boss.

Your basic Kung Fu plot which kinder to downtrodden Cantonese people. For an amateur in working with film, Bruce Lee does well in portraying a strange hero in a different country. He lets humor,confusion, anger, and humility to his fight choreography. His acting is not as up to par as it was in Fist of Fury, but his presence is demanding.

My favorite scene in this film is when Bruce Lee goes to kill the big boss. When Lee meets his henchmen first and resorts to beating them with unparalleled grace. The campiness of the 70’s did take it’s toll on the film, but Bruce obviously had some input in the film. One scene when Bruce sticks his fingers in the main villains stomach, causing him to bleed feverishly is just too laughable. Another weird scene is when Bruce kicks the a knife into a villains chest.

Big Boss was Bruce Lee’s first film, and brought him into the main stream The filmmakers original director Wu Chia Hsiang quit because of the films low budget, which Lo Wei was allowed to finish the film. Big Boss was the second Bruce Lee film I saw. This film is what also got me interested in Bruce Lee. I always loved this film for it’s campiness, and raw ridiculous action. The film reflects a downtrodden Cantonese man who retaliates against his corrupt employer. One of the greatest macho fantasies ever. Beating up your boss.

Tyler’s Rating: 7/10

By Alvin George

Fists of Fury, also known as The Big Boss, is a pretty good martial arts movie. Bruce Lee is awesome, even though he’s dubbed and he doesn’t make all those animal-like fighting sounds he made in Enter the Dragon. Without Bruce Lee, no one would probably have ever of Jackie Chan or Samo Hung, not to mention any of those various fake stand-ins (Bruce Li, Bruce Leung, Bruce Le, etc.) I also liked the Lalo Schifrin-like music score, which made me think that Clint Eastwood was gonna come out any second with his .44 Magnum.

If you need to get an English-dubbed verson, get the Fox Video copy. I bought the film in a two-pack along with The Chinese Connection (aka Fist of Fury), one made by Madacy (I think). The characters in that copy (naturally an EP dub) all look skinny (like Paula Abdul in her Promise of a New Day music video), and it’s not just during the opening credits. (For those of you who don’t know, many of the ’70s films shot using such widescreen formats like Panavision got squished during the opening credits so that the credits could all be on the screen when shown on TV. This was true of the edited-for-TV version of Dirty Harry, among others.)

Alvin George’s Rating: 7/10

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

Way of the Dragon | aka Return of the Dragon (1972) Review

Posted on January 27, 2011 by JJ Bona
"Way of the Dragon" Chinese Theatrical Poster

“Way of the Dragon” Chinese Theatrical Poster

Director: Bruce Lee
Producer: Raymond Chow
Cast: Bruce Lee, Chuck Norris, Gam Dai, Unicorn Chan, Tony Liu, Nora Miao, Wang In Sik, Paul Wei, Bob Wall, Jon Benn, Anders Nelsson, Riccardo Billi, Alexander Grand, Malisa Longo, Andre Morgan, Russell Cawthorne
Running Time: 96 min.

By Jesse

Bruce Lee’s 1973 film Return of the Dragon (which was also written and directed by Lee) tells the tale of a young farmboy from Hong Kong who travels to Rome in order to help rid his uncle’s restaurant of the local thugs who aim to make it their own by any means possible. Dragon is filled with cheesy acting, has a poorly-written script, and isn’t very well told… but what it does have is Bruce Lee kicking a lot of ass in it. Which is really the only reason why you would watch a Lee film to begin with. Though Bruce isn’t the greatest actor, he does have a certain charm and charisma that can clearly be seen while watching any one of his movies.

One of the most unrealistic aspects of the film though is how Lee’s character Tang Lung transitions from a naive and somewhat innocent countryman to an all-out beast full of rage in fury in no time. But like I said, the reason why we watch Bruce Lee movies is for the exciting and rip-roaring fights featured, not for the technical aspects. And watching Lee in action is certainly a marvel to behold. In Return of the Dragon, we get to witness the typical Lee with double nunchuks vs. a whole gang of guys action sequence, as well as the always watchable one on one fight scenes where Lee shows the audience how fast and furious (2 fast… haha, sorry) he really is.

The highlight of the film occurs at the end when Lee is forced to do battle with his real-life friend and protege Bob Wall (in which he quietly defeats him by giving him a quick punch in the nuts), and the soon to be famous Chuck Norris. The Lee vs. Norris fight is certainly something unique as we watch Lee’s ancient style of Chinese Kung Fu clash with Norris’ extremely harsh and robotic forum of Japanese Karate. I won’t tell you what the outcome of the fight is, but if you’ve ever seen a Bruce Lee movie or have an ounce of intelligence in your head I’m sure you can figure out what it is.

Nora Miao also stars as a friend of the family who provides shelter for Lung as he helps his uncle out, and while her character (and the actress herself) is a bit-one dimensional, she provides a nice piece of eye candy that’s sure to keep the men in the audience pleased. So if you’re looking for a brainless actioner with plenty of heart-pounding action, look no further.

Jesse’s Rating: 7.5/10

By James H.

The Good: Bruce Lee (obviously). His directing, acting, fights. You name it, he’s good at it. Nora Miao is also good, and just beautiful too. As I said, the fights are good, but they are more than that. The last 30 minutes or so are incredible. The finale with Norris is breath-taking.

The Bad: Flamboyantly gay bad guys aren’t too threatening, even if they have guns. Also, the acting, besides Bruce and Nora, is just atrocious. Of course, I had to see the American release with the very irritating dubbing (when you dub a movie, it would be wise to get voice actors with voices that aren’st grating). Also, the sound effects are exaggerated and out of synch. The plot is also pretty damn thin, but hey, this is a martial arts movie.

Bottom Line: Chuck Norris is one hairy dude.

James H’s Rating: 7.5/10

By S!DM

Lee’s first full-fledged film-making effort, Way of the Dragon sees Bruce writing, directing, and starring in what I consider his crowning achievement. Bruce absolutely took charge of this film; The burden of film perfection rested squarely on his own shoulders. At the time of pre-production, Golden Harvest had a tailor-made script prepared for Lee, called The Yellow-Faced Tiger, which Bruce was sincerely thinking about making, but he felt that with Way of the Dragon, he could have full control. From casting the characters to playing percussion!

Working 14 hours a day, Bruce and his crew worked tirelessly in both Hong Kong and Rome, to bring you the tale of Tang Lung, a country bumpkin sent to Italy to help his Uncle’s ailing restaurant business. Little does he know that a gang of mobsters want the restaurant for their own reasons, setting the pace for incredible fighting scenes. Excellent battles ensue between Lee and super-kicking Whang In-Sik, and champs Bob Wall and Chuck Norris, in an incredible finale fight, arguably Lee’s best (and with good reason; Lee had 20 pages of notes prepared for his duel with Norris). Lee’s best film is definitely Way of the Dragon.

S!DM’s Rating: 10/10

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

Clan of the White Lotus | aka Fist of the White Lotus (1980) Review

Posted on January 27, 2011 by JJ Bona
"Clan of the White Lotus" Chinese Theatrical Poster

“Clan of the White Lotus” Chinese Theatrical Poster

Director: Lo Lieh
Cast: Gordon Liu, Lo Lieh, Kara Hui, Johnny Wang Lung Wei, Hsiao Ho, Yeung Jing Jing, Cheng Miu, Ching Chu, Lam Fai Wong, Wilson Tong, Cham Siu Hung, Ho Kei Cheong, Lin Ke Ming, Ng Git Keung, San Sin
Running Time: 95 mins.

By Mighty Peking Man

Let’s get one thing straight: Fist of the White Lotus isn’t a remake or a sequel to 1977’s Executioners From Shaolin. I could see why they’d call it a remake, but sequel? No way.

I’m not sure what the director (Lo Lei) was trying to do, but I think of Fist of the White Lotus as more of a re-mixed, re-invention of the Liu Chia-Liang’s 1977 film. It has enough similarities in its skeleton, but its insides are a different story.

In Fist of the White Lotus, Lo Lei isn’t reprising his role as Pai Mei, he’s now playing his brother, White Lotus. The real Pai Mei (played by Wilson Tong) appears at the beginning of the film, but is killed off by Hung Wei-Ting (Gordon Liu Chia-Hui) and his partner. But hold on, wasn’t Pai Mei already killed in Executioners From Shaolin? You bet. Like I said, NOT a sequel.

I think the public wanted to see more of Lo Lei’s performance, in any variation of that evil white-eyebrowed kung fu maniac, so the Shaw Brothers gave it to them. Whatever the case may be, in either movies, you wouldn’t be wrong calling Lo Lieh’s character “White Eyebrows” or “Pai Mei” (or “Pak Mei”, both words mean White Eyebrows). It doesn’t matter.

What does matter is, like Executioners From Shaolin, Fist of the White Lotus is a really solid kung fu movie.

Once again, the action choreography is done by Liu Chia-Liang, so expect pure greatness. And this time, he’s not directing, so his primary focus is on the fight scenes alone; which may explain why his arrangements are a tad more polished this time around – well, that, and the fact that it was made a few years after.

Fist of the White Lotus is less dark, with more humor and fun. Because of this, the film’s natural pace is easier to sit through than Executioners From Shaolin. However, the seriousness in the latter reveals more integrity, especially when Fist of the White Lotus gets a little too corny: at one point, White Lotus is fighting while trying to cover up his nude body, and in pure embarrassment, he says to the attacker: “Why must you peak at an old man?”

We all love Chen Kuan-Tai, but having Gordon Liu as the main man is a nice change of pace. The inclusion of Johnny Wang and ESPECIALLY Kara Hui, makes this one enjoyable ride. I’ve seen her before here and there, but this is the first time she made me a fan.

Overall, a great directing job from Lo Lei, who never fails to impress me. I’m just so used to seeing him in random kung fu movies (sometimes in crappy flicks, like Chinese Connection II), that I never knew his direction was this slick. I guess it’s kind of hard to screw things up when you have a talented cast; a great fight choreographer; and the backing of a Shaw Brothers presentation.

I apologize for this review being more like a comparison between two similar movies, than an actual review about one. The best thing to do is watch both of them, back to back, starting with Executioners From Shaolin.

You can’t go wrong with either of them.

Mighty Peking Man’s Rating: 9/10

By The Lawgiver

More of a remake than a sequel of Shaolin Executioners (aka Executioners of Death ) Fists of the White Lotus stars two of the all-time greats: Gordon Liu, of Master Killer fame, and Lo Lieh (who doubles as the film’s director), who helped start it all in America with Five Fingers of Death. It contains the basic ingredients of a revenge plot, fun training sequences, and great fighting choreography, but it is Lo Lieh’s portrayal of the white-haired (almost) invulnerable head of the White Lotus Clan that raises this film above the standard fare. Lo Lieh steals every scene that he’s in, which is no small feat, considering he stars alongside Gordon Liu. The action starts immediately, with a fight sequence happening as the opening credits roll that is worthy of a film’s final battle.

This was one of my favorite films growing up and still holds up for me today. I love the fact that our villain can not only kill with a single blow to the chest, but determine how many steps you will take before you die. And our poor hero not only has to contend with finding his opponent’s one vulnerable point, he has to train to land a hit when it is realized that a fast and aggressive attack will cause his foe to literally blow away like a feather.

A must-see, one of the Shaw Brothers’ best.

The Lawgiver’s Rating: 9/10

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

Hong Kong Playboys (1983) Review

Posted on January 27, 2011 by JJ Bona
"Hong Kong Playboys" Chinese Theatrical Poster

"Hong Kong Playboys" Chinese Theatrical Poster

Director: Wong Jing
Writer: Wong Jing
Producer: Lawrence Wong
Cast: Alexander Fu Sheng, Patrick Tse Yin, Nat Chan (Pak Cheung), Cherie Chung (Cho Hung), Lau Suet Wa (Liu Hsueh-Hua), Lee Heung Kam, Fong Ping, Chan Laap Ban, Lam Fai Wong, Lau Yat Fan, Sek Kin, Tam Tin Nam, To Siu Ming, Chin Wai Yee
Time: 94 min

By Mighty Peking Man

Hong Kong Playboys stars the late Alexander Fu Sheng as Romantic Sheng, a free-spirited lady’s man who enjoys exotic cars and hi-tech gadgetry in his one-of-a-kind bachelor’s pad (you have to see his place to believe it – it’s a single guy’s dream!). His romantic situations are compromised when his mother and her caretaker (Cherie Chung) unexpectedly show up. Despite Sheng’s unwanted guests, he still manages to take part in a series of bizarre “who can get the women” competitions between him and Valentine (Patrick Tse), a middle-aged tycoon. Along the way, Sheng must choose between remaining a playboy or settling down with his one true love.

First off, let me get to the point: this movie is a letdown. I don’t mind movies that are pure camp, but this one is so convoluted that the necessary cheese-factors become pointless. The film starts off on the right track by introducing Sheng’s player-lifestyle and his ease with picking up on the ladies. In fact, one of the best scenes in the film, which lasts only minutes, is where Sheng teaches his chubby friend the “do’s and don’ts” of courting women. From this point on, the film’s entertainment factor goes up and down – but mostly down. There are a few moments of comedic magic but they seem to get lost in the film’s cluster of tiresome gags involving a number of beautiful women, dorky sidekicks, and unexplainable situations.

Am I being over critical? Sure I am. After all, this is an early Wong Jing flick and those who know his films know that most of them aren’t exactly classic material. One thing’s for sure: Alexander Fu Sheng is as charismatic as Chow Yun-Fat and Jackie Chan combined, and I’m talking in their best years; I’m not just saying this because the guy is dead (he lost his life in an accident where his car smashed into a wall at a very high speed, shortly after this film). There’s no doubt in my mind, even after his successful kung-fu career in 1970s (this film, however, is kung fu-less), that Fu Sheng could go head-to-head with Jackie Chan as far as overall success. After all, he’s been called the “James Dean of Hong Kong”…

Hong Kong Playboys also marks an early appearance by Cherie Chung who is mostly known for her work in Sammo Hung’s Winners and Sinners, Tsui Hark’s Peking Opera Blues, and John Woo’s Once A Thief. Other familiar faces include Patrick Tse (Shaolin Soccer) and the late Shih Kien (Han from Enter the Dragon).

Visually, the film has a great deal of iconic value. Since the film was made in the colorful year of 1983, it’s a possible treat for fans of retro-pop culture. Most of this takes place in Sheng’s pad where he shows off an array of hi-tech gadgetry including a radio controlled wine-server; a clap-on/clap-off switch for lights, music and stereo; an answering machine that displays which girlfriend is calling in the most 1980ish way; dozens of Member’s Only jackets; bad perms on the women; and classic sports cars that signify the film’s year, like the Lamborghini Countach. It may sound funny, but all these things add some much-needed charm to the film.

Overall, Hong Kong Playboys is a must for fans of Fu Sheng. Not only was it one of his last films, but it’s also the only one that shows a more animated and comedic side to him. Kudos to Celestial Pictures, they digitally remastered this for it’s DVD release and they did such a fantastic job that it looks as if it were filmed last year.

Like I said, a must for Fu Sheng fans. As a whole? Skip it.

Mighty Peking Man’s Rating: 6.5/10

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

Mighty Peking Man | aka Colossus of Congo (1977) Review

Posted on January 27, 2011 by JJ Bona
"Mighty Peking Man" International Theatrical Poster

“Mighty Peking Man” International Theatrical Poster

AKA: Goliathon
Director: Ho Meng-Hua
Cast: Danny Lee, Evelyne Kraft, Hang-Sheng Wu, Hsu Shao-Chiang, Ku Feng, Lin Wei-Tu, Chen Cheng-Feng, Alexander Grand, Lee Sau Kei, Wong Pau Gei
Running Time: 86 min.

By Gwailo

It’s a must-see oddity from the Shaw Brothers, starring a young Danny Lee, made around the same time as his equally campy Ultraman. A direct rip-off of the King Kong/Godzilla genre gone totally berserk. Now that it’s widely available on Quentin Tarantino’s Rolling Thunder label, this should grace every HK cinema collection.

If you need a no subtitle flick to wind down a drunken evening, this is it. Special effects are just that…special. These and the hokey props and locales are beautifully realized, expected, and more than welcome. Listen to the sound a boulder makes as it bounces of The Mighty Peking Man’s chest. Hilarious. See a leopard’s huge scrotum hang over an always scantily clad Evelyn Kraft’s shoulder as she spins (!?) around with him on her back!!! Laugh till you cry at the thought of a 5 passenger plane flying over the Himalayans!

I saw this gem of a movie on the revival circuit a few years back. The hands down best time I have ever had in a movie theater. In a word… wonderful!

Gwailo’s Rating: 9/10

By Alvin George

A Hong KoIn 1977, a year after Paramount released their critically-reviled remake of the classic “King Kong” (featuring a scraggly-looking Jeff Bridges and a young Jessica Lange), the Shaw Brothers put out their own version of the legend, calling the beast “Mighty Peking Man.” Sure, the dubbing is bad. Sure, the special effects are bad. (You can tell it’s a guy in an ape suit, and that the cars Mighty Peking Man stomps on are obviously models.) However, this film is a lot more fun to watch than all those stupid “serious” flicks Jackie Chan made with Lo Wei. Heck, it’s even more fun than “Godzilla 1985,” the movie where a model-animated Godzilla moved a lot more stiffly than the beast in this movie.

How can you go wrong with a movie that prominently features a lovely Daryl Hannah lookalike who runs around wearing nothing but animal skin? The extended scene where she makes out with Danny Lee (complete with a sappy sitar-driven song on the soundtrack) is the most ’70s love-making scene I have seen since Jimmy Wang Yu made love to an Australian cutie pie in “The Man From Hong Kong.” Too bad both the girl and the ape get exploited by some stupid idiot. I got mad when the bastard tried to rape the girl. (She may be a dumb blonde, but she’s not THAT dumb!) Like King Kong, Mighty Peking Man isn’t really an evil creature; he’s just trying to protect the girl, obeying her every command. If you are in the mood for something that won’t tax your brain cells much, then you’ll go ape over “Mighty Peking Man.”

Alvin George’s Rating: 7.5/10

By Mighty Peking Man

Fun. That’s what this movie is. Pure fun. A really, and I mean REALLY, obvious rip-off of “King Kong,” only better. A very young Danny Lee (yep, the same guy from “The Killer”) ventures into the jungle to track down a big ass ape. He captures and befriends it with the help of a sexy amazon chick (Evelyne Kraft). They fall in love (Lee and Kraft that is!) and both return to Hong Kong where all hell breaks loose as the ape runs wild!

This is the only PG-13 (that’s what it’s rated on Quentin Tarantino’s Rolling Thunder label) film I’ve ever seen where a female nipple is flashed every 15-minutes or so, not to mention a few butt shots; So kids, this IS the PG-13 film to see if you want some fast nudity!

The most hilarious moment comes during a slow-motion, romantic scene accompanied by a silly love song. I’ll watch this over any “King Kong” or “Godzilla” flick any day!

Mighty Peking Man’s Rating: 8/10

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