Big Bullet (China,1996) 4/5
Believe it or not, my first Benny Chan movie…And what an entrance! What I loved most about this movie was the characters. Just a great group of guys (And gal) to hang around with and I would have loved to see more adventures of them—Even if the sequels would suck ass.
Nice action, Anthony Wong doing his best scene-stealing as a madman henchman and the only fault I had with it was the over-the-top climax involving the jet plane. Other than that, all good.
-UL&V DVD
Peking Opera Blues (China,1986) 3.5/5
I actually do feel that this is a slightly better movie than the ranking says, and that might be appropriate once/when I give this a 2nd viewing. And I guess that’s the problem. My initial viewing had me confused trying to tell the characters apart and what their agendas were, but the good ol’ dazzling action and performance sequences grabbed my attention. Quite good humor too. Loved the “Weekend at Bernie’s” bit.
-Kung Fu Channel
The Water Margin (China,1972) 2.5/5
Given the opening, scrowling text of what lies ahead, I was expecting non-stop wuxia warfare delivered in the traditional Chang Cheh way. Remarkably, the action results are subdued up untill the climax and the majority of the movie just focuses on a jail-break. I was also surprised on how truly unconvincing David Chiang’s martial arts looked in this movie (I’m guessing he wasn’t in the greatest of shape while making this one) The only merits I found with this one was the unusually cool music score (Which I’d bet was lifted from a film from the West that I haven’t seen yet) and the presence of the late,great Tetsuo Tanba who ain’t bad playing a Chinese hero.
-Image DVD
Confession of Pain (Hong Kong, 2006)
With Infernal Affairs dynamic duo Andrew Lau and Alan Mak behind the camera, and leading men Tony Leung and Takeshi Kaneshiro in front, one would expect nothing less of a masterpiece. And while many critics and moviegoers alike disagree, I for one agree. Of course, not that it’s a masterpiece – it has its flaws as well – but overall it was an entertaining film which transcends typical action/crime flicks. The direction is top notch and the acting, though mostly on the part of Leung, is superb. However, the film does suffer from being bloated. It encompasses everything from revenge to remorse to romance. And oftentimes such inclusions are extraneous and rather detrimental. But perhaps most crippling is the lack of logic regarding the police investigation. Anyone would scoff at the idea of a private detective being allowed access to criminal evidence, much less handle it without gloves.
Dora-Heita (Japan, 2000)
After seeing The Kon Ichikawa Story, I had to see the master’s films for myself. And being a fan of Kôji Yakusho, Dora-Heita seemed a perfect chance to get myself better acquainted. I am by no means a chambara expert, so I really didn’t know what to expect. However, I was pleasantly surprised. The film is an engaging piece owing its success to its quirky, yet cunning, protagonist, Dora-Heita. This man is on the surface an insolent playboy, but is in reality a devious detective/politician – or is he? It’s never made clear which persona is truer to his self, so the only answer is that he is both, which makes his character that much more intriguing. With innovative twists, decent action, and sporadic humour, Dora-Heita is a thoroughly enjoyable film.
The Great Yokai War (Japan, 2005) – 4/5
Takashi Miike helming a family movie was only a matter of time but what is surprising about his CG filled 2000’s yokai upgrade is the amout of wittiness and general fucking with the family movie conventions. Cigar smoking yokais, iron monsters with chainsaw hands, terribly funny and cruel mistreat of cute furry creatures and the burning hot Chiaki Kuriyama is something that wouldn’t quite fit the western Disney formula. The rest of the content fall into the correct category though, with amusing and sometimes childish fantasy creatures, traditional saving the world from the evil plot and a brave 10 year old hero, Kirin Rider, played by Ryunosuke Kamiki. The rest of the cast includes Etsushi Toyokawa, Renji Ishibashi, Kenichi Endo and Bunta Sugawara as the grandfather!
- dvd / Media Blasters
The Bodyguard (Japan 1973 / 1976) – 3/5
The Bodyguard is the American version on Bodyguard Kiba, with some added bits (including the famous Ezekiel speech) and possibly other changes. The movie is somewhat a mess (who’s fault that is I don’t know) but thankfully entertaining enough with its bits of ultra violence and some spaghetti western imagery to please a hard core Chiba fan. The ending is excellent and the supporting cast features some great Toei actors like Eiji Go, Hideo Murota and Ryohei Uchida. Contrary to the dvd cover promises Etsuko Shihomi does not apper in the movie. Instead the deady female fist of The Bodyguard is played by Yayoi Watanabe.
- dvd / BCI (english dub)
Brother of Darkness (Hong Kong, 1994) – 3/5
Anthony Wong playing a decent citizen in a cat III film? Unbelievable, although not really a problem. Director Billy Tang (Red to Kill) is one of the more talented category 3 meastros and capable of delivering very solid thrillers. Brother of Darkness is less sleazy than some other genre films and even features some very romantic and beautiful scenes. The characters and storyline are pretty good as well. A special mention goes to my favourite cat III actress Lily Chung who plays the female lead. She’s got such sweetness and innocence that is extremely rare in the genre.
- dvd / Universe
Ebola Syndrome (Hong Kong, 1996) – 3,5/5
This is the closest I’ve ever come to puking while watching a movie. I really started feeling nauseous during the African pork chop scene. And I was grinning like a madman at the same time. Herman Yau’s legendary and surprisingly large scale Ebola Syndrome is definitely one of the sickest movies ever made. But it’s also so damn funny it’s impossible not to enjoy. Anthony Wong is in his element as a pathetic madman, the dialogue is full of classics like â€
Tokyo . Sora (Japan, 2002) – 4,5/5
Movies like this retain my belief in modern cinema. Hiroshi Ishikawa’s debut feature about 6 women living in Tokyo features such dazzling cinematography and hugely impressive slow pace that even 127 minutes feels too short. Aside visuals the use of sound is also incredible. Ishikawa uses music sparsely but when he does the effect is extremely powerful. The characters are very good although you’d wish more sceentime for many of them. As a single flaw one character is given too much attention during the second half which leads to a very slight drop in quality.
- dvd / Rentrack Ent.
The Coast Guard (South Korea, 2002) – 3/5
How can such a promising movie crash like this? Appart from the opening scene the beginning is pure Kim Ki-duk. Around 40 minutes the film reaches the same dark level of excellence that dominates films like The Isle and Bad Guy. And then everything goes downhill. The movie falls into a hole of half-ridiculousness and never quite gets up from it. There’s a few random impressive moments but most of the entertainment factor relies on viewer curiosity. It’s interesting if not desirable to witness how a talented director unintentionally turns his movie into (tragi) comedy.
- dvd / EnterOne
Eastern Condors (Hong Kong, 1986) – 4,5/5
Sammo Hung’s Chinese Dirty Dozen go Vietnam is one of the best Hong Kong action movies of the 80’s. Being one of the few war movies made in HK Eastern Condors manages to combine some originality with first rate technical execution. The moody soundtrack, all star cast and effective 60/40 mix of hard boiled (machine) gunplay and brutal martial arts all work to the fullest. Stars Sammo Hung, Yuen Biao, Yuen Wah, Yuen Woo Ping, Lam Ching Ying, Joyce Godenzi, Corey Yuen, Billy Chow, Wu Ma, Chin Kar Lok and Yasuaki Kurata. Damn.
- dvd /HKL
Untold Scandal (South Korea, 2003) – 4/5
Even a French period piece can become interesting when you turn it into a Korean period piece. E.J. Yong’s superb adaptation of Les Liaisons Dangereuses is stylish, witty, erotic and even cute (this may sound weird the scene where the young servant girl is having oral sex is the cutest scene I’ve seen in quite some time). Not to forget some excellent dark humour which I’d assume at least partly to originate from Pierre Choderlos de Laclos’s original novel. And I thought this would be a boring costume drama…
- TV
Retribution (Japan, 2006) - 2,5/5
This is another rather typical j-horror fare. It’s unfortunate it had to be my first Kurosawa although I’m not letting it affect on my hopes. I’m convinced the director is capable of delivering good movies and I’m really looking forward to seeing Barren Illusions.
- hiff
Paprika (Japan, 2006)– 3,5/5
Having loved Satoshi Kon’s previous films Millenium Actress and Tokyo Godfathers I found Paprika surprisingly noisy (even if this was slightly visible in his older works, too). Nevertheless the movie is very catchy and offers a good ride for those not looking for anything too discreet.
- hiff
Tuli (Philippines, 2005) – 1/5
Don’t let the glossy press materials fool you, this alwul Filipino movie looks like a bad home video (and is scripted accordingly). The hazy yellow tinted image is a disgrace to digital cinematography. Balancing somewhere between fiction and documentary Tuli’s depiction of adulthood rites and girl-love will either put you into sleep of make you feel very embarrased for the â€
Dai Nipponjin (Japan, 2007) – 3/5
Hitoshi Matsumoto’s directorial debyt can’t be blamed for lack of originality. Matsumoto himself stars as Daisato, a big Japanese (Dai Nipponjin) man of extraordinary skills. Whenever Japan is in danger he will transform into 80-foot superhero to fight all sorts of Godzillas and Gameras. Unfortunately times are not good and Daisato has lost his popularity. TV reports of his fights have been pushed past midnight and people mock him as ’big idiot’… Director Matsumoto’s brightest idea has been to not deliver a laugh-out-loud comedy but sort of kaiju/super hero mockumentary where a documentary crew follows Daisato’s everyday life and interviews him, his agent, family members and bystanders. The pace is very slow, the humour mostly low key and the style, well, documentaristic. But it’s this contradiction between the content and the execution that makes the film so hilarious. The ending on the other had goes to such limits you probably won’t believe your eyes.
- hiff
Like a Dragon (Japan, 2007) – 3,5/5
Takashi Miike’s video game adaptation isn’t one of his best works but entertains thoroughly nevertheless. Miike sets up a sweaty summer night in Tokyo with a half dozen hot-headed participants on crash course. CGI is kept close to minimum and what there is doesn’t feel too distracting due to the video game origins. The obvious pg-12 requirements show although you have to remember it still allows a couple of hundred baseball bat headshots plus some stylish high bodycount gunplay. Visually the movie looks fantastic with bight colours and endless neon light glare. The cast features some great Miike regulars such as Sho Aikawa as well as many new faces, including the beautiful Saeko who nearly made me yell â€
My first contribution, and I’ll try to keep up - but like with the old “list the movies you watch this year” threads over at VC; I sometimes forget to update 
The Mission - Been hearing about it forever, but never got around to seeing it. I believe Bullet was trying to get me into To a year or so ago, but I just never got around to scoping out any of his films. Now thanks to the magic of netflix, I had The Mission and Running Out of Time delivered to my house just the other day! Yay! Anywho, great little film. Very stylish with an exceptionally fast building pulp script with several amazing sequences in between the twists and turns. The shootout where time seems to stop in the mall is unforgettable and dramatic. Highly reccomended! 4/5 - maybe 5/5, still debating 
I’m a Cyborg but that’s Okay (South Korea, 2006) – 1,5/5
And what happened to Chan-wook Park? I’m a Cyborg but that’s Okay is a painful mess that lacks almost everything that made his previous films good. The stunnning soundtracks, magnificent visuals, clever storylines… all vanished. Ironically Park (only) succeeds with violence, the very theme he was trying to move further away from with this awkward drama/comedy that seemingly has no deeper meaning hidden under the messy core.
- hiff
Breath (South Korea, 2007) – 4/5
I’m glad to report that Kim’s new film is a step up after the melodramatic Time. While not quite up to his best days Kim has mostly abandoned the crowd pleasing elements and put the aim back on silent obsession. The storyline is about a married woman who starts casual meetings with a death row prisoner (Chang Chen) who may or may not be her old boyfriend as she tells people.
- hiff
Triangle (Hong Kong, 2007) – 3,5/5
Instead of directing three separate episodes Tsui Hark, Ringo Lam and Johnnie To deliver a single storyline, with each director helming one third of the movie. The outcome is an undeniable mess, but a very enjoyable one. The movie begins as a crime thriller but soon gets weirder and weirder. By the time To takes over the movie has turned into a sort of violent mystery farce told with a straigh face. Lam Suet’s appearance near the end is a small classic that will be equally hated and loved. Just like the whole movie.
- hiff
Tabunfire (Dynamite Warrior) (Thailand, 2006) – 4,5/5
Cannibalism, black magic, vertically limited warriors (midgets), huge moustache, muay thai (with some wire work this time)… Tabunfire is a high kicking camp dream come true. Mixing off-the-wall story elements with quality action and mixing the soup with virgin blood this a strong candidate for the best action movie of the year.
- hiff
Tekkonkinkreet (Japan, 2006) – 1,5/5
A boring, noisy mess of an anime film directed by American born Michael Arias, and drawn in a style that didn’t please me at all (with an exception of one character). Minor bonus from Yu Aoi’s voice acting role.
- hiff
Spider Lilies (Taiwan, 2007) – 4/5
Zero Chou’s film about a web cam girl and a tattoo artist is pretty much a perfect mainstream drama. There’s some clumsiness in storyline but the lesbian theme is handled well and without much underlining on clichè. Both leads (Rainie Yang and Isabella Leong) do excellent job in portraying extremely likable (and cute) characters. The audio visual side is top notch with a beautiful soundtrack and colourful cinematography. Web cam image is occationally used to a great effect.
- hiff
Dasepo Naughty Girls (South Korea, 2006) – 3/5
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Tokugawa onna keizu (Japan, 1968) – 3/5
Teruo Ishii started his transform into smut master with this entertaining but thoroughly unshocking period piece. While there’s hardly any violence the nudity bank is blown all over the harem walls even before the opening credits have fully rolled. The movie is heavy on dialogue but the production values are somewhat high with plenty of stylish harem footage. The last third is weaker than the rest of the film, but the fantastic ending image saves a bit. The cast features Yoko Mihara, Naomi Tani (yes, the Nikkatsu lady), Yukie Kagawa and two familar male Ishii regulars; Teruo Yoshida and Asao Koike (who would later meet in Tokugawa irezumi-shi, among others).
- dvd / Toei
Love and Crime (Japan, 1969) - 3,5/5
Four stories of love and crime packed into 92 minutes, all courtesy of madman Teruo Ishii. The opening episode, a classic and moody non-supernatural horror tale set in the 1960’s, is the best of the bunch. The follow up is Ishii’s take on the Abe Sada tale, but it doesn’t bring much new to the famous true story, except a brief cameo by the real life Abe Sada. Notably better fares the next story which follows a serial killer / rapist during the war years. Shot in b/w this episode sports an impressive cold and minimalistic atmosphere. The movie ends with a disturbing tale of a woman married to a malformed man.
- dvd / Toei
Horrors of Malformed Men (Japan, 1969) – 4/5
Teruo Ishii’s notorious horror tale mixes several Edogawa Rampo stories in a politically incorrect fashion that lead the own studio to ban the movie soon after its original release. Teruo Yoshida stars as a man obsessed with solving a mystery that will later lead him into a new world of horror. Ishii moves the story rather slowly, although enjoyably, till the halfway point where all hell breaks loose. What follows is one of the most memorable and impressive 10 minutes in genre history. After that the movie slows down a bit but remains fascinating till the legendary final scene.
- dvd / Synapse
Snake Woman’s Curse (Japan, 1968) – 3/5
Nobuo Nakagawa’s stylish combination of traditional ghost story and social commentary has recently become a victim of mismarketing. Featuring next to none exploitation elements this story heavy period movie may disappoint those expecting a â€
City on Fire (Hong Kong, 1987) – 3,5/5
Ringo Lam’s classic is a mixed bag. The scrip is in a need of polishing with some unnecessary side plots, and Lam is often in a too much hurry to make the characters very approachable. More characterization for the leads wouldn’t hurt. Acting isn’t always that good, either. What the film really succeeds in is being a hard boiled heist thriller.
The brutal action sequences are masterfully executed, and the main character is well crafted. Chow Yun Fat’s small time punk turned undercover cop is not quite the heroic gentleman he’s used to playing. Lam interestingly blurs the line between good and bad, duty and brotherhood.
- dvd / HKL
Itsuka dareka ga korosareru (Japan, 1984) – 3/5
Noriko Watanabe stars in this enjoyable but non-remarkable Kadokawa idol film. The mystery story is heavy on dialogue but Noriko sings, Noriko drives a motorcycle, and Noriko looks generally good. Directed by Yoichi Sai (Blood and Bones).
- dvd / Kadokawa
Akira (Japan, 1988) – 4,5/5
What is there left to say about this film? Akira is simply one of the most influential movies ever made, a scifi pic in the league of Blade Runner. Impossible not to appreciate.
- dvd / Geneon
Yes, Madam (Hong Kong, 1985) – 3/5
This is the first film in the Yes, Madam series, and also the second part in the In the Line of Duty series. The UK dvd cover states Police Assassins but since Royal Warriors (aka in the Line of Duty) is also know as Police Assassins this is actually Police Assassins 2. Ah, what a mess. The movie itself is a classic 80’s girls kick ass cinema, in good and in bad. The good is that Michelle Yeoh performs some fantastic fight and stunt action and also looks incredibly good. Michelle with glasses attached is the best I’ve ever seen her look. The bad is Cynthia Rothrock. The movie would fare much better without that nasty white bitch. The rest of the cast is pure gold with supporting roles by John Sham, Hoi Mang, Tsui Hark and Dick Wei, plus an incredible amount of cameos including Wu Ma, Richard Ng, Sammo Hung and David Chiang.
- dvd / HKL
Royal Warriors (Hong Kong, 1986) – 3/5
Michelle Yeoh and Hiroyuki Sanada kicking ass together! Not even Michael Wong manage ruin a movie with such great formula (although he tries his best). Royal Warriors (aka In the Line of Duty, note the production year) isn’t the most sophisticated action film to come out of Hong Kong but is pretty good entertainment nevertless. The soundtrack is nice, the action well choreographed (including a suprise weapon in the finale) and the gravestone â€
In the Line of Duty III (Hong Kong, 1988) – 3,5/5
Cynthia Khan (no relation to Rothrock, thank god) takes over Michelle Yeoh’s role in the â€
In the Line of Duty 5 (Hong Kong, 1991) – 2,5/5
Still starring Khan, but unfortunately the quality has come down from the last two instalments. The movie starts moderately well, and the ending offers some decent action but otherwise the second half drags. Cynthia’s hair style isn’t very good, either.The only real improvement is that the foreign languages are back, with plenty of english and some korean, too. Overall decent viewing for fans of Cynthia, others can afford to skip.
- dvd / Universe
Flash Point (Hong Kong, 2007) – 3/5
It’s starting to look like SPL was the exception on Wilson Yip’s career, not Dragon Tiger Gate or The White Dragon. Flash Point doesn’t come even close to being this year’s Sha Po Lang. But who says it needs to? Yip and Yen deliver a perfectly adequate cop thriller that goes through all the genre cliches and packs 20 minutes of non-stop action to the end. The story drags badly but the Hong Kong night footage is a treat to the eye, as is the exeptionally beautiful female cast. None of the actors impress with their acting skills, but Yen shows an interesting glimpse of self irony in the beginning. His tougher than though cop act is pretty amusing to follow at times although I’m not sure if he intended it to be taken seriously. The fight action is good but lacks the intensity of Yen’s best work. The grassfield gunfight is pretty terrific, though.
- dvd / Deltamac
Angel (Iron Angels) (Hong Kong, 1987) – 3,5/5
What’s Elaine Lui + Moon Lee + Yukari Oshima? That’s 150 bodies plus hellava lot of broken bones. Angel features not only one of the most bone crunching femme fatale finales ever but also some excellent gunplay. The scene where this asian Schwarzenegger and two female Rambos go for a rescue mission is in the league of Commando. The soundtrack features some kick ass tunes as well. On the minus side the first half is feels a bit slow, although I’m quite sure it will work notably better on repeated viewings, or alternatively if you’re already very familiar with the main cast.
- dvd / Mei Ah
My Heart is That Eternal Rose (Hong Kong, 1989) – 4,5/5
My Heart is That Eternal Rose is one of the largely undiscovered Hong Kong gems, a true heroic bloodshed classic. Directed by Patrick Tam (After This Our Exile) this movie could be described as Wong Kar Wai in the world of John Woo. The crime drama sports an excellent screenplay, stylish action (although there’s only a few action scenes), beautiful music and visuals (cinematography by Christopher Doyle and David Chung) and an amazingly good performance by young Tony Leung (Chiu Wai). The rest of the main cast features Kenny Bee, Joey Wang and Gordon Liu.
- dvd / Mei Ah
Mezzo Forte (Japan, 1998) – 2,5/5
Kite director Yasuomi Umetsu continues on the same path but with more humour. While the numerous laughs are the saving element the sex scenes feel even more unnecessary than before. The first half is generally quite good (including the hilarious bowling alley sequence) but the last 30 minutes is a bit of a mess. Less androids, more sense please.
- dvd / Kitty Media
Nerawareta gakuen (School in the Crosshairs) (The Aimed School) (Japan, 1981) - 3/5
Obayashi starts his movie from outer space, and I’m not even surprised. The storyline is about a young girl with telepathic skills but, again unsurprisinly, Obayshi roots it tightly to high school surroundings. Better script and more characterization woundn’t hurt, but the magical soundtrack and visual supply is intoxicating. Obayashi uses black & while image, colours parts of the picture, turns the sky blazing red and makes the stars dance. In the middle of all is the incredibly cute and sweet Hiroko Yakushimaru.
- dvd / Kadokawa
Karei naru tsuiseki (The Great Chase) (Japan, 1975) – 3/5
The Great Chase has a real promising premise, but the film is unfortunately one of the lesser efforts on both director Norifumi Suzuki and star Etsuko Shihomi’s career. The supporting cast is overloaded with dynamite actors like Eiji Go, Bin Amatsu, Fumio Watanabe and Masashi Ishibashi, just to mention a few, and all of them criminally underused. They have their moments, though. Etsuko’s cuteness is used well, and her endless jumping from one silly disguse to another is a lot of fun. The action scenes are a bit stiff, with the exception of the electrofying last 20 minutes.
- dvd / Toei
The Big Heat (Hong Kong, 1988) – 3/5
Ever seen a Hong Kong police splatter? This Johnnie To / Andrew Kam actioner comes close to earning that honor a few times. Waise Lee does decent job in the lead, but the film’s pace is a bit too hectic to allow the viewer the get a hold of much anything. However, the soundtrack is stylish (the same theme later re-used in All About Ah-Long), Lee cool as hell in sunglasses, and the action finale totally insane. They don’t make ‘em like this anymore.
- dvd / Deltamac
My Heart is That Eternal Rose (Hong Kong, 1989) – 4,5/5
Patrick Tam’s heroic bloodshed masterpiece can take repeated viewings with an ease. While the action is limited to a handful of violent but satisfying bursts it’s the storyline and glamorous visuals lensed by Wong Kar Wai collaborator Christopher Doyle and David Chung that raise the movie far above average crime dramas. The lead couple Kenny Bee and Joey Wang are both good, only overshadowed by Tony Leung Chiu Wai’s terrific performance as a small time triad errand boy falling in love with the gangster’s lady.
- dvd / Mei Ah
The Outlaw Brothers (Hong Kong, 1990) – 3,5/5
Brothers James and Bond steal cars and play with the cops in Frankie Chan’s charming action comedy. The mixture of first grade martial arts and unexpectedly good romantic comedy is supported by stylish soundtrack and plenty of eye candy; Ferrari’s, Porche’s, Sheila Chan (miss Hong Kong runner up), and the show stealing Yukari Oshima who provides excellent moves throughout the film. The japanese supporting cast is completed with Yukari Oshima, who doesn’t get to do much hand fighting but has a very impressive moment with a machine gun.
- dvd / HKL