Author: Andrew Skeates

A straightforward martial arts film it may be but is all the better for it and features a great cast, blistering fight scenes and proves that sometimes old school is the best school.

A classy affair all round, ‘Blades of Blood’ is an invigorating and hugely enjoyable slice of chanbara styled storytelling from Korea.

A true gangster epic with brilliant performances, direction and action and not a mockney geezer or wideboy in sight. Simply: great.

‘Big Man Japan’ isn’t always quite as quirky and clever as it thinks it is but is nevertheless another entertaining example of why Japanese cinema is at the forefront of the unique and creative.

Thanks to some solid acting, engaging characters and a little bit of gunplay action this isn’t a bad little romance-gone-bad/crime picture.

Unfortunately, ‘Beauty Escort’ is no old school classic and should probably only be viewed by complete-ists, or after you have exhausted many (many) other old school kung fu flicks or very late at night with a buddy who can make fun of it with you.

While it doesn’t always engage and could have used a little more oomph come the second half, Feng Xiaogang’s film is still a decent attempt at dynasty drama.

This lacklustre and also very sluggish remake, comes from Nicholas Cage and the Pang Brothers once again and offers nothing new to say and pretty much suffers from the same problems as the original.

A worthy follow up to Kitamura’s stylish original and certainly packs a punch in the Samurai action department.

Despite the odd dip into cheesiness, lethargic storytelling and over earnestness, ‘Night Raid’ is still an enjoyable slice of war action with an intriguing story and some likeable characters at its core.

Only recommended to war completists and those who find overt sentimentality and propaganda pushing easier to swallow.

A personal story told on a grand scale ‘Assembly’ is as good as war flicks get, finding a near perfect balance between a personal journey and large scale combat.