Cast Member: Shu Qi

‘Seoul Raiders’ is not only a disappointment in comparison to ‘Tokyo Raiders’, but also a worrying reminder of the recent lack of sparkle in Hong Kong action cinema.

The opening does promise a fun and breezy film before it gets bogged down in confusion, but there are moments that keep the viewer watching.

Those with a spare couple of hours and a penchant for attractive women shooting up enough plate glass to build a large greenhouse should rent this today.

The style of this sequel is just as frenetic as its forerunner, combining visual cues from video games and anime along with the steam-punk vision of 19th century China.

Despite being as absurdly hyperactive as a coffee junkie with St. Vitus’ Dance, ‘Tai Chi Zero’ is fun and snappy for most of its running time.

‘The Adventurers’ itself is a breezy romp with a good cast, some smart action sequences and enough momentum to make its duration enjoyable on a standard level.

‘The Blacksheep Affair’ is an exhilarating action film that firmly puts Vincent Zhao on the map as a possible successor to Jet Li.

‘The Storm Riders’ is a film that all Hong Kong film fans will want to watch for its reputation. Whether or not it’ll stay in the viewer’s mind much longer after the final credits role is a different matter.

All in all, this is a solid action flick that should appeal to those who enjoyed ‘Kiss of the Dragon’ and similar adrenaline-fuelled fare.

‘The Village Of No Return’ is stuck between two stools – too disjointed to appeal to the mainstream, but too flat to be considered anything particularly out of the ordinary.

A cast of real stars has been assembled and coupled with effects that range from the good to the poor, but overall this is still a cold film with very little heart.

‘Till Death Do Us Laugh’ hits a nice balance of horror and comedy, with neither outweighing the other, whilst never taking itself so seriously as a collective that the audience can’t have a bit of fun with it.