Cast Member: Tony Leung Chiu-Wai

‘I Love Maria’ offers a very good 100 minutes of entertainment for those who are looking for something new within Hong Kong cinema.

A good but not great film, as visually it works beautifully, but the pacing of the direction conflicts with the pace at which the story actually develops.

The film has one of the best stories I’ve seen in quite a while and the cast and crew all produce some of their finest work to date.

The pace, the emphasis on spy procedure rather than spy spectacle and the often graphic nature of some scenes may not be to everyone’s taste but ‘Lust, Caution’ is a challenging film made for adults.

If only Vincent Kok had nurtured the early comedy of ‘My Lucky Star’ and allowed the two stars to develop their love, this could have been above the norm.

In Derek Yee though, the film has an impressive craftsmen who layers the tension until the film’s ultimately downbeat conclusion.

Despite having no conclusion of its own, all of the groundwork of the characterisation and story make the next chapter an exciting prospect.

Part 2 is certainly the superior one, but both deserve individual credit for reviving the dying embers of John Woo’s career.

‘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.

‘Seven Warriors’ does not compare to the flawless epic that inspired it, but it’s encouraging to report that this is well worth watching.

The production cannot sustain its appeal nor can it do justice to the grand themes of loneliness/love that it attempts to tackle.

‘Carry on Wuxia’ it may be, but in execution and energy ‘The Eagle Shooting Heroes’ is the most polished in-joke ever made.