Country: Thailand

‘Edge of the Empire’ just doesn’t live up to its potential, takes itself too seriously to be cheesy fun and is recommended only to die hard historical epic fans.

‘FB: Fighting Beat’ isn’t that bad but it’s just been done so much better before and nothing no fight film fan hasn’t seen a million times.

Sure everything in-between the violent clashes on the court is a little amateur but the point of the film is to showcase an original, if unlikely, martial arts sport and on those terms ‘Fireball’ delivers.

Winds up being a complete mess of a movie that is neither suitable for kids nor action-packed enough for fight fans.

The only reason I can find to recommend it is to see a young Tony Jaa in action, but even this isn’t enough of a reason to sit through all of the surrounding “comedy” sequences.

There is a good idea for an action thriller buried somewhere in ‘My Best Bodyguard’ but it’s wasted on a cluttered narrative, mostly sloppy action and a whole lot of melodrama daftness.

Eye-popping displays of martial arts mixed with WWE style chair and table smashing exhilarate the senses.

I’d say if you love your action then you won’t be disappointed but I still can’t shake the feeling that if Tony hadn’t left the set half way through, things might have been even better.

‘Ong Bak 3’ has all the hallmarks of a film rushed into production with a complete disregard for cinematic fundamentals and quality control.

‘Phobia 2’ sees many of the previous entry’s directors, writers and producers return to now tell five new short tales of terror and is, surprisingly, a superior slice of portmanteau horror.

Despite the slick visual look, kooky set up and a little too much reliance on wirework and CGI enhancement come the last third, ‘Raging Phoenix’ is really what we loved about the fight flicks from Hong Kong’s golden age.

Overall the film, much like its hero, has a low budget ramshackle charm that manages to entertain for the duration but wont leave you thinking about it the next day.