Genre: Drama

Despite using well worn action tropes as a framework to pit two men against one another, the film spins a refreshing take on these tropes to constantly surprise the viewer and ultimately deliver an emotional wallop.

Tackling a taboo subject with maturity and outstanding sensitivity, it should be of no great surprise to see ‘Departures’ striking a chord with audiences around the globe.

A life-affirming work that came at a key time for a director whose self-confidence was at its lowest ebb, ‘Dersu Urzala’ is cinema at its most vital.

The film has stood the test of time in terms of fight action, performances and direction, all of which are exceptional.

The Korean hit makes ample use of the fine chemistry between its two main stars and the inherent interest generated by such a workable premise.

‘Dog’ is a powerful short film that doesn’t flinch on the violence and certainly delves into the dark corners of society.

Liu provides a more than acceptable ‘Don Quixote-lite’, a necessarily truncated interpretation that will hopefully inspire some to read the Cervantes masterpiece in full.

‘Don’t Cry, Mommy’ is a decent entry into the revenge genre, albeit a fairly imperfect one.

‘Dragon Blade’, for the most part is an entertaining ride but sways inconsistently between hard hitting period action and cheesy dramatics.

The film wastes the majority of talent involved and meanders along without anything even remotely memorable to offer.

Jackie Chan is given one of his more serious roles and succeeds in giving a fine performance both in the acting and the fighting departments.

Even though it is littered with flaws, I feel I can’t give ‘Dragon Squad’ the complete thumbs down as it is one of those films that could easily pass for a guilty pleasure.