Rating: 4.5

The humour is never forced and the drama never over-cooked, meaning that as a whole, the film hits its targets with remarkable accuracy.

It may be a little rough around the edges and lack the gloss of a big budget action film but ‘Ten Dead Men’ holds it own and shows independent action cinema can serve up the goods.

Liu Chia Liang’s ‘The 36th Chamber Of Shaolin’ is an important cinematic moment and remains influential not just in Hong Kong film-making, but also globally.

Multi-layered and superbly made, ‘The 8 Diagram Pole Fighter’ remains one of the greatest martial arts movies of all time.

A gripping often emotional rollercoaster of a thriller, ‘The Chaser’ isn’t just one of the best Korean films of the year but one of the best films of the year.

‘The Emperor and the Assassin’ is a minor masterpiece and comes highly recommended, though it should be stated that this is not a film for everyone.

With plaudits earned by each and every department, it goes without saying that this is a work of art. Slow-moving, yet deeply effecting, ‘The Floating Landscape’ is undoubtedly one of the best films of 2003.

Classy, tense, complex and delivering some fine tuned action scenes: ‘The Foreigner’ is a well crafted film that gives Chan one of his best roles.

‘The Good, The Bad, The Weird’ is a great achievement and another success for Kim Jee-woon and is most importantly big, bright and ballistic entertainment that should be seen on a screen as big as possible.

Whether you’re looking for a martial arts movie with a bit more depth or just want some top-notch action, this really does deliver on all levels and I heartily recommend it.

A splendid, fight packed romp that is a must for any fan of Fu Sheng. In fact, it’s probably a must for any fan of kung fu films.

While sometimes over indulgent and not quite as good as the first instalment, ‘The Raid 2’ is still an incredible achievement, a staggering action film and, well, just plain essential cinema.