Rating: 4.5

‘Golgo 13: The Professional’ is a truly genre-defining anime classic that is as exciting today as it was back in the 1980s.

Brilliant. Heart-breaking. Life-affirming. Devastating. These are the first words that came to my mind as the credits rolled.

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.

Amusing (though never crude) and nostalgic (though never overly sentimental), Riley Yip’s gentle ‘coming-of-age’ comedy/drama earns a major recommendation.

A mixture of beautifully written, slightly quirky and completely endearing characters, this is the kind of ensemble comedy drama that Asian cinema does so well.

Another superbly constructed piece of cinema that really captures the imagination and warms the heart.

It tackles a complex subject with real skill and, while not pretending to be the definitive film on the matter – as if any one film could claim to be – it is a work of rare brilliance.

There is so much acclaim to heap on ‘Marathon’ that it is difficult to pin-point just one stand out feature.

‘Pork Of Music’ is probably the best of the series, full of beautiful moments, delicate satire and heart-warming artwork.

‘Minari’ is beautifully shot – Terence Malik would be proud – and directed with such assuredness that you quickly realise that you are watching something special.

This is a rollicking action-adventure that is packed with top kung fu entertainment but because of a lack of depth misses out on a higher grade.

Slick, confident and complex, much like its main characters, ‘New World’ un-spools a gripping tale of loyalty and the quest for power.