Reviews

Ode To Gallantry

3.5

Action, Comedy, Drama, Martial Arts • Hong Kong
Mar 24

Perhaps not what one might be expecting from all those involved but nevertheless ‘Ode to Gallantry’ is another solid Cheh flick buoyed by a fantastic lead performance from Philip Kwok.
In Between Loves

2.0

Comedy, Crime, Thriller • Hong Kong
Mar 21

A partial remake of ‘Eyewitness’, the flawed, but diverting 1981 William Hurt/Sigourney Weaver thriller, ‘In Between Loves’ starts with promise only to quickly lose it all.

Shaolin Boxers

3.5

Action, Drama, Martial Arts • Hong Kong
Mar 17

Frivolous of plot it may be but director Huang Ta makes up for the lack of narrative meat by stuffing the film with superb fight action.
Crazy Nuts Of Kung Fu

3.0

Action, Comedy, Martial Arts • Hong Kong
Mar 10

The finale offers a solid conclusion to a production that has promise but never quite delivers on it – ‘Crazy Nuts of Kung Fu’ is never really the kung-fu buddy film you hope it will be.
Doctor Vampire

4.0

Action, Comedy, Horror • Hong Kong
Feb 24

A fangtastically (sorry!) fun and extremely silly film is a great time for those looking for a creatively made comedy with a dash of cool supernatural action.
Mama’s Affair

4.0

Drama • Hong Kong
Feb 20

It’s another story about the quiet drama of everyday life despite being set in the music industry and while Hong Kong keeps making films that stay true to their roots, I’ll always be watching.
Legend Of The Eight Samurai

3.0

Action, Adventure, Drama, Fantasy, History, Martial Arts, Romance • Japan
Feb 17

It just takes a while to get going with too much wandering around, the leads randomly and conveniently bumping into everyone, and their romance clogging up too much of the runtime.
Black Dragon River

2.5

Action, Martial Arts • South Korea
Feb 13

There is a degree of drama in this story of redemption but it’s not constructed with any great care and can hardly make up for the lack of sparkle in the choreography.
Ghost Punting

3.0

Action, Comedy, Fantasy, Horror, Martial Arts • Hong Kong
Feb 10

Mercifully the ghost busting escapades do provide some laughter and come the final run Sammo Hung and Corey Yuen unleash some wicked fight action.
Everything Under Control

4.0

Action, Comedy, Crime • Hong Kong
Feb 3

‘Everything Under Control’ brings together a few members of popular Cantopop group Mirror and the ever quirky Ivana Wong for a suitably amusing and defiantly odd Hong Kong comedy.
Kill ‘Em All 2

2.5

Action, Crime, Martial Arts, Thriller • USA
Jan 25

The original ‘Kill ‘Em All’ was no great shakes, and this belated sequel only slightly improves on the first film thanks to some nice location work and a modicum of half decent action.
Panda Plan

2.0

Action, Comedy, Martial Arts • China
Jan 18

The fight action is apologetic, the comedy forced and the complete package a grave disservice to the young audience it was obviously intended for.
Black Cat II

4.0

Action, Drama, Martial Arts, Thriller • Hong Kong
Jan 11

While the original was essentially a remake of Luc Besson’s ‘La Femme Nikita’, ‘Black Cat II’ is more a straightforward action flick, with a little bit of ‘Terminator’ thrown in.
A Legend

2.0

Action, Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Fantasy, Martial Arts • China, Hong Kong
Jan 4

‘A Legend’ was a sequel nobody asked for, a follow-up to the woeful ‘Kung Fu Yoga’ which I only now realise was intended as a sequel to ‘The Myth’.
Black Cat

3.5

Action, Thriller • Hong Kong
Dec 29

Jade Leung’s impressively committed performance and the always dependable Simon Yam elevate the low budget nature of the flick making it an entertaining romp.
Tai Chi Chun

3.5

Action, Drama, Martial Arts • China
Dec 22

There are some excellent action scenes here and though the choreography gets a little too familiar, it does throw in a few unusual moves.
Undiscovered Tomb

3.0

Action, Adventure, Martial Arts • Hong Kong
Dec 16

There’s much silliness, a lot that doesn’t make sense, some dodgy CGI, but mercifully a boatload of wicked fight action.
Rashomon

4.0

Crime, Drama, Mystery • Japan
Dec 11

Based on a pre-war short story, it tackles a major crime in a sober, yet discreet way and plays with the idea that even an obvious crime has many layers hidden beneath the surface.
Silent Night

3.5

Action, Thriller • USA
Dec 5

Bogged down with a little too much cliché and oppressive doom, ‘Silent Night’ may not be what you’re expecting but it is Woo still flexing both his artistic and action muscles to deliver a ‘Death Wish’ style action flick.
Kung Fu Chefs

3.5

Action, Comedy, Martial Arts • China, Hong Kong
Dec 2

‘Kung Fu Chefs’ slipped through the cracks on its initial release, but with its star getting more attention than ever before, it might be worth revisiting.