Don’t Give a Damn (1995)
A horribly misjudged action comedy from Sammo Hung which is really quite repugnant. With his credibility on the slide in the early 90s, Sammo seemingly turned on his audience. The title says it all. It...
View ArticleAngel (1987)
A fantastically fun and feral delight. If you need an example of how bat-shit crazy Hong Kong action films were in the 1980s – particularly in contrast to the sort of macho slug-fests being touted in...
View ArticleAngel II (1988)
Not quite the same rollicking thrill ride of the first film, although this sequel certainly redeems itself in the final act in which the Angels go native and take on a heavily armed militia in a...
View Article13 Assassins (2010)
A remarkable samurai film from idiosyncratic director Takashi Miike, based on Eiichi Kudô’s 1963 film. Miike is a filmmaker renowned for controversy and unpredictability who first gained international...
View ArticleChinese Zodiac (2012)
Jackie Chan fans certainly get their money’s worth with this one; his first solo-directed effort in over two decades. Tellingly, he picks up where he left off with an indirect sequel to 1991′s...
View ArticleBadges of Fury (2013)
Odd Hong Kong-Chinese cop comedy from first-time director Wong Tsz-ming who uses mostly computer effects to create outlandish slapstick sequences with cartoonish sound effects. The comedy never quite...
View ArticleWarrior King 2 (2013)
Principal cast and crew return eight years later for this action-packed sequel which never quite settles into a steady groove and becomes overly reliant on distracting camera trickery. The gimmicks...
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Interview: Ricky Baker
Ricky Baker was instrumental in bringing martial arts movies and Hong Kong cinema to the masses through his UK-based Eastern Heroes company. Along with kung fu movie expert Toby Russell, Ricky...
View ArticleProfile: Scott Adkins
Date of birth: June 17, 1976 (Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham, UK) Full name: Scott Edward Atkins Occupation: Actor, stuntman, martial arts instructor Style: Judo, kickboxing, Taekwondo Biography: Scott...
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Interview: Mike Fury
Life of Action is the first book by film journalist Mike Fury. It’s a detailed analysis of action cinema told by some of the genre’s most famous names and features interviews with stunt coordinators,...
View ArticleTekken (2009)
Based on Namco’s hit Japanese video game, this live-action US film does little to support the franchise, providing a discounted dystopia as background for a clichéd tournament fight movie. Dwight H....
View ArticleKung Fury (2015)
Swedish filmmaker David Sandberg’s retro-futuristic 1980s cop spoof was a huge international hit before it was even released. He used his own money to make the initial trailer, casting his friends in...
View ArticleSeven Steps of Kung Fu (1979)
There’s trouble brewing in a sleepy Chinese village. The Five Hand Gang are assembling, much to chagrin of Master Li (Ga Hoi), who doesn’t care much for the gang and uses his plucky kung fu pupil Tiger...
View ArticleFive Fighters from Shaolin (1982)
A chopsocky tale of two halves. The first hour sees a laughing monk (Mark Long) recruit a traveling band of wastrels (a brother and sister duo; two annoying cooks; a fat guy with a cart) to join him in...
View ArticleOf Cooks and Kung Fu (1979)
There are a number of kung fu movies championing crazy, innovative stylistic creations to help differentiate themselves from bucket-loads of other titles, from Chess Boxing to Drunken Fist to spiritual...
View ArticleSkin Trade (2014)
This really should be much better given the high calibre of talent involved. It’s the sort of clichéd cop thriller Dolph Lundgren would have made in the 1980s with much of its clunky dialogue, bad...
View ArticleShaolin vs. Lama (1983)
Fantastic chopsocky from Lee Tso-nam (Eagle’s Claw, The Hot, the Cool and the Vicious), highly regarded in fan circles not only for its sublime action but also its notable story centered on the quest...
View ArticleWho Am I? (1998)
Jackie Chan plays part of a Special Forces unit sent into deepest Africa to kidnap scientists working on a volatile new weapon formed from meteorite fragments. The raid is a disaster and the team...
View ArticleJohn Wick (2014)
Chad Stahelski and David Leitch’s directorial debut (the founders of the 87Eleven stunt collective) is one of the best action films of recent times. They land the audience in an established criminal...
View ArticleKing of Beggars (1992)
Stephen Chow’s first period-set comedy went up against Police Story 3 at the Hong Kong box office and smashed it convincingly. He plays the privileged idiot son of a Ching dynasty general who falls...
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