One Million K(l)icks (2015)
Despite its awkward title, this is a strong head-kicking German indie which gives diminutive stuntman Mike Möller free-reign to showcase his incredible physical talents. He might not immediately strike...
View ArticleEncounters of the Spooky Kind II (1990)
This non-related sequel doesn’t pack half as much punch as the original, but it is entertaining nonetheless. Sammo Hung is targeted once again by a black magic wizard and his sidekick, who lusts after...
View ArticleEnter the Game of Death (1978)
Halfway through this Bruceploitation flick, a Bruce Lee look-a-like (Bruce Le), wearing that legendary yellow jumpsuit, smashes his way into a pagoda and battles with an array of baddies on every...
View ArticleExtreme Force (2001)
Michel Qissi is most famous for playing Muay Thai baddie Tong Po in Kickboxer. As director, he makes the most out of a particularly low budget, and the macho punch-ups are mostly good enough to pass...
View ArticleShe Shoots Straight (1990)
Demure former Miss Hong Kong, Joyce Godenzi, transforms into a guns-blazing action hero for this melodramatic cop movie for Sammo Hung‘s Bo Ho Films. Sammo and Joyce would later marry in 1995, but not...
View ArticleKickboxer: Retaliation (2018)
The first Kickboxer remake (2016′s Kickboxer: Vengeance) was a painfully earnest slugfest suffering from a charm vacuum. Producer Dimitri Logothetis (who also writes and directs) takes a more ambitious...
View ArticleUltimate Justice (2017)
Following 2015′s One Million K(l)icks, this is the second feature from Germany-based production company Silent Partners. It’s an Expendables-style mercenary film, elevated by a good cast, some great...
View ArticleThe Final Master (2015)
An exemplary film from auteur director and writer Xu Haofeng (based on his own novel), who seems to be redefining the Mainland Chinese martial arts film. This may be his most extravagant production in...
View ArticleActs of Vengeance (2017)
Isaac Florentine’s DTV work is always reliably crunchy, authentic, and touched with a sense of nuance, the like of which is absent from most B-movie punch-ups. This is one of his best – a simple slice...
View ArticleThe Sensei (2008)
This occasionally veers off into the type of histrionic melodrama you would find on The Hallmark Channel, but Diana Lee Inosanto’s directorial debut deserves credit for its subversion of traditional...
View ArticleStreet Fighter: Assassin’s Fist (2014)
The terms “fan-fiction”, “web series” and “based on a video game” would understandably make most people run a mile. But this epic, introspective origin story on the Ken and Ryu characters from Capcom’s...
View ArticleBlack Panther (2018)
A defining moment, not just in relation to the Marvel Cinematic Universe – often criticised for its lack of diversity – but also for its wider representation of black culture. Disney (and by default,...
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KFMG Podcast S03 Episode 24: Taimak / Daniel Lue
“Martial arts should be something you learn on a spiritual basis – finding your inner passions and the spirit that can drive you to be the best person you can be in every area of your life.” Taimak...
View ArticleProfile: Taimak
Date of birth: June 27, 1964 (Los Angeles, US) Full name: Taimak Guarriello Other names: Taimak Guari Occupation: Actor, martial artist, stunt performer, director, writer, producer. Style: Aikido,...
View ArticleRe:Born (2016)
Versus star Tak Sakaguchi is in fine form in this stabby mercenary flick, allegedly his final martial arts project. It doesn’t quite feel like a swan-song; the sheer glee and exuberance exhibited...
View ArticleNinja Death III (1987)
This insane ninja opus comes to a fittingly bonkers conclusion. Tiger (Alexander Lo) learns the true identity of his mother, the Princess, who has remained incognito in order for the boy to learn the...
View ArticleFighting (2009)
Predictable urban sports drama centring on the murky world of underground street fighting. Shawn (Channing Tatum) is the doe-eyed hustler with a heart; a disgraced, college-educated wrestler with daddy...
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KFMG Podcast S03 Episode 25: Diana Lee Inosanto
On being a stunt performer: “It’s like being a football player and a ballerina in one. You have to be tough to take the hits, but you also have to understand choreography and timing.” Actor, stunt...
View ArticleProfile: Diana Lee Inosanto
Date of birth: May 29, 1966 (Torrance, California, US) Other names: Diana Lee; D. Lee Inosanto Occupation: Actor, stunt performer, fight choreographer, martial arts instructor, producer. Style: Jeet...
View ArticleThe Thousand Faces of Dunjia (2017)
Bonkers, CGI-heavy craziness from the hyperactive mind of Tsui Hark. Although Yuen Woo-ping may have been recruited to direct, Tsui’s fingerprints are all over this; a film which shares the same...
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