Seized (2020)
It’s Scott Adkins versus Mexican cartels (again) in his first film with director Isaac Florentine since 2015’s Close Range. Although their latter-day low-budget adventures have slipped into far more...
View ArticleProfile: Brett Chan
Other names: A. Brett Chan; Arthur Brett Chan; Brent A. Chan. Occupation: Second unit director, stunt coordinator, stunt performer, fight coordinator, second unit director, actor. Style: Shotokan...
View ArticleDeliver Us from Evil (2020)
A decent, well-paced and visually accomplished revenge thriller from South Korea, filmed mostly in Japan and Thailand. Hwang Jung-min plays the hard-drinking, nihilistic assassin In-nam who hangs up...
View ArticleProfile: Jesse V. Johnson
Date of birth: 29 November, 1971 (Winchester, UK) Other names: Jesse Johnson, Jess Johnson, Jesse E. Johnson, Jessie Johnson, J.E. Johnson. Occupation: Director, writer, stunt coordinator, second unit...
View ArticleOdd Couple (1979)
Those expecting Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon larking about may be significantly surprised when this totally different masterpiece hits you, probably the best weapons movie ever made and featuring...
View ArticleZatoichi (2003)
Takeshi Kitano’s singular, updated vision of one of Japan’s most iconic pop culture characters is an exhilarating watch, with tender moments juxtaposed with comedy and scenes of bloody violence. As...
View ArticleHighlander (1986)
A commercial and critical failure upon its initial release, this bombastic action fantasy achieved popularity in Europe before becoming a cult video hit, spawning many sequels, a TV series, books and...
View ArticleAbduction (2019)
Silly yet enjoyable martial arts fantasy with an 80s throwback feel – think Highlander, Big Trouble in Little China, that sort of thing – about an inter-dimensional race of cloak-wearing,...
View ArticleIncoming (2018)
Low-budget Serbian space movie which never fully delivers on a promising premise, set in a future where the International Space Station has been turned into a prison to house some of the world’s worst...
View ArticleHaymaker (2021)
Globe-trotting indie drama about an unlikely romance between a transgender pop star (real-life pop star Nomi Ruiz) and her bodyguard, a former Muay Thai fighter (played by the film’s writer, director,...
View ArticleThe Intergalactic Adventures of Max Cloud (2020)
Here’s something a little different for fans of Scott Adkins, sending up his hard-boiled action-man persona as a gung-ho, high-kicking, all-American space captain stuck inside a 90s video game. It’s...
View ArticleThe Postman Fights Back (1982)
Ronnie Yu’s directorial debut is a powerful, sometimes savage political romp, shot entirely in Korea with high production values and smart direction taking it a notch above your standard kung fu fare....
View ArticleOnce Upon a Time in China and America (1997)
With Jet Li and Tsui Hark back behind the franchise, you would be right to expect more from this lukewarm offering. Filmed in the USA, there is a clear Hollywood incentive behind the production, and...
View ArticleThe Swordsman (2020)
Period action film from South Korea set during the tumultuous transition between the Ming and Qing dynasties – the backdrop for many, many kung fu films – which is both a broiling political revenge...
View Article36 Deadly Styles (1979)
Hwang Jang-lee reprises his evil Silver Fox role and Bolo Yeung wears dreadlocks in this ham-fisted phooey from cult master Joseph Kuo. The story focuses on the Ming Chu clan who will stop at nothing...
View ArticleRussian Raid (2020)
As the conspicuous title would suggest, this is advertised as a Russian version of The Raid, drawing unfortunate comparisons to what is essentially a modern martial arts masterpiece. In the film’s...
View ArticleRaya and the Last Dragon (2021)
With a majority Asian cast and crew and boasting Disney’s first Southeast Asian princess, this magical fantasy action film carries a sense of poignancy beyond the studio’s usual animated fare. It is...
View ArticleCrazy Samurai Musashi (2020)
Less of a film and more a mad experiment, this uses one of Miyamoto Musashi’s most famous legends as inspiration to create a relentless, almost hypnotic 77-minute one-take fight scene. The wonderful...
View ArticleRapid Fire (1992)
An exciting action vehicle for Brandon Lee, son of Bruce Lee, who is promoted to leading man status after his role as Dolph Lundgren‘s sidekick in Showdown in Little Tokyo. Lee shows great poise and...
View ArticleIp Man: Kung Fu Master (2019)
This straight-to-digital release plays like a ‘greatest hits’ of all your favourite Ip Man tropes from the last decade. There’s the neo-noir aesthetics and rain-drenched, slow motion battle scenes from...
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