Wolf Pack (2022)

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Wolf Pack (2022)

Michael Chiang’s fast-paced actioner is a bit too trigger-happy to ever convincingly work as a tense conspiracy thriller, and never settles into any of its set-pieces or character development long enough for the action to have any real impact. Instead, we have a handsome cast somewhat wasted on a routine desert-based shoot-’em-up which will undoubtedly be forgotten about as soon as the credits roll. For those paying attention, then; the story concerns multifaceted young medic, Ke Tong (Bruce Lee, My Brother star Aarif Rahman), a selfless yet troubled freelancer operating for something resembling Doctors Without Borders who is kidnapped via …

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Enter the Clones of Bruce (2023)

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Enter the Clones of Bruce (2023)

The ‘Bruceploitation’ film – a much-maligned and bizarre sub-genre of the kung fu movie boom – is given a detailed, heartfelt and humorous retrospective in this entertaining American documentary, the first to unite many of its leading lights, including new interviews with Taiwan’s Bruce Li, Korea’s Dragon Lee, Myanmar’s Bruce Le, Hong Kong’s Bruce Liang, and a wonderful moment with Japan’s Yasuaki Kurata, who seems perplexed to see himself billed as ‘Bruce Lo’ on a one-sheet for The Tiger’s Claw. Even Angela Mao makes an albeit brief appearance, billed sometimes as the ‘female Bruce Lee‘; plus Ron Van Clief (aka ‘the …

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G.I. Joe: Retaliation (2013)

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G.I. Joe: Retaliation (2013)

A big tonal shift for the second G.I. Joe movie, which starts as a comedic bromance between Duke (Tatum) and one of his new team members, Roadblock (The Rock). They attempt to out-alpha each other in macho displays of target practice, until Duke is ended in an ambush in Pakistan, orchestrated by the shape-shifting Zartan (Arnold Vosloo) who disguises himself as the president. With Tatum graciously bowing out of the franchise, his replacement is certainly an upgrade in the testosterone levels, with The Rock stepping in to lead the Joes on a merry rampage to restore their credibility, reinstate the real president, …

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G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (2009)

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G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (2009)

Taking its cues from another almighty yawn of an action franchise based on a Hasbro toy – Transformers – this live-action debut for the G.I. Joe brand somehow manages to be incredibly annoying, loud, and boring all at the same time. The Mummy filmmaker Stephen Sommers attempts to inject a fun sense of James Bond-like jeopardy into proceedings – aided by maniacal villains hellbent on world domination, stealing nuclear warheads fitted with weird nanotechnology and launching terror from their underwater bunker – but the film never quite settles into a groove, with literally every kind of spectacle thrown at the …

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Hidden Strike (2023)

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Hidden Strike (2023)

Despite being filmed in 2018 – originally a vehicle for Jackie Chan and Sylvester Stallone called Ex-Baghdad – and with a whopping $80m budget (huge for a Chinese film), this explosive action movie was destined for the big screen both in the east and the west, but was instead held in a post-production quagmire for years, going through numerous name changes (including Project X-Traction, Project X and, briefly, S.N.A.F.U.) and a global pandemic to emerge, quite unceremoniously, on Netflix without any marketing and with a completely different title. So what happened?

Chan’s waning star in the west could be a factor – …

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Golden Swallow (1968)

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Golden Swallow (1968)

Excellently staged, evocative and brutal sequel to King Hu’s 1966 smash hit, Come Drink With Me – partially shot in Japan, which adds to its rather obvious leanings towards the chanbara film. The first film was a delicate, historical swashbuckler which sparked a postmodern revival in wuxia cinema not seen since the silent era. Chang Cheh – the ‘yin’ to King Hu’s ‘yang’ – takes over directing duties for this sequel, a calculated response to Hu’s decision to leave Shaw Brothers. Hu’s Taiwan-made indie masterpiece, Dragon Gate Inn, may have narrowly beaten this film at the box office, but Chang’s …

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Profile: Eric Lee

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Profile: Eric Lee

Date of birth: 30 July 1946 (Zhongshan, China)

Full name: Lee Wing Chow

Other names: Daniel Eric Lee, Eric W.C. Lee

Nickname: The King of Kata

Style: Kung fu, Aikido, Tai Chi, Judo, taekwondo, weapons.

Biography: Born in Zhongshan, China, Eric Lee was first introduced to the martial arts by his father, who taught him the Choy Li Fut style. Every evening after dinner, they would hit a gong to signal the time to train. At the age of seven, the Lee family moved to Hong Kong. During his youth, Lee also became inspired in his training by the black and white martial arts serials being …

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KFMG Podcast S07 Episode 90: Eric Lee

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KFMG Podcast S07 Episode 90: Eric Lee

“I don’t believe in success or failure, there’s no such thing. If you worry about failure, you’ll never start. If you think you’re going to be successful, you’ll fail.”

The martial artist, instructor, writer, actor, painter, fight choreographer, singer and all-round entertainer Eric Lee got his nickname – the ‘King of Kata’ – after winning a string of trophies throughout the 1960s, 70s and 80s. He has over 100 world titles, and was the undefeated forms and weapons champion from 1970 to 1974. Over the years, his kung fu demonstrations escalated to include music, lighting, comedy, acting and sound effects, and …

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KFMG Podcast S07 Episode 89: Stuntwomen special – Alyma Dorsey / April Wright

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KFMG Podcast S07 Episode 89: Stuntwomen special – Alyma Dorsey / April Wright

“The same issues we deal with in society, we deal with in stunts.” Alyma Dorsey

Women have been performing stunts in movies since the advent of cinema, but over the decades, their voice and influence in the industry has become marginalised. From fears of being overlooked, undermined or replaced, to the notion of “wigging” – male stunt performers doubling female characters – and concerns over sexual harassment, safety and security, April Wright’s fascinating 2020 documentary, Stuntwomen: The Untold Hollywood Story, tells the shocking truth of how women – and other marginalised communities – have had to fight, quite literally, to be heard …

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Profile: Keith Cooke

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Profile: Keith Cooke

Date of birth: 17 September, 1959 (Seattle, Washington, USA)

Full name: Keith Cooke Hirabayashi

Other names: Keith H. Cooke

Occupation: Martial arts instructor, actor, stunt performer.

Style: Karate, wushu, taekwondo, boxing.

Biography: Keith Cooke is a martial arts instructor and actor. He has a fifth degree black belt in karate and is a five-time World Martial Arts Grand Champion. He was named ‘Competitor of the Year’ in 1983, 1985 and 1986. He has also been named as one of the top 100 ‘most influential martial artists of the last century’ by Black Belt magazine, and inducted into their ‘hall of fame’.

Keith Cooke Hirabayashi was born …

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