Power Rangers (2017)

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Power Rangers (2017)

Effective if slightly laboured reboot of the popular 90s kids show, which brings the lycra-wearing teenage alien fighters into a modern American high-school setting. As an origin story, the film takes its time in establishing a fully rounded set of characters which look set to take the franchise forward. The film pays lip service to issues involving cyber-bullying, autism and sexuality in a non-patronising, albeit fleeting way. But the fact these issues are even addressed at all feels quite brave for a Power Rangers movie. It starts like The Breakfast Club at a weekend detention class in which disgraced former …

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Duel to the Death (1983)

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Duel to the Death (1983)

Tony Ching Siu-tung’s directorial debut is a shot of pure adrenaline; treading similar ground to the golden age of Shaw Brothers’ finest post-modern wuxia films, only tanked up on amphetamines. The wirework maestro exploits his talents in scenes of overblown wizardry, with cliff-top showdowns and clans of crazy ninja. But it is also a heartfelt film in spite of the flying stars and severed heads; heads which, in one instance, continue to talk even after they have been decapitated. The story focuses on an ancient Ming dynasty duel held every decade between China’s greatest Shaolin fighter and Japan’s best Samurai. …

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xXx: Return of Xander Cage (2017)

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xXx: Return of Xander Cage (2017)

Xander Cage is back! (Cue a slightly muted and ambivalent response). And not a moment too soon, it seems, as a touch-screen hacking device called Pandora’s Box has been nabbed by Donnie Yen and his cross-cultural crew of stylish activists. The Box can cause satellites to fall from the sky and crash into people’s faces, including (bizarrely) Samuel L. Jackson and the Brazilian football player Neymar, which is what happens in the very opening scene. So hulking beefcake and freelance spy Xander Cage postpones his skateboarding activities to call up his extreme sports buddies and help the CIA in finding …

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Duel at the Tiger Village (1978)

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Duel at the Tiger Village (1978)

In some territories, this film was marketed as the sequel to Iron Monkey, but it has nothing to do with the 1977 film, so those expecting anything monkey-related might be disappointed. However, they might also be pleasantly surprised to discover an enjoyable crime caper in which Chen Kuan-tai plays a policeman investigating a sinister attempt on the Emperor’s life. He may be a top cop, he’s no Sherlock Holmes; his detective work consisting mostly of pestering everybody in the film with the knife used by the culprit, before beating them up.

AKA: Duel at Tiger Village; Duel of Master; Iron Monkey Strikes Back; Iron …

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Dark Angel (1990)

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Dark Angel (1990)

Completely barmy sci-fi action which can be logged in the ‘how did this get made’ category. German beefcake Matthias Hues plays an alien very much modelled on The Terminator who crash-lands in corporate America at Christmas time, like some kind of monosyllabic antichrist in a trench coat. He says “I come in peace” before zapping people with his ray gun and throwing magnetic space discs at drug dealers in a bid to steal all their heroin. Dolph Lundgren plays a tough cop chasing a yuppie consortium of boardroom-dwelling drug dealers known as the White Boys, who ice Dolph’s cop buddy …

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Headshot (2016)

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Headshot (2016)

Savage Indonesian action from The Raid star Iko Uwais and his stunt team. If you found the stabby, close-up scrapping of The Raid hard to stomach, then this will certainly test your threshold for brutality. This is the type of film in which the ‘hero’ smashes someone’s head to bits with his bare hands, and a guy pulls a machete out of his own face. It’s grisly, but it’s also too over-the-top to ever be truly shocking. It also lacks the fluidity and imagination of The Raid‘s more calculated action scenes. Until the final act, that is, when Iko and …

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John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017)

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John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017)

Loud, visceral, stylish sequel which picks up shortly after the events of the first film, with John Wick (Reeves, exultant) reclaiming his car from the chop shop using knives and fists and bullets. He barely has time to feed his new dog before aspiring Machiavellian tyrant Santino (Scamarcio) visits his home to issue John with a new assignment. He initially refuses, but then Santino blows his house up. The assignment takes John to Rome, where it quickly becomes apparent that his retirement plans might be somewhat delayed, as a price is put on his head and soon every assassin in …

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The Duel (2000)

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The Duel (2000)

Andrew Lau’s succession of high-concept, big-budget special effects extravaganzas (The Storm Riders, A Man Called Hero) hits a glossy brick wall with this mumbled mix of comedy, action and romance. A handsome cast perform an Imperial conspiracy in fantasy China, set against a backdrop of a duel between master swordsmen Andy Lau and Ekin Cheng. The visual effects are quite something. Andy Lau’s Hovering Heavenly Angel Stance involves firing electric bolts of energy, while Ekin Cheng is offered a wonderful sequence in which a line of statues come to life. The eventual duel of the title sees the film’s leads …

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The Bare-Footed Kid (1993)

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The Bare-Footed Kid (1993)

A remake of Chang Cheh‘s 1975 film Disciples of Shaolin with fight choreography by Shaw Brothers legend Lau Kar-leung. This is a breezy, almost polite, kung fu yarn with a potent message about the corrupting influence of money and power, and how it can jeopardise friendships, charity and compassion. All of the performances are top dollar, unlike the film’s flimsy and limited choice of sets. Cantopop singer Aaron Kwok is convincing in the Fu Sheng role as a sprightly yet destitute orphan boy with profound kung fu capability. He is adopted into Maggie Cheung’s philanthropic dye factory, where she provides food, work …

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Martial Law II: Undercover (1991)

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Martial Law II: Undercover (1991)

A straight-to-video follow-up to Kurt Anderson’s distinctly unremarkable 1990 cop fu actioner, this time with TV star and taekwondo expert Jeff Wincott in the lead – his first role as a martial arts hero. He’s pretty good, and more than capable at delivering his lines as well as kicking people in the head. He plays Chad McQueen’s role from the first movie, Sean Thompson – also known as ‘Martial Law’ (although nobody actually calls him that) – sniffing out corrupt cops in the LAPD who are on the books of a shady nightclub owner. His cop girlfriend, Billie (Rothrock), is …

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