Death Duel of Kung Fu (1979)

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Death Duel of Kung Fu (1979)

Highly spirited kung fu romp with the stars of The Secret Rivals which delivers practically non-stop action based around a broiling historical premise. Don Wong and John Liu play plucky patriots masterminding the downfall of a Manchu warlord (Han Ying) whose army is planning to cross the Formosa Strait and surround the remaining Ming dynasty forces stationed in Taiwan. With a majestic score lifted (probably illegally) from Hang ‘em High – and with a brilliant two-on-one finale featuring ‘Northern Leg’ Liu and ‘Southern Fist’ Wong doubling up on ‘Shallow Head’ Han Ying – this relentless film makes for fun, head-kicking entertainment. Best …

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Crying Freeman (1995)

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Crying Freeman (1995)

Canadian action yarn based on a popular Japanese manga. Yo (Dacascos) is an art enthusiast who is captured by a secretive Chinese crime cult named the Bond of Dragons who hypnotise him and turn him into the next ‘Freeman’; an assassin trained to annihilate Yakuza clans. Yo retains his humanity by crying after every kill and attaching himself to Emu (Condra), one of his targets, which gets him into a whole heap of trouble with his creepy boss and clinical associates. Christophe Gans is honing his talents here before his more singular achievement, Brotherhood of the Wolf, in 2001 (which …

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Charlie’s Angels (2000)

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Charlie’s Angels (2000)

The cult TV show from the 1970s is given an ironic, comedic twist by producer Drew Barrymore, attempting to draw in new audiences with a popular cast, abrasive soundtrack and outrageous, glossy action. The film is packed with Matrix-style kung fu scenes – orchestrated by Yuen Woo-ping‘s brother, Yuen Cheung-yan – featuring a central trio of femme fatales fighting in wire-assisted glory. Meet, then, Charlie’s high-kicking angels: there’s Natalie (Diaz), Dylan (Barrymore) and Alex (Liu). When they’re not in make-up or changing costumes, they’re secretly fighting crime. A sly villain with an entourage of cronies has stolen a voice duplication device …

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Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)

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Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)

This fantastic Star Wars spin-off is narratively positioned just before Episode IV in the series, and charts the plucky exploits of a group of Rebel Alliance fighters who invade an Imperial stronghold with the intention of stealing the plans for Darth Vader’s Death Star. Of course, like the Skywalker series, it is also about familial conflict, revenge and retribution. The central hero of the film is Jyn (Felicity Jones), daughter of eminent Imperial research scientist Galen Erso (Mads Mikkelsen), who designs the Death Star, albeit under some duress, suggesting slight comparisons to J. Robert Oppenheimer’s plans for atomic power during …

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Ninja: Shadow of a Tear (2013)

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Ninja: Shadow of a Tear (2013)

In terms of non-stop, free-flowing fight choreography which is high on energy and not wholly stitched together in the editing booth, this is one of Scott Adkins‘ best action roles. He is inventive and electrifying throughout – most notably in his exemplary routine with the film’s fight coordinator, Tim Man, who plays a supporting villain, and a weapons duel with Kane Kosugi. This being Adkins’ sixth film with director Isaac Florentine, it shows how well the two work together having arrived at their own distinctive shorthand, with Florentine’s handheld camera positioning as much a star of the action as the …

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Wolf Warrior (2015)

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Wolf Warrior (2015)

A war movie without the war. This is a flagrantly nationalistic film exalting in the technical, mental and physical superiority of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA), which is so full of bombast, martyrdom and gun worship that it would work quite well as a military recruitment tool. Jacky Wu Jing – who also acts as writer and director – is a top sniper assigned to the secret Wolf Warrior division, who is dropped somewhere in rural China on a training mission before western mercenaries show up and shit gets real. The gweilo forces have been hired by a millionaire …

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Kubo and the Two Strings (2016)

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Kubo and the Two Strings (2016)

The fourth film from Travis Knight’s stop-motion Laika studios is a spellbinding, poignant adventure. For a film which exalts in the fantastical – from giant sea monsters to talking animals and mythical landscapes – it also packs a heart-wrenching emotional punch which hits with the same force as one of Kubo’s violently strummed power chords. In a magical, hyper-realised vision of ancient Japan, Kubo is a one-eyed child storyteller who can conjure up flying paper figures via his magical lute playing. His origami warriors also work as a clever device to showcase the artifice in the film’s extraordinary stop-motion animation, …

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Never Back Down: No Surrender (2016)

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Never Back Down: No Surrender (2016)

The Never Back Down franchise just gets better and better under Michael Jai White’s direction. This sequel essentially does away with the teen movie themes outlined in the 2008 original – and only mildly observed in the 2011 sequel – and focuses instead on the commercialisation of MMA, which White argues has been overrun by banned substances and unscrupulous promoters. White returns as Case Walker, the ex-con hobo who is built like a tank, who turns heads in a Thai gym when he starts performing his Shotokan karate kata, using scrap material as work out props and drawing on the …

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The Hurt Business (2016)

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The Hurt Business (2016)

This excellent documentary from the producers of Bowling for Columbine shows the consequences of a career in mixed martial arts – America’s fastest growing sport – delving into the personal stories of the people who put their lives on the line in the pursuit of personal glory and the entertainment of others. Just like the sport they inhabit, the film is at times brutal and devastating, but also painfully honest. Michael Guymon’s story is particularly heartfelt; a former MMA star who suffered a career-ending head injury and now struggles with depression and crippling debt. Rashad Evans is another fighter under …

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KFMG Podcast S01 Episode 10: Hwang In-shik / Ricky Baker

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KFMG Podcast S01 Episode 10: Hwang In-shik / Ricky Baker

“I have a lot to thank him (Bruce Lee) for. Without him, I wouldn’t be here today.” Ricky Baker

Here’s a kung fu movie double bill for the final episode in the first season of Kung Fu Movie Guide podcasts! Join me as I have a quick chat with the legendary Korean-born Hapkido master and former action star Hwang In-shik, famous for his role in the 1972 Bruce Lee classic The Way of the Dragon, and his work with Jackie Chan in The Young Master and Dragon Lord. Prior to his early retirement from movies in the mid-70s, Hwang worked predominantly …

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