Once Upon a Time in China III (1993)

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Once Upon a Time in China III (1993)

Although this is nowhere near as good as the other two, part three of this amazing franchise does have some great moments, although few and far between. The Empress dowager tries to restore national pride by holding a lion dance competition, only to have it quashed by martial madman Chiu Tin-bai (Chiu Chin) who is keen to annihilate the competition. Wong Fei-hung steps in after his father is beaten down by Chiu’s nutty henchman Clubfoot (played by former Jet Li stunt double, Hung Yan-yan) and the stage is set for a big kung fu showdown. The lion dance sequences are …

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Martial Arts of Shaolin (1986)

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Martial Arts of Shaolin (1986)

Revenge is the theme for this third Shaolin Temple movie with Shaw Brothers veteran Lau Kar-leung brought in to add a fresh dynamic, utilising the Chinese scenery to great effect as well as maintaining a steady stream of kung fu action. The story is not too dissimilar from the first film with the same actors appearing in similar roles. Jet Li plays an enthusiastic Shaolin boy desperate to take revenge for the murder of his parents at the hands of a corrupt government. Befriending a pair of similarly embittered fighters, Jet and company unite to take on those responsible. Lau …

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New Police Story (2004)

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New Police Story (2004)

A calculated move from Jackie Chan, returning to the seminal franchise which made his name internationally in an attempt to regroup his initial fandom scarred – if only slightly – by a lackluster string of Hollywood paychecks. He gives everything to this. He even sings the theme tune.

Benny Chan is a dab-hand at this kind of blockbuster (see Who Am I? and Gen-X-Cops); a righteous police thriller which stinks of morality almost as much as gunpowder and burning tires. Indeed, it seems the whole of Hong Kong has closed for the occasion, with Jackie using many of the city’s most iconic, …

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The Medallion (2003)

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The Medallion (2003)

If you leave your brain ticking during this action romp then you’re heading for trouble. The story to this supernatural twaddle is completely unfathomable. Jackie Chan‘s talents are misused once again by Hollywood, but at least this is better than The Tuxedo, if only marginally. There are no surprises to the buddy formula in which Chan supplies the action and British stand-up Lee Evans provides his Norman Wisdom-style of pratfall comedy. Flashy computer graphics take over when a kid possessing a special medallion (which is said to gift the wearer superhuman strength and immortality) is abducted by a psychotic Julian …

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Rush Hour 2 (2001)

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Rush Hour 2 (2001)

This blockbuster sequel kicks off in Hong Kong, before flying back to Los Angeles and staging a grand finale in a Vegas casino. Lee (Jackie Chan) and Carter (Chris Tucker) return to their usual culture-clash buddy cop routine to chase Hong Kong triads on their home turf. Then there are the sub-plots: one, in which John Lone plays an ice-cool gang leader who has killed Lee’s father; and another involving Roselyn Sanchez as an undercover servicewoman playing off the affections of the film’s central double act. Then there’s Crouching Tiger‘s Zhang Ziyi in a vampish supporting role as a lethal …

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Blade of Fury (1993)

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Blade of Fury (1993)

Blistering historical action from Sammo Hung who also cameos as a burly bodyguard. There’s a great tournament sequence, plenty of theatrics, political corruption and rapid-fire sword fights as Ti Lung plays a Chinese nationalist fighting to overthrow a corrupt government. Besides decapitating a whole line of adversaries in a single stroke (which is quite something), our hero also contends with a crafty nobleman with deadly drunken spear skills, and teaches a room of young hopefuls the correct path to enlightenment. Slightly confused and silly in places, the film’s exuberance is nevertheless astonishing.

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The Blade (1995)

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The Blade (1995)

Tsui Hark’s bleak take on the 1967 Shaw Brothers classic, One Armed Swordsman. The savage beating of a Buddhist monk at the hands of a group of bandits acts as the film’s first foray into unpleasant territory, and sets the tone for the rest of the picture. Blacksmith Vincent Zhao is eager to end the group’s reign of terror following the death of his father at the hands of the bandits’ tattooed leader. The young fighter loses his bid for revenge and has his arm hacked off. But he proves to be a more persistent and potent fighter with only …

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Heroes of the East (1978)

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Heroes of the East (1978)

A light, domestic drama turns into a battle for national pride in this masterpiece from Lau Kar-leung – a wry, empathetic study into Chinese and Japanese fighting systems.

Privileged kung fu student Ah To (Gordon Liu) is arranged to be married to the daughter of one of his father’s Japanese business associates. He initially feigns illness as a ruse to have the wedding postponed, but Koda (Yuko Mizuno) turns out to be a stunner, so he changes his mind. Koda is also a karate nut who quickly moves all of her Japanese weaponry into the house and starts smashing through the …

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The Holy Virgin vs. the Evil Dead (1991)

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The Holy Virgin vs. the Evil Dead (1991)

This perverted supernatural thriller is far too hyperactive to ever be suspenseful, despite leanings towards Sam Raimi’s schlock horror classic The Evil Dead, most notably in the film’s use of handheld camera, wind machines and mood lighting. It works much better as a scatterbrained exploitation flick and is a uniquely Hong Kong experience, shotgunning from grisly scenes of hearts being ripped out to a light Cantopop romance, a comedic tough cop routine, a machine gun battle in a cave, a few fantastical wire-fu fights and a rampant assortment of Cat III sex scenes, all in the same breath.

Sibelle Hu is one of …

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Satan Returns (1996)

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Satan Returns (1996)

A misty, brooding horror comedy which deals – somewhat opaquely – with the creeping fear of Hong Kong’s impending Chinese takeover, depicting an unsettled police force tackling an alien presence calling itself ‘the Antichrist’. Francis Ng goes full lunatic to play Judas, a confused Satanist on a twisted crusade to rip out the hearts of young women on his homemade crucifix. Chingmy Yau is the inspector assigned to the case who is battling her own personal demons, circulating mostly around a missing father who may or may not have been the devil reincarnated, making her the devil’s daughter. Wong Jing’s …

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