The Clones of Bruce Lee (1977)

Posted in Reviews
No Comments
The Clones of Bruce Lee (1977)

Certifiable evidence of a film industry gone mad, this is where the Bruceploitation sub-genre starts to eat itself. Not one, not two, but three Bruce Lee imitators, all in the same movie (four if you count Bruce Thai, who confusingly doesn’t even play one of the clones).

The film starts with panicked doctors trying to resuscitate the real Bruce Lee as his body is rushed to hospital. The actor has barely been dead for 20 minutes before mad professor Benn (the beardy one from The Way of the Dragon) takes a sample of his blood at the behest of some made …

Read More

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990)

Posted in Reviews
1 Comment
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990)

A petty crime wave hits New York City. Troubled youths are pinching possessions as an offering to an evil master and his army of foot soldiers. Shredder (Saito) is the man behind it all. He’s a steel-plated cartoon nemesis whose only opposition, it seems, appears to be coming from beneath New York’s busy streets.

A group of adolescent, slang talking, pizza eating, human sized mutant turtles occupy the sewers, trained in the ways of ninjitsu, taught to them by their ageing sensei Splinter – a giant rat. The turtles take to the streets when Splinter is kidnapped and kick back in …

Read More

Hand of Death (1976)

Posted in Reviews
1 Comment
Hand of Death (1976)

Here’s a formulaic gem from the bygone years – the only movie to ever combine the talents of Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung and Yuen Biao under the auspices of action auteur John Woo in one of his earliest directing roles. This is kung phooey in the traditional sense, set during the Ching Dynasty and involving a group of resistance Shaolin fighters led by Dorian Tan. His turbulent task is to escort a rebel leader (played by a young John Woo) across dangerous terrain to safety overseas. James Tien is the villain, playing a hairy ex-Shaolin renegade now Manchu leader set …

Read More

The Real Bruce Lee (1978)

Posted in Reviews
No Comments
The Real Bruce Lee (1978)

The “real” Bruce Lee turns out to be a fake Bruce Lee. Two, in fact – top impressionists Dragon Lee and Bruce Li. This cheap US ‘documentary’ begins with half an hour’s worth of genuine Bruce Lee footage borrowed from a number of his early Cantonese movies, then outlines an abridged version of his life story before finishing with an hour’s cut of a Dragon Lee flick, where he battles with nasty Japanese thugs and a crazy German magician. Bruce Li can be found somewhere in the middle, hamming it up with a load of karate kids in a Lee-alike …

Read More

Chanbara Beauty (2008)

Posted in Reviews
No Comments
Chanbara Beauty (2008)

Based on the hack and slash OneChanbara video game – the fan boy premise of which revolves almost entirely around partial nudity and a gory zombie invasion – this live-action version dares to add depth and character to a gratuitous franchise which, on the face of it, may seem like a wistful waste of time.

The film feels more like a gaming experience than a movie. The computer generated effects feature such high levels of bloodletting that most of the red stuff ends up splattered on the lens. Then there are the formulaic zombie set pieces which place central characters in …

Read More

Shogun Assassin (1980)

Posted in Reviews
No Comments
Shogun Assassin (1980)

A slice ‘n’ dice treatment on the first two Lone Wolf & Cub movies from the early 1970s, this is a commercially aesthetic international re-edit and, therefore, the most widely viewed instalment. You’ve probably seen this movie without even knowing.

The narrative is messy but as a spectacle it works just fine. The film centres on the iconic cinematic image of Lone Wolf, a lethal Samurai assassin, who roams ninja-infested terrain with Cub, his three year old son who is cased inside a lethal push chair rigged to the hilt with booby traps. The premise is both savage and heartfelt. Lone Wolf’s …

Read More

The Young Master (1980)

Posted in Reviews
No Comments
The Young Master (1980)

This is one of those absolute classics that must be viewed at every opportunity. Jackie Chan‘s film smashed Hong Kong box office records and revolutionised the dated traditions of kung fu cinema, making Chan the most popular kung fu movie maker around. His use of slapstick and unconventional fighting techniques hinted at a new direction for Hong Kong action cinema – one more aligned to stunt-driven action than traditional kung fu fighting – despite the narrative still being based in a period setting. Jackie plays one of two orphans. He is disgraced when his better brother (played by Wei Pei) secretly …

Read More

Warriors Two (1978)

Posted in Reviews
1 Comment
Warriors Two (1978)

Imaginative, enthralling and action packed, this is Sammo Hung at the height of his powers, creating a riotous martial arts classic many would argue to be the greatest kung fu movie ever made. All the genre hallmarks are here – revenge, loyalty, slapstick comedy, a narrative inspired by a real Chinese folk hero and a primary focus on one specific style. Sammo’s chosen folk hero is Foshan legend and Wing Chun master Leung Jan. Leung Kar-yan (in perhaps the best performance of his career) betrays his youthful looks to play the respected hero in his old age. He’s the sifu …

Read More

Dragon Lord (1982)

Posted in Reviews
No Comments
Dragon Lord (1982)

Out of all Jackie Chan’s self-directed films, this is the most incoherent. Originally devised as a sequel to The Young Master, what sense there is sees Jackie Chan lust over a local girl and uncover a masterful plan by a bunch of mean-looking baddies to smuggle sacred Chinese artefacts out of the country. The nationalism is laid on with a heavy trowel, as subtle as a kick in the teeth. But the film’s best bits include a climactic brawl between Chan and superkicker Hwang In-shik – showcasing Chan’s tactful departure from traditional kung fu fighting in favour of stunt based …

Read More

Profile: Bruce Lee

Posted in Profiles
No Comments
Profile: Bruce Lee

Date of Birth: November 27, 1940 (San Francisco, USA)

Date of Death: July 20, 1973 (aged 32), Hong Kong

Real name: Lee Jun-fan

Other names: Lee Siu Lung, Lee Lung

Occupation: Actor, director, producer, writer, instructor, action director

Style: Tai chi, Wing Chun, Jeet Kune Do

Biography: Bruce Lee is not only the world’s most influential and iconic martial artist – both in films and in practice – but he is also a leading figure in modern popular culture.

Lee was born in the Chinatown district of San Francisco, the fourth of five children to parents Grace Lee and Chinese Opera performer Lee Hoi-chuen. According to the …

Read More
« Previous Page
Next Page »