5 comments about Legend of the Red Dragon.

1. offers enough novel action and cute humor to satisfy. For us guys, the female thief is cute, sexy, funny. Standout scene for me is when Jet, as a bodyguard, is courted by her when she tries to measure him up for some badly needed new clothing. The kid also deserves mention: evidently this kid is the real deal and his fight with other kids is a somewhat rare sight. Fight scenes are more stylised than actual but they are choreographed with style. Toward the end there is a big surprise when the vile baddie shows up. He is really different and nasty as hell. You won't believe what he has and Jet has a real challenge to beat him. Overall, should please anyone who likes the feudal period.



2. This is not a bad flick and there are 2 or 3 fight scenes worth watching again - but Jet Li's stoic performance is overshadowed by unrealistic wire stunts and silly gimics. Surprisingly, I was not annoyed by the young kung fu kid in this one (I'm almost always annoyed by these "cutsey" kid kung fu interludes)... it was actually rather amusing - but (yes another but), the villian just wasn't good enough, and that's always a downer. The villian rides around in some metalic shiney future mobile that is so dumb it surpasses absurd insanity and falls into the "what the hell was this movie about anyways."? Still can't figure out what the director was thinking.



3. The only collaberation between Jing Wong and Jet Li that I thought was great was 'Claws of Steel' AKA 'Last Hero In China'. The other 3 movies were not a complete waste though. The only 3 reasons I can think of why he would ever work with Jing is Woo Ping, Corey Yuen, and Sammo Hung. And Corey Yuen really goes over the top with this one but there are a few fights worth seeing. Jet Li plays a stone-faced character and he does it so well. He looks as serious as he can be and it definately goes hand in hand with the way that he can do such a quick action movement and then just be so still afterwords. His awesome performance is so out of place in a Jing Wong movie it is sad to see but still worth a watch.
   
   Now when watching a Jing Wong movie expect a lot of things to not make sense, expect not to see any action for a couple of long periods of time, but expect it to have energy and that drive it needs to keep going. Right away comes a scene played out from 'Lone Wolf and Cub' with Jet being serious like Ogami Ito and Jet's infant son decides to pick the sword and live on the run rather than pick the ball and go to heaven. Even in a scene like this that should be great he has to change it from LW&C and make it so Jet guides the boy to the ball. The first action sequence of the movie is by far the best. In a Jing Wong movie you know that you will have a super low budget and filming will last 2 weeks max(seriously), so that means Corey Yuen has to do as much as he can with limited everything. Luckily he has Jet and his son in the movie Xie Mao who you can also see with Jet in 'My Father Is a Hero'. Xie Mao has AWESOME skills, or at least did and since there are not a lot of great kid screen fighters, he gives the film a bit of a unique feeling.
   
   So the movie starts out with Jet's Shaolin brother(Gai Chun-wa) betraying him and the best fight of the movie comes first sadly. Gai Chun-wa from Jet Li's Shaolin Temple movies and 'Fong Sai Yuk 2' is as good of a villian you will ever find. His Wolverine claws are freaking sweet and even when Jing Wong puts a bunch of stupid makeup on him and makes him a monster, you still can't cover up his intensity. Now again, since this is a Jing Wong movie and you get a bunch of mindless plots that come and go. The mother and daughter as thieves work best only because Chingmy Yau is good in her role and Deannie Yip is such a wonderful actress. I wouldn't recommend this if you are not a Jing Wong fan but if you are then you will love all butt in the face jokes and such.
   
   There is actually a recent commentary on this disc so Tai Seng must have re-released it again since I just recently bought this movie. I hadn't seen it in a long time and last time I saw it was the Sony Pictures version which is cut and English dubbed. Tai Seng has the original audio on here though they didn't put on an English track and it is in it's original 16:9 screen format. The commentary is from Ric Myers, Frank Jane, and some guy who I think they said is the presodent of Marvel Comic movies. The commentary is not bad but they should have at least talked more about what is going on with martial arts movies today. I haven't heard many Tai Seng commentaries in the past few years and it just could have been much better. Frank Jane of course gives you the most info just like all the commentaries but he only says a few words here and there as Ric rambles on throughout. I don't like to rate commentaries but this was slightly above average.



4. This is a fun film and one of the few from the period where Jet just seems to have some fun and go off. But this is a pretty sorry release for it. So Tai Seng is releasing widescreen laser disc masters again? Niiicccee. Wait for a better release. At least that one might not have a Ric Meyers commentary on there. If there's a sure sign of a lack of care from a company releasing kung fu films, it's Meyers' name anywhere on the product.



5. The customer review currently featured first here urges us to buy the New Legend of Shaolin DVD, but many will actually prefer the Legend of the Red Dragon DVD. (For those not aware, these are different releases of the same movie, and the reviews are mixed together here. The Shaolin release is from Tai Seng, a company with a mixed reputation for importing Hong Kong movies; the Red Dragon release is from Sony/Columbia Tristar. What appears to be essentially the same Tai Seng DVD is also here.)
   
   There are two main differences between the two versions.
   
   1. The Red Dragon version is edited so that it's 12 minutes shorter than the Tai Seng Shaolin version. I don't think that necessarily makes it worse. This isn't Citizen Kane, or Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon. After the misleadingly grave beginning, this is mainly a low-budget, wacky martial-arts comedy, with over-the-top fights and characters, humorous throughout. Judging from comparisons at Hong Kong movie websites, the cuts don't change anything of great importance.
   
   And the 95-minute Tai Seng Shaolin release isn't really the fullest version anyway. Amazon also lists a 100-minute version. I'd happily watch a longer version, but I didn't feel any great gaps that interfered with anything all that important in Legend of the Red Dragon, or find myself wishing it was longer.
   
   2. The other main difference is that Red Dragon offers the English dub only, while Shaolin offers Chinese with optional English subtitles only, with no option for an English dub.
   
   As it happens, the English dubbing on the Red Dragon version is hilarious; it's hard to imagine that the original Chinese is any funnier, especially to those who don't speak Cantonese, or that the subtitles bring out some subtle humor missed in the dub.
   
   So, if you're taking this movie the way it appears to be intended, that is, not so seriously, and you don't speak Chinese, you might prefer the Red Dragon version with the English dubbing. It's currently very cheap used.
   
   If you're not familiar with Jet Li, he's a great martial artist with a long career in Hong Kong and some American movies, capped by the recent Fearless (which is the kind of film that's better in its longer version). If you like Jackie Chan's cheaper outings, or want to see some impressively choreographed martial arts action in a mainly comedic setting, try out whichever version of this movie and you'll have a good time.
   
   Both versions are in non-anamorphic widescreen. The image quality is good.
   
   ("Red Dragon" is a key place name in the move, by the way, so perhaps not entirely gratuitously chosen for the title. Not that it really matters. A final note: don't confuse this with the movie called simply Red Dragon--that's a completely different animal, and not half as much fun, in my view.)

No comments about Fists of Fury: Masters of Actions Series.

5 comments about The Defender.

1. After Christy Chung wittness a mob killing she needs protection 24/7. Jet Li a secret agent is sent to protect her at all cause. Her house has nothing but hidden cams to watch for bad guys. At first Christy didn't want Jet Li's help and start giving him a hard time until she was being chased in a mall by the mob tring to kill her. Lucky for Li he kill all of them and saved her. Now she is starting to appericate him and tring to get to know him even be his lover. But it's good for Jet Li to blow her off cause she should of gave him a chance at first. She thought she was too good for him so served that Bi*ch right.



2. I'm a big fan of Hong Kong action movies, but Bodyguard from Beijing was merely okay. Jet Li stars as a doughty tough bodyguard from the mainland hired to protect a spoiled rich girl from Hong Kong. Sparks fly when he tries to restrict her movements and jet-setting lifestyle. The two eventually fall in love, despite the fact that his new girlfriend is already the mistress of a wealthy man.
   
   I liked the film, but didn't find it anything to shout about. The girl's nephew Billy was way irritating. Jet Li was handsome and there were some great martial arts feats but this DVD was nothing to write home about. 3 stars. Average.



3. 
   This movie was made in Hong Kong, starring Jet Li, directed by Corey Yuen. Although it is not Jet Li's best, it is nevertheless worth watching.
   
   The bodyguard (Jet Li) is assigned to protect the rich Christy Cheung, the only remaining witness to a murder case (the other two witnesses were killed weeks before the trial). At first, they don't get along, largely due to the stiff bodyguard violating her privacy, installing security cameras not only throughout the house but also her bedroom. However, a romantic relationship develops after she violates security procedures and goes shopping, only to be saved from being narrowly killed by several assassins, due to the first rate fighting skills of the bodyguard.
   
   The movie starts slowly but it builds up to excellent martial arts towards the end. The major disappointment is that the producers forgot that this was supposed to be a martial arts movie and introduced guns unnecessarily, which spoils the action. The action is not as much as I would have wished. However, the fight, towards the end is first rate, particularly when Jet Li fights Ken Lo (Jackie Chan).
   
   However, for those who like guns and also like martial arts, then this movie will excite you.



4. The Defender is perhaps one of Jet Li's more different and original of all his HK made films. The movie relies on a pretty good story filled with multiple aspects of conflict and suspense, rather than a lot of action. The lesser amount of action never phased me because I thought the movie does well without it. Thats not to say there isn't any, just not as much as most of Jet Li's movies. Fortunately, if you can't help but desire a good fight, the finale of the movie presents one of Jet Li's better fights scenes I have ever scene, a fight of originailty etched with emotion.
   
   There are a few set backs from getting a 5 star rating. The English dubbing, as always, gives the movie a cheesy feel sometimes and makes the acting seem a little week. Aside from the dubbing, there are some moments in the movie that are a bit cheesy. Jet Li's character and the woman he is ordered to protect endure continuous scenes of tension that are great to watch, since he takes his work seriously and she has a rich boyfriend who has hired the bodyguard. Though entertaining and suspenseful moments arise from these two, they also present the cheesy moments, especially the ending of the film.
   
   The Defender is a great addition to anyone who loves Jet Li movies. I'd have to say this is one of his better ones overall. Great story filled with suspense, and a wonderful final fight scene that is amongst the best. If you are looking for movie filled with action throughout, it may not please, but this is a good all-around film, giving more than most martial art films would.



5. the eng dubbed version i find kindna cheesy, so i'm glad i purchased the original version. although the video quality is poor (Average) and the eng sub (harddubbed) is hard to read, quality of the eng sub is excellent; that's what I always look for - good to excell eng subs. i wish/hope that in the near future the producers can optimize this movie with better vid quality and same quality eng subs (not eng dubbed, that is). also, yes, i highly recommend this movie to any jet li fan/collector.

5 comments about New Legend of Shaolin.

1. offers enough novel action and cute humor to satisfy. For us guys, the female thief is cute, sexy, funny. Standout scene for me is when Jet, as a bodyguard, is courted by her when she tries to measure him up for some badly needed new clothing. The kid also deserves mention: evidently this kid is the real deal and his fight with other kids is a somewhat rare sight. Fight scenes are more stylised than actual but they are choreographed with style. Toward the end there is a big surprise when the vile baddie shows up. He is really different and nasty as hell. You won't believe what he has and Jet has a real challenge to beat him. Overall, should please anyone who likes the feudal period.



2. This is not a bad flick and there are 2 or 3 fight scenes worth watching again - but Jet Li's stoic performance is overshadowed by unrealistic wire stunts and silly gimics. Surprisingly, I was not annoyed by the young kung fu kid in this one (I'm almost always annoyed by these "cutsey" kid kung fu interludes)... it was actually rather amusing - but (yes another but), the villian just wasn't good enough, and that's always a downer. The villian rides around in some metalic shiney future mobile that is so dumb it surpasses absurd insanity and falls into the "what the hell was this movie about anyways."? Still can't figure out what the director was thinking.



3. The only collaberation between Jing Wong and Jet Li that I thought was great was 'Claws of Steel' AKA 'Last Hero In China'. The other 3 movies were not a complete waste though. The only 3 reasons I can think of why he would ever work with Jing is Woo Ping, Corey Yuen, and Sammo Hung. And Corey Yuen really goes over the top with this one but there are a few fights worth seeing. Jet Li plays a stone-faced character and he does it so well. He looks as serious as he can be and it definately goes hand in hand with the way that he can do such a quick action movement and then just be so still afterwords. His awesome performance is so out of place in a Jing Wong movie it is sad to see but still worth a watch.
   
   Now when watching a Jing Wong movie expect a lot of things to not make sense, expect not to see any action for a couple of long periods of time, but expect it to have energy and that drive it needs to keep going. Right away comes a scene played out from 'Lone Wolf and Cub' with Jet being serious like Ogami Ito and Jet's infant son decides to pick the sword and live on the run rather than pick the ball and go to heaven. Even in a scene like this that should be great he has to change it from LW&C and make it so Jet guides the boy to the ball. The first action sequence of the movie is by far the best. In a Jing Wong movie you know that you will have a super low budget and filming will last 2 weeks max(seriously), so that means Corey Yuen has to do as much as he can with limited everything. Luckily he has Jet and his son in the movie Xie Mao who you can also see with Jet in 'My Father Is a Hero'. Xie Mao has AWESOME skills, or at least did and since there are not a lot of great kid screen fighters, he gives the film a bit of a unique feeling.
   
   So the movie starts out with Jet's Shaolin brother(Gai Chun-wa) betraying him and the best fight of the movie comes first sadly. Gai Chun-wa from Jet Li's Shaolin Temple movies and 'Fong Sai Yuk 2' is as good of a villian you will ever find. His Wolverine claws are freaking sweet and even when Jing Wong puts a bunch of stupid makeup on him and makes him a monster, you still can't cover up his intensity. Now again, since this is a Jing Wong movie and you get a bunch of mindless plots that come and go. The mother and daughter as thieves work best only because Chingmy Yau is good in her role and Deannie Yip is such a wonderful actress. I wouldn't recommend this if you are not a Jing Wong fan but if you are then you will love all butt in the face jokes and such.
   
   There is actually a recent commentary on this disc so Tai Seng must have re-released it again since I just recently bought this movie. I hadn't seen it in a long time and last time I saw it was the Sony Pictures version which is cut and English dubbed. Tai Seng has the original audio on here though they didn't put on an English track and it is in it's original 16:9 screen format. The commentary is from Ric Myers, Frank Jane, and some guy who I think they said is the presodent of Marvel Comic movies. The commentary is not bad but they should have at least talked more about what is going on with martial arts movies today. I haven't heard many Tai Seng commentaries in the past few years and it just could have been much better. Frank Jane of course gives you the most info just like all the commentaries but he only says a few words here and there as Ric rambles on throughout. I don't like to rate commentaries but this was slightly above average.



4. This is a fun film and one of the few from the period where Jet just seems to have some fun and go off. But this is a pretty sorry release for it. So Tai Seng is releasing widescreen laser disc masters again? Niiicccee. Wait for a better release. At least that one might not have a Ric Meyers commentary on there. If there's a sure sign of a lack of care from a company releasing kung fu films, it's Meyers' name anywhere on the product.



5. The customer review currently featured first here urges us to buy the New Legend of Shaolin DVD, but many will actually prefer the Legend of the Red Dragon DVD. (For those not aware, these are different releases of the same movie, and the reviews are mixed together here. The Shaolin release is from Tai Seng, a company with a mixed reputation for importing Hong Kong movies; the Red Dragon release is from Sony/Columbia Tristar. What appears to be essentially the same Tai Seng DVD is also here.)
   
   There are two main differences between the two versions.
   
   1. The Red Dragon version is edited so that it's 12 minutes shorter than the Tai Seng Shaolin version. I don't think that necessarily makes it worse. This isn't Citizen Kane, or Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon. After the misleadingly grave beginning, this is mainly a low-budget, wacky martial-arts comedy, with over-the-top fights and characters, humorous throughout. Judging from comparisons at Hong Kong movie websites, the cuts don't change anything of great importance.
   
   And the 95-minute Tai Seng Shaolin release isn't really the fullest version anyway. Amazon also lists a 100-minute version. I'd happily watch a longer version, but I didn't feel any great gaps that interfered with anything all that important in Legend of the Red Dragon, or find myself wishing it was longer.
   
   2. The other main difference is that Red Dragon offers the English dub only, while Shaolin offers Chinese with optional English subtitles only, with no option for an English dub.
   
   As it happens, the English dubbing on the Red Dragon version is hilarious; it's hard to imagine that the original Chinese is any funnier, especially to those who don't speak Cantonese, or that the subtitles bring out some subtle humor missed in the dub.
   
   So, if you're taking this movie the way it appears to be intended, that is, not so seriously, and you don't speak Chinese, you might prefer the Red Dragon version with the English dubbing. It's currently very cheap used.
   
   If you're not familiar with Jet Li, he's a great martial artist with a long career in Hong Kong and some American movies, capped by the recent Fearless (which is the kind of film that's better in its longer version). If you like Jackie Chan's cheaper outings, or want to see some impressively choreographed martial arts action in a mainly comedic setting, try out whichever version of this movie and you'll have a good time.
   
   Both versions are in non-anamorphic widescreen. The image quality is good.
   
   ("Red Dragon" is a key place name in the move, by the way, so perhaps not entirely gratuitously chosen for the title. Not that it really matters. A final note: don't confuse this with the movie called simply Red Dragon--that's a completely different animal, and not half as much fun, in my view.)

5 comments about New Legend of Shaolin.

1. offers enough novel action and cute humor to satisfy. For us guys, the female thief is cute, sexy, funny. Standout scene for me is when Jet, as a bodyguard, is courted by her when she tries to measure him up for some badly needed new clothing. The kid also deserves mention: evidently this kid is the real deal and his fight with other kids is a somewhat rare sight. Fight scenes are more stylised than actual but they are choreographed with style. Toward the end there is a big surprise when the vile baddie shows up. He is really different and nasty as hell. You won't believe what he has and Jet has a real challenge to beat him. Overall, should please anyone who likes the feudal period.



2. This is not a bad flick and there are 2 or 3 fight scenes worth watching again - but Jet Li's stoic performance is overshadowed by unrealistic wire stunts and silly gimics. Surprisingly, I was not annoyed by the young kung fu kid in this one (I'm almost always annoyed by these "cutsey" kid kung fu interludes)... it was actually rather amusing - but (yes another but), the villian just wasn't good enough, and that's always a downer. The villian rides around in some metalic shiney future mobile that is so dumb it surpasses absurd insanity and falls into the "what the hell was this movie about anyways."? Still can't figure out what the director was thinking.



3. The only collaberation between Jing Wong and Jet Li that I thought was great was 'Claws of Steel' AKA 'Last Hero In China'. The other 3 movies were not a complete waste though. The only 3 reasons I can think of why he would ever work with Jing is Woo Ping, Corey Yuen, and Sammo Hung. And Corey Yuen really goes over the top with this one but there are a few fights worth seeing. Jet Li plays a stone-faced character and he does it so well. He looks as serious as he can be and it definately goes hand in hand with the way that he can do such a quick action movement and then just be so still afterwords. His awesome performance is so out of place in a Jing Wong movie it is sad to see but still worth a watch.
   
   Now when watching a Jing Wong movie expect a lot of things to not make sense, expect not to see any action for a couple of long periods of time, but expect it to have energy and that drive it needs to keep going. Right away comes a scene played out from 'Lone Wolf and Cub' with Jet being serious like Ogami Ito and Jet's infant son decides to pick the sword and live on the run rather than pick the ball and go to heaven. Even in a scene like this that should be great he has to change it from LW&C and make it so Jet guides the boy to the ball. The first action sequence of the movie is by far the best. In a Jing Wong movie you know that you will have a super low budget and filming will last 2 weeks max(seriously), so that means Corey Yuen has to do as much as he can with limited everything. Luckily he has Jet and his son in the movie Xie Mao who you can also see with Jet in 'My Father Is a Hero'. Xie Mao has AWESOME skills, or at least did and since there are not a lot of great kid screen fighters, he gives the film a bit of a unique feeling.
   
   So the movie starts out with Jet's Shaolin brother(Gai Chun-wa) betraying him and the best fight of the movie comes first sadly. Gai Chun-wa from Jet Li's Shaolin Temple movies and 'Fong Sai Yuk 2' is as good of a villian you will ever find. His Wolverine claws are freaking sweet and even when Jing Wong puts a bunch of stupid makeup on him and makes him a monster, you still can't cover up his intensity. Now again, since this is a Jing Wong movie and you get a bunch of mindless plots that come and go. The mother and daughter as thieves work best only because Chingmy Yau is good in her role and Deannie Yip is such a wonderful actress. I wouldn't recommend this if you are not a Jing Wong fan but if you are then you will love all butt in the face jokes and such.
   
   There is actually a recent commentary on this disc so Tai Seng must have re-released it again since I just recently bought this movie. I hadn't seen it in a long time and last time I saw it was the Sony Pictures version which is cut and English dubbed. Tai Seng has the original audio on here though they didn't put on an English track and it is in it's original 16:9 screen format. The commentary is from Ric Myers, Frank Jane, and some guy who I think they said is the presodent of Marvel Comic movies. The commentary is not bad but they should have at least talked more about what is going on with martial arts movies today. I haven't heard many Tai Seng commentaries in the past few years and it just could have been much better. Frank Jane of course gives you the most info just like all the commentaries but he only says a few words here and there as Ric rambles on throughout. I don't like to rate commentaries but this was slightly above average.



4. This is a fun film and one of the few from the period where Jet just seems to have some fun and go off. But this is a pretty sorry release for it. So Tai Seng is releasing widescreen laser disc masters again? Niiicccee. Wait for a better release. At least that one might not have a Ric Meyers commentary on there. If there's a sure sign of a lack of care from a company releasing kung fu films, it's Meyers' name anywhere on the product.



5. The customer review currently featured first here urges us to buy the New Legend of Shaolin DVD, but many will actually prefer the Legend of the Red Dragon DVD. (For those not aware, these are different releases of the same movie, and the reviews are mixed together here. The Shaolin release is from Tai Seng, a company with a mixed reputation for importing Hong Kong movies; the Red Dragon release is from Sony/Columbia Tristar. What appears to be essentially the same Tai Seng DVD is also here.)
   
   There are two main differences between the two versions.
   
   1. The Red Dragon version is edited so that it's 12 minutes shorter than the Tai Seng Shaolin version. I don't think that necessarily makes it worse. This isn't Citizen Kane, or Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon. After the misleadingly grave beginning, this is mainly a low-budget, wacky martial-arts comedy, with over-the-top fights and characters, humorous throughout. Judging from comparisons at Hong Kong movie websites, the cuts don't change anything of great importance.
   
   And the 95-minute Tai Seng Shaolin release isn't really the fullest version anyway. Amazon also lists a 100-minute version. I'd happily watch a longer version, but I didn't feel any great gaps that interfered with anything all that important in Legend of the Red Dragon, or find myself wishing it was longer.
   
   2. The other main difference is that Red Dragon offers the English dub only, while Shaolin offers Chinese with optional English subtitles only, with no option for an English dub.
   
   As it happens, the English dubbing on the Red Dragon version is hilarious; it's hard to imagine that the original Chinese is any funnier, especially to those who don't speak Cantonese, or that the subtitles bring out some subtle humor missed in the dub.
   
   So, if you're taking this movie the way it appears to be intended, that is, not so seriously, and you don't speak Chinese, you might prefer the Red Dragon version with the English dubbing. It's currently very cheap used.
   
   If you're not familiar with Jet Li, he's a great martial artist with a long career in Hong Kong and some American movies, capped by the recent Fearless (which is the kind of film that's better in its longer version). If you like Jackie Chan's cheaper outings, or want to see some impressively choreographed martial arts action in a mainly comedic setting, try out whichever version of this movie and you'll have a good time.
   
   Both versions are in non-anamorphic widescreen. The image quality is good.
   
   ("Red Dragon" is a key place name in the move, by the way, so perhaps not entirely gratuitously chosen for the title. Not that it really matters. A final note: don't confuse this with the movie called simply Red Dragon--that's a completely different animal, and not half as much fun, in my view.)

5 comments about High Risk.

1. Don't take this movie for more than what it is, a comedy. It was funny, Jet Li fans won't find what they're looking for, if they want typical Jet Li. It's some pretty good fighting scenes at the end, especially when Frankie, turns from a coward to a fighting machine. If you watch this movie not expecting much, you'll be pleased.



2. Jing Wong truly sinks to a new low with this movie. Jet has one oustanding action sequence but other than that, he just isn't used.
   
   Jacky Cheung is the star of this movie and plays an actor who absolutely never uses stunt doubles. It became apparent within 5 minutes that this movie was made to make fun of Jackie Chan. Of course it didn't have to be so obvious but Jing Wong just keeps driving it into your head that he does his own stunts. So if you are familiar with Jing then you know this isn't going to be a tribute to Jackie. Oh no, it is a punch to the throat through the movie screen. Jet Li plays Cheung's bodyguard and ends up doing the a stunt for him. After setting up his stupid Jackie Chan character, Jing tries to do a remake of Die Hard. Remember how you never knew what Bruce Willis was going to do and it was always surprising? Well Jing makes about the worst movie possible from here on. Instead of being clever, he makes Jet just keep storming in on the hostages and then flee. At one point he takes a helicopter up and starts shooting right into the buiding at the main bad guy with all of the hostages standing around. After the helicopter crashes into the side of the building it doesn't blow up, it just destroys everything on that floor. So other than one outstanding action sequence between Jet Li and Ben Lam(guy with sunglasses), this movie is a complete waste of time. Even Billy Chow couldn't save this one. Of course it would help if Wong Jing was smart enough to capitalize on the success of Billy Chow and Jet Li in 'Fist of Legend', but instead we don't get to see them fight and get to look at Billy Chow in a thong. Yeah, that it just what I am looking for.
   
   The Universal Laser and Video company version is OK but the imbedded subtitles are sometimes hard to read. There is a version of this released by Dimension Video(grrrr)that has been retitled Meltdown and has been shortened by 10 minutes and also has gotten a horrible new soundtrack including English dubbing and rap music replacing what was in the original. Doesn't matter which one you get because the Chinese version isn't really any better since it is not a good movie to begin with.



3. Meltdown has a lot of great things going for it and a lot of stupid things. This is an action packed movie that has some great fights and some other great action scenes. There are a lot of cool characcters in the film, but unfortunately there are plenty of stupid ones as well. The story is ok but the dubbing ruins everything, unless you get your hands on the original Chinese version. The guy that dubs Jet Li's voice sounds...like...he...is.....acting like...William....Shatner acts on the.....original.......Star.....Trek series.
   
   Kit (played by Jet Li) is Frankie Lone's bodyguard, a famous stuntman who has become a disspointment and a drunk coward to those closest to him. He is a big fraud, and Kit has been accustomed to covering for his stunts while not taking the credit. Frankie and Kit become part of a major hostage crisis in a fine HK hotel during a jewelry exhibit. Kit encounters the same men again, two years after they killed his wife and a bus full of school kids.
   
   There are two villains in the movie that are pretty awesome. The first, whose name I can't remember, fights Jet Li about 3/4 through the movie. It is my favorite fight scene of the movie and one of my favorite Jet Li fight scenes in any movie. The fight is intense and quick, beginning with gun shots, then some good ol fancy martial arts, finally ending with an interesting swordsfight, where Kit improvises by using a lighting rod from the ceiling. The other villain is Kong, played by Billy Chau (also appeared as Jet Li's nemesis in Fist of Legend). Unfortunately, Kong only has a very quick fight against Kit early in the movie, but he provides the final fight of the movie against Frankie, lasting a good 5 minutes and again combining martial arts with weapons. Its a good fight, but the previous fight mentioned was much better.
   
   Aside from these great fights, there is a lot of action consisting of lots of gunfire, driving a minivan through the hotel, and even bringing a helicopter into one of the upper stories, creating quite a disaster.
   
   Its the dubbing and the rest of the characters that becomes complete annoyance throughout the film. There is also dumb humor that fails to be funny, and ends up being really cheesy and unsuccessful at creating comedy.
   
   The Chinese language version should provide a better experience for this movie, unfortunately subtitles distract me too. However, if action is all you are after grab Meltdown and it will give you want you want.



4. This movie is all about entertaining.The combination between "Die Hard" and typical martial arts flick works in many levels, but the production values are Hong Kong`s, don`t miss that point.Fans of Jet Li are welcome, but action fans be careful. Here we can find scale helicopters burst in flames, exploding building models, chopped off dummies, you name it. The characters are extreme in their own context: Jet Li is a former military now becomed bodygard and stunt actor, loyal, gentleman, honorable, deadly, you know, a portrait of the typical good guy. The bad guys are also extremely violent and cool looking. He doesn't fight or kick much in this film, but he shoots a lot, dodging bullets from a dozen bad guys with machine guns with no scratch at all, his revolver shoots 30 bullets without reloading, he drives a car inside a hall and uses the elevator, that happens to be be the right size...
   Well, you have to be in the right mood to watch this film without laughing at the many cartoonish production mistakes. But if you are into Hong Kong low production values action films, you will really enjoy one of the best ones of the 90`s.
   
   By the way, this DVD edition sucks. English dubbed, subtitles, poor sound and no extras, not even a filmography.



5. How great of a film is DIE HARD? DIE HARD left such an indelible mark in cinema that movie producers all over the world have been rehashing its film premise ever since. MELTDOWN (aka SHU DAN LONG WEI, aka HIGH RISK), released in 1995, is only one film of many which blatantly [...] Bruce Willis's action opus. On its own merit, MELTDOWN isn't bad but isn't near the top of Jet Li's best flicks in terms of acting, storyline, or kung fu throwdowns. What it's got going for it is its infusion of mayhem and graphic violence, so if you're into that (and what dude isn't?), then it's good times for the viewer.
   
   The far-fetched plot: A deadly early encounter with a terrorist mastermind simply known as the Doctor leaves military Lieutenant Kit Li (Jet Li) a widowed man feeling guilt and in search of revenge. Two years later, Li is now toiling away as a bodyguard to crass, world-renowned kung fu movie star Frankie Lone (Jackie Cheung), who much like Jackie Chan, insists on performing his own stunts. But, unbeknownst to the public, Li actually also serves as Frankie's stunt double on occasions when Frankie has had his drink on. Frankie used to be a heralded martial artist but has "forgotten" the wushu way and is now basically a craven womanizer.
   
   When the posh Grandeur Hotel hosts an invaluable set of Russian jewels, it becomes the point of convergence for Kit, Frankie, and the Doctor and his gang of terrorists. Kit, at last, has a chance to atone for his blunder two years ago. Can he find a way to overcome the mastermind's cunning and ruthlessness? And can Frankie find his long-missing kung fu? Will the plucky girl reporter find love with Kit? Will the dubious film director be defenestrated? Can Jackie Chan forgive MELTDOWN for making a caricature of his persona?
   
   I don't recall the ratio but it seems to me that Jet Li wields a gun here more than he resorts to chop socky. The action sequences are still dang tootin' nifty, but I guess the producers really were going for that DIE HARD sensibility, ergo more firearms. Jet Li remains a very likable persona and his performance is pretty good here as he plays up the stoic, heroic role. As for Jackie Cheung - you either like his performance or you want to slap him silly. I got very annoyed with his incessant mugging and I personally didn't think he was funny, but I know friends who did. His character was meant to be a spoof of Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee, but I didn't much care for it.
   
   Too, the editing staff should've been canned for the inconsistencies left in. There's a scene in which Frankie uses a shoe as a decoy, but the very next moment reveals Frankie shod on both feet. How Kit and the cop got the car out of the elevator to pull out a surprise on the terrorists is a mystery to me. There are several "people" falling out of the skyscraper who are too obviously fake dummies. See what I mean?
   
   Now, I saw MELTDOWN on dvd, dubbed in typically over-the-top English. I just wished I'd screened it in the original Chinese or Cantonese. As I've said elsewhere, more often than not, foreign movies lose something in translation. There's a chance Cheung wouldn't be as grating if he was presented in his native lingo. But, overall, despite its annoyances, MELTDOWN is worth watching for its crazy stunts and fierce violence. And for Jet Li, of course.

5 comments about The Legend of the Swordsman.

1. I hate the fact that I have to review this movie AND the dubbing. I saw this on spike a year or so ago and thought the dubbing was the worst. I guess that I have been seasoned in watching this stupid Jet Li collection because after watching 10 or so of the american dubs of jet, I watched this again and whoever that guy is who always dubs Jet, puts on one of the better performances of his career.
   
   Now that I got that out of the way I can talk about the movie. I watched this without seeing the first swordsman. But I'm pretty sure I'm gonna like Jet more than bucktooth from OUATIC. Even if the fole doesn't fit him very well, jet shows that he really is an actor in this movie. Good battle scenes. Also a good movie to watch with guys so that you can make comments about the always fabulous Bridgitte lin. She is so freaking hot I actually went on a major binge and bough ALL of her movies. So go ahead and check ou Fire Dragon, Bride With White Hairm and my fav. Deadful Melody. I haven't seen the 1st or 3rd movies, but after seeing this, I will seek them out nomatter what it takes.
   
   Truly one of the greatest movies ever and it really makes you think.
   
   EDITED
   
   
   I got the Meieh version and it is the uncut version(108 minutes). If you are going to get this movie, make sure you buy the Mei-Eh/Tai Seng version under the title of Swordsman II.



2. Hey Kiddo. Loyalty, and friendship. Swordsmanship and magic. I enjoyed the scenery. Interesting how a woman hides the fact she is a woman and her class mates do not know. Very much like the original Swordsman. La La la la la la, la la la la la. Listen to the singing of the Sun Sect. How two old men unite after many years and sing this song. Jet Li and Kiddo sing as well. How one takes possesion of a stringed instrument. Watch the movie. Makes you want to la la la.



3. I had fond, but vague memories of this movie from years back... then watched it again in this dubbed version and was apalled. Even beyond the dubbing, the movie itself is just so cheesily directed and cut that even the martial arts don't play well. It just doesn't hold up to the best of the genre, especially now that it's been taken to such a higher level with recent films like House of the Flying Daggers.



4. Fans of Hong Kong cinema will definitely want this famous martial arts epic in their personal library. This was Jet Li's highest grossing HK film and it made Brigitte Lin a star. The martial arts are entirely of the supernatural wuxia variety here so don't expect something realistic like Li's "Fist of Legend". The visuals are eye-popping and you won't believe your eyes as you watch ninjas ride supersized airborne shurikans as though they were magic carpets, sexy Blue Phoenix shoot snakes out of her shirt sleeves, and Master Wu's "Essence Absorbing Stance".
   
   In addition to the frenetic action, the plot and character development is interesting, although significantly hampered by the terrible subtitles. Rather than using the subs in the theatrical and laserdisc versions, new, incomprehensible subtitles have been added. A lot of the subtlety has been lost and I particularly was frustrated that villian "Asia the Invincible" was referred to simply as "Dawn" in the new subtitles. The whole point of the movie is that Asia has become seduced by his/her newfound power to the point that she starts referring to herself as "Invincible". "Dawn" just doesn't convey that sense of overconfidence.
   
   Each character wrestles with their own conflicts. Jet Li wants to retreat from the world of martial arts with his "brothers" and do nothing more than drink wine, yet he gets pulled into an epic conflict. Kiddo can't decide whether she wants to be treated like a lady or one of the guys. The tribal leader wants to tell Jet Li that she loves him but feels her first duty is to protect her troupe and find her father. Blue Phoenix wants to be a loyal second-in-command but can't help but mouth off one too many times. And Asia the Invincible makes an incredible personal sacrifice to bring power to the oppressed Sun Moon Sect, but is ultimately seduced by the incredible power without realizing it.
   
   This is one of my favorite HK films, but the awful subtitles kept me from granting it the full five stars it deserves. I have no idea why they got rid of the original theatrical subtitles, but that was clearly a mistake. Still, if you're a fan of over-the-top action and films where characters are trapped between their desires and their duties, this is a must-have movie.



5. Well al was as aspected although I was disapointed regarding
   the spoken language in this version of the film, While it sais when you look at the fetures of this movie the spoken language is "Japanese" a slight misstake i thought as this is an chinese movie and asumed that it should have said Cantonese but when i recived it the only language that I could select was Dubbed English. And I do belive that this kind of film loses some of its potency when not viewed in its original lanuage.

No comments about High Risk.

5 comments about Lethal Weapon 4 [Region 2].

1. I got this for my Man Boss for his birthday. He likes all of the Leathal Weapons & so do I. I have watched them serveral times myself over the years.



2. Another tale in the saga of the leathal weapon series, As with the others I found this to be entertaining. Joe Pepsci does an awesome job though his heart breaking story about froggie does go a bit too far. But keeping things in thier correct perspectives this movie is quite enjoyable. Plenty of action and suspense with just the right amount of romance.



3. out of all four movies in the series,this is probably the loudest and
   most chaotic,but that doesn't mean it was a bad movie.i think the
   storyline was a bit thin and not really all that original,but just like
   in part three,the action,and the chemistry of the stars makes up for
   that.and this movie also has more laughs than the previous
   installments,many courtesy of both Joe Pesci and Chris Rock.Rene Russo
   is back,along with Mel and Danny.Jet Li joins the proceedings in this
   one,and brings some spectacular fight scenes courtesy of his martial
   arts skill.i don't know if this is the best of the series,but i thought
   it was as good as number three,which i really liked.for me,Lethal
   Weapon 4 is a 3.5/5



4. Having worked and lived in five countries and seen about 4000 movies (at least) in three languages, I can confirm that this shows what America is still made of when you want to see amazing action, point.
   Not many countries makes that kind of adrenaline positive rush action movies...Lethal weapons movies are A for ace!



5. I really enjoyed the first 3 Lethal Weapon movies, but this one is a snoozer. Chris Rock is funny as a comedian, but as an actor he's in need of some serious help. The whole movie was so overblown that it's just ridiculous!
   
   Don't waste your money. If you really must see it borrow it. It's not even worth the time to watch really, much less the cost to rent. Even Mel Gibson can't save this one from the trash heap.

5 comments about Hak hap.

1. First off, the action in this film is great. Jet Li can kick some major butt, and the scenes with him and Françoise Yip are very good.
   
   The detective friend is funny, the dub is amusing, they went with a kind of Bogart vibe on the voice.
   
   The dub for the girl Tracy is annoying... high pitched and whiney, but she's a plucky enough character to not be completely irredeemable.
   
   All in all, good action movie, and Jet Li is pretty studly as the Black Mask. (although corrugated cardboard is not what I'd have pictured as good mask material)



2. Now obviously the new rap music and great american voices they put on make it as bad as possible. But then again, the movie certainly is no gem in it's original language version, that is for sure.
   
   The whole movie had above average action sequences, but the story was unbearable. Not the story itself, but the execution of it is the worst possible. It goes from sickening moments to almost little kid parts between Jet and teh girl. Just freaking horrible.
   
   So the dvd is full screened, music is stupid, voice dubbing is almost as bad as the "jet li collection" movies, but you will get a few good points one or two good laughs, and a decent finale.



3. I enjoyed Jet Li in this movie...never mind the dubbing, I can look past that and enjoy the move for what it is...fantasy/action. Four stars...



4. I owned this movie in VHS and wanted it on DVD. Great action flic by Jet Li



5. i am a huge jet li fan and of course HAD to have this movie. and i did really like it. i think i would have liked it more had it not beed overdubbed in english and had no chinese language option. something for the studio to think about when they undoubtedly end up rereleasing it.