5 comments about Blood of the Dragon.

1. A MAN NAMED THE WHITE DRAGON MUST FIGHT TO SAVE HIS COUNTRY FROM TYRANNICAL RULE. GOOD FIGHTS BUT THIN STORY. IT'S A GOOD MARTIAL ARTS MOVIE OVERALL. YOU SHOULD ENJOY IT. THAT DUBBING IS HILLARIOUS, THOUGH.



2. I was torn between a 3 and 4 star on this film (It is worth noting that I have the Platinum version rather than this version- so I will not speak of DVD quality). Ultimately the ending convinced me of the need for a 4 star review. The final 20 minutes are the sort of stand off you expect from a classic picture. Unfortunately, the build up could've used a bit of comic relief and/or more character development of the general. Well now I am getting technical for an otherwise entertaining movie. No one can strike a pose like Wang Yu! See more great selections at "Kung Fu for the Sole" Listmania.



3. The main gimmick is that the main character uses a silver spear; to stab, poke and slash with great aplomb.
   Most of the grainy film is pretty boring and it has been directly transferred to DVD with no clean up, BUT there are some good fight scenes to be found here. Fast forward to the last 20 minutes of the film, lots of bloody action.



4. The main gimmick is that the main character uses a silver spear; to stab, poke and slash with great aplomb.
   Most of the grainy film is pretty boring and it has been directly transferred to DVD with no clean up, BUT there are some good fight scenes to be found here. Fast forward to the last 20 minutes of the film, lots of bloody action.



5. This is truly one of Jimmy Wang's best performance using weaponery. Definately a classical ending to be remembered. I too was torn on a 3 or 4 star, it was the ending which really impressed me.

5 comments about North & South Shaolin.

1. It's surprising that more people like Shaolin Temple than Martial Arts of Shaolin, aka The North and South Shaolin. But from my point of view, this movie reflects the young Jet Li's best characteristics. Everyone acts so naturally and beautifully in the movie. There is no other Jet Li's movie which is of such a high spirit--intrinsically funny yet simple!!



2. This is the best one out of all them, in the series. I'd give this 5 stars but the reason is that you can barely see the subtitles. But its a must see movie, i sorta understood anyway even though i could barely see the subtitles.



3. Now Amazon has reviews for the movie that I am reviewing-'North and South Shaolin' and a Jet Li Shaolin Temple movie. Now I can guarantee you that the 3 Jet Li 'Shaolin Temple' movies are great but this one is kind of a dud. I don't know why Amazon thinks these are the same movies but they ARE NOT.
   
   Cassanova Wong stars as a young monk who has to take down the majorly underused kung fu superstar Eagle Han. Sadly Eagle is in Godfrey Ho form and the action director does not know how to use him properly. Cassanova on the other hand looks superb but does not get in near enough fighting. While the choreography is average at best, they speed up the film so much we can hardly see what the hell is going on in the fights.
   
   The story is not really worth going over. Eagle Han(Han Ying) plays your standard government bad guy.
   
   2 things that really stood out to me was the great training sequence with bamboo that Cassanova has and in the final fight you will see a couple of short action scenes that Donnie Yen ripped off for 'Legend of the Wolf'. Then this movie rips off that sweet kick that Cassanova does in the finale of 'Warriors Two'. Sadly the final fight is not great but the last 12 minutes are still worth a watch for any kung fu fan.
   
   Picture quality from Video Asia is not very good but it is LETTERBOXED!!!!



4. I was greatly disappointed, because the movie that I got recorded on the DVD was completely different then "The Martial Arts of Shaolin" although title printed on the box and disk itself was correct. I returned first DVD and got another one. But again it was wrong movie. This way I haven't finally got the movie that I wanted to buy at all :(



5. This is for true Jet Li fans. Excellent Shaolin Action. And forms, speed just the exquisite style Jet Li is known for. Good story line, Only thing is the picture quality could have been better. I don't think there is a remastered version out there. If so let me know. Until then this is a must see Jet Li Film.
   
   Truly Good Shaolin Action.

5 comments about The Sword.

1. This is one of the best sword fighting movie ever made (1980) and is characterized as the new wave martial arts movie.
   The story goes as a new swordsman tries to gain recognition by challenging the best swordsman. At the end he finally achieved his goal and became the best sword fighter, but he also paid with a big price in doing so. You might lose more than what you wishing for!
   Patrick Tam only directed a few movie in his career and this one is definitely his best work. The action sequence is one of the best. Fast & bloody and yet graceful. The story is exciting with nice fashionable costumes and a few beautiful women to delight the scene. A must have for sword fighting movie collector.
   I am not sure about this DVD. The one I have is a VCD and the picture is scratched and hasn't been restored.



2. I saw this movie years ago. I enjoyed it then, and I enjoy it now.
   
   This movie is about two swordsmen. One obsessed with fame, the other obsessed with possessions. Fate brought them together, and it did not end well for either one them. Oh yeah, being their wife, friend or lover sucked too. I suppose you can see this movie as a metaphor of life. People obsessed with fame and money often cannibalize their personal relationships.
   
   The fight scenes are decently, but the actors in this movie are no Jet Li. So if you want great action sequences, you will be slightly disappointed.
   
   The quality of the video and audio of this DVD are terrible. Well, it is better than nothing I guess.



3. On the surface, this would appear to be a typical wuxia pan (Chinese
   martial arts adventure) film from the early 70's. What's interesting
   here (or maybe not) is that this story is actually a prequel to the
   classic 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon'. That movie was actually
   based on the third part of three part story written in China many,
   many, many years ago. This film is based on the first part of that
   novel, and introduces the characters later played in CTHD by Chow-
   Yun Fat and Michelle Yeoh. It also chronicles the making of the
   great sword known in CTHD as the 'Green Destiny' (though it is not
   refered to by that name in this film) The protaginists names are
   different here as well, though I don't know if they were changed
   for this film or for CTHD. Since this was made sveral years before,
   I'm inclined to believe this one is closer to the original Chinese
   text. You needn't be familiar with CTHD to enjoy this film however.
   Despite the era in which it was made, it is gorgeously shot and the
   action scenes are quite wonderful. (And dig that shot of the guy who
   gets split in half down the middle by the titular weapon!) Enjoy!



4. A long time collector of A class martial art films this one ranks among the top, I search all over the internet and stores coast to coast and overseas for the best in martial art films and this is a gem. This film has a good story the acting is well done and outstanding sword fighting, I'm also a fan of Norman Chu he plays the villian in this film. The price that I paid for this movie on amazon was a big gift when you consider what lesser quality films are asking.



5. 'The Sword' is a swordplay drama with thrilling action, a nice space age type of soundtrack and great cinematography. Nothing compares to seeing a sword in Adam cheng's hand. Lee Hoi San, Eddy Ko, and Norman Chu also star and all do very good work, but Adam Cheng is truly a magical performer. The directing and acting is also superb and this is one of my personal favorite movies. Many moments are just so grinningly satisfying such as seeing Cheng's face when he learns that his childhood sweetheart now has a husband. And Norman Chu will make you think he must be a bad guy in real life coming across so menacing and heartless on screen.
   
   Adam Cheng stars as a master swordsman who is looking for another master swordsman who he wants to challenge, but he gets caught up in an another swordsman's plot to gain 2 evil and powerful swords for himself. The one plotting to kill him and get the swords is his childhood sweetheart's husband (Norman Chu). It all leads to a final battle that is posibly the greatest sword fight ever filmed. It gets pretty dark and has very graphic violence at times. The ending absolutely has to be seen. This is somewhat of a remake of Jimmy Wang Yu's Crash Masters: The Sword (1971) made 9 years earlier, except much more exciting and just a better overall movie.
   
   4.5/5
   
   Sound and picture quality on the Deltamac DVD are good and the subtitles are well written.

No comments about Tang Soo Do Forms Volume 2: Black Belt.

No comments about Tomiki-ryu Aikido - Video 1 - Kihon-no-kata.

5 comments about Black Samurai: Agent For Dragon.

1. I first saw this movie on VHS back in the early 90s. It was so horrible, I remember my buddy and I were almost sick with laughter. Many reviews talk about the bad editing job on the DVD - but I remember the VHS version being just as horrible, which made the movie even more halarious. I'm sort of glad the swearing & nudity are gone so that I can show this sad piece to my son. I can't wait to see the jet-pack scene with his afro-fitted helmet.



2. Black Samurai has everything you could ever want in a movie: Karate, Jim Kelly, midgets, poisonous snakes, shag carpeting, babes, a purple sports car, a gay warlock, the sleaziest Argentinian henchman imaginable, bad Seventies fashion, blue eye shadow, guys in 30's Tarzan movie African outfits, voodoo, samurai swords, snappy dialogue, and an amazing story line.
   
   I only wish that Jim Kelly had made more of this level of screen gem. Jim Kelly is the man!!!!!!!



3. This is an excellent Kung-Fu classic from the 70's that has unfortunately been neutered by the ridiculous (and unexplained) editing of Brentwood Home Video. Look for the VHS copy made by Continental Video in the 80's & 90's. The Continental video has ALL the nudity, cursing and explicit violence that movie goers in the 70's would have seen. Don't buy this jive-turkey by Brentwood unless you are desperate to see the movie. Instead, search around for the Continental copy. You won't be disappointed. On to the review...
   
   First of all, this movie is made for people like me who have always wondered, "what would it be like if the cool black dude from 'Enter the Dragon' survived the movie, went back to the USA and became secret agent?" This movie is a testament to the enduring star power of Jim Kelly II, who churned out a few Blaxploitation Kung-Fu movies after "Enter the Dragon" made him a star. Of all those movies, "Black Samurai" is the most ambitious and a heck of a lot of fun.
   
   Kelly plays Robert Sand, tennis pro, secret agent and Kung-Fu assassin. Sand is reluctantly drawn away from his three-week vacation in Mexico to save his old girlfriend Toki (Essie Lin Chin) who has been kidnapped by agents of the evil Voodoo Witch-Doctor/ Anton LeVay wanna-be Janicott (Bill Roy). Bill Roy is one of the worst actors I have ever seen in any movie, EVER. And let me tell, you I have seen some horrible movies (see my other reviews!). Roy is so bad that he is one of the main factors that makes this movie much worse than it should have been. Regardless, along the way to confront Janicott, Sand drives a souped-up purple sports car, flies around in a one-man jet pack (which is amazing!), beats up several midgets and dwarves, calls lots of dudes "faggot" (?), kills a couple of people that are always in a body of water (weird...), fights a trained vulture named Vultan (major cool points for the name alone) and manages to refuse the seductive powers of the super-hot Synne (Marilyn Joi). The final fight scene is excellent, mainly because so many people that were purportedly killed earlier mysteriously come back to life and show up to fight again. Hey, maybe Janicott brought them back to life with his voodoo! I love the end credits, too. Someone named Ray Wells is credited with "Haitian Voodoo Research." Marilyn Joi worked as her own stylist. Oh, and stunts were performed by the "Jim Kelly Stuntman Association." Still, no one is listed as composing the cool "Black Samurai Theme." A shame. This is a great movie and it's sad more people don't know about it. Watch it; it will change your life. I have to go now, I've got a call in on a jet-pack and a purple sports car.



4. I have to agree with the past reviewer that the scenes they cut out would have made it a watchable movie. All that I was left with was Jim Kelly beating up other grown men AND midgets. The final fight against the strong guy was the most trouble I had paying attention to a movie in a long time. I do have to say that Kelly did have acting ability, just don't expect for it to get showcased in this movie.
   
   So make sure that the version that you get is uncut, and it might help you make it through the movie. The Brentwood version is 81 minutes long.



5. This is a first movie I notice Kelly in, and he performed in Hollywood much prior to other talents of Afro-America, surely.
   
   Relaying on personal physics rather than on contemporary sci-fi tricks, film impresses with the funny presenting of the murdering unstoppable.

No comments about Vital Targets : A Street-Savvy Guide to Targeting the Eyes, Ears, Nose, and Throat.

No comments about The Holy Virgin Versus the Evil Dead.

No comments about crazy shaolin disciples.

5 comments about Bloodfist 6 - Ground Zero.

1. The lead character in this movie shows that one person can make a difference against any odds.A character that stands out due to the talent of Don "The Dragon" Wilson. I have watched this movie over & over again.



2. The lead character in this movie shows that one person can make a difference against any odds.A character that stands out due to the talent of Don "The Dragon" Wilson. I have watched this movie over & over again.



3. Here comes the latest of the DIE HARD knock offs, only this is one of the good ones. Don "The Dragon" is Nick Corrigan, a military courier who was demoted for the wrong reasons and who packs a mean punch. He's on his way to a U.S. nuclear missile launch site at the same time when terrorists have shown up and taken control. Led by the charismatic "Party of Allah" Arab terrorist Fawkes (Jonathan Fuller), they have made demands for $100 million or they'll start shooting nukes at U.S. cities. Of course, their bad guys, and even if they get their money, they'll still shoot an ICBM at NYC. Corrigan shows up to try to stop them, using his martial arts skills to get the job done. As I said, this is one of our DIE HARD knock offs, but as I also said, this one of the good ones;in fact, it's one of the best, with more kung fu fighting and cooler sets than most of the others. Don "The Dragon" clearly is a world champion and, like I've said before in my reviews, is not as bad an actor as most other critics peg him as. Each and every one of the BLOODFIST films should've made it to theatres, not just the first three. I'm still debating with myself over whether GROUND ZERO or DIE TRYING are the best in the series, but I suppose it doesn't matter. As long as Don "The Dragon" can still carry a action film on his pinky their kick [boo-te] kung fu flicks.



4. I actually really liked Bloodfist IV and V as the stories were decent along with the action, so in turn I had higher expecations for Bloodfist VI. BF VI jus comes off being another hooky Die Hard rip-off with some terrorists breaking into a nuclear missle base and threatening to explode one. Now its up to Don "The Dragon" Wilson to stop them. If you found the other B-action entries into this series enjoyable, you might find some enjoyment in this entry. I basically own it to complete my Bloodfist collection.



5. Ground Zero really is a cheap knock-off on Die Hard. I was ok with that because I was expecting more martial arts skills going into this film. And after seeing the last 2 above average Bloodfist movies - parts 4 & 5 - I thought part 6 would keep the trend going. Unfortunately, everything is wrong with this film and turns out to be an average, predicatable, and almost boring movie at best.
   
   Since this is a Die Hard knock-off, you pretty much already know what the outcome will be, and you pretty much will know the succession of events. Group of terrorists take over a nuclear missle base and threaten to target big cities in exchange for large sums of money. Don Wilson plays our hero named Nick Carrigan, and basically fights through the bad guys one at a time till he gets the job done.
   
   The terrorists themselves are not convincing charcaters. They are supposed to be Middle-Eastern but mostly look Caucasian. Even still, their performances are poorly convincing, and the boss charcater is just that as well. Two of the terrorists are played by Michael Blanks (Dragon Fire, The Circuit) and Art Camacho, (pretty much either in every martial art film or the choreographer for) so I was hoping for some good fights with these guys. As with all the fights in the movie, they last 30 seconds at most, putting them at the quickest fights seen yet in all of the Bloodfist movies. Michael Blanks was still my favorite, because of his beautiful unique kicking style.
   
   I'd almost give a 2 stars for this film, but Wilson is fun to watch in his action scenes, he has some great kicking moments that look great. I just wish there was more than 30 second long fights. The rest of the film is predictable and fairly unexciting. Lets hope the remainder of the Bloodfist series can end on a stronger note.