5 comments about Dynamite Warrior.

1. Where to begin? Dynamite Warrior is the story of a young man on a quest for vengeance against the man that killed his parents... sounds pretty unoriginal right? Well let me assure you that everything beyond the basic premise is quite fresh. Our hero Zieng is played by Dan Chupong is his second starring role after the action film Born to Fight. Here he is given a more interesting character to work with and is likeable as the "man of few words" vigilante type. His main weapon is his fantastic Muay Thai moves that have him rolling and somersaulting into bone crunching knee and elbow blows... but that's not all! You see he also utilizes rockets (in fact he even rides on one for a scene or two?!)... this is one of THOSE movies. The kind where each character you meet is a little more bizarre than the last (Takashi Miike would be proud of this eclectic group)and the situations aren't far behind. It uses these characters and the aforementioned plot to jump from one action setpiece to the next while keeping the viewer amused and interested. If you are an action fan than this works out great... others may be rolling their eyes by the second fight. Put together by the same group involved with other Thai action exports Ong Bak, The Protector, and Born To Fight (stunt coordinator Panna Rittikrai even stars as the Black Wizard) you know what to expect, slick direction and lots of exciting action. Wizards, cannibalistic barbarians, virgins-menstration-tipped-rockets(?!), and lots of fighting make this a highly entertaining and recommended release!



2. Dan Chupong ("Born To Fight") plays a vengeful young hero in Thai action film "Dynamite Warrior." The film is set in countryside of Thailand in 1920s and our hero dressed like a cowboy is looking for the murderer responsible for the deaths of his parents while taking away buffalos from the rich (after fighting the "bad" cow keepers) and giving them to the poor. The story is confusing and jokes often misfire, but probably you would not care much.
   
   First this is not "Ong-Bak" where no CGI is used. "Dynamite Warrior" uses plenty of them during the action scenes, but this is only necessary because of the nature of the weapons the protagonist uses against the villains (please see below). Fortunately Dan Chupong can do action stunts and some of them are impressive, but the film and its repetitive actions obviously need more time to let him show what he really can do. This is regrettable for Panna Rittikrai, who plays the arch-villain in this film, is actually stunt coordinator of "Ong-Bak." Dan Chupong is one of his protégés and hence the importance of the final battle scene, but the film takes too much time to go there.
   
   The daredevil hero uses one unique weapon - huge firecrackers (not exactly dynamites as the title says). Dan Chupong's hero even rides one like surfing, which is quite silly but funny, but this idea does not develop much. Like many other visual tricks and martial arts stunts in "Dynamite Warrior," director seems content with using his ideas repeatedly in simplest way. Each action scene is decent, but few of them are truly exciting.
   
   It is worth watching, to be sure, kind of mindless fun. But "Dynamite Warrior" could have been more fun with tighter pace and less repetitious actions.



3. The first 15 minutes of this movie are a little silly and boring, but the movie get better and turns out to be very entertaining. The special effects with the fireworks flying the air are amazing!!! And the fight scenes are very well done. Some of the characters have special magical powers, and that adds an interesting mix to the fighting.



4. I have a huge Kung-fu movie collection and after watching this movie I had to sell it. There is too much B.S. in this movie. I gess it is good for A laugh!



5. Dan Chupong ("Born to Fight") plays Jone Bang Fai, a young fighter who searches for his parents' killer in this strange, funny, and fairly enjoyable fantasy flick from Thailand. It's clearly influenced by (but not quite as "out-there" as) other Asian martial arts/fantasy films like "The Bride With White Hair", and "A Chinese Ghost Story".
   
   Lord Wang (snicker) is trying to get farmers across the country to get some modernity by having them sample the peppy new invention known as the tractor, and dispense with the smelly cattle that they have used for centuries. Most men are impressed until they see the lofty price tag. When Lord Wang can't sell any, he hires a (sometimes) cannibalistic brute to beat the living snot out of the farmers and swipe their livestock. This behemoth likes to wait until his victims sit down for a nice meal before attacking as he gets tougher when he's hungry. Our hero, unaware of who Lord Wang is, repeatedly knees Wang's subordinates in the chest and returns the farmers' property. When our hero finds the man he is looking for, and cannot defeat his magical fighting skills, he enlists the help of Lord Wang and a demon whose GORGEOUS daughter's fecundity holds the key.
   
   This is an interesting movie. Not a great film, but definitely entertaining. Funny characters and dialogue help keep it moving between action scenes, which is where the film (ironically) is a little bit of a letdown. The fights are all wire-enhanced Muay-Thai, and everyone not struck with a blunt, wooden object, takes a knee or an elbow to the head or chest. Oh, and some get hit by rockets too! The choreography starts getting repetitive after a while, though it does get bloodier, so that helps. The fights and stunts are fairly well done, I just wanted to see a little more variety. Do not expect "Ong-Bak"
   
   One thing I will say about the movies I have seen from Thailand, which really only consists of this, and two of Tony Jaa's flicks, is that the camerawork is always beautiful and impressive. The use of landscape and angles are certainly the work of consummate photographers. Not the jerky, grainy, claustrophobic work seen in American action films. I want to see what's going on, not have a seizure.
   
   I would hesitate in recommending this film only because it's not for all tastes. If you like fantasy and martial arts, you'll presumably enjoy it. I'm really not that big on fantasy and I still dug it. In fact, the more I'm thinking about it, the harder it is not so smile. In Thai with English or Spanish subtitles, or English dubbed. Widescreen too. 3.5/5.
   
   2006. aka: Five Warriors; Tabunfire

4 comments about Chinese Super Ninjas.

1. This is an awesome movie. The fight scences are some of the best aever made, the costumes are great, and the use of weapons are really good. The basis of the movie is that the school of good guys (who wear white) has a tournement against the bad school (wears back) for control of the martial arts world. But when the bad guys lose, their hired killer throws the master of the good school his ring (which is poisonous) and tells him when he sees another ring like that that it will be his friend/master challenging him. So the master has his school practice and set up a defense system around their school. A few months down the line, they get a challenge from the killer's friend (the ninja school) to go against their 5 elements. So not knowing what they are up against, the good master sends most of his best warriors to see what the 5 elements are. And that's when all the action starts. Each element uses a unique style of fighting that will leave you awed. This movie is a great tale of revenge and regret. I think you'll really like it.



2. To bad you can only give 5 stars. This is an awesome Movie. Some of the scenes are excellent. Some sad parts and some good parts. Some shocking parts. I mean like some really wow parts. One guy is fighting ninjas under ground and gets stabbed from underneath. I mean like wow he steps on his own intestine! You have got to get this movie. If you don't have it GET IT! An amazing Movie. One of the best Shaw releases.



3. Celestial has finally remastered this movie so there is no reason to buy this Red Sun bootleg. The picture quality is horrible and the DVD freezes up like many other Red Sun discs. So make sure to get the region 3 IVL version.
   
   5 stars for the movie. 0 stars for this DVD.



4. One of Chang Cheh's last efforts for Shaw Brothers, "Chinese Super Ninjas" is full of surprises, and is one of his best. Lo Meng is the only Venom in this, but he is joined by the likes of the very acrobatic and talented Ricky Cheng.
   
   Our heroes are in a good-guy clan and win a tournament against some samurai-types. When the last one is defeated, he kills himself. Prior to his suicide, he writes a letter to some dude who looks like him, pertaining to dispatching the 5-Element Ninjas for a challenge against the good-guy clan. When the challenge arrives, the leader dispatches small groups to deal with the ninjas, leaving Lo Meng & Ricky Cheng behind to look after the group's headquarters. These small groups get absolutely slaughtered by the ninjas. Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Lo Meng falls for the advances of a ninja-succubus, who helps kill all the good-guys from within when the ninjas attack. Ricky Cheng survives and escapes for further training from a ninja master he had once learned from. He and the master's other 3 students then challenge the 5-Element Ninjas.
   
   I prefer straight kung fu to ninja movies, but this is definitely an exception. Cool, cool, cool. The fights in this are as creative as any I've ever seen. Full of cool weapons, styles, and guerrilla tactics. There is nothing wrong with the picture but it is not remastered or widescreened and is in English only. Celestial remastered this last year, but I've yet to find any availability in the U.S.. It's hard for me to imagine that Celestial won't release Region-1 DVDs, thereby blowing off the North American market. Thank goodness for Dragon Dynasty, who have at least shown interest in releasing this. We all pray they will. I will certainly purchase it again. Very violent, entertaining, and recommended.
   
   1982. aka: Five Element Ninjas; Super Ninjas

5 comments about Battle Warrior.

1. This movie is a piece of garbage. First of all it is grossly mis-advertised. The plot description on the back of the DVD cover makes it sounds as if Tony Jaa is the hero of the movie protecting an artifact from bad guys, when in fact the exact opposite is true. Tony Jaa is a bad guy who has about 7 minutes of screen time. As for the plot, it makes less than no sense, the dubbing is horrific (I noticed the voices for one character changing through out the movie), at one point the dubbing just stops for a few minutes. There are zombies, black goblins, a big German guy named Smith, and for those who appreciate the art of bad cinema, this is a gem. I admit your brain needs to be wired a certain way to find this kind of thing funny, but if it is, you'll be laughing for days.



2. This is the worst movie I had ever watched in my entire life. The plot was so poor as well as the actions. The filmed was poorly made and I believe back in 1996, there were quality movies have been made but this does not qualify a bit to be one. Where is Tony by the way ! Zombies in the jungle, tribemen and rebel-like soldiers,,,wow what a waste. I can say the budget was about 10-25K US$ or maybe less. Where can you find a golden stone treasure that even the King of Jordan and Prince of Saudi would like to buy it for 1B US$ which only lies beside the riverbank where the rebels live. One more, an almost hundred rebel soldier attacked by 2-3 good guys and yet the explosion is everwhere as if they were attacked by vietcongs..
   Those who are fan of Tony Jaa, never ever try renting, buying or even watching this movie. The cover was deceptively made to fool the consumers. Too dark, too slow, extremely poor movie. ZERO rating for me.



3. If you saw Ong Bak or the Protector, don't be assuming your going to see that stuff here. I still haven't been able to watch more than 20 min because even if you listen to the Thai audio track, the mouths are out of sync.



4. I purchased this DVD on impulse, having enjoed two other Tony Jaa action flicks. WHAT AN ERROR!
   This DVD is so bad, if I could rate it lower than one star, I would. I could not stomach this travesty beyond 20 minutes.
   The dubbing is HORRIBLE. The camera work is HORRIBLE. The story line is MORONIC and I have no hope for any ACTION in this grainy, colorless, DVD.
   Tony Jaa is a minor character here...where as ONG-BAK actually STARS jaa, and IS a very good movie.



5. Oh, this film is terrible and is nothing like the quality of "Ong Bak". A minimal plot about the rescue of a archiologist/treasure hunter from a large group of drug-smugglers, pitiful dialog, simple photography, and weak action scenes make this film worthy of the trashcan. Much of the climactic battle at the end is done with gunfire and small explosions (with the exception of the guard towers - they explode into fireballs) instead of Thai martial arts. I did have a chuckle at the cringe-worthy conversations between the characters but otherwise this is not worth wasting either time or money on.

5 comments about Contract Killer.

1. In Jet Li's final Hong Kong film before he starred in "Lethal Weapon 4", he plays Fu, a former soldier and martial arts expert living in Hong Kong with four roommates while trying to support his mother. To be sure, he's NOT dirt poor, but he's still can't afford to let money fall out of his pocket and roll into oncoming traffic.

   Fu knows there's big money in bounty hunting, and he get's his shot at it when a Japanese buissiness man/crime boss is executed by the legendary "King of Killers", a self-employed assassin who murders only rich bad guys. The dead guy knew he had a lot of foes on both sides of the law, and set up a "revenge fund" of a whoppin' $100 million to strike back from the grave.

   The murder victim's grandson, Eiji Tsukumoto, just covets the massive reward, but Fu needs some dough as well, and partners up with an "agent" named Norman Lu (Eric Tsang), to find the King of Killers.

   Easily one of the best of Jet Li's later Hong Kong flicks, CONTRACT KILLER (called HITMAN in Hong Kong) provides some of the best non-wire-fu martial arts scenes I've seen, particular the scenes where Jet Li is paired with a chopsocky adversary with rings and shoes that emit flashy lights to confuse his opponents. Now There's something you don't see everyday.




2. comedy isn't that good . . .
   
   1998 R-rated Hong Kong Martial Arts film (set in Hong Kong, with Japanese criminals; R-rated for violence and some language). Also known as "Sat sau ji wong," "Hitman," and "King of Assassins."
   
   DVD Features: The DVD contains the movie and some special features. The movie can be heard in English (Dolby Digital or Dolby Surround), or Spanish (apparently no Chinese option), and has a "English for the deaf and hard of hearing" subtitle option. The special features are: Director and cast filmographies, film trailer, "Jet Li Bonus Trailers" ("The One," "Meltdown," and "Legend of The Red Dragon"), and a photo gallery.
   
   Credits: The movie stars Jet Li (Fu; "Romeo Must Die," "Once Upon a Time in China"), Gigi Leung (Kiki; "A True Mob Story"), Simon Yam (Kwan; "Casino"), and Eric Tsang (Ngok Lo; "The Accidental Spy"). The director is Tung Wai (also known as Wei Tung; "Fox Hunter"). Written by Chan Heng Ka, Vincent Kok, and Cheng Kam Fa.
   
   Plot: Jet Li is a contract killer (or an ex-soldier willing to kill for money) after an assassin of a Yakuza boss. The boss had set up a reward for the one who catches his killer. A reward of One Hundred Million Dollars ($50 million for catching killer, $50 million for finding the ones who hired the killer).
   
   Review: Like "Romeo Must Die," this film uses rap music as its movie music. Unlike that "Romeo" movie, I've never heard of this Jet Li film, and am confused by it. Due to the lack of Chinese language options, and based on the type of movie music, the movie seems as if it was intended for USA release (or rerelease), but I've never heard of it (though the movie appears to be badly dubbed and I believe that at one point, Jet Li's voice changes (odd they wouldn't have Chinese language option)).
   
   I think that the movie is supposed to be something of a comedy, and there are some funny moments, but the humor seems a little off (especially considering the enormous blood spillage). This movie is not at all like I expected. I expected Li to be, and act, like an assassin. Instead he is mostly a novice (a skilled one, due to be an ex-soldier), and seems at first to be incompetent (maybe "slow"). Despite these comments, the actions scenes are interesting, while the comedy scenes, for the most part, are not (and the evil guys have some neat tricks).
   
   The acting was average, the plot was somewhat interesting, the action scenes were good, but the comedy and music were, mostly, off-putting. Overall, I would give the movie 3.20 stars.



3. Very entertaining and I am an avid fan of Jet Li so I love all his movies.



4. This is an odd Jet movie because it is not exactly action packed. I would compare it to Dragonfight where Jet only has 2 fight scenes but they are both pretty good. This movie is actually directed by Steve Tung Wai. Only directing 4 films in his LONG matial arts choreographing and stunt career, he really shows that he can make good movies. I would have liked more action, but it is nice to see a well done film.
   
   Now while this movie is not thrilling whatsoever, it does put in action at the right time. Jet starts out as a guy living with a bunch of hitmen and ends up being recruiting by some guy(Eric Tsang). There is a killer on the loose who is taking out bad guys and a 100 million contract has been put out on him. Seriously, 10 million wouldn't be enough? Anyway, Tung Wai puts together a nice mix of comedy and drama but goes more for the laughs. Simon stars in a really good role as a cop and Kenji Sato is very good as the villian.
   
   There is an unbelievably stupid action sequence with a guy that uses lasers on his fingers and feet to blind Jet while fighting but it leads to a much better fight between the 2 at the end. The finale I thought was great and there is just enough action mixed in the beginning and middle to keep you interested in the somewhat yawner of a story.
   
   The picture quality on the Mei Eh version is pretty good and good subtitles also. After seeing the American releases of Jet's Legend of the Red Dragon and Donnie Yen's Fist of the Red Dragon, I made sure never to watch those releases from Sony Pictures ever again. At least I can now laugh at the reviews concerning the rap music, terrible voice dubbing, Sony cutting at least 10 minutes of footage out...



5. While Contract Killer was somewhat entertaining, there were still some elements that kept this film from being as strong as many of Jet Li's standards. For one, Li's character "Fu" never really clicked for me. Fu is not a homeless character, but close to it, and suddenly finds himself with the opportunity to collect a $100 million reward for capturing a murderer known as "The King of Killers". Now we know Jet Li has some of the best martial arts around, but when he unleashes in this film (which honestly felt like hardly ever) it just seems to come out of nowhere from the kind of character he plays. His fighting does seem very limited, and well, it is. There is only one noteworthy martial arts fight scene, and that would have to be the ending of the film. Even that scene wasn't too rememberable compared to most Li films. Still, the plot had some interest and Eric Tsang's character as Li's agent kept things rolling, along with a surprise on who the King of Killers turned out to be.
   
   This is what I like to call a very Americanized release of a H.K. film. In addition to the English dubbing (though it wasn't the worst I have seen) the soundtrack is rap heavy at times. Amusingly, there was even a rap song written for the credits titled "Contract Killer". Go figure. If you are into the whole adding hip-hop to Asian cinema, you should enjoy this as some of the beats and rap were decent.
   
   The plot barely held together what was considered a long hour and half watch for me. The fact was that there just wasn't enough action to glue it all together like most Jet Li films, or action films for that matter. I was hoping maybe it was all being saved for the end, but even then the final fight scenes that lasted several minutes didn't do their justice. I enjoyed the 2 main villains in this film, but had hoped for more of them in the fight scenes. The 2nd villain - and English looking fellow - provided some originality to the fights, with a laser flasher attached to his rings and shoes. When flashed in Jet Li's face, it blinded him momentarily, leaving him open to an attack. But once he learned his way around it, the fight was pretty much over.
   
   Contract Killer is an average Jet Li film. It has good moments here and there, but in the end you may be left with the feeling of "That was it?" Afraid so.

5 comments about Robin B Hood.

1. From an American point of view, this movie is confusing, disconnected, and a bit melodramatic. But this isn't an American movie. Jackie Chan is Taiwanese. This is that type of movie. Watching this movie as a foreign film is quite enjoyable. A little strange, but fun!



2. I did not enjoy the previous effort of a Benny Chan directed Jackie Chan film in "New Police Story" that I was definitely worried about a "Three Men and a Baby" inspired effort. The result was mixed, but going in with low expectations I was pleasantly surprised. "Rob-B-Hood" (US release name is a bizarre name change to "Robin-B-Hood" though in this movie there is no stealing from the rich to give to the poor; neither title is very good) is the third film in the collaboration between Benny Chan and Jackie Chan and Benny's first attempt at a comedic action film. While this film was successful in Asia it was not theatrically released in North America and most of Europe.
   
   Jackie Chan and Louis Koo Tin-Lok star as mediocre bad guys Thongs and Octopus. Jackie Chan tired of stereotypical nice guy roles wanted to play a criminal, though his character Thongs is a burglar and compulsive gambler, the "good guy" nature of his character comes through quite clearly and his performance does not veer far from most of Jackie's previous personae. This role is a good step in broadening his experience as an actor. Octopus is a married womanizer who works with Thongs. He married very young to Pak Yin (the terminally cute Charlene Choi) and is doing his best to woo wealthy young women while avoiding his wife. Thongs and Octopus both work under the guidance of the Landlord (Michael Hui) a conservative criminal who hoards his theft while the other two spend their "earnings".
   
   The Landlord has had his loot stolen by another criminal (he suspects everyone after this) so he allows himself to get contracted to a nefarious case to kidnap a baby for seven million dollars and give the infant to the possible grandfather to test if the baby is his sons (the son is dead and currently frozen in a very expensive decorated freezer). Thongs and Octopus both need the money so they acquiesce and help the Landlord with the felony. Of course, Thongs and Octopus, through a partially botched kidnapping attempt, are forced to take care of the cute defecating infant until they can reestablish getting the kid to who hired them. And, of course, they get attached to the baby (I cannot believe the baby got nominated for Hong Kong Film Award's Best New Performer category).
   
   Some of the negatives of this film include the ill-defined female characters (it seems they would have been better characterization in the original three-hour workprint, but that meant a whole lot more exposition); especially Gao Yuan-Yuan's Melody character who I had trouble figuring out what her relationship with Thongs was the first time I watched this. Some of the baby poop jokes were overdone as well as some of the infant's scenes in general (reportedly the child was an enfant terrible on the set; delaying shooting and helping push the film over budget). There is only so much you can do with a babbling, spitting, crying child with flatulence. Yuen Biao's Inspector Steve Mok character is definitely underused (as well as Michael Hui), though at least he gets more than a cameo in this film. And then there is the horrible overuse of Pepsi advertising including one scene where Jackie slides down a pole revealing the largest Pepsi graffiti I have ever seen.
   
   I did end up liking this film though. There is a certain congenial innocence with the lead characters that works well in this comedic action hybrid. In most Jackie Chan movies there are little stunts that sometimes seem as throwaways but are quite dangerous and are done with Keatonesque ease. In this movie Jackie slides down a staircase column and props himself up with ease at the end. If he fell on the wrong side he could have been seriously injured, but since it is so effortlessly it seems so simple. Jackie Chan has used more wires in his stunts and it definitely shows in this film, but I do not fault him for it, since his body cannot handle the punishment like it used to. The stunt where he jumps from air conditioner to air conditioner to the bottom of the street is impressive (even if a wire was used) and his and Louis Koo's stunts in the amusement park owned by the grandfather (location was Ocean Park) were quite good. In fact Jackie was said to be impressed of Koo who was willing to do many of his own stunts in the movie.
   
   There could have been more fighting in this movie but there is a good scene in the apartment of Jackie between Jackie, Yuen Biao, Ken Lo and more. It is inspired by a similar scene in Project A (this is also mentioned in the Benny Chan commentary), but still pleasant. While there are many faults in this film and I think that many action purists will not like this film, I found much that was enjoyable from the comedy to the action and stunts. Now please Jackie no more movies with babies.
   
   ***½/*****
   
   The extras on the Dragon Dynasty DVD are quite good though they have stupendously stupid names. The best is a 39 minute interview with Jackie Chan named "Crashing the Hood." In this he talks about how he wanted to be more serious as an actor and how he wanted to play more of a bad guy (this would be repeated on most of the extras) and how he had trouble passing the script through China. He talks about how he wants to work with more of his Peking school brothers (Sammo Hung and Yuen Wah) and some of his experiences with Michael Hui on "Cannonball Run." He even talks about his changing belief in CGI, how he channeled his Mom's stroke into this character and his non-use of storyboarding. He does make a mistake stating that this is his first main bad guy role (that would be "Killer Meteors" (1977) plus he did a couple of "thug" roles even earlier in his career). The most telling quote is when he states "I control the whole movie" dispelling any notion of the director as auteur for this film especially since this movie is produced by Jackie's company JCE Movies Limited.
   
   "The Hand That Mocks The Cradle" is a 16 minute interview with Benny Chan that repeats much of what is in the commentary except that he does state that Jackie Chan micromanages much less now then he did when he first directed him in "Who Am I." "Baby Boomer: A featurette with costar Conroy Chan" (14m) is interesting because of so much of what Conroy actually does. He is an X-Games promoter, was an electrical engineer in college, is a rap group member and has an Australian accent. However, he has a small role in the film. "Playtime for Adults: On the Site of Robin B. Hood" (22m) and "Robin-B-Hood: An Original Making Of" (22m) are typical "making of" fare that were originally (along with the director's commentary) put out on the R3 release. Luckily those two features have scenes of Yuen Biao being interviewed.
   
   Now where are the deleted scenes?
   
   The audio commentary by Benny Chan (with two interviewers who do not state their names), which was ported over from the R3 disc, is informative if not a bit dry. The Dragon Dynasty cover has a mistake in advertising stating that Bey Logan is on the commentary. He is not -- to the condemnation of some and to the happiness of others. Benny Chan talks much about how many scenes were cut (the work print of the film was three hours long; though he states he prefers the shorter version; thank goodness) and that most of the cut scenes were non-action. He also talks about some of the influence of Project A and Winners and Sinners. It was the first comedy for Benny Chan and Benny talked about how the baby was very difficult - this was echoed in much of the extras. Most of the commentary was scene-by-scene discussing where the missing scenes were, who some of the cameo actors are and his personal feelings on several scenes such as his struggling with the rationale of the "shocking" scene toward the end.



3. I got to this review page searching for when this movie was really made.
   
   I considered JC's action scenes in Rush Hour III as an indication he was ready for the "Over-the-Hill Gang", and told myself Robin B Hood was dragged out of a Taiwan vault.
   
   But I was sucked in by the hype on the box, and it did live up to it. The action scenes are reminiscent of earlier films, and it was good to see it was made recently.
   
   Confusing? Absolutely, especially in the first half. Thongs, Landlord and Octopus' characters in the early action scenes segue not at all into some of the other first-half "personal" scenes. I had to rewind to connect Octopus to the early action scenes with the later scenes of him being a total jerk to his wife. Is this that guy we saw earlier, dear?
   
   But, I agree with another reviewer: this is not an American film. Maybe we are too used to characters and plots that follow steps 1,2 and 3.
   
   In the end, I think the plot and character relationships were resolved satisfactorily. Not perhaps to the standard of a professional thriller, but definitely beyond the expectations of a B-action movie.



4. The great, unbeatable, real life actionman Jackie Chan is ageing. This of course is not new or shocking information, but it is true. Therefore he has shifted focus a bit in his new film, "Robin B Hood" (for which the English name in China interestingly enough was 'Rob-B-Hood', which to my ears at least sounds a bit better). Although he still fights and leaps and such, it is no longer the main act. The comedy takes over, and I must say, quite succesfully.
   
   There is one big problem with this though. While action and leaping around is universally understood, humour varies from one end of the world to another, and I think that there is a bit of that going on here. If you understand Chinese and Chinese culture and or cinema history, you will probably see more funny things in this film than if you don't. There are still plenty of things that are easily recognized as humourous, but many of the references and a lot of the dialogue is better if you speak Chinese. Nothing surprising about that really.
   
   I think there are enough leaping and figthing (and a visit from Yuan Biao) to keep genre fans happy, and enough humour to keep anyone else satisfied. In short: I think it is a good film. Highly recommendable.



5. After regaining some of the ground he lost in Hollywood with his last couple of Hong Kong films, Jackie Chan takes a big step backwards with the overlong Rob-B-Hood, a downmarket three bad men and a baby romp that offers limp gay jokes, comic relief mental illness, family bonding and child endangerment for all the family. There is one fairly good action sequence at the halfway point as well as a neat stunt that sees him jumping down a building via the air conditioning units, but you definitely get the feeling that Chan's no longer pushing himself but is just doing what he knows he can still do while Yuen Biao is mostly wasted in a nothing bit part. He's made worse, but that's hardly a recommendation.
   
   Dragon Dynasty's 2-disc set the theatrical version with audio commentary. There's also a variety of interviews and featurettes, but the film is such heavy going you quite possibly won't want to spend any longer on it once you've seen it.

4 comments about The Shogun Collection.

1. the movies get 5-stars but the company 1-star.
   no matter how they try to justify their poor quality releases, the buying public are finally catching on that anything released by Brentwood, BCI Eclipse, Deimos (etc.) is going to be a poor effort. they lie about the version(s) on the DVD(s) -- substitute "TV" version(s) instead of the "Theatrical" version(s), call something "Widescreen" when it's a hack-job cutting off foreign subtitles on an English dub print, or just horrible DVD transfers and/or encoding errors. (yet always blames it on "the source material" which is just a weak cop-out)
   so, what are they doing over there at BCI to better their image? well, how about taking movies already released, movies with excellent quality, encoded perfectly, and re-packaging them as THEIRS!? well, that's what you are getting with this box set. these movies were already released by ADNESS. a company who i am guessing is now out-of-business, whose owner decided to become part of the (new?) management at BCI.
   this 'budget' re-pack includes the following titles:
   
   - Shogun's Samurai (Yagyû ichizoku no inbô/The Yagyu Conspiracy) (1978)
   - Shogun's Shadow (Shôgun Iemitsu no ranshin - Gekitotsu/Geki Totsu: The Insanity of Emperor Iemitsu Gekitosu) (1989)
   - Swords of Vengeance (Ako-jo danzetsu/The Fall of Ako Castle) (1978)
   - Shogun's Ninja (Ninja bugeicho momochi Sandayu) (1982)
   
   for those of you who didn't buy the Adness versions, this is a good buy for you. just know you are supporting a company who doesn't care about these movies, or you the customer.



2. After reading the negative review by "The Truth Hurts", I was initially reluctant to make this purchase. Having said that, I went ahead and took a chance, and I'm glad I did. This is an excellent collection of films at a very low price. There are a few things you should be aware of before making the purchase, though.
   
   The films are not all of the same genre. Of the four films, two of them (Shogun's Ninja and Shogun's Shadow) fall under the matial arts category, and are reminiscent of "Lone Wolf and Cub" and "Shadow Hunters". The other two, "Shogun's Samurai" and "Sword of Vengence" are historical dramas more in the vein of "The Seven Samurai" and "Chusingura". In fact, "Sword of Vengence" is a variation of the same story as "Chusingura", another retelling of the 47 ronin. The latter two fims are more plot driven and feature far less action. This is just fine by me, as I enjoy both types of samurai film.
   
   Another thing you should know is that Sonny Chiba is not actually the star of any of these films. He plays a supporting role in all of them. So die hard Sonny Chiba fans may be disappointed.
   
   All and all, this is an excellent purchase for fans of Japanese cinema, especially considering the price. Most Japanese films cost a premium (check out the price being asked for any Kurosawa or Lone Wolf and Cub film), so to get four excellent films for the price of one is a steal.
   
   I don't know anything about the distribution company that sells this, and frankly I don't care. I can tell you that the sound and picture quality of all of these films is excellent. There are absolutely no issues there at all. There is an issue with the misleading marketing of these as "Sonny Chiba films" which I've already discussed, and for that this collection should be deducted one, maybe even two stars, but I'm going to go ahead and award it five to offset the unjustified one-star review.
   
   Highly recommended!



3. The Shogun Collection is a bit schizophrenic.
   
   Two of the movies are great historical epic Samurai films from one of Japan's all-time great directors, Kinji Fukasaku. These movies are Shogun's Samurai, and Swords of Vengeance. Expertly directed, very well written, and brought to life by some fantastic actors, both of these movies belong in every Samurai movie fan's collection.
   
   The other two movies are cheesy (by design) 80's action flicks where Samurais and Ninjas can perform superhuman acts (leap tall buildings in a single bound type stuff). They're passable as entertainment as long as you turn your brain off (although Shogun's Shadow does have it's moments - there is the basis of a good script, it just gets overpowered by too much cheese).
   
   The only thing that all four of the movies have in common are supporting roles for Sonny Chiba - who is particularly good in Shogun's Samurai!
   
   The transfers for ALL FOUR of these movies are brilliant! Beautiful anamorphic widescreen, original Japanese language soundtrack with English subtitles - these are some great DVD's! BCI Eclipse has been licensing many different movies and TV series recently, and paying attention to quality. Their licensing deal here with Adness continues that trend. They've come a long way from the "Public Domain" specialists that they used to be (although they still do that as well).
   
   In the end, this set is worth buying for the two Kinji Fukasaku films alone - you can watch the others or, as some have done, sell them on ebay.



4. I'm a new Chiba fan and I only want to buy box sets since it's cheaper and easier that way. I'm happy with this set even though Chiba's not the star. As others have said the picture and sound are very good. Heck the box itself is better than I thought it would be. This is a solid buy for your collection and it couldn't hurt to add Chiba's Samurai collection too.

4 comments about Shogun Assassin, Vol. 3: Slashing Blades of Carnage.

1. Shogun Assissin flicks are not just your average samuria flicks, these movies are violent, gory, dark, sick and bloodier then 90% of the horror films out there.
   
   The third in this series is just as good as the previous ones and I actually think I like it more then the second Lightning Swords of death. I think it reminds me more first one with the high action and high energy. In this one Lone Wolf is hired to kill a highly skilled female assassin, and like always roams around the Japanese country side with his son brutally killing anyone who stands in his way.
   
   I also get my comic relief from watching the Shogun Assassin films, I can't help but laugh when I see five limbs go flying across the screen, heads rolling and ninja's that can jump 20 feet high.
   
   These movies are also known for inspiring the Kill Bill movies from Quintin Tarintino so if your a fan you should check these out. They have lots of gore and are very violent. There are decapitations, dismemberment, torture, stabbings, slashings, and rivers of blood.



2. I cannot overstate the bloodier-than-thou production of the entire Shogun Assassin series. Lone Wolf fans (like me) can delight in the retelling of the stories in English, and the fine restoration done by AnimEigo, the label releasing this series. I now own all three and totally look forward to the remainder of them coming to DVD.



3. Masters of death, rivers of blood and lots of japanese headless bodies squirting blood like high pressure fire hoses. AWESOME!



4. Save yourself the Trouble and Time of watching this highlights clip show and get the real Lone Wolf and Cub series it's based on. Same Scenes, better story.
   
   The first three anyway.

5 comments about Duel to the Death.

1. This flick was just o.k for me,,,I'm not one to enjoy kung fu where the dudes fly through the air like birds,,aswell,,I'm not too into swords play,,that killed it for me. The story however, was great,,the fight scenes nicely choreographed. However, don't think I would re-visit this one,,,for me it's just a one time watch!!



2. this movie really kicks a**.one of the most interesting fight scenes ever seen.and they weren't playing when they said fight to the death.I would highly recommend the movie for all martial arts lovers like myself.



3. From seeing the trailer on other movies, and some of the reviews here on Amazon, I was expecting a great Martial Arts movie. I did enjoy the movie and some of the martial arts scenes, but there seems to be some major gaps in this 1993 version of the film I have. The editing is horrible. There has to be some scenes that were left out!
   The basic plot is that every year the best swordsman from Japan and China meet in a battle at a Temple in China. Both of the main actors are very good, and there final battle is pretty cool, but I wished it lasted longer. In between there is a subplot of ninjas who are trying to kidnap the best martial artists of China.
   Some of the fight scenes are cool, but they are also very choppy. In one scene, you can blatantly still see the wires holding up the actors. It is 2007, those wires should be zapped out with computer tech.
   The ending is horrible! I thought, "that is it?"... there was so much promise!
   A good movie, but I am not sure why it is on some people's list of Top 10 Martial Arts movies?



4. Highly entertaining film that pits the best in Japan against the greatest in China for an annual "Duel To The Death" to prove their respective martial arts superiority. The movie gets most everything right by making both our Chinese and Japanese leads near equals (and both likeable in different ways) rather than leaning heavily towards one over the other. It also does a nice job subtley showing the differences and similarities of the two cultures locked in battle (from garb and swords to ethics and beliefs). The fighting here is pretty good although rarely lasting longer than a few minutes and implements Wuxia style flying and jumps here and there (this is an early film of Hero choreographer Siu-Tung Ching). The violence is exagerated and graphic with enough blood and limbs being hacked off to keep me happy including an excellent decapitation! As far as the production goes I was impressed with the killer soundtrack and memorable/bizzare visuals including a sky full of ninjas flying on kites, a talking severed head, a huge ninja that splits into several (including a fully nude female!), a legless man storming around on crutches... and the effects are all top notch (this is 1982 people?!). The finale finally matches China's master swordsman against Japan's finest samurai and the results are a gruesome and entertaining way to top everything off. The DVD release from Fox/Fortune Star looks and sounds great (and can be bought on the cheap) although the "special features" include nothing but 2 trailors?!



5. You watch this whole movie to see a fight between the japanese's best fighter and the chinese's best fighter. Then at the end the chinese guy doesnt even want to fight. Its already bad enough you sat and watched through the corny and terrible storyline thinking you may at least see a good fight at the end. What happens is you are greatly disappointed and determined to put this movie on the garbage list. Its not even worth a 2nd watch and theres only a handful of kung fu movies that make me feel that way. Examples are the guy with secret kung fu, and hitman in the hand of buhdda. My list of terrible kung fu flicks is low, but this is a lock for it. Do not buy this movie.

5 comments about Unleashed [HD DVD].

1. This was thrilling and disappointing all at once. It takes western martial arts movies to a whole new level, then lets you down gradually, instead of sucking from the very start. As much as I love Jet Li, most of his American movies suck, which is not his fault in the least. Nor is it the fault of his choreographers like Cory Yuen, or in this case, Yuen Woo Ping. These large Hollywood companies just butcher the hell out of the fights in post-production, and this is almost an exception. Does Hollywood believe that that's what we want to see? Six angles for one punch, filmed on a shaky hand-cam? Not me. I hate that. This is still easily Jet's best film since he came to America and blows away crap like "Cradle 2 the Grave" and "The One". Though I must admit that for some reason, I loved "Kiss of the Dragon".
   
   Jet plays Danny, a "dog", raised since childhood by gangster Bob Hoskins to help with collections and other assorted tasks. Hoskins will warn potential deadbeats by threatening to remove Danny's collar, which has a Pavlovian effect on Danny where he knows it's time to kick the tar out of everyone. An accident later leaves Danny injured, wandering, assuming that Hoskins is dead, and into the care of kindly old blind piano-tuner Morgan Freeman and his step-daughter Victoria. Under their influence, Danny starts to come out of his very shy shell and appreciate the nicer things in life, like music, ice cream, warmth (temperature and human), cleanliness, and non-violence. Hoskins isn't dead of course, and Danny will have to fight again for his own freedom.
   
   What bothers me about this movie is that is sets up a silly premise and almost, almost pulls it off. Which wouldn't have bothered me as much if I wasn't so engrossed in Danny's plight. The acting is good all the way around, with an especially impressive performance by Jet. He really pulls off a combination of vicious and deadly under the care of Hoskins, and sweet, shy, and inquisitively wide-eyed under the care of Freeman. It totally sucks you in to the contrasting duality before falling short. It certainly raises some interesting questions about our own feral nature and the effects of civilization. Even more so than Tim Allen's "Jungle 2 Jungle".
   
   The fights are really what attracted me to this, as it should be. After all, this is a Jet Li movie. It likely won't disappoint. All the fights are good, but I am bothered by a film that fails to improve on the opening rumble. The final fight is flawed only by its absurdity of origin, otherwise it rocks. Jet and a bald dude duking it out in a bathroom that's barely larger than a phone booth. These brawls are quite a bit different than any that Jet & Woo Ping have done in the past, together or otherwise. Again, they are over-edited, but in the grainy, dark, "Snatch"-like film quality, they don't suffer as much.
   
   If you like American martial arts films (even though it's technically European), you should see this. It's in a league far beyond most, if not all, in that genre, and nearly transcends several others too... but not quite.



2. Unleashed (Unrated Widescreen Edition)
   
   This is a great DVD featuring an incredible movie. Unleased is probably one of Jet Li's best films, featuring him as a poor, mistreated "slave" fighting for a cruel master. One day he tastes freedom, and the rest is a dramatic roller coaster. The DVD itself is pretty thin on features, but what's there is pretty decent (behind the scenes, fight sequences, etc). Pick it up! For such a low price, you should unleash it on your home theatre!



3. Not at all what i thought it would be like based on other jet li movies. He is a good actor, but this movie is gross and hard to follow much less understand. Surprised Morgan Freeman got involved in this one.



4. basically its a story of hope, redemption, and rebirth. Danny(Jet Lee) has been raised as nothing more than an attack dog for his entire life(that he can remember). he has been forced to hurt. forced to kill. he never gets anything in return for the atrocities. he is forced to live in a cage. its the first movie in a while that actually made me care for any characters.
   
   one day a hit is taken out on his owner and company. after things quiet down and the smoke clears Danny is the only man left breathing. he takes his first steps out of the car and to freedom.
   
   He ends up being taken in by a blind Morgan Freeman and his step daughter. their kindness awakens the humanity inside Danny.
   
   i dont want to elaborate on the story beyond that. ill just say this was an amazing movie, and anyone should see it (even non action fans)
   
   great action, great story, great soundtrack, and great acting(the most and best acting ive ever seen from Jet Lee)
   
   apparently the violence was a bit much for some. now, while it was the most brutal violence ive scene in its own stylized subgenre, theres deffinitely more violent fights out there. if the sound of bones bones breaking bothers you, walk away.



5. This is a cool martial arts flick that has heart. Its not just about fighting. Its along the lines of Jackie Chan's Heart of the Dragon in that both films show people caring for each other. Both movies show characters who are mentally handicapped and are helped by someone. The non-violence side of the movie shows that Jet Li can really act. That only makes the action scenes where violence is needed all the more better. The martial arts scenes are execellent with Li fighting like a mad, stray dog. Some of the best fighting is in the pit scenes, especially when weapons are dropped in. It isn't as good as Fearless or the Once Upon a Time in China, Tsui Hark series but it does have better acting between Morgan Freeman and Jet Li then pervious Li movies.

5 comments about Circle of Iron (2-Disc Special Edition).

1. It's been at least 20 years now since I first watched Circle of Iron as a teenager with a keen interest in the martial arts. A friend and I rented it from the local video store. We didn't really know what we were in for, only that it had been written by Bruce Lee and starred David Carradine of Kung Fu fame. I'm sure I didn't grasp nearly as much of what Lee intended to express back then. I think I get it a bit better now.
   
   I'll be honest. By modern standards (and probably even those of that time, I would think), the fight scenes are rather poor. They are a bit overdramatized, the camera work isn't very good, and the general athleticism demonstrated is average. The sound effects are pretty typical of the era, meaning really bad by today's standard. If you can look past that, though, you may actually find yourself enjoying the film.
   
   Overall, the cinematography reminds me a lot of the Conan films, though I don't think they same folks were involved in the shooting. I happen to like those movies, even if they were clunky in places, so take that for what it's worth.
   
   If you like movies that make you think, then you will probably get something quite worthwhile out of Circle of Iron. Lee's intent was to explore and display elements of Zen philosophy and the film certainly does that. How much it keeps to Lee's intentions (from the original The Silent Flute script), I have no idea, but there's at least enough of it to make viewing a pleasantly thought-provoking experience. And there's a bit of comedy tossed in as well. :-)



2. The quality of the media was excellent and the content was also excellent. I recommend this dvd to anyone who views life as a spiritual journey.



3. It's hard to kill a horse with a flute--The Blind man
   
   Circle of Iron (or the Silent Flute) is an acting tout de Force for actor David Carradine. This is not KUNG FU the movie. This film he plays four different roles in Cord (the seeker's) Journey. The character of the Blind man, in my opinion, reminds me of Master Po from the Kung Fu TV show
   
   The script originally was written by James (Our Man Flint) Colburn, Bruce (Enter The Dragon) Lee and Stirling (In the Heat of the Night, Route 66) Silliphant. On the DVD, you can read their original script in a DVD-ROM format. Lee was to play Cord, In my opinion, I wish he had
   
   This mythical tale is a journey and quest for both the actors and the viewers alike. It is a challedge to watch and think about. Combining martial art ideals with Zen styling will leave the viewer either intrigued of baffled---or both!
   
   They say a film is as good as its weakest link, Jeff Cooper is buffed for this role as Cord. However in my opinion, he has limited acting chops to handle the role is his solo scenes, including the romantic scene with Erica Creer. Thank goodness, for most of the film , he is flanked by cameos by veteran actors Christopher Lee, Roddy McDowell and Eli Wallach, who helps move to the story until Carradine character shows up again.
   
   This film was Director Richard Moore solo film effort and it shows in someways. His audio commentary track is interesting and gives insights into the film unknown to many other than film buffs
   
   This 30 year old film is still good today to enjoy
   Bennet Pomerantz, AUDIOWORLD



4. A project conceived by Bruce Lee and James Coburn. Carradine appears in a number of different parts -- in that aspect it reminds me of Kirk Douglas in the LIST OF ADRIAN MESSENGER. Quirky, odd with a lead who couldn't act his way out of a wet paper bag. For those who collect such things.



5. This movie based on a story by martial arts great Bruce Lee, is interesting,informative, and thought provoking. Having practiced martial arts myself, it struck a chord with me. Not so much, the fighting scenes in the movie, but the reasons for them. The movies ending was amazing to me, and even my wife, who is not into martial arts 'stuff' was impressed with this thought provoker.