3 comments about The Universal Form.

1. This DVD is easy to follow and the exercises really seem to work. I was somewhat dubious at first, but after trying the exercises I'm quite excited. The form is easy to learn, and the format makes it easy to follow from the first time. The same form is used for a "power" exercise and a more meditative "peace" exercise. Both work well, and his philosophy appears well thought-out and grounded.
   I like the fact that he uses real people in the video, not models or experienced martial artists. It has a authenticity to it.
   If you want something more simple to learn than Tai Chi, yet has many of the same benefits, I would recommend this video.



2. I bought this DVD after seeing Master Tan on TV. As a Martial Arts instructor, I had hopes of learning more about ChiKung and the internal side of Martial Arts. I wasn't dissappointed! The first time I did the three minutes to power, my muscles felt as though I'd been lifting weights. I was also instantly more energized. But it was after doing the three minutes to peace for every night for several weeks that I could feel the energy moving through and healing my body. I'd had cronic shoulder and elbow pain for years and after a couple of weeks doing the Universal Form, it was gone! And I haven't had any more in the three years I've been practicing the Universal Form.



3. I recently ordered this DVD from Amazon and after only one session I can tell it has helped my back pain, cleared my mind, and improved my overall mood. Its very easy to learn, short, and invigorating but not strenuous. I've taken Tai Chi, various forms of Yoga and Pilates and this is my favorite practice to date because it boils down and incorporates everything you need into one short moving meditation that includes stretching, breathing, concentration and muscle tension. I can't endorse this product enthusiastically enough! If thisDVD has helped my back pain after one session I can't wait to see what it does with continued practice. Highly recommend this DVD!!!

No comments about The Brave Archer.

3 comments about A Life of Ninja.

1. I've had this film on VHS for quite a few years (under the alternate title of "Deadly Life of a Ninja"). It was one of the first ninja/kung fu films I ever purchased, and even in pan n' scan, I thought it was a blast.

   Unintentional comedy is evident in a few scenes, most notaby in the opening montage of Ninja history and training. For some reason, female mud wrestling is a secret Ninja skill according to the movie. In another segment, a Ninja battles his nemesis while wearing a gold lamme outfit!

   The 1983 film contains one of the most interesting assassination techniques I've ever seen; a Ninja waits to attack his victim until she is taking a shower, and then kills her with a poisoned ICICLE! The hot water melts the murder weapon away, and the wound goes almost unnoticed during the autopsy.

   The police are baffled by strange killings like this, and they call in a martial artist who is both an expert on Ninja, and is secretly is a good Ninja who fights for justice. The leader of the bad Ninja killed his Master many years ago, and so he works with the police to battle the Ninja assassins and have his revenge.

   There is some nudity, but not to excess. The print is scuffed, but not overly poor, and does appear to be complete. As usual with older films like this, the dubbing is pretty funny to listen to. My biggest squawk is that the print is not in widescreen, although the film appears to have been shot that way.

   For all you Grizzly Adams / PETA types, you might not care for two scenes. In one, two pigeons are skewered while on the wing during Ninja training. In another, a snake is beheaded on a kitchen table (this one is a bit graphic).

   There is some kendo on disply, and even some wire work. When the hero goes to the Ninja lair, there's some great combat in their garden and surrounding woods, and the final combat with the bad Ninja leader is also great.

   There is an excellent commentary by Ric Meyers of "Inside Kung Fu" magazine that is very informative on the real history of the ninja vs. the ninja history as portrayed in the movies. Turns out that the producers actually did a little research into real ninja, which made this film that much better.

   Meyers' commentaries on these Martial Arts Theater DVDs are almost always worth watching the film twice back-to-back; first without, then with, the commentary track running. If I have a choice between kung fu movies to buy, the presence of a Meyers commentary track always helps me decide which one to spend the money on.

   For the price, I'd say that this is a good addition to your kung fu collection, despite the drawbacks of the print.




2. Although this movie actually has a somewhat interesting story, it ends up being funny just because of all of the over the top martial arts. People jumping from trees, climbing up buildings, stabbing folks with ice daggers, etc.



3. Chen Kuan Tai stars as a cop. He's a cop, and he's also a ninja. Yasuaki Kurata play an old rival and they of course have a showdown at the end. The movie is very boring, but its worth watching for the opening credits and the last 2 fight scenes. The opening credits feature women in bikinis mud wrestling. The second to last fight has a huge muscular wrestler fighting Chen Kuan Tai. He smashes everything in sight and brutally throws Kuan Tai's stunt double around. Amazing stuff. Woo Ping, Robert Tai and Jackie Chan all worked with this big wrestler guy, but leave it to the great Peng Kong to come up with a truly great action scene. Peng Kong puts Chinese wrestling moves in his action choreography, as you can see in movies like Shaolin vs Lama, The Leg Fighters and Woman Avenger, and Life of Ninja features one of the finest wrestling scenes he ever created.
   
   The final fight is somewhat unique. It's a long fight with some really good brief exchanges. Kurata does this crazy monkey bird-like style at the end.
   
   Sun Jung Chi (the crazy monk who drinks wine and eats red meat in Shaolin vs Lama) has a nice cameo, but his 2 fights are only a tad above average. He plays Kuan Tai's ninja master in a flashback scene.
   
   3/5
   
   The version I have is widescreen and comes in this 10-pack under the title Ninja Grandmasters of Death- Kung Fu Crusade

2 comments about Snake in Eagle's Shadow 2.

1. Using a few minutes of footage from Snake in the Eagle's Shadow, someone tried to make this seem like a sequel. The original name of this movie is 'Snaky Knife Fight Against Mantis', and it is a decent Don Wong Tao flick. There are a couple of scenes where they show Jackie Chan fighting and I guess this is supposed to link the 2 movies together. Wong Tao is supposed to be playing Jackie, but the best thing to do is to just ignore the Jackie footage when it comes on. The story is already horribly done, and the spliced in footage doesn't help.
   
   The story is very badly done, and not even worth going over. This is one of the rare times that I will not talk about the story at all. It is just pure nonsense, and the editing is some of the worst I have ever seen. The director obviously didn't care about the story. I can forgive a movie for having a bad story as long as it moves along at a good pace and has good fight scenes. The movie is boring, but luckily the fights scenes are really good, and there are plenty of them. The first fight has Alan Chui and some other guy going up against Wong Tao and Carter Wong. If you don't know who Alan Chui is, then I highly recommend checking him out in movies like Seven Grandmasters and Shaolin Temple Against Lama. He fills up the screen with uncountable movements and is maybe the fanciest screen fighter of all time. It's a shame he only gets about 2 minutes of action. Lung Fei (Kung Pow! Enter the Fist and Death Duel of the Mantis) shows up next, and this is THE best fighting performance I have ever seen from him, which is saying quite a lot since he has been in well over a hundred movies. I never knew he had moves like this.
   
   If you are not a big kung fu fan, this movie will definitely test your patience. So if you end up just fast forwarding to the fight scenes, make sure you at least watch these- Carter Wong vs. Lung Fei, Chen Sing vs Wong Tao (they fight twice) and Lung Fei vs. Wong Tao (they also fight twice). These fights are worth a watch for any fu fan.
   
   This is a hard movie to rate. The story is about as bad as it gets, but some of the fights are sublime. Don Wong Tao is on fire. I admit that I fast forwarded 20 minutes or so, but if you are a fan of Wong Tao or Lung Fei, you can't pass this one up.
   
   2.5/5
   
   Picture quality on the Xenon DVD isn't too bad, and the Enlgish dubbing is funny at times. Sound is fine.



2. the film is fake on the picture you see jacki chan but not in the film.
   the fighting is a realy bad comparing to the part1.
   waste of money and time

5 comments about Wild Goose Qigong 1: The First 64 Movements.

1. As a long-time Aikido student, I was looking for an off-the-mat way to enhance my sense of ki (qi). After viewing a few tapes showing different approaches to Wild Goose One, I found myself most drawn to what Dr. Hu was doing. The biggest surprise for me has been that, though I was expecting a serene, meditative experience from Wild Goose, I also found myself with a feeling of having had a somewhat vigorous full-body workout. Even more importantly, the notion of qi through these movements seemed to quickly move from the abstract to the rather concrete. I've now been through the entire series (9 DVDs) and highly recommend them. They are very well done!



2. i must admit: i was a bit skeptical when buying this video. in fact, it took me a few months to finally get around to buying it. the reason being that there are only a few reviews, and most of the later videos have only one review or none at all. i figured either the production quality would be painfully low-budget, or the forms would possibly be badly represented.
   
   
   nothing of the sort. indeed, i was pleasantly surprised.
   
   
   Master Hu's credentials aside (having been taught by the late Grandmaster Yang, Mei-jun), this video is beautifully done and enjoyable to watch, as well as easy to learn from. it could be a little overwhelming for the newcommer to qigong, so i would recommend it more for experienced practitioners, but if you have a passion for the beauty of the art, i think it's hard to go wrong with this video.
   
   the knowledge he shares in the video was eye-openning as well. i wasn't aware that the wild goose form was designed for the physical motions to take prominance over the conscious breath work and mental direction of the energy. i've never known a qigong system to be designed quite like that. an internal relaxed presence, rather than relaxed focus. clarity over control. i like that!
   
   
   i'm looking forward to buying the rest of the series. and i'll be sure to write a review for each one, just so others who are like me can be a little more confident in their purchase.



3. Just doing forms 1-11 of the Goose wakes up, I already experience that "electric" and warm feelings. "Electric" feeling is like somewhere inside my body along a path is bitten by many ants. To my understanding about this kind of exercise, this is amazing.



4. I have been taking a weekly class in Wild Goose Qigong recently and found I had a hard time remembering what has been shown to me in class. I have been glad I bought this DVD--it has made it easier for me to keep up. The only problem has been that some of the movements are done slightly differently by my teacher, but nonetheless I have been able to adapt to that.
   
   I don't think it would be realistic to think you could really pick up the Qigong using this DVD only with no teacher. Or at least I couldn't. But for someone studying Quigong it can be very useful to be able to watch the movements over and over and I also found the DVD a bit inspirational, with some lovely images of wild flying geese, nice Chinese music, and the images of an instructor and his class who seem really into it all. Some sections of the movements are taught much more thoroughly and carefully than others.



5. I ordered this video and "Wild Goose IV: Tripod & Spiral Qigong" thinking I could learn them on my own. Having viewed the video and attempted some of the form, I realize this is probably going to be too difficult. For one thing, since the form requires taking up to seven steps forward and then back, and about as many to the side, as well as turning around in different directions, it's kind of hard to watch the TV screen while doing all that. (Note: you will also need a bigger practice space for this than other Qigong.) Another thing is that the movements are not demonstrated slowly enough for the beginner, and the spoken instruction doesn't always help in elaborating either. Even with the form broken up into sections and repeated several times, its hard to work on each part without getting lost with the movements and pacing. It's definitely one of the more complex Qigongs I've seen. It looks like a wonderful practice though and I'm giving it 3 stars because the production is quite good (considering it's obviously lower technical budget) and Dr. Hu is clearly very skilled and probably an excellent personal teacher. It's fun just to watch him do the forms. This DVD (as well as "Wild Goose IV" and I imagine the rest of the series) would probably work best as a practice aid or reminder for those who have learned the form in a class.

No comments about International Vale Tudo Championships "1: The Beginning".

3 comments about ADCC: Best of ADCC Vol. #1.

1. This first side of this DVD contains several fights from the earlier Abu Dhabi events. Royler vs. Joao Roque is an excellent match. Jean Jaques Machado vs. Caol Uno is also really fun to watch. Ricardo Arona vs. Kareem Barkaleev is crazy. Other matches aren't quite as interesting, but still pretty good.
   
   The other side of the DVD contains about 40 minutes of 'behind the scenes' footage from the 2003 Abu Dhabi event (in Brazil). It's kind of cool to watch, but could be edited and presented much better.
   
   If you have the other two Best of ADCC DVDs, you'll know what to expect from this one. If not, get the other two first ...



2. I was surprised at how boring much of the dvd turned out to be. Also, the behind the scenes material was amateurish.
   
   Jean Jac Machado looked great. That's one thing I can say for the dvd. I am a big fan of Renzo Gracie but I didn't see much here. I really can't recommend this dvd.



3. I bought this for the Royler vs. Joao Roque match and, to that extent, I was not disappointed. Everything else left me feeling a bit cheated; specifically, as was previously mentioned, the quality of the production.

2 comments about KOTC - 10 Event Set.

1. Like all types of MMA programs you wont be happy with every fight, thats just the way it is but overall this is an excellent set. To me I feel KotC is better than UFC simply because the fights have more action and the fighters want to win. Quite similar in terms of the ring and rules like UFC but more excitement. Even when the fight goes to the ground alot of the contenders will defend very well and try to change position or take advantage rather than sitting back trying not to lose. Theres some well known guys popping up in here and also some unknown randoms which make for some spectacular rumbles, technical or slug fests. Theres no special features really, just straight into fights with small intros on the athletes. If your not a MMA fan it may not be for you but Id recommend to check it out because for over 20 hours costing under $20 its worth the money.



2. What you have is 5 double sided dvds with the first 8 KOTC events, a greatest hits dvd(which you don't need since you have all the events already) and a documentary Life in the Cage which is okay to watch once. The events cover the early life of King of the Cage with rules that are no longer used. It is like watching the early UFC compared to today. So if you are not into early MMA events, you might want to pass on this and go for one of the other box sets. For the money, this is worth the buy though.

5 comments about Versus.

1. This is a movie you completely turn your brain off to. I will admit, I found it so cheesy and ridiculous that I stopped watching it and put it on again later. It was hard for me to watch this movie. So on my second watch I just it took for what it is. A mindless gorefest. I'll give credit where it's due. If action, very cheesy dialogue, and characters is your thing. Pick this up immediately. It does deliver with the martial arts and gore. But I honestly can never watch this again.



2. Yeah this movie is cheesy. But not as cheesy as Van Dumb movies. Lots of martial arts and action! Slicin and dicin with lots of gore! Who the hell can't dig that?! Man I don't get tired of this flick at all. If you like lots o action and don't like this somethin is wrong with you buddy.



3. So many Versus reviews and none talking about the "Ultimate" version. I will make the synopsis short if you want a longer one read one of the other numerous ones here. Prisoner escapes meets up with some Yakuzas, they have a girl hostage which the prisoner seems to know and does not like the fact she is being held captive. The guns start firing and the prisoners escape. This starts the film and the chase through the forest for the escapees. Along the way of course guns, zombies, swords, and kung fu.
   
   What has changed and what makes this the "Ultimate" version. First alterations have been made to scenes :1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 23, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 31, 32, 33, 34, and 36, which is 28 of the 36 scenes. A new music score which is much cooler and fits the scenes much better has been added to a majority of the film. Color corrections and CGI have been added to make the film more dramatic, clearer and a little more bang in each of the action sequences. Compared side by side the image is night and day compared to the old version. The "Ultimate" version is the director's cut with 10 minutes extra footage along with several audio tracks that you can choose from including a director discussion track talking about each of the scenes as you watch the movie.
   
   The extra footage on this DVD is not just deleted scenes, but in fact new scenes. The director and cast went out into the same forest and shot additional scenes and spliced them accordingly into this new edition of the movie. The extra footage includes the reintroduction of the three assasins. Originally they arrived in a car, now they are walking along a path in the forest and are met by some zombies which in turn allows them each to display their fighting styles as they whip some zombie butt. There is more sword fighting scenes in the earlier part of the movie and an additional fight scene has been added between Tak and Katayama. If ever a dream of the right extra footage could come true this is it.
   
   This is just on disc one did I mention there were three discs!!! Disc 2 includes a picture gallery with over 60 pics. There is also 5 featurettes including "The First Contact" which is basically just a preview of the film. "Behind Versus Part 1: Birth of the Dark Hero" which was on the original release. "Behind Versus Part 2 The Legend" which is over 40 minutes describing the making of the film. "Sakigake! Otoko Versus Juku" explains the reshoot of the film. And "Deep in the Woods" is interviews with the cast.
   
   Disc 3 is full as well with a collection of all the deleted scenes that is accompanied by commentary explaining the reasons behind each of the deletions. A featurette "One Man's Journey: Tak Sakaguchi" is an account of the actor visiting the Japan Film Festival. A interview with the editor is also on this disc. Two short films are included Nervous and Nervous 2 which are basically side stories of the movie. Whew can you say TONS of stuff in this edition.
   
   Overall, if you are a Versus fan or it is the first time to see the film this is the version you need to own. Well that is if you like more blood, more sword sparks, more action sequences, a better sound track, a clearer crisper picture and a more fluid storyline along with 2 CDs stuffed with extras. Get the point well go get the Ultimate Versus it is by far the best special edition I have ever seen done to any movie on the market today.



4. Let me start out by saying, I love this movie. It is absolutely fantastic. It's like Kitamura, the director, poked around inside my brain for my two favorite cult/indie/action/gore faves and put them together. Because this film could not be a more perfect combination of Six String Samurai meets Evil Dead 2, with a bunch of martial arts action thrown in. I absolutely love these types of films. This is not one of those "universally" fantastic films that anyone can appreciate. This is most certainly one of those 'specialty' flicks that only people with very specific types of tastes will love. But if you have those 'tastes', you will absolutely be amazed by this film. It really is a love it or hate it movie. First, let's briefly touch on what its about:
   
   A former prisoner tries to escape from an enchanted forest teeming with zombies and demons, all the while protecting a girl while kicking, punching, shooting, stabbing, and slicing everything that gets in his way.
   
   For those who are looking at the different versions, the Ultimate is the only version to get. The new music is a big improvement over the old stuff. The extended action scenes are fantastic. And the new color correction and visual processing definitely add to the overall film. Plus, all the extras are great. Ironically, this is actually more of a director's cut than the original director's cut. The original DC was just the best the director could do with what he had. Ultimate Versus actually had Kitamura going back out and shooting new scenes and extended fight sequences to cut into the original DC. Now that we've cleared that up. . .
   
   This is not a film for everyone. In fact, this isn't even a film for most. This is definitely a niche film for those that love movies that are just fun, cheesy, completely unrealistic, and straight-up awesome. To most, this film is just a bunch of people running through a forest for 2 hours with some cheesy acting, lots of senseless violence, and more blood than your local Red Cross has on hand. Yes, they do run through the forest the whole movie, but it's so epic. The characters all have their "cool" turned way up, more than you would in any 'regular' film, but this is not a regular film.
   
   The action is super mind-numbing. The gore is super-violent in a very over-the-top way. The dialogue is oddly paced and sparse and way more dramatic than is necessary. Blood flows freely as zombie limbs fly through the air time and again. But it all works. This is not a movie to critique for film class or to be studied for its deeper subtleties and symbolism. It is, in fact, unapologetically campy and violent. If you're into 'gore fests' or 'action bonanzas' all done with that asian cool, then you absolutely must see this film.



5. whoa, what a fun movie, for fans of Takashi Miike's stuff, or over the top Asian cinema in general should check this one out. essentially it follows an escaped convict trying to initially cut a deal with the mob to aid his escape, but when things go wrong and people start getting shot, things get weird. the first dead body stands back up, only to be filled with about 50 bullets before falling back to the ground.
   
   the chaos begins when our main character, a feminist, was introduced to the female hostage. after multiple warnings the gangsters wouldnt release her. after all hell breaks loose, the chase through the forest begins, and gradually our hero and the girl begin to regain their memory, and their place in a much bigger picture.
   
   acting wasnt horrible, although pretty over the top. camera work was decent. the gore effects were awsome for the most part. the story was interesting but could've been explained much better. basically, if you want a non stop blood bath of carnage with too many guns, samurai swords, and body parts to count, then check out this movie immediately!

5 comments about Sun Dragon.

1. One of the great mysteries in martial arts film is why Billy Chong did not become a superstar of the genre, a question that will certainly perplex any of you who haven't heard of him and decide to check out SUN DRAGON (US title A HARD WAY TO DIE). Filmed in Arizona around 1980 by Eternal Films, SUN DRAGON is simply put a minor classic of the kung fu genre. While it suffers from all the short comings of the typical chop socky flick of that time, it rises above most of the genre by virtue of its two stars, Billy Chong and the nearly as impressive Carl Scott who was literally just a kid at the time.
   
   Chong combines the best of all worlds: the burning intensity of a Bruce Lee, the goofy agility of a Jackie Chan, and the boyish charm of an Alexander Fu Sheng with his own little Indonesian self to produce an exciting new original that started out with a brilliant flash and then apparently just went back to Indonesia where he had been among other things, a pop star. What a loss! Such fighting skills, such screen presence, such a looker! But back to SUN DRAGON, for there is also Carl Scott!
   
   Scott too fell off the face of the cinematic earth after a couple of movies, and I dare you to see THIS ONE and give me one good reason why! His martial arts here are nearly flawless and his bo kata is a real eye opener, he's as good as anyone I've ever seen on this side of the international dateline, and he certainly had no competion from the likes of Jim Kelly or Ron Van Clief.
   
   You say you want to know more about the movie? Well, in many ways its your typical kung fu flick; high spirited boy(Chong) gets in trouble fighting (in this case he rescues a hapless girl from a gang of would-be rapists led by the local magistrate's son) and has to be sent away for his own good. The difference is that in this case he's sent to the United States, or more speicifically, Arizona, to stay with his Grandfather who we never do get to meet in the course of the movie. Instead he gets side-tracked breaking up fights that are bring staged for money at the local Chinese run tavern, and bouncing all the troublemakers out on their keisters.
   
   At the same time we have a second storyline going about a black youth named Tom who barely escape with his life when a group of evil-doers decides that his family's little ranch would be the perfect place to hide out while things cool off from their last job. They kill Tom's parents which naturally means he's going to have to get revenge. Our hero Billy Chong and his newly found friend at the tavern take Tom to the local kung fu master/herbalist who heals Tom's body and as at no additional cost turns him into a lethal killing machine for revenge extracting purposes.
   
   Oh, there's more, MUCH, MUCH MORE. I haven't even told you about the samurais yet! But I have to leave SOME surprises for you, don't I?
   
   Do yourself a favor and check out SUN DRAGON and see what you think. You go to m/a films to see terrific action from people who know how to do it. While styles have changed in the way fights are presented, you'll still be able to spot the brilliance of the two stars who should have been more--Billy Chong and Carl Scott!



2. This is one of the 3 movies that Billy Chong made with Carl Scott. The story is really bad, but luckily the fighting is good. Carl Scott's family gets murdered by thugs, and after getting seriously injured he is found by an old kung fu master who takes care of him. It was really cool to see Leung Siu Chung playing the old master. He is the film's fight choreographer, and is the father of Bruce Leung Siu Lung and Tony Leung Siu Hung. Once Carl Scott trains in kung fu, he goes to get his revenge. Scott gets 3 major fight scenes, and Billy Chong has like 6. While the story is bad, that isn't my main problem with the movie. The villains are where it lacks. The white guy who fights in the final fight is obviously a real fighter, probably a kickboxer, but he doesn't have the screen fighting skills to match his 2 opponents. Billy Chong's movements are so fast, fluid, and crisp, it's hard for anyone to match up with him. And Carl Scott has got some awesome moves himself. Scott is one of the only black actors I know of who was in oldschool kung fu movies. There was Ron Van Clief who was great, Jim Kelly was ok, Dennis Brown was good in Dancing Warrior, but the only guy who can match up to Carl Scott in screen fighting skills would be Eugene Thomas who starred with Alexander Lo rei in a bunch of ninja movies.
   
   If you are Carl Scott and/or a Billy Chong fan, then you will want to take a look at this.
   
   2.5/5
   
   The picture quality on the Crash DVD is decent at best, and the English dub is pretty bad.



3. Li (Billy Chong) plays a Chinese immigrant who comes to America to work on the railroad. Tommy (Carl Scott) plays the son of African settlers who are killed when they refuse to sell their land to some greedy dudes in charge of the railroad. Tommy escapes the slaughter and Li finds him and takes him to a Chinese doctor who is also a kung fu expert. The doctor will not teach Tommy kung fu until Tommy mentions that revenge is his ultimate motive. "Oh, alright then."
   
   This is really a fun movie. Though I loved it, I'm not sure if I can recommend it to fans of old-school. It's a different kind of fu flick. The time mentioned is the old west, but the hair, clothes, and sets are definitely the late 70s. So it's not the costumed old-school flick that most fu fans crave. If you like martial arts films from all periods, then no problem; this belongs on your shelf. It is similar in tone and choreography to the better work of Bruce Li (whom Carl Scott had previously worked with) as the story is silly and the fights occur every 10 seconds or so.
   
   This version from Crash Cinema has good, partially widescreen picture quality, and tolerable English dubbing. It also contains cool, lengthy trailers for "The Master Strikes", "Taoism Drunkard" and "Sting of the Dragon Masters", aka "When Taekwondo Strikes". 3.5
   
   1979. aka: "A Hard Way to Die"



4. This was a very well done martial arts flick. Although some of the earlier Chinese productions sometimes lacked good quality, this movie had good production values. The fight scenes were breathtaking and Billy Chong, and Sun Dragon Carl Scott were outstanding. Although this movie had basic film special effects, it's good to look back at a time, when performers really had to know there craft, as all the performers in "Sun Dragon" were highly skilled martial artists.



5. I first came across this movie as a kid under the title "A Hard Way to Die" on Channel 5-Drive-In Movie. Billy Chong (who's real name is Willy Dozhan, originally a singer in his native Indonesia) proves that, along with "Jade Claw" & "Super Power", he's a martial artist to be reckoned with. This movie is fast-paced, has great Fu, Carl Scott gets plenty of good moves in & Liang Siao Sung (who plays Dr. Ko & is Bruce Liang's father) & Lam Hark Ming (Ah Kuan) give some great choreography. However, this what partially filmed in Arizona (most of it was filmed in Taiwan) with an American/Chinese crew. The language barrier resulted in some glaring technical errors and unintentional hilarious dialogue/dubbing (the Chinese actors supplied their own voices for the English dub).
   
   What we have here is a very nice try. I can look past the flaws and enjoy the Fu, but I'm sure others who aren't big Fu fans might dismiss it. I was happy with the transfer. Aside from a few scratches it was fine~widescreen and the original, extended opening. Watch "Jade Claw" first, then try this. Check out the 'zine "Hong Kong Superstars, vol.2, #1" for the whole Billy Chong profile if you can find it. It will explain why Billy didn't make more pictures.