5 comments about Heart of Dragon.

1. This is in response to the Feb. 5th review titled "ORIGINAL IS BETTER~!"
   
   While I agree with the message, it was put the wrong place. While in most cases the R1 releases of Hong Kong films are heavily cut and dubbed, these releases by Fox, are actually done by the fantastic HK company Fortune Star, and only released under Fox. They contain the UNCUT film in the original Cantonese language (DTS too!), as well as the English dub. As usual the picture quality is more than fantastic. The only downpoints are the usual Fortune Star downpoints: Hardly-to-no extras, and slightly edited sound fx,(but in this case no original mono sound). Also the subtitles are actually dubtitles, but are not terrible. In all, this is still one of the better versions of this film on DVD, especially for under $10.
   
   PS. As for the argument that "no other countries have their own cuts, like France," maybe you should look into Luc Besson's distribution of Asian (especially Thai) films.



2. So this movie is a Golden Harvest production where they pulled ALL the old school kung fu stars to star in a movie with not that much action. yeah, I don't get it either, but the movie is pretty good. It is about Jackie and his mentally retarded brother, Sammo. He pulls it off quite nicely and most of his scenes are evry funny. So whether you are a kugn fu fan or not, this is at least worth a peek.
   
   But let me name you all the stars. Again they all don't fight, btu it is nice to see them. But then again, most of them do end up fighing in the 2 bonus fights on the disk, so it's all good. Here we go-Jackie, Samo, Lam Ching Ying(nice eyebrows), phillip ko(really nice mustache), hoi san lee(36th chamber), wah yuen and hoi meng(hellz windstaff) star and do the stunts, james tien, Hark on-fung(warriors two), Blacky Ko(boxer's adventure), Roy chiao(a touch of zen), corey yuen, Dick Wei(avenging eagle), Wu Ma, Kar lok chin(operation scoprpio), and conan lee's friend in Ninja in the dragon's den. I left some people out so play name that old school star while watching this, it is quite fun.
   
   I only gave the movie a 3 becasue the movie was a bit cheesy, the haircuts were extra cheesy, and the music had me reaching for the remote a few times.
   
   The fox/fortune star release is VERY well done with dual languages and you need the original langualge for this. In kung fu, dubbing is ok, but in a more serious movie like this, you can't listen to those same, stupid voices. It is presented in a widescreen format and the pictuer is pretty good. bonus feature is 2 extra fight scenes. Which reminds me, I forgot that Chi Ling Chu(kugn fu hustle, snake in eagle's shadow) fights in one of the stupidest fights ever. ALso check out Lee Hoi San's funky hair do.



3. Jackie Chan is a cop who lives with his developmentally disabled brother. He is his caretaker and protector. Chan's character's dream since he was a child was to be a sailor and the chance arrives in the mail. A job offer. To do so, he must leave his brother in the care of questionable others. The brother gets in trouble often and before Chan leaves, he gets into a doozy of a jam.
   
   Okay, it's a hokey B movie with cheesy music but it was fun to watch. Lots of Jackie Chan action and a decent plot. Relax, don't think too much, grab a pop and munchies and enjoy the show.



4. Jackie is at his best in acting and action here. He has a brother to love and care for and does a very good job in protecting him.Check it out, you might like it.



5. Jackie Chan proves he is not only an action star in this movie. I loved it, but as a true Jackie Chan fan, it would be hard not to. For the first time Jackie and Sammo show a range of emotion that American audiences have never seen before. The intense scenes between the two of them leave a Jackie fan in tears. The two things I didn't like are the fact that Jackie doesn't dub his own voice and the dubber doesn't show the range of emotion that fits the scenes. Also the ending is a little vague, you're not really sure of the ending. Any way, for the true Jackie fan, a roller coaster ride and I enjoyed every minute of it!

5 comments about Zu Warriors.

1. i remember when they first showed a prview of this moive in theatres long time ago in 1999. it was only playing in selected theatres and i wanted to see it pretty badly. few years later i could not find a dvd anywhere i went. finally it comes out and i buy it on amazon and man, was i dissapointed. sure martial arts in movies is great if you like it, but it was not so good in this film. also the special effects which they were praising about in this film looked like a kid in his parents garage made it. in all, this film is lucky to recieve 1 star.



2. This movie will be appreciated by Martial Arts Lovers...Not the ones with Guns in them...This is a Wuxia Pien, Film and Expect the CGI and Animation but it is the Dragon Ball Z Brought to LIFE without the fake looking stuff like the cheap budgeted Martial Arts Films..This has lots of Fantasy but filled with Fighting ...It's Great...If you love Jet Li Films of the flying action fighters..then this is your type...GET IT!



3. Came across this last night on KungFuHD and was more than pleasantly surprised. While this may be considered a remake of the 1983 original it was different enough that I didn't know. Yes, some character was sacrificed for CGI effects - this was all about the special effects. I saw the longer 1:47 subtitled version which was mostly non-stop action so I don't see how they could have have cut this down to 80 minutes and have ANY story left. As others have said it's like DBZ and Star Wars (new ones) with a hint of LoTR thrown in - the Evil guy was named Mordo.



4. Keep your expectations low and this movie will pass as entertaining. There's a nice story in the movie, but the script doesn't do it justice. I played the Enlgish language version, so I don't know if the Chinese version was better. The special effects were great at times, but were terrible for the most part. The actors were great and did the best they could. Some interesting fighting scenes. The immortal beings storyline reminds me of the Japanese anime Scrapped Princess, which I do recommend. Watch it for some of the creative visual effects, but don't buy it.



5. im in love with this movie. the action, and colors, and just the mystical powers alone is enough to get you hooked.

3 comments about The Art of Action: Martial Arts in the Movies.

1. Presented by Samuel L. Jackson, THE ART OF ACTION is an enjoyable and entertaining look at the history of matial arts films from its origins in Peking Opera in China, which was performed by men in women's clothing. Strangely, the first kung fu features were made with the WOMEN doing all the fighting as film was then considered a lower medium in China, and it was "dishonorable" for men to stoop to that level!
   Of course, no film about martial arts could be made without Bruce Lee, "The James Bond Of Martial Arts". Here viewers are treated to footage from RETURN OF THE DRAGON where Lee beats the bejesus out of a young Chuck Norris, as well as hearing Lee's philosophies on kung fu, which remain intriguing and inspiring no matter how many times you hear them.
   THE ART OF ACTION also features appearances from Jackie Chan, recounting his experiences as part of a Peking Opera troupe at age 7, as well as ruminations by John Woo, Ang Lee and Steven Seagal. There's plenty here to educate and entertain viewers, though stranglely Hammer's martial arts/ horror film LEGEND OF THE SEVEN GOLDEN VAMPIRES is overlooked here... but Cynthia Rothrock's cruddy movies get some attention! I just don't get it! That remains my only quibble. Also features clips from more recent films like RUSH HOUR 2 and CROUCHING TIGER HIDDEN DRAGON.
   If you like this, you may want to check out the similar documentary CINEMA OF VENGEANCE which is about the history of martial arts and Hong Kong action films, though personally I found THE ART OF ACTION to be more entertaining. Both movies are highly recommended.



2. This in-depth documentary gives a behind-the-scenes look at the history of the martial arts films. It shows what the early pioneers of martial arts had to do to pass on the skills when the then rulers wanted to forbid the practice. The journey is one of rebellious beginnings to high flying stunts in movies today. It also features the work of Bruce Lee, Jet Li, Jackie Chan,Sammo Hung and others. This is a great documentary to watch if you want to learn more about the world of martial arts in films.



3. This movie does not show like many great clips but is a pretty good documentary. It starts out talking about the the first shaw movies and lau kar-leung, and also the origins of kung fu(briefly), women in the 20's making these movies, and of course kwan tak-hing. The only thing that I really had a problem with is that they just passed over the jimmy wang yu, lo lieh, chen kwan tai, hwang jang lee, etc. I don;t think it even mentions the venoms!! They show some good clips from one armed swordsman, but even though they show their dramatic scene, they don't even mention jimmy or lie's name. So it goes way to quickly into the new school stuff like crouching tiger but does not capitilize on the golden age of kung fu.

5 comments about The Prodigal Son.

1. back in the early 1980's high speed action was 1st introduced and the one who took advantage of it was sammo hung who directed this epic masterpiece and yuen woo ping and others converted over as well. this movie shows the speed, rhythm, power and grace of wing chun kung with absolutely NO WIRE AND ROPE STUNTS. its stars yuen biao, sammo hung, lam ching ying, peter chan lung, frankie chan, lee hoi sang, wei pai, and james tien along with dick wei and chung fat. now lam ching ying steals the show and yuen biao anf frankie chan performed exceptionally well, but yuen biao did a poor job of faking his kung fu because its obvious he's a master at his craft haha. fox releases of hong kong action films are the best up to date. digitally remastered sound and picture with cantonese and english audio and subtitles. so pick this up it is like i said a definite epic masterpiece.



2. The first time i watched this flick i thought it was sorry and gave it 1 star but after seeing all the good reviews i decided to check it again and it looked like a different movie. The fight scenes are awesome. I wish they had a lasted a little longer. This is a great movie and a collectors item maybe a little overrated but still worth buying. I guess i didn't really watch it the first time



3. "Prodigal Son" has the absolute best authentic Wing Chun fight scenes I have ever seen in a movie. The movie starts off kinda slow and the Cantonese Opera scenes will probably turn off many viewers, however, if you can get past the first half of the movie it gets much better. Basically, when Sammo Hung appears in the movie and the training starts - that's when it gets worth watching. Overall, I would say the movie has some good fight scenes and some decent comedy, but Kung Fu students, particularly Wing Chun practitioners, will probably enjoy this movie more than others.



4. A definite must for any kung-fu flik afficianado. One of the few movies that display Wing Chun in action, and hilarious to boot. If you're not up for buying the DVD, Amazon also has the option to download the movie for $4.



5. Someone owes me an apology because I didn't see this sooner. Probably the white man. I've been in to kung fu for years and had never seen this until yesterday. What up with that? Out of all of Sammo's ground-breaking films, I've never even seen this in a store. I've seen "Iron-Fisted Monk" and "Warriors Two" in the store, but not "The Prodigal Son"? That makes no sense at all. While I like the other two, this one blows them away. It's by no means perfect, but what is?
   
   This movie wastes little time. Yuen Biao is the self-proclaimed town champion, not knowing that all his opponents are bought off by his old man. After getting his tail kicked by a cross-dressing, eyebrowless opera star (Lam Ching Ying, who's excellent), he begs the man to teach him real Wing Chun. The man declines, of course, so Biao joins the opera for the sake of persistence. After the opera troupe is wiped out by hired goons, Lam takes Biao home to teach him, with the aid of Lam's brother (Sammo Hung, who directed and is pretty amazing himself).
   
   The story is really nothing great, but the fight scenes totally are. Absolutely magnificent. You feel every hit, even every block. And talk about fast. The widescreen digital remastering job and optional English dub only makes it that much better. Some things did bother me; like how the slaughter of about 20 dudes seems like no big deal; and how Sammo isn't in this long enough, and doesn't really fight anybody. Those complaints aside, this flick rocks and is a crucial addition to any kung fu collection.

5 comments about Shanghai Express (Special Collector's Edition).

1. SHANGHAI EXPRESS is a moderately fun martial arts comedy "eastern," with Sammo Hung in predictably good form as both director and star. The real interest for me, however, was Cynthia Rothrock, who is so prominently displayed on the DVD cover art, receives third billing on said cover, and yet appears for less than 8 minutes of actual screen time!! Poor Cynthia has very little to do with this film, and poorer me for having shelled out almost twenty bucks for something I would have only rented had I known that Dragon Dynasty is stretching the truth so badly in their marketing here!
   
   3 stars for the movie, but 0 for Dragon Dynasty and their intentionally misleading packaging.



2. First I would like to say picture and sound are vary good and the exsta,s are cool . now it is a rush of a movie diffrent story lines all over the place .juat sit back and let it go do not be to judge mental on the film take it at face value. Sammo and Yeun Buio are fantasic they had every major Hong Kong action star in this film and CYNTHIA ROTHROCK is deadly and she fights exstreamly well. look at the intervews with some of the stars at the end you will love it and enjoy the film.



3. This movie is truly fun,silly,comical and some really great fighting
   scenes in it.Cynthia and rich norton in the beginning of their careers.
   A couple of famous asian actors,one plays the teacher(known as the vill
   ian in bruce's enter the dragon).Anyways still a classic.



4. This is the first Dragon Dynasty release that I can't fully recommend. With all the great Sammo Hung films they could have suped up they pick this mixed bag? More interested in individual comedy scenes and fights than any real character development or plot, the movie is altogether too slow much of the way. Comedy and action are normally two great tastes that taste great together in kung fu movies such as Drunken Master and Magnificient Butcher, but here the jokes and slapstick scenes just aren't very funny and after seeing several in a row you'll be yearning for the fast forward button(if not the stop button). But for those that can make it through the first 53 minutes(53 minutes!?!?) the action as choreagraphed by Hung and Biao is top notch. In fact, the 3 star rating is on the films fight scenes alone, which are such a contrast to the film because they are so brutal, realistic, and bone-crunching, yet surrounded by a film that feels as if it was written as they went(and not well)... more fighting in the first half and some good editing could merit another star(the action is THAT good) but as is, 3 may even be too generous.



5. SHANGHAI EXPRESS (1986), one of the greatest action comedies of Hong Kong cinema, is better known as MILLIONAIRES' EXPRESS and is finally out in a beautifully mastered DVD edition for U.S. fans under this alternate title (not to be confused with the Marlene Dietrich classic of the same name). Sammo Hung (EASTERN CONDORS) both stars and directs and his frequent partner, Yuen Biao (PRODIGAL SON), co-stars. (Their other frequent partner at the time, Jackie Chan, is nowhere to be found.) The plot involves a trainload of rich passengers forced to stay overnight in a remote Chinese town, all part of a scheme by the town's black sheep, Cheng (Hung), a fugitive from the law, to bring prosperity to the town. Meanwhile, a gang of armed bandits on horseback, having made plans to rob the train, now sets its sights on taking over the town and plundering it. Only Cheng, along with the town's provincial police force and a trio of Japanese martial artists who were on the train, can take the town back in a rousing 20-minute fight finale.
   
   There are multiple characters and numerous plot threads established early on. Classic farce comedy elements abound, including a philandering train passenger who must divide his time between his oversized wife and his mistress, leading to a hilarious scene at the hotel in town where numerous parties, including some bumbling gangsters, converge on the wrong room and keep having to hide under beds and in closets as different characters come in and out. Among the great Hong Kong comic performers on hand are Richard Ng, Lydia Shum, Fan Mei-sheng and Eric Tsang.
   
   The real draw for martial arts fans is the large cast of international stars in the cast: American karate champ Cynthia Rothrock, in only her second film; Australian Richard Norton; Korean Hwang Jang Li (as one of the Japanese); and two Japanese stars who made their names in HK films, Yasuaki Kurata (FIST OF LEGEND) and Yukari Oshima (IRON ANGELS). In addition, there is a dazzling array of old-school kung fu talent on hand, including Jimmy Wang Yu, Phillip Ko, Wang Lung Wei, Lau Kar Wing, Bolo Yeung, Hsiao Hou, Corey Yuen, Dick Wei and Shih Kien (Han from ENTER THE DRAGON), in addition, of course, to two of the greatest, Sammo Hung and Yuen Biao.
   
   The film was shot in Thailand, Canada, and Hong Kong (where the town set was built). If I have any complaint it's that the film is too short. The final action could easily have been extended and we learn from one of the disc's extras that many scenes were shot with numerous other Hong Kong stars but weren't used in the final cut. I'd love to see those.
   
   The disc offers an English dub, as well as the preferred original Cantonese language track with subtitles. It comes with three new and informative interviews with Sammo Hung, Yuen Biao and Cynthia Rothrock, as well as audio commentary by Hong Kong film expert Bey Logan. Also, there are four deleted scenes provided as an extra, one about 5 minutes long and the other three adding up to about a minute and forty seconds total. I have an earlier Hong Kong import disc of the film that includes all four of the "deleted" scenes but in an otherwise shorter (96 minute) version of the film, meaning that the 102-minute cut on this disc has 12 minutes of footage missing from my earlier disc.

5 comments about Warriors Two.

1. I am always looking for great kung fu movies, and of course the really unique ones are the older ones. I was not let down with this great film. I have seen it twice and will watch it again sometime, wish i had a kung fu buddy to watch these films with . The story was great and easy to follow. The fight scenes have to be some of the best except for the fight between sammo and that idiot with the bowl on his head , i mean seriously sammo should have just killed him right away! The fights are better than stuff i see today , sometimes they are so well done that i cant help from smiling cause its so cool. The only bad parts of the movie are when the teacher gets killed and the woman gets stabbed with two swords, i was very sad when they died. The pray mantis style you have to see in this movie! If you love this stuff you need to get this movie !



2. Already an established actor and action director, Sammo Hung Kam-Bo's plethora of talents would be in full display when he helmed the director's chair for his third directorial film (after Iron Fisted Monk and Enter the Fat Dragon) during the golden age of Golden Harvest. Warriors Two is the first of two excellent Sammo Hung films, with Prodigal Son being the second, involving Leung Jan, a herbalist, doctor and teacher/practitioner of the martial art Wing Chun (a true renaissance man) in Foshan. This cinematic treatise on Wing Chun is a pleasure to watch because of the reverence that Sammo has for this discipline.
   
   Warriors Two starts with Leung Kar-Yan (forever known as Beardy) in one of his greatest stoic performances as Leung Jan and his best known pupil Chan Wah Shan aka Cashier Wah, who would go on to teach Yip Man (sifu of Bruce Lee), fighting each other in the outdoors to introduce the movie. Korean martial artist Casanova Wong plays the student in a rare robust role that showcases his athletic ability (though not always in the Wing Chun mode, but making up for with an awesome kicking ability). It is amazing that Leung Kar-Yan with no martial art background before he started acting can adapt so well in these precise roles. I have read that is why Sammo has worked with him many times because of his adaptability and the fact that since he is not "prejudiced" to a specific style of Kung Fu so he can imitate most forms very effectively.
   
   Sammo Hung does well in his supporting role as Fat Chun a student of Leung Jan and is the effective comic relief in this movie (Dean Shek is quasi-comedic). He is also the catalyst for the crux of the film. After the credits role past, Sammo (rotund but actually looking in good shape) starts off as a rice dumpling salesperson that eats too much of his supplies and eventually gets tricked out of the rest. Because of this he becomes a manure mover where he cannot eat (I hope) the supplies.
   
   Cashier Wah works for Boss Mo (Fung Hak-On who surprisingly looks like an anachronistic Next Generation Klingon; though there is a reason for that strange appearance) a wealthy merchant who has plans to become mayor. Wah overhears the devious plan for Mo to accomplish this and goes and tells a clerk named Chiu (Dean Shek) who is actually working for Mo. Chiu tells Wah to go to the Temple of Light to tell the mayor there, but that (of course) is a set-up. Wah escapes from this and is eventually is saved by Sammo. Wah's mother is killed and this leads him to become a student of Leung with Chun's trickery. And like every movie that showcases a martial art there are the training sequences and philosophy behind the fighting.
   
   There are not too many faults with the film. It could have had more emotional content like Prodigal Son, but the sagacious action scenes do make up for a lot. It could have made better use of Phoenix (Cheung Man Ting) whose martial arts should not have been so bad being a niece of Leung; luckily this film is no where near as misogynistic as Sammo's first film Iron Fisted Monk. Dean Shek's character as Clerk Chiu was overused, not always funny and hurt the pacing of the final act. Also what happens to Leung Jan is not historically accurate (not much of a spoiler but you can ignore the rest of the parentheses if you like; he retired and moved to his ancestral village of Gu Lao) But these are just quibbles.
   
   There is so much to like. The action scenes by Hak-On and Billy Chan Wui-Ngai are awesome. There are constant martial art fighting throughout the film including a good fight between Lau Kar-Wing and Lee Hoi-Sang and the excellent finale between Mo's Ground (She) Praying Mantis which is supernatural but does not seem out of place and Wah's hybrid Wing Chun. Cassanova Wong does this absolutely beautiful spinning kick across a table that is highlight in this film. There are many more good fight scenes that showcase Wing Chun with sticky hands, six-and-a-half point staff, Eight Chop Swords (Butterfly Swords), one-inch punch power, Wing Chun dummy, wooden men and many other aspects of this great martial art. One of Sammo's best attributes as a director/actor is that he showcases people's abilities without putting himself first and this really shows in this film. Leung Kar-Yan is perfectly cast. There are great small roles with Lam Ching-Ying, Eric Tsang, and (try to spot) Yuen Biao. Also, this movie has the best use of a metaphorical fruit (or is it a squash) and the staff that destroys it.
   
   I have the Fortune Star/Fox R1 release that has a great picture but has some annoying sounds. There is no official mono (downmix of the 5.1) and many sound effects sound exaggerated especially the punches and kicks. There is also the case of a Cantonese version of Elvis's "Don't Be Cruel" that has supposedly replaced the original song in an early teahouse scene (I haven't been able to confirm this since I haven't heard the original Cantonese and have only read second-hand accounts like the loveandbullets site). Luckily since this was a later wave of Fortune Star releases the subtitles are not dubtitles though they seem to have Mandarin translations of names (Liang Tsan instead of Leung Jan and Yung Chun instead of Wing Chun). Even though this has no extras (The HKL R2 release has a lot of desirable extras) it is an inexpensive treat for a must have martial art film.



3. I am a Wing Chun student and also a fan of martial arts films, especially Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, Jet Li. I have seen various styles of kung fu/wu shu in film, but rarely Wing Chun. This is a great review of techniques in action.
   
   We learn the Cantonese words and numbers in class, and it is cool to see them right in the movie. I like the intro segment and of course the training sections at the school with Siu Lim Tau, Chum Kiu, and a bit of Biu Gee, as well as the pole (Lok Dim Boon Gwan) and even some Bak Jom Dao (butterfly knives). There is also wooden dummy work and a room with 2 wooden dummies that come out at cashier Hua to help train his skills.
   
   It is great to see techniques like tan sau, pak sau, fook sau, gan sau, kwon sau, fak sau, blindfolded chi sau, pole forms, inch punch, rooting energy, etc. Sammo Hong is also entertaining and incredible. He is joking around and yet kicking butt (like Jackie Chan is known for). Later in the movie he fights an opponent in the dark in a bamboo forest. Cool.
   
   Overall I am very pleased with this movie and is the best wing chun movie I have seen apart from the training videos my sifu has made. This is entertaining and educational. (and it also is a bit funny to hear the sound of horseshoes on cobblestones when the horses are running on dirt or through the water! ha.)



4. The great Sammo Hung does it all here... directing, choreographing, and of course, starring in this highly entertaining staple of the genre. Warriors Two doesn't bring anything particularly new to the party but it does have a fantastic cast spearheaded by Leung Kar Yan (in maybe his best role) and Casanova Wong and rounded out by typecast villian standbys Lee Hoi San and Fong Hak On (both always great). Sammo plays the loveable lump known as "Porky" and sports the best hairdo of his career (the Friar Tuck look)! What this film does a truly fantastic job of (as noted by all the other fine reviews) is give you a thourough and informative look at the Wing Chun style of fighting... beyond "Prodigal Son" (another Sammo classic) you'll never see it done better than here. The movie has a few problems though including it's use of humor. Don't get me wrong, some of it is actually pretty good (Sammo's opening scene with the pork buns had me grinning like an idiot for awhile) but it's actually the inappropriate use of it sometimes that will have you scratching your head (the ending shifts from big drama to levity without warning). The other issue I had was the villian in the final fight. Everything up until this scene is fairly grounded in a realistic approach but at the end the main villain leans at 120 degree angles and hovers and does all kinds of other kooky junk. Still minor qualms and they shouldn't deter you from searching this out if you haven't seen it yet. Sammo's best will always be "The Magnificient Butcher" but I wouldn't argue with anyone who says this is his second best movie... and in a career like his, second is pretty damn good.



5. Sammo Hung really broke new ground in martial arts choreography with this film. There are moments of breathtaking kung fu and weaponry, but... there are also fights that flow like molasses topped off with some rather painful "comedy". Nonetheless I would still have to recommend it. The assets far outweigh the liabilites.
   
   Cassanova Wong is a banker who discovers a plot to kill the mayor. The only person he tells is in on the conspiracy and sets him up. Though he escapes he is badly injured and hides out with Sammo and his Wing Chun instructor. After recovery they train for revenge and so on.
   
   Story is not why we watch these. We watch for fights. If a good plot should happen to come along and link them together, so much the better. It helps that Cassanova Wong does some pretty sweet kicks, and wait 'til you see the Ground Mantis. Picture quality doesn't hurt either and here it is excellent. Even the nighttime shots. This would easily be a 4 or maybe even a 5-star film if the fights were more consistent and the comedy less excruciating. Those are the film's only faults, but they are rather epic in the flow and continuity of good cinema. Luckily, kung fu is partially exempt from those parameters.

5 comments about Magnificent Butcher.

1. This classic is definately Sammo Hung's best performance. The art of kung fu, very present and entertaining. Importantly,,the choreography very clear and transparent. This flick is a must have,,you will not be dissapointed!!



2. This movie is very Awesome! The previous reviewers I agree with their opinions about the movie. If the movie has a very positive rating then that's means you should consider purchasing it. I am a fan of Kung Fu and Yuen Woo Ping films. I gurantee anyone who loves Kung Fu movies, will especially love this film.



3. Sammo Hung stars as Butcher Wing, the famous student of Wong Fei Hong, and Master Wong is played by Kwan Tak Hing! Kwan would be the standout performer, except for the fact that he only has a cameo and the rest of the cast does such a good job. When Sammo's brother comes to town, he gets fooled by Fung Hak-on and has to fight for his life when he doesn't give Hak-on his money. His wife gets kidnapped for Hak-on's own personal pleasure, and Sammo goes to take down who he thinks the kidnapper is, a drunken master character (played by Fan Mei Sheng) based on Simon Yuen from Drunken Master. When the drunk tells Sammo all that has happened, Sammo goes to rescue his brother's wife. He also rescues a girl who is actually Master Ko's daughter. Ko is the master of the rival kung fu school of Wong Fei Hung and Sammo must now battle Master Ko's men after Hak-on frames Sammo for killing Ko's daughter.
   
   The story is good, but the action is out of this world. This is Sammo's best fighting performance of his career, but the rest of the cast is just as good. Lee Hoi San gives maybe his best performance ever, Chung Fat's Cat's Claw puts even Jackie Chan to shame, and Lam Ching Ying (he uses a fan to fight with) shines brightly in his first major fighting role. After making about 100 movies playing Wong Fei Hong, KWan Tak Hing is probably the brightest spot in the whole movie. He is old, but his single fight scene is just as good as the others. Similiar to Drunken Master and Dance Of The Drunk Mantis, the stunt doubling for Fan Mei Sheng's drunken character is very fun to watch. Usually when I watch a movie that everyone says is great, it rarely meets my expectations. 'The Magnificent Butcher' is one of the rare exceptions. It is a kung fu fan's dream movie. The cast also includes Yuen Biao and Wei Pai (the snake from Five Deadly Venoms), and a lot of character actors from Sammo and Yuen Woo Ping's other movies. Yuen Biao has maybe the best fight of the movie against Lam Ching Ying, but there are so many great fights to choose from.
   
   5/5
   
   Make sure you get the Deltamac or Fox/Fortune Star version. Both have very good sound and picture quality.



4. Though this movie is considered a classic, I had seen the first few minutes of it about a decade ago, and really wasn't interested. There are a few of the so-called classics that I never really cared for: "Drunken Master" comes to mind. Don't hate it, it just does nothing for me. Knowing that this movie was made by the same director (Yuen Woo Ping) that made "DM", I figured that it didn't deserve a 2nd chance. Knowing also that it starred Sammo Hung, who was famous for kung fu comedies, strengthened my assertion that I was right. After watching and enjoying Sammo's "Prodigal Son" and (to a lesser extent) "Warriors Two", I decided to give "Magnificent Butcher" a serious try. It also helped that I had seen and loved Woo Ping's "The Buddhist Fist", from around the same time period. I applied the "grain o' salt" method and finally watched it. All I can say is "Holy Crap!" Why did I waste so much time not loving this movie?!?
   
   Sammo plays Lam Sai Wing, one of the more famous students of Chinese healer, pugilist, and hero, Wong Fei Hung. It's very difficult to get into the story (though it is easy to follow) without giving anything away. So I ain't sayin' nothin' 'bout that. What I will tell you is that the fights and styles represented here are crazy, cool, and a whole lotta fun. Wild Cat was my personal favorite, though it's not too easy on the ears. For every one thing in this film that annoyed me, there were about 50 other things that I absolutely loved. Most interesting is the casting of veteran actor and White Crane master Kwan Tak Hing as Wong Fei Hung. Known for his many portrayals of Master Wong (he holds the record for one actor playing the same role ALL-TIME, in around 70 films), he still shows his chops with a calligraphy brush at just under the age of 75! The entire cast is recognizable to old-schoolers and many of the actors deliver some "best-ever" moments.
   
   20th Century Fox gives us a well-remastered picture and an audio option of an English or Cantonese soundtrack with, or without, subtitles. Some silly bonus features are also included, but likely won't excite fans. Goofy as this movie is, it has moments of deadly seriousness. Some things would be better left hinted at and not shown, but I have seen worse and it's a minor complaint. I don't have an official top-ten (my list is in no particular order), but if I did, "Magnificent Butcher" would certainly be included. 4.5 out of 5 and HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.



5. After the major success of Snake in Eagle's Shadow (1978) and Drunken Master (1978), both directed by Yuen Wo-Ping, the comedic template that fueled these films would be remade over-and-over again with the sifu/student relationship in the forefront (often starring Yu Jim Yuen students like Cliff Lok in Choi Lee Fat Kung Fu) and often employing an elderly beggar who is adept at drunken kung fu (the art of Zui Quan). Golden Harvest's Magnificent Butcher (1979: Chinese title is Lam Sai Wing) follows this pattern with Yuen Wo-Ping as the director and co-action director with leading man Sammo Hung as the student Lam Sai Wing, the venerable Kwan Tak-Hing in his most famous role as sifu Wong Fei Hung and Fan Mei-Sheng (Postman Strikes Back (1982)) in the Beggar So type role. In fact, the biggest negative attribute about this movie is it is a byproduct of not only the sifu/student/beggar films, but it incorporates many elements from Sammo Hung and Jackie Chan films of that era -- which I will detail later.
   
   Sammo Hung is the perfect actor for Lam Sai "Butcher" Wing -- a real-life portly (not as rotund as Sammo though) butcher by trade and student of the legendary Wong Fei Hung -- because of his physical adroitness and personal affability. I might have problems with the plot, but not with Sammo Hung's performance. Butcher Wing, as portrayed in this film, is a student who gets in trouble and shames his master (analogous to Jackie Chan in Drunken Master). He happened to overly, excessively and somewhat unintentionally beat up an elderly man (Fung Ging-Man) who had just stole a Chinese chess piece in a rage for losing the game. The chess player goes to Master Kao (Lee Hoi-Sang, Warriors Two (1978), The 36th Chamber of Shaolin (1978)) to get even against Wing (though who could blame him) by making up lies about Wong Fei Hong and Butcher Wing.
   
   Master Tao confronts Wong Fei Hung about his student's (erroneous) lack of respect for Tao and his school and engages in one of the highlights of the film -- a calligraphy duel. Without spoiling the scene by explaining it, it is quite exquisite in its use of a very flexible Kwan Tak-Hing (good to see him stay in shape in his later years) even though he is doubled for the more difficult actions. Needless to say who won, but later Wing gets the full wrath of Hung by being disciplined to do a tortuous horse stance (much like in Drunken Master).
   
   Meanwhile, chubby Lam Sai Kwong (Chiang Kam, Drunken Master (1978), Choi Lee Fat Kung Fu (1979)) is looking for his "skinny" brother (using a real old picture of Sammo Hung), but gets tricked into losing his wife May to a lecherous Tai Hoi (Fung Hak-On in a role similar to his one in Iron Fisted Monk (1977) just not as nasty). Concurrently, a beggar (Fan Mei-Sheng is also doubled a lot; sometimes it looks like Sammo Hung) with great drunken boxing skills comes to town stealing inebriated chickens and barely prevents the attempted suicide of Sai Kwong. Sai Kwong gets the beggar on his side and he goes off to confront Tai Ho. Tai Ho being much more brilliant than the beggar and Lam Sai Kwong gets those two to fight each other -- in that fight you will see a Popeye gag that was used before in Half a Loaf of Kung Fu (1978).
   
   Eventually the good get together against the bad (Tai Hoi and 5 Dragons School) though Master Kao is treated as bad, but he really is not, it is just his hubris and tragic belief in his son that leads him to the wrong path. However, the biggest positives of this film are certainly not the storyline. The action scenes directed by Sammo Hung and Yuen Wo-Ping are excellent. Lam Ching Ying starting with a fan and ending with elbow knives has an excellent battle with Yuen Biao. Also during this same scene, Yuen Miu with his mad monkey kung fu skills has an excellent fight with Wai Pak. Also there is a great finale with Lee Hoi-Sang versus Sammo Hung. Hung does an excellent flip move (not doubled during that move) during this melee that has to be seen. Sammo was in top physical form during this era and the amount of martial art must have movies from this period he is in is extraordinary. Plus the use of Kwan Tak-Hing is quite commendable and works perfect for this film. This was originally the first time I saw him perform and was later made aware of his awesome reputation in earlier Cantonese Hong Kong films (now when will we see these Wong Fei Hung films come to DVD?).
   
   For me there are enough negatives to keep this from being a classic martial art film. Too much of the film is derived from other martial art films (even more than I mentioned above in the previous paragraphs, including a Knockabout (1979) reference ala what happens to Sai Kwong) and the script has too much of the Wong Jing (co-writer with Edward Tang) touch with the uneasy mix of violence and slapstick comedy not melding well (though I did like certain gags like the pig trotters one). But for fans of Kung Fu action, much will be forgiven or ignored with the excellent martial art scenes taking precedence as the main impetus to watch and own this movie. I like this film, I just do not love it. However, there are many scenes I do not mind watching over and over again.
   
   I have the R1 Fortune Star/Fox release which has a good transfer but mediocre extras including trailers, photo gallery, quick biographies, production notes and "amazing" Sammo Hung music video. The big minuses are the dubtitles and no original mono. Here is another example of a Hong Kong R1 release that does not match the Hong Kong Legends R2 release for extras including a Bey Logan commentary (unless you do not like him).

3 comments about Three Kingdoms: The Resurrection of the Dragon (First Print Edition) DVD.

1. The title music sounded like A Fistful of Dollars or For A Few Dollars More. The movie is a brave historical
   drama like Braveheart in which the hero dies at the end.
   It also reminds one of the Spanish hero El Cid (DVD) - BY GOLDEN CLASSIC COLLECTIBLES. I liked the strange spears with swords on the
   ends and the martial arts. The Chinese lute music using triads and the martial bass drums were authentic as well. The art of war in China has
   very much a fatal quality in The Art of War by Sun Tzu - Special Edition. The hero of the people is defeated, but not humbled.



2. There are two things I don't like about this movie.
   
   1. There are many major details that are not true to history. Fitstly, Zi Long or Zhao Yun did not die in the battle. He died of old age (1). Secondly, at the battle of Chanban, Liu Bei's wife, Lady Gan was not killed. She's rescued by Zhao Yun. Thirdly, Zhao Yun never fought with Cao Cao's niece according to history!
   
   You can verify all the details by visiting wikipedia dot org. Sorry, I can't embed the link here. It seems Amazon is blocking that feature. If you find any other reliable website talking about the 3 kingdoms period in China, please put that information here. I'd appreciate that.
   
   2. The acting and directing are not engaging as in other movies of the same genes such as the Warlords. The fighting scenes are so so but they're not good as the ones in the Warlords either.



3. If ya ever played the video games: Dynasty Warriors or Romance of the 3 Kingdoms which are based on this China's greatest literary classic from the period epic Three Kingdoms: Resurrection of the Dragon. You'll be familier with the characters like Lie Bei, his Five Tiger Generals (ÜÕ>') of the Kingdom of Shu: Zhao Yun, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Ma Chao and Huang Zhong;& thier enemy Cao Cao & Cao Pi in this film. Though big-budget Chinese epics have become a mighty familiar sight in recent years, the Three Kingdoms era and its fabled lore is rarely tackled in cinema, making this latest blockbuster from Daniel Lee (Dragon Squad, A Fighter's Blues) a groundbreaking effort. and directed by Daniel Lee with a reported budget of US$25 million.The film is one of the two Three Kingdoms-related films in 2008, the other being John Woo's Red Cliff but Deftly hitting screens before John Woo's Three Kingdoms adaptation Red Cliff, Resurrection of the Dragon is based on Luo Guangzhong's 14th-century novel which romanticizes the heroic exploits of Shu King Liu Bei and his larger-than-life generals and advisor. Maintaining his Mandarin period blockbuster streak after A Battle of Wits and The Warlords, Andy Lau stars as legendary general Zhao Zilong (better known as Zhao Yun), immortalized in both Luo's novel and in popular culture as the paragon of courage, charisma, and strength. Starting off as a foot soldier, Zhao rises quickly in the ranks to become the top general under Liu Bei (Ngok Wah). He becomes a living legend in his time with his undefeated record and staggering feats, including single-handedly rescuing Liu's infant son from the grips of Wei King Cao Cao (Damian Lau). Through the many years of war, tides rise and ebb for the Kingdom of Shu and comrades fall one by one, leaving Zhao alone as the invincible general. With his legacy at stake, Zhao leads his final expedition against a Wei army now headed by Cao Cao's granddaughter Cao Ying (Maggie "Twinkie" Q ).
   Other than leading man Andy Lau and pan-Asian beauty Maggie Q (Mission: Impossible III), Resurrection of the Dragon features a stunning line-up of veteran actors including some of Hong Kong's greatest stars of yesteryear. Producer Sammo Hung serves as the narrator of the film in the role of Pingan, Zhao's ambitious friend of humble achievements. Damian Lau, Iron Monkey's Yu Rong Guang, and Shaw Brothers heroes Ngok Wah and Ti Lung light up the screen in welcome supporting appearances, while rising action stars Andy On and Vanness Wu lead the way for a new generation. Though it takes some liberal departures from history and the original novel, Three Kingdoms: Resurrection of the Dragon hits the mark with its epic story, sweeping images, and fierce characterization, gallantly capturing the life and times of Three Kingdoms hero Zhao Zilong. Andy Lau stars as Zhao Zilong, a veteran general of the Kingdom of Shu who took a last stand against the invading forces from the Kingdom of Wei. Maggie Q is the fictional Cao Ying, a grand-daughter of the warlord Cao Cao, whose son Cao Pi became the first emperor of the Kingdom of Wei.The story depicts an alternate history, following the events that unfolded in the Three Kingdoms era through the life of the legendary Shu general Zhao Zilong. Zhao Zilong began his military career as a soldier in Liu Bei's army. Zhao Zilong once displayed his fine spear skills to Liu Bei in a small face-off with Guan Yu and Zhang Fei. This impressed Liu Bei, and he decided to promote Zhao Zilong to the rank of a general. Zhao Zilong was bestowed with the 'All Piercing Spear'.Zhao Zilong scored his first victory in battle by outwitting Cao Cao at the Battle of Changban. He managed to rescue Liu Bei's son, A Dou from the clutches of the forces of Cao Cao by fighting them single-handedly. Cao Cao's life was put in great peril and he also lost his personal weapon to Zhao Zilong. Cao Ying, who had witnessed Zhao Zilong's acts, swore to help her grandfather regain his lost pride by capturing Zhao Zilong alive.As history passed, Zhao Zilong had never lost in any battle he fought in, hence earning himself the title of 'The Undefeated General' (íY>'R). Cao Pi forced the last ruling Han emperor to abdicate in his favour and proclaimed himself Emperor of the Kingdom of Wei. Thereafter, Liu Bei assumed the title of Emperor of Shu-Han as a spiritual successor to the fallen Han dynasty by carrying on the family name. Zhao Zilong joined the ranks of Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Ma Chao and Huang Zhong to be one of the Five Tiger Generals sworn to defend the Han imperial family.
   Years after Zhuge Liang's first failed Northern Expedition, he embarked on a second expedition. Zhao Zilong had reached the age of 71 by then, hence Zhuge Liang had doubts about allowing him to join in the expedition. However his persistence ensured him a role in the expedition. The Chancellor handed him two satches, instructing him to open them as per situations. Zhao Zilong set forth on the expedition expecting to achieve a major victory once more. His first feat was the slaying of the four sons of Wei general Han De (similar to the Novel). As Han De retreated, it became obvious that it was a ploy to lure Zhao Zilong into a trap, planned by the Wei commander Cao Ying. Zhao Zilong was forced to retreat to the Yellowbird Peak. It was there where Zhao Zilong pitted his last strength against Cao Ying.In a single one-to-one duel, Zhao Zilong bouted Cao Ying but decided to let her off. During the fight, the undefeated general received a battle scar for the first time ever in his career. The surbordinate generals of Zhao Zilong engaged in a fierce battle with the Wei forces, but were defeated after Cao Ying sacrificed Han De to bring gunpowder into the battlefield. All was lost for Zhao Zilong. He stripped off his armour, picked up his Piercing Spear, and charged towards the Wei forces in a last ditch effort, swearing to defend the Yellowbird Peak, and the dignity of the Kingdom of Shu-Han with the last general and last man.

5 comments about Dragon Heat.

1. Well Dragon Squad isn't nearly as good as Sha Po Lang (a.k.a. Killzone in the U.S.), and some people might be annoyed by the unique way the movie is filmed, what with the constant freeze frames, scenes that are literally labeled onscreen, and the endlessly shaky camera. Too many action films are shot normally until the action begins, at which point the camera starts jumping all over the place creating an obnoxious ADHD blur. I however found that it worked, if only because such tricks were consistently employed through the entire film. The film is basically about a good special squad taking on a bad special squad. There are a lot of characters, a lot of action scenes, and a lot of tragic moments handled of course in pure Hong Kong style. The movie is downright beautiful at times, and Sammo Hung of course is as impressive as always. On a side note, it's curious that this film was produced by Steven Seagal!
   
   Some random thoughts: Dragon Dynasty is developing a penchant for renaming films with really corny names. Dragon "Heat"? Oh brother. Also, why is the ever-ANNOYING "Maggie Q" on the cover of this? She's hardly in it! It's a bit like putting Seagal on the poster for Executive Decisions.
   
   In American films tragic characters are usually people with drug addictions, bad habits, etc., basically people who cause their own problems, contributing to their own self-destruction and downward spiral. HK films seldom ask audiences to feel sorry for such people. In HK cinema a tragic character is a TRAGIC character. BAD things happen to them that they didn't do to themselves. Though no one really ends up happy in this film, almost everyone does go out with quite a bang. The film's last line however was very unfortunate in my personal opinion. From the opening lines of the film through the climax the film, philosophically, seems to be building to a very Buddhist point, and then, with the film's very last line (about the character realizing there's no truth without faith), the director/screenwriter outright rejects the Buddhist point in favor of a Christian/Hindu take. Disappointing. I rather agreed with his original stance (with me being a psychologist) that memory is fallible and often leads to self-deception.



2. This is one of the worst Hong Kong movies I've ever seen.
   It's boring. It contains bad action and fighting scenes. The plot is ridiculous. In short, it's a waste of money.



3. This movie is absolutely worthless - the editing will give you epileptic shock due to its amateurish handi-cam manuevers and jump-cuts. The plot is a cliched joke, and the "action" consists of a few subpar gun battles and some trashy fighting sequences. Steer clear - Dragon Dynasty should never have picked this one up.



4. Good synergy in the film. Decent acting overall especially by Michael Biehn. Seems to run a little long but the climax is worth it. Ending is kinda cheesy but still solid



5. All the other reviews here are dead on target. The film certainly caters to a younger crowd with its emphasis on style over substance. I don't even know where to begin with this; I'm a fan of Hong Kong cinema, blood operas, gun fu, etc., but this movie left me quite unsatisfied.
   
   Let's start with the bad so we can just get that out of the way. As other reviewers have said, it's definitely 'over-directed.' It seems like they had a series of key frames in mind when they produced shots, and decided to throw the rest of the movie around them. Editing this movie must have taken an insane amount of time, as each minute of action has at least 20 cuts. This is in stark contrast to a lot of Asian martial arts flicks where they tend to show fights with as few cuts as possible. The end result is basically action looking faster and more furious, but caters to the ADD and non-epileptic crowd with its continually changing points of view, slow/fast motion and excessive zooming in and out. You know there's something wrong when an action sequence CURRENTLY being shot/fought looks like a training montage. This might make some of the actors look like they can fight/shoot, but then it totally dilutes the great fights of those who can (Sammo Hung).
   
   The story is barely there, and like another reviewer stated, any emoting is purely on the strength of the actors, whom I have seen in better movies. Since each faction had at least 5-6 main characters to figure out, they could have cut half the cast and the story would have been better for it. Instead, they rely on several flashbacks for each character at least once, 2-3 times for the more interesting ones, to tell their stories. Thank goodness for the video game style bio shots and that each person had a different specialty and/or nationality, or I simply would never get them straightened out...and this is coming from someone who knows the names and faces of more than half the cast! I was actually pleasantly surprised at Michael Biehn's performance, which added some depth to a character who isn't supposed to be sympathized with. It was also a treat to see Li Bing Bing play such a sweet character after her fabulously nasty performance as a bad gal in the recent Forbidden Kingdom (a much better movie, by the way). Maggie Q is underutilized in an almost throwaway role (I only know her as 'da sniper'), and it seems like they tried to get Sammo Hung in there more, but since there are a dozen other stories to tell, they could only do so much.
   
   As for the good points, there are some gorgeous location shots and cinematography. There are some scenes that are nice tributes to Michael Mann's work as well, or at least reminiscent of his work. In addition, they also obviously had some kind of budget, and they do put it to good use at various locations. Although at times the MTV/video game style shots and cuts are annoying, they are professionally done and were cool the first time or ten.
   
   In conclusion, it seems almost like a movie trailer that they decided to make feature film-length. It might be something to see once just to say you've seen it, but I'm not sure I'd be showing it to friends who've never seen it before, since there's much better fare I'd rather use my friend-time credit on...
   
   ...and in all fairness, if this was a video game I'd SO play it!
   
   I'm giving it a generous 3/5 stars, because I do like a lot of the actors. Rent it.

5 comments about Kill Zone.

1. Sammo Hung is the only reason why I gave the movie two stars. The movie tries to be deep, but it is just boring. Some fight scenes are OK. Overall a waste of time. Again, like in The Protector, it is nice to have the fast forward feature on the remote. Otherwise I could not get to the end.



2. "Kill Zone" or "SPL" as it was called in China, is an action packed police drama starring the inimitable Donnie Yen, the tough guy extraordinaire Simon Yam, and of course the legendary Sammo Hung. It also stars, as a knife wielding henchman/hitman, the amazing Wu Jing, or Jacky Wu, whose career never really took off outside of mainland China, but whose incredible martial and acrobatic skill is almost unrivalled in cinema today.
   
   The story of cops v. robbers is not exactly new. They've made it very modern with moles, plot twists, questions of loaylty, and questions about the main characters character, but in essence it is more or less 'only' what you'd expect from a modern police film. The action is top class, as you'd expect with names like these on the poster. Especially the fights between Yen and Wu, which was actually more or less improvised as they went along, and between Yen and Hung, the final fight, are worthy of notice. Here must be given praise to Donnie Yen for his ability to renew himself and stay modern in his choreography. His use of different styles of fighting, adding different feels to the scenes, is truely unique. Many choreographers try and fail, but Yen does it really well.
   
   The feel of the entire film, the darkness, the gloom, the threat of impending violence is well acted out and well directed. Although this being a action film, it is still very much character driven. Not your run of the mill 'Hong Kong Film'. I use the term HK Film only reluctantly, because it usually connotates something second rate and unworthy, which films from Hong Kong seldomly are.
   
   Highly recommendable.



3. ....from outstanding performers. True a very dark story with a surprising twist at the end. Yet a realistic peek into what happens on the wrong side of town. This is a story of good vs bad....family ties and how far one will go to protect their own on each side. The choreography was done extremely well. Both fight sceenes between Yen and Hung as well as Yen and Jing Wu were perfect examples of martial arts at its best. Director Wilson Yip did a great job of directing these Hong Kong superstars.



4. I really enjoyed this film. I was definitely impressed with Wu Jing as the cool hitman and the end fight with Sammo and Donnie is just great. When are you going to these two heavyweights ever duke it out besides this film so you need to check it out. You should also check out FlashPoint. It's because of these two films and Dragon Dynasty that I have started collecting more HK films. Buy this movie.



5. This movie has a lot of action in it for people interested in karate fight scenes.