No comments about Devil's Treasure.

No comments about Osaka Wrestling Restaurant.

1 comments about The Fortune Code.

1. First of all, I must point out that this movie is not very good overall, but it does provide a few great fight scenes, and it has one of the best casts I have ever seen in a movie. I haven't seen a Hong Kong movie this star studded since Sammo Hung's Millionaire's Express. Sammo is one of the stars of this movie, but unfortunately he is not the director. Kent Cheng is the director (the fat guy from Jet Li's Once Upon a Time in China and Jackie Chan's Crime Story. Kent cheng is also one of the stars, unfortunately. Let me go over the whole cast, just to give you an idea of how many people are in this movie. Gordon Liu (who played Pai Mei in Kill Bill part 2, and also starred in part 1), Alan Tam (the co-star of Jackie chan's Armour of God), Andy Lau (House of Flying Daggers), Sammo Hung (Dragons Forever), Jason Pai Paio (Shaolin Prince) , Ben Lam (Angry Ranger), Chen Kuan Tai (Boxer from Shantung), Austin Wai Tin Chi (Incredible Kung fu Master), Jimmy Lee (Rebellious Reign), Kirk Wong (the director of The Big Hit with Mark Wahlberg), Ridley Tsui (Tiger Cage 3), Ken Lo (Drunken Master 2), Max Mok (Once Upon a Time in China parts 2, 3, 4 and 5), Eric Tsang (Infernal Affairs), Anita Mui (Drunken Master 2), Nat Chan (Last Hero in China), Shing Fui On (Code of Honor), Blacky Ko (Shaolin Ex-Monk), Chung Fa (Magnificent Butcher), Chu Tiet Wo (legendary Weapons of China), Frankie Chan (Prodigal Son)... it just goes on and on.
   
   Alright, so now that I have gone over the cast I need to talk about how bad this movie is. The humor is pretty lame most of the time, and the movie just isn't enjoyable. Kirk Wong, Eric Tsang and some guy named Donald Duck provide some good comedy, but there is way too much bad humor.
   
   Basically the movie takes place during the Japanese invasion and the story is about Sammo getting Andy Lau, Alan Tam and Anita Mui to help him make sure the Japanese don't get the code to a Swiss bank account wih 500 million dollars the Chinese government put away to help rebuild the country. The story is horrible. So on to the fight scenes!
   
   There are a lot of fights, and some are really good. 2 of the highlights are Andy Lau vs Chung Fa and Sammo vs Chen Kuan Tai. The final fight is good, but it only lasts about 5 minutes. It is a dang good fight with tons of big stars, but I expected a lot more. I was very disappointed with this movie. Only worth watching to see tons of old school stars doing some modern day action.
   
   2/5
   
   The Megastar DVD has very good picture and sound quality. Subtitles are written well enough.

No comments about Touch and Go.

5 comments about Moon Warriors.

1. What a disappointment this film was for me!
   
   Let me say first that I have a terrific fondness for good martial arts films, and many of the Hong Kong films of the genre, while certainly showing and revelling in elements that are cheesy, yet succeed in being extremely entertaining. But this...!
   
   I think it's fairly well understood that the Hong Kong martial arts film genre deliberately utilises many American westerns. It's not exactly unusual to see a tumbleweed go rolling across a deserted plain or through a deserted Chinese village, however silly that may seem. But in the case of this film, it went too far. My willingness to suspend disbelief and criticism came to a crashing halt. It began, I'm afraid, with the very opening scene. As soon as I heard the Chinesified western theme (borrowing heavily from the well-known musical theme that you'll recognise the instant you hear it), I flinched and said, "Oh Lord, please let it improve."
   
   The film's score is just a mishmash of inappropriate melodies and songs. Featuring far too heavily are those frankly appalling songs sung with sugary sweetness by Chinese popstars who moo their way through lyrics of awful saccharine fake emotion. Chinese lyrics and poetry can be so delicate and powerful (exciting our admiration especially when they use miniature to create a sense of space), but the flip side is that they can also be horribly vulgar and overly sentimental. This film showed the flip side.
   
   The story is predictable: displaced prince (Brother Yen) wants to regain his throne after travelling like a nomad through the land for years. His faithful follower, a beautiful Chinese girl, turns out to be hired by his evil brother (who usurped the throne), but switches sides yet again (after failing to kill the prince's betrothed) to fight for the prince in the final showdown. A young fisherman named Fei, with fabulous martial arts skills, defends the prince's party in a surprise ambush, and consequently bonds with the prince, falls in love with the prince's betrothed when he's sent to fetch her, and plays artlessly with a large dolphin called Wei. (There's a truly awful song at this point, by the way - it tries to be a lovely innocent "love the environment" song, but oh dear... oh no... it's one of those moments where one cringes and fast-forwards through the embarrassing music.)
   
   Fei hides the prince's party in an underground tomb accessible only by a path which he knows (but that doesn't stop the evil usurper from finding it without difficulty) and also by sea. The final show-down reveals that: a) an evil usurper can generally fight off as many attackers as need be; b) rightful emperors (aka the prince) can be defeated by said pole-bearing evil usurper without difficulty; c) the girl who doesn't get the guy (aka the girl who joined the prince's forces in order to betray him but ended by loving him, even though his emotions were centred upon the daughter of his old friend General NanNing (I think that's the name)) is sure to be killed by the evil usurper, and to murmur, "Even though I could not live for you, I am happy to die for you, my prince"; d) the general's daughter is of course torn between the prince and Fei, loving both of them, and of course she dies; and e) (this one's the killer) it takes a dolphin to kill an evil usurper. Yes, indeed - I joke not. The finale includes Wei surging through the river that leads to the cave in which the underground tomb is built, LEAPING out of the water to whack the evil usurper in mid-attack, and pulling down the entire tomb structure to kill everyone except Fei who finishes the film by looking at the flower-covered ground below which is the tomb, and making a philosophical comment that harks back to an earlier moment in the film.
   
   The film's not all bad. The actors all look fine, and the swordplay is neither better nor worse than most of these types of film. I did become exasperated with some aspects of the fighting, because too much of it was dancing around attacking each other's weapons rather than each other - a big no-no in martial arts. "Have at you, you foul sword of my enemy! Let me beat you, o most hideous polearm of my foe!"... There's a good idea for a spoof there.
   
   The story is, again, neither better nor worse than many another film of this genre - except for the laughable ending.
   
   The cinematography is only adequate, not wonderful. It certainly isn't a patch on some of the magnificent films in this style which have emerged just recently.
   
   The insistence on having the terrible enemy be undefeatable is a peculiarity one often meets with in Chinese films of this sort. I confess I have never become accustomed to it. Why is the hero not able to defeat his evil foe? They are both mortal. They're both skilled. It's clearly a cultural element that is difficult for non-Chinese to understand.
   
   But by far - BY FAR - the worst thing about this film is the soundtrack.
   
   Comparing this film favourably to "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon", "The Emperor and the Assassin", "House of Shining Daggers" and "Hero" is unbelievable. The aforesaid films are not just nice-looking - they're gorgeous. The cinematography is superb. In most cases, the plots are good (in the case of "Crouching Tiger", the plot is superb and intricate). In each case for the films I've mentioned, the acting is magnificent and the fight scenes beautifully done. I'm afraid "Moon Warriors" will disappoint those who expect the same standard.
   
   Recommended only for those who want to collect every film in this genre.



2. I watched this recently after a space of about 10 years... the first time i thought it was silly but had great action scenes. Now I think its quite a bit deeper than that. By the way, when Maggie Cheung burns the paper mid-film, I believe they are paper ingots which are burned to give money to the dead in repentence for all the innocent people she's killed...



3. this movie was one of the greatest martial arts flicks i've ever seen. It had every thing one would expect from a kung-fu flick-drama,betrayal,lost love revenge and one of the best swordsplay i've ever seen in a very long time.Kudos to this movie and i highly recommend this movie to any one who craves martial arts as much as I do.



4. Directed by Sammo Hung who has one of the best eyes for action in all of cinema, and overall an unbelievable team of directors that also includes Corey Yuen Kwai. In 1982 Ching Siu Tung made his directorial debut and also choreographed the action for 'Duel To the Death', a movie that broke new ground for wire fu. Since 'Moon Warriors' was made 10 years later, big improvements were expected and he does not disappoint. There are times when 2 actors are fighting for up to a minute not showing eithers face, and it is still totally believable. If anyone has seen 'Death Duel of Kung Fu' with John Liu and Don Wong Tao (and many other movies also), then you know that stunt doubles just aren't filmed correctly sometimes. In 'Moon Warriors', the stunt doubles are the reason the action is so thrilling. Add in Ching Siu Tung's use of trampolines and wires, and the result is pure magic. He is truly a master. Ngai Sing I would have to name star of the movie since you can clearly see his moves when doubling Andy Lau and others. I also spotted Hsiao Hou and I think he doubles Maggie Cheung.
   
   The story is not memorable, but very well done. There is an awesome cast, including a killer whale! The action is definitely the reason to see this. It doesn't get much better than watching Chang Yi think about what to do when 20 or 30 swordsmen are coming at him. So what does he do? Charges right back at them of course!
   
   Old school fans, and I mean really old school fans will recognize Chang Yi from the famous Shaw Brothers swordplay 'Bells of Death' made in 1968. He looks better than ever wielding a sword in this! I wish I knew the secret of not aging. And I had to point out the great Chang Yi since there is literally only a couple of words spoken about him in the commentary.
   
   3.5/5
   
   If you like this movie, it would be best to get the Hong Kong Legends version. There are more special features and most likely it is presented in the proper widescreen format. The Tai Seng release is acceptable, and for a budget release, I loved it.
   
   The back of the DVD case says it's letterboxed, WRONG!!!! It is cropped, but still widescreened good enough. Sound is very good with DTS(it says Cantonese DTS, but I don't have the capability to test it), 5.1 English and Cantonese, and a mono Mandarin track. It also has a mono Cantonese track which I usually prefer, but this doesn't sound like the original.
   
   Special Features include an alternate closing credits that shows Andy Lau training with the killer whale.
   
   Other special feature included is a commentary with Frank Jane and Ric Meyers. I list Frank Jane first because Ric actually lets him talk! The best part about havin Frank Jane helping Ric out is that Ric keeps his incorrect information to a bare minimum. I think it's the first ever commentary where I didn't hear Ric Meyers make any errors! Frank Jane does make an odd comment at the start saying he heard that this film inspired George Lucas to write 'The Phantom Menace'. The problem with Frank's comment is that it's very well known that the action choreography in this movie gave Lucas inspiration, but I have never heard that this is where he got the idea for the story. I am sure a Star Wars fan will rip him to shreds, but maybe not (that is a big maybe though). Other than that, the commentary is very good since they focus on Hong Kong movies. You could call Frank Jane a real Hong Kong fim expert when compared to Ric Meyers. So instead of Ric's solo commentaries, they actually talk about the movie! Frank Jane is similar in at least 1 way to me. I can talk up a storm abotu Asian cinema, but tend to keep my comments on American movies much more brief. Ric Meyers can get very annoying along with his constant habit of ALWAYS making mistakes, but Frank Jane keeps a tight leash on him. Great commentary and plenty of info on the movie and all of the more popular actors.



5. I am a huge Andy Lau fan! I just discovered him a few months ago when I became aware of the excellence of Chinese cinema and music. I have many Andy Lau movies, music videos and cd's. Andy Lau can do absolutely everything and do them perfectly! He can sing beautifully, dance like a professional dancer, play a killer, a romantic hero, a geeky guy, a feudal fighter, kung-fu master and swordsman. He can ride a horse most impressively, make you laugh and cry with his superb acting talent and the list goes on and on. In this movie, he rides a whale! Yes, it's really him and he's really riding, swimming with and hugging a whale! America has no one who comes anywhere close to being his equal when it comes to talent. He's a genius in so many different areas. I sometimes wonder if Chinese directors and movie moguls realize the extent of his greatness or, because he does everything with such ease, they just take his talent for granted? This particular movie is a great adventure/love story. I won't describe the plot, etc. because other reviewers have done that. I just want to bring your attention to the multi-talent genius of Andy Lau. Check out some of his other movies, and you will soon understand why I am such a huge fan.

5 comments about Zu: Warriors of the Magic Mountain.

1. This movie's plot is a bit hard to follow (or pay attention to ) but the action and effects are absolutely incredible! I bought this movie because I absolutely loved Storm Riders and was hoping this would be as good if not better. You are better off renting it if possible.



2. This MOVIE is way ahead of its time. The special effects, or fireworks as some reviewers put it were well in advance of anything I've seen in Matrix, X-men, Hulk, Spiderman and the like. If your looking for a storyline, plot and all that pick up a book instead of watching a MOVIE. For action packed, VISUAL ectsasy this is one of the greats. CGI is the wave of the future for movies my friends. Hell, the CGI Smigel from LOTR almost got an Oscar didn't he?



3. Despite this movie being about 1. magic, 2. kung fu, 3. general weirdness and cheap funny props, 4. lots of flying in colorful outfits, 5. a spattering of cutie Chinese girls who also know magic- all of which attributes people who love kung fu think should/MUST be a really great combo- it was actually so boring to me (a diehard kung fu fan) and hard to follow that i didnt' want to watch anymore of it half way thru.
   
   It looked like a high-budget Chinese kung fu fantasy film from the 70's. Oh wait, it was.
   
   There was NOT a lot of fighting/kung fu, but there was a lot of flying around in funny colorful costumes and strange,convoluted dialogue.
   
   I got the impression they filmmakers were trying for something really epic, an -alien- Chinese mythology that didn't quite have the neatly-packaged-story nature of familiar, Western mythologies. In short, it make no sense and didtn' try to explain itself (nor should it)! It was a good try tho and if I were Chinese and kind of weird and living in the 70s i'd think the movie is like Chinese star wars.
   --
   One more thing:
   They used saran wrap enshrouded with packing tape to depict large broken blocks of ice. I mention this to attest to the early Tsui Hark's innovative set design and creative props. It was a neat although distracting way to cut costs. Also worthy of mention in this regard is the fake, incongruent, drawn cartoon lightning interleaved with fancy acrobatics and disjointed dialogue.



4. The original Hong Kong version really is an incredible piece of work. I enjoyed the heck out of it. However it does require that you view it with a certain frame of mind. Most importantly you have to understand that it is not a character drama. There is little range of depth to any of the characters. They exist only to serve their various roles in the story. Think of it as if it were a legend passed down through the ages (like classic Greek mythology). In such legends you always hear the story told through a series of actions and outcomes. You're never given any insight into what drives the characters and we never see more than one side of them. They just represent these sort of unchanging idealized personas. The stories that come from this are fascinating nevertheless. So in this way The Legend of Zu is literally told in the style of a legend.
   
   That said the story is actually quite awesome. The basic premise is again very, very similar to classic Greek mythology: There is a mythical mountain range in China called Zu. Its highest peak, shrouded in mists, reaches up into the heavens. This place is populated by immortal beings who, in their scattered temples, have devoted themselves to various schools of thought. Across centuries they've honed their skills in the martial arts and have attuned their spirits to the forces of the universe. It is their task to maintain order and balance in the universe so that man can live in harmony with nature. Their actions influence the fates of the mortals below. Trouble arises when an unstoppable entity of pure evil calling itself Insomnia threatens to overthrow the most powerful school in the heavens, the Omei clan, and throw the world into an eternity of discord.
   
   The story is steeped heavily in Chinese lore so some parts are a bit esoteric, granted, but for the most part it's easy to follow if you can just keep up with it. There is a user on imdb who wrote "The most soulful, spiritual film I've ever seen," and I think I might have to agree with him. One of the more interesting aspects of the mythology is that just as the warrior has a spirit, so too does his or her weapon. As the warrior achieves mastery with the weapon their two souls act as one; until finally their sword is no longer a physical object but rather an extension of the warrior's own spirit, capable of unleashing devastating effects and allowing the possessor to fly. The weapons are all so unique in form and function that it makes the battle scenes quite unlike anything you've ever seen before in a martial arts film.
   
   The visuals and CGI effects, while perhaps not up to the level of say Lord of the Rings, are utterly stunning to behold. Every frame is like a painting straight from the mind of a creative genius. Matched to the superlative audio the film is quite a treat for the senses. All of this carried along by an engaging, complex, epic narrative and we have ourselves a little gem of a film! But like I said - you have to be willing and able to both divorce yourself from western conventions and to appreciate the sensibilities and beliefs of a different culture. Step out of yourselves for an hour and fourty minutes and just allow yourselves to enjoy this fun, lighthearted spiritual journey into the world of Chinese legend!



5. ZU: WARRIORS OF THE MAGIC MOUNTAIN (XIN SHUSHAN JIANXIA, featuring Bridgette Lin)is a film dating back to the 1980's and is NOT to be mixed up with the much more recent LEGEND OF ZU (SHUSHAN ZHUAN, in which Zhang Ziyi appears), which appeared a couple years back, even though both are directed by Tsui Hark and both are supposed to be (I want to emphasize: SUPPOSED to be) based on a long fantasy novel entitled SHUSHAN JIANXIA (SWORDFIGHTERS OF MT SHU) by Chinese author Huanzhu Louzhu (also named Li Shoumin; 1902 ~ 1961). Many of the reviewers here seem to get mixed up between the two movies. By the way, the novel's not yet translated into English, sorry -- even though I'm perfectly confident it's more than a match for Tolkien's trilogy in terms of content. :p (Certainly the novel has exerted a tremendous influence on later Chinese swordplay fiction, such as the work of Jin Yong or Louis Cha.)
   
   NEITHER movie is true to the original novel (which in my estimate would require at least five long films, serious). The films aren't even condensed versions of the novel. With both movies Tsui Hark has committed the unpardonable sin of whipping together a story with elements and characters selected almost at random from the novel, possibly even adding his own stuff, and naming the resultant hodge-podge after the novel itself. To give a couple examples of how Tsui Hark's movie departs from the novel, in the novel becoming a blood monster is a strictly voluntary matter; you must go through special training :p and can't become one merely by being 'infected' by a blood monster, as happens in the movie. (I don't remember the blood monster forming a coccoon of skulls around itself in the original novel, either.) Also, in the original story the green and violet twin swords were lost treasures discovered by accident by two GIRLS, NOT guarded by a female immortal who then handed them to two BOYS, as in the (earlier) film. And that's just two examples, mate.
   
   So does that automatically make ZU: WARRIORS OF THE MAGIC MOUNTAIN a bad film? Yes and no. Yes, because it's nothing short of sacrilege to mar a work of literature in this way. No, because the film actually does have a lot of cool and spectacular effects, such as fighting with swords of lightning ;) and the visually impressive and lovely interior of the palace/fort of the 'Ice Queen' (though I doubt these appear in the novel at all), and the film's own plot is not too bad, either (I personally would have much preferred that the 'Ice Queen' could eventually cure the hero who turned into a blood monster, though). Tsui Hark has a very annoying knack, however, for rushing the story so much that all you have to do is blink and you'll miss out on a huge chunk of what's going on. Can't you have at least a few slower and calmer moments, for Heaven's sake? (This gets even worse in LEGEND OF ZU, so much so the plot is in danger of being utterly lost to the viewer.) Also, sometimes the acting just doesn't feel emotionally appropriate. When you learn that your beloved martial arts teacher is in danger of turning into a blood monster and no one can do anything to help, what would you feel? How would you act? The one playing the role of the teacher's disciple in the film acted like a stupid idiot at the point of learning that hard truth. Really. Tsui Hark really should have known better, for goodness' sake. Also, would you not feel at least some sorrow when learning of your teacher's death, even though he has turned into an evil creature? In the film, the idiot apparently didn't. Yeah, he died, now let's move on. Sure, right.
   
   My overall assessment: superb graphics, passable plot, atrocious handling of human emotions. And that's not taking into consideration the violence done to the original novel.

5 comments about Tower of Death.

1. Whoever thinks the choreography of this film is bad is highly mistaken, it's some of the best stuff ever. Also, Tong Lung's kicks show he's no hack, in fact he probably kicks in this movie more than all of Bruce's films in total.
   
   Just like other Ng See-yuen and Yuen Woo-ping collaborations, this movie is all about TKD practitioners. Essentially, this film is Bruceploitation combined with a typical bootmaster filled Seasonal Films movie.
   
   While bruceploitation is no doubt disrespectful stuff, Yuen Woo-ping's choreography and Yuen Biao's stunts saves this one.
   
   Listen to Eric Jacobus, he knows what he's talking about (just search him up and you'll find out why).



2. except karate tiger 4--ha ha, i know you probly like that.
   
   This is also called game of death 2 and officially is called the last bruce lee movie, even though he's not really in it, that's ok, cause like 5 guys that can rival bruce( hwang lee is the only guy i think would really stand a chance against bruce) are in this.
   
   So I advise you to get the GM 2 version, it has english dub that certainly can't rival the jet li collection in badness, but it does havesome altime classic dubbed lines, also look for the song that tarantino ripped for kill bill, which he improved drastically, but it he went with the same singer
   
   Eevry action scene in this is so freaking sweet(except the ones with the white guy).
   
   The main topic that I want to bring up of this movie is the scene where bruce's brother(in the movie)gives in to a yellow toothed nice bodied woman, and she tries to kill him, he prevents her from doing so but then this guy in a lion costume storms in.
   
   Now I have seen this movie about 5 times, and it seriously gets better every time you see it. The first time I saw it the first fight in the greenhouse REALLY caught my eye, but I didn't really like it. Well I need to start watching all movies sober at least the first time but it's really hard when watching a movie called game of death 2 and i didn't even like the first one.
   
   Anyway back to the lion scene----
   I still can't figure out whether or not this lion was supposed to be a real lion or a man dressed up in a lion costume. i would love other opinions on this because it is truly mystafying. And I don't know how to spell that word but I can't think of another one to describe this truly unique movie experience that this lion gave me.
   
   So please check this movie out if you get a chance.
   You are not going to find this in any 50 pack or something because it is a good, so just go buy it at bestbuy for 7.99 like I did, and I guarantee you will rate this as one of the the best Hwang Lee action films, and it is also my favorite cassanova wong performance ever so enjoy.
   
   Oh yeah, it has aYuen Bioa scene, I think he was fighing with a pole, but that ranked like #14 for fight scenes in this.



3. useing 3 min. worth of bruce lee footage(and not the best of that) doesn't mean bruce lee stars in or would even put his name on this junk. this is just a case of tring to make more money of his name without any care for what he wanted or what he stood for.shame on them for making this mess,and shame on me for buying it.



4. Game of Death II (aka Tower of Death) is a dichotomy of a film. It is a Bruceploitation film (though it is one of the better ones) and it is an exiting revenge flick. Raymond Chow had apparently not made enough money off of the insipid Game of Death and was slowly leaking "newly found" footage of Bruce so it was bound that he would create another film with spliced in footage, redubbed dialog and, of course, Bruce's namesake. A lot of people were using Lee's name to promote their own productions, but Golden Harvest (who Bruce worked for; though technically this was a Seasonal production) was the worst of these offenders.
   
   The first act of the movie is the least interesting and worst part of the film. Bruce Lee stars (posthumously edited in) as Billy Lo (Bruce Lee) who visits his friend Chin Ku (Hwang Jang Lee) who is currently beating up an under-classed challenger. After an reestablishment of friendship between the two (never a good sign in a Kung Fu film), he visits an abbot (Roy Chiao revisiting his role from Enter the Dragon so they can reuse and redub footage) to discuss about his contumacious brother Bobby Lo (Tong Lung who also starred in Game of Death).
   
   Of course, the scenes that compromise the first act are not only exploitative of Bruce Lee they are also poorly done. The most obvious is that the backgrounds do not match between Bruce's footage and the new footage. Also check out the sculpted back muscles of Bruce and compare them to his double. It is not even close. The fight scenes with Bruce (and his double) do not flow well. However, anytime you see a fight scene and that Bruce (or his double) does a difficult move such as a flip you will notice that it is the incomparable Yuen Biao (he even has a small role toward the beginning.)
   Bruce later visits the funeral of his friend Chin Ku and he is prevented from examining the body (this must mean something to the plot.) When the ceremony takes place a helicopter comes by and snags the coffin. For some strange reason, well to dispose of the fake Bruce character, he jumps on the coffin as it is flying away and is hit with a dart and falls to his death. This is absolutely absurd. Though this is not as bad as the 70s clothes at the funeral or the tacky real funeral footage of Bruce Lee that would come next.
   
   Now the movie gets more interesting and less exploitative. Bobby learns of his brother's death from his father who tells him to meet Sherman Lan. Sherman tells him to go to the Palace of Death. Now this is an interesting place. It is owned by Lewis, played by Roy Horan who has been an executive at Seasonal, an actor who also acted in Snake in the Eagle's Shadow, a student of Hwang Jang Lee and currently a lecturer at HK Polytechnic University; obviously his life is more interesting than this film. Bobby suspects Lewis as the culprit behind his brother's death. Lewis likes to eat raw meat, is surrounded by lions (who are fed the fighters that he defeats), Killer Peacocks and a one-armed valet (oh my). The one-armed assistant, a monk from the Fan Yu temple) does not seem that he could be of great use to Lewis, but Lewis says that he is faithful and he has known him for a long time (do not dwell on this fact because the absurdity of what happens later is quite hilarious). I really do not trust one-armed people in Hong Kong films unless they are played by Jimmy Wang Yu.
   
   Lewis tells Bobby of a tower built by abbot Hung Kuang. However, it cannot be found above ground. The abbot had it built underground (this is a nice twist until you see how much they spent on the set design and how many levels there actually are). Obviously there is going to be a show down there with Bobby fighting however is behind all of this madness. I will not give it away (or tell what happens at the Palace of Death) but it is fairly obvious who it will be.
   
   The final act of the film leads to some good fighting scenes, obviously with the help of action director Yuen Wo-Ping, as Bobby makes his way down the tower (try to see how many times Yuen Biao is used as a stunt double; hint check every other move Bobby makes). Most of the film is entertaining (not counting the irritating and unnecessary flashbacks). There is always going to be tackiness involved anytime you invoke Bruce Lee's inimitable name; but once the movie gets past that it is fun to watch. In fact it is the best Bruceploitation film out there -- though that does not necessarily mean that much.



5. For a B movie forgetting the Kung FU fans, but writing it as a B movie comedy.
   You have some left over footage from another movie and a dead star, well the chinese production company decided let us make another movie, so how do you make the plot, so it goes like this:
   
   Bruce Lee's best friend gets killed, so Bruce Lee goes to avenge his death, then Bruce Lee gets killed and then very tacky use of real funeral footage of course being resourceful, so then Bruce Lee's little brother goes out to avenge the death of Bruce Lee who was out avenging the death of Bruce Lee's best friend.
   Now no exploitation movie should be without a 100 Chinese Elvis posers that wear Elvis style Gi and have Elvis style square sun glasses on, this is classic. So in the end and I am giving away the plot here is that Bruce Lee's best friend was not dead, but fights Bruce Lee's little brother to the death, who was trying to avenge Bruce Lee's murder who was out to avenge the death of Bruce Lee's best friend when he died, but who didn't really die.
   So if you like exploitation comedies and are a beer drinker, this was alot of fun for me if you like this type of thing. If you think this is a serious action kung fu movie, then I suggest you drink more beer

No comments about Sammo Hung: Action Collection (digitally remastered) 3 disc Boxset.

5 comments about Shaolin Traitorous.

1. Shaolin Traitorous is a well made film with a very good cast. The main characters in the film are played by Carter Wong, Polly Shang Kwan, Chang Yi, and Sammo Hung. Their fight scenes are very well done, and their acting in this film is also very good. This is one of the better films that Polly Shang Kwan has starred in, and she stands out as one of the better actors and martial artists in the film. The film's cinematography is excellent, especially in the outdoor scenes, and this high quality widescreen version lets the viewer enjoy it.

   The plot consists of a young boy (Carter Wong) who sees his family killed by government officials (Chang Yi & Sammo Hung). The boy enters the Shaolin Temple to learn kungfu in order to get revenge, and when he is grown up, he sets out to do so. Polly Shang Kwan plays the adopted daughter of Chang Yi's character.

   The fight scenes were well choreographed, especially Carter Wong's and Polly Shang Kwan's, and well executed also. These two actors were very good in this film. Sammo Hung is very young in this film, and one of the highlights of the film is a weapons fight in the mountains in the middle of the film, between him and Carter Wong. The fight scenes, like the rest of the film, were filmed very well, using a mix of hand held camera and tripod shots, and also a mix of close ups and long shots, and nothing ever went out of the frame. The sets as well as the outdoor settings were very good, giving the film an excellent backdrop. The only things I didn not like about the film were the corny fighting formations of the villain's hechmen, and the overly dramatic deaths. I would say this is a generally well made film, and this is a high quality VHS version.




2. I though this flick really high-lighted the brilliant performance by the great Carter Wong,,,I though this flick was truly entertaining and a pleasure to watch. A fantastic addition for the collection.....the choreography and cinematography well placed, and nicely put together!!
   
   Oh yeah, I forgot to mention,,I noticed Sammo Hung's name as part of the cast (Staring0,,I did not see him anywhere in this movie, perhaps an over-sight on my part,,but I'm confident if he existed in the flick,I would have noticed him,,as he's one of my favourite old school performer. Needless to say, Sammo Hung not bein g the most transparent, did not take anything away from this old school kicker,,you will be entertained!!



3. Chang Yi and Sammo Hung star as 2 high ranking government officials who are killing everyone who tries to resist the new government. Because of this Chang Yi is given a higher ranking. Carter Wong's family is killed at the start of the movie by Chang Yi and he goes to learn at Shaolin Temple. When he is grown up he leaves to take revenge. He finds out that Chang Yi has a daughter who is also looking for revenge because she was adopted by him after he killed her family. Polly Shang Kuan plays the daughter and at age 15 her parents were killed. She decided to learn kung fu from the enemy so that she could kill him one day.
   
   My favorite part of the movie is when Polly Kuan explains why she is so mad at Carter for wanting to kill her adopted father. She feels she is the only one that should be able to kill him. This movie is very well directed, but unfortunately the kung fu is only average. It is not too bad for 1976, but the choreography just wasn't good enough for me. The graphic violence is the best part about the fights. Polly Kuan looks the best out of everyone and luckily the final fight doesn't disappoint. Chang Yi is one of the best villains in kung fu cinema history and is really good in his 5 minutes of action. The guy is pure evil.
   
   3/5
   
   The DVD from Xenon is surprisingly not bad. Picture quality is decent and the badly translated subtitles are easy to read. Best of all it is pefectly widescreened.



4. i have a xenon release of this, that is not in english(like the product details state), instead, it is hardsubbed, meaning that the subtitles are in the actual video. it has both chinese and horribly translated english at the same time. the worst part is that the subtitles are completely white, no outlining at all, so if the screen is white or even sort of light, you can't read them. 2 thumbs down!!!



5. This is one of those movies that gives off the vibe that it has just as many positives as negatives, but gets you to watch it again anyway and you cannot figure out why right away.
   
   As someone else mentions in their review, not only are their subtitles, but they are white and fade during certain scenes in the movie. Once more, they are poorly translated.
   
   However, the storyline of the movie just seems to be put together well and the carrying out of the storyline all the same.
   
   One particular aspect of the movie that jumped out to me was the theme music. Some of the characters have flashbacks during the movie and the music that plays during them just has such a presence about it. The same music plays during the death of the vast majority of characters.
   
   When they combine that music, with the flashback effect that is seen throughout the movie, and the focus on the bracelet of one particular character as she is falling to the ground and to her death(Don't want to spoil it for you) is just purely cinematic. I cannot find any other way to describe it.
   
   This is a movie that I recommend purchasing. In my case, the subtitles were so poorly done, I just figured enough to determine what was going on and now I watch it without paying any mind to the subtitles.

5 comments about Once Upon a Time in China and America.

1. Although they managed to drag Jet Li back to the series for this installment, I personally wish they'd left the saga on the more respectable note that was the fourth sequel. Though the production values are high, with the American locations and actors being considerably better than in most HK films, the movie's plot is the weakest of the lot.
   While Sammo Hung's direction makes the best visual use of the settings, it's suprisingly the action sequences that are the biggest let-down. The number of them is fairly frequent and the choreography is reasonable, but they are just too short to hold the attention. The failure to have a strong villian for Wong Fei-Hung to battle is also a major minus point.
   There is also no attempt made to develop the characters and their relationships, as it seems the filmmakers think that dumping WFH and the gang in the middle of a Western is enough to justify making the film. It isn't.
   It's a shame such a great series of movies signs off with such a weak parting shot. One for OUATIC completists only.



2. who cares about what the indians look like, or the main bad guys overuse of an eyebrow pencil?
   This had everything you look for in a kung fu movie: action, humor and NO PLOT!!
   All the people watching this who are taking it seriously, are watching the wrong movie.

   This is the first movie i saw out of the "once upon..." series. I tried watching the first 3 after this one, and they paled in comparison.

   So if you want to watch a first rate, cheesey kung fu movie, this is for you. If you want a documentary on Native American wardrobe, go watch the Discovery Channel.

   ...




3. Well, on the outside, it would appear that Jet Li had made a triumphant return to the series that made his career. In reality, this sequel falls short of the glory of the past titles. You should know that Jet Li was replaced for Once Upon a Time in China 4 and 5. (This being the sixth) Those movies were also very much below the quality of the first two. I suppose this movie does a better job than the Vincent Zhao vehicles that are OUATIC 4 and 5, but not by much. I must say these movies are very similar. I can tell you this, the storyline deals with the whole fish out of water ordeal. The big twist in this movie is that Jet Li bangs his head on a rock and thinks he is a native american indian. Then with some coaxing from his friend, Clubfoot, (read: fighting) he goes back to normal. In my opinion the romance between Jet Li and Roseamund Kwan has never been a strong point in the series. Much like Shanghai Noon, this movie goes out with a whimper, not a bang when Jet Li fights some evil looking goth cowboyesque character on top of a platform. I have to say, the fina fight scene is sub par for any Kung Fu Film and especially Jet Li. So in the end, go enjoy Once Upon a Time in China one and two. Go enjoy the gangster masterpiece Once Upon a Time in America, but be weary of the sub-par Kung Fu/Westerner that is Once Upon a Time in China and America. I recommend "Rikki-Oh" cause as far as Kung Fu movies, it's the poorest produced flick i have ever seen, but it's also the funniest. Check it out now.



4. So Sammo Hung decided to put his name into the history books by making the last Wong Fei-Hung movie starring Jet Li. The movie starts off with Wong, Clubfoot, and Aunt 13 travelling across America to go visit Bucktooth at his new Po Chi Lam school. Wong befriends a man named Billy and they become good friends even though they can't speak eachother's language. Billy loves everything abouth the Chinese once he meets them especially their fighting skills. During an attack the group gets split up and Wong hits his head on a rock and loses his memory. He knows how to do everything he did before but he just doesn't know who he is or remember anythign liek that. So Wong lives with Indians for a while before Clubfoot finally reminds Master Wong who he is. As an injected subplot there are robbers who Master Wong, Clubfoot, and Billy have to take on in the final fight.
   
   Overall I was pretty dissapointed in this movie but it still had enough good moments to recommend it to people who have seen the other 4 Wong Fei-Hung films with Jet Li. The movie just really doesn't know what it wants to be. Some parts are over violent and while that wouldn't be so bad, Jet Li and everybody else can't make a single movement without it being wire assisted. This does become bothersome but luckily Sammo slows down on it as the movie moves along. As expected in a Sammo movie, it is hilarious at times but they should have made it just a comedy or a very serious movie and not tried to have a perfect blend of everything becasue they do anythign but. The final fight is good but still below standards of other movies in this series, even the hard to watch #3.
   
   Also this movie has to be the best showcase for Xin Xin Xiong ever right up there with 'Hero of Heroes'. Sadly he doesn't do much in the final fight but it is still a rare showcase for him. Truly one of the best, or would have been if he could have gotten more of a chance.
   
   The version I have of this movie is from China Star Entertainment Group and also has the name of Win's Entertainment group on it. The DVD is somewhat dissapointing with slightly below average picture quality and subtitles that constantly show up 5 seconds after the person has spoken making the dialogue very hard to follow. There is a 30 minute making of on the DVD and even though most of it is is Chinese, about 7 minutes are interviews with Americans and overall it is very fun to watch.



5. Okay, I have to admit that this movie is just for fun, nothing more. I think my wife and I laughed more in this Western than any Western since Cat Ballou. It is King Fu meets the Wild West! I think this must be the only movie made where there had to be more stunt men than film crew! Forget about a good story or drama - just watch the most unusual Western ever made and laugh out loud. It'll do you good!