Asian Movie Reviews »
Fly Me to Polaris (1999) Movie Review
Fly Me to Polaris is a Hong Kong remake of the 1978 Warren Beatty movie Heaven Can Wait, which was itself a remake of the 1941 movie Here Comes Mister Jordan. Chris Rock would...
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Full Contact (1992) Movie Review
Ringo Lam’s Full Contact is a There’s No Honor Among Thieves Movie, a genre of film categorized by the presence of an anti-hero (that is, he’s a criminal but he’s also the hero of...
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A Man Called Hero (1999) Movie Review
A Man Called Hero’s biggest problem is its lack of focus. The movie meanders from one plot to another, returns to a previous plot to tie up loose ends, then meanders to tie up...
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The Accidental Spy (2001) Movie Review
Halfway through Jackie Chan’s latest effort, The Accidental Spy, a thought occurred to me. It was this: If I was a cab driver (irregardless of country, or city of work) and someone, a total...
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A Better Tomorrow 2 (1987) Movie Review
Ascant one year after the tremendous success of its original, A Better Tomorrow, theaters around the world were treated to A Better Tomorrow II. Although I think a better title might have been, It’s...
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Iron Monkey (1993) Movie Review
Iron Monkey is a tale of two movies. First, let me assure you that “writing credits” in Hong Kong action films are a secondary (if that) concern. Movies are “envisioned” and then shot and...
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Nightmares in Precinct 7 (2001) Movie Review
There is an infamous tradition in Hong Kong cinema to take Hollywood movies and turn them into Chinese movies. Jet Li did it with The Bodyguard from Beijing, which converted the Kevin Costner movie,...
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Yojimbo (1961) Movie Review
After reviewing Akira Kurosawa’s masterful “Seven Samurai” I thought I’d go back and review his other masterpieces. “Yojimbo” is similar to “Samurai” in many respects, but is also vastly different, in that there is...
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The Storm Riders (1998) Movie Review
There is something to be said about a movie which has a hero who, when faced with certain defeat, decides to tear off his own arm and use it as a weapon against his...
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The Bodyguard from Beijing (1994) Movie Review
Obviously, as the title implies, Jet Li’s character is a Communist Chinese, and in a weird twist of plot machinations which I am still at a lost to understand, is either requested or ordered...
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Attack the Gas Station (1999) Movie Review
The plot of “Attack the Gas Station” is a simple one. Four robbers, whose names escapes me (maybe that’s because they’re rarely mentioned in the movie), have come to a gas station to rob...
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Drunken Master 2 (1994) Movie Review
Let it be said that Jackie Chan, the undisputed “Clown Prince of Kung-fu,” is a good stuntman. Let it also be said that Jackie Chan, the actor, is a one-trick pony. Then, let it...
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A Better Tomorrow (1986) Movie Review
I don’t think it’s too much hyperbole to say that John Woo’s “A Better Tomorrow” changed how the world looked at Hong Kong cinema. The film centers around two childhood friends who also happen...
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Beat (1997) Movie Review
Have you ever seen an Asian gangster movie? No? Well, have you ever seen any gangster movie? If the answer is Yes, then you know how this one will end because it’s simply a...
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Bichunmoo (2000) Movie Review
Shin plays the main character, a protagonist with an amazing martial arts prowess that allows him to fight as if he was “flying.” It’s a sword technique that gives Shin the power to explode...
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God of Gamblers 3: Back to Shanghai (1991) Movie Review
“God of Gamblers 3″ is my first entry into the popular “God of Gamblers” series. I believe there is 4 — GOG1 to 3, and then two GOG3′s, this one and another one, which...
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Time and Tide (2000) Movie Review
Tsui Hark is an old hand when it comes to filmmaking. The veteran Hong Kong director has either directed or produced over 40 films in his native land, and has taken the John Woo...
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Fist of Legend (1994) Movie Review
For sheer martial arts excitement, “Fist of Legend” stands as one of Jet Li’s most impressive films, and that’s saying a lot considering that most fans of Li knows he’s put out some very...
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Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) Movie Review
I have to admit, I was blown away by the amazing cinematography of “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” (hereby referred to as CTHD for brevity’s sake). The movie is breathtaking to look at and the...
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Battle Royale (2000) Movie Review
Despite not being very original, “Battle Royale” proves to be something even better — a killer of a movie. Not only are there more than 40+ students sent to an island to be killed...
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