The Odd One Dies (1997) Movie Review

Hong Kong films about hitmen are pretty much a dime a dozen, especially those which feature a pair of mismatched assassins, generally one of which is quiet and reflective, and the other loud and flamboyant. Recent efforts such as the grandiose “Fulltime Killer” and the harder edged “Double...

October 25th, 2004 | Read More

2046 (2004) Movie Review

It’s always been one of my biggest regrets that I haven’t cultured myself sufficiently to the point where I can rattle off the titles of the operatic scores and music that shows up in Wong Kar-wai’s “2046″. Education has given me insight into a lot of things, but I do wish...

October 24th, 2004 | Read More

The Longest Nite (1997) Movie Review

Hong Kong action films commonly have a strong moralistic streak, whether they are of the ‘heroic bloodshed’ genre typified by John Woo films such as “The Killer” or “Hard Boiled”, or the recent crop of angst laden thrillers like the “Infernal Affairs” trilogy....

October 22nd, 2004 | Read More

Trilogy of Lust 2 (1996) Movie Review

It’s not easy championing Category III films, and trying to convince people of the entertainment value of exploitation shockers such as “Red to Kill” or “Dr. Lamb” can be difficult at the best of times. As “The Untold Story” and “Fu Bo” have demonstrated,...

October 19th, 2004 | Read More

Suzhou River (2000) Movie Review

Following the global success of “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”, viewers in the West have witnessed a revived interest in the works of fifth generation Chinese directors such as Zhang Yimou and Chen Kaige. These films have generally been historical, showing events through a revisionist stance...

October 18th, 2004 | Read More

The Untold Story 2 (1998) Movie Review

Given the success and influence of “The Untold Story”, a sequel was inevitable; the only surprise being that it actually took five years for it to appear. Although “The Untold Story 2″ has no real connections with the classic original shocker beyond its title and a vaguely similar...

October 14th, 2004 | Read More

The Untold Story (1992) Movie Review

“The Untold Story” is not only the greatest category III film ever made, but also one of the best of any kind to have come from Hong Kong. Gripping, horrific and uncompromising, this infamous shocker is still incredibly disturbing today, and has yet to be topped in the eleven years since...

October 13th, 2004 | Read More

The Shaolin Temple (1979) Movie Review

(Movie Review by Erick Kwon) Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: Boy sees father killed by evil warlord. Boy escapes to Shaolin Temple to learn kung fu. Boy gets payback. Of course, there’s more to the plot than that, but not much. This is a pretty standard kung-fu movie with a couple...

October 9th, 2004 | Read More

Explosive City (2004) Movie Review

At this point, with the dearth of good action films coming out of Hong Kong, I’d watch any movie that didn’t star one of the Twins. Heck, right now I’ll settle for a movie starring one of the Twins — but the serious one, and not the goofy, taller one. Luckily for those of us who...

October 7th, 2004 | Read More

Three: Extremes – Dumplings (2004) Movie Review

Two years ago “Three” was released as a single movie, an anthology composed of three different stories made by three directors from three countries. (Hence the title, if you were wondering.) “Three…Extremes” once again picks up the mantle in the name of cash and, one hopes,...

October 6th, 2004 | Read More

White Dragon (2004) Movie Review

I’ll be the first to tell you that I don’t find a lot of the recent Hong Kong comedies, well, funny. For the most part the filmmakers take the basest form of what they perceive as comedy and grind it even further into dust, so much so that the only real “comedy” coming out of...

October 5th, 2004 | Read More

In the Line of Duty 4: The Witness (1989) Movie Review

(Movie Review by Erick Kwon) Yuen Woo-ping’s “In the Line of Duty 4: Witness” starts off in Seattle, where Hong Kong detective Yeung (Cynthia Khan) arrives to work with the local PD to take down some drug smugglers. Meanwhile, dockworker Luk (Sunny Yuen) has the bad luck to witness...

October 5th, 2004 | Read More

New Police Story (2004) Movie Review

Apparently Jackie Chan is tired of being the “Clown Prince of Kung Fu”, as he’s commonly known, because his character in the highly anticipated “New Police Story” is prone to fits of crying at the drop of a hat. You would think a veteran cop with dozens of years on the hard...

October 4th, 2004 | Read More

Run and Kill (1993) Movie Review

“Run and Kill” is another Category III film from the prolific master of the genre, Billy Tang (”Red to Kill”, “Dr. Lamb”). Given the trashy DVD cover and the rating, prospective viewers would be forgiven for expecting another bargain basement splattering of badly plotted...

October 2nd, 2004 | Read More

There is a Secret in my Soup (2001) Movie Review

The U.S. box office has borne witness to a number of head to head battles between films about giant meteors, Robin Hood, and even crime solving dogs. However, Hollywood has never seen a contest like that of the 2001 Hong Kong clash between “Human Pork Chop” and “There is a Secret in...

September 30th, 2004 | Read More

Naked Poison (2000) Movie Review

If you ignore the lurid pictures of naked women covered with snakes and spiders on the box, “Naked Poison” may initially seem to be a Hong Kong variant on the Hollywood bad taste sex comedies that have been sadly popular in recent years. Look a little closer, however, and you will see the...

September 28th, 2004 | Read More

Red to Kill (1997) Movie Review

“Red to Kill” is possibly the most infamous Hong Kong Category III film of all, and is a journey to the darkest, sleaziest recesses of exploitation cinema. Even compared to its deranged peers, it stands alone as a foul monument to depravity, and anyone reading this review who has a less than...

September 17th, 2004 | Read More

McDull, Prince de la Bun (2004) Movie Review

One is almost inclined to forgive “McDull, Prince de la Bun” if it had been anything other than pretty good. After all, the original was such a good film, and its epic telling of the life and times of one piglet name McDull would seem to make a sequel quite irrelevant. Not so, as “Prince...

September 15th, 2004 | Read More

Chinese Torture Chamber (1995) Movie Review

“Chinese Torture Chamber” is a Category III film that stands out, not only as one of the genre’s most popular, but also as a genuine mainstream box office hit in its native Hong Kong. Boasting higher production values than the vast majority of similar efforts, the film is extremely...

September 15th, 2004 | Read More

Suburb Murder (1992) Movie Review

Category III films are often dismissed by mainstream movie lovers as being mindless, tacky and distasteful, existing solely for dubious titillation. Although there is a fair bit of truth to this statement, the genre has produced a number of genuinely good efforts, including a handful of gritty serial...

September 10th, 2004 | Read More