Hong Kong Movie Reviews »
Contract Killer (aka Hitman, 1998) Movie Review
This review of “Hitman” is based on the American version, which is dubbed in English and was re-released under the title “Contract Killer”, with an all-new poster (that is also a bit misleading) and,...
Read More »
Colour of the Truth (2003) Movie Review
“Color of the Truth” sports such a dubious pedigree that I sat on it for nearly a month before finally taking a stab at it today. Yes, I’m talking about the presence of the...
Read More »Looking for Mr. Perfect (2003) Movie Review
If you’ve seen enough Hong Kong movies you may start to notice that a lot of the same people keep showing up in the same movies. It’s because the present Hong Kong film industry...
Read More »Haunted Office (2002) Movie Review
“Haunted Office”, a 2002 offering from Hong Kong, is a horror anthology consisting of 3 episodes set in the same haunted office building. Unlike other anthologies, there isn’t a middleman (e.g. the Crypt Keeper)...
Read More »
The Twins Effect (2003) Movie Review
Using manipulative music in movies is nothing new. Steven Spielberg used to make a living off it. Such is the case with “The Twins Effect”, the new “it” movie from Hong Kong starring two...
Read More »Killer (2000) Movie Review
Movies like Billy Chung’s “Killer” makes me break out that old standby: It ain’t bad, but it ain’t all that good, either. “Killer”, not to be confused with John Woo’s “The Killer”, stars Jordan...
Read More »Extreme Crisis (1998) Movie Review
Movies like “Extreme Crisis” have inspired me to create a new terminology. I’m going to call it Because the Script Says So, or BSSS. In short, BSSS means this: movies have situations or characters...
Read More »Double Tap (2000) Movie Review
Is it wrong of me to wish that the cold-blooded killer played by Leslie Cheung would come up on top? That before he’s done with his killing spree, he gets the chance to take...
Read More »Martial Angels (2001) Movie Review
“Martial Angels” has the makings of a good movie. It’s got a terrific cast, including Qi Shu as a retired thief forced back into the life when her ex-boyfriend (Julian Cheung) is kidnapped by...
Read More »Love in Garden Street (2002) Movie Review
All moviegoers know that Movie Coincidences (that is, the type of convenient coincidence that can only happen in movies) is a fact of moviegoing life. On rare occasions, your average moviegoer will be generous...
Read More »Horror Hotline: Big Head Monster (2003) Movie Review
It just doesn’t pay to be a reporter in a horror movie nowadays. Mixing elements of “Ring” with “The Blair Witch Project”, the Hong Kong product “Horror Hotline: Big Head Monster” is not as...
Read More »Bullets Over Summer (1995) Movie Review
“Bullets Over Summer” is a Buddy Cop action-comedy with strong doses of drama and, dare I say it, Asian melodrama toward the end. Francis Ng (“2000 A.D.”) stars as Mike, a veteran cop teamed...
Read More »Option Zero (1997) Movie Review
I have to admit, Hong Kong really does cop movies well; they somehow manage to weave the personal lives of the cops seamlessly with the complications of being on the job. “Option Zero” is...
Read More »
The Dragon From Russia (1990) Movie Review
Clarence Ford’s “The Dragon from Russia”, essentially an adaptation of the Japanese manga “Crying Freeman”, makes Christophe Gans’ lackluster 1995 adaptation “Crying Freeman” look like a masterpiece without equal. I kid you not. There’s...
Read More »PTU (2003) Movie Review
I can understand how some people might be confused by the oeuvre of filmmaker Johnnie To, who seems to exist as two individuals: the Cool To and the Funny To. I don’t particularly care...
Read More »Zu: Warriors of the Magic Mountain (1983) Movie Review
I really am not overstating things when I tell you that Tsui Hark’s 1983 special effects opus, “Zu: Warriors of the Magic Mountain”, is a terrible, terrible movie. But on the plus side, it’s...
Read More »Inner Senses (2002) Movie Review
The Hong Kong motto is, “If it sells tickets, copy it ad nauseam until it no longer sells tickets.” As a result of that motto, 2002 has been the Year of the Ghosts —...
Read More »Naked Killer (1992) Movie Review
Here’s an interesting survey for those of you planning on watching 1992′s “Naked Killer”: If you’re a cop, and you witness a woman repeatedly stab a guy in the balls with a scissor, should...
Read More »Lifeline (1997) Movie Review
I’m a sucker for cop movies, but I’ve never been all that enthusiastic about firefighter movies. I mean, besides watching firefighters battle fires, what’s the point? And really, how many different ways to show...
Read More »Sleeping with the Dead (2002) Movie Review
Although sold as a Supernatural Horror film, the new Jordan Chan movie “Sleeping with the Dead” actually works better as a Drama. For one thing, the supernatural premise behind “Sleeping” is a retread of...
Read More »
