The hidden 1984 gem Japan-China action collaboration Ninja and Dragons is everything you’d expect, with magic ninjitsu alongside and vs Kung Fu.Starring a plucky ninja Hayate, played by Jun’ya Takagi and his Dragon friend Dong Li, it is a tale of intrigue, vengeance and unsettling villains that will haunt your dreams.Watch it if you can find it, and be dazzled by the colours and wonderful music with decent action in this rollicking thriller.
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The Prodigal Son
The Prodigal Son is a Wing Chun paradise, combining some of the siliest slapstick and brutal beatings into one tasty bowl. Yuen Biao's kung fu is the worst in Canton, but luckily he's a spoilt rich kid whose father bribes everyone to lose to him. Only opera star and kung fu master Leung Yee Tai (Lam Ching Ying) gives him the beating he deserves, resulting in Leung Chang (Yuen) begging him to teach him the real thing. Sammo Hung later shows up to teach him some bad habits, but Lam Ching Ying steals the show, graciously acting with no eyebrows. This 1981 Sammo Hung directed film is well worth a look.
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Motorway
Slick, tense and intimate, the 2012 Soi Cheang directed vehicle stalker flick Motorway has a surprising amount of style and feeling for what could have been a flat chase movie.Anthony Wong, as always, brings a warmth and charisma to his close to retirement days-of-yore-badass mentoring and living vicariously through Shawn Yue’s high octane speed freak Chan Cheung – all characters are downplayed to raw perfection making you want to spend more time in their world.Villain Jiang Xin is flawlessly portrayed by Xiaodong Guo who has the perfect mix of simmering danger and frightening talent. Not just a great action film, but a great film, check it out!
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Hard Boiled
This week we revisit 1992’s Hard Boiled, directed by John Woo, part of the Princess Films avalanche of Chow Yun Fat movies coming your way soon on Blu-ray. How does it stack up 30 years later? A cop who won’t take no for an answer, Tequila ends up in the middle of a gangland munitions war. When his investigations reveal an undercover cop, they combine to stop it all from going sky high. Filled with glorious shootouts, explosions and cute babies, this is the most Woo film of them all.
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The City Of Violence
The City of Violence is a 2006 Ryoo Seung-wan directed friendship thriller starring dapper detective Jung Doo-hong’s Tae-Soo.There certainly is violence aplenty in the city, largely perpetrated by our main cast. Friendships form, falter and fall as snake liquor goes wasted.The violence escalates throughout surprising you how far it’s willing to go, and any action film with sub-boss fights is A-ok in our books. Check it out - THE CITY OF VIOLENCE.
Netherlands