TRAILER: Cinema Release: Dream Home

Film: Dream Home

NEWS: Cinema Release: Dream Home

A satirical film about the ‘cut-throat’ property market in Hong Kong.

Josie Ho stars as thirty-something Cheng Lai-sheung, the daughter of a dying builder. She sells home loans by phone in the day and works at a sales assistant in a fashion store in the evenings in the hope of one day being able to buy her dream home in Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbour. But when she finally has enough money for the deposit, the owners decide to raise the price. This sends her over the edge, and she embarks on a serial-killing rampage using only household and construction items to slay her prey.

Told through an intricate series of flashbacks, Dream Home will appeal to gore lovers and art house move-goers alike, with many elaborate killings. A chilling satire on the housing and economic crisis affecting Asians, the subject matter will also resonate with people slaving away in the hope of getting on the property ladder in the UK.

They wouldn’t slash the price, so she slashed them up!

Film: Dream Home
Release date: 19th November 2010
Certificate: 18
Running time: 96 mins
Director: Pang Ho-cheung
Starring: Josie Ho, Anthony Wong Chau-sang, Michelle Ye, Eason Chan, Norman Chu
Genre: Horror
Studio: Network
Format: Cinema
Country: Hong Kong

NEWS: DVD Release: Hero

After moving to Shanghai with his friend Tai Cheung (Yuen Wah), and finding work as a coolie, Ma Wing Jing (Takeshi Kaneshiro) saves the life of crime boss Tam See (Yuen Biao), earning the enmity of rival gangster Yang Shuang.

Ma becomes successful running an underworld club, but the cunning Yang has sworn revenge, and hatches a bloody plot against him.

Film: Hero
Release date: 8th November 2010
Certificate: 12
Running time: 90 mins
Director: Corey Yuen
Starring: Takeshi Kaneshiro, Yuen Biao, Yuen Wah, Yuen Tak, Valerie Chow
Genre: Action/Crime/Drama
Studio: Cornerstone
Format: DVD
Country: Hong Kong

REVIEW: DVD Release: Assembly

Film: Assembly
Release date: 5th May 2008
Certificate: 15
Running time: 124 mins
Director: Feng Xiaogang
Starring: Wang Baoqiang, Zhang Hanyu, Deng Chao, Yuan Wenkang, Hu Jun
Genre: Action/Biography/Drama/History/War
Studio: Metrodome
Format: DVD
Country: Hong Kong/China

Assembly was produced by the same team who brought us the critically acclaimed Brotherhood, going on to receive even greater box office success, touching the hearts of audiences as the film follows the true story of Captain Gu Zidi during one of China’s bloodiest battles.

In 1948 the 9th Company, 3rd Battalion were ordered to protect the retreat of 139th Regiment from the Wen River valley. Already battle fatigued, the company of 48 men dug in and fought the entire 254th Division of the Nationalist army.

With only one mountain gun against a whole division with tanks, 9th Company, led by Captain Gu Zidi, held out for days against repeated attacks, all the while awaiting the bugle call to signal their retreat and assembly with the rest of their regiment. The bugle call never came…


If you think you have seen this war move before then don’t be put off because there are many facets of Assembly which raise it above the level of ordinary, and make it essential viewing. The Chinese civil war has often been overlooked by mainstream cinema, and it is of great credit to director Feng Xiaogang and writer Liu Heng that between them they have fashioned a tale of heroism and honour completely devoid of jingoism, patriotism or sentimentality. Propaganda for the red army this is not.

However, that isn’t to say that Assembly is not emotionally charged, or contains familiar set pieces; letters written home by soldiers about to die have almost come a genre standard, as have soldiers talking about what they will do after the war minutes before being shot or blown apart. Assembly is also big on honour and duty - two themes present in the vast majority of war films. What is surprising about how Assembly has been put together is the low-key narrative and the grounded, understated performances. The story is the most important thing on show here, and all the pyrotechnics and performances are geared toward accentuating the heart at the centre of the piece.

Of course, it is impossible to make a war movie without drawing comparisons to other films in the genre, and, in particular, recent films are often unfairly compared with Saving Private Ryan or Band Of Brothers. Assembly is no exception, but it easily holds its own in this esteemed company. The brutal opening scenes are gruesome but compelling, and also essential to the characterization of the hero, Captain Gu Zidi. An early scene in which 9th Company’s political officer is caught by an exploding artillery shell is truly extraordinary – jaw dropping, infact.

This incredible moment informs everything which follows as soldiers are shot, blown up, set on fire and thrown from impossible angles across the frozen, muddy trenches. Forget about war movies, Assembly contains two or three of the best pyrotechnic set pieces you will ever see in ANY movie. The editing during the opening third, in particular, is so sharp and focused that the effect of the action is unbelievably disorientating, and completely immersive.

The effects, in general, and makeup, in particular, are straight out of the top drawer. The main characters who survive the initial battles all age realistically over the duration of the story arc, and the injuries incurred on the battlefield are all hyper-realistic. The overall look of Assembly is stark and cold, giving the impression that the protagonists are battling something elemental, as well as manmade.

The score sets the tone of the film beautifully; subtle and understated, even during the battle scenes; the music drives the narrative at an almost subconscious level, never burdening the action by making bold statements that the onscreen events cannot live up to. Although the first act could live up to the most bombastic of scores, it is to everyone’s credit that once again the story is allowed to be the emotional core of everything on screen.

At its essence, Assembly is the story of one man and his battle with the grief of losing his friends, his guilt because he alone survived, and his fight to have the sacrifice his men made for their country recognised by the state. The performance of Zhang Hanyu as the remorseful Gu Zidi is quite simply astounding - truly one of the most believable portrayals of grief from recent times. Gu Zidi is flawed, driven, and uncompromising, yet it is impossible not to sympathise as his symbolic, one-man struggle against the state literally manifests itself into a struggle against a mountain. Despite his injury ravaged body, Gu Zidi digs his way through years of manmade coal excavation’s as he attempts to find, not only the trapped bodies of his dead comrades, but his own salvation. The fact this is based on a true story makes the action all the more remarkable.

The supporting cast is also excellent, with broadly drawn characters all behaving naturally in impossible conditions. This is refreshing as, unusually for films where the main character struggles against a large organisation, in this case the Chinese state, it is easy to find sympathy with everyone involved, even if the position the state authorities adopt with regards the status of Gu Zidi’s dead comrades seems infuriating.


Assembly is a brilliant piece of filmmaking, as thought provoking and intelligent as it is thrilling and arresting. This is an absolute ‘must-have’ for anyone who loves war movies, and there is much to admire for everyone else. SM

NEWS: DVD Release: The Last Hero In China

Wong Fei Hung (Jet Li) is a legendary kung fu master, waging a one man war against criminals and corruption in the Boxer Society of turn-of-the-century China.

Wong unknowingly opens a martial arts school right next to a notorious brothel, only to come across a kidnapping plot. Much fighting ensues.

Film: The Last Hero In China
Release date: 25th October 2010
Certificate: 15
Running time: 90 mins
Director: Wong Jing & Yuen Woo-ping
Starring: Jet Li, Sharla Cheung, Dicky Cheung, Chan Pak-cheung, Leung Ka-yan
Genre: Action/Comedy/Martial Arts
Studio: Cornerstone
Format: DVD
Country: Hong Kong

REVIEW: DVD Release: The Legend Is Born: Ip Man

Film: The Legend Is Born: Ip Man
Release date: 20th September 2010
Certificate: 15
Running time: 100 mins
Director: Herman Yau
Starring: Sammo Hung, Yu-Hang To, Dennis To, Siu-Wong Fan, Yi Huang
Genre: Action/Biography/Drama/Martial Arts
Studio: Metrodome
Format: DVD
Country: Hong Kong

The Japanese are coming - and they want to steal your kung fu! China's only hope is a legend in the making in this semi-autobiographical account of the originator of Wing Chun, mentor to Bruce Lee, and all-round tough guy, Ip Man.

Set throughout the early 20th century, Ip Man focuses on the life of our eponymous hero as he grows from a promising student into the heir apparent at a school for martial arts. Along the way, he ably demonstrates his considerable skill in numerous conflicts, which end poorly for everyone involved - but him.

The story begins with Ip Man and his adopted Japanese brother Tin Chi being enrolled into the school by their father who immediately takes off and leaves them under the supervision of an old Wing Chun master - a master who promptly dies and makes way for the slightly younger Cheung Wing Shing (Huang Yi).

It rapidly becomes clear that with Japanese incursions into Chinese culture becoming more and more common, the leaders of the association which determines who may be taught Wing Chun must decide whether to accept the approaches of the shady Kitano. With Tin Chi and Ip Man potentially caught on opposite sides of the conflict, both men must come to terms with not only external threats to their order but also the possibility of internal changes that threaten to undermine that which they have been taught since childhood…


Right off the bat, it's important to reiterate that Ip Man is semi-autobiographical. This is important because often enough such films live or die by how well they retell the protagonist's story – oscillating between mind-blowingly amazing and bombastically stupid (see: anything biographical that Mel Gibson has ever done). One of Ip Man's greatest flaws is that it seems too embarrassed to dramatise any of its heroes exploits, but will happily use piece-meal wire fighting in order to establish some kind of dynamic. This leads to the story of an obviously incredible man being told in an incredibly mundane fashion, with moments of incredibly misplaced fantasy simply confusing matters.

From the start, Ip Man delivers an inconsistent message, and this is only compounded by the frequent leaps that are made from scene to scene. Often characters make assertions that either assumes the watcher knows something that has not been explained, or explains something that bears no relevance to the rest of the film. Never is this more evident than when Ip Man (Dennis To) goes to find some medicine for a man who he had fought and hurt, at which point he describes his victim as a 'friend'. Problem being that he had not met the man before and never mentioned him again, so in the end all this (undoubtedly factual) encounter served to do was highlight the ham-fisted segway the film had made into a section where the protagonist learns a new and revolutionary form of Wing Chun; something which remains a key concept for about twenty minutes before also being forgotten.

Indeed, if Ip Man, as a whole, is a forgetful film then the directing, writing, editing, acting and even fight choreography could charitably be described as absent-minded. Most of the cast seem to have left their commitment at home for this picture, and it really shows as scene after scene begins to be dominated by poor directorial choices, worse acting, and fight scenes that make no contextual sense and are – at best – uninspiring. The worst thing about this is twofold: firstly that this is a martial arts film, and it shouldn't take a genius to work out that boring fight scenes might be problematic for a film of that genre; and secondly that being semi-autobiographical means that some of these fights actually happened, and actually made sense at some point, yet somehow director Wilson Yip managed to shift them into the realm of nonsensical make-believe.


Ultimately what proves to be the most disappointing thing about Ip Man is the sense of wasted potential; wasted ideas, wasted talent and – most importantly – the waste of a great story in what can only be described as a bad film. Poor acting, bizarre editorial and directorial choices, a hokey script, and fight scenes that rarely break a figurative sweat make Ip Man, above all else, a waste of an hour-and-a-half. JD

NEWS: DVD Release: 36 Crazy Fists

Jackie Chan stars as a young man, out to avenge the death of his father, who learns kung fu from a Shaolin master. Many action-packed fight sequences follow (all directed and choreographed by Chan).

Film: 36 Crazy Fists
Release date: 27th September 2010
Certificate: 18
Running time: 88 mins
Director: Chen Chi-hwa
Starring: Jackie Chan, Tony Leung, Michelle Mee, Lau Chan, Cheng Chiang
Genre: Action/Comedy/Martial Arts
Studio: Cornerstone
Format: DVD
Country: Hong Kong

REVIEW: DVD Release: The Legend Of Fong Sai-yuk

Film: The Legend Of Fong Sai-yuk
Release date: 6th September 2010
Certificate: 15
Running time: 126 mins
Director: Corey Yuen
Starring: Jet Li, Lung Chan, Adam Cheng, Josephine Siao, Michelle Reis
Genre: Action/Comedy/Martial Arts
Studio: Cine Asia
Format: DVD
Country: Hong Kong

Jet Li stars as the title character in this action romp from venerable film studio Golden Harvest pictures. Made in 1992, this Cory Yuen helmed production has been restored and repackaged for Cine Asia in partnership with American Far East action label Dragon Dynasty.

The movie opens with paranoid Manchu Emperor and oppressor of the Han Chinese having a nightmare where he is killed by the fabled rebel Red Flower Society. He sends out his Governor (Wen Jor) to retrieve a list that tells of all the rebels active in the country. This heavy, ominous opening is quickly tempered with a fun introduction to our title character and hero.

Fong Sai-yuk (Li) is a talented martial artist who, with his friends, likes to get into fights and cause mischief to upset Tiger Lu, a businessman who has bought up most of Fong’s hometown of Guang Dong.

Whilst falling in love with Ting Ting (Reis), the daughter of Tiger Lu, Sai-yuk and his equally tough yet beguiling mother (Siao) find themselves fighting against the Emperor’s Governor, as he comes to their town in search of the Red Flower Society rebel list and the man protecting it - a person very close to Fong Sai-yuk…


The Legend Of Fong Sai-yuk is undoubtedly fun. It clips along at a very brisk pace, neglecting any overly emotional exposition or extensive back story explanation. Perhaps because of this, the sudden move from light-hearted interplay into intense emotion – particularly when Sai-yuk has to retrieve the dead body of a close friend murdered by the Imperial Guard - can be jarring. Jet Li doesn’t stretch himself in this film, playing it for laughs for the most part.

Josephine Siao is the heart of the comedy in this film. Her cantankerous, unapologetic attitudes and her impressive fight skills make her more than a match for the men. As she fights alongside her son, Sai-yuk, they mirror each other’s moves, and prove a formidable, if dotty pair. The representation of a strong female role model and character is very welcome, and something Far Eastern cinema is adept at. Along with the sterling skills of Tiger’s Lu’s wife, Siu Wan (Sibelle Hu) and the gentle but polished acting of Michele Ries, The Legend Of Fong Sai-yuk is almost a film for the girls!

Moreover, as it’s a Cory Yuen production, we can expect too much wire work but also strong, fast choreography. People half fly from roof tops before hands and feet start flying. Jet Li is permitted ample time to showcase his amazing speed, and he does not seem to mind supporting the female leads when it comes to bare handed combat. When fighting to earn the hand of the daughter of Tiger Lu in an open challenge, Sai-yuk and Sui Wan must take each other on with the stipulation that their feet cannot touch the floor. Cue a riotous display of spinning on red cloth and running over people’s heads and shoulders, and flips across great swathes of the townspeople. Other superb combative scenes see a stunning fire-rope versus sword battle between Sai-yuk and the Imperial Guard, as well as a tightly sequenced face-off using wooden staffs as weapons against the Governor.

Of course, this was the era before CGI dominance to iron out the kinks in production. A body falling onto a pyre is obviously a dummy, while the wires used in some of the more elaborate scenes are quite clearly visible. It is also referential to movies that have gone before following the same vein. As Sai-yuk is released from jail for yet more fighting, he tells his friends he gave an alias, and goes into a revered pose as the famous music of legendary Chinese hero Wong Fei Hung is played over, then the music breaks and Sai-yuk says a different name altogether. This pleasant in-joke is also matched with a hark back to Jackie Chan. During a dye-house altercation, and after a series of devastating punches between himself and the Governor are thrown, both men suddenly stop, rub the sore parts of their chests and take a breather.

For all of The Legend Of Fong Sai-yuk's positives, there are a few annoyances. Far too much time is given up to the love story, which is fraught with misunderstanding and duplicity. The movies main plot that was setup in the opening few scenes - the apprehension and annihilation of the Red Flower Society by the Manchu Emperor - seems forgotten until revisited almost forty minutes into the narrative. When serious emotional sentiment is touched upon, it’s disregarded for another pitch at comedy.


The Legend Of Fong Sai-yuk is fun, with a solid and equal mix of male and female character interplay. Any plot niggles are forgotten thanks to the brisk pace, and the spared expense of the effects is charming rather than distracting. JM

TRAILER: DVD Release: The Legend Of Fong Sai-yuk

Film: The Legend Of Fong Sai-yuk

REVIEW: DVD Release: Invisible Target

Film: Invisible Target
Release date: 2nd August 2010
Certificate: 15
Running time: 128 mins
Director: Benny Chan
Starring: Nicholas Tse, Jaycee Chan, Shawn Yue, Jacky Wu, Lisa Lu
Genre: Crime/Action
Studio: Cine Asia
Format: DVD & Blu-ray
Country: Hong Kong/China

Director Benny Chang’s fast paced crime thriller follows three Hong Kong cops relentlessly pursuing a ruthless gang of highly skilled crooks and murderers.

Police officers Chan Chun, Wai King Ho and Fong Yik Wei are three Hong Kong police officers who find themselves working together, embroiled in a cat and mouse chase in an attempt to capture a gang of four mercenaries who are wanted for a string of crimes.

The three cops also eventually find that they each have personal vendettas against the gang, which adds to the film’s close connection and interaction with the audience. Chan Chun’s fiancée was inadvertently killed in the armed robbery which opens the film; Fong Yik Wei and his patrol unit are ambushed and attacked by the group; while Wai King Ho finds his brother was secretly working undercover with the gang and has since disappeared.

As the trio search deeper into the facts surrounding the case, and uncover the group’s seemingly unending pursuit of vengeance against a secret informer, they not only unearth the true wrath of the gangsters, but also discover that one of the key players within the syndicate could well turn out to be one of their own colleagues…


Invisible Target literally opens with a bang. The explosion caused by the armed robbery which kills Chan Chun’s girlfriend at the beginning of the film also signals the beginning of two hours of fast paced, high-end choreography and slick fight scenes. Apparently Benny Chang demands of his actors that they do not use stunt doubles, and so throughout the film all the skilled brawls and horrendous heights from which the characters plunge themselves are undertaken by the actors themselves. There never seems to be a dull moment during the film, and after around half an hour, we find ourselves expecting a death defying stunt or a supremely organised ambush to appear from nowhere.

As well as this, the film tends to linger on a sub text which explores the nature of social Darwinism and the blurred lines between good and evil. This is not to suggest that the film is in any way high brow or worthy of being the subject of anyone’s thesis, but there is enough philosophising and thought provoking dialogue to keep interested anyone used to the Western interpretation of the crime/thriller genre. Should one be prepared to kill in order to survive? Do police officers have any more right to kill than criminals? The questions asked by the film are by no means original, but the fact that it does ask questions (along with the absence of any emphasis or reliance on scantily clad women or the latest car we are all suppose to rush out and buy) means it does have a lot more to offer than the standard offerings in this genre.

There is certainly more to be taken from the film than your usual patronising and misogynist Jason Statham or Vin Diesel flick, but, at times, the heavy censorship placed on Chinese films (especially those concerning the honour of police officers) can get a little tiring. The characters rarely make morally ill judged moves, and Wai King Ho can appear too straight and narrow to convincingly stand up to a gang as horrifically ruthless as the film’s villains. The other two cops, while still always ethically in the right, at least have a bit of edge to make their perseverance throughout the film believable.

However, the most thrilling and absorbing aspect of the film has to be the fight and chase scenes. It seems like they almost tire the audience out more than the characters, as they often just keep going and going with all the prowess of a Duracell bunny with a robotic heart. These scenes also make up the majority of the film’s aesthetic, as well as very cleverly being used as a means of characterisation and plot development. Indeed, the manner in which the three cops fight and pursue their victims is often as revealing as it is thrilling. There is also a nice directorial touch which appears every now and then, whereby specific and interesting movements are repeated from various angles.

More entertaining and absorbing than you might expect, it’s not often that action films which are over two hours long can hold the audience’s attention for the duration, but in this case the film rarely retreats from the explosive opening scene. Perhaps it dwells for too long on the inherent good nature of the police officers, and there are no strong female characters worth noting. However, if it’s violence, explosions and a possibly interpretive subtext you’re after, this is a film you are more than likely going to enjoy.


Guns, martial arts, explosions, stunts and a pinch of philosophy: Invisible Target is a film almost as thought provoking as it is entertaining. IT

REVIEW: DVD Release: 14 Blades

Film: 14 Blades
Release date: 16th August 2010
Certificate: 15
Running time: 114 mins
Director: Daniel Lee
Starring: Donnie Yen, Wei Zhao, Damian Lau, Ma Wu, Sammo Hung, Kate Tsui
Genre: Action/Martial Arts
Studio: Icon
Format: DVD & Blu-ray
Country: Hong Kong/China

14 Blades is an epic martial arts drama set against a back drop of love, honour and betrayal. The fate of the Chinese empire rests in the hands of one man, who may have to sacrifice everything in order to defeat a rebellion.

During the Ming Dynasty, the Emperor of China’s rule is enforced by his Imperial Guards, the Jenyiwei. Taken as orphans and trained from childhood, the Jenyiwei were masters of the 14 Blades, eight blades for torture, five for killing, and the last blade for suicide when a mission failed. The Jenyiwei answered only to the Emperor himself and operated above the law.

When the Emperor is usurped by the evil eunuch Jia, fellow Jenyiwei Green Dragon and Xuanwu are assigned to steal a list identifying those still loyal to the Emperor. However, the Imperial Guards have fallen under the control of Jia, and, during the mission, Green Dragon is betrayed by Xuanwu and barely escapes with his life.

Green Dragon must now fight the assembled forces of the remaining Jenyiwei, as well as a deadly veiled assassin, and gather support from those still loyal to the Emperor in order to save the Empire…


Right from the word go it is hard not to be impressed with how 14 Blades has been put together. Writer/director Daniel Lee has crafted a gloriously, off-beat take on the historical martial arts drama, and the mythical ’14 Blades’ manifest themselves in the form of a rather splendid weapon, which is dispatched in a variety of ways as situations arise. This clever Maguffin helps give the story a rather exotic flavour, and is utilised to great effect during some outlandish set pieces; the final battle between Green Dragon and the magnificent Tuo Tuo is especially brutal fun. Tuo Tuo’s strange whip/blade weapon is also a fantastic creation, and taken along with the 14 Blades and Judge Of The Desert’s weird ‘boomerang’ sword, we are treated to some fairly memorable, and well above average set pieces. The opening titles are also gorgeous and hint at what is to come by showcasing the delicious mix of grand, large scale set ups and computer rendered action. Although the CGI isn’t completely successful all of the time, it is certainly ambitious, and, for the most part, tastefully done.

The cinematography matches the ambition of the special effects, and whether in the searing desert, or in a dust filled temple, 14 Blades is shot with a wonderful depth of colour and warmth. Carrying on with the exotic theme, the music from Henry Lai is a creative blend of styles. Classical, sweeping strings dovetail majestically with a variety of percussion instruments to cross genres and successfully bridge musical borders, as Arabic and Western elements are fused with traditional Chinese melodies.

The script takes fewer risks than the action, and there is some fairly standard plotting for this type of genre movie. There are no great twists or surprises, but this doesn’t prevent the story from moving along at a decent pace. There is a lyrical, almost poetic beauty to some of the dialogue, particularly when Qiao Hua (Wei Zhao) describes her loveless relationship as Green Dragon relates the honour of the Jenyiwei. These are two lost souls who have found each other but seem destined to remain apart. However, the dialogue is inconsistent and veers into more mundane, plodding territory at times.

For those familiar with Donnie Yen’s work in Ip Man, it’s great to see him back in full flight with a script and a role which stretches him. Despite the fact his long hair and facial growth makes Yen resemble Wes Studi in Last Of The Mohicans, Green Dragon is a great character, full of repressed emotion and untapped anger. Yen pitches his performance perfectly, and is even afforded the opportunity to cut loose with the best use of chicken bones you are ever likely to see in a movie. No matter how good Yen is, he is completely overshadowed by Wei Zhao, who follows up her fantastic performance in Mulan with another incredible turn as the sorrowful Qiao Hua. Despite being burdened by the worst of the dialogue, Zhao gives a beautifully understated performance. She is clearly a skilful actress and gives her character multiple layers; complicated and believable, it is impossible not to empathise with her aspirations for something more in her life, and this is entirely down to Zhao’s performance.

The remainder of the cast offer excellent support, and it’s especially good to see elder statesman Sammo Hung being cast against type as the bitter, vengeful Prince Quin. My only grumble is that he seems woefully underused, but the run time of 114 minutes is just about perfect.


14 Blades is a very good film. Imaginatively made and skilfully performed. Be prepared for an entertaining Eastern thrill ride with an emotional heart and fabulous performances to drive the story through. If a little more care had been made with the script, this could have been incredible, but it still comes highly recommended. SM

REVIEW: DVD Release: The Storm Warriors

Film: The Storm Warriors
Release date: 12th July 2010
Certificate: 12
Running time: 105 mins
Director: Oxide Pang Chun & Danny Pang
Starring: Aaron Kwok, Ekin Cheng, Kenny Ho, Nicholas Tse, Charlene Choi, Simon Yam
Genre: Action/Fantasy
Studio: Cine Asia/Showbox
Format: DVD & Blu-ray
Country: Hong Kong

The Pang Brothers do not waste the grandeur associated with their landmark movie. The first Chinese-language film to utilise blue screen technology, The Storm Warriors pushes the limits of special effects, but at what cost?

Lord Godless, an evil Japanese warlord, is seeking to conquer China and has poisoned the martial artists that had tried to stand in his way. Cloud (Aaron Kwok), Wind (Ekin Cheng) and the legendary Nameless (Kenny Ho) manage to break free but, following a struggle with Godless, are injured and forced to seek Lord Wicked's help.

Lord Wicked reveals that in order to beat Godless and save China, the warriors must first allow the same evilness that corrupted Wicked into themselves, harnessing the strength it offers, even it if means putting their own lives at risk...


From the outset, the Pang Brothers' MO is clear: maximum flair and minimal story. In fact, their ambition to get cracking on the more sparkly, technically-impressive portions of The Storm Warriors is such that they make the bold decision to entirely encapsulate what should probably be the first two acts of the film within a short, obligatory disclaimer, allowing them to get right into the combat without having to worry about anything so trifling as character development or the enriching of the story.

After the brief summing up of the very straightforward plot, we are introduced to the heroes and villains, none of whom are treated to any sort of three-dimensional fleshing-out but whom exist as personifications of righteousness and pure evil (Lord Godless, later in the film, even refers to himself as “evil,” lending the whole affair a childish outlook). They all serve simply as the sparks for the Pang Brothers' fireworks show which, while ultimately not ever able to compensate for the overly simplistic opening we are expected to invest interest in, does serve up quite a feast for the eye.

Being the world's first Chinese-language film to be shot in blue screen, and being based upon a comic book which placed a lot of onus on combat, it is no surprise that so much of the film's stake rests in the performance of the visuals, and in that department it does not disappoint, with many of the fights - in particular the montage depicting Lord Godless' son, Heart and his army's ravaging of Chinese innocents - proving to be immensely stylish, gratifying spectacles. The Pang Brothers indulge consistently and convincingly in the finest details of the Earthly elements harnessed for attacks by Cloud and the heroes, cleverly manipulating the subtleties of the immediate terrain of China but, problematically, leaving the nation vague and unexplored as a whole in this rather shallow exhibition of martial arts and special effects.

The film, at times, becomes comically and actually rather irritatingly simplistic, with no rules ever outlined about who is able to do what and why or when exactly all of this is taking place, giving the whole affair a feel it would be kind to label abstract. The simplicity is such that it all feels rather juvenile, with the fights - though highly impressive in the visual sense - devoid of intellectual or emotional substantiation of any kind. Add to that the fact the basic motivations driving the characters - Godless just wants to be evil while Wind and Cloud want to stop him from destroying their country - and you have something resembling a very expensive schoolyard play-fight, with the battles escalating in scale without even a passing thought about anything to do with rules or limits. You could almost imagine Wind shouting as he prepares an attack: "I counter your super evil ice attack by doing an even more powerful super fire attack, which you can't avoid!"

The Pang Brothers laden the characters with a perennial angst which makes them an even less appealing emotional investment than their lack of dimensions had already rendered them, with the film's single-mindedness reverberating down into the characters who spend the majority of the duration treating the subsidiary, less powerful characters with a dismissive disdain, isolating them and, more crucially, the audience from involvement in the story. And by the time the lengthy final battle winds down, few questions have been answered about the motivations of the characters and even fewer about why the audience had been expected to suspend their disbelief for a third act 105 minutes long.


The Storm Warriors squeezes every last drop from the brand new technology made available to its makers for the first time, and does succeed as an exhibition of special effects which, though gloriously stylish in places, is emotionally and intellectually inconsequential as a whole. DWS

REVIEW: DVD Release: The Victim

Film: The Victim
Release date: 10th July 2010
Certificate: 15
Running time: 92 mins
Director: Sammo Hung
Starring: Sammo Hung, Leung Ka-Yan, Chang Yi, Wilson Tong
Genre: Martial Arts/Action
Studio: Eastern Heroes
Format: DVD
Country: Hong Kong

The Victim sees the teaming up of Hung and Ka-Yan once again, following the success enjoyed together on films such as Knockabout and Enter The Fat Dragon.

Chen Rong (Hung), a drifter, likes to challenge his impressive fighting skills by throwing down gauntlets to renowned accomplished fighters, their masters and even their grandmasters. Yet, when he encounters a man he is unable to beat, a reclusive named Chun Yao, he kowtows and begs to become his student.

Yet Chun Yao is in seclusion with his wife, Yoo Yi, for good reason. His adopted father’s true son, Big Brother Ming, wants him dead and desires his wife.

Although dismissive and irritated by Chen’s constant badgering, will tragic events force Chun to accept the irascible wannabe student so he can face Ming and his hired heavies? And will a mysterious man seen only in shadow, a secretive hitman, prove to accomplish his dark mission to kill Chun Yao before Big Brother Ming need dirty his hands?


Leung Ka-Yan (known to HK fight fans affectionately as ‘Beardy’) is given centre stage quite unselfishly by co-star Hung. Leung Ka-Yan begun his career unschooled in unarmed combat, and rapidly learnt his impressive skills with various extra and cameo roles throughout the late 1970s. The Victim gave him chance to expand on his basic skills by practicing styles such as Northern style kung fu with luminaries such as Hung. Although, at the time, still regarded a novice, he does not disappoint. The style of Iron Cross he practices in this movie seems to have been in his armoury for many years, such is his seemingly effortless control and mastery.

Humorous segments, one particular favourite involving Chen stalking Chun Yao to a gentleman’s sauna and copying everything he does, contrast deftly with the suspense built throughout the piece with the intermittent scenes featuring the unidentified Hitman, always clad in shadow, being paid in gold. This contrast pulls through the lining of the film, with gravediggers meeting with a western stylised vampire, and role playing from Hung, who assumes Chun Yao’s standoffish character in order to have an angry conversation with him, as the man himself pretends to be ignorant of his existence.

Making wonderful use of the New Territories in Hong Kong gives the film its sense of pre-developed China, offering age and setting. A scene with the wannabe student against angry reluctant master sees the starring men take advantage of fighting in each room of a house, flipping through open plan windows and duelling around Chun’s wife. Unfortunately, a great scene involving Chen Rong in petulant bully mode is hard to see and savour, as he takes on a steam bath full of naked men with an example or two of expert towel flicking. This is sadly due to the steam, white background and un-restored age of the movie.

Another loss can be attributed to female lead Yoo Yi. Her vacuous staring into the distance leaves the viewer unsure if her pivotal character is truly tormented by the fate that surely awaits her, or if she is generally unsure about how to play the role of plot instigator.

Trademark weapon work interlaces with emotional intensity, perhaps slightly overplayed by the badgered Chun Yao, throughout this low budget masterpiece. The movie assumes a fine balance between comedic and crushing that ensures the series of unexpected twists play even sweeter to the viewer.

The crucial final reel sees Hung hand the limelight to Leung Ka-Yan as he faces his foe. Although The Victim is a sure progression in the realm of HK villain laden ‘this time its personal’ endeavours, Leung is still allowed a line at home within any Shaw Brothers epic: “Stay out of this, or you’ll all die.” Perhaps we know the outcome of this withering attack, but the well-timed tragic events preceding the epic battle give it much more depth – thankfully, it doesn’t make the viewer cringe.

The DVD is hard to get hold of, and is a straight VHS to DVD transfer. However, the scratchy frames and deviating colour mix set the viewer firmly in the warm and comforting filmic arms of old HK. The now defunct UK based label Eastern Heroes made sure the subtitles were updated and thankfully not burnt in with Mandarin characters, as many direct copies can be, and a small extras section offers an interview with Sammo Hung and Yuen Biao (absent from this movie), and a stills gallery.


Sometimes overlooked, this early classic is a satisfying and finely balanced example of Hong Kong action cinema. An aficionado and casual fan favourite, The Victim displays stunning choreography, the then emerging talent of Leung Ka-Yan, and a plot speckled with bluffs and twists. JM

 

REVIEW: DVD Release: Tai-Chi Master

Film: Tai-Chi Master
Release date: 26th April 2010
Certificate: 18
Running time: 91 mins
Director: Yuen Woo-ping
Starring: Jet Li, Michelle Yeoh, Chin Siu-hou, Fennie Yuen, Yuen Cheung-Yan
Genre: Martial Arts/Comedy
Studio: Cine Asia
Format: DVD
Country: Hong Kong

Two of Asia’s more impressive acting let alone martial arts exports teaming up with a director whose credits include Jackie Chan’s Drunken Master and The Matrix surely couldn’t fail.

The orphaned Junbao (Jet Li) and Tianbao (Chin Siu-hou), who he befriended as a child, have grown up together as monks, getting themselves in many comical high jinks along the way. Whilst both are exceptionally talented martial artists, Junbao is far more carefree than the determined Tianbao who enters a competition for promotion within the Shaolin’s ranks.

Winning his final bout with ease, Tianbao grows enraged when his opponent cheats and tries to attack him with a concealed weapon. Despite being the innocent party, his subsequent actions are frowned upon, and when Junbao stands by his friend they are both expelled from the temple that has been their home for so many years.

Now on their own, the duo enter a poor village which is being terrorised by a corrupt governor and his army. The kind-hearted Junbao of course sides with the rebels who want to steal from the wrong doers and give back to the poor, whilst the ambitious Tianbao opts to join the military ranks, bringing the duo into direct conflict. You know the rest…


If there’s a familiarity to the synopsis, it’s understandable - the story has been recycled and adapted on countless occasions within this medium. Li’s character following his old master’s philosophies and training to do good, his close friend turning against those ideals out of greed to do bad - although the swift switch from competitive to cold-blooded and merciless tyrant is hardly given plausibility here. Still a familiar romp with unrealistic character shifts is not the be-all and end-all with a classic martial arts movie – it’s how well they deliver in the action stakes.

Unfortunately, that’s the film’s biggest failing. The fighting, no doubt impressive feats of physical endeavour, are overly excited; the speed and busyness rendering well executed moves unimpressive as you barely take in lightning speed feats amongst a plethora of bodies (Li taking on a whole army with a bamboo stick sounds a lot better on paper). It doesn’t help that the more impressive and better executed martial arts scenes are delivered early on, with Li and Chin turning their everyday chores into sparring bouts, and their expulsion from the Shaolin is not without first witnessing some fantastic pole assisted ass kicking, as the duo take on countless pupils (whose development has, of course, been dramatically impinged in comparison) within the temple’s confined space. However, whilst the film can never match yet surpass these early highlights, the lack of any bone-crunching impact coupled with the excessive and unrealistic use of wires (people are flown around the screen with minimal grace) does it no favours – even if augmenting the film’s intentional comedic aspect.

It’s not uncommon for Asian martial arts flicks to balance out the violence and forcefully delivered philosophical messages (Li also develops ridiculous ‘super powers’ through his understanding of Tai-Chi that eventually rebalances his mental state) with a deep running current of humour, but roping Jet Li in on the fun was a bad move. Massively miscast, the jokes fall flat, he looks visibly uneasy on screen, and it all adds to the mess. It doesn’t help that the filmmakers seem keen to make comment on some fairly serious subject matter – alcoholism, for one, mocked throughout.

Li is not only unable to display the intensity that’s made him a household name with both eastern and western audiences, he’s embarrassed. When the filmmakers decide to mock mental health problems (he goes insane after his old chum gives him a proper hiding), we have him stumbling around pretending to be a duck - it hits a real low point. This is not funny; it’s a dark subject matter that is made all the more depressing when delivered in such an unsubtle and dim-witted manner.

As mentioned, there is more than one actor here who has made their impression internationally, but Michelle Yeoh is woefully underused – and you have to question the merits for her inclusion in this story, given that her kidnap is swiftly remedied and is not used to crank up the tension or intensity as the film draws to a close. Thankfully, there is restraint, and no ill conceived romantic developments put the brakes on a film whose single credit is that it runs at a brisk enough pace to enjoy as mindless throwaway fodder – as you’ve just been privy, it’s not a good thing to think too hard about what you’ve witnessed.


Despite the pedigree of those involved, this is a disappointedly amateur offering, whose production was already dated by the time of its original release. You really will have to switch the lights off to enjoy the mayhem. DH

REVIEW: DVD Release: Ip Man

Film: Ip Man
Release date: 26th October 2009
Certificate: 15
Running time: 106 mins
Director: Wilson Yip
Starring: Donnie Yen, Simon Yam, Hiroyuki Ikeuchi, Fan Siu-wong, Xiong Dailin
Genre: Martial Arts/History/Action/Drama
Studio: Cine Asia/Showbox
Format: DVD
Country: Hong Kong

Donnie Yen takes on the role of the man Bruce Lee called “Master”, in an ‘event’ martial arts movie the like of which Hong Kong cinema has not produced in some time. With Yen reuniting with Wilson Yip, will this continue their run of good form after the successes of Kill Zone and Flashpoint?

Ip Man tells the story of its eponymous hero, a 20th century martial arts expert who lived and taught first in Foshan, China, before moving to Hong Kong in 1949. The film chronicles his life up until his departure from China.

During the Second Sino-Japanese War, the righteous Wing Chun master struggles to survive while staying true to his principles of honour, righteousness and loyalty. Largely eschewing taking students, Ip is forced to reconsider as the might of the Japanese grows ever more impressive, and he realises that it sometimes takes more than local folk legend to inspire people…


Hong Kong cinema has, for the best part of a century, made good use of Chinese folk heroes. The most famous is Wong Fei-hung, often referred to as a ‘Chinese Robin Hood’. Over one hundred different movies centre around the, usually heavily fictionalised exploits of the 19th century figure, and the illustrious list of actors to have played him includes such notable names as Kwan Tak-hing, Gordon Liu, Jackie Chan and Jet Li. An extension of martial arts oral history - itself ripe for embellishment and reinvention necessary for cinematic effect - Hong Kong fight films have made similar good use of other such figures as Leung Jan (a 19th century Wing Chun master played by Yuen Biao in The Prodigal Son), ‘Butcher’ Lam Sai-wing (a disciple of Wong Fei-hung memorably portrayed by Sammo Hung in The Magnificent Butcher), and Huo Yuan-jia (whose real-life mysterious death prompted the cinematic vengeance of fictional student Chen Zhen, who has been portrayed on film by Bruce Lee and Jet Li, and on television by Donnie Yen).

Ip Man is perhaps the last of these folk-heroic figures fit for lionisation by Hong Kong cinema, his prime years being just ‘historical’ enough for the filmmakers to take biographical liberties in the name of romanticising the legend, while his proficiency in a fighting style that is infinitely more practical than the flowery, enhanced methods usually depicted in Hong Kong fight movies gives him an appealing contemporary relevance.

Perhaps most notable about Ip Man, the real person, is his association with Bruce Lee, who he took in as an eager teenage martial arts prodigy. Despite the fact that he assigned his day-to-day tuition to one of his senior instructors, rarely does an account of Bruce Lee’s life not include at least one reference to Ip Man (or Yip Man, as he was more commonly referred to until the release of the movie), and the film certainly traded on this in its marketing campaign. As the first major motion picture on this 20th century martial arts master, this big budget and occasionally sumptuous production heralds a mini-avalanche of Ip Man-themed biopics. Ip Man 2 has already been released in Hong Kong, and no less a name than Wong Kar-wai is currently producing a film provisionally titled ‘The Grandmaster’, in which the role of Master Ip will be essayed by none other than Tony Leung Chiu-wai.

It may be that audiences have to wait some time for an authentic depiction of Ip Man the character, Ip Man the life lived, for Wilson Yip’s effort is a distinctly whitewashed affair, playing fast and loose with the subject’s biography. Almost none of the depicted events actually occurred, the film glosses over certain details, such as his opium addiction and membership of the Kuomintang political party - its fierce opposition to the victorious Communists being the real reason Master Ip left China for Hong Kong in 1949.

That said, the film is notable for injecting the folk hero with the odd dash of fallibility, even if this mostly centres around his early favouring of martial arts over his role as husband and father. While a little ham-fisted, moments such as Ip Man ushering away the infant son who just wants to show him his new drawing in order to continue an impromptu training session are some of the more effective dramatic beats, wholly unexpected in an otherwise sanitised biopic.

20th century Hong Kong martial arts cinema was dominated mostly by Wong Fei-hung, and it could well be that the 21st is ruled by Ip Man. But if Hong Kong filmmakers are finding new heroes for their martial arts movies, the same cannot be said of their storytelling and politics. Ip Man, the film, is punctuated with the same sort of almost-uncomfortable nationalism that might alienate foreign audiences. Particularly of note is its depiction of the Japanese, which suggests that local audiences are as keen to see the old Japanese enemy given a cinematic pasting now as they were back in 1972 when Bruce Lee sent a cinema into raptures by telling Japanese baddies that his people were “not sick men.” The rushed-into-production Ip Man 2 is further indicative of this and, without ignoring the suffering of Chinese people during Japanese occupation, one is moved to ponder exactly when Hong Kong filmmakers might stop leaning on this storytelling crutch.

Yip, as a director, brings no personal touch or style to offset this unfortunate jingoism. The second half of the film, set after the Japanese take control of the country, is shot in distinctly saturated colours that give the film an effective look to mirror the characters’ misery, but is simply too obvious a device to truly drive home the awfulness of the Chinese predicament under Japanese rule. Like with his previous Donnie Yen star vehicle, Flashpoint, there is occasionally the sense that there is a unique director contained within the parameters and requirements of a straightforward action film; the odd offbeat quirk - such as Ip Man’s son riding a tricycle through a fight scene to relay a message from ‘Mama’ that ‘Baba’ should start fighting back before everything in the house is shattered - standing out from the otherwise tried-and-trusted scenes and sequences.

But it is an indication of his mostly hands-off, impersonal approach that a viewer is never sure if his directorial choices are always intentional. Consider a sequence in the first fifteen minutes of the film, when a disgruntled martial arts master storms into a restaurant to seek the young urchin who has besmirched his reputation. The ‘blocking’ of this scene - a wide shot, with principal characters in the foreground and extras lined up to fill out the frame behind them - is extremely reminiscent of the directorial style prevalent in Hong Kong films as far back as Bruce Lee’s era, very ‘stage-y’ and with a clear debt to Peking and Cantonese Opera theatrical traditions. Yip shows such technical proficiency in other areas - his editing and montages being generally effective - that it is reasonable to suspect this curious visual is a tribute to the Hong Kong martial arts genre history, which Ip Man continues, but this is undermined by the extremely straightforward script - as earnest a story as you will find, and completely lacking in irony or self-referential commentary.

But where Yip does have success is in the performance of his leading man. Free of the almost narcissistic posturing that characterised his turns in films like Kill Zone, Flashpoint and, especially, Dragon Tiger Gate, Donnie Yen delivers a measured and subdued performance that is completely unexpected. While the non-fighting scenes may not give him much to work with, Yen brings genuine grace and gravitas to a role that would initially seem ill-suited to him. It is a testament to his performance that it is hard to imagine anyone else in the part and, regardless of whether there are better Ip Man films to come, Yen seems destined to become and remain synonymous with the character.

As pleasing as his general performance is, perhaps most impressive is Yen’s command of the Wing Chun fighting style. Having made great strides in incorporating ultra-modern MMA techniques into his recent work, Yen reminds us of his preternatural versatility and athleticism, seeming every inch the Wing Chun master (he reportedly spent nine months in training for the role). Action director Sammo Hung is no stranger to Wing Chun on film, nor Chinese folk heroes - he explored both in the films Warriors Two and The Prodigal Son - but his presentation of the style in this film is on another level to those earlier efforts, his choreography making this most practical and efficient of martial arts cinematically appealing whilst retaining admirable authenticity. Yuen Wo-ping may be Hollywood’s favourite fight director, and Ching Siu-tung the ‘go-to guy’ for operatic wuxia, but Ip Man is a timely reaffirmation of Hung’s place in the annals of Hong Kong film history. The big man definitely still has it.


Something of a missed opportunity. Ip Man is a lush production, with some truly wonderful fight sequences, but it’s a shame that the scriptwriters did not execute their job with the same level of care and meticulousness that Donnie Yen put into what will surely be a career-defining performance. JN