REVIEW: DVD Release: Shogun Assassin

Film: Shogun Assassin
Release date: 29th November 2010
Certificate: 18
Running time: 85 mins
Director: Robert Houston
Starring: Tomisaburo Wakayama, Kayo Matsuo, Minoru Oki, Akiji Kobayashi, Shin Kishida
Genre: Action/Adventure/Drama
Studio: Eureka!
Format: DVD & Blu-ray
Country: Japan/USA

Banned in the UK for over a decade, Shogun Assassin is the film which re-invented the martial arts movie in the west during the ‘80s. Inventive, artistic and violently beautiful, Shogun Assassin’s influence is almost as far reaching as the death toll contained in its unique 83 minutes.

As told through the voiceover provided by his toddler son Daigoro (Akihiro Tomikawa – voiced by Gibran Evans), Ogami Itto (Tomisaburo Wakayama) is the shogun’s decapitator, but the Shogun has gone mad and is inflicting terrible suffering on his people through impossible taxes and endless killings. Although Itto carries out his master’s wishes, he goes home to his wife and young son every night, and prays for peace to fall on the kingdom.

Unfortunately for Itto and his family, the mad Shogun is frightened by his decapitator and decides to kill him. He sends his ninjas to carry out the orders but they mistakenly kill Itto’s wife instead. A furious Ogami Itto swears revenge and promises there will be “rivers of blood” as he is exiled with his young son. Itto becomes Lone Wolf; a masterless samurai for hire whose ultimate goal is to destroy the shogun and anyone who stands in his way…


Shogun Assassin is a movie which has been cut from the longer Lone Wolf and Cub series of films. There are six films in total, and Shogun Assassin is made from parts of the first two movies in the series. The fact any semblance of narrative coherence has been maintained is a miracle in itself, and the finished product has many flaws, but there are many positives, too.

As with the originals, Shogun Assassin has a beautifully dated look. The whole film has been shot in the style of a spaghetti western; the camera closes in on eyes squinting in the sun, or sweeps slowly past implacable faces with emotions of stone, and the violence, when it comes, erupts from the stillness. There are many examples where there is no action at all; the atmosphere of impending violence is built through the eyes of the actors and the atonal hum from the soundtrack. Shogun Assassin is full of atmosphere, drama, and at all times the threat of impending violence - all of which is underpinned by the incredible sound design and startling, but brilliantly over the top soundtrack.

Indeed it is hard not to escape the genius of the sound design of the film; doors creak and snap, the wind howls with voices floating on the breeze, and the cart carrying Lone Wolf’s ‘cub’ slowly trundles along seemingly deserted roads, with the wheels creaking over broken stones. The garish synths and programmed drums could be a distraction, and they are intrusive at times, but for the most part, they provide a harmonious bedrock upon which the atmosphere can safely lay its foundations, subtly working its magic.

The new score was recorded in its entirety using a Moog Modular synthesizer system; cutting edge studio equipment at the time, and although some of the music may seem out of step with the on screen action, the aural landscape is beautifully crafted - it is easy to see why so many musicians have fallen under its spell, most notably Wu-Tang Clan (GZA uses wholesale sections of music and dialogue from Shogun Assassin on his seminal album Liquid Swords).

The violence is perhaps the most captivating of Shogun Assassin’s many facets, and it is easy to see why the film gained such a cult following upon release. It is so different from any accepted western ideal of what action cinema should be; cartoon violence married to dialogue which has a strange, almost poetic beauty. It is also easy to see why the film was banned under the UK’s ‘video nasty’ laws during the 1980s as arms, legs, ears, and even the tip of someone’s nose are all sliced off. Men and women are chopped, diced, sliced, stabbed and, of course, decapitated, in a series of increasingly inventive action sequences. In one memorable scene where Lone Wolf takes on the deadly ‘Masters Of Death’, a trio of seemingly indestructible assassin’s - each with their own unique weapon - one of the masters has his head sliced in two from his hat to shoulders. The camera lingers for what seems like an eternity until the head slowly peels apart like pieces of fruit, before pausing as the blood gushes toward the sky! It is an iconic moment, as is the moment where Lone Wolf decapitates the shogun’s son during a duel to win his freedom. As the camera pulls back, Lone Wolf is silhouetted beside the headless figure, the sun setting behind him as the two figures stand in the long grass; one figure has no head, one figure has a baby strapped to his back.

Of course, all of this beauty comes at a price, and although using such stunning original material to create a new film may have seemed like a good idea, it clearly wreaks havoc with narrative and indeed Shogun Assassin’s many flaws are all directly attributable to the unusual way in which the film was made.

Despite the obvious lengths the makers of the new version went to keep some of the original dialogue intact (hiring deaf Japanese lip readers to interpret the original dialogue, using professional voice actors for the new dialogue), they have sacrificed lyrical integrity for narrative sense. Whole sections of dialogue at the beginning of the film do not make sense when taken in the wider context of the new storyline. Indeed, the final third of the film clearly has nothing to do with the beginning. It is as if, having created the back story for Lone Wolf, they realised it was going to be too difficult to tie in an ending with the footage they were using. Instead, the film changes tack after the first third and a new story is introduced. Maybe the makers were hoping Shogun Assassin would be the first of two, or possibly three films. Or maybe they just ran out of time or inclination, or money?


No matter what, Shogun Assassin is an essential part of any martial arts fans collection, and it also compliments the longer Lone Wolf and Cub series. Eerily magnificent, this is an oddity that will repay attention and stands up to repeated viewings, despite the flaws inherent in a project with such an unusual genesis. As an aperitif for the full series, it is the most tantalising of hints at what is to come. SM

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

REVIEW: DVD Release: Black Lightning

Film: Black Lightning
Release date: 6th September 2010
Certificate: PG
Running time: 101 mins
Director: Dmitriy Kiselev & Aleksandr Voytinskiy
Starring: Grigoriy Dobrygin, Ekaterina Vilkova, Viktor Verzhbitskiy, Valeriy Zolotukhin, Ekaterina Vasileva
Genre: Action/Family/Sci-Fi
Studio: Universal
Format: DVD & Blu-ray
Country: Russia

Black Lightning is your 'typical' story of an ordinary boy, who is given an incredible flying car for his birthday. He then uses the car to become rich in order to win the heart of a girl, but becomes embroiled in a fiendish plot which could end up destroying Moscow!

Dima (Dobrygin) is the kind of boy no-one at school remembers - poor and clever - whilst his best friend is the richest and most popular boy in school.

Dima comes from a normal, down to earth family. His father is a man who believes that nothing in life matters as much as being a good person and doing the right thing, values he has tried to instil in his son. Dima is jealous of his rich friend Max who has the best clothes, the best gadgets, the best car, and, most importantly, the beautiful new girl from their Economics class.

Everything changes for Dima when he is given an old Volka car for his birthday. Ashamed at first, he may have been dreaming of a Mercedes-Benz, but never in his wildest dreams could he have imagined taking possession of the incredible car which will change his life completely.

Will Dima use his new flying car to gain wealth and success, and win the heart of the beautiful Nastya? Or will he use the car for the greater good and prevent the evil Kuptsov’s (Verzhbitskiy) plans which could see Moscow literally sinking into the Earth?


The first thing to notice about Black Lightning is that the look and tone of the film bears more than a passing resemblance to Day Watch and Night Watch. Black Lightning co-director Dmitriy Kiselev was an editor and second unit director on the aforementioned films, as well helping out with Bekmambetov’s Wanted, and the trademark car chases, slow-motion sequences, and non-Hollywood special effects are all well to the fore here. And it is a very good thing Black Lightning is so well made, because there are many familiar story elements and plot devices - Black Lightning not only wears its heart on its sleeve, it wears its derivatives on its forehead. However, Black Lightning is an enjoyable romp, so it’s not surprising a Hollywood re-make has already been mooted (with Bekmambetov rumoured to helm).

Grigoriy Dobrygin gives Dima the necessary pathos in the now familiar Peter Parker-esque role, although the paucity of his family life is illustrated without the need for clunky dialogue, which is way more successful than the Spiderman films. If there are any complaints, it is that the short run time doesn’t allow Dima an entirely believable character arc. It’s a bit rushed, but for a film aimed at the family, this is a minor quibble.

A larger quibble is that Dima’s character IS Peter Parker without the spider bite! Even his character transition is sparked by an event taken directly from the Spiderman back story, which is a shame, because Grigoriy Dobrygin’s performance may not be recognised due to the startling lack of imagination in Dima’s characterisation.

Also, as in Spiderman, Black Lightning is really a story about a girl, in this case the beautiful Ekaterina Vilkova. She plays Nastya; love interest, object of desire, and reason for Dima’s transition from nice guy nobody to selfish high-flyer. The love triangle between Nastya, Dima and Max is surprisingly well played, and it’s impossible not to really root for our heroes.

Where Black Lightning differs from other superhero films is that the real star of the show is the car. Dima’s ancient black Volka is a thing of real beauty, and the rather silly premise which enables the car to fly is good fun. Watching the car zooming above the streets of Moscow via the impressive effects is exhilarating, and there is a decent success rate for the visual gags.

Another of the features shared with Day Watch is the supporting cast, and amongst the familiar faces is the excellent Viktor Verzhbitskiy playing bad guy Kupstov. During the first third of the film, Kupstov’s relationship with Dima is especially rewarding as Dima’s moral compass is shifted by the magnetic presence of his charismatic mentor. Unfortunately, much of the good work is undone as the tension is lost when the film movie towards its cartoony climax. Saying that, we are treated to the sight of three elderly scientists being tied to a giant drill which is being used to mine underneath the streets of Moscow, as well as a flying Mercedes which bears more than a passing resemblance to a certain flying Delorean, so it’s not all bad!


Black Lightning is fun for kids of all ages, although the very young may not be able to keep up. If young children don’t like the subtitles, the dubbing is pretty good, with annoying voices kept to a minimum. The performances are decent, the story is well paced and the action is interspersed at regular intervals throughout. Even if you don’t become totally involved with the film, you can enjoy yourself spotting which script ideas have been taken from other films. SM

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: My Father Pablo Escobar

Film: My Father Pablo Escobar
Release date: 12th July 2010
Certificate: Exempt
Running time: 90 mins
Director: Nicolas Entel
Starring: Sebastian Marroquin
Genre: Documentary
Studio: Brightspark
Format: DVD
Country: Argentina/Colombia

“Juan Pablo Escobar has agreed to tell the story of his life with his father, Pablo Escobar, once described as the ‘World’s Greatest Outlaw’. It is also the story of the sons of Pablo Escobar’s most prominent victims. It is the story of a country torn apart by violence and revenge, of death and reconciliation, and of a son’s attempt to atone for the sins of the father.”

Juan Pablo (renamed Sebastian Marroquin) was only 16 years old when his father was killed. As the documentary explains, at the time of his death, Pablo Escobar was a fugitive fighting three wars within Colombia: one with the state, one with a rival drug cartel, and one with a rogue vigilante organisation employing guerrilla tactics as bloody as his own killing methods. Pablo Escobar was no ordinary criminal. At the height of his power, his Medellin drug cartel controlled a rumoured 80% of the world’s cocaine trade. In 1989, Forbes Magazine listed Escobar as the world’s seventh richest man, worth an estimated 25 billion dollars. Pablo Escobar thought nothing of assassinating anyone who crossed his path and he is blamed for destroying Avianca flight 203 in order to assassinate one politician.

Escobar’s son Sebastian was forced to flee Colombia after his father’s death and went into exile in Argentina. He attempted to build a new life for himself as a designer and architect, but he has been haunted by the final words he gave to a Colombian journalist who called him to inform him his father had been killed. In a rage, he swore to avenge his father’s death, and in doing so, his father’s violent legacy was passed onto him. Sebastian’s taped conversation, complete with threats against those who had killed his father, was made public and the stigma has never left Sebastian, but he is not like his father, and is determined to make amends.

My Father, Pablo Escobar follows Sebastian as he attempts to contact the victims of his father’s crimes. Sebastian hopes that by clarifying himself and apologising on behalf of his family, not only will his father’s victims find some peace, but also that the gesture can show that the cycle of violence can be broken, and that Colombia as a whole can choose a different path. But will the victims of Pablo Escobar’s violent assassinations accept his son Sebastian’s attempts at reconciliation, or is the anger and hurt too great a hurdle to overcome?


The documentary uses a variety of methods to drive the narrative, but mainly consists of interviews with Sebastian Marroquin, his mother Maria Isabel Santos Caballero, and the sons of Escobar’s most prominent political victims; Colombian minister for Justice Rodrigo Lara Bonilla and presidential candidate Luis Carlos Galan. These interviews are shot over some time, and they are cleverly interwoven with library footage from Colombian news channels, plus taped recordings of Escobar from phone taps and conversations with journalists. Using these methods, director Nicolas Entel is able to build a picture of the man behind the myth, as well as showing the viewer the very real impact of Escobar’s actions.

As well as the seemingly unfettered access to the grown up Sebastian, we are also shown an Escobar family home movie shot when Sebastian was still a boy. In it, we glimpse the other world in which the then Juan Pablo inhabited. We see all the trappings and unbelievable riches; the home movie itself is like no other containing its own score, a voice over, and an introduction shot from a helicopter in the style of the opening sequence of ‘80s TV soap opera Dallas.

Sebastian talks frankly about his father during intimate moments; we watch as he looks back, either at the home movie or later in the film where Sebastian listens to a recording of his father singing along to opera. In these moments, the documentary never allows the viewer to forget that Sebastian is also a victim. To him Pablo Escobar was not a drug-dealing murderer. The father he knew was a rich man who bought him everything a child could ever want - a father who cheated at monopoly, a father who despite all his flaws still loved his family and wanted to be loved by them in return.

There are many outstanding moments in the documentary but watching the sons of Galan and Lara Bonilla discussing their dead father’s legacy, or deciding whether to accept Sebastian’s apology on behalf of his family are completely immersive. When the victims sons agree to meet with Sebastian, there is no hiding the powerful emotions at play, and the camera lingers on the faces of these men who are clearly haunted by the past, and wrestling with their emotions. It would have been impossible to make this documentary without setting up or manipulating certain scenarios in order to get the footage required, but it is of great credit to everyone involved that these obvious manipulations in no way detract from what is an incredibly emotive piece of filmmaking.


Ultimately it is up to the viewer to decide whether or not the actions of Sebastian Marroquin could ever have the impact that he so clearly desires. But as a snapshot of the human side of drug trafficking and the misery heaped upon the families of the victims, from all sides of the equation, My Father, Pablo Escobar is a brilliant and hard-hitting documentary. SM

REVIEW: DVD Release: Force Of Five

Film: Force Of Five
Release date: 5th July 2010
Certificate: 15
Running time: 110 mins
Director: Krissanapong Rachata
Starring: Nantawooti Boonrapsap, Sasisa Jindamanee, Pimchanok Leuwisetpaiboon, Richard William Lord, Johnny Nguyen
Genre: Martial Arts/Action
Studio: Cine Asia
Format: DVD & Blu-ray
Country: Thailand

From the producers of Ong Bak, Ong Bak 2 and Warrior King comes Force Of Five, a vehicle for the ‘new generation’ of Thai martial arts heroes.

Force Of Five is the story of five Thai children, the youngest of the which, Wun, has a heart condition and is awaiting a transplant.

When Wun gets sick, he is lucky that a donor is ready and prepared for a transplant, but disaster strikes in the form of a terrorist organisation who take over the hospital where the donor heart is being dispatched from.

The remaining four teenagers, including Wun’s older brother Wut, take it upon themselves to infiltrate the hospital, get past the terrorists and retrieve the donor heart before the transplant window closes. Not that these are any run of the mill, ordinary children. Wun, Kat and Pong all live in a Muay Thai boxing school and are raised by their ’Teacher’. Jib makes up the team despite running with a rival gang, but she is also well versed in the martial arts…


There is no denying the pedigree behind Force Of Five. Krissanapong Rachata may be a first time director but co-writer Napalee has a Warrior King writing credit and producers Panna Rittikrai (Ong Bak, Warrior King, Ong Bak: The Beginning) and Prachya Pinkaew (Ong Bak, Warrior King) have a proven track record, which is evident in the look and feel throughout Force Of Five.

The action sequences are shot with high speed accuracy, and some of the timing in the slow motion sections is joyous. The teenage stars bounce around like Yoda on speed, and there are Tony Jaa-style flying knees, elbows to heads, synchronized somersaults and all manner of teenage kicks, punches and flips. It is in these action set pieces that using such a young cast works so well because the lightweight actors can really connect with their opponents without actually hurting the object of their fury. As a plot device, it also means the fights last longer because it is more difficult for the teenagers to dispatch their larger, heavier, grown-up opponents. The fight between Wun, Kat and the leader of the terrorists shot in a narrow hospital corridor is especially successful due to the unusual height/weight disparity.

Unfortunately, the fights scenes are the high point of the film, and for all that they are wonderfully choreographed and skilfully executed, they lack the physicality and danger apparent in Tony Jaa films. The children are willing exponents, and there are a few genuinely thrilling moments, but tonally the film veers wildly from drama to comedy, and although this is not unusual within the genre, the fact the main protagonists are children makes the changes more glaring.

The acting is also wildly inconsistent, and Force Of Five has a genuine claim at containing the most badly acted drunk scene in celluloid history. The children, for the most part, are decent but some of the peripheral characters are just awful.

The storyline and script add to the inconsistency, as adult themes and an impressive body count are racked up, yet this is a film about children, and the tension between subject matter and character feels unresolved throughout. There are moments of high emotion, and a surprise twist near the end, highlighting the talent involved but also that the potential is disappointedly never realised.

Throughout Force Of Five, it is hard not to shake the feeling that we are watching a film pitched as a franchise starter, or even a TV series pilot, and under those circumstances Force Of Five might work. Herein lies the problem; how do you make a successful action film for adults were the main characters are children? I can think of plenty of films aimed at children that adults can enjoy, but Force Of Five is a certificate 15, so clearly aimed squarely at the teenage and adult kung fu market.


If you enjoyed the style of Ong Bak and the Warrior King then you will enjoy the fight scenes but the comedy is too broad, the themes too adult, the violence too severe, and the acting too inconsistent to make Force Of Five a true success. SM

REVIEW: DVD Release: Mulan

Film: Mulan
Release date: 21st June 2010
Certificate: 15
Running time: 107 mins
Director: Wei Dong
Starring: Wei Zhao, Jaycee Chan, Rongguang Yu, Xu Jiao, Vicki Zhao
Genre: Action/Adventure/Drama/Romance
Studio: Cine Asia/Showbox
Format: DVD & Blu-ray
Country: China

Mulan is based on the famous fable of Hua Mulan, a general who led the Wei dynasty army to victory over raiding northern forces sometime around the 4th century. Director Jingle Ma has tackled this kind of historical story before, most recently in The Assassins Blade, which was also inspired by a legend from Chinese history.

The story will be instantly familiar, both for those who have watched The Assassins Blade, as well as the countless other films and cartoons, and read novels inspired by the Hua Mulan story.

Mulan’s sick father is conscripted to fight the increasingly aggressive Rouran northern army. Mulan takes the place of her father knowing he is too ill to fight, keeping her true identity hidden while at the same time proving her worth on the battlefield.

As the years go by, and the body count continues to rise, Hua Mulan works her way through the ranks to become a powerful General, but she is forced to examine what is truly important to her, while at the same time trying to defend her homeland and make it home to her sick father…


The actual story of Mulan hails from an ancient poem, so there is a fair bit of leeway afforded to the scriptwriters - in this case, the film benefits from centring on the relationships between the main characters and, in particular, the relationship between Hua Mulan and her superior officer Wentai.

With The Assassins Blade, Jingle Ma approached the tale with a light touch, but this caused problems, as the film failed to build any genuine tension towards its supposedly dramatic climax. Lessons have most definitely been learned, and Mulan is a far earthier and grittier proposition.

Casting lessons have also been learned since The Assassins Blade, which was necessary, as both films share a similar plot device, with the female lead playing a character hiding her true identity from those around her. Unlike The Assassins Blade, Jingle Ma creates a believable scenario in Mulan by choosing an actress who carries the part well. There is no doubting Wei Zhao is a beautiful woman, but she is also a good actress, benefitting from good makeup, and a film which is extremely well lit throughout. The Hua Mulan character visibly ages through the twelve year timeline of the story arc, and, as war rages on, becomes evidently more battle weary. This realism makes it easy to buy into the difficult premise, something which The Assassins Blade failed to achieve.

As Hua Mulan’s relationship with Wentai progresses, the film exposes the myths of battle and the flaws inherent within human nature; every set piece and death is played out over a background of political intrigue, betrayal and the love for family, friends and the country, which the soldiers serve and the Rourans covet. The way in which the Wei Army and the Rourans treat their fathers acts as a brilliant wider metaphor for how they also see the land they are fighting for; one side shows no respect while the other must serve to bring honour.

Visually, Mulan is quite ridiculously beautiful, but the China we see on screen is a harsh place. The fear evident in the soldier’s actions is reflected by the harsh realities of the surrounding landscapes, in which browns and greys are mixed to provide ominous and unsettling vistas. This is in stark contrast to the village scene at the beginning of the film, and highlights the pointlessness of the ongoing war, as the opposing armies fight over a land which is completely unforgiving. The desert scenes near the end of the film are particularly cruel, and every parched lip and flaked piece of skin can be felt.

There is a brilliantly ‘old-school’ feel to the battle scenes were everything is shot realistically using plenty of stunts and some incredible horse riding. The scenes are fast paced and brief but well positioned throughout the film. CGI is kept to a bare minimum, and this all adds to the look and feel - Mulan has far more in common with the work of David Lean or Kurosawa than Yimou Zhang. The score from Li Si Song is perfectly balanced with the onscreen action and is never obtrusive.


Mulan is an exhaustive, detailed take on a classic tale. It is beautifully crafted and carries a high emotional impact. SM

REVIEW: DVD Release: The Ape

Film: The Ape
Release date: 10th May 2010
Certificate: 15
Running time: 81 mins
Director: Jesper Ganslandt
Starring: Ollie Sarri, Francoise Joyce, Niclas Gillis
Genre: Drama/Thriller
Studio: ICA
Format: DVD
Country: Sweden

All things considered, The Ape is quite baffling – but only because we have become accustomed to dreadfully simplistic narratives and unrealistic dialogue. The Ape returns to a style of filmmaking that is out of favour currently.

Ollie Sarri is Kirster, a man who awakes confused and covered in blood. Sarri goes on to appear in every single frame of The Ape’s remaining 77 minutes, and starring alongside Sarri is an increasing sense of nausea, foreboding, pent up aggression, resignation and mental incapacity. Make no mistake, The Ape is a snapshot of a man losing (or already lost?) his grip on his marriage, his job, his sanity, and everything which connects him to his run of the mill existence…


This may at first glance appear familiar territory, The Ape is not the first film based upon the premise of following a character as they descend into a self-destructive hell. Where The Ape differs from most is that we are never shown the causes of Kirster’s distress, just as we are never shown any outrageous acts of violence. That isn’t to say the viewer doesn’t know exactly what has happened, of course, we do. The Ape never allows the viewer to sit back and comfortably sum up what is happening or has happened to Kirster because everything is only hinted at - it is entirely up to the viewers to cross the Ts and dot the Is. What we do get are glimpses of Kirster’s temper, or possible explanations for his obvious frustration, or hints at the possibility of violence that always seems to flicker behind his mournful, unblinking eyes.

The Ape is a complete success due in the main to fabulous direction and a possible career making performance. The direction is snappy without being fussy, and Jesper Ganslandt has placed his cameras right in front of the action. Not only is Ollie Sarri in every frame of the film, but at least half of the film seems to be shot close up to the actor's face. As the action unfolds, Kirster’s increasingly erratic behaviour is so unbelievably close to the screen that you can almost smell the manic fear and desperation.

There are so many standout scenes, and the tension is never allowed to drop for one second; watch in awe as Kirster explodes with pent up fury while instructing a learner driver. Feel queasy as a tennis practice match hints at the uncontrollable rage and longing which has built up inside this man in the midst of a break down. Three scenes, in particular, are so beautifully filmed and performed: a truly terrifying scene involving Kirster’s mother and a large kitchen knife will make anyone paying attention squirm; the scene toward the end of the film where Kirtser’s character bumps into an old friend is excruciatingly uncomfortable viewing, as we realize the character has now completely disconnected from reality and is unable to communicate in even the simplest of manners; and the final moments of the film are perfectly executed as the viewer is deliberately separated from Kirster, reflecting his own disconnection with the events around him.

The use of close up forces the viewer to share the anxiety of Kirster’s character, and coupled with the minimal dialogue, which is also almost entirely one-sided for the majority of the film, we not only see and feel everything Kirster is going through, we also share his emotions. The lack of music and the way the sound has been recorded places the viewer in the centre of Kirster’s world, and it is an unsettling experience.

Although not a true Dogme film, it shares many of the characteristics of Dogme, and is far more successful than even the much lauded Festen. The characters and settings are real, everything is entirely believable, and this snapshot of the violence and mania which can exist under the most normal of facades is a touch too close to reality. As Kirster’s mental capacity decays his ability to function normally also lessens, and the clever use of Kirster’s relationship with his mobile phone is a brilliant device, which illustrates the character's mindset perfectly. This truly is low-budget, minimalist cinema at it’s very best.

It is impossible to talk about The Ape without focusing on the performance of Ollie Sarri, displaying depth of emotion while maintaining an almost implacable expression. The pain, loss and desperation visible on Kirster’s blank face, the palpable sense of nausea and bewilderment, the sheer scale of his wrong doing are all on view, yet never once does the character become one dimensional. It would have been easy for Kirster to become an overwrought and overblown caricature, and in the hands of lesser actors that would have been the case. Sarri pulls off the seemingly impossible by never allowing Kirster to become a monster - he maintains the character as someone deserving of sympathy throughout.


The Ape is complex, emotive, expressive and arresting. It grabs your attention from the start and holds it unflinchingly until the final frame. It also leaves all the right questions unanswered. SM

REVIEW: DVD Release: High Lane

Film: High Lane
Release date: 17th May 2010
Certificate: 15
Running time: 81 mins
Director: Abel Ferry
Starring: Fanny Valette, Johan Libéreau, Raphaël Lenglet, Nicolas Giraud, Maud Wyler
Genre: Action/Adventure/Thriller
Studio: Optimum
Format: DVD
Country: France

From the beginning of High Lane, it’s clear there is no new ground being broken. This is very much genre fare, but it is a periodically exhilarating thrill ride none-the-less.

The story is simple: five attractive young French twenty-something’s go climbing in a remote part of Croatia. The path they are climbing is dangerous and closed off to visitors, but they continue anyway, and, as they do, they inevitably fall foul of various elements. You will recognise each and every character here: the member of the group who puts them in peril, the jealous boyfriend, and the ex-boyfriend who still has feelings for the central character.

When their environment turns against them, the group’s members then turn on each other. At this point, the body count starts to rise. Is there someone or something stalking them as they climb?


The storyline and actual plot devices are borrowed wholesale from other obvious films in this genre, and viewers will recognise elements from Deliverance to The Descent and everything in between, but none of that really matters. High Lane isn’t The White Ribbon. It’s good at what it does, and from the get go, you are sucked into the world surrounding the five beautiful soon-to-be victims.

Johan Liberau is perfect as Loic, the jealous, weedy boyfriend, who is struck by vertigo during the climb. He is a sickly presence who will garner your sympathy while all the time leaving alarm bells ringing. Nicolas Giraud is also bang on the money as Fred, the heroic expedition leader who is all testosterone and big hair, but who stupidly puts everyone right in the brown stuff.

The star of the film is the insanely attractive Fanny Valette, a woman who looks so beautiful she could only have been made in some secret Parisian bunker by scientists splicing the genes of Juliet Binoche and Emannuel Beart. She is a truly disconcerting screen presence, and her turn as Chloe is the glue which holds the film together.

The sub plot involving Loic, Chloe and Guillaume (Raphael Lenglet) drives the first part of the film and hints at endless possibilities, because there is genuine tension during this first section as the characters embark on their climb. As we get a close look at Loic’s character falling apart, we are treated to some stunningly nauseating views as the camera wildly pan’s into the glorious ravines of Risjnak National Park. The camera shakes and shudders its way from Loic’s face to his feet, encapsulating the huge expanses below, as Loic rapidly descends into horrible height sickness. At this point, High Lane is a stomach churning visual treat! Lots of interesting questions are asked; will Loic lose it completely and kill them all? Is Guillaume a secret psycho ala Billy Zane in Dead Calm? Will Fred’s hair cause him to lose his grip on the mountain? Or sanity?

Unfortunately, High Lane doesn’t go anywhere surprising at all, but it never loses sight of what it is, and the film offers a couple of moments in the final third which, if not really surprising, are at least mildly unexpected. That’s not a contradiction, it’s just that so many parts of High Lane are borrowed from other movies the film will actually keep you guessing as to which film will be borrowed from next. Think of it like a genre horror version of Date Movie or Scary Movie, where instead of scenes being spoofed for laughs they are being spoofed for scares.

The film is beautifully shot throughout; the climbing scenes at the beginning and the rope walkway set piece are glorious. And from the opening scenes in the car until the start of the climb, director Abel Ferry establishes all the individual characters and sub plots. This is no mean feat as the viewer is delivered wholesale into the first part of the film with characters established and ready to begin the journey. The set up really is nicely done and the tension during the first 45 minutes is ramped up to 11 with brilliant use of pacing and visuals, and some decent performances as well.


High Lane is well crafted but lacking substance, stylish but unoriginal. The pace is kept high and there are a decent scattering of jumps throughout the final third, but it’s letdown by genre-standard rehashing. SM

REVIEW: DVD Release: The Assassin’s Blade

Film: Assassin's Blade
Release date: 3rd May 2010

Certificate: 15

Running time: 102 mins

Director: Jingle Ma

Starring: Charlene Choi, Chun Wu, Ge Hu

Genre: Martial Arts/Action

Studio: Metrodome

Format: DVD

Country: Hong Kong

As with all great love stories the premise is simple; will the lovers overcome the many perceived and actual barriers in order to consummate their love? Will theirs be a tragic tale of what might have been? Will you care that you have watched this story a thousand times before?

Yanzhi (Charlene Choi) is hidden in a martial arts school disguised as a male student where she, literally, meets the boy of her dreams, Liang (Chun Wu). They fall in love but their plans for happiness are scuppered when Yanzhi’s parents arrange a marriage with her friend Ma (Ge Hu), who has become a powerful local diplomat, as well as possessive to murderous degrees…


The first half of the film displays a lightness of touch and sure footedness that is sometimes lacking with Asian films in this genre. Where The Assassins Blade is successful is that the comedy moments are actualized by fun characters, and the youth and verve of the main protagonists lends itself well to these slighter moments. There are many examples of preposterous comedy in other martial arts movies, as otherwise violent or wise characters slip into ‘Clouseau-esque’ moments of madcap mayhem. Choi, one half of Cantonese pop group Twins, and Wu, starring in his first feature, play characters where the comedy is entirely believable, and a lot of credit must go to the script writer and director Jingle Ma (Tokyo raiders, Playboy Cops) for ensuring that these comedy moments never descend into farce.

Kudos also has to go to Jingle Ma for the look of the film, in which he has undertaken the role of cinematographer, as well as director. We sometimes take for granted great looking period genre films such as The Assassin’s Blade, which is entirely unfair. The film is a visual treat, and unlike Zhang Yimou’s films Crouching Tiger or Hero, where bold primary colours are used as characters in their own right, the broad pallet of colours used in The Assassin’s Blade act as beautiful canvases. An example of this can be witnessed during Yanzhi’s dream sequence, where primary colours are avoided, and fluidly beautiful turquoises are mixed with hues of green and blue to create stunningly ethereal vistas. The fight scene during the final third of the film, where Liang fights at night under a canopy of red lanterns is exquisite. Watch in awe as every colour apart from the red lanterns overhead appear to morph into different shades of blue.

The action sequences by Siu-Tung Ching (Hero, Curse Of The Golden Flower) are beautifully staged and choreographed. There is a stunning mixture of slow motion/wire techniques which are at once balletic and violent. Apart from being well staged, there are some wonderfully original perspectives on show here with fantastic low angled camera shots pulling vertically upwards as the actors perform leg sweeps, which really bring the viewer into the midst of the action. The editing is sharp and on the money but, thankfully, we are treated to plenty of mid shots leaving the whole fight visible, and avoiding jump cuts which heighten the kinetic effect but lose track of movement.

An added bonus is the music, which successfully soundtracks the entire movie; a joyous mixture of classical instruments with some contemporary noises subtly thrown in to up the pace and add to the tension in parts. What we should be looking at here is a quite brilliant, historical, martial arts/romance story. Unfortunately, we are not.

What we do have is a film entirely let down by the complete lack of an original script, which quite blatantly steals wholesale story ideas from Romeo & Juliet and House Of Flying Daggers. It really is a shame because the component parts are quite lovingly and skilfully put together. The acting is actually very good, particularly Choi and Wu, who are a winning couple. You would really route for Yanzhi and Liang to succeed if you didn’t know exactly what was going to happen at the end. It also has to be said that the main plot device which puts Yanzhi in contact with Liang is completely preposterous because Charlene Choi is blessed with one of the most feminine and beautiful faces to grace the screen in a very long time.


The Assassins Blade takes the main premise far too seriously, and there are plot holes so massive you could hide the Greek national debt inside them. A quite beautiful failure. SM

REVIEW: DVD Release: The Machine Girl

Film: The Machine Girl
Release date: 18th May 2009 (HMV Exclusive)

Certificate: 18

Running time: 97 mins

Director: Noburu Iguchi

Starring: Minase Yashiro, Asami, Kentarô Shimazu

Genre: Action/Comedy/Crime/Horror

Studio: Cine Asia

Format: DVD

Country: Japan

Since its release in 2008, The Machine Girl has gained a cult following across the globe, and it’s easy to see why. Anyone who has watched the brilliant trailer online will have either laughed out loud or been ashamed their eyes have born witness to something so ridiculous, but there is much more to this film than missing limbs, gore and deadly underwear.

When Ami’s (Minase Yashiro) brother Yu (Ryôsuke Kawamura) and his friend Tagashi are murdered by the school bully Sho (Nishihara), the scene is set for your fairly typical revenge story. Unfortunately for Ami, Sho is also the son of local yakuza boss, part-time ninja and full-time crackpot Ryuji Kimura (a marvellously deranged Kentarô Shimazu who resembles the more evil twin of Enter The Dragon’s Kien Shih).

Ami soon tracks down one of the members of Sho’s gang, and so begins a series of ever more outrageous confrontations. This first encounter ends in Ami’s hand being turned into the infamously daft looking piece of tempura as witnessed in the trailer. If only this was the worst thing that happens to her hand, but a later scene showing Ami’s arm being broken with a bat before her fingers are sliced off and her arm severed will make even those with the strongest of constitutions flinch.

Ami is not the kind of schoolgirl who will let a lost limb hold her back, so she teams up with Tagashi’s grieving parents Miki (Asami) and Suguru (Yûya Ishikawa) to plot their revenge on the Kimura gang and, thanks to Suguru’s engineering skills, Ami soon has some new weaponised arm attachments to help in the battle against the evil Kimura gang.

All roads lead to the final showdown and various ninjas, civilians possessed with the spirits of ninjas, and yakuza henchman are dispatched by Ami and Miki on the way to the pay off battle involving the now legendary ‘drill bra’, surely overtaking the dildo knife from Se7en as the most deadly underwear in the history of cinema…


The plot follows the standard for most revenge thrillers; the victim suffers a tragedy and sets out for revenge before suffering a huge setback, in this case is the loss of a limb. The hero then fights back and eventually reaches a showdown with the killers.

Writer/director Noburu Iguchi didn’t weigh himself down with plot – the film is about outrageous set pieces, tanker loads of blood, huge amounts of energy and some of the most imaginative use of prosthetics you are likely to see in your lifetime.

There are so many standout scenes in the film, the tempura hand for instance is hilarious and sets the tone for the film nicely. The torture scene involving Ami, Miki, a mallet, a Kimura henchman and a lot of nails is also brilliant, as is the moment the same henchman is accidentally shot in the head by one of his own. It is apparent everyone involved has bought into the cartoonish world created by director Iguchi, and it looks like all the actors, particularly scene stealer Hinoka, who plays insane sex-bomb Violet Kimura, are having a riot. Fingers and limbs are blown, chopped and shot off, and generally treated with utter contempt. What’s great about The Machine Girl is that by using prosthetics the makers have emphasised the cartoonish aspects of the violence without losing the heart and soul of what they are doing. These people really care.

Of course, at the end of the day we are talking about a kill-crazy, comedy gore-fest. The Machine Girl has absolutely nothing to say about anything, and there are no new plot ideas on show either. The acting is wildly unpredictable, and the dialogue is clunky and ridiculous - even for a comedy gore-fest!

Fans of this genre of Japanese film will recognise some familiar sub-plots; there is extreme violence happened upon and caused by schoolgirls, there is a hint at not one but two lesbian relationships, and most of the men in the film are generally pathetic. Stylistically there are some familiar friends as well; numerous camera angles shot through or up the main protagonist’s mini-skirt, plenty of ninja throwing stars, bucket load after bucket load of blood spraying everywhere - you will have seen this all before.

What sets The Machine Girl apart is the sheer brute force, style and energy on display in just about every scene. The viewer is aware that the villains are going to become ever weirder and extreme as Ami and Miki get closer to their goal, but the way in which the various deaths are executed on the journey has to be seen to be believed. The effects of some of the prosthetics are just glorious, so much more satisfying than CG ever could be. The story is ridiculous, but there are laughs aplenty and everyone is in on the joke.


The Machine Girl is not a great film, but it was never meant to be. It is an enjoyably silly romp filled with truly memorable scenes, and made by people who believe movies can be ridiculous and wholeheartedly entertaining. SM