Ash-89 Reviews

Hong Kong Godfather (1985)

OK gangster movie but WHAT AN ENDING!

[8/10 · 3 December 2007]

Watched this for the first time last night. I finally got my hand on it after several years of research... My expectations were pretty high, knowing that this was directed by Wang Lung Wei and starred Leung Kar Yan and Tsui Sui Keung. The story is pretty standard with the ever present "traitor" whom you can identify after only a few minutes... But I was not prepared for what was upon me: the finale! It's 10 minutes of precise yet chaotic fight choreography that is very brutal yet entertaining. So skip the first two thirds of the movie and you'll be in for a treat! My rating...........................................................8/10 (Would have been a 6 without that awesome ending)

Xun bu fang (1980)

Worth a buy just for the awesome climactic battle!

[6 February 2003]

Tiger Over Wall has another senseless plot about someone's missing dog and a corrupt official (Hwang Jang Lee) who is sought out by the main character (Philipp Ko). But what matters here is the action. All the fights are good(especially Ko's ones)and they keep getting better and better. Which leads us to the final showdown between Hwang Jang Lee and Philipp Ko. This fight is awesome: its starts up with staffs and then they go hand-to-hand. This bout is like 10 minutes long too with blazing fast choreography and footwork, courtesy of Bootmaster Hwang Jang Lee. I also think this is Philipp Ko's best overall martial arts performance. Buy this DVD just for this fight alone, it is worth it and you'll get another movie as a bonus: Goose Boxer....................8/10

Pau mui (1998)

Average HK movie

[15 November 2002]

This movie has a little bit of everything but that is not necessarily a good thing. The story is average and so are the actors. This movie seems to be an hommage to John Woo in the action scenes (as an example: the final showdown is in a church)but the direction is not very inspired. Still Almen Wong is quite sexy but she doesn't even wear what she was wearing on the cover of the DVD. This is the main reason I bought this film (Joke :) ) But this movie is maybe worth a rent if you are into Clarence Ford's stuff (à la Naked Killer but with a lot less imagination) This movie deserves...............................................6,9/10

Dirty Tiger, Crazy Frog (1978)

Pretty good Sammo Hung movie

[10/10 · 18 October 2002]

This movie was funnier than I expected but I wasn't 100% satisfied with the fight scenes. Some of them are pretty standard, while others are simply great, which leaves a bitter taste after watching it.Sammo and Lau Kar-Wing are both excellent screen fighters but I advise watching Odd Couple, which was made a year later, instead. It has basically the same cast but the choreography was better and quicker. Still, Dirty Tiger, Crazy Frog is a lot of fun but don't expect too much in terms of fighting and you'll have a good time......................7,9/10

Extreme Challenge (2001)

Pleasant surprise!

[2 August 2002]

I taught this one was going to be horrible but I was pleasantly surprised. Sure, the story and acting are bad. But you have Stephen Tung Wai directing this, so the action sequences must be quite good. That is what saved the movie for me. You have 9 fight sequences, 2 group fights and 7 one-on-one bouts! Definitely not a classic but worth a rent in my opinion...........................7,9/10

Skinny Tiger and Fatty Dragon (1990)

One of the best "modern" Sammo movies!

[10/10 · 19 March 2002]

This movie is great! In this one Sammo,once again, does his best Bruce Lee impression. You may laugh reading this but I'm serious:this guy is the best Bruce Lee impersonator ever!There are maybe four great action scenes that involve Sammo(who cares about Karl Maka???).He does his Wing Chun to perfection!!He truly is one of the best screen fighters in history: that guy doesn't care about his size: he just goes at it and this has to be seen to be believed!! He goes against Lau Kar-Wing in the finale: I was breathless! And once, he falls on the floor so violently that he literally bounces on the floor TWICE, it is so funny!! Anyways, you have to see this one to fully understand what Sammo Hung can do(you can also watch Magnificent Butcher, Pedicab Driver and Odd Couple to capture this legend at his top! Sammo's the man!!Overall this movie deserves................................................9/10

The Dragon from Russia (1990)

Awesome movie!!

[10/10 · 9 November 2001]

Dragon from Russia is sort of a live action of Crying Freeman but very different than the french version!What struck me here was the action: there is a good amount of fights which were awesome, especially the climactic one!! They use wires in the fight scenes but they didn't distract me at all.(The Church scene is an instant classic!) As long as you don't expect action from Maggie Cheung, this movie will satisfy the average action lover!!........................................9/10

Flaming Brothers (1987)

Pretty good movie!

[10/10 · 18 October 2001]

Before watching this movie I didn't have high expectations about it but when I finally saw it I was truly satisfied with it. Its the story of 2 ''brothers'' who are living a criminal life until one of them (Chow Yun fat) meets the woman of his dream and wants to stop being illegal and have a normal life. The main character is Alan's one and Chow yun fat comes close second. The actors are good, the story is alright but some of the gunfights deserve a look.I counted 4 good gunfights in the movie, the last one is especially good ;it's very intense and gritty. Overall definitely worth a look especially for the last gunfight!......................................................7,9/10

Tiger Cage II (1990)

Best Modern day Hk flick!!!

[10/10 · 31 January 2001]

I'll say it again: Tiger Cage II is simply the best modern day action movie from Hong Kong. This movie has it all to become a classic: martial arts, gunfights, an awesome swordfight, comedy, and good characters and stunts!! Don't be fooled by the title it has nothing to do with the first Tiger Cage!! Donnie Yen (The greatest, in my opinion!!), Robin Shou(from Mortal Kombat, but don't worry he fights extremely well in this movie) and Davis Wu star in this great action movie. The last 20 minutes of the movie are fights after fights: Robin against David, Donnie against John Salvitti, Donnie against Michael Woods, Donnie against Robin!!! The movie's is also extremely well directed by the Master himself: Yuen-Woo Ping. And Donnie, Yuen Cheung-Yan and Yuen Shun-Yee(two brothers of Yuen Woo-Ping) are in charge of the action sequences. Simply get this movie if you are looking for a great ACTION movie from HK...............................9,3/10

Qi bu mi zong (1979)

Average 70's kung fu flick!

[15 July 2000]

Kung fu of seven steps is a standard martial arts movie from the seventies. There is a lot of action but the story is pretty weak( a young fighter joins the mayor to fight the bad guys who want his place). Worth a rent if you enjoy this kind of movies..................................................7,5/10

Jade Claw (1979)

Good 70's kung fu movie.

[8 July 2000]

Crystal Fist is easily the best movie in which Billy Chong stars, there is a lot of fights and most of them are entertaining. Simon Yuen (The father of Yuen Woo-Ping) also stars in this movie with the same kind of role he had in Drunken Master. Note that corey yuen(My father is a hero, Fong Sai Yuk, X-men, Romeo must die) began his career with this movie as a fight coordinator! Overall good movie worth a watch!..........................7,6/10

In the Line of Duty IV (1989)

Great action movie!

[10/10 · 21 May 2000]

Even though this movie cost me a lot more than I expected, I was wonderfully surprised about this one! The plot is virtually non-existent but the action scenes are plentiful and , most of the time, great! Everybody fights in this movie: Cynthia Khan, Donnie Yen, Yuen Yat Chor, Michael Woods, John Salvitti, David Berwick and even MIchael Wong!!! Yuen Woo-ping proves once again that he is one of the great action movie directors. The fight between Donnie and Michael Woods at the end is pretty good also. If you like this one, see Tiger Cage 2 ,if you can ,it has the same cast and is a bit better .Overall a great action movie that deserves to be discovered!!...8,5/10

Requiem for a Handsome Bastard (1992)

The greatest Quebecer film I have ever seen!!!

[9 May 2000]

Requiem pour un beau sans-coeur is simply a great film. The story is about a criminal named Regis Savoie who gets out of jail and we see his life from the eyes of many people, each one giving his point of view on the man.The cast is awesome, especially Gildor Roy. The direction is simply wonderful and the script is very good; if you thought Elvis Gratton had the best one-liners in a Quebecer film, simply check this one out you will be very surprised. There are many ones that are truly funny! Overall, a great movie based on a true story also!! ...10/10

La gammick (1975)

Pretty good gangster movie!

[9 May 2000]

La Gammick is another movie by Jacques Godbout(Ixe-13). The story is good and so are the actors. There are a couple of good one-liners throughout the film and there is even an appearance of Julien Poulin (Elvis Gratton) as one of the henchmen. Overall a good film! ...8/10

October 22 (1998)

Fair movie but the ending......?

[2 May 2000]

October 22 was fairly entertaining and has a few funny moments and this is also a ''shortcuts kind of movie''. It was trying to tell a story from the start until the last 15 minutes and I was asking myself how will it end?, what moral will I receive from this movie?. The ending was completely stupid, ruining everything that the movie was hardly trying to tell. Let me say it without spoiling the end: It was really violent. Overall, a movie that could have been good without this really awful ending........5/10

The Miracle Fighters (1982)

Good supernatural movie!

[26 April 2000]

Miracle Fighters is another Yuen woo-Ping action movie, only this time, it is not only based on kung-fu but also on magic, sorcerers and a lot of humour. There are fight sequences, (but most of the action involves magic tricks (which are great)! The special effects are, surprisingly, awesome!! The end sequence, where all the sorcerers compete in a competition, is great! The story is good but standard but it is overall a good movie!..8/10

Men of War (1994)

Pretty bad Dolph Lundgren movie.

[23 April 2000]

Men of war is certainly one of dolph`s worst, The action scenes are bad and so the story, There are only a few landscapes that are really beautiful(shot in thailand!) and deserve attention but except that there is not much of a movie here! Stick with Army of one or even Blackjack for a good action movie starring Dolph LUndgren!....................................................4/10

The Prodigal Son (1981)

Greatest wing chun movie ever period.

[10/10 · 14 April 2000]

This movie has all: kung fu, comedy, a good story,chinese opera, sammo hung doing calligraphy, trainings... The fight scenes of this movie are jaw dropping!! The fight between Lam ching ying and Frankie Chan is simply wonderful. The end fight is good also but Yuen Biao's wing chun is not as good as Frankie chan's. Overall, a masterpiece.....................................10/10

Bridge of Dragons (1999)

Pretty good Dolph Lundgren movie! 7/10

[25 March 2000]

BRidge of dragons is a typical post-war b-movie, only this time

it does not take itself seriously, I think so, because if this

movie is serious it is really bad. The action is John Woo style

but not that good with a lot of slow-motion during the

shootouts. Cary Hiroyuki Takagawa does some pretty good

kicks(was it him?)and the wooden pole fight is fair. The things

that made me laugh in this movie is when they kick somebody, the

guy always falls 4 meters away doing a flip and at one point

Dolph is shot in the belly and he yells: ah! but he instantly

continues to shoot some people! I you do not take this movie

seriously, you should appreciate it!_________________

Shanghai Affairs (1998)

Pretty good Donnie Yen movie!

[8/10 · 16 March 2000]

Shangai Affairs is the second movie that Donnie Yen has directed(the first was the great ''Legend of the Wolf'') This time, Donnie is a doctor and Yu Rong Guang is the leader of the axe gang. His sister his wounded and Donnie has to cure her even if he hates the guy! The story is pretty good and well acted. But when it comes to action, Donnie is the man!! There is a couple of very nice fights between him and Yu but they are pretty short but greatly choreographed(thanks to donnie!) The fights are a little bit ,stylistically, as in legend of the wolf but you see a lot more of the action in this one! But Legend of the Wolf is far better when it comes to action! Good movie however!................................................7,9/10

A Simple Plan (1998)

Excellent Raimi movie!

[10/10 · 17 February 2000]

A simple plan is one of the best psychological thriller of the decade! The screenplay is great ,so are the actors! Raimi's direction is surprisingly restrained to create the tension. A masterpiece! I however hope that Sam Raimi comes back to his roots to make excellent movies like The Evil Dead trilogy, Darkman and the Quick and the Dead(Because for love of the game was his worst!). Overall, this movie deserves.............................. 10/10

Don't Give a Damn (1995)

Not Sammo's best!

[17 February 2000]

It is an action movie but it lacks action! There is a few action sequences throughout the film, but Sammo and (his long time friend) Yuen Biao, do not have the time to impress us with their skills until the end of the movie, and at this moment, it's too late! But this fight is still worth watching!

Good for rent on a lazy Sunday. 7,5/10

Magkasangga sa batas (1993)

Standard Hong Kong action movie.

[17 February 2000]

Lethal Panther II is an action movie like so many others that have been done in Hong Kong in the 90's. There is action, a lot, but it is not necessarily entertaining. The beginning and the end of this movie are Ok, but between, the action is separated in little spurts that are not, even at least, entertaining. Lethal Panther I is, in my opinion, better 7/10

The Sword Stained with Royal Blood (1993)

Standard swordplay movie.

[18 January 2000]

Sword stained with royal blood is a movie with a very weird story. The action scenes are numerous but they are far too short to satisfy a swordplay movie fan. And Yuen Biao doesn't even let us the chance to see his martial artist capacities. But the end fight is well orchestrated with the wires as you witness an aerial fight between two men , for real ,without seeing the wires. This movie remains good to rent but no to buy, buy Duel to the Death or Swordsman II for a good swordplay movie instead. 7,1/10

Heroes Among Heroes (1993)

Good Yuen woo-ping kung fu film!

[16 October 1999]

Heroes among heroes is another kung fu movie from the master: Yuen Woo-ping. It stars Donnie Yen (the greatest in my opinion!)) As usual, Yen kicks some major butts in this movie but the story is not really original: Opium dealing involving the ''evil'' british!!(Strongly reminiscent of Drunken Master 2, Tai chi 2 or even once upon a time in china!!) The actor who portrays Wong Fei Hong in the movie is also a good martial artist but Donnie, once again, steals the show with his grace and his charisma. He even uses the drunken style in this movie. There is a good amount of fights in this movie but they are short but the climactic fight is great. Watch this movie for the fights, not for the story, because the fights are from Yuen Woo-ping and Donnie Yen shines, as always!! 7.8/10