ryan-277 Reviews

Spartan (2004)

big let down

[11 April 2004]

I can't believe I was duped into paying 8 bucks to see this. Siskel, you lied. Hard hitting gritty dialogue? half way through the movie val kilmer starts saying "baby" after every line, making me wonder if i just fell asleep, walked into a different movie and woke up.

Also, the racial sterotypes in this movie made me want to throw my six dollar popcorn at the screen. Arab criminals putting good ole american blondes into sex slaverey? c'mon, given the times we live in, if it's not racist, it's still uncreative!

Also, while everyone else is wearing a suit and tie, the black supporting actor is decked out in baggy urban apparel. sure, he's a rookie but i think he would have a little more class than to show up for his first big assignment dressed like a, wait...STEREOTYPICAL BLACK GUY IN A MOVIE! that, and his character is killed off halfway through the movie without anyone really caring.

While Mamet's work might work wonders on the stage, i found this movie very bland, uncinematic and boring. instead of doing the things a great movie does to you, i couldn't care less about the plot or anyone involved with it.

Holy Robe of the Shaolin Temple (1985)

great kung fu film

[11 April 2004]

Holy Robe of Shaolin Temple is a great 80's martial arts flick that fits in alongside movies like THE SOUTH SHAOLIN MASTER. It's a superbly shot and choreographed film with a ton of great acrobatic fast fights.

The tone of the film is pretty serious throughout and the film doesn't fall prey to bad comedic moments alot of other films from the period unfortunatley did.

While it's not exactly a classic, it's a film that's worth seeing if your a fan of the genre as it has some great fight scenes similar to those in SOUTH SHAOLIN MASTER and MARTIAL ART MASTER WONG FEI HUNG and shows the origins of Yu Rongguang who was in some of the better 90's era films like IRON MONKEY, although in this film he plays a villian.

another bonus is that the DVD version is widescreen, although it looks like it was taken from a video master and is a bit washed out looking but still better than the majority of films released by Xenon, it looks similar to their release of "DEADLY CHINA HERO"

Truck Turner (1974)

don't write this one off

[11 April 2004]

****CAUTION:SPOILER ALERT!!!****

I'm surprised to see so many people saying they didn't like this movie. if you are into films of the genre, TRUCK TURNER rates right up there with the best of them.

There are a ton of great lines in this movie, as well as some well placed humour, and some great writing like when Truck woo's his girlfriend to come back to him with a six pack of beer. You want to laugh, but at the same time you can relate to that kind of situation. a nice little bit of slice of life in an otherwise over the top movie.

But the best scene in the whole film, and one that makes it worth a viewing even if you're not necessarily into these kind of films, is when Truck shoots YAPHET KOTTO and we see a brilliant reverse point of view shot of kotto's subsequent death. for that brief period the film gets dead serious in tone, and it is one of the more interesting directorial techniques seen in what is most likely one of it's first uses.

i loved it. issac hayes was awesome!

The Family (1970)

little dissapointing....

[11 April 2004]

an italian hitman film with charlie bronson? how can it be anything less than amazing? well, i'm not sure either but this Sergio Sollima film didn't live up to the expectations i had when i saw the trailer.

the trailer makes it look like a portrait of a killer growing old and watching his craft lose the honour it once had at the hands of the newer generation of more ruthless crooks. plus the score is possibly Ennio Morricone's best.

but, when i actually saw the film it was a little less than what i had hoped for. while Bronsons role is awesome and his dialogue sounds at times out of a Micheal Mann film like THEIF or HEAT, i think had their been a bit more heart in this film it could've been a ton better.

still, if you like mob movies or Charlie Bronson movies you should make a point of seeing this at least once. while it's not a classic, it's still a good spaghetti crime film. had it been Sergio Leone and not Sergio Sollima that directed this it may have been a masterpiece!

Any Number Can Win (1963)

great heist film!

[11 April 2004]

This film deserves more credit than it gets. All the actors are top notch (Jean Gabin as the ageing theif, Alain Delon as the playboy) and the story is very well crafted and has all the great tough guy dialogue of great caper's like RIFIFI, BOB LE FLAMBEUR etc however the overall tone of the film is a bit lighter and not as serious as those films. the heist itself is pretty short and sweet but this movie is more about the planning and the aftermath.

Another great thing about this picture is that even though it's black and white, it's still widescreen adding a nice touch to the look of the film. The only drawback to the DVD is that the picture is quite soft and blurry but for a film of this age and obscurity beggars can't be choosers! Another must see for heist fans (like me!)

Wu Tang vs. Ninja (1987)

Serious martial arts film!

[22 March 2004]

For fans of martial arts films, Ninja Hunter is satisfying on a number of levels. It's tone is set right from the start, fast paced and relentless. Abbott White, the evil Wu Tang priest is bent on destroying the shaolin temple and he's developped a special kung fu style to help him do it! Alot of great films of this era were filled with over the top comedy and sadly this film is no exception. somehow i feel if the bad jokes and potty humour were left out of this film it could have been a classic.

Aside from that, if there was an award for the most fights in a single kung fu film, Ninja Hunter would take the cake. There is a constant spat going on between the many characters in the film and believe me, this one has them all! Shaolin, Ninjas, Wu Tang, Flying Nuns and on top of all the great fight scenes, there's also several extensive training sequences with all the characters!

Another film that deserves a widescreen release! If you are a kung fu fan, this film is amazing fun and the sheer amount of fights make for dozens of repeated viewings. also has a ton of references to earlier kung fu films that are fun to pick out!

Zhong guo tie ren (1973)

genre fans will love this one!

[7/10 · 22 March 2004]

The video version available in the US doesn't do it justice, but this is actually a pretty enjoyable kung fu film. Tons of lengthy fights, all sorts of weapons and even a couple of "special techniques"! One of the heroes fights with a three section staff (you remember it as the weapon Gordon Liu invented in Master Killer) which is in my opinion a totally underused weapon in most martial arts films, and there is tons of great, over the top swordfights!

Fairly standard revenge plot, but still warrants multiple viewings at my place for the last couple of years, this movie fits it along the lines of other Joespeh Kuo films like "Shaolin Temple Strikes Back" however the ending is a bit of a let down but there's some interesting camera techniques that probably influenced films like "Ninja Hunter".

It'd be nice to see a widescreen version on dvd...