spywatcher459 Reviews

Wira (2019)

'One man's fight for redemption becomes an epic war for his family's freedom'

[9/10 · 22 August 2020]

When I first saw this previewed on Netflix I had my doubts but then learned that it contained the same choreographers who did 'the Raid' films and so I said, 'what they hey? I'll try anything once'. Needless to say, seeing this flick once made me want to watch it over and over again because it's way more impressive than what the trailers give it credit for.

Everything about Wira is amazing: the characters, the setting, the cinematography, the story writing and the action sequences are totally phenomenal, particularly the battle at the end (won't spoil what happens but when you see the final fight, you're going to get vibes of 'The Raid' when you see it.

The thing that I loved most about Wira was the story: Hairul Azeem portrays an ex-criminal named Hassan who joins the military in an attempt to straighten his life out and his years of service have not only toughened him up but have also given him a strong sense of discipline and an even stronger sense of honor to himself and his family. When he returns to the rundown apartment complex where his father Munas (a burnt out factory worker) and his sister Zain (an MMA underground fighter) stay, the reunion is anything but joyful. Apparently, Hassan's family still have some old scars involving Raja, a corrupt labor boss who is also a criminal kingpin in the area that Hassan lives in and whom Hassan used to work for when he was a criminal. To make matters worse, Hassan's sister is in debt to Raja and has an intense rivalry with Raja's spoiled and arrogant daughter Vee, the reigning champion of the underground fight circuit at Raja's club. Though Hassan wants no problems or dealings with Raja he finds himself forced to fight when Raja's thugs start to make trouble for his father and his sister Zain. Pretty soon, old scars become new wounds and Hassan is forced to unleash his tactical fury on his aggressors when they push him and his sister Zain too far.

I know it sounds rather cliché and feels like a predictable plot (and for most who have seen this formula before it probably is) but this is the type of storylines that I have always enjoyed. A movie where a character trying to devote themselves to peace is forced to declare war when the enemy just will not take the hint to show some humility and leave the main character alone. I've seen this in dozens of movies like 'Angel Town', 'Best of the Best: No Turning Back', 'Road House'...shoot, Bruce Lee was in movies like 'Fist of Fury', 'Return of the Dragon' & 'The Big Boss' in which his character just tries to move forward in peace but is forced to dish out a critical beatdown to his aggressors who believe their power and influence makes them untouchable and therefore exempt from punishment. Azeem's character is the same way and when the law can only do but so much against the corruption in his community, he has to 'Answer the Call' of duty in order to protect himself and his family from danger.

Overall, Wira is definitely an excellent action packed masterpiece from Asia and it's one that you should definitely add to your purchase list or your streaming list on Netflix. Definitely will watch the sequel if they create one in the future.

Highly recommended...don't miss it.

V.I.P.: Bloody Val-entine (1998) Season 1, Episode 3

'The Secret Life of Tasha Dexter'

[7/10 · 22 August 2020]

One of the things that I've always loved about V.I.P. aside from its campiness and humorous moments are its colorful characters. We all know how Vallery came to be the figurehead of the now famous bodyguard agency and some later episodes down the road the show would explore the other team members like Quick, Nikki and Kay and what led them to taking up a job in private sector security for celebrities in Hollywood. But out of all these characters, no-nonsense 2nd in command Tasha Dexter is the one that I find the most intriguing.

Tasha is a woman of dedication and total mystery and even Bryan Cranston's sleazy washed up action star character Colt Arrow (the original owner of the agency before his departure from the series) hints in the first pilot episode that Tasha was a 'company' (C.I.A.) woman but Tasha who is very secretive about her life will never confirm nor deny her involvement with any government agencies in her past life regardless of who asks her be it Vallery, Kay or anyone else. The other thing about Tasha is that she is so dedicated to her work, you wonder if she's capable of love or feeling anything for herself or her comrades in this show as the writer's have made her very surly and serious. But in this episode, we learn that Tasha does have a 'love life' (or at least she did) when a an annoying paparazzi named Kip Lashane becomes the target for a ruthless assassin for hire called the Owl, who is a master of disguise. And that's not all...he's also Tasha's ex-husband!

As always we have gunfights, explosions and some snippy humor to keep things going for the full 40 to 45 minutes that V.I.P. has the stage. The introduction of the Owl was a stroke of genius and I kind of hoped that his character would become something of an 'asset' for the V.I.P. team to enlist from time to time as some of their assignments do revolve around espionage. Plus, this probably the one episode where Tasha smiles and shows that there is definitely a man in her life that sets her blood on fire (and its safe to assume that she does the same thing for the Owl too in a flashback sequence from their earlier lives when they were married).

All and all, My Bloody Val-entine was an intriguing if not small insight into Tasha's life. They definitely needed more episodes that focused on her character and how she deals with people from her agency days when they come back into her life to make trouble for her and her crew.

The Hitman's Bodyguard (2017)

High-caliber action and laughs...doesn't get any better than that!

[9/10 · 26 August 2017]

After seeing a trailer for this on youtube I knew that I had to take a chance and see this, given that it looked like it had some silly elements of Deadpool mixed in just a little bit. After watching it today, I must say that it was worth the money I spent for the ticket. The Hit-man's Bodyguard is a fantastic action film with comical elements of buddy-cop thrown into the mix for good measure and with Samuel L. Jackson and Ryan Reynolds in the lead roles, you can't possibly go wrong with that combination.

Here's the story in a nut-shell: Michael Bryce is a (as he puts it), a Triple-A executive protection agent who has a pretty good life as a professional bodyguard but that all comes to an end when an assassin's bullet kills of a client. Fast forward to years later, Bryce is now down on his luck taking crappy security jobs and still holding a grudge at his ex-girlfriend Amelia Roussel, an Interpol agent whom he blames for losing his client and getting his reputation shot to pieces. But Bryce may finally have an opportunity to get back into the game when he's asked to safeguard a witness who is to testify against a genocidal Russian president (played by veteran actor Gary Oldman). Lo and behold, the witness that he's asked (or rather strong-armed) into safeguarding turns out to be Darius Kincaid (Jackson), a vulgar hit-man for hire and occasional thorn in Bryce's side during his years as a professional bodyguard.

So they get together and you can pretty much guess what comes next: car chases, gunfights, stuff blowing up, trading quips and insults, etc. As time goes by, Kincaid and Bryce struggle to see eye to eye with each other but the host of problems that Bryce had in the past, coupled with Kincaid's erratic cavalier attitude towards life make it extremely rough for this duo to avoid putting a bullet in each other's mugs. LOL!

The cinematography for this film was sweet and they filmed in a lot of lovely locations (I'm guessing most of this was in shot in Europe), the action choreography was spectacular and the dialogue and comical elements in this were spot on. Granted 'The Hit-man's Bodyguard' does have some dark-comedy in it and though it is mean- spirited, it's a reminder to the audience not to take the film too seriously. The fun part of this film is how Bryce and Kincaid learn a little bit about each other during their journey to the courthouse but that alone doesn't stop either one of them from taking pot-shots at each other or trying to annoy one another. Elodie Young was gorgeous and fantastic as Agent Rousell, Bryce's ex and I loved how she spoke French in this during certain scenes. Selma Hayek steals the show herself playing Kincaid's wife, a woman who is just as vulgar as her husband, who is incarcerated to ensure Kincaid's cooperation.

All in all, 'Hitman's Bodyguard' is definitely a film that I recommend to Samuel L. Jackson and Ryan Reynolds fans. Give it a shot...you won't be disappointed.

Black Angel Vol. 2 (1999)

'He who seeks vengeance must first dig two graves.'

[9/10 · 26 February 2013]

Takashi Ishii strikes gold again with this dark-noir style thriller which takes us deeper into the world of the Black Angel Mayo, this time portrayed by Yuki Amami. I have to say that after watching this movie I was greatly impressed at Ishii's style of storytelling and the nitty gritty feeling that he adds to this movie. From start to finish, the film is gripping and it never lets go with its violent look at the Yakuza lifestyle in modern day Japan.

On the streets of Shinjuku, Yakuza gangs are vying for power and the only way to sit at the top of the class is to remove the crime bosses that are currently in power from their seat at the table. That's where Mayo (Yuki Amami), the Black Angel comes in. Hired by her reputation alone, the Black Angel is an assassin who has never missed a target and always honors her end of the business deal and expects her employers to do the same. However, her years of contract killing have really taken a toll on her spirit and now Mayo has turned to booze as a means of dealing with her guilt. On her latest assignment though, Mayo finds herself on a collision course with Yamabe, the bodyguard of the current boss of a yakuza outfit in the Shinjuku prefecture. Yamabe has his own inner-demons to deal with, especially since he made vow to the new boss' father that he would protect the son no matter what. When Mayo is tasked with killing the son, a simply contract turns into a total disaster when a rival hit-team get in the way and a pregnant woman named Suzu gets caught in the crossfire. From that point on, Mayo, Yamabe and Suzu's paths will intertwine as they find themselves in the crosshairs of each others guns, as well as the Yakuza that is trying to stamp the three of them out.

Don't wanna give away too much, but this film has cult-classic written all over it and if some people think this is a sequel to the first, it's really not. It's more of a prequel that tells more about Mayo and her life as a gun for hire. Ishii's directing with the use of flashbacks combined with a dark and ominous atmosphere really adds tension to the movie and the characterization for Mayo, Yamabe and Suzu is really good. Also, Ishii doesn't pull any punches when he shows the abuse that the women go through in this movie (particularly for Suzu and she gets the worst treatment in this movie). At one point, you have to wonder if the protagonists in this film will even survive or if anyone can truly be trusted, but then again, this is a sort of gangster flick, so loyalty is totally overrated when it comes to fighting for power in the criminal underground. But overall, Ishii certainly kicks things up with Black Angel 2 and there are times that I wish he'd make a third.

Definitely recommend this film for those who love Japanese girls with guns style flicks. Be warned though: the violence is extreme and the brutality shown is not for the faint of heart.

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air: Blood Is Thicker Than Mud (1993) Season 4, Episode 8

'When are we going to stop doing this to each other?'

[10/10 · 5 December 2012]

Very entertaining and influential episode of Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, kinda reminds me of the episode where Will and Carlton get pulled over for driving Mr. Firth's black Mercedes up to Palm Springs for the weekend and they become the victims of racial profiling. A lot of people have felt that Carlton is too immature and too comfortable with his lavish lifestyle as a rich kid and that would make him a target to the harsh realities of the real world. In this episode, he and Will try to join an all black fraternity known as the Phi Beta Gammas run by Brother Top Dog (Glenn Plummer) who preaches that all 'brothers need to stick together'. However, as Carlton and Will's initiation into the fraternity begins, Top Dog shows what a hypocrite he really is when he takes an instant disliking to Carlton after Carlton reveals what his true lifestyle is like and proceeds to make life hard for him and easy for Will.

The vocal confrontation that Carlton and Top Dog have later in the episode is riveting and it gives a powerful message about the evils of jealousy towards one's own race merely because they've earned their comfortable lifestyle that the so-called 'American Dream' promises to individuals who work hard and don't take short cuts in life. This episode should be shown in classrooms at every school to teach young people that social status should not and does not govern who we are or who we can be 'down' with.

Martial Law (1990 Video)

'Where justice stops...Martial Law starts'

[9/10 · 2 November 2012]

I remember renting this movie when it was on VHS as a kid and I was so amazed by it that I tried to purchase the tape but unfortunately the rental place it came from closed down. I waited years hoping to see it again and then when a friend of mine showed me his copy that he had on DVD, I was saying, "Let's watch that one, let's watch that one!" During our movie club meeting, my friends were asking me all sorts of questions about the flick, the martial arts that Carradine's character Dalton Rhodes knew and so on. Martial Law was definitely a treat for me and you just gotta love the premise of the story: two high-kicking cops use martial arts to take down lowlife scum plaguing the City of Angels.

Sean Thompson is a hard-hitting cop known for his combat prowess and versatility in the martial arts along with his partner and lady-friend Billie Blake. They're both assigned together to work on a case after corpses start turning up in L. A. with each victim being killed by what it appears to be a lethal strike to the body known as 'Dim Mak' (Death touch). As Sean and Billie investigate, the blood trail leads them to the suave, vicious and lethal Dalton Rhodes, a criminal mastermind who runs a cartel for hire business for various underworld figures. Sean and Billie's investigation hits a nasty brick wall though when Sean's trouble-maker brother Michael is found out to be working for Rhodes as a car thief. And when a dangerous rival of Michael's named Faster Brown tries to rat him out to Dalton about his brother being a cop, all bets are certainly off...

The fight scenes were rather B-grade but still enjoyable with stunt man James Lew and full-contact kickboxing champion Benny 'the Jet' Urquidez making guest appearances as two members of the Tong Lin syndicate that start a fight with Sean and Billie in an alley. The plot is short, sweet and simple, the filming locations were incredible and the instrumental music score that was put together by composer Eliot Solomon had a synthesized jazzy flare to it.

I definitely recommend this flick to anyone that loves B-grade action and the lovely Cynthia Rothrock.

Noir: The True Noir (2001) Season 1, Episode 10

'T stands for Trouble.'

[10/10 · 9 September 2010]

As the great Colin James said in his song 'T stands for Trouble', 'when you're feeling no end, that's when the trouble begins' and that's exactly what happens in this episode when Mireille and Kirika finds there's another nomad who's trespassing on their turf. The trouble starts when a butt-head of a judge decides to release a crooked cop on a technicality following a murder trial. Someone has already anticipated that the outcome of the trial would lead to a guilty man being released, so Noir is contracted to show the people that crime doesn't pay. But when Mireille and Kirika proceed to do the job right in the courthouse, they're shocked to discover that someone has already beaten them to the punch and their target is lying dead with a blade in the back of his neck, along with the guards who were escorting him out.

Mireille and Kirika are baffled by this turn of events and even though they get the pay for their job, they're questioning who else could've pulled off the hit. Though everyone in town is saying Noir did it, Mireille and Kirika think there's another player at work who wants to take credit for their work. When Noir goes to finish off the crooked judge who let the dirty cop off, they may just get a chance meeting with the enigmatic assassin who has taken on the name 'Noir'.

This was definitely an intriguing episode and the writers did a good job of introducing the third player in the 'Grand Retour'. I won't say who the player is, but just know that this individual will be a problem for Mireille and Kirika for the duration of the series. Also, I wasn't expecting that Noir's target would get taken out early in the story because usually they have to go through some hairy obstacles first before they can perform their hit. Either way, this story was told extremely well and I encourage anybody to watch this episode...really intriguing stuff.

Best of the Best 3: No Turning Back (1995)

'In order to have peace, you must prepare for war'.

[9/10 · 10 November 2009]

Part one was about teamwork...part two was about vengeance...in this third chapter of the Best of the Best series, Tommy Lee finds himself fighting for the greatest prize of all: salvation. A lot of people look at this movie as a step down for the Best of the Best series, but in my opinion, it isn't. If anything, it was a growing step up until Without Warning (the fourth Best of the Best) was created.

Picking up from the events of Best of the Best 2, Tommy has left his good friend Alex Grady behind and comes to Liberty to see his sister Karen, brother-in-law Jack (who's the town Sheriff), his nephew Justin and Luther, Justin's friend who's father is a preacher who goes missing earlier in the film. Tommy is glad to see his family and is enjoying the love and warmth that he receives, but when he learns that local supremacists have taken over the town and are responsible for the death of Luther's father, Tommy must decide whether or not to use his lethal skills again in order to help the locals take back their home from predators who use fear as a weapon and violence against the innocent just because they're 'different'.

A lot of people think that this Best of the Best just follows a tired old cliché story that people have seen and heard hundreds of times before. Yes, the topic at hand does revolve around racial conflict, but in this story, the victims in this decide to butch up and fight back. Most movies I've seen about 'hate crimes' in the past have the same plot: a hate crime is committed, people want to come forward but are too scared for fear of retaliation from the haters, the law does all they can to put a stop to it but are unable to and the people who are victims just try to rely on religion alone to get them through the incident. But how often do we see movies where those who are unjustly persecuted for their race decide to take a stand against that kind of tyranny and terrorism? The movie has many messages mainly about redemption and salvation. Tommy is trying to live a life of peace, but the supremacists make that extremely difficult and force him to use lethal countermeasures to put a stop to their bullying and he hopes and prays that the situation won't result in more death at his hands.

Another message in this film is that even if you despise violence, you have to be ready to use it at a moment's notice. Nobody likes violence and would like to resolve conflicts without it...but violence is all some people know in this world. And the enemy won't learn anything about respecting another individual's rights until someone 'teaches' it to them. And rest assured, Phillp Rhee's character has a lot of teaching to do in this film.

Basically put, there's plenty of gunfights galore, high-kicking action, explosive pyrotechnics and behind it all, a message about being ready to go to war if you ever want peace on your land. That's the main thing everyone should pay attention to when they watch this film...God knows, it got my attention.

Blood and Bone (2009)

Michael Jai is not to be messed with!

[10/10 · 17 September 2009]

I rented this flick from Blockbuster just a couple of nights ago and it was so good, that I ended up purchasing it to add to my collection! Michael Jai White hadn't been seen in a lot of martial arts movies after Undisputed II, but when I saw this in the New Release section with his face on it, I jumped at the chance to check this bad boy out. Man, I was so amazed at the story, the characters, the Eastern philosophy and the fight scenes that had been put together...this film was a work of art and a stroke of genius.

The story starts off with Jai White's character Bone, who in the opening credits, shows a bunch of thugs in prison who want to shank him for not being there 'you know what', why he shouldn't be messed with and he gets his point across pretty damn well. Later after getting out, he finds himself a nice place to stay at and enters an underground fight tournament. We the audience later on learn, that there's more to Bone than meets the eye and he's really in the 'fight game' to help out a con named Danny who he befriended while in prison.

The interesting part of this story is Bone's silent, stoic no-nonsense exterior and his wise guru like ways. Michael Jai White was an excellent candidate to play this part and he puts on a superb performance. I also liked how the events of the story was in favor for the protagonist, as opposed to the antagonist who holds all the 'Aces' because of wealth, position of power and their connections to other underworld figures. Here, Bone uses the 'Art of War' elements to mess with his opponents and put them in compromising positions. He even has a sidekick in the form of Pinball (Dante Basco), a street hustler who sets up fights and hangs with Bone for the money but in-between all that, he still wants to help Bone out cause he considers him his homeboy. Dante was extremely funny at certain points in the movie, whether he was talking trash, smokin' a blunt or holding two Glocks on the bad guys saying stuff like 'What's up b**ches?!' LOL! Needless to say, for anyone that's into martial arts flicks with an Eastside philosophy meets Urban westcoast story, this one is for you. Pick this up today and you'll want to add it to your collection too...I guarantee it!

Narrow Margin (1990)

Gives new meaning to the word 'survive'. (spoiler warning)

[9/10 · 20 April 2009]

I just happened to be watching this movie when it came on late night on TBS and I wasn't really sure what I was getting myself into, but after reading about the plot, I figured 'what the hey' and just give it a shot. Needless to say, I wasn't disappointed at all.

After some ominous music, followed by very creative opening credits, we join the story of Carol Honeycutt who is an editor for a publishing company on a blind date with Michael Tarlow, a defense attorney. Michael is obviously a man with lots of secrets but Carol gets to know him quite well and they seem like an even match. However, after getting a phone call in his hotel suite, they adjourn to his room together and Carol decides to get a glass of water from the next room. Unbenowst to her and Tarlow, they have a surprise visitor: Leo Watts, a reputed crime boss with ties to organized crime. After some chit-chat, Leo reveals that he knows that Michael has been 'skimming' from him and Michael 'breaks down' and confesses that he did it and he intended to pay him back. Leo seems like an understanding fellow at first when he tells Michael that he's to return every penny that he took from him and then ties will be severed. But as they near the door, Leo says, 'Michael, I lied' and Leo's associate Jack Wooten pulls out a gun and viciously executes Tarlow, much to Carol's horror. Knowing that her life is on the line because she's a witness, Carol high-tails it out of there, making sure to cover her tracks the best she could.

Enter Robert Caufield, a Deputy DA who has been after Watts for years and when he learns that Carol was a witness to the slaying of Michael Tarlow, he jumps at the chance to bring her back to testify (but is met with resistance from his superiors who for some reason, don't want him getting involved). None the less, he and Detective Benti head up to her cabin in Canada and do their best to persuade her to come back and assist them with putting a notorious crime lord behind bars, but to no avail, Carol refuses to cooperate. What was suppose to be a simple 'search and retrieval' assignment soon falls to pieces though when high-tech professional assassins show up and start gunning the cabin to pieces. After Benti is killed and their chopper destroyed, Caufield and Honeycutt flee the cabin in a Bronco pick-up truck down the mountain and to a train station where they will board the first train headed to Los Angeles. Unfortunately, the killers board the train too and are intending to earn what their boss has paid them to do: to eliminate any loose threads. For the next several hours, Caufield and Honeycutt will have to put each other's lives in their hands as they try to outrun, outmaneuver and outwit their adversaries in a lethal game of 'step on or get stepped on'.

I was completely blown away and amazed at this film and many people are saying that the first version is better than this remake. I saw the first one and in comparison, the remake has a lot more going for it. Not only do we have nail-biting suspense, but we've got action and great performances by Gene Hackman and Anne Archer. The interesting part is the internal struggle that these two have to go through: besides the killers on the train, Hackman's character must try and convince Archer's character to do the right thing because even if they escape the killers today, Watts would just send more hitters until Honeycutt was dead. Anne Archer did a swell job playing the sharp-tongued Carol Honeycutt who won't cooperate out of fear that she'll be killed but decides to do the right thing when the killers begin to close in on them. The atmosphere of being in a train with no means of escape and no way to tell friend from foe created a claustrophobic setting for the film. It was very impressive and you spend a lot of time rooting for Caufield and Honeycutt to come out on top. They have no weapons, no cellular communication, no backup...they are totally on their own and must rely on each other in order to stay alive.

Narrow Margin is a terrific film with an excellent cast...if you haven't seen this one yet, you don't know what you're missing! :)

Tiger Cage II (1990)

A Modern day H.K. actioner that doesn't fail to entertain!

[10/10 · 19 March 2009]

I'll be honest right now...I'm a collector of Hong Kong action movies from the 80s and 90s and this film definitely didn't disappoint me one tiny bit! It was like watching 'In the Line of Duty IV' all over again. The plot is simple, but action director Yuen Wo Ping doesn't stay focused on plot for too long...he gives the people what they want to see and that's loads of gunfights, plenty of humor and fantastic fight choreography that hits dead center! In this actioner, Donnie Yen portrays Dragon Yau, a surly ex-cop with a short fuse who's had better days. He's a great police officer and he'd probably make it to police captain if his lone wolf behavior and blatant disregard for proper procedure didn't get him and the rest of the force into trouble. After numerous demotions, reprimands and suspensions, Dragon is kicked off the force and his wife has filed for divorce and claimed half of his property and his bank account (talk about rotten luck!) Just when Dragon doesn't think his day could possibly get any worse, it actually does: he witnesses a robbery in progress at the law firm where he went and after risking his life to save Mandy Chan (the lovely Rosamund Kwan), you'd think he'd get a medal or a request to come back to the force. But because of fright, Mandy assumes that Dragon was helping the bad guys and this enrages the burnt out cop. When he comes back to confront Mandy about her accusation, his problems get worse, but they soon become Mandy's problems when assassins kill her best friend Petty (Carol Cheng) and Mandy is blamed for the crime. Sighted as criminals by Inspector Yeung (Cynthia Khan), Dragon and Mandy are forced to flee, which becomes a bit of a problem since they're handcuffed together and Mandy is trying to fight Dragon as they attempt to avoid capture. As if that wasn't bad enough, they're being chased not only by the cops, but by Triad criminals who think they had something to do with the money that was stolen at the firm. Dragon and Mandy don't have a clue what's going on or why people are trying to kill them but when they encounter one too many 'close calls', they say enough is enough and prepare to fight back against those who have set them up and made their lives a living hell.

I gotta be honest, when the first battle began in the parking garage, I knew I was in for a treat and Donnie Yen shows us some of the solid, hard-hitting, high-kicking action that has made him famous over the years. The man truly does enjoy playing the hard-boiled tough guy who never runs from a fight and never backs down when trouble is near. I wanted to be like this guy so much when I saw his fighting abilities on screen and to this day, I still try to emulate some of his moves. Rosamund Kwan did a terrific job as Mandy Chan, the divorce lawyer who finds herself in an unpredictable situation and doesn't have a clue why people are trying to kill her and is plagued with guilt over the death of her best friend Petty. The situations with her and Donnie are just too funny for words as the two can't stand each other's behavior but learn to come to an understanding when they realize they can't survive without each other. Yuen Wo Ping also gives the two time to bond while they're on-screen, showing situations where they eat dinner together, have a beer or two and Dragon even teaches Mandy how to smoke. That was a very memorable scene.

Another interesting factor is that Dragon and Mandy aren't alone in this situation: they find an ally in the form of David, one of the henchmen who worked for Robin Shou's evil character, Waise. David has no intention of hurting either Dragon or Mandy, but he has to retrieve the money that was lost because his mobster boss, Uncle Chiu believes that someone at the firm ripped him off. Because Dragon and Mandy are suspects, David does everything he can to help them while still staying focused on his mission which is to retrieve the cash.

Speaking of villains, I was shocked to see Robin Shou playing the part of the bad guy in this movie! Robin's character was truly a wicked man with no qualms about killing innocent people to cover his tracks and he even has the help of Michael Woods and John Salvitti (Donnie's sparring buddies in real life) to help him in his mission to become top dog of the underworld. This character's fighting ability was completely different from the Mortal Kombat Liu Kang that I was used to seeing. Robin definitely made a name for himself with this role.

The fight scenes were amazing: plenty of raw kicking power, sword swinging action and gun-fights galore to keep you on the edge of your seat. The choreography for the scenes were right on point and I didn't see one mistake in the fights. Truly ground-breaking work.

Tiger Cage II was a fantastic modern day movie and I recommend it to anyone who's into modern day actioners, Donnie Yen, Rosamund Kwan and the choreography of Yuen Wo Ping. Truly a work of art!

Kick Boxer's Tears (1992)

Moon Lee and Yukari Oshima set it off!

[8/10 · 9 February 2006]

I had purchased the dubbed version of this movie through Suncoast and at first, I thought it was gonna be terrible because I didn't know anything about Moon Lee or Yurari Oshima. Needless to say, this movie was well worth the money! Moon Lee plays a visiting young woman, in town in Hong Kong to see her older brother (Ken Lo) who is a kickboxing champion and owner of his own school. He has two other disciples (Mark Cheng and Gabriel Wong) who are his assist him in the ring. However, a dirty trick from Billy Chow's character puts Ken into an early grave and Moon vows revenge in an attempt to keep her brother's school from being closed down because he had amassed a serious debt with the bank. What follows are some excellent stunts, acrobatic moves from Moon and some hard-hitting one on one battles with Chow and Oshima. The fights scenes are amazing and will definitely leave your jaw open.

This movie is what helped me become a fan of Moon Lee, Yukari Oshima and many other actresses in the girls-with-guns genre. I rate this movie an 8 because the dubbing was a little off track, but nothing to serious.

Rent or buy this movie today and I guarantee you won't be disappointed.

Paranoia Agent (2004–2005)

Before you watch this show, check your sanity at the door.

[10 July 2005]

I began watching Paranoia Agent when it premiered on Adult Swim late night a couple of months ago. Needless to say, this show has freaky moments and it will leave you questioning the sanity of the characters, as well as your own.

The story begins with a doll maker named Tsukiko, who constantly feels pressure at her work place from her boss, her fellow co-workers, everyone. Then one night, Tsukiko is attacked by an evil-grinning kid with gold Rollerblades and a baseball bat. Tsukiko wakes up in a hospital and it seems the attack has changed her. But did it change her for better or for worse? As two Japanese detectives are brought in on the case, they discover a rash of other assaults from various other people who range from a snobbish elementary school kid, a nosy tabloid reporter, a crooked cop, a teacher with a double identity disorder and so on. Besides almost suffering from nervous breakdowns and strings of paranoia, they all have one other thing in common: their assailant is the same person who attacked Tsukiko, Lil' Slugger, the kid with golden Rollerblades and a golden bat. At first, the two detectives can't find any connection to the attacks, but as they dwell a little deeper, one of the cops starts to see a pattern of behavior between the victims and their assailant. As more and more clues start piling up, the cops begin to realize that the suspect could be anyone and it can be no one. The suspect is right in front of them or he could be somewhere down the street.

At first, I thought this show would be a waste of time, but I was wrong. It had me on the edge of my seat as I wondered who Lil' Slugger was and why he has a tendency to clonk people on the heads who are mentally and emotionally depressed. It seems that no matter how hard I tried to figure it out, I just couldn't get a possible answer behind the mystery of the show. Kind of like a detective trying to solve a murder. Paranoia Agent is more like a Japanese version of the Twilight Zone, where nothing is what it seems. This show is not to be missed and it will definitely have you on the edge of your seat, from start to finish. But remember, before you pop this movie into your DVD player, check your sanity at the door. The person that you would least likely expect to be the culprit is possibly the one you should be watching out for.

The Avenging Quartet (1993)

Makes me wish I was in Hong Kong (may contain spoilers)

[9/10 · 15 May 2005]

I bought this movie from Suncoast which was titled "Tomb Raiders" and it had a double feature which included Godfather's Blues. I was tempted to eject this disc from my PS2 and trade it in to Blockbuster when I saw that the picture was a little too bright and there were times where the picture would fade out for a second and then be normal. My guess was that the company who did the transfer used video transfer from a dust-filled VCR, but I decided to just give it a shot, rather than let a few little glitches stop me. Needless to say, I'm glad I didn't sell it because I was amazed with the stunts, fight scenes and character development used for the characters. I also loved the locations that they used in Hong Kong. A scene with Moon at the movie theater, Cynthia walking alone near the Yin Yang club and the gym-fighting scene between Michiko and Yukari are just some of the great scenes shown in this movie. Seeing this movie just makes me wish I was in Hong Kong.

What I enjoyed most about this movie was the character development and the music used in the movie. The director devoted a lot of time to creating the characters for the actors and actresses to play and you can tell that each one has fun playing who they are. Cynthia was great as Chin, the Beijing military officer who is searching for the man she loves and looks great playing the lonely heroine. Moon does a great job as well, but she adds more flare and spice to the screen with her cute playful portrayal of Feng. Michiko and Yukari definitely prove they're a force to reckoned with as they portray Sen and Oshima, two femme fatales who are after a priceless painting that contains hidden secrets from the war. Waise Lee's character Hsiong, seems emotionless at times, but he kicks into hero mode near the end of the film and Chin Kar Lok adds comedy and action in his portrayal of Paul, a goofy Hong Kong cop with who has a thing for Moon's Feng. Also, the scenes where Cynthia and Moon talk about their boyfriends (not knowing that they're in love with the same man) is also memorable. These two girls chit chat, drink Bacardi together, fight together, play Nintendo together and even share the same bed (as friends). The way these two women acted in this movie, you'd almost think that they were sisters. Very well done indeed. It was good that the director focused more on character development than they did the actual plot of the movie.

The music was great too, had a few romance tunes and some suspenseful fight scene music and that made the movie great too. The action scenes are also superb as everybody goes into throw-down mode and beats down anyone stupid enough to get in their paths. It's a shame that the director, Stanley Wu didn't make more movies now after creating this gem.

Avenging Quartet is definitely a movie for the Guns-N-Girls genre and it shouldn't be passed up. But if you want to buy it, get the subtitled version for you VCD player or VHS. If you want a DVD copy, make sure that it's only the Avenging Quartet and not the double-feature one from ground-zero.net. The picture quality isn't all that good. Other than that, pop it into your DVD player and enjoy. You won't be disappointed.

High Risk (1995)

This movie is tight!

[4 June 2004]

I've seen this movie many times and I can't understand for the life of me why people keep giving it bad reviews. Okay, yes it's probably not an academy award winning movie but so what? People watch it for the action, not because of performance. High Risk (renamed Meltdown in the U.S.) is a great action flick in which martial arts legend Jet Li and popular Asian recording artist Jacky Cheung kick the action meter into the red zone!

Jet Li portrays Lieutenant Kit Li, a military officer who is trained by the Army and skilled in various types of combat, demolitions, weapons and tactics as well. Kit lost his wife, his colleague and a school bus full of children to an evil terrorist's bomb, who called himself the Doctor. Since then, Kit has become a stunt double and bodyguard to Asian Superstar Frankie Lone. However, Frankie isn't exactly a star like he used to be. He likes to party hard and chase after women and drink so much that he's lost his ability to fight and do his own stunts. During a stunt in which Kit is caught on tape doing Frankie's stunt for him, Helen, an investigative reporter (played by the lovable Chingmy Yau) wants to get some more dirt on Frankie and so she and her producer decide to go to an expo which is holding some magnificent jewels that once belonged to a deadly Russian czar. Unfortunately, the Doctor and his team of mercenaries also have their eyes on the jewels and they go to the Hotel where the jewels are kept at, kill off the security team and hotel staff and lay siege to the Hotel. Among his team of mercenaries are Kong (played by champion kickboxer Billy Chow), Fai Fai (played by the lovely model Valerie Chow) and Rabbit (played by stuntman and bootmaster Ben Lam).

Kit soon learns that the Doctor and his team are planning a robbery and races back with Detective Chow Kam to investigate,and upon getting there, the Doctor's mercenaries try to ex the both of them out, but they manage to waste the first wave of assault by the Doctor's forces. Anyway, the situation goes from bad to worse as Kit soon learns the Doctor's identity and so after more gunfire and kung fu, Kit, Frankie, Mr. Lone (Frankie's dad), and Helen manage to escape the concession room with their heads intact. Helen just happened to be filming the whole situation and now the Doctor wants the tape she has retrieved and Helen eliminated. During the time in the movie, Helen develops an attraction to Kit (at the beginning of the movie, they have kind of a bad start with each other). Later on, the Doctor's team has taken hostages and is threatening to kill people if their demands aren't met. Among these hostages is Detective Chow Kam and his uptight ex-girlfriend Joyce (played by Charlie Yeung). Even worse, Frankie is taken hostage and his being harassed by Kong, who wants a showdown with Frankie to see who is the better martial artist. As time ticks away, Kit and Frankie must both get past their inner demons and summon their inner strength to overwhelm the odds stacked against them as the terrorists get even more brutal.

I loved this movie and I thought it was off the hook. I haven't seen the subtitled version yet, but the English dubbed is pretty cool. The only drawback to the English dubbed is Kit's voice dubbing. His sentences are usually cut up when he speaks and he sounds like William Shatner almost. The fight scenes are especially great and the action couldn't be more fantastic. There is lots of humor in the movie, especially with Jacky Cheung's character Frankie who goes from zero to hero as he struggles to become the action hero he once was. Even more funny is how he comes on to Valerie Chow's character Fai Fai, without even knowing she's one of the terrorists. Many complaints that this movie got was the underground rap music that was used in the movie. I didn't see anything wrong with that. It's cool to have rap music in a kung fu movie I think. What better way to enjoy a fight scene than to here someone freestyling while two combatants lock horns in a deadly game of fatal combat. Overall, this movie deserves a 9.5 for creativity, adrenaline pumping action and great music and humour. Watch it late night or on the weekend when you have nothing better to do sometimes though. It'll make it a lot more interesting.