Wing Chun (1994) - A Review

 

Another classic Michelle Yeoh movie.

Wing Chun (also known as The Beautiful Secret Agent and Bandit Queen) is a martial arts comedy movie released in Hong Kong in 1994 and stars Michelle Yeoh, Donnie Yen, Kingdom Yuen King-Tan, Waise Lee Chi-Hung, Catherine Hung Yan, Norman Tsui Siu-Keung, Chui A-Fai, and Cheng Pei-Pei. Wing Chun was directed by Yuen Woo-Ping, with action choreographed by Yuen Woo-Ping, Donnie Yen, and Yuen Shun-Yi.

Michelle Yeoh as Yim Wing Chun. Do not mess with her!

In Wing Chun, Michelle Yeoh plays Yim Wing Chun, a master martial artist and owner of a tofu shop in a mountain village. Since Yim is a woman martial artist, she has given up hope of meeting a man and getting married. She even dresses like a man, with many people mistaking her for a man. One day a beautiful young woman, Charmy (played by Catherine Hung Yan) comes to town with her sick and dying husband, looking for a way to help him. After he dies, Charmy needs money for the funeral. Her only option is to sell herself to the highest bidder in town. Yim "buys" her, and hires her to work at the tofu shop.

A group of bandits want Charmy (and revenge on Yim Wing Chun for stopping them) for their own "personal pleasure". After Wing Chun defeats the brother (played by Chui A-Fai) of the leader, Flying Chimpanzee (played by Norman Tsui Siu-Keung), challenges her to a duel; if Wing Chun loses, she must become Flying Chimpanzee's woman.

During all this, Wing Chun's childhood friend, Leung Pok To (played by Donnie Yen), comes into town looking for her. He wants to marry her, but he mistakes Charmy for Wing Chun, and Wing Chun for a man! As you can imagine, a lot of mistaken identity shenanigans ensue. Can Yim Wing Chun defeat Flying Chimpanzee and avoid forcibly becoming his wife, and will she ever find love (particularly with  Leung Pok To)?

Donnie Yen is looking for the love of his life... and kicking butt.

I first watched Wing Chun in the late 90s on cable TV channel TNT late at night. I loved it back then, as it was the first time I watched a Michelle Yeoh movie where she was the top star, and it was the first movie I ever saw Donnie Yen in (I had heard of him before that, though). I recorded it on VHS off the TV so I could watch it whenever I wanted, but as you can imagine, when DVDs became the popular format, I wanted to buy the DVD version. Of course, I could never find it on sale anywhere (in-store or online) for years. The last time I watched Wing Chun was probably in the early 2000s. (There is a rumor that Miramax bought the rights for Wing Chun, just so nobody else could release it in America. Not sure how true that is, but it seems to be true in my experience.)

So how does Wing Chun hold up? I think it holds up great! Reading other reviews of this movie, it seems like everybody gives it negative points for not being about the creation of the Wing Chun style, or about the creator of the style, Ng Mui (who does appear in this movie, played by Cheng Pei-Pei), or a more truthful profile of Yim Wing Chun, who was Ng Mui's first student and who the style is named after. This movie is a silly comedy, basically. I hate to call it a romantic comedy, but there is a lot of comedy based on romantic situations. I actually enjoyed the comedy, for the most part (unlike a majority of the reviews I read), but as I always say: comedy is subjective. You may not find the movie funny, but maybe you will.

Michelle Yeoh plays Yim Wing Chun as a stoic, martial arts master who kind of regrets not finding love, but does not regret becoming a martial artist. She has great chemistry with Kingdom Yuen King-Tan, who plays her aunt Abascus Fong, a very smelly and desperately amorous woman. Donnie Yen plays Leung Pok To as a heroic young man with honorable intentions. He is also kind of a goof in this movie (which impacted how I though of him as an actor for a little while... until I saw Legend Of The Wolf, 1997. I gained a whole new appreciation for him after that movie!) It was great to see Norman Tsui Siu-Keung as the main villain, Flying Chimpanzee. I can't believe I didn't recognize it was him until now. He plays Flying Chimpanzee as a cocky, chauvinist jerk. All the performances in this movie are great, as are the characters.

A lot of creative fights in Wing Chun, as expected in a Yuen Woo-Ping movie!

 The fight scenes in Wing Chun are really, really good. I will say, though Yim Wing Chun is a Wing Chun master, the way she fights in this movie is not totally Wing Chun-based. Still, there are some Wing Chun strikes in there, and the fights are entertaining. Donnie Yen gets in on the action, and he does some of his great kicks in this. Norman Tsui Siu-Keung is a formidable final boss, who is an expert with a spear and a master of the cotton belly. The most famous fight in this movie is when Yim Wing Chun challenges a bandit to hit a tray of tofu. Wing Chun blocks all of his strikes, uses the tofu as a weapon, and even does some fancy tofu dodging as well. Probably the most creative fight in the movie. Since this movie was made in the 90s, the fights have that really sped up look to it. Not as bad as other movies during that time period, but it's still noticeable. I don't like fight scenes that are sped up like that, but in Wing Chun it's tolerable.

So, should you watch Wing Chun? I say yes! It's a fun, funny, action-packed movie. Michelle Yeoh is great in this, playing the unselfish hero to perfection, and Donnie Yen is a goofy butt kicker. Though this movie may not be historically accurate, it's a fun way to find out about the originators of the Wing Chun kung fu style. Michelle Yeoh is just the best!

Reviewed by David Williams

[Fight Scene Friday] Model A | Sci-Fi Short Film |

 This week's Fight Scene Friday™ scene is a short film by Vlad Rimburg! It stars Amy Sturdivant and  Mickey Facchinello, with Vlad Rimburg writing, editing, directing, and choreographing by Vlad Rimburg. This is a really cool short film; it has an awesome concept and great fights and stunts. Vlad is one creative dude! Check it out!

 

[Fight Scene Friday] Kali Diaries- Entry #10 Game of Death

 This week's Fight Scene Friday™ scene is an homage to Bruce Lee's original vision for Game Of Death! Lauren Mary Kim fights three masters of different martial arts styles, and these masters are played by some of the top martial artists/stunt performers in the business today. Check it out!

 

Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers: Once And Always Trailer

 Check out the official trailer for Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers: Once And Always! Former Power Rangers actors (like Walter Emmanuel Jones, David Yost, Steve Cardenas, and Catherine Sutherland, among others) reunite for this 30th anniversary special. Here is the synopsis:

After tragedy strikes, an unlikely young hero takes her rightful place amongst the Power Rangers to exact revenge on the team's oldest arch-nemesis.

Being a Power Rangers fan since the very beginning, I really hope this is good! Jason David Frank will not be in this, but I expect the special will be dedicated to him. Great to see these actors back in action after so many years. Since I do not have Netflix, I will not be able to watch it (until years later, maybe), but I hope it turns out great. Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers: Once And Always premieres exclusively on Netflix on April 19, 2023.

 

Devil Hunters (1989) - A Review

 

Classic, yet infamous, girls with guns movie.

Devil Hunters (also known as Ultra Force 2, Red Force 3, and Megaforce 2) is an action/crime/girls with guns movie released in Hong Kong in 1989 and stars Sibelle Hu, Moon Lee, Ray Lui, Michael Chan, Alex Man, Ken Lo, Francis Ng Chun-yu, and Wong Wai. It was directed by Tony Lou Chun-Ku, with action directed by Chui Fat and action choreographed by Lung Sang. Devil Hunters is most famous for the botched stunt that occurs at the end of the movie.

Sibelle Hu (left) and Moon Lee gearing up to kick butt!

In Devil Hunters, Superintendent Tsang (played by Alex Man) is leading his team in trying to arrest Hon San (played by Wong Wai), a Triad boss. He has his best officer on the case, Tong Fung (played by Sibelle Hu). Unbeknownst to them, Chun Bing (played by Moon Lee) is also tracking down Hon San. Chun Bing ruins the police's big ambush, allowing Hon San to escape. During this, Chai Yuet (played by Ray Lui), the son of a rival Triad boss, helps his father escape. Hon San believes this rival Triad boss was in on the police ambush, so he sends his right hand man Chiu Sing (played by Francis Ng) to assassinate the boss (which happens right in front of Chai Yuet).  

Chun Bing tries to work with Chai Yuet; she wants Chai to bring her Hon San alive, but he refuses. She then tries to work with Tong Fung and the police, but things go wrong, and a beloved officer is killed during an incident with Hon San's gang. Tong Fung is now determined to get Hon San. Eventually, Chun Bing gets Hon San, and she works with Yin Fu (played Michael Chan), one of Hon San's loyal gang members, to get him to the Philippines. Things go wrong, secrets are revealed, and Tong Fung, Chun Bing, and Chai Yuet have to work together to capture the big man responsible for everything...

Ray Lui kicks some serious butt in this!

I first heard of Devil Hunters on an Asian cinema message board in the early 2000s in a topic about the most dangerous stunts/the most serious injuries in Hong Kong cinema. Reading about what happened was pretty shocking. I kept that movie in mind for years, until I finally was able to watch it on Hulu of all places (back when Hulu was free). Finally seeing the actual stunt play out, it was way worse than described in that message board thread! Basically, the three main characters (Moon Lee, Sibelle Hu, and Ray Lui) are supposed to jump out of a second story window as an explosion goes off behind them. Unfortunately, too much gun powder was used, and the explosion goes off a bit early, causing the flames of the explosion to engulf the actors, mainly Moon Lee and Sibelle Hu. Because Sibelle Hu seemed hesitant to do the stunt (she is not ready to jump when the others start their jump), she got the worst injuries. You can see in the movie that she is totally engulfed in the flames as she plummets to the ground. It's brutal. You would think maybe the producers and director would do something different for the ending and not use the botched stunt in the movie, but no. The stunt footage is used at the end, and it is shown from multiple angles! A message is shown at the end of the movie acknowledging the botched stunt and commending and wishing the actors well. The end credits show all the newspaper stories covering the accident. All three actors suffered third degree burns and were hospitalized.

To me, it seems the accident affected the plot of the movie in some ways. Since the action and stunts are usually filmed first, and then the acting scenes are filmed later, the three main actors may not have been available for their scenes (since they were recovering from the accident). As a result, Sibelle Hu disappears during the middle of the film, Moon Lee is not involved in a lot of action until the end, and close ups of Moon Lee and Sibelle Hu seem to be filmed at different locations than the ones the scenes they are in are taking place. Ray Lui (who jumped first and seemed to be the least injured) has the most screen time of the three. Michael Chan also gets his own action scene, to perhaps make up for the lack of Moon Lee and Sibelle Hu action at the end.

The infamous stunt. Sibelle Hu is in the middle.

 Despite all this, the movie is pretty good! The plot may be a little convoluted, but it is interesting throughout. Let's just say, what's going on with the villains is not all what it seems. The acting is very good, with Michael Chan putting in a surprising performance as a family man (if you know the types of roles he is known for, this role is a surprise). Francis Ng is a complete bastard in this movie as well.

The action is excellent in Devil Hunters. The fight scenes are fast, hard-hitting, and creative. Moon Lee is amazing, as always. Ray Lui surprised me with his skills, he's really good! Ray Lui and Ken Lo have a brutal fight at the end. The final fight is great as well, with Moon Lee, Sibelle Hu, and Ray Lui teaming up to take out the final boss. There are a lot of gun battles as well. Lots of explosions, too. This movie has it all in the action department.

So, should you watch Devil Hunters? I say yes. Despite the controversial botched stunt, the movie is good, the action is top notch, and the music rocks too. This is an excellent example of the girls with guns film genre. Devil Hunters is the best and the worst of the girls with guns genre, as well: Awesome action done by awesome actresses, but conversely, the exploitive actions of the producers of the movie using the accident to hype up the movie is lamentable. Watch Devil Hunters and show respect to Sibelle Hu, Moon Lee, and Ray Lui; three actors who almost gave their lives for the entertainment of the audience.

Reviewed by David Williams

Sister Street Fighter (1974) - A Review

 

This movie kicks butt!

Sister Street Fighter is a martial arts movie released in Japan in 1974 and stars Etsuko Shihomi, Sonny Chiba, Bin Amatsu, Masashi Ishibashi, Emi Hayakawa,  Hiroshi Miyauchi, and Xiè Xiùróng. It was directed by Kazuhiko Yamaguchi. Sister Street Fighter was rated X for violence when released in America, and has nothing to do with The Street Fighter (1974), starring Sonny Chiba (even though he has a role in this movie).

Etsuko Shihomi as Tina Long. She is amazing in this.

In Sister Street Fighter, Etsuko Shihomi plays Tina Long, a martial artist who is in search of her missing brother, Lee Long (played by Hiroshi Miyauchi) in Japan. Lee Long is also a martial artist in the Shorinji kempo school, and was investigating the Central Export corporation before he went missing. As you can imagine, the head of Central Export, Kaki (played by Bin Amatsu) is one evil and corrupt business man. The way he makes his money is pretty outrageous (you have to see the movie to believe it), and he has multiple martial artists to protect him, including Amazons!

Tina goes on a fight-filled quest to find her brother, encountering bad guys around every corner. There is a martial arts master who hates the Shorinji kempo school, Hammerhead (played by Masashi Ishibashi), who becomes a thorn in Tina's side. Tina is not alone in her quest, she gets help from students at the Shorinji kempo school; Sonny (played by Sonny Chiba) and Emmy Kawasaki (played by Emi Hayakawa). Sonny, in particular, is a ferocious fighter. Can Tina uncover the illegal activities Kaki and Central Export are up to, and can she find and rescue her brother...?

Sonny Chiba (center) provides back up!

Though the movie is called Sister Street Fighter, and it has the star of The Street Fighter (Sonny Chiba) in a major role, and Etsuko Shihomi also had a role in The Street Fighter... this movie has nothing to do with the previous movie. Some would call it a spin-off, but is it really if the American movie company New Line Cinema renamed the movie Sister Street Fighter to capitalize on the success of The Street Fighter? It doesn't really matter to me, I guess. What matters is if I enjoyed it, and I did!

I'll just say it: Sister Street Fighter is just a fun action movie, nothing too deep. It is a showcase for Etsuko Shihomi and her martial arts skills. She plays Tina Long as a strong, determined, and caring woman on a mission to find her brother and bring down Central Export. Sonny Chiba has a somewhat small (but major) role in this movie, but his scenes are very memorable! He kicks butt like nobody else! The villains come out of a manga or anime; some of them are really over the top evil or are just plain crazy characters. Though the movie may seem goofy or less serious than something like The Street Fighter, there are some very violent deaths in this. Also a warning, there is a rape scene in this. I can understand why the movie was rated X when it came out in America, but I still think it shouldn't have been edited. It is pretty violent by today's standards, but it is not shocking like it would have been back then.

 By the way, I watched the original English dub of this movie, so I definitely need to watch Sister Street Fighter in its original language with English subtitles. I feel like I wasn't getting the whole story with the dub. Maybe I will review that version of the movie in the future.

Etsuko Shihomi shows no mercy towards disrespectful men!

The action is fast and furious in Sister Street Fighter! There are a lot of fight scenes in this movie! Etsuko Shihomi is awesome in this, and she gets to show off her martial arts skills throughout. Her first fight scene in the movie is against a bunch of men in a restaurant who "want her attention", if you know what I mean. Naturally, she destroys them, and you learn from this fight that Tina is not someone to be messed with! Sonny Chiba has some great fight scenes in this movie as well. He may not be as wild as he was in The Street Fighter, but he still fights with ferocity. The final fights are when things get crazy, with many graphically violent deaths. The action is good in Sister Street Fighter, but just don't expect Hong Kong style choreography.

So, should you watch Sister Street Fighter? I say yes! It's not the best movie in the world, but it has an amazing star (Etsuko Shihomi), crazy characters, an interesting story, and plentiful fight scenes. When you think of the best ever action stars, Etsuko Shihomi should be in the conversation. She is great, and I feel is really underrated nowadays.

Reviewed by David Williams

[Fight Scene Friday] QUEEN (Action Short)

 This week's Fight Scene Friday™ scene comes from the Sloyer Stunts crew! It stars Amy Sturdivant, Michael Lehr, Jay Kwon, and Jeremy Tristan. Action/choreography, camera, editing, story, and directing is by Bryan Sloyer. The action is fast and hard-hitting, and it has an interesting story. I really liked this one! Check it out!

 

Customs Frontline (2023) - Teaser Trailer

 Check out the trailer for Customs Frontline, which stars Nicholas Tse (New Police Story, 2004 and Raging Fire, 2021) and Jacky Cheung (Days Of Being Wild, 1990 and High Risk, 1995) and is directed by Herman Yau (The Untold Story, 1993 and The Legend Is Born - Ip Man, 2010). There is no official synopsis for the movie (as of this blog), but Customs Frontline deals with the Customs and Excise Department (C&ED) in Hong Kong (which fights against smuggling, drug trafficking, and drug abuse, among other things).

Customs Frontline comes out some time in 2023. This looks like it could be really good; I hope it gets an international release!

 

Ninja vs. Shark (2023) - Movie Trailer

 Here is the trailer for Koichi Sakamoto's latest movie, Ninja vs. Shark! Here is the synopsis:

Set in the Edo period, the story of Ninja vs. Shark takes place in the remote village of Okitsu. Koushirou (played by Yuichi Nakamura), an evil cult leader, uses ninjutsu to ensorcell sharks and forces them to attack local pearl divers so the cult can steal the pearls from their mangled corpses. Desperate for help, the village chief hires Kotaro Shiozaki (played by Kohshu Hirano), a guard at a nearby temple, but Kotaro soon finds his path blocked by Kikuma (Kanon Miyahara), a lady ninja, and a gigantic shark that doesn't seem like something from this world...

Knowing this is a Koichi Sakamoto film, I am very excited to see it! He has done fight scenes/action scenes for Power Rangers, Kamen Rider, Ultraman, and the Mark Dacascos classic Drive (1997), among many others. Juria Nagano also stars in this movie! Juria wrestles for Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling, and uses her martial arts skills in her matches.  I like what I've seen of her so far in TJPW, so I can't wait to see her in action on the big screen. 

Ninja vs. Shark comes out April 14, 2023 in Japan. Hopefully it gets an international release because I need to see this!

 

[Fight Scene Friday] Female Osu - (Part 1 - Chapter C)

 It's Fight Scene Friday™, and this week we have a karate duel between Mickey Facchinello (in the karate gi/uniform) and Amy Johnston. This fight was directed, edited, choreographed, and filmed by Vlad Rimburg. This fight is bloody and hard-hitting. A great showcase of karate techniques as well. Check it out!

 

Honor And Glory (1992) - A Review

 

Classic cover to a not so classic movie.

Honor And Glory is a martial arts action movie released in the United States in 1992 and stars Cynthia Rothrock, Donna Jason, Chuck Jeffreys, Robin Shou, John Miller, Yip Kim Hing, Richard Yuen, Gerald Klein, and Tai Yim. It was directed by Godfrey Ho (credited in this movie as Godfrey Hall), with fight choreography by Tai Yim.

Cynthia Rothrock (left, as Tracey Pride) and Donna Jason (right, as Joyce Pride) play sisters who kick butt!

In Honor And Glory, Cynthia Rothrock plays Tracey Pride, an FBI agent on the trail of a stolen nuclear warhead detonator with her partner Dragon Lee (played by Robin Shou). Her mission brings her back to America, where she meets up with her sister Joyce Pride (played by Donna Jason). Joyce is a TV news reporter investigating the illegal dealings of the super wealthy banker and businessman, Jason Slade (played by John Miller). Since Jason is being hounded by Joyce and assassins, he has a security group protecting him, lead by Jake Armstrong (played by Chuck Jeffreys), the top bodyguard in the game.

Joyce shows her news report to Tracey, and Jason Slade gets on Tracey's radar. Though Tracey and Joyce get along, Joyce does not get along with her father, CIA agent John Pride (played by Leo Rocca). Jason Slade ends up with the nuclear warhead detonator, and wants to sell it to the highest bidder. Joyce's fellow kung fu school classmate Mickey (played by Yip Yim Hing) investigates strange goings on at a warehouse and gets video evidence of Jason Slade's illegal activities. Jake Armstrong starts questioning whether Jason Slade is a criminal or not and begins to help Joyce in her investigation. Things boil to a head when Jason Slade kidnaps the Pride sisters' father, and Tracey, Joyce, Dragon, and Jake team up to finally stop him...

John Miller, as Jason Slade, plays one of the biggest jerks you've ever seen in a movie!

Honor And Glory is one of those movies I watched only once on TV (cable channel TNT) late at night in the 90s, and never saw it again after that. I thought this movie was amazing back then! I had been searching for it for years (though my local video rental place had it; I didn't realize it was the same movie until after it closed down). I finally found it again on the free streaming sites Tubi and Pluto TV, and I finally watched it again recently! Was this movie as great as I remembered it?

Unfortunately, it is not! With Cynthia Rothrock, Chuck Jeffreys, Robin Shou, Donna Jason, and John Miller starring, you expect this to be filled with awesome fight scenes. The fight scenes are not that great or plentiful. Most of the focus is on the Pride sisters' and their pursuit of Jason Slade, and on their relationship. Basically, this is a very American martial arts movie. At least the fight scenes are Hong Kong style, but as said before, there aren't that many fights and they're short.   

The acting is not good. The best actors are Donna Jason and Chuck Jeffreys, and they really have good chemistry in their scenes. Cynthia Rothrock is okay in her scenes, but the things she says are so unnatural (as in, no real person would say what she says). Though this movie is billed as a Cynthia Rothrock movie, she is actually not in it that much. It is more of an ensemble movie (and Donna Jason's Joyce Pride seems to be the main character). John Miller as Jason Slade is one evil bastard! He is way over the top, and it makes you wonder why anybody would work for him with how terribly he treats his employees/co-workers.

Honor And Glory has some decent fight scenes.

What you're most probably interested in is, is how are the fight scenes in Honor And Glory? They are...okay. Though this movie was made in America in the early 90s, the fight scenes were choreographed in the Hong Kong style. Unfortunately, there are not that many fight scenes; and the fight scenes there are, are slow and short. Every character gets to show off their skill in a fight scene, including the main bad guy. Donna Jason is an excellent fighter as well, it's too bad she wasn't in more martial arts movies back then. We get all this build up to the final showdown, and it ends so disappointingly. Every character is in a fight at the same time, but instead of focusing on one fight at a time, the movie cuts between every fight every few minutes. We at least get to see Cynthia Rothrock do her patented scorpion kick. We see Robin Shou and Chuck Jeffreys do some cool stuff as well. The way Jason Slade is defeated is quite the disappointment. It could've been awesome, but they went with a totally American movie type of way to "defeat" him. Every martial artist is capable in this movie, but the choreography and editing let them down.

So, should you watch Honor And Glory? I would have to say no. If you want to watch a "cheesy" American action movie from the 90s, or need to watch every Cynthia Rothrock movie, then go ahead; you may like it! The director of this movie, Godfrey Ho, is infamous for making terrible movies (usually involving ninjas or kickboxers), so I shouldn't be surprised at its mediocrity. If you can believe it, Honor And Glory is considered one of his better movies. Cynthia Rothrock deserved so much better in America.

Reviewed by David Williams

[Fight Scene Friday] GUNSMITH CAT | ANIME INSPIRED SHORT FILM | BADASS WOMEN | HOMAGE | RALLY VINCENT

 This week's Fight Scene Friday™ scene is an homage to the Gunsmith Cats manga by Kenichi Sonoda! It stars Natalie Padilla, Vonzell Carter, and Michael Lehr, and it was written, directed, choreographed, shot, and edited by Emmanuel Manzanares. I remember loving this scene back in the day because at the time I watched it, I was thinking about a way to use a northern lights suplex in a fight scene. As you can see in this short film, they did it pretty perfectly! Natalie Padilla is pretty awesome in this, too (as are Vonzell Carter and Michael Lehr).