As you know, Twilight Of The Warriors: Walled In (2024) is one of my most anticipated movies of the year, and it is out currently in Hong Kong and in select theaters in the United Kingdom in a few days from now. Here are two good reviews about the movie from two of my favorite Asian cinema YouTube channels. Don't worry, they're spoiler-free!
Here is TheFanaticalDragon's review:
Here is Hong Kong and Beyond's review:
Here is the final trailer:
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| Cynthia Khan busts onto the Hong Kong movie scene with In The Line Of Duty 3. |
In The Line Of Duty 3 (also known as Yes Madam 2, Force Of The Dragon, and In the Line of Duty - Part 3) is a martial arts crime comedy movie released in Hong Kong in 1988 and stars Cynthia Khan, Fujioka Hiroshi, Nishiwaki Michiko, Stuart Ong, Paul Chun Pui, Dick Wei, Sandra Ng Kwun-Yu, Benny Law Ching-Ho, and Yueh Hua. Brandy Yuen and Arthur Wong directed the movie, with martial arts directed by Chris Lee Kin-Sang, Tony Leung Siu-Hung, Brandy Yuen, Yuen Cheung-Yan, and Yuen Yat-Choh. In The Line Of Duty 3 was Cynthia Khan's debut film.
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| Fujioka Hiroshi (left) as Hiroshi Fujioka and Cynthia Khan as Madam Yeung, our two heroes. |
In In The Line Of Duty 3, Cynthia Khan plays Yeung Lai-Ching, a young cop who has been promoted to her uncle Insp. Cameron Chuen's (played by Paul Chun Pui) squad in the Hong Kong police force. Being her uncle, Insp. Chuen doesn't want Madam Yeung to get involved in dangerous police cases. Eventually, a major case comes in, and Madam Yeung gets thrust into the action.
The case they are working on involves two Red Army terrorists (played by Nishiwaki Michiko and Stuart Ong) who steal jewels at a fashion show in Japan, and brutally kill people in the process. Interpol agent Hiroshi Fujioka (played by Fujioka Hiroshi, yes, the first Kamen Rider) and his young partner are there and chase the terrorists. Unfortunately, the terrorists kill Fujioka's partner and get away. Fujioka vows to find the terrorists and kill them in revenge for his partner. The terrorists go to Hong Kong to sell the jewels to get money for a cache of weapons. After finding out the jewels are fake, the terrorists go on a search for the fashion designer they stole the jewels from to kill him. Fujioka follows them to Hong Kong, and Madam Yeung is assigned to keep him out of trouble. As you can imagine, Fujioka cannot be stopped in his quest for vengeance, and Madam Yeung gets thrust into the middle of this conflict. Things go from bad to worse, and Madam Yeung has to deal with the terrorists on her own terms...
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| Nishiwaki Michiko (left) and Stuart Ong as the Red Army terrorists. Yes, things get kinky during this scene... |
After Michelle Khan (Michelle Yeoh) got married and retired from acting, D&B films wanted to continue the successful In The Line Of Duty franchise with a new actress. They chose Cynthia Khan (real name Yang Li-tsing, her name is a combination of Cynthia Rothrock and Michelle Khan's, two of the most successful female action stars at that time) to star in In The Line Of Duty 3, and they really did everything they could to make her a credible action star. Their efforts were successful, as Cynthia Khan showed she can live up to her namesakes, and bring something all her own to the role.
As Madam Yeung, Cynthia is shown as being very smart, strong, brave, and physically capable and skilled to take on any violent crime. Throughout the movie, the stakes are raised higher and higher, and Cynthia rises to the occasion every time. She is determined to catch the bad guys no matter what. On the other hand, Nishiwaki Michiko (you may remember her as the muscular woman in My Lucky Stars, 1985) who plays one of the terrorists, is absolutely ruthless! She is relentless in her vengeance, and is a very tough foe for Cynthia. Her character is very... sensual in a way (you have to see the movie to see what I'm talking about). Similarly, Fujioka Hiroshi, the Japanese Interpol agent, is driven by revenge as well. His role is actually similar to Hiroyuki Sanada's role in Royal Warriors (1986). He does everything he can to avenge the death of his partner, but it causes more problems for Cynthia and the Hong Kong police force.
The tone of the movie is mixed; it is mostly a comedy, but things get violent and gritty as well. On the comedy side, we have a few cameos from the My Lucky Stars cast. Richard Ng and Eric Tsang seem straight up to be playing their characters from My Lucky Stars. The relationship between Madam Yeung, her uncle the Inspector, and his squad is comical. On the other hand, the terrorists are violent and vicious. There are violent shoot-outs, massive explosions, and gritty fights. There is nothing funny going on involving them. Hey, it's an 80s Hong Kong action movie! This is to be expected, and I would not have it any other way!
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| Cynthia Khan kicks major butt in this movie! |
The action in In The Line Of Duty 3 is hard-hitting. Cynthia Khan shows off her fighting skills well in this, and she gets put through the wringer. Not only does she have to fight Nishiwaki Michiko, but she has to fight the ferocious Dick Wei at the same time! This is a great fight, and shows Madam Yeung's intelligence as well. She has to use her wits as well as her brawn to defeat them and survive. Fujioka Hiroshi and Stuart Ong have a gritty fight to the death that isn't so much about martial arts skill, but about doing any thing they can to maim and kill each other. It's an amazing fight that will have you on the edge of you seat! The choreography is very good; it's fast, fluid, and impactful.
In conclusion, I highly recommend watching In The Line Of Duty 3! It may not be as good as its predecessors, Yes, Madam! or Royal Warriors, but it is good in its own way. It has comedy, cameos, emotion, and awesome action. Really, the action is the main reason to watch this, as is Cynthia Khan, who makes her film debut in smashing fashion. Cynthia has gone on to star in more action classics through the years, and she should get the respect she deserves as an action star.
Here is the original export trailer:
Reviewed by David Williams
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| Jim Kelly struts his stuff in The Tattoo Connection. |
The Tattoo Connection (also known as Black Belt Jones 2: Tattoo Connection and The Hong Kong Connection) is a martial arts crime movie released in Hong Kong in 1978 and stars Jim Kelly, Dorian "Flash Legs" Tan Tao-Liang, Chan Sing, Tony Leung Siu-Hung, Lee Hoi-Gei, Bolo Yeung Sze, Chiang Tao, Norman Wingrove, and Lee Hoi-Sang. The movie was directed by Lee Tso-Nam, with martial arts directed by Bruce Leung Siu-Lung.
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| Jim Kelly as Lucas. He is one cool dude in this. He even dubbed his own voice for this movie. |
In The Tattoo Connection, Jim Kelly plays Lucas, an ex-CIA agent hired by an insurance company to retrieve a stolen diamond stolen by a tattooed gang in Hong Kong. Once the gang boss (played by Chan Sing) finds out Lucas is there to take back the diamond, he does everything he can to stop him, including killing people who have info, and putting a bounty on Lucas's head. Lucas plows ahead, destroying everybody that gets in his way. The gang is dangerous, but there is one member, Dong Ho (played by Dorian "Flash Legs" Tan Tao-Liang), who is a bit honorable. He wants to leave the gang with his girlfriend (played by Lee Hoi-Gei). Will Lucas get the diamond back, and will Dong Ho be able to leave the gang?
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| Dorian "Flash Legs" Tan Tao-Liang as Dong Ho. An underappreciated martial arts movie star nowadays. This guy could kick! |
Like many people who are fans of him, I've liked Jim Kelly ever since I first saw him in Enter The Dragon (1973). I've never seen him in any other movies, though I knew he was in some blaxploitation films. So, I finally found one of Jim Kelly's movies (considered one of his best) on a free streaming site (Tubi). Unfortunately (or fortunately...) it was the edited for television version of the movie. When that showed up in the opening credits, I had to decide if I still wanted to watch it, or wait until I had access to the unedited version. I decided to watch it anyway, and here are my thoughts...
The Tattoo Connection is one weird movie! Though this is billed as a Jim Kelly movie, in reality, it is more of a Jim Kelly/Dorian "Flash Legs" Tan Tao-Liang movie. In fact, I would say Tan gets a bit more screen time in this one! Jim Kelly plays the cool, cocky, expert martial artist while Flash Legs Tan plays the honorable, yet conflicted gang member who can kick like no one else. Both are likeable in their roles, and of course, they both have excellent martial arts skills. It is mainly Jim Kelly who has the cool lines, but Tan has some zingers as well.
The plot is pretty basic, maybe a little too basic. As was the case back then, there is some weird pacing issues and let's say inappropriate humor. Unfortunately, there is a little bit of racism in this as well. From what I've read about this movie, there is apparently a lot of gratuitous nudity throughout The Tattoo Connection. You know it's too much unnecessary nudity when reviews from regular people (not critics) complain about it! The version I saw was edited, so there was absolutely no nudity shown. Of course, the scenes with nudity were edited in such a way that it made it even more weird and creepy! You have to see those edits to believe it! The music in The Tattoo Connection is also very funky, or dare I say, fonky (the pinnacle of funkiness). Really good music throughout.
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| The Tattoo Connection has some nice fight scenes. Considered to be Jim Kelly's best movie that showcases his martial arts skills. |
While the plot of the movie is nothing special, the action is really good! Jim Kelly is one awesomely cool butt kicker in this! He is fast, precise, and hits hard in his fight scenes. Kelly even gets to finally have his one on one fight with Bolo Yeung in this movie (which he was supposed to have in Enter The Dragon). Flash Legs Tan starts off the movie with a fight scene, and there (and throughout) he gets to show off his awesome kicking skills. There are a lot of good fights in this movie, with the final fight being the best, in my opinion. This is classic 70s martial arts choreography, not as intricate as Lau Kar Leung, Sammo Hung, or Yuen Woo-ping's, but still entertaining.
I am not sure if I can recommend The Tattoo Connection. It does have entertaining fight scenes and fonky music, but the plot is basic and there is rampant nudity (in the unedited version). I guess I will recommend the movie for its fight scenes only... and the fact that Jim Kelly is cooler than a cucumber in this. Where else can you find a movie where Bolo Yeung sings his heart out in mockery of his fellow gang member? It happens in this movie, and you will not be prepared.
Also, though my feelings are mixed on this movie, I would love if The Tattoo Connection got a remastered HD blu-ray release in the future. I think it would look pretty good in high definition.
The Tattoo Connection original trailer:
Reviewed by David Williams
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| Baby Assassins is a really funny, yet violent, movie! |
Baby Assassins (also known as Baby Valkyrie , Baby Walküre, and Beibi Warukyure) is an action comedy film released in Japan in 2021 that stars Izawa Saori, Takaishi Akari, Mone Akitani, Yasukaze Motomiya, Uekiya Satoshi, and Mimoto Masanori. It was written and directed by Sakamoto Yugo, with Sonomura Kensuke in charge of the fight scenes.
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| Perfect shot of Mahiro's (left) and Chisato's (right) personalities. |
In Baby Assassins, Fukagawa Mahiro (played by Izawa Saori) and Sugimoto Chisato (played by Takaishi Akari) are two young women about to graduate from high school... who are also assassins. The assassin agency they work for tells them they must get part-time jobs after they graduate (to not arouse suspicion of where their income is coming from), and arranges for the both of them to live in an apartment together. Things go fine between Mahiro and Chisato at first, but things get tense between them later. Mahiro is more of an introvert, while Chisato is an extrovert. They both have trouble finding and holding jobs. Then they get mixed up with a Yakuza family, and their lives become even more complicated! Can Mahiro and Chisato get on the same page and deal with the Yakuza together?
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| The Yakuza family having a heartwarming gun lesson. |
Baby Assassins had a lot of hype when it came out in 2021, with many people raving about the action scenes in it. With Sonomura Kensuke in charge of the action (he did the awesome fight scenes in Hydra, 2019), my expectations were pretty high for this movie. Did this movie live up to the hype? For me, it totally did!
First off, there are only two major fight scenes, one at the beginning and one at the end of the movie. A lot of people who did not enjoy this movie expected more action, so please have your expectations in check. Even though the movie isn't full of action, there is a lot of violence (involving guns mainly), and the violence can get pretty brutal. To me, the best thing about Baby Assassins is the characters. Mahiro and Chisato have great personalities, and they play off each other so well. Their relationship evolves throughout the movie, and you can see where both characters are coming from (point of view-wise) Some of the situations they get in are hilarious. It is interesting to see these two young women trying to live a normal life in Japan while also being ruthless assassins. This movie is very funny! Despite the comedy, there is a sense of danger throughout, especially involving the Yakuza family. These characters are horrible people, but even they have some comedic scenes. The Yakuza father, Hamaoka Ippei (played by Yasukaze Motomiya) is especially cruel and irredeemable.
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| You've got to watch the fight scenes in Baby Assassins! |
The action in Baby Assassins is awesome! Sonomura Kensuke really went all out with his choreography in this movie. The fighting is fast, hard-hitting, and relentless. The fights involve knives, guns, punches, kicks, and throws. Izawa Saori (Mahiro) is a stunt woman-turned actress, and she does the most intricate fighting in the movie. She is really good! I hope we see her in more starring roles in action movies. The final fight is the best fight, where Mahiro fights a Yakuza enforcer in a duel to the death. Really great stuff in this one; I don't want to spoil it, but it is a must-see fight scene. Though this movie doesn't have a lot of action, the action it does have is top-notch!
In conclusion, Baby Assassins is a fun, creative, incredibly violent comedy that I highly suggest watching. I know comedy is highly subjective, but I think this movie is really funny (especially if you understand current Japanese culture). If you don't like the comedy, stay for the action. A lot of creative stuff happens in the fights, and the fights are highly enjoyable. Besides all that, there is a message about friendship, understanding, and mental health throughout. Check this movie out, it's amazing!
Baby Assassins movie trailer (be careful, it basically spoils the whole movie):
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| One of Don 'The Dragon' Wilson's better movies. |
Red Sun Rising is a martial arts action movie released in the United States in 1994 and stars Don 'The Dragon' Wilson, Terry Farrell, James Lew, Mako, Soon-Tek Oh, Michael Ironside, Edward Albert, Peter Vasquez, Stoney Jackson, Jacqueline Obradors, and Yuji Okumoto. Red Sun Rising was directed by Francis Megahy, with fight choreography by Don 'The Dragon' Wilson and Art Camacho.
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| Terry Farrell (left) as Karen and Don 'The Dragon' Wilson (right) as Hoshino make quite the combo. |
In Red Sun Rising, Don 'The Dragon' Wilson plays Thomas Hoshino, a Japanese American cop whose partner (played by Yuji Okumoto) gets murdered by a mystical Yakuza assassin, Jaho (played by James Lew) in service of Yakuza boss Yamata (played by Soon-Tek Oh) in Japan. Jaho is a master martial artist, and he is an expert of the 'Touch of Death', which he uses to disable Hoshino momentarily and then kill his partner. As you can imagine, Hoshino is determined to get Yamata and Jaho, no matter the consequences.
Hoshino goes to Los Angeles, California in the United States on the trail of Yamata, a few months later. There he meets up and gets partnered with Karen Ryder (played by Terry Farrell), a tough, no nonsense police detective working on a brewing gang war in the city. Hoshino and Karen also meet up with his martial arts master, Iga (played by Mako), who helps train Hoshino in the same art that Jaho uses. Hoshino checks in with a federal agent (played by Edward Albert) on the Yamata case, while Karen checks in with her captain (played by Michael Ironside) to keep Hoshino out of trouble. Everything all ties together, so will Hoshino be able to catch Yamata and Jaho, and be able to stop the impending gang war?
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| James Lew is one menacing assassin! |
Looking online for what Don 'The' Dragon Wilson's best movies are, Red Sun Rising kept making the lists; and since that movie is on free streaming services, I decided to check it out. I really didn't know what to expect with this movie, since I had never heard of it before. Of all the Don 'The Dragon' Wilson movies I've seen, I would consider Red Sun Rising one of his best. Saying that, the movie is flawed.
It is cool that Don 'The Dragon' Wilson got to play a character that shared the same ethnic background as him (Japanese and Caucasian), and it plays a major part in the plot of the movie. Don kind of plays a fish out of water in this, his character not having been in America for many years. There's even a scene very similar to Rush Hour (1998), that I feel has to be copied from this movie. Don has great chemistry with Karen (Terry Farrell), and they even have some comedic scenes together. Terry Farrell is great, as she plays a strong woman on the police force who can get things done. Mako also has a great performance as Hoshino's master, and he plays against type (he's almost like Master Roshi from Dragon Ball). James Lew as the assassin is also an intimidating force, not only being a master of the death touch, but also being able to 'hypnotize' women, seemingly. This movie has a multiracial cast, but unfortunately, there are a lot of stereotypes in this.
The racism and racial slurs are abundant in Red Sun Rising. The movie takes place in America, Los Angeles to be exact, and deals with the L.A. police force, so it is accurate, unfortunately. Even Karen, the co-protagonist, is pretty racist to Hoshino. The only Latino and African-American characters in this movie are in rival gangs (though there are two high ranking or important Latino and African-American characters that are not in gangs but get killed off). Usually, this would give me a very negative view of the movie, but it is integral to the plot and the story it's trying to tell. Everything makes sense by the end of the movie. It was surprising how thought out this aspect of the movie was.
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| The action in Red Sun Rising is very 90s American style, but it is decent enough. |
As you can imagine, since this a low budget martial arts movie made in America during the mid-1990s, the action is not so good. The choreography (by Don 'The Dragon' Wilson and Art Camacho) is decent, but the way it was filmed and edited totally ruins it. The camera angle are too close up most of the time, and contact from the strikes are rarely ever shown. I don't know why fight scenes are edited like this, it makes them so unsatisfying. Despite that, Don 'The Dragon' Wilson and James Lew get to show off their martial arts skills to a decent degree. The fights are entertaining enough, just don't go in expecting Hong Kong style action.
I am conflicted on whether I recommend Red Sun Rising; it is not the best movie in the world, but it is entertaining and has a message. Apparently, Red Sun Rising is Don 'The Dragon' Wilson's favorite movie that he's done. For that alone, I will recommend watching it. The story is interesting, the characters are memorable, there is a lot of action, and there is even a lesson to be learned. Check it out, it's one of Don 'The Dragon' Wilson's best!
Reviewed by David Williams
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| Shadow Master is a horror martial arts movie that you've got to see to believe. |
Shadow Master (also known as Hanuman: Shadow Master) is a martial arts horror movie released in the United States in 2022 and stars D.Y. Sao, Craig Ng, Luciana Faulhaber, Eric Gay Jr., Anna Harr, Brian Le, Daniel Mah, Layton Matthews, Dominique Swain, and Pearry Reginald Teo. Shadow Master was written and directed by Pearry Reginald Teo, with stunts and choreography by D.Y. Sao and Martial Club (Andy Le, Brian Le, and Daniel Mah).
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| D.Y. Sao as An Voaen. Sao has some major martial arts skills! |
In Shadow Master, D.Y. Sao plays An Voaen, a mysterious man with a violent past looking for a job as a night watchman at a building that has many colorful characters. Boon-Nam (played by Craig Ng) is in charge (it seems) and tells An that children are being abducted from this building. An keeps an eye out for this, especially after he befriends Janett (played by Luciana Faulhaber) and her wheelchair-bound son, Benison (played by Eric Gay Jr.).
An encounters the group that has been kidnapping the children, and dies in a battle against them. He is resurrected by his newfound friends in the building, but when Benison is kidnapped, An makes the decision to give his body to Hanuman, the Monkey King God of Death (played by Pearry Reginald Teo), to gain the otherworldly power he needs to defeat Mephisto and the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (yes, you read that right). Can An defeat them and get Benison back safe and sound, and prevent the end of the world?
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| Brian Le (left) as the most dangerous fighter of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. |
Shadow Master is a dark, brooding, post-apocalyptic movie that combines horror and martial arts. The story is told in quite a nontraditional way, which seems to have confused a lot of people who have watched it. Well, all I can say about that is: this is the type of movie where you shouldn't look too deeply into the story. Just take everything at face value. To me, everything is explained well enough. An, after violent encounters in his past, wants to avoid using violence. Of course, he has to fight in order to protect the children in the building he lives in/works at. The mysterious group is kidnapping the children in the building to give themselves enough power to bring about the end of the world. Hanuman will give An the power to defeat them, but at the cost of his (An's) life. I liked the story, and how it combined several religious cultural icons, but some may find this nonsensical or even offensive. D.Y. Sao plays An as a very conflicted man trying not to succumb to his violent past, having to, to save the world.
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| The fights are the best part of Shadow Master! |
The absolute best part of Shadow Master are the fight scenes. With D.Y. Sao and Martial Club in charge of the action, you know the fights will rule, and they do not disappoint. The fight choreography is a mix between Hong Kong style and Panna Rittikrai's Muay Thai-based style. So not only is there fluid, fast, and intricately choreographed moves, but there is also the hard-hitting strikes of Bokator (which D.Y. Sao is an expert of). The best fight is the final fight (obviously) between D.Y. Sao and Brian Le (of Martial Club). This fight is so fast and hard-hitting; it's worth the price of admission alone! The fights in this movie can get very violent and gory, so watch out for that!
So, do I recommend watching Shadow Master? I would say, yes! The story is dark and foreboding, the characters are interesting, and the action is top notch. D.Y. Sao has a promising career ahead of him, hopefully he will be given more chances in Hollywood and beyond. It is really unfortunate that director Pearry Reginald Teo passed away this year (2023), as I think he could have gone on to make more cult classics and mainstream hit movies. Shadow Master isn't the best movie ever made, but it really is entertaining!
Reviewed by David Williams
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| The Farewell is a must-see movie. |
The Farewell is a drama/comedy (dramedy) movie released in the United States in 2019 starring Awkwafina, Zhao Shu-zhen, Tzi Ma, Diana Lin, Lu Hong, Jiang Yongbo, Chen Han, and Aoi Mizuhara. The Farewell was written, directed, and produced by Lulu Wang.
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| Zhao Shu-zhen as Nai Nai (left) and Awkwafina as Billi. Their relationship is absolutely believable. |
In The Farewell, Awkwafina plays Billi Wang, a Chinese-American writer living in New York. She is very close with her grandmother, Nai Nai (played by Zhao Shu-zhen), who lives in China. After being rejected for a prestigious fellowship, Billi finds out from her parents, Haiyan (played by Tzi Ma) and Lu Jian (played by Diana Lin), that her grandmother has terminal lung cancer and she has only three months left to live. Nai Nai does not know that she has lung cancer or that she is dying because the whole family is hiding her diagnosis from her. The family has set up a wedding for Billi's cousin Hao Hao (played by Chen Han) and his girlfriend Aiko (played by Aoi Mizuhara) as an excuse to see Nai Nai one last time. Billi is not invited, though, as the family feels she will expose the truth about Nai Nai's health condition.
Billi goes to China anyway to see her grandmother. The whole family is shocked to see her there, especially Nai Nai. As the wedding nears, the mood is solemn, and Nai Nai suspects something is wrong, judging by Billi and her father's behavior. Billi promises to keep the secret from Nai Nai, but she is conflicted throughout. She questions the morality of keeping the truth from Nai Nai, but she learns that this is a difference between Chinese and American/western culture. Billi and Nai Nai spend a lot of time together and learn a lot about each other. Can Billi keep the secret from her grandmother, and will the wedding go off without a hitch?
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| The love of a family prevails. |
The Farewell is based on director Lulu Wang's grandmother, and what she and her family went through after the terminal cancer diagnosis. The movie is very moving and emotional, and nothing feels fake or melodramatic. Awkwafina (whose comedy I am a fan of) is really understated in her portrayal of Billi. Really, everyone is pretty solemn in this movie, except for Nai Nai. Since she does not know that she is dying, she is the one full of life and not holding back emotionally. Really good performance by Zhao Shu-zhen as Nai Nai. Also great is Lu Hong playing herself as Nai Nai's younger sister. Though the movie is a bit solemn and sad, there is some nice comedy in it as well (nothing over the top, though). The visuals are great, the acting is excellent, and the story is interesting. It makes you ask yourself: What would you do in this situation?
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| Nai Nai supports Billi in ways Billi's parents may not have. |
As you can imagine, I highly recommend watching The Farewell. It is a touching, emotional story that also makes you think. There are questions of morality and a clash of American/western and Chinese culture. It is the story of a family that really loves their grandmother/mother/aunt/sister, and the things they go through to protect her. Awkwafina and Zhao Shu-zhen were perfectly cast in their roles. I cannot wait to see what other stories Lulu Wang has to tell.
Reviewed by David Williams
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| Another classic Don 'The Dragon' Wilson movie. |
Blackbelt is an American martial arts/action movie released in the United States in 1992. It stars Don 'The Dragon' Wilson, Deirdre Imershein, Matthias Hues, Alan Blumenfeld, Richard Beymer, Jack Forcinito, and Barbara A. Graham. Blackbelt was directed by Charles Phillip Moore and Rick Jacobson, with fight choreography by Don 'The Dragon' Wilson and Paul Maslak.
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| Don 'The Dragon' Wilson plays Jack Dillon, a tough, no nonsense ex-cop. |
In Blackbelt, Don 'The Dragon' Wilson plays Jack Dillon, a former cop who runs a martial arts school (and also helps those in need... with his martial arts skills). Jack's former partner, Will Sturgess (played by Alan Blumenfeld), tells an up and coming singer, Shanna (played by Deirdre Imershein) to ask Jack to be her bodyguard. Shanna was sent a box of roses with a playing card...and a severed finger with a ring on it. Jack at first rejects the job, but after seeing the results of a prostitute who was killed the previous night, along with another room full of dead men, he accepts.
It turns out the prostitute and the men were killed by a serial killer (played by Matthias Hues); a big, hulking, psychotic murderer who is also after Shanna. Jack also has to deal with Shanna's abusive boyfriend (played by Jack Forcinito) and shady music producer Eddie Deangelo (played by Richard Beymer). Jack will have to show no mercy in order to protect Shanna and make it out alive!
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| Shanna (played by Deirdre Imershein) is an up and coming singer with attitude. |
I have mixed feelings about Blackbelt. The story, a bodyguard protects a singer from a serial killer, is pretty interesting but the execution is a bit off. I'll just say it: this movie is sleazy! This is the kind of movie where after the hero and his love interest brutally murder their enemies, they have a gratuitous sex scene right after. This was the state of martial arts movies in America in the early 1990s. Despite that, there are some good things about it. Don 'The Dragon' Wilson plays the unflappable hero. Don is just a really likeable guy, so it's easy to root for him. Richard Beymer as the sleazy music exec Eddie Deangelo gives the best performance. He is one of the most obnoxious villains ever put on film. There are scenes where he is threatening people while he's eating dinner, and all the chewing and lip smacking he's doing in between saying his lines irritated the heck out of me. Great performance! Matthias Hues gives a memorable performance as the serial killer. He is basically a monster, but he never screams or yells. He is very quiet and subdued. That guy has serious mental problems!
The structure of the movie is pretty good, giving us clues as to why Shanna is being targeted by the serial killer. In fact, the reason the killer is after Shanna is kind of similar to the movie Red To Kill (1994). I wonder if the writer and director of Red To Kill saw Blackbelt first and were inspired to make their own, sleazier, version of it. We will never know. Don and Deirdre Imershein (Shanna) have good chemistry together throughout the movie, whether they hate each other or they like each other. Deirdre is a pretty good singer as well.
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| The action in Blackbelt is decent, but filmed and edited terribly. |
Blackbelt has a lot of action, both of the fighting and gunplay variety. Don 'The Dragon' Wilson choreographed the fights (along with Paul Maslak), and they did a decent job, for the most part. Once again, this is not Hong Kong style choreography, so the action is pretty slow and light-hitting. Unfortunately, you can tell that the fighters were holding back their strikes big time so they wouldn't really hurt each other. The camera angles and editing don't help with the presentation, either. What makes the action worse is the fact that Blackbelt was actually considered too violent, so the more extreme shots had to be edited out. This makes the fight scenes (especially) and the shoot-outs lack a rhythm and flow; and there are a lot of abrupt edits. I will say, though I did not like this movie, I have to see the unedited version. Maybe the fight scenes will be a little better?
As you can imagine, I can't, in good conscience, recommend watching Blackbelt. I will say, the story is interesting and there are some good actors in this, but the action is not that good and the movie itself is pretty sleazy. Only watch this movie if you are a huge fan of Don 'The Dragon' Wilson or you want to watch a violent martial arts version of the the Kevin Costner/Whitney Houston The Bodyguard (1992) movie. As a Don 'The Dragon' Wilson fan, it always pains me to pan his movies, but he was one of the few actors we could depend on for martial arts movies in the United States back then. Martial arts movies have come a long way since then!
Reviewed by David Williams
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| An American classic. | |
Minari is an American drama movie released in the United States in 2020. It stars Steven Yeun, Han Ye-ri, Alan Kim, Noel Kate Cho, Youn Yuh-jung, and Will Patton. Minari was written and directed by Lee Isaac Chung.
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| Han Ye-ri as Monica Yi (left) and Steven Yeun as Jacob Yi (right). |
In Minari, Steven Yeun plays Jacob Yi, the patriarch of the Yi family. The Yi's are an immigrant family from Korea who have just moved from California to Arkansas in the United States in the early 1980s. It is Jacob's dream to run a farm and make a living from it. His wife, Monica (played by Han Ye-ri) is not so into his dream, but she supports him. They have two kids, Anne (played by Noel Kate Cho), the oldest, and David (played by Alan Kim), who has a heart condition (heart murmur). Monica worries about David a lot, and the others stop him from over-exerting himself. David just wants to be a kid.
Monica struggles in Arkansas, not only at work, but also with loneliness. They go to church to make new friends, with some people being more welcoming than others. Jacob gets help starting his farm from a rather strange and religious man named Paul (played by Will Patton), who is very enthusiastic about helping Jacob any way he can.
After a huge argument with each other, Jacob and Monica decide to bring Monica's mother to their trailer home in Arkansas. Soon-ja (played by Youn Yuh-jung) arrives, and David is not a fan. He says she doesn't look or act like a grandma, so he avoids her or plays pranks on her. After Soon-ja's arrival, things take a turn for the worse for the family. Can Jacob and Monica's marriage survive the bad times, and how will David's next doctor appointment go?
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| Alan Kim as David Yi. |
Minari is an excellent movie, straight up. This is a semi-autobiographical tale about the director, Lee Isaac Chung's life. This makes the movie feel more real, and in turn, makes you more immersed in the story and in the characters. The movie portrays real life: there are ups and downs. When you finally succeed at attaining a goal, something happens to tear it all down. You just got to to keep persevering. The movie is not somber all the way through, though. There are a lot of light and comedic moments as well. Alan Kim as David brings a lot of the lightness (and does a great job at it).
The movie is spoken in a mix of Korean and English, as immigrants from Korea would probably really talk like. This doesn't bother me, as I grew up in a bilingual household, but it bothers others for some reason. Even though the movie is spoken mainly in Korean, with a majority Korean/Korean American cast, the story is an American one. Jacob and Monica Yi are striving for the American dream, but in different ways. Every actor in this movie gives an incredible performance. Will Patton is particularly memorable as the weird, and at first off-putting, Paul. Steven Yeun as Jacob is determined to get his farm started and keep everything else (including his family) in working order. Han Ye-ri as Monica is not a fan of Arkansas, or their trailer home, or her job; she just wants to go back to California where David will get better health care. Alan Kim as David is just a kid who wants to be a kid, but is held back by his chronic health condition (I can relate). Noel Kate Cho as Anne Yi is the one who deals with the most overt racism, and she realizes the state of her parents' marriage. Youn Yuh-jung as Soon-ja is a very nontraditional grandmother, but she tries (she likes pro wrestling, so she can't be all bad). The director and actors made these people feel like a real family. Great job all around.
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| Youn Yuh-jung as Soon-ja (left), David's grandma. David is not a fan. |
I highly recommend watching Minari! This movie is just so good. The acting is impeccable, the characters are deep and memorable, the story is involving and relatable, the cinematography is exquisite, and the musical score is mesmerizing. It's an emotional story that you'll never forget. Lee Isaac Chung made a modern classic, that's for sure. Minari shows us that to achieve the American dream, you need faith, perseverance, and family.
Reviewed by David Williams
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| Ping Pong Playa is quite the hilarious movie! |
Ping Pong Playa is a sports comedy movie released in the United States in 2007 and stars Jimmy Tsai, Khary Payton, Andrew Vo, Jim Lau, Elizabeth Sung, Roger Fan, Kevin Chung, Javin Reid, Smith Cho, Peter Paige, Scott Lowell, and Stephnie Weir. The movie was co-written by Jessica Yu with Jimmy Tsai, and directed by Jessica Yu.
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| Jimmy Tsai plays C-Dub (Chris Wang). Dude can talk some trash! |
In Ping Pong Playa, Jimmy Tsai plays Christopher Wang (though he prefers to go by C-Dub), a young man in his twenties who still lives at home with his parents. His dream is to become a big time NBA (basketball) player. He thinks very highly of his skills and routinely beats little kids in basketball games at the park. His friend, JP Money (played by Khary Payton) has more ambitious goals and is working toward them (he is even studying how to speak Chinese). JP likes and believes in Chris, but he feels Chris needs to realize where his basketball skills are actually at.
When Chris's brother, Michael (played by Roger Fan) and mom (played by Elizabeth Sung) get injured in a minor car accident, he has to take over teaching his mom's ping pong class. Being a slacker, Chris does not take this very seriously, but the young students Felix (played by Andrew Vo), William (played by Kevin Chung), and Prabaka (played by Javin Reid) really look up to him. It turns out that the annual ping pong tournament is coming up, and Chris's parents want him to enter it. The tournament is how Chris's parents make their money: Michael enters and wins the tournament, which makes people want to learn how to play ping pong from the tournament winner's mother and buy sports goods at the tournament winner's father's store. Chris is really not into this, until some racist ping pong players (played by Peter Paige and Scott Lowell) entered in the tournament start trying to steal the ping pong students from his mom's class. Chris begins to take things seriously and trains with his father (played by Jim Lau) and his ping pong students to get ready. Can Chris get serious enough about his future and win the tournament?
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| C-Dub is a hero to his ping pong class. |
Ping Pong Playa is a really funny sports movie! Though this is basically a family comedy, there is a bit of an edge to it (profanity is censored using funny sound effects, though). Chris is a guy that talks like a gangsta and doesn't really take anything seriously. He has no pressing motivation, though he wants to become a famous NBA player, and wants to get with Felix's older sister, Jennifer (played by the incredible Smith Cho). Even though he is kind of a jerk, he is still very likeable. Jimmy Tsai kills it in this role. When Chris realizes the stakes at hand and starts taking things seriously, you root him on. He comes to find out that being in this tournament is all about him and how he handles things, not about winning. There is a lot of funny shenanigans in this, and the little kids in this movie are great. In fact, all the actors in this movie are great. Though the story might be a little cliched, it is still really fun and entertaining to go through.
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| C-Dub is quite good at ping pong! |
I highly recommend watching Ping Pong Playa. It is a slice of life sports comedy showing the life of an Asian-American man in his 20s living in southern California in the late 2000s. The movie is very funny without being offensive or corny. This is a pretty good movie for the whole family, but there are some edgy jokes in here. The actors are great, the story is interesting, it's actually funny, and the whole movie is entertaining. What more could you want? Check Ping Pong Playa out, it's really underrated and it's really good!
Reviewed by David Williams
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| Don 'The Dragon' Wilson's first starring role, and it set him up for American action movie stardom. |
Bloodfist is a martial arts movie released in 1989 starring Don "The Dragon" Wilson, Billy Blanks, Michael Shaner, Joe Mari Avellana, Riley Bowman, Kris Aguilar, Vic Diaz, and Marilyn Bautista. Bloodfist was directed by Terence H. Winkless, with stunts coordinated by Fred Esplana.
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| Don 'The Dragon' Wilson as Jake Raye. |
In Bloodfist, Don "The Dragon" Wilson plays Jake Raye, a retired kickboxer who co-owns a gym in California. One day he finds out his brother (also a kickboxer) has been murdered in Manila. Jake goes to the Philippines to retrieve his brother's remains, but decides to stay and find the killer. He meets Baby Davies (yes, that's his name, played by Michael Shaner), an American martial artist and his sister Nancy (played by Riley Bowman), an exotic dancer, and stays with them at their apartment. He also meets Kwong (played by Joe Mari Avellana), who tells Jake about the martial arts tournament his brother was involved in before being murdered, and offers to train him for it. Jake agrees, and he goes through some grueling training.
While Jake is training, he is searching for clues and witnesses to his brother's murder. He finds out that the murderer is entered in the tournament, and this drives Jake's will to fight him and get revenge. Jake also finds out Kwong has a personal reason for helping him train for the tournament. Along the way, tragedy and betrayals occur, along with brutal fights to the death. Will Jake be able to get revenge for his brother?
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| Kwong trains and guides Jake Raye. |
In the late 80s and throughout the 90s in the United States, the king of straight-to-video martial arts action movies was Don "The Dragon" Wilson. He was a legit champion kickboxer who became a martial arts movie star. I found out about him from my mom, who is also a martial arts movie fan. She thought Don was a "hunk". I saw a few of his movies on cable TV channels like HBO and Showtime back in the day. I liked Don, but I always felt his movies were lacking something. It has been decades since I've seen Bloodfist, so I thought it would be interesting to watch it again with more experienced eyes.
Bloodfist was Don "The Dragon" Wilson's first starring role, and what a debut it was. Don got to go to Manila, have some cool fight scenes (for 1989 Hollywood, at least), and make out with Riley Bowman. There was no turning back for him after that! This movie was obviously influenced by Bloodsport (1988), as many American martial arts movies were at that time. It is cool that there are quite a few legit champion martial artists in this movie, including Billy Blanks and Rob Kaman. This movie also stars Marilyn Bautista, who you may remember as the beautiful prostitute in The Big Boss (1971), in a comedic role.
The story is kind of basic; Jake is looking for his brother's killer so he can avenge his death. It's fine. The acting is... okay. Nobody is horrible or anything, but Riley Bowman gives the best acting performance in this movie. Don, as Jake, gives a more stoic performance. He is very charismatic, and you root for him throughout the movie. Michael Shaner, as Baby, gives a more comedic performance and is very likeable in the role. This movie has some twists and turns, with a shocking revelation at the end. For what it is, Bloodfist is very well written. My only problem with the movie is the sound design. It is very hard to hear Kwong's dialogue for some reason. When you can hear him, he's perfectly understandable, though. The sound in this movie was mixed weird.
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| The action is... not the best. It's just okay. |
The fighting in Bloodfist is... okay. The fights in this movie are not the best, but they are not the worst, either. Frankly, the fights in this movie are ruined by the camera angles and the editing. The fighters could be doing some cool moves, but the camera is too close up to see the full movement, and the contact or connection of the hit was not filmed or edited out. Just terrible. The best action shots are when the fighters are kneeing each other in a clinch. You see everything there, and it looks painful. The fights get bloody as well, so if you're into that, you won't be disappointed. Don"The Dragon" Wilson is a great martial artist, and you can see some of his greatness despite the editing and camera angles. Don and Billy Blanks face off, and is one of the best fights in the movie. The final fight partly takes place in the rain, and that makes it stand out. Basically, Bloodfist has American style fight scenes, so don't watch this expecting Hong Kong style brilliance, unfortunately.
It pains me to say, but I can't recommend watching Bloodfist. I can only recommend watching it if you are a fan of Don 'The Dragon" Wilson or if you want to see what American martial arts movie fans had to watch before Hong Kong movies became more widely available in video stores. Don is a likeable leading man, and he does have the martial arts skill to carry an action movie. Unfortunately, the choreography, camera angles, and editing fail him. The story is pretty interesting, too. I have always wondered what it would be like if Don "The Dragon" Wilson starred in a Hong Kong movie. How would he have been showcased with Hong Kong style choreography. Nonetheless, Don is a legend and deserves respect for all that he has done in the movie business.
Reviewed by David Williams
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| Legend Of The Wolf gives us a glimpse of Donnie Yen's brilliance before he became a megastar. |
Legend Of The Wolf (also known as The New Big Boss and The Big New Boss) is a Hong Kong martial arts movie released in 1997 and stars Donnie Yen, Dayo Wong Chi-Wah, Carman Lee Yeuk-Tung, Edmond Leung Hon-Man, and Ben Lam Kwok-Bun. It was directed, produced, and co-written by Donnie Yen; with action choreographed by Donnie Yen, Tony Tam Chun-To, Mak Wai-Cheung, and Bill Lui Tak-Wai.
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| Wai (Dayo Wong, left) and Wolf/Fung Man Hin (Donnie Yen). |
In Legend Of The Wolf, a young determined man, Ben (played by Edmond Leung Hon-Man) is looking for Wolf (played by Donnie Yen), a legendary assassin. He meets up with Wai (played by Dayo Wong Chi-Wah), who takes Ben to meet Wolf in his office. When Ben sees Wolf, who is old and sleeping at his desk, he is not very impressed. Wai (and eventually Wolf) then tells Ben about Wolf's life...
Through flashbacks, we find out that Wolf came to Wai's poor village in search of a temple. Wai volunteers to take him to the temple, and they become friends. Wolf has amnesia, and all he can remember was that he was a soldier and that he was supposed to meet someone at the temple. Throughout this time, bandits keep attacking Wai and Wolf, and we see that Wolf is an expert fighter. After getting injured in a fight, Wolf reunites with the person he was looking for, but his amnesia makes their reunion bittersweet. As you can imagine, people are looking for Wolf, and they find him in the village. Wolf has to fight these bandits to protect the people he loves...
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| Carman Lee (left) as Wai-Yee. She and Wolf have a past... |
Legend Of The Wolf is the first full Donnie Yen movie I ever bought and watched back in the late 1990s. I bought the VHS tape (it was called The New Big Boss) and excitedly watched it. Not going to lie, I was disappointed. Back then, I was always looking for VHS movies in their correct aspect ratios (so on 4:3 TVs, they would have black bars on the top and bottom of the screen; despite those bars, the whole screen of the movie is shown this way). The New Big Boss was pan and scan, and the picture quality was only okay, not great. Now, why was this movie disappointing? Because of the full screen/pan and scan picture, a lot of the action was hard to see. All you would see was a lot of fists and weapons swinging up close, but you wouldn't see the effect of the moves (you couldn't see who was hitting who). The fight scenes were confusing and a let down. I recently found this movie on American streaming service Tubi, in its correct aspect ratio, so I decided to give it another shot. Does the movie hold up?
Legend Of The Wolf is way, way better than I remember it being! I was actually blown away by how good it was! The story is intriguing (there are a few twists in there), the main characters are interesting, and the action is really good. The movie is never boring and goes by pretty quickly. The actors play their parts well (Ben Lam as the final boss is instantly hateable as soon as he appears; it's amazing actually). This is a serious, dramatic movie for the most part, but there is a little bit of comedy (mainly provided by Dayo Wong Chi-Wah as Wai). The movie has a message, which I feel was conveyed well, but I will leave it up to you to make your own judgement on that.
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| Donnie Yen is unstoppable in this movie! |
The action in Legend Of The Wolf is fast, furious, and hard-hitting. This movie is pretty bloody and violent as well. Seeing as this was a Donnie Yen movie in the 90s, you can expect that the fight scenes are sped up big time. At least in this movie, only certain parts of the fight scenes are sped up. All of the weapons choreography and the rapid-fire punches are sped up to the max, while more of Donnie Yen's varied offense goes at a more normal speed (he's still swift, though). There are also a lot of quick cuts, which may cause you to lose track of where the characters are in relation to each other, and confusion over what's actually happening in the fight. The fights are shot and edited very similar to The Blade (1995) or Ashes Of Time (1994), but I think the fights in Legend Of The Wolf are more coherent than in those movies. The choreography in this movie is not at the level of a Yuen Woo-ping or Sammo Hung, but it is still exciting. Donnie shows off all his awesome kicks in this, and man does he know how to make them look awesome on film. All of the fights in this movie are good...except for maybe the first one (it's a weapons fight), and they are all different from each other. Donnie's fight against the monkey style kung fu fighter is probably the best in this movie, while the final fight is the most emotional (for obvious reasons). Depending on your fight scene preferences, you may enjoy the fight scenes in this movie or you will absolutely despise them.
I recommend watching Legend Of The Wolf. It's got an interesting story, likeable protagonists, and lots of violent and bloody action. A lot of the reviews I read said this movie offers nothing new; it's full of cliches and terrible fight scenes. I don't know, the movie was deep enough for me, and the action was pretty awesome (though I admit to not liking the fight scenes when I first watched it decades ago). I think Donnie Yen did a pretty good job in his movie directorial debut. Directing this movie was the first step in him becoming the martial arts movie megastar he was always meant to be. Check it out, you may like it!
Reviewed by David Williams
Here is the trailer for Jackie Chan's latest movie, The Shadow's Edge ! Here is the synopsis (according to Variety): Set against...
