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"Art should have no borders"
Hanagatami was a labor of love for Director Obayashi Nobuhiko. He’d conceived the film 40 years before filming it. Right before production he received the news he had stage 4 cancer and he went ahead and began it. This film was surrealistically beautiful, cryptic, and a scathing criticism of the 20th century Japanese war machine.It’s 1941 and seventeen-year-old Toshihiko has returned to Japan from Amsterdam where his mother lives. At his new school he befriends three boys—athletic Ukai, nihilist Kira, and class clown Aso. Toshihiko lives with his aunt and her sister-in-law, the beautiful and dying Mina. The boys are introduced to Mina’s friends, Chitose (Kira’s cousin) and Akine. The youth swim in the ocean, have parties and picnics, attend festivals, and fall in love as befits their age. They also have the sword of war hanging over their heads.
“All you boys will be taken and killed!”
This film set an exhausting pace in the first act. With his extensive use of green screens and special effects some of his choices almost made me dizzy. Toshi was ever exuberant, often to the extreme, which was hard to keep up with. The film eventually settled into a more moderate pace. There were events I wasn’t sure happened or were symbolic. The full moon loomed over the nightly proceedings, bathing everyone in its magical glow. And ghostly military scarecrows came to life and marched while children followed along singing.
“War is hell, but I can’t avoid my own personal hell”
It’s hard for me to call the youth “boys” because in fact the actors were between the ages of 27-42. The girls were closer to their screen ages, most being in their low 20’s. Regardless of their real ages, I had to mentally accept them as teens. They were supposed to be coming of age all the while knowing that they might never make it to manhood. There were homoerotic scenes such as two teens riding a horse naked in the moonlight. And sapphic implied scenes between friends and in-laws. There were plenty of male bare bottoms and women in full nude body suits.
“Seen through the wrong end of a telescope an ordinary scene becomes an ancient history. No, it’s not nostalgia. It’s heartache for all that’s lost.”
Toshi was looking back at his youth in the house his mother and aunt prepared for him. The years had flown by and memory colored in dark nights and filled gaps from old wounds. Friendships were bound by the present and impossible future. Their country had deemed their youth expendable in the name of honor and expansion. There were those who decided if they were being sent to die in a distant land, they could choose a familiar place to end their life. Obayashi drove home every chance he could that Japanese men were born to die in war, a truly useless and tragic thing. At no point was he subtle about his loathing for the 20th century government’s actions and his mourning for the wasted lives and potential. Hanagatami wasn’t an easy film to watch. It was long and maddeningly dream-like. It was also highly creative in showing how teens and their relationships are complex especially when they know they will be forced to grow up and face horrors they can’t escape.
“For Toshihiko, his youth was like a game of hide and seek. It was dark before he knew it and everybody had gone home.”
11 October 2024
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"We were already happy"
In 1999 television and the internet became legal in Bhutan ushering in a new era to the small country sandwiched between China and India. In an even greater societal shakeup in 2006, King Jigme Singye Wangchuck announced his intention to step down and have the country transition to a constitutional monarchy. The people in the village of Ura faced a steep learning curve as they struggled to balance their long-held traditions with the encroaching modernization. And what could be a bigger example of polar opposites colliding than seeing a peaceful monk carrying a gun through fields of flowers in The Monk and the Gun.An election official comes to Ura to register voters and stage a mock election to prepare the people for the real thing. The beloved Buddhist lama hears the news and tells his young monk to bring him two guns. “Things need to be made right.” In a country where many people had never even seen a gun, Tashi had a daunting task. The obedient monk didn’t know why the guns were needed but proceeded to go house to house in search of one. Someone else was also looking for a gun. An American gun dealer and collector, Ron Coleman, along with his guide, Benji, sought to make a deal with a local villager who was in possession of a rare American Civil War rifle.
The election official had her hands full trying to register the villagers as some had no idea when their exact birthdate was. They also weren’t exactly sure what the election was all about and why their king was abdicating. Was all this change really worth it? “Democracy will be the pinnacle of Gross National Happiness.” “We were already happy.” People began fighting about candidates, especially one family where a son-in-law bucked tradition by refusing to back the elder’s choice. The gun collector was led on a merry chase for his prize unaware that the police were chasing him. The collision was priceless.
Brilliant fields of flowers, emerald green hills---the cinematography had a lot to work with and made the most of a beautiful setting. The acting was mostly natural but unexceptional. A wife torn between her husband and mother revealed the conflict between tradition and modernization. All she wanted was for her family to be happy. The tenacious election official was determined to have the villagers prepared for when the real election took place. And the young monk who thought the name of the election was a pig disease just kept putting one foot in front of the other in order to comply with his master. The American was just as clueless about what was going on because despite most of the characters being uninterested in money, both his treasure and significant sums of money kept slipping through his fingers.
The Monk and the Gun was a gentle, humorous, and insightful examination of a society transitioning and wanting the changes to be meaningful and not negatively impact their way of life. The lama stood ready to help the villagers focus on eliminating hatred and conflict as they learned to embrace a say in their own government. People were also beginning to understand that being able to choose didn’t always mean the choices were great. “I can’t believe this idiot represents the ‘freedom and equality party.’” Welcome to democracy.
16 September 2024
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Bittersweet coming of age film
In Between Days was a low budget, independent film that brilliantly portrayed a teenage girl’s awkward friendship with a boy and difficulty in assimilating to her new life in Canada. Loosely based on director Kim So Young’s own experience moving from Busan, Korea to California, USA at the age of 12 and the difficulties she faced trying to fit in. The budget for the film was $60,000 so there were few sets and much of the teens’ conversations took place in the icy winter outdoors, apartments, or buses in Toronto.Aimie and Tran are best friends, but Aimie has developed a serious crush on her buddy. Tran says he just wants to be friends, but by that he seems to mean, friends with benefits. Aimie isn’t comfortable with the sexual experimentation but is also curious about it. Unable to voice their true feelings and wants to each other, they alternately withdraw and show attention to others which only causes more problems for them.
Aimie’s mother works long hours and is emotionally remote from her. The mom has no idea what Aimie is doing or how she is feeling. Aimie’s father left them, and she misses him terribly while also being upset with him. She also misses her extended family, made worse by her mother not being available most of the time as well.
Most of the conversations between Aimie and Tran were in Korean. Whether in English or Korean, Aimie and Tran had trouble communicating with each other and often used jealousy to get the other’s attention or to hurt the other. Teenage years can be awkward and isolating for anyone, but transplanting to a new world only intensified those feelings. Both Aimie and Tran struggled with their emotions, so much was new and they were unsure of how to handle the uncomfortable spaces between them. When she and Tran spent less time together, the frozen winter felt especially cold and lonely.
Director Kim kept the camera tight on Aimie and Tran’s faces, never letting the audience escape the painful, embarrassing, and disconcerting moments. Like most teens grappling and fumbling with unfamiliar emotions and biological urges, they were afraid of being rejected. Both had a sense of needing to belong, made worse by a limited community. Aimie and Tran didn’t want to lose what they had but also maybe wanted something more. This film was the first job for both actors and their performances were natural. Jiseon Kim was able to convey complex emotions quite well. Andy Kang acted like a typical teenage boy unwilling to show his emotions for fear of giving too much away.
In Between Days was a bittersweet coming of age film with all of the euphoria, bumbling efforts, and heartache that entails. Like so many films in this genre, there was no true ending, just a step toward another chapter for a girl seeking to find her place in the world and coming to terms with her own feelings and desires.
19 June 2024
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The Manchus decided the Shaolin temples had too much power and too many trained fighters. They found students willing to betray their brothers for money and soon the loyal shaolin students who remained alive were on the run. Commander Shih and his sidekicks Du Qing and Smiling Fox rule their little empire with iron fists or more accurately, Killing Crane fists. Faithful shaolin student Yung Fei has been chosen by the rebels to escort a scholar with a secret list to safety and also to kill Commander Shih. No easy feat, as Shih is protected by 8 Tiger Generals who work as his bodyguards. After failing in his endeavor to kill Shih, Yung Fei convinces two fighters to help him---The Master Sword, a wandering swordsman with a score to settle, and Little Tan, a blacksmith and delivery boy whose brother was killed by Shih and his men. Even with the extra help, it will take a miracle for the men to keep the scholar alive and to take the life of Shih.
Dorian Tan is always fun to watch with his quick, high kicks. His film career ended for the most part around 1985, but he went on to teach Taekwondo in Korea and the United States. This was the fourth film a very young John Woo directed. It was interesting seeing the larger than life director as the fearful scholar depending on others to protect him. Jackie Chan was almost unrecognizable in the role of Little Tan until he started moving and some early Chan mannerisms showed through. James Tien made for a believable villain if not fighter, with poor Sammo wearing prosthetic teeth as his #1. Never one to avoid hitting the ground or anything else, Sammo put his body through the mill during his fight with Dorian in the latter part of the film. Korean actor Kim Ki Ju made for a smarmy and dangerous #2. Yuen Wah played one of the 8 Bodyguards and was unable to hide his quick moves even in this small role. The overall fight choreography for the movie was adequate, oftentimes stilted but avoided kung fu posing. Some fights were better than other, some faster than others. You could tell a number of kicks didn’t really land, but that’s one of the safety concerns with fast, powerful kickers. Ask Jackie Chan about the tooth he lost when filming with “Thunder Leg” Hwang Jang Lee. Even at that, one stunt did go wrong involving a cable with Chan being knocked out.
Like so many kung fu movies filmed in Taiwan and Korea, most of the settings were outdoors in nature. John Woo didn’t break the mold with his story or directing, but as a young director with little experience he did an admirable job of taking a stock story and not overcomplicating it or making it a sieve of plot holes. I only wish they'd sprung for some better wigs. These hairpieces looked like they'd been shoved into a box, stored for ten years, brought out and plopped down on the actors' heads without even brushing them out.
The story was standard. There was a secret list and an almost invincible bad guy. The good guys had to train to improve their skills and weapons or be destroyed. The actors were able to lift the characters slightly above the page, but this was still average at best. The final fight was exciting because by that time, through the little band of fighters’ skills and sacrifices I’d become invested in Shih being taken down…hard. But most of all, I wanted Dorian to flash those legs of his which he kindly obliged to do. As always, graded on a curve.
3 June 2024
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"There's a man who keeps his duty separate from his love at least once a day"
Lo Lieh directed and starred as an agent in Deadly Roulette, a movie about two Interpol agents who sought to bring down a Triad leader who had been killing people using the lethal Finger Bullets style of kung fu. Bobby Kim brought the kicks and lovin’ as the agent whose ex-girlfriend lived in Hong Kong, complicating his actions on the case.Interpol agent Bobby is brought onto a weapons smuggling case in Hong Kong when officers are found dead with finger holes in them. He asks to work with Darion who obligingly signs on. While in Hong Kong he meets up with his ex-flame Kyeong Hee who is still angry about being used in his last investigation and then abandoned. That anger does not stop her from hooking up with him again. As Bobby digs further into the case, he discovers how dangerous the gang is as they supply grenade launchers, missiles, and rifles to terrorists. It doesn’t take long before the agents and officers working on the case ascertain they have a mole in their unit as their every move is preemptively countered.
If you’ve ever wondered what 1970’s Hong Kong looked like, there were many scenes of characters driving around. This was a fairly common practice in movies 50 years ago. The shots established the setting and showed characters’ movement from scene to scene, but it feels dated now days. The music was also classically 1970’s bow chicka bow bow. The Beatles’ song “I'm Happy Just to Dance with You” (1964) was used but I’m betting no royalties were paid. Dog fights were shown in two different scenes early in the film, which was quite disconcerting for me. I’d rather see the men pummel each other instead of innocent animals being abused.
The movie made use of the Interpol trope in order to justify a foreign actor starring in a film set in Hong Kong. I would have preferred Hwang Jang Lee as the Korean agent. Lo Lieh is one of my favorite old kung fu stars and the only reason I watched Deadly Roulette. The film was badly faded and the story had numerous plot holes and inconsistencies. Usually, plot holes weren’t a big issue in these types of films because there were enough fights to distract the viewer. Unfortunately, there weren’t many quality fights and the big finale was a big letdown. South Korean actor Bobby Kim was proficient in taekwondo and it showed with his excellent kicks, even though many of them obviously never landed.
Deadly Roulette had a semblance of a story and was watchable…barely. And watchable only if you enjoy old kung fu films, especially one with a largely Korean cast. As always, I grade these cheap, niche movies before 1990 on a curve.
1 June 2024
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The Snake, the Tiger, the Crane and the Flamingo?
Despite the title of the movie, Emperor of Shaolin Kung Fu, this was Nancy Yen’s movie as the 3rd Princess and sole royal survivor when rebels overthrew the emperor of the Ming Dynasty. Wang Hsieh played the usurper, Li Tzu Cheng, and the target of the princess’ ire and revenge.As Li Tzu Cheng and his army storm the palace, the emperor orders his family to kill themselves. His 3rd daughter argues that her father needs to live to fight another day. In response to her plea, he swipes his sword at her cutting her arm off in the process. 3rd Princess escapes to a Buddhist temple where she heals and regroups. She sets out to bring Li down, finding warriors loyal to the monarchy and traitors along the way.
Nancy Yen was believable as the one-armed princess seeking the death of Li Tzu Cheng (Li Zi Cheng). Unfortunately, 3rd Princess tended to take on Li and his fighters with only one fighter each time she attacked which was always doomed to failure. There was a rather lengthy section of her either acting or having gone mad which dragged on too long. The rebels finally had their chance when Wu Sangui and his army drove Li out. The princess and those loyal to the monarchy confronted the vicious Li Tzu Cheng but only at great cost.
Lo Lieh made an appearance as a wandering warrior who joined her. I’m of the belief Lo makes everything he’s in better, even in a sparkly blue costume. Dean Shek showed up as a deadly scholar. And finally, Carter Wong arrived in the last 30 minutes, as a butcher and fighter devoted to his mother. The fights were okay. Most were sword fights, until Carter’s last fight where he used a variety of styles. Each style had a quick glimpse of the animal the style mimicked. The crane looked suspiciously like a pink flamingo which was hilarious. Wang Hsieh in another of the truly awful wigs he was known for wearing once again played the villain with his typical glee. The sides were badly cropped in the print I saw which cut out much of the action.
Emperor of Shaolin Kung Fu aka The Snake, The Tiger, The Crane aka Lord Chuang, Li Tzu Cheng wasn’t great but was watchable due to the actors involved. Nancy Yen made a fierce, vengeful princess who would ultimately become the legendary One-Armed Nun. She was joined by familiar faces with enough action to keep it from becoming too boring. If you enjoy old kung fu films and don’t mind one that has degraded some, this 1980 Taiwanese flick might be one to try.
23 May 2024
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"There's no such thing as easy anywhere these days"
Dokkoi Ikiteru aka I Still Live was a painful look at the most vulnerable in Japan post WWII. Director Imai Tadashi who dove into socially conscious movies after the war, made this film outside of the major studios. I will admit to only grasping the large parts of the film as the only available copy I could find used auto-generated English subtitles which were lacking to say the least. Until such time as someone who watches this who speaks Japanese or there is an adequate translation, I’ll leave a quick review for those who might be interested in this film.The film centers on a Japanese family of four. They initially live in a small shantytown but are forced to move out when it is torn down. The father rises early every morning to apply for day laborer jobs along with crowds of desperate people. It is a daily struggle to earn enough money to eat and supply shelter. Many of the places where the father works amongst the rubble and ruins had been hit hard by the air raids during the war. At one point in time, the mother and two children take the train out of town. At first it looks like the father may find a manufacturing job and his luck will turn for the better, but alas, not in this melodrama. Everything goes from bad to worse, some of the injuries self-inflicted, until he reaches the point when he thinks they would be better off dead. A precipitous action will determine the course he takes.
While this film highlighted a desperate time for many after the war and has value in edification of its historical setting, I found the film to be too deliberately maudlin for me. The music was heavy-handed and overwrought as the little family suffered misfortune after misfortune. Yet the performances were strong and again, it covered an important subject, though at times it did feel more educational in nature. If you enjoy older films and especially ones set in this difficult time in Japan’s recovery, this would be a film to try.
14 May 2024
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"Nobody in this country follows the rules"
Barking Dogs Never Bite was a dark comedy that darkly commented on social inequalities and inadequacies. While director Bong Joon Ho cast his view on numerous topics, the result was rough and flat instead of subtle and biting. More of a scattershot approach than guided missile.Yoon Joo hears once again why he has been passed over for making professor, made worse by the barking of a dog in the background. He thinks he’s tracked down the culprit, grabs it, and ultimately locks it in a wardrobe in the basement. Hyun Nam works in the building and helps a little girl put up signs for the missing pup. At this point different characters become involved with the four-legged dwellers in the crowded apartment building, most of which have ulterior motives for the pets.
Though the movie clearly stated no animals were harmed during filming, there was some rough treatment. Dog lovers may have trouble with a few of these scenes. The antipathy Yoon Joo felt toward the pampered animals and their doting owners turned out to be more than what he observed. He thought his life was tougher than others, but as it became apparent, his actions led to agonizing pain for the pet owners with devastating consequences for one.
Billed as a dark comedy, I only found two scenes funny and both involved the talented Bae Doo Na. This story played out like a sinister slice of life with few repercussions for bad behavior. Hyun Nam’s unending search for affirmation had its own strange results. I thoroughly enjoyed the close friendship between her and Jang Mi, the complete antithesis of Yoon Joo’s toxic marriage.
The laundry list of social grievances were thrown out on the screen continuously. Suffice to say, the director had complaints he wanted to get off his chest. Class distinctions. People don’t follow the rules. People embezzle money and make shoddy, dangerous buildings. Pregnant employees are treated terribly. School deans have to be bribed for job openings. Humanities professors make the worst husbands. Women with children are vulnerable when husbands leave. For a homeless person being arrested is a blessing because at least there are regular meals. Some drinking culture situations turn deadly. Gender inequalities. Abusive, loveless relationships. Dangerous pesticides thickly sprayed in the air. Exit doors and stairwells blocked by junk creating hazardous situations. People supplementing their diets with dead pets. People fired for caring too much about others. At least later in his career, Bong would grab a singular social criticism by the neck and devour it with satire and venom.
Fans of Bong Joon Ho will most likely see deeper into this film than I did and enjoy it more. I wouldn’t want to deter anyone from trying this film by the famed director. What it boiled down to was Yoon Joo and Hyun Nam were unhappy with their situations and unsure how to make things better or even if they could, given the employment climate and chose inverse approaches. Yoon Joo took the villain role and went to the dark side. Hyun Nam desired to be a hero and though her results weren’t glorious, she and her friend chose to live in the light come what may. The majority of other characters resided somewhere in the gray areas, just trying to make it through their days.
13 May 2024
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"It's ridiculous!"
Director Mizoguchi Kenji threw me for a loop with The Lady of Musashino. Unhappy marriages, infidelity, and premarital sex abounded in this postwar film. The main couple exemplified the changing lifestyles and social norms being explored as Japan tried to find its footing after everything came tumbling down. Michiko was as traditional in her morals as her husband was laissez faire regarding his.After fleeing Tokyo during the bombing, Michiko and Tadao go to live with her parents. Her family comes from a long line of samurai and the property has been in the family for ages. After her parents die, Michiko inherits it. Three years after the war, her cousin Tsutomu finally arrives home after having spent time in a Singapore POW camp. Tadao is a professor who believes that infidelity is an expression of free will and proceeds to live out that philosophy. He encourages Tsutomu to live in town while attending university so that he can enjoy as much sex as possible. Michiko’s cousin Ono and his wife Tomiko have their own open ideas about marriage fidelity as well. Both Michiko and Tsutomu have a love for Musashino which develops into feelings for each other. Will Michiko’s rigid morality stay in place in the face of handsome Tsutomu’s advances?
Mizoguchi at first seemed to be conveying the idea that women were treated unfairly in marriage and divorce. Tadao was thoroughly reprehensible even as he lauded the new law being passed that would no longer make it a crime for women to commit adultery, men could continue to do whatever they wanted as always. It was difficult to be invested in this story as most of the characters were selfish and unlikeable. Even Michiko’s noble idiocy began to wear thin. Tadao made a mockery of their marriage and her and even tried to leave her homeless yet she still made excuses for him. While it was true that women could become boxed into a corner with few exits, Michiko could only see one due to her narrow views. Like me, love-stricken Tsutomu had trouble understanding her train of thought. When she tried to explain why they couldn’t be together at the moment, “If there are more and more unhappy people, morality will change,” it wasn’t long before Tsutomu replied, “It’s ridiculous!” The moral of the story was pretty convoluted by the end.
What was effective in this film was the camera work. This was a magnificent film to look at even in black and white. Tsumoto’s arrival through the trees and fog was stunning. I would love for it to have been in color in order to bring out all of the hues of the forest and water as Michiko and Tsutomu explored Musashino on several occasions.
Mizoguchi repeatedly stressed how “everyone is running around in a fever with no morals.” The societal anxiety of a postwar Japan was felt in nearly every scene. The decline of traditions represented by the old samurai estate appeared to not only be caused by Western influences but as a reaction to a way of life that led up to the war and during it. Near the end of the war Michiko was given cyanide for the family by the military when she went out to buy their rations. While she thought about taking it, others around her told her how cowardly and ridiculous it was and the same response was given when a family member died “honorably” by taking his life.
The Lady of Musashino was an uneven melodrama and criticism of changing mores. The memory of the “simple, green, beautiful” Musashino that had helped Tsumotu endure while being a prisoner was fading as quickly as the old way of life. Faithful Michiko arduously clung to the traditions of the past and paid a terrible price for her stubborn morality and sense of duty.
29 April 2024
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"You look familiar"
White Butterfly Killer falls deeply into the woman wronged revenge kung fu flick genre. Hsu Feng played the woman who had survived the death of her grandfather and sexual assault by a gang of bandits. After six long years she finally comes face to face with them and prepares to take them out one by one.The White Butterfly owns an inn on the Leopard Mountain where all sorts of ruffians hang out. She and her girls who are trained in kung fu serve the customers and take down any men who cause trouble in her place. One evening a familiar face walks in. She recognizes him as one of the gang members who assaulted her and killed her grandfather. The White Butterfly enlists her trusted sidekicks to help her destroy the gang that set her life on a new course. In that gang, is one man who had helped her escape. Would he help her again or bring about her death?
White Butterfly Killer was a low budget Taiwanese movie. Much of the filming took place on a rundown location and a dusty road which lent an old west feel to it. The setting would alternate between day and night depending on who was on screen. The film opened with a fight between two factions that ended up at her inn as she took in a wounded inspector. This was never really brought up again. An inspector might have been pertinent with a band of vile outlaws staying under the same roof, but there you go. Somewhere through the years the sides have been cropped off the film which always makes the action concentrated in the center.
Hsu Feng may not have been a martial artist but kept up with the men she fought quite well. Her fighting was no worse than many of the extras with the choreography provided and her acting was stronger than some of the women in kung fu movies at the time. The “good” guy in the gang played by Kou Feng was a strange character. He hated some of the things the gang did but owed his life to the leader, his adoptive father. He encouraged Hsu’s character to just leave everything in the past. “Those who kill, will be killed.” Somehow that line is almost never used on men seeking justice/revenge for wrongs. And the ending drove that point home in case women didn’t catch it. Had it not been for the downer of an ending I might have rated this slightly higher.
The White Butterfly’s philosophy reminded me of the lyrics to The (Dixie) Chick’s song---
“I’m not ready to make nice. I’m not ready to back down.
I'm still mad as hell, and I don't have time to go 'round and 'round and 'round
It's too late to make it right, I probably wouldn't if I could
'Cause I'm mad as hell, can't bring myself to do what it is you think I should”
24 April 2024
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Frothy buddy assassin movie
Hitman was a light-hearted assassin movie with a high body count. A strange combination, but it worked for the most part. Jet Li was in his prime and though there was wire-work, there was also plenty of fast kung fu action.Fu is working for a low rent gangster and applying for hitman work. The only problem? He has too kind a heart. But he’s also desperate for money. When he hears about a job that will pay handsomely for hunting down a wealthy man’s assassin, he attends the funeral of the shady Japanese businessman hoping to get hired. Petty conman Nor Lo sees Fu in action when he disables security at the funeral and takes him on as a client. Also at the funeral is Eiji, the dead man’s grandson. We know Eiji is dangerous because he usurps control of the company when he eats grandpa’s ashes in front of his father. He wants revenge and the reward. A who’s who of scuzzbag assassins are all on the hunt for the King of Killers and willing to eliminate anyone who might beat them to the prize.
Much of the acting was average. The story had some holes to the murder mystery and identity of the King of Killers. The momentum would occasionally fizzle out. The writers ham fistedly threw in an adult daughter, played by Gigi Leung, to humanize the selfish Nor Lo and maybe for a hint of romance for Fu. Even with the limitations, Jet Li and Eric Tsang had a nice buddy hitman vibe. Sato Keiji as Eiji provided the ruthless opposition for the duo despite his motivations being nebulous. Simon Yam as Officer Chan played the mysterious officer with a twinkle in his eye. Kim Yip had the pivotal role as the greedy but somewhat even-handed revenge fund officer.
With well-choreographed action and Jet Li in his prime, the fights were quite entertaining. Fu had a fight with a grenade carrying priest and a giant with disorienting laser rings all while trying to safely wheel an old man out of an apartment complex (if only we had a wheelbarrow!). An elevator fight was also exciting as well as the finale when a surprise guest showed up.
Hitman showcased a hitman that would rather be playing with children, had light comedy that didn’t veer into slapstick, heartwarming moments, and a few exhilarating fights. Nothing too memorable but not a bad way to spend 90 minutes if you are a Jet Li fan or need a break from darker martial arts flicks.
16 March 2024
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"I'm old, but I'm not dead yet!"
The Comeback is an old school violent film with old school actors. Even the young guy, Andy On, was pushing 50! Best not to look too closely at the uneven script and just enjoy it for the mindless action film it was.Mr. Hua runs an antique shop on an old street and takes care of everyone. He’s especially close to Sister Zhen who works at the orphanage and one of her charges, Xiaoye. Officer Qiang looks up to him and has his back whenever he needs it. Hua dutifully brings homeless Old Cao who lives in his vehicle food every day. A gang wants to demolish the street for developers and has been intimidating people into signing away their property. But these guys are pesky demons compared to the devils coming to town. Hua who has suffered from amnesia the last three years has forgotten his previous profession and the reason he has 21 scars on his body and a nail in his brain. The bad guys are going to be in trouble when he remembers his particular skill set.
The story took too long to gain traction, especially since the audience already knew what caused Hua’s amnesia. The gang who wanted to demolish the neighborhood wasn’t set up very well either. Suddenly, the big bads arrived, relegating the gang to the back burner as they began kicking up the body count in search of a USB. Numerous cops moved in on Officer Qiang’s territory convinced Hua was the prime suspect for something and then everything. Because of the amnesia trope there were also numerous flashbacks. A simple story was made more complicated than it needed to be. Regardless, Simon Yam and Yuen Wah working together was a delight. Simon at 68 and Yuen at 73 showed how old school charisma can cover over a multitude of sins. Sixty-eight-year-old Norman Chu also made an appearance. Andy On conveyed enough menace to be a proper traitorous villain.
The Comeback provided plenty of things that go bang in the night---weaponized drones, guns, bombs, missiles, and a weaponized motorcycle. I was happy to see Yuen Wah have a short fight scene. He was one of the more skilled martial arts experts in old kung fu films. They worked around Simon’s age in a couple of different ways during his hand-to-hand encounters which worked fairly well.
As uneven as the writing was, The Comeback was entertaining and had some heart. It didn’t offer anything unique but it served up a heaping helping of action scenes showcasing older actors aging to perfection.
12 March 2024
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This review may contain spoilers
"Everything comes with a price"
Soul of the Sword is one of those films that did not appeal to me on several levels. Ti Lung was at the height of his career as the Nameless swordsman whose only desire was to kill The King of Swords and take his place. The problem being none of the characters were likeable and my only desire was that they would all meet a gruesome death.A young boy sees a man and a woman being carried out of the prince’s palace to be buried. The King of Swords had killed the young swordsman and his lover had killed herself. The boy determined that one day he would be a great swordsman and claim the title. Ten years in the future he proceeds to cut down other swordsmen, monks, swordswomen, anyone with a title on his way to the palace. After fighting his way through the royal guards, the prince tells Nameless that Lu Tien Kang is out of town but that he can fight him when he returns. Nameless keeps seeing visions of the young woman who killed herself. He also makes friends with an amiable old doctor. When Nameless sees a woman who looks like the woman in his visions, he determines to have her, with or without her consent. This upsets Mr. Yan who loves He Lian. While waiting for Lu, Nameless is challenged by numerous fighters, most are killed except for those willing to slink away.
Nameless was no hero or even anti-hero. He was amoral, a rapist, and a murderer. The fact the writers mansplained the rape away only made it worse. Ku Feng made the doctor Zhao Yi a wise friend to have until his dark intentions were revealed. Ku is one of my favorite character actors from kung fu movies and he helped make this movie a little easier to swallow. The dialogue often praised reprehensible behavior as something to be admired because of the dedication to one’s self and skill. Everyone took for granted that cutting your way to the top was an honorable pursuit. During and after some fights there were plenty of gratuitous bare breasts and sex as a weapon scenes.
Fight choreographer Tang Chia’s sword fights were good for the time. Nothing was too fast, but came across fairly fluid. I usually enjoy watching Ti Lung in battle mode but Nameless was a despicable character and I waited for him to get his comeuppance. Even then the lesson Nameless learned was still all about himself despite the horrific harm he caused.
“Will you regret that what you lost is actually more than what you gained?”
The film may have had nice sets, costumes, and a strong cast, but it lacked heart. Instead of finding the fight scenes exhilarating, they left me cold. Yes, there was the lonely lesson about cold steel having no mercy and that those who lived by the sword had to be utterly ruthless and prepared to die by the sword and could afford no emotional baggage. That violence and self-centeredness bled over into other aspects of their lives. Which left the movie with just a bunch of vicious killers leaving bodies in their wake. The sharpest weapon to pierce Nameless was when he learned the old adage, “Be careful what you wish for, you might just get it.”
12 March 2024
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"You have a lot of courage to show up here!"
The Vengeful Beauty was a surprisingly entertaining martial arts film from 1978. Shaw Brothers movies could go either way during this time frame. Chen Ping more than held her own with the boys—Lo Lieh, Yueh Hua, Norman Chu, and Johnny Wang. Her character was pregnant and she still suffered no fools with a sword!Emperor Yong Zheng pretended to be a friend to the people all the while he was having ethical officials executed by the Flying Guillotines. And in a clear sign of tyranny, he orchestrated book burnings and the executions of anyone who wrote anything remotely critical about the imperial court. Rong Qiu Yan’s husband ran afoul of the emperor and while she was away honoring her deceased martial arts master with her junior, Wang Jun, Jin Gang Feng sent the Flying Guillotines to her house and eliminated everyone. On the run to protect the child she was carrying she came across Ma Sen working at an inn. Brother Ma was also on the run as he had been a Flying Guillotine but could no longer stomach the murder of innocents. He joined her as well as Wang Jun when Jin sent his lethal children after them.
Qiu Yan was smart and could take care of herself. Chen Ping brought a nice depth of emotion to the vengeful and pregnant heroine battling assassins. After one bit part in the original Guillotine film and his scenes cut in the second, it was good to see Norman Chu in a leading role as an ex-Flying Guillotine. He had to endure an atrocious wig in order to do it though. I almost didn’t recognize him because he looked so young—no wonder, he was only 23 at the time! Lo Lieh in a gray wig played the leader of the Flying Guillotines. He gave a strong performance as a father whose children were eliminated one by one.
The sword fighting was average for the time frame, a lot of swipe and falls, but still fun to watch. The flying guillotine, one of the strangest of kung fu weapons, made a couple of appearances in this a loose sequel. There was some wire work and reverse filming, nothing over the top and edited fairly seamlessly into the fight scenes. One fight included a topless Susan Yam Yam Shaw which weirdly didn’t feel too gratuitous. There was also a battle high in the bamboo long before Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and The House of Flying Daggers.
The Vengeful Beauty benefited from a well written story by Szeto On. There was no shortage of vengeance and deaths, yet this story didn’t feel like it was hastily sewn together with tropes from a hundred other kung fu films. Most importantly to me, Szeto let the heroine struggle and shine. Qiu Yan was fierce and vulnerable. Kung fu movies would soon be taken over by mostly male casts, so every competent female warrior feels like finding a gem.
7 March 2024
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"You've just been taking everything for granted"
Death’s Game at first glance appears to be a simple repudiation of suicide. Death’s thin skin takes it personally when Choi Yi Jae said he wasn't afraid of her and as she says, “You are guilty of coming to find me before I came to find you.” At second or even seventh glance as Choi is doomed to be reincarnated into 12 lives on the cusp of death, a grander scheme begins to reveal itself.Choi Yi Jae was having a bad week, preceded by a tough seven years. When he made the ill-fated decision to jump from a roof he found out just how bad things could get when he met a disgruntled Death who decided to teach him a lesson by having him reincarnate into 12 different lives at the end of their span. Some of the lives were over in a blink, others were further developed. Each reincarnation showed how other lives were suffering or prematurely cut off. They also showed how his own limited thinking and actions led to fateful outcomes. Choi’s myopic vision never let him see how his actions affected others or the dangers lurking about him. I’m looking forward to his growth as a character in the next four episodes.
I had not perused the cast list and was shocked at how many famous faces appeared in Choi’s different lives. These actors weren’t phoning it in either, they gave performances worthy of their own characters’ dramas. It will be interesting to watch Choi finally begin to pull together the different experiences to comprehend what he needs to learn to save his life and afterlife. He’s going to have to move past being cocky and self-absorbed if he wants to win Death’s Game. He’s finding that “wherever you go, there you are.” And I’m not sure the reason for the game is the one he thinks it is. As Choi and the audience come to see how at least some of the lives are interconnected, the goal posts may be moving in regards to what his motivations will be. Admittedly, a few of the revelations were not shocking and I was waiting on them to finally be shown. There was one that should have been a tear jerker or shocking but when it happened, I burst out laughing in the way it was overplayed. For the most part, the short life experiences were moving and effective.
Death's Game is one of those thrillers that felt more like a shell game. Nothing was quite what it seemed and I don't think the real meaning of the episodes or even his death will be fully understood until the second half plays out in January 2024. I hope the next four episodes are as tightly written and as well acted as the first four.
28 December 2023
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