The Screaming Tiger (1972)

A violent martial arts film full of vengeance and anti-Japanese sentiment.

The Japanese (evil of course) kill everyone in a Chinese village. The only survivor of the village is Wang Yu (Jimmy Wang Yu) who has top kung fu skills (of course). He heads to Japan for revenge... and that is largely it. There are more subplots but they are rather underdeveloped. Wang Yu is accompanied (and occasionally scolded and advised) by a man who wears a basket on his head.

So, this is basically just a very long fight scene. But what a fight scene it is too, excellent and innovative fighting is shown many times. The xenophobia makes the film a bit too one dimensional and distasteful but the main problem with the film is that it is a bit incomprehensible.

The fighting though, which is the point of a film like this after all, is top notch. 

Alan and Eric : Between Hello and Goodbye (1991)

An enjoyable, nostalgic yet also pretty self indulgent movie.

Alan Tam and Eric Tsang are lifelong friends who were separated as children, as Eric went to the US. They are reunited some years later after Eric went back in HK as an adult. Eric tries to make a business selling eggs while Alan plays guitar in a bar. All is cosy and cool...

Then Maggie Cheung enters the scene and Eric falls in love with her (of course). But when she hears Alan sing she falls in love with him instead. Oh how complicated the life of HK singing stars. Eric steps aside and the love blossoms but then Alan hits the big time and leaves his friends behind.

But then then years later they are all reunited in SF, Eric is by now dying. But for his dying wish, he wants Alan and Maggie to stay together.

A romantic and quirky movie, maybe a little indulgant and often surreal - especially when they add Alan's real concert footage in the mix but it makes the movie a brilliant cantopop nostalgia trip.

Slaughter in San Francisco (1974)

Heavy on the martial arts, even heavier on the hilariously bad dubbing.

Officer Wong (Don Wong) is a police officer in SF. He and his partner (Robert Jones) begin to encounter some strange occurrences at the police station, people mysteriously let off for crimes and others arrested even though they are probably innocent. 

After his partner is killed, Wong is off the force but investigating for himself. He discovers a web of corruption on the force, at it's head is gangland boss Chuck Slaughter (Chuck Norris)...

Despite being at first glance a rather rough around the edges (though highly enjoyable) martial arts film, there is some interesting storyline here with the corruption angle. The filming is pretty shabby though and the soundtrack completely dubbed (and awful). The fights though (and let's face it, thats why you are watching this) are brilliant. Somehow its a great film. Although Chuck Norris is billed as the main star this is really Don Wong's film, and he is very good indeed.

Cold-Blooded Murder (1981)

A violent and rather confusing, though thrilling, crime and martial arts film.

A maniac (Michael Chan), who we learn in flashback saw his baby son die due to his wife cheating with a gangster, begins killing prostitutes in a number of horrific ways. The Inspector (Carter Huang) has been tasked to catch the attacker but is coming under increasing pressure as the body count rises and his investigations turn up blank. One of his men (Bruce Le) is also in a personal war with gangster Lau Dan who brings in the buff Bolo Leung to help him out...

Actual policework seems quite hard to find though, apart from using policewoman Lam Hoi-Ling as a hapless decoy. There is a lot of fighting and violence instead, a hell of a lot. This is an enjoyable film if you like kung fu, in fact a very good action film. Though if you like a coherent plot, and characters who don't do bizarre things for no apparent reason, then maybe this isn't your night. 

The film's main problem is the two unconnected plots, the gangster plot seems to be here just so the film can have it's Bruceploitation fix, it does detract from the more interesting crime plot which would have benefited from more screen time. The film is still a great watch, even if it should have been two films...

Ninja Strike Force (1988)

Another Godfrey Ho cut and paste martial arts film mixing an older Asian film with new ninja footage. 

Gordon (Richard Harrison) is a ninja who discovers that his master (Edowan Bersma) owns an ancient sword which bestows great power. However, that doesn't stop the evil Black Ninja from killing the master and taking the sword! Gordon vows to avenge his master, first though he must warn the leader of the five ninja clans and warn them not to be killed by the Black Ninja else he will become unstoppable...

Meanwhile we also have a rather tedious older Taiwanese film starring Eagle Lee which has been added to pad the film out, clever editing giving the veneer of the characters of the two films interacting. 

Unfortunately while some of the films of this type like Ninja Terminator actually end up being pretty good, Ninja Strike Force doesn't really work. The ninjas having headbands which have "ninja" written on them really doesn't scream quality and the older film is a bit boring. The modern ninja fighting footage is campy but fun making the film watchable but not much more.

Devil Dynamite (1987)

A very very strange film. Imagine the strangest film you have ever seen, multiply that strangeness by a million. This is twice as strange.

Steven Cox (Tseung Ha) is a gambler who was sent to prison for ten years because of crime boss Mary (Angela Mao). Now back out of prison he wants revenge. Police officer Alex (Ling Yun) is also after Mary but he has a secret, he turns into a kind of super hero with a silver painted helmet and an outfit made out of tin foil! Mary employs the help of an evil Taoist priest to provide an army of Chinese zombies. There are also some ninjas who get involved in various fights and a child who can vanish...

This makes no sense what so over, but when you realise this is a Godfrey Ho project which mashes up a number of earlier films you can quite understand why this is as characters who are supposedly working together are actually from completely different films!

The story is quite simply bizarre and confusing but the fights between Alex, the zombies and ninjas (which occur a number of times) are actually quite good in a completely over the top cosmic kung fu sense.

The Thundering Ninja (1987)

Incredible martial arts nonsense as the CIA take on a ninja crime organisation.

Plans for a ballistic missile are wanted by the ninjas (quite why is unknown) led by Pedro Ernyes. However, despite ambushing some suits, the ninjas are still to get their hands on the plans. CIA agent, and ninja, Sydney (Stuart Smith) employs his investigator (Wang Yin) to find out who is behind the ninja's plans. The investigator's son (Jimmy Wang) is part of the ninja's support gang and gets into many fights. Finally, Sydney foils the ninja plans to get the plans and prepares for a showdown with the boss...

This film is one of those 1980s ninja epics which employed much footage from another, earlier, film to pad it out. The scenes with Jimmy Wang and Wang Yin comes from the 1970s Taiwanese film The Criminal. The footage is heavily doctored and re-dubbed to try and fit in with the ninja plot. It doesn't quite work though as in all of these mash-ups as the actors from the two films of course never meet (though they do "speak" over the telephone!)

This is a fun film though, completely crazy. The ninja action is incredibly over the top, just as it should be. It shouldn't work, but somehow it does.

The Rage of Wind (1973)

Crazy wild kung fu action, not a huge lot of story though!

The Japanese (evil of course) have invaded China (this is set in the late 1930s). Taka (Yasuaki Kurata) has put the Chinese fishermen under harsh new fish taxes and his henchmen are beating up anyone who protests. Meanwhile, top Chinese boxer Chan (Sing Chen) and his American wife Lin (Irene Ryder) have returned from the US. After killing a man in the ring he has vowed to never use his fists for violence again...

That immediately becomes a problem as Chan is immediately hurled into the fight between the Chinese and Japanese. Eventually he is forced to fight and everything is set up for the inevitable showdown with Taka on the beach to the death...

So, a basic kung fu tale. Any vague story is just a handy framework for a series of fights. These are pretty good fights too, especially the final showdown. A good example of the genre.

Edge of Fury (1978)

Complicated kung fu action in flares.

Fang (Bruce Li) is the chauffeur for a rich man who ends up being arrested for drug offences in Thailand and eventually executed. Fang, who seems pretty naive at times, ends up tangling with his boss' young wife Mrs Chen (Dana Tsen) who seems more interested in inheriting her executed husband's money more than anything. He also finds himself under attack by his boss' main man King (Yasuaki Kurata) who is trying to find the opium cache of his boss...

This is quite complicated for a HK action film, using flashbacks to fill in Fang's back story and why he is loyal to his boss. We also find out why King is keen to stop Fang. The action scenes are good (if not out of the ordinary), though sometimes the gap between them drags a bit. 

This isn't a great HK film though is a reasonable watch. The most fun thing about this film is the fashions. Kung fu in flares is great!

Robo Vampire (1988)

What on Earth is going on here, it seems like at least three films all spliced together. Well it is by Godfrey Ho...

Thai drug lords have a highly effective though also unusual weapon in their armoury: Chinese hopping vampires! Meanwhile, anti-drug agent Tom is killed in action, but then bought back to life in a knock-off RoboCop-like manner in a highly scientific operation carried out in a battered looking spare room at the police station. This version of the robot policeman however, looks rather laughable with his silver padded jacket and helmet. He battles the vampires, and the drug barons' hoods. Meanwhile, a female agent is captured by the drug lords...

This film makes no sense whatsoever! Godfrey Ho spliced together a Thai action movie with new footage (1984's Paa Lohgan to be precise) with some new footage of the Not-Robocop fighting hopping vampires. The result is incredibly incoherent but the film is undoubtably entertaining and frequently unintentionally hilarious with it's endless but also senseless action scenes. 

This film is pretty amazing, for most of it you won't really believe your eyes and maybe you will wonder if someone spiked your drink. Just be glad a film like this exists.

Crime Story (1993)

A tough police drama, but quite unlike most Jackie Chan films.

Jackie Chan is a police inspector tasked with protecting a controversial businessman who fears he will be kidnapped. The businessman is indeed kidnapped for a huge ransom after a thrilling chase around HK island involving Chan. 

Chan leads the case to track down the kidnappers who are thought to be in Taipei. Chan is accompanied by experienced detective Hung (Kent Cheng). However, unknown to the police Hung is part of the kidnap plot...

A cool and stylish and pretty violent film. Unlike most Jackie Chan actions films, including the iconic Police Story series, there isn't the high octane slapstick action humour. There are some incredible stunts though. There is also a chance for Jackie Chan to do some serious acting too. A really great film.

Mad Mission 2 (1983)

For our 1,000th review it has to be the greatest film we ever saw on VHS...

Mad Mission 2 (also known as Aces Go Places 2) is an extraordinary film. A completely madcap series of stunts and amazing situations held together by a vague sub-plot of diamond theft and gangland revenge. 

King Kong (Samuel Hui) is a jewel thief / graphic designer. After he stole diamonds in the first film, the US mafia hire Filthy Harry (Joe Dimmick), in full Clint Eastwood cosplay gear, to deal with the situation.

That involves sending a robot to kill King Kong, then chasing him with multiple Jaguars and motorbikes across Hong Kong in a mass crashathon. For help, he calls on his friend in the police Albert (Karl Maka), not that he is that much help. The antics end with a final showdown with Filthy Harry's forces: another robot, another car chase with Jaguars (the number of cars wrecked in this car is astonishing) and finally Filthy Harry himself in his missile firing golden Rolls Royce...

An incredibly film, it is sort of film you would get if you gave a bunch of 10 year old boys unlimited budget and complete carte blanche. Some of the HK humour and antics are a bit dated but the sheer energy and craziness of the action makes this film well worthwhile. Many times i hired this from the video shop in the 1980s, it never failed to entertain me.

The Challenger (1979)

High octane if somewhat repetitive kung fu action. Chin (Norman Chu) is working his way through all the martial arts schools in the lands, challenging the masters in order to find the man he wants to kill. Yu (David Chiang) is also challenging people left, right and centre but because he wants money. Yu notices that Chin is loaded and challenges him, their fight ends in a draw...

Wei Ching-Fung (Lily Li), the madam of the casino/brothel, gets involves with both men but unknown to them she is the woman of the man Chin is looking for, Master Pao (Philip Ko). Wei hires Yu to get rid of Chin but they end up uniting in order to fight Pao in a final epic showdown...

The film has a lot of fighting scenes, and they are good, especially the final battle. However, a little more plot might have helped to space the fights out. The film has a number of comedy numbers which verge between cringe and awful. A good if uneven kung fu film with impressive and charismatic performances by the principles.

Five Elements Ninjas (1982)

An exhilarating martial arts film and also incredibly violent and bloody. The martial arts headquarters comes under attack from Japanese ninjas led by Kembuchi Mudou (Michael Chan). The master is poisoned and his troops, which includes Xiao Tian Hao (Ricky Cheng), fortify their base. However, the ninjas in the lovely form of Junko (Chan Put-Sai) infiltrates the base and then facilities a full ninja attack. The master is killed and Kembuchi now rules the martial arts world...

Xiao is the only survivor and escapes, with the help of Junko who seems slightly conflicted - probably the only depth or shade of grey in this film - to learn ninja fighting skills himself. With three friends he returns to challenge the ninjas in a final showdown against the five elements of ninja: gold, wood, water, fire and earth...

Don't expect a huge amount of story here, the film is about 95% fighting, but that's really what you want from a film like this. The action is often rather over the top with various wire-fu and mysterious bending of the laws of physics. There is also quite a lot of literal destruction of the human form. An amazing film full of bizarre ninja weapons, men in white capes and Junko in her leather and fishnets outfit.

Love on Delivery (1994)

Ho Kam-An (Stephen Chow) is a hapless dim sum delivery boy who falls in love with martial arts student Lily (Christy Cheng). Unfortunately, she is also the object of the creepy and slimy Judo Master Blackbear (Joe Cheng). 

When Ho Kam-An is humiliated because he can't stand up to Blackbear and Lily gets hurt, he goes to a bizarre kung-fu teacher called Tat (Ng Man Tat) to learn a very strange form of martial arts (which is more a scam) so he can be a hero...

And it is all very very strange, a classic HK comedy which ruthlessly takes the piss out of the likes of the Terminator, Rocky and Karate Kid, to set up a number of very odd comedy situations and an avalanche of gags, weird tangents and Cantonese puns. Although a funny film and very madcap, it's also quite a violent film with a number of crazy and very well choreographed fight scenes. A classic example of a Stephen Chow comedy and very entertaining indeed.

Bruce Lee's Ways of Kung Fu (1979)

The title implies this is a Bruceploitation film though in reality this is standard Kung Fu fare which just uses Bruce Lee's name. The film takes place in the base of a Manchurian warlord (Ki-Ju Kim) and his eighteen female bodyguards. Many try to challenge the warlord but none get out alive, until Dragon Lee.

Dragon is seeking to avenge his father who was killed by the warlord, and does get badly beaten up but manages to escape and receives training from his new master (Choe Mu-Ling). His master is killed too by the evil warlord's forces but finally Dragon is ready to enter the base along with his friends Philip Cheung and Pearl Lin, defeat the eighteen female warriors and take on the warlord in a final showdown...

And it is all pretty terrible if we are to be honest. The film makes very little sense and sometimes feels like scenes from different films spliced together with various tangents and dubious comedy scenes. The fighting is not bad, frequently very over the top with the usual weird sound effects and lots of use of wires. Quite an experience for sure, from a cheese point of view it is highly entertaining.

Bruce's Deadly Fingers (1976)

Quality Bruceploitation action though in many ways a baffling film. Bruce Le for a change doesn't play Bruce Lee (though his character is called Bruce). Instead he is looking for Bruce Lee's book on finger king fu. Bad guy Lee Hung (Lo Lieh) is also looking for this book, and considers it more valuable than all the diamonds in the world for some reason.

But there are a couple of other guys looking for the book, quite why isn't explained. Bruce's sister (Yuan Man Tzu) is being forced to become a prostitute, scared into submission by seeing a woman tortured with a lizard. Thankfully Bruce saves her before she has to sell herself and he takes her to his friend Mina (Nora Miao) to look after. Not that Mina does a very good job as she and Bruce's sister are captured by the bad guys twice...

The other guys looking for the book turn out to be a cop (Michael Chan) and his new friend (Nik Cheung). All explained in the end then. After much muddled plotting, and random scenes, and lots of fighting (of course) the Bruce Lee book is discovered and Bruce learns finger kung fu. Unfortunately Lee Hung also gets the book and this sets the scene for a final gruesome showdown...

A clumsy film that contains a few too many strange awkward scenes (including a bizarre scene where the bad guys set a ring of gasoline on fire and begin to molest some unfortunate women in the centre of the fast approaching flames) though mid-1970s HK looks very groovy. Not a film for plot, a film for kung fu action which often is pretty decent. 

Golden Dragon, Silver Snake (1979)

A madcap kung fu comedy, a Jackie Chan style film of violence with slap stick. The plot is fairly familiar, Dragon Lee arrives in town to investigate the murder of his brother. He takes a job as a chef and observes a group of gangsters on motorbikes who demand protection money. These gangsters, led by a mysterious man who strokes a cat, are also trying to force a young woman and her uncle to sell them their farm. They are resisted by Silver Snake (Johnny Chan), who is also being trained in kung fu...

Obviously these gangsters are the bad guys Dragon Lee is looking for and he soon links up with Silver Snake and helps battle the gangsters, leading to an extremely long final showdown in a holiday resort.

The film is a shameless Bruceploitation film with Dragon copying many of Bruce's mannerisms and even a Game of Death style yellow outfit. However, there is also a lot of innovation and interspersing the fighting with comedy skits and stunts, some of them very bizarre. The film is unintentionally hilarious with the terrible dubbing, at times it seems like a parody but is highly entertaining.

Severely Rape (1998)

A rather sordid tale of gold digging and softcore pornography. Jacky (Elvis Tsui) and Wu Wing-keung fool around with various sexy bar girls (including Nam Sugawara and Yuko Wada) in Shenzhen. The girl's take advantage of the two virginal dope's longing for love by helping to emptying the guys' bank accounts amid much soaping up of private parts and grunting.

Not a great film by any means though titillating enough if you like a bit of flesh (and there is certainly no shortage of that in this film). 

Quite what the title has to do with the film content is a mystery though (and quite a common mystery with HK movies), everything is consensual although after awhile a bit repetitive. 

A Better Tomorrow III: Love and Death in Saigon (1989)

The second sequel to the peerless A Better Tomorrow; however, this one - a prequel - feels a bit of a disappointment. There aren't any massive gunfights fought by men in sharp black suits, instead a tale set in Saigon soon after the Vietnam War and shows how Mark (Chow Yun Fat) became the man he was in HK in the earlier films.

Cheung (Tony Leung) arrives in Saigon to bring his uncle and cousin (Mark) to HK. However, things are chaotic in the city. Cheung needs the help of Chow (Anita Mui) to carry out his aims, unfortunately things get more complicated when a love triangle develops between Chow and the two cousins. Things get even more complicated when they fall foul of a local general...

It isn't a bad film, the character of Mark is revisited and some important background is retro-conned but the film doesn't quite work. It's too different to the first two films and lacks the same quality of action. It probably would have been better as a stand-alone tale in Vietnam and not struggling to carry the baggage of the iconic films it followed.