Mystery Files (1996)

Andy Hui is that 90s phenomenon, a slacker: all comics, baseball caps, laid back and skint. So skint in fact he and his sister Vivian Lai head to the mainland to help their cousin Edmond Leung solve a murder. Andy is a genius you see, like Columbo, who knows the murderer almost before the murder has taken place. In the first case an abusive husband is found dead, his wife's lover is suspected by Edmond but Andy uncovers the truth. Vivian looks cute but doesn't really add much except act girly and scream at all the right moments.

As Andy and Edmond are celebrating the solving of the case in a KTV bar another murder takes place there (how lucky!) And they begin to solve this one too, which is mixed up with the red herring of some ghostly supernaturalness...

To celebrate his reward money Andy packs Vivian off to HK and goes on a Malaysian cruise instead, there he fancies some singers but then finds out they are ladyboys. Yeah hes a slacker. Another murder takes place on the boat, and what has Ada Choi got to do with it? One thing for sure death seems to follow Andy, its definitely safer to keep away from him...

Enjoyable enough murder mystery(s), a bit contrived and low-budget but decent fun anyway. Its worth it alone for one of Vivian Lai's few forays into film. The film would probably work better as a mini series as its really three separate stories only linked by some of the same actors but enjoyable all the same.

Sabotage (1936)

An excellent tale of intrigue and suspense from Alfred Hitchcock. Cinema owner Karl Verloc (Oskar Homolka) has plunged London into a blackout but he has much more in store for the capital...

Verloc is to plant a bomb, however the police in the form of undercover detective Ted (John Loder) - who makes a rather unconvincing grocer - is already watching the cinema and onto existence of a plot (not that they know what it is). Verloc's wife (Sylvia Sidney) and her young brother Stevie (Desmond Tester) are unaware that kindly Mr Verloc is really a terrorist though when Ted's cover is blown it is too late for the tragedy which engulfs both of them...

Tense and atmospheric, this film delivers and also is a wonderful look at 1930s London: tubes, trams and pavements of street vendors selling nonsense. Look out for a young Charles Hawtrey in a cameo talking about turtles!

Miami Connection (1987)

A film about a martial arts rock group fighting ninjas on motorbikes, yes you read that right.

Miami Connection (which actually takes place in Orlando not Miami) is the work of YK Kim who starred, produced and wrote this film. His acting and script writing may be rather suspect though his taekwando, as showcased in the film, is undeniably excellent.

A gang of motorbike riding ninjas are moving in on the drugs trade in Florida. However their attention is soon drawn to a rock group (and we get a number of quite acceptable if cheesy 80s soft rock tunes in this film) who incorporate martial arts into their act. The film consists of a number of decent action set pieces held together by a flimsy and often contradictory script...

The film is awful but also brilliant. The film takes some of the best and cheesiest aspects of 80s culture and mixes them in a blender. Somehow it all works and it is easy to see why the film has become a cult classic. It makes little sense but once you accept that you can appreciate it for the unintentional genius it really is.

The Scarlet Pimpernel (1934)

They seek him here... they seek him there...

During the Terror of the French Revolution Madame le Guillotine is giving the fast dwindling French aristocracy the closest of shaves. But an elusive hero, the Scarlet Pimpernel, is snatching them from Robespierre's (Ernest Milton) clutches...

Meanwhile in London Lady Blakeney (Merle Oberon), a Frenchwoman, despairs of her foppish husband Sir Percy (Leslie Howard). Unbeknown to her though Sir Percy is the Scarlet Pimpernel. After her brother is arrested in France she is put under pressure by the brutal Chavelin (Raymond Massey) to find out who the Pimpernel is...

An excellent film, from the horrors of the Revolution to the grandeur of the English Court the film keeps you transfixed. All the principals play good roles but Leslie Howard steals the show, how he switches from seemingly useless dandy to daring hero in an instant is fabulous.

The Pay Off (1942)

Lee Tracy plays a wise cracking (charismatic though after a while slightly annoying) reporter called Brad McKay. When the District Attorney is gunned down the gambler Moroni (John Maxwell) is the chief suspect though Brad knows he is innocent... as he was beating him at poker at the time.

Or is Moroni as innocent as Brad thinks? He tells Brad that the DA was on the take and that his assistant killed him. But how is club owner John Angus (Jack La Rue) involved, who is the real Mr Big and who is the young woman (Tina Thayer) who is desperate to contact Brad and has access to a locker of money?

Well Brad soon finds that the case is not as straight forward as it seemed. The film is bright and breezy (not unlike a comic strip in feel) though a bit light in tone despite regular killings. Evelyn Brent plays a good small role as a moll involved marginally in the case though seemingly really just around for Bead to kiss!