Movie Review – Lady Whirlwind

Lady Whirlwind (Tie zhang xuan feng tui) Hong Kong (1972) Dir. Huang Feng Hell hath no fury etc… In this case it isn’t a woman scorned but the sister of the woman scorned who is full of fury and plans to unleash hell on the perpetrator - except she ends up being his fight partner …

Movie Review – Encounters Of The Spooky Kind

Encounters Of The Spooky Kind (Gui da gui) Hong Kong (1980) Dir. Sammo Hung We know courtesy of Steven Spielberg that the (close) encounter of the third kind involves aliens, so where in the order do encounters of a supernatural flavour come? First? Second? Maybe even fourth? Don’t expect any answers from this classic martial …

Movie Review – Duel To The Death

Duel To The Death (Xian si jue) Hong Kong (1983) Dir. Ching Siu-tung National pride is something that drives international sporting competitions such as the Olympics or the World Cup. Whilst the tone of such events these days is relatively friendly, it wasn’t always the case - in the days of yore, rival countries would …

Movie Review – The Flag Of Iron

The Flag Of Iron (Tie qi men) Hong Kong (1980) Dir. Chang Cheh Martial arts isn’t all about kicking the crud out of people or defying gravity with flips and jumps, there is a code of honour to adhere to as well. In the old days of Ancient China, it was unforgiveable for a fighter …

Movie Review – Legendary Weapons Of China

Legendary Weapons Of China (Shi ba ban wu yi) Hong Kong (1982) Dir. Lau Kar-Leung Moving with the times is very important otherwise we run the risk of being left behind and unable to integrate with a modernised society. This doesn’t mean one can’t still be respectful of the past or keep hold of some …

Movie Review – Skinny Tiger, Fatty Dragon

Skinny Tiger, Fatty Dragon (Sau foo fei lung) Hong Kong (1990) Dir. Lau Kar-wing Far be it for me to impugn the police force here in the UK but they are currently in a bit of a sad state following the last Commissioner resigning because of her poor and corrupt leadership. However, they are nowhere …

Movie Review – Once Upon A Time in China IV

Once Upon A Time in China IV (Wong Fei Hung IV: Wong je ji fung) Hong Kong/China (1993) Dir. Yuen Bun It’s one thing to change the actor for a lead role to do it the middle of a film series is a hell of a risk, especially when the previous star was a marquee …

Movie Review – Warriors Two

Warriors Two (Zan xian sheng yu zhao qian Hua) Hong Kong (1978) Dir. Sammo Hung The 1970s were a transitional era for martial arts cinema, with Bruce Lee giving it a kick up the backside at the start, and by the end, a new generation were keen to modernise for the 1980s. Sammo Hung was …

Movie Review – One-Armed Boxer (Du bei chuan wang)

One-Armed Boxer (Du bei chuan wang) Hong Kong (1971) Dir. Jimmy Wang Yu Can you imagine the training sessions if there was a boxer with just one arm? “Hit him with the left then follow up with…oh right…”. Luckily, this is a Hong Kong martial arts flick and Chinese boxing is different from the pugilism …

Movie Review – The Bride With White Hair (Bak fat moh lui zyun)

The Bride With White Hair (Bak fat moh lui zyun) Hong Kong (1993) Dir. Ronny Yu Sorry to open with a spoiler but there are no weddings in this classic martial arts romp but there are some nifty fights, plenty of severed body parts and decapitations, and some steamy (for a mainstream Hong Kong film) …