Genre: Drama

Slicker and swifter this time around, ‘Samurai Wolf II’ is still some dark, fight filled, chanbara entertainment but is perhaps unnecessarily complex and convoluted for its own good.

It’s rough around the edges to be sure, but there’s much to be savoured here; Kurosawa gets more out of this condensed 80 minutes than many filmmakers get from three hours or so.

A pulpy period actioner is a good way to describe ‘Savage Dog’ but come the second half, the film veers into full on exploitation madness as the violence is ramped up.

Her adventures may not have attracted the crowds on its Korean release, but this is still a comedy with style and confidence in spades.

The slightly absurdist Japanese style means that the film is very much an acquired taste, likely to baffle as many as it might amuse.

This comedy succeeds because of its wit and characterisation, two attributes that go hand-in-hand in the better efforts of the genre.

Lau Ching-Wan is simply stunning in the role of Root, putting so much delicate charm and humility in his part that it’s impossible for the viewer not to empathise with him.

‘Sealed With A Kiss’ has the raw promise of a director to watch in the future, but intersperses this with a general lack of focus.

When the focus is on the more interesting science fiction narrative, director Lau succeeds in throwing in some surprising touches.

The one thing in the film’s favour is some passable fisticuffs though even this becomes repetitive after the hundredth faceless drone is punched in the head at the end.

The two most striking things about ‘Send Me To The Clouds’ are the photography and the performance of actress Yao Chen.

‘Seoul Raiders’ is not only a disappointment in comparison to ‘Tokyo Raiders’, but also a worrying reminder of the recent lack of sparkle in Hong Kong action cinema.