Reviews

Keep Calm And Be A Superstar

3.0

Action, Comedy • China, Hong Kong
Dec 11

There are some genuinely witty moments in there and they prove the perfect covering for the many more that end with a whimper.
A.f.r.i.k.a

3.5

Action, Comedy, Drama • South Korea
Dec 5

‘A.f.r.i.k.a’ isn’t rocket science, but if you like a good laugh and are conversant in the basics of Korean pop-culture and society, it should prove an enjoyable treat, nonetheless.

The Night Comes For Us

4.0

Action, Crime, Martial Arts, Thriller • Indonesia
Nov 28

If one is not a fan of bloody carnage, one may want to stay clear but for fans of full throttle Indonesian action then ‘The Night Comes for Us’ should surely sate the most ardent fan.
Ring Of Fire III: Lion Strike

2.0

Action, Martial Arts • USA
Nov 26

All of the fun confrontations against wacky opponents are noticeably absent, and the film feels like a much more run-of-the-mill low budget actioner.
Wrath Of Silence

3.5

Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller • China
Nov 23

‘Wrath of Silence’ builds up well after a slow start and, while not quite bringing the viewer to the edge of their seat, evolves into a more than decent mixture of arthouse aesthetics and nuts-and-bolts action.
Unlucky Stars

4.0

Action, Adventure, Comedy, Martial Arts, Thriller • USA
Nov 13

A glorious tribute to the Hong Kong action films of the 80s and 90s, ‘Unlucky Stars’ is a hoot and a cracking martial arts film to boot.
Special Female Force

2.5

Action, Comedy • Hong Kong
Nov 9

Hong Kong has always spliced genres together with aplomb, but this is an example of where things go wrong.
Operation Red Sea

3.5

Action, Drama, Thriller, War • China
Nov 2

It’s big, it’s brash and in several sequences surprisingly gory but ‘Operation Red Sea’ is big screen, blockbusting action done well.
Detective Chinatown

3.5

Action, Comedy, Mystery, Thriller • China
Oct 22

Stories of mismatched characters rely on the relationship between the two and ‘Detective Chinatown’ has a pair who play off each other’s quirks remarkably well.
Phobia 2

4.0

Horror, Thriller • Thailand
Oct 9

‘Phobia 2’ sees many of the previous entry’s directors, writers and producers return to now tell five new short tales of terror and is, surprisingly, a superior slice of portmanteau horror.
Till The End Of The World

4.0

Adventure, Drama, Romance • China
Oct 2

While ‘Till the End of the World’ allows sentiment to become a little too exaggerated as the film nears its end it is, nevertheless, a mixture of the alienating and the intimate that works.
Return Engagement

3.0

Action, Crime, Drama • Hong Kong
Sep 26

‘Return Engagement’ is cut from much the same cloth as many gangster films of the era but differentiates itself with a stronger core storyline.
The Debt Collector

4.0

Action, Drama • UK, USA
Sep 18

A refreshing reminder of how action films used to be made where brains, brawn and banter all play a part in shaping a satisfying story.
Family Of Winners

2.0

Comedy, Drama • China
Sep 12

Whether this is the beginning of the Esports film remains to be seen, but one thing is for sure – there’s definitely plenty of room for improvement.
Flaming Brothers

3.5

Action, Crime, Romance • Hong Kong
Sep 4

‘Flaming Brothers’ easily holds its place amongst the best of the genre as well as marked the successful return of one of Hong Kong’s favourite cinematic sons.
The Empty Hands

2.5

Drama • Hong Kong
Aug 29

As a meditation on father/daughter relationships, ‘The Empty Hands’ is lazy and thinks that a slickly delivered camera shot is a good replacement for basic storytelling.
Ring Of Fire II: Blood And Steel

3.0

Action, Martial Arts • USA
Aug 29

The film takes a silly concept and knows how to have fun with it, making for an enjoyable action-packed outing that is easy on the brain.
Heroes Shed No Tears

3.5

Action, Drama, War • Hong Kong
Aug 21

It might not be an essential Woo flick but one would be doing themselves an injustice in not checking out this early but highly entertaining action flick from the director.
The Red Panther

1.5

Comedy, Crime, Horror, Thriller • Hong Kong
Aug 12

The efforts to downplay the (deservedly) serious subject matter over lengthy diversions into dreadfully unamusing comedy shtick ultimately diffuse whatever real horror ideals it may have had.
Breathing

3.0

Crime, Thriller • China
Aug 7

Director Fan Haolun seems to be more concerned with playing with flashbacks and flash-forwards than he is with constructing a story of any real depth.