Reviews
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Escape From Mogadishu
Searing blockbuster thrills based on true events where diplomats from both South and North Korea become stranded in the fallen city of Mogadishu during a rebel uprising in Somalia.
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It’s A Mad, Mad, Mad World
Clifton Ko has been behind the lens for quite a few of these family comedies though the box-office hit ‘It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad World’ is one of his best efforts.
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The Battle At Lake Changjin
Certainly not subtle but if you can forgive its flaws and instead bask in its blockbuster credentials, then ‘The Battle At Lake Changjin’ delivers some spectacular war movie action.
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Shaolin And Wu Tang
There are some plot holes that become apparent as the film continues, but good quality action and a fine cast cover a multitude of sins.
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Midnight
A seemingly simple set-up is given verve, Hitchcockian tension, and extra depth via nerve shredding direction and having the two leads both deaf and mute.
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Contract To Kill
‘Contract to Kill’ earns an extra half star for the editor’s efforts but the film as a whole is clearly far too broken to ever be fixed.
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Caught In Time
Lau Ho-Leung has made a solid crime thriller that benefits from its rough and ready approach, decent action, and an intriguing real-life case.
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A Massacre Survivor
‘A Massacre Survivor’ features an always watchable Shih Szu as the heroine. Unfortunately, she’s one of the few characters to get much polish.
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Castle Falls
It may be a little slight for the more cynical out there and both action stars have trod similar ground before, but ‘Castle Falls’ is an effectively unfussy flick that delivers the meat and potatoes action.
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They Came To Rob Hong Kong
When you’ve got Dean Shek, Sandra Ng and Eric Tsang all screeching for ninety minutes, you know it’s going to be a tough experience.
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One Shot
It’s bloody, down and dirty, and the highlight is the stalk and slash sequence of Adkins making his way through various buildings taking out bad guys with a knife.
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The Reckless Cricket
Episodic and pantomimic, this is a series of not especially interesting scenes sewn together with a completely uninvolving main narrative.
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Fistful Of Vengeance
Undemanding fun that benefits from a likeable cast, a vibe that just wants to entertain, and lots of shiny fight action.
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A Distant Cry From Spring
‘A Distant Cry From Spring’ is the very best of Yamada’s themes, contained in a truly beautiful masterpiece that leaves tears in the eye as the credits roll.
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Never Back Down: No Surrender
Michael Jai White returns to direct and star in the third instalment of the unlikely ‘Never Back Down’ franchise, and he delivers another solidly enjoyable entry.
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The New King Of Comedy
The major strength here is E Jingwen who is such an eternally affable figure that you are rooting for her from the first frame until the end.
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Monstrum
Good looking, slickly made, period-set monster action, ‘Monstrum’ lives up to its title, concept and cover art and delivers some rollicking giant creature action.
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Exit
It works perfectly with these protagonists and Lee Sang-Geun throws every cinematic trick and cliché out of the bag to put these two through the wringer.
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In Full Bloom
Over its full running time of a modest ninety minutes, ‘In Full Bloom’ runs out of steam and the attempt at deeper layers of introspection become stilted.
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Prisoners Of The Ghostland
‘Prisoners of the Ghostland’ unfortunately doesn’t deliver on its promise of uniting Cage and Sono in a tale of post-apocalyptic rescue.
Best New Films
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Escape From Mogadishu
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Shaolin And Wu Tang
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Midnight
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A Distant Cry From Spring
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Exit
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The Attorney
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Fish Story
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The Paper Tigers
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Drive My Car
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Beyond The Infinite Two Minutes
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The Medium
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Hell Hath No Fury
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New York Ninja
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Blade Of The Immortal
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Breakout Brothers
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Keep Running
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Raging Fire
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Roh
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Wild Search
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The Witch: Part 1. The Subversion
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Time And Tide
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Shock Wave 2
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One-Armed Boxer
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The Swordsman
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Deliver Us From Evil
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Along Comes A Tiger
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Minari
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I’m Livin’ It
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The Queen Of Black Magic
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Rock Me To The Moon
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Debt Collectors
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Killing