Release Year: 2016

Not sure what it wants to be, the latest Japanese production of their beloved property is not the triumphant return some had hoped.

It’s almost as if the makers watched ‘Rush Hour’, ‘Shanghai Noon’ and even ‘Around The World In Eighty Days’ and thought how utilitarian it might be just to throw various elements from these into one puzzling lump.

Ringo Lam in the director’s chair should ensure a film that is at least cohesive. ‘Sky On Fire’ shows that this faith in the film-maker may be currently under review as this incredulous action thriller is a messy, wildly inconsistent affair.

While it might not quite hit the heights it sometimes seems to be reaching for, it is still a touching and quietly rewarding meditation on friendship.

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

It would take something quite exceptional to take such cliched elements and make them stand out from the crowd and while it’s an enjoyable feel-good film it’s not the kind of the production that leaves much of a lasting impression.

In a relatively short time Yee creates a fascinating martial world every bit as involving as the visions that Chor Yuen used to put together years before.

Packed with switching allegiances, twists and turns and on occasion stellar set-pieces, ‘The Age of Shadows’ rockets along on its quest to keep one guessing and in a perpetual state of tension.

‘The Asian Connection’ is easily one of Seagal’s worst outings to date, as well as being one of the poorest films I’ve seen in some time.

It’s not a perfect film by any means, but it succeeds in painting an interesting portrait of an aging gentleman looking for a little redemption.

‘The Great Wall’ packs in a monster amount of large scale action as Damon, Jing et al take on the horde of monsters in ever increasingly elaborate ways.

Director Derek Nguyen orchestrates some nifty scares and some lush visuals with his Eastern ‘The Woman in Black’ vibe and leading lady Kate Nhung also keeps everything on track with her committed performance.