Release Year: 2022

‘Blade of the 47 Ronin’ is slick albeit silly fun that rightly plays everything just earnest enough to be taken seriously but having fun with the hokey concept of Samurai’s running around modern Budapest fighting evil witches.

‘Broker’ is deceptively gentle in the same way as the tide is – constant, soothing and yet with a power to erode even the hardest granite with its motion.

Joo Won and the stunt people do give it their all and there are some creative sequences on show, but it doesn’t quite come together into a satisfying whole.

Undemanding fun that benefits from a likeable cast, a vibe that just wants to entertain, and lots of shiny fight action.

Penned by prolific director and writer Wong Jing, ‘Hit Team’ is a formulaic cop thriller done on a low budget, something that makes itself very apparent early on.

Perhaps too overly convoluted, po-faced and twist happy for its own good, ‘Hunt’ is nevertheless mounted with impressive verve and if one can forgive its flaws, is an exhilarating action charged political thriller.

A palpable sense of all-consuming dread is maintained throughout the runtime and the makers never resort to jump scares just for the sake of them.

‘Life Must Go On’ is not a cavalcade of hilarity nor is it remotely original, but it is a pleasant surprise and another reminder of the life left in Hong Kong cinema.

‘New Kung Fu Cult Master’ isn’t a great film, maybe not even a very good one, but there’s enough strengths here to make you eager to watch the second part.

It’s watchable (though don’t dare take your eyes off it for a moment or you’ll miss at least three dramatic revelations) and confidently put together, but satisfying as a conclusion to the big story it is not.

The makers conjure an intense and propulsive energy that keeps the flick moving and engaging, mounting the action with innovative verve to deliver powerful action scenes.

‘Shadow Master’ is some fight packed fright fun for the most part that sticks to its own path and certainly delivers some superb fight sequences for the fight film fans out there.