Like us on Facebook!
Recent Reviews
- Godzilla Minus One (2023)
- Midnight (2021)
- Magnificent Warriors (1987)
- Odd Couple (1979)
- Three (2016)
- Dreadnaught (1981)
- Decision to Leave (2022)
- Once Upon a Time in China & America (1997)
- Bad Guy
- Dali & Cocky Prince
- A Korean Odyssey
- Special Delivery (2022)
- Hwarang
- My Girlfriend Is A Gumiho
- Strong Girl Bong Soon
Recent Articles
Elsewhere on the Web
Blog Archives
Crime Story (1993)
Crime Story is one of the very few films from Jackie Chan’s back catalogue that’s bereft of comedy, along with Thunderbolt and (to some degree, anyway) New Police Story. Apparently, more dramatic acting is the direction Jackie wants to take his career, now that he’s getting older. All well and good, and I think he’s capable of doing a decent job, but the removal of the comedy really focuses your attention on the characters and the story… which I … (read more)
Comments Off on Crime Story (1993)
Story of Ricky (1993)
This schlock horror classic, based on a manga called Ricky-oh, will delight fans of extreme violence. Our eponymous hero Ricky (Fan Siu Wong) is banged up in prison for killing heroin traffickers responsible for the death of his girlfriend (the giggling Gloria Yip), and meets a variety of brutal killers all bent on extracting various parts of his well-muscled body, probably to use as decoration. Fortunately, Ricky has super-strength, and fights his way through a roster of bad guys. Quite … (read more)
Comments Off on Story of Ricky (1993)
Police Story (1985)
Police Story has been called the greatest action film of all time. That’s making a big claim, and I’m not certain it’s true, but I am certain that this film is a fine example of Jackie doing what Jackie does best: taking a beating from bad guys, good guys, cars, furniture, and assorted household items.
The film opens with a stakeout leading to a spectacular chase down the side of a mountain, smashing through a shanty town on the slope. … (read more)
Comments Off on Police Story (1985)
Police Story 3: Supercop (1992)
The Police Story series is one of Jackie Chan’s best-loved series of films. The first one, made in 1985, is lauded by many as one of the best action films ever made. As well as showing off Jackie’s talents, they made stars of actresses Maggie Cheung (Jackie’s long-suffering girlfriend in the first three films) and Michelle Yeoh, who almost out-stunts Jackie in Police Story III.
It’s a slower film than the first two Police Stories, this one. Made … (read more)
Comments Off on Police Story 3: Supercop (1992)
Fist of Fury (1972)
Fist of Fury was Bruce Lee’s second film in Hong Kong, after The Big Boss made him a superstar across Asia. It’s a much bigger film, shot with a larger budget and higher production values by the same director, Lo Wei. It follows the story of fictional character Chen Zhen, a junior student at the Jing Mo school run by real-life martial arts master Fok Yun Gap (Ho Yuan-chia in Mandarin). It’s been remade and referenced many, many times since … (read more)
Comments Off on Fist of Fury (1972)
The Prodigal Son (1982)
Sammo Hung’s been in the film industry a long time and has produced, directed or acted in a huge number of films, working with virtually every major martial arts actor in the business: his younger brothers-in-Opera Jackie Chan (Project A, Wheels on Meals and more) and Yuen Biao, Bruce Lee, Jet Li, Donnie Yen, Wu Jing, Lau Kar Leung, Lau Kar Wing… the list goes on. The Prodigal Son is lauded by many as one of his best, … (read more)
Comments Off on The Prodigal Son (1982)
Iron Monkey (1993)
We love heroes here at Heroic Cinema as you probably know. And there’s no shortage of heroes in Iron Monkey. Correction: I should say, butt-kicking heroes. Iron Monkey has the sort of heroes that make your heart swell when they thump the baddies (and there’s plenty here), help the poor and save the day. So what if the plot is simplistic and the stereotypes are stretched to cartoonish proportions? So what if it’s a little cheesy and the dubbing … (read more)
Comments Off on Iron Monkey (1993)
Unleashed (2005)
David and Margaret of The Movie Show didn’t really like Unleashed, giving it a good panning, although admitting that they liked the action sequences and some of the performances. This raised my hackles a little — I liked this film, though I can see why some would feel that it’s a little cliched and lacking in dramatic depth. Nonetheless, I really think it’s the best thing that Jet Li’s done in the Western cinema world and very like several … (read more)
Comments Off on Unleashed (2005)