Review Fist of Fury a.k.a. Jing wu men (1972) / 4K UHD Arrow: Martial arts classic!

genre: martial arts, drama

Maybe nowadays it is hard to imagine, but when I grew up, Bruce Lee had a significant impact on many, including me. Apart from his martial arts skills, Bruce Lee had that special something rarely seen in other people. Jim Kelly stated that he was one of a kind. It is true, he truly was. Back in the day, I had seen all of his films many times over. I couldn't get enough of it. I still can't. Even when I have to admit that compared to contemporary martial arts films, his films might be a little dated when it comes to pacing.

That being said, I would still argue, that Fist of Fury laid the groundwork for modern martial arts films of today. I am pretty sure that without him, we wouldn't even have John Wick and the films Jackie Chan has made. Fist of Fury is very different from the films produced by Shaw Brothers. More grounded in reality and more modern. One could argue whether that is better. But the martial arts combined with the rage demonstrated by Bruce Lee because of the injustice is still something that gets to me. I laughed so many times when Bruce kicked the crap out of his opponents. Even today, it is so satisfying. While the film isn't exactly subtle about the Japanese oppression. It doesn't devote too much time to it, except for some essential moments where Chinese people are considered less than Japanese people and dogs. There is a scene where Chen Zen (Bruce Lee) can't enter a part since dogs and Chinese people aren't allowed. Of course, Chen is outraged and deals with the situation as he sees fit. Then there is the scene where the Chinese interpreter wants to go home since he is too drunk. But the Japanese master tells him he can only leave when he crawls on his hands and knees, which he does. To the amusement of every Japanese present. This scene reminds us of the fact that whatever Chen Zen doing, even if in normal circumstances could be considered criminal, is very much heroic and justified.

There is no denying that the choreography and the camera work is exceptional. The fight scenes themselves are almost little films that tell their own stories. I didn't even realize this until now. But Bruce is even demonstrating what one would do when being in a predicament. At one point, Bruce's character is in trouble for a bit. He gets out of it by biting the leg. He shows what one could do when someone in real life is in a similar pickle. It's great.

Is it worth from upgrading from Blu-ray to 4K UHD Blu-ray? Absolutely! Fist of Fury looks so good in 4K. Some scenes do pop. But most important is how crispy everything looks. It does feel like superior film has been transferred to disc. Audio wise, it sounds phenomenal. 

Overall, Fist of Fury is a martial arts classic! It will never get old!

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Review Bullet Train Explosion a.k.a. Shinkansen Daibakuha (2025): Not bad but not one I can recommend!

genre: disaster, crime, action, thriller

Normally, I would have watched the original first, but I was too curious to see what a modern take would be like. Since I thought this was a remake. Well, I was wrong. This is a sequel. 

The premise of the film may sound familiar. Remember the film Speed? If the bus slowed down to a certain speed, the bus would explode. In this film, the same goes for the Bullet Train. And to be fair, that is all I wanted. Because that already is pretty thrilling. I do have to state the following. People seem to think that this film copied Speed. This is false. If anything, Speed might have stolen the premise from the original The Bullet Train (1975). You can be assured that I am definitely going to watch this one as soon as I can. If only to see how it holds up.

The film doesn't waste time to set the premise up. It was pretty exciting and thrilling for the first half hour. Then somehow the film lost steam. In large part because a lot of the threat was diminished. That and the fact that the focus shifted. Had this shift offered something more thrilling, I would have applauded it. Unfortunately, it's here where the film fails the audience. The antagonist and the motive are weak. Even if what is stated is repulsive. That still doesn't give that someone the right to terrorize people. I really wished filmmakers would do their best to write better villains in this regard. In a way, you need to give them motivations a lot of people can stand behind to make them a little more sympathetic. Such things would make events more compelling. As it was, I barely cared. In fact, at one point I even agreed with the politicians. That's never a good thing.

I was expecting a non-stop thrill ride, and I what I got in return was some sort of plead for people with psychological issues. As much as I agree with this notion, I don't want this in my disaster films. Overall, I would say this is a film best suited on a rainy Sunday. But not one I can recommend!

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Review In the Line of Duty: Blaze of Glory (TV Movie 1997): Only worth it because of Bruce Campbell!

genre: crime, heist, action

Normally, I don't even bother with TV movies like this. I mean, usually, they are a poor adaptation of the true events and very biased. But, one of the leads is Bruce Campbell. How can you not pay attention when he is involved?

And like I predicted, he certainly elevates the viewing experience. Despite him being bogged down by other factors. For whatever reason, Lori Loughlin is first billed. Sure, she was huge when Full House was around. But her being a bigger star than Bruce Campbell? That is insanity. He himself doesn't seem to mind her character to be the brains of the operation, even when she clearly is unstable and unhinged. This story is based on the true story of Jeffrey and Jill Erickson. Not going to lie, I don't care. For me, it's more compelling what motivates characters to commit crimes like these and especially why they keep doing them even when they don't have to. This film implies, they were doing it for the rush. Then later they were doing it to keep up with their lifestyle. Yet, Jill was not feeling so great about doing them, even when I suspect these heists were her idea. Bruce gives as much depth as he can to Jeffrey. He obviously cares a lot about Jill. But, like any husband, wants to please his wife as much as possible. 

Bruce is very serious and shows that he certainly is capable of good acting when he forsakes the campiness. However, it's unfortunate that he is not given the opportunity to do more than he is capable of.

Again, I really don't understand why Lori Loughlin is awarded such prominence. Apart from her looks she is an average actress. This is demonstrated in On Call (2025). She is decent. But nothing more.

Overall, this film is only worth it because of Bruce Campbell. But this is not a tile I can recommend.

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Review Hero a.k.a. Ma Yong Zhen 1997: Corey Yuen does Heroic Bloodshed!

genre: action, heroic bloodshed, drama

Hero is an unusual heavy drama for someone like Corey Yuen unless I am overlooking some titles made by him. This is probably because this is a remake of The Boxer from Shantung a.k.a. Ma Yong Zhen (1972), A Shaw Brothers production. It did take a while for me to get into the groove of the film but once it did, I was invested.

In essence, this is a basic rags-to-riches story where things go badly since the main character, Ma Wing Jing (played by Takeshi Kaneshiro) wants it too fast. In a city, Shanghai where almost every individual has the same ambition, you can count on, that if you would ever succeed in a higher position, you will get kicked down faster than you can say amen. Funnily enough, it is at this moment where events started to click for me. Up until this time, I was struggling to follow the story, since it was far too complex and fast-paced for its own good. I only kept watching for the action, which is stellar but far too short for my taste. 

Although, the film redeems itself with a big action sequence involving a horse and a hundred bad guys. Thankfully, I can concur that this horse didn't get hurt or killed in the process. But phew, it was very close. Then there is the action sequence in the finale. Beautiful and surprising! Corey Yuen goes fully John Woo here and it's marvellous. A real shame, that the film gets bogged down by the story that gets engulfed in melodrama too much. When done right, I can appreciate it. Here it felt forced and in my opinion was too much of a distraction from the action. Still, Yuen Biao, while demonstrating his extraordinary martial arts skills also shows off some good acting on his part.

I have to say, it's pretty impressive for Kaneshiro to do as much as he can action wise. He is not a stuntman, nor is he a martial artist. Pretty sure, Corey Yeun pushed him to do most of his own stunts. And it definitely pays off. Overall, this is not the best Corey Yuen has done. But it certainly will be worth your while for the action sequences I discussed.

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Review A Working Man (2025): Insanely bad!

genre: action, crime

Full review / rant is coming soon. A Working Man will be a very confusing viewing experience. That's not a good thing if simplicity used to be one of the great elements in a Jason Statham action flick! It might take a while though for my full review to come. I honestly am not feeling it. I really don't understand how they released this as it is. 

Please watch / listen to our thoughts on A Working Man.

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Review G20 (2025): Not trash but decent!

genre: die hard clones, action, thriller

Disparu (a YouTuber) has quite a few videos where he is blatantly negative about films. While I do think the quality of films have declined severely, some of the supposed trashy films are decent to good. Just from his tone, I can see he is being dishonest to please his audience. And well, of course in general you should please people. But not being truthful is a strange practice if you ask me. is it really a surprise #filmthreat  and #nerdrotic share the same view as Disparu. Btw, these are reviewers who have very predictable views on certain films. They are often quick to point out how unrealistic it all is. But at the same time if a film they like is ridiculous, they will ignore those arguments. How convenient. These reviewers are very biased and dishonest. And I am having a hard time to believe they actually love films. Have they even seen the other Die Hard clones? There are some real bad ones out there.

I am a film fan ever since I laid my eyes on TV. Many years later I still am. Although, I must admit that sometimes I miss the old days when I would go to a video rental shop and browse to actual videotapes / DVD's to find the titles I want to watch. Now there is an overload of films. But are they all good? Nope. Still, some are, and just because they feature things you don't like doesn't mean the whole film is trash. 

Like in this case. #g20  is a decent to good title. One of the better Die Hard Clones (). Sure it can't be compared to the original. But it offers a nice viewing experience after a hard day's work. If I had my way, streaming service like #netflix and #amazonprime would offer more titles like these. I really miss the direct to video B action flicks which you could watch whenever you felt like them. 

Please watch / listen to our thoughts in the video underneath.

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Review Saigon a.k.a. Off Limits (1988): Perfect to view late at night!

genre: thriller, crime, action

A serial killer is on the prowl in Saigon during, The Vietnam War. Since they suspect the killer to be an American soldier, two CID (Criminal Investigation Division) officers are involved. Played by Willem Dafoe and Gregory Hines.

The two CID officers are hot on the trail, but then continually are being sabotaged. There is a reason for this, which I won't reveal. In essence, Saigon is a murder mystery. If this were set in the States, this might not have been memorable. But because it's set in Vietnam, it gives an extra dimension to the film. It's not explicitly stated, but it could very well be that the film is trying to convey the insanity of war, or how supposedly decent soldiers can lose it. This is definitely the case when Scott Glenn makes an appearance.

Since the murder victims are hookers, there is a strong sexual element to events. Even in connection to a French nun (Amanda Peet) who aids hookers. Willem Dafoe's character is immediately smitten and even more determined to catch the killer they are hunting. I am not entirely sure if this was necessary, but it does add to the viewing experience. The acting is top-notch. Everybody know what they are in for and how they are supposed to play their roles. I like how almost every player on the screen could be bad.

It's not that hard to predict who the killer is, but kudos for the film leaving you in the dark until the finale. This one is certainly perfect to view late at night!

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Review Panda Plan (2024): It's silly!

genre: comedy, martial arts, action

Most people seem to dislike Panda Plan. And while I understand the sentiment, I think you have to keep in mind that Jackie Chan is not a spring chicken any more. Also, one have to realize the intended audience is different from usual.

It is very obvious that this film is intended for children. One could argue, that something meant for children should also appeal to adults. In my experience, this is never the case. Sure, a lot of filmmakers remedy this with adding stuff for both adults and children. Panda Plan, however, goes full into silliness. It's something you have to be in the mood for. Still, the cuteness of the CGI panda is undeniable. It won me over the second it was on the screen. 

Normally, I wouldn't comment on the acting but in this case, it was terrible. I am aware that it is asked of the actors to be very expressive and cartoonish. Somehow, they went overboard and failed to come across natural. This is coming from someone who is used to this especially in Jackie Chan films. But I realize, this being a children's movie, the kids won't be bothered by this.

Please watch / listen to our thoughts in the video underneath.

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Review / Rant In the Lost Lands (2025): Don't bother!

genre: fantasy, action

You would think that Paul W. S. Anderson, George R.R. Martin, Milla Jovovich and Dave Batista would be a magical combo. Think again, this film is absolutely atrocious. I started out optimistic and positive, and towards the end I was fuming with anger. Kind of like in my video review here. #millajovovich #batista #inthelostlands #filmreviews #adventure #werewolf 

Please watch / listen to our thoughts in the review.

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Review Dark Nuns a.k.a. The Priests 2 a.k.a. Geomeun sunyeodeul (2025): Solid!

genre: horror, drama

Sequel / Spin-off from The Priests. This one might not be as scary as the original, it certainly makes that up with intense acting and expanding the lore. If you like Korean exorcist films, this is one we can wholeheartedly recommend! #thepriests #darknuns #filmreviews #horrormovies #horror #exorcism 

Please watch / listen to our thoughts in the video.

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