Reviews

For fans of the classic western, or fans of stories that challenge the status quo, this is a compelling and fascinating adventure told from a different perspective. Charlotte Lockton (Alice Eve) has moved from England to New Zealand with her rich husband in 1860. But after her home is attacked and baby son is kidnapped, she decides to track him down, joining a ragtag bunch of misfits and ex-convicts to travel to the rough mining community of Gold Town, where she believes her son has been taken. In short, it's the traditional western told from the eyes of a woman, not the typical gunslinger (although we see those too!)

The film features beautiful, rugged New Zealand landscape which looks incredibly cinematic, plus a powerful score. What is also notable is the ensemble cast, which is very impressive. The lineup features Jack Davenport (Pirates of the Caribbean, Kingsman: The Secret Service), Graham McTavish (Preacher, Outlander, Rambo), Richard O'Brien (The Rocky Horror Picture Show, The Crystal Maze), NZ music star Stan Walker and more. The cast is excellent and conveys the rich variety of characters very well, with settlers from all over the world, realistic in its history. With further reading, the filmmakers have done a good job combining a rarely discussed slice of history with a fresh, engaging story.

For an unconventional spin on a long established genre, and a strong cast to boot, The Stolen is a highly recommended, unusual western adventure.

An excellent, well made British indie drama with a sci-fi element. Please note this is NOT a sci-fi action film with explosions and monsters, and anyone going in with that pre-conception will very likely be disappointed. It is, in fact, a character driven story focusing around a blossoming (and subsequently collapsing) relationship between two people before an asteroid hits the earth bringing post-apocalyptic disaster. The story shifts back and fourth in time as we witness the struggles and emotions of these two characters, played against the backdrop of mysterious ships in the sky, humanity falling apart and the search for their daughter. It's a very tragic relationship story and shows the three dimensional effect on normal people faced with a disaster, as opposed to the disaster being the forefront and the cardboard cutout characters being fodder on the stage. It's a completely different style of storytelling and all the more impressive that it's an indie production from a UK cast and crew. I hadn't seen anything quite like it before.

The film is well shot, the story is intriguing and the script is good. But the element that stands out most is the acting. Both leads turn in excellent, heart-wrenching performances which span the full-spectrum of emotion, from joy and warmth (flashbacks) to misery, fear and anger (present day). The whole cast, inc supporting players, are very good and it greatly boosts a film like this, where the overall impact relies so strongly on the actors.

In short, this is a extremely high quality drama which tries something new and ambitious with it's sci-fi angle. Well worth seeking out and I hope to see more from this team very soon

Hit Girls, the dynamic short film from Rosebud Pictures has finally been released online, following a successful set of screenings at BAFTA, Working Title and Electric Cinema in London. Blending dark comedy and stylish action, Hit Girls brings together an exciting cast of dramatic and action filmmaking talent and is bound to become a cult favourite.

Word about this film has spread online for quite sometime now (the film was first screened back in 2010), yet very few were lucky enough to actually see it. All this changed with today's official launch of the film online and it's already been causing quite a stir on YouTube and social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter!

On to the plot: Emma (Rosie Fellner: The Life and Death of Peter Sellers, Age of Heroes) and Megan (Gillian MacGregor: A Lonely Place to Die, Father's Day) are flat mates and like all best friends, they argue. Unlike most best friends, however, they are highly trained assassins! Megan has taken Emma off the job for falling in love with their target so Emma kills Megan's date (Joey Ansah: The Bourne Ultimatum, Street Fighter: Legacy) to retaliate. While burying him in the depths of the forest, their arguing reaches breaking point. With neither willing to back down, the normally cool and calculating Hit Girls lose their temper and all hell breaks loose. With old grudges rearing their ugly heads, can their friendship - and their lives - make it through the night?

From director Adrian Vitoria (Age of Heroes, The Crew), Hit Girls delivers a fresh and altogether different dose of action entertainment. Also helmed by actor/producer, Rosie Fellner, and actor/writer Gillian MacGregor, the film is a 'must-see' for fans of the female assassin genre. Gaining a high-energy boost from actor/fight choreographer, Joey Ansah, the film delivers hard on the action front and marks this team as one to watch out for!

There are rumours there may be more from this team, in the form of either a series or feature film. Hopefully it won't be the last we see of the Hit Girls gang, or this asskicking female duo for that matter! The UK action circuit needs more like this!

In homage to classic 1980s action cinema, Underground follows the story of twelve individual fighters brought together to compete in an illegal underground tournament for the grand prize of £500,000. Throughout the gruelling competition each fighter will be pushed to their physical and psychological limits as they make and break alliances, fuelled by the goal of eliminating the competition.

Broken from the same mould as martial arts classics like Kickboxer and Blood Fist, Underground is a relentless, adrenaline-fuelled fight fest that takes no prisoners. Following the simple story of twelve underground fighters competing for a cash prize, the unique characters and their individual stories are told through strong characterization and flashback, thrown against some of the most brutal action sequences witnessed in a long time.

Also featuring a strong cast of up and coming British action stars like Mark Strange (Displaced, Batman Begins), Joey Ansah (The Bourne Ultimatum) and Nathan Lewis (Fight School, Kick Ass), the talented team is shown in an incredible light under the heavily visual style of director, Chee Keong Cheung. For fans of martial arts and action cinema, generally, Underground is a ground breaking addition to a hugely successful genre. A must-see for true martial arts fans!

'Bodyguard: A New Beginning' focuses around the story of Leung, the bodyguard of a Chinese Triad boss, Wong, to whom his loyalty is unrivaled. Living in Hong Kong, Wong requests that his bodyguard travel to the UK to protect a young British woman, whose true identity is known only by Wong himself. Even his own errant son, Yuen, is kept in the dark, which leads to a betrayal that threatens to destroy the family and all that his father has worked hard to protect.

This energetic piece of low budget film-making highlights some of the best components of gritty British film-making with a heavy dose of Hong Kong style action and attitude. To top it off, the film features an all-star cast, incorporating the talents of both iconic veterans and rising stars – all working under the watchful eye of a bold and multi-talented young director! Leung (Vincent Sze) is the loyal bodyguard of Wong (Richard Ng), the boss of a powerful Hong Kong Triad. Amidst growing tension between Wong and Kai (Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa), the vicious head of a rival family, Leung is sent to the UK to protect a British woman whose identity is known only to Wong. As the Triad war in Hong Kong spills out into the streets, Kai, working with Wong's treacherous son Yuen (Carl Ng), sends enforcers to the UK to kidnap the mysterious woman Leung is protecting.

After Leung finds her, the pair struggle to evade Kai's ever-growing army of thugs on the streets of London. Meanwhile in Hong Kong, Wong desperately tries to keep his organisation intact as the business' foundations are weakened by his son's disloyalty and Kai's relentless pursuit for Wong's territory. A final confrontation in Hong Kong will bring about an end to the carnage, but at a price none of them could have predicted.

Following his previous work in Underground, director Cheung Chee Keong proves once again he is one of the most skilled, technically capable young independent action-film directors working in the UK today. Capturing a dark, unsettling tone of drama and a fast paced, brutal and stylish flair for the action sequences, the film treads new ground and blends multi-genre conventions.

Shot neck-deep in the urban metropolis of both London and Hong Kong, the visual style benefits from the diverse range of settings and captures a unique, visceral energy that could never be achieved filming in a studio. Although the story doesn't necessarily present anything new, there are enough innovative ingredients incorporated into the mix to deliver something fresh and exciting for both old-school and aspiring fans of Asian and action cinema.

In addition to the sights and sounds of the locations, the cities are captured in an honest, almost homely light, perhaps an indicator of the director's sentiment towards London and Hong Kong (Cheung was born and bred in England while his folks are from Hong Kong) - despite the obvious inclusion of the criminal underworld who exists there. For residents of either city, many locations will be familiar and instantly recognizable, making the action appear all the more real and immersive.

With a variety of athletic, acrobatic movements and brutal, close-quarters fighting, the action offers plenty of variety, courtesy of action directors Anthony Carpio and Chan Man Ching. To top off the high calibre actors in the film, the physical stars are equally impressive and serve up a nice variety of loathsome villains and noble heroes. Mark Strange makes a particularly intimidating villain, and seamlessly embodies the image of a human wrecking ball, relentlessly pursuing Vincent Sze with monstrous attacks and thunderous force.

One of the strongest elements of the film can be seen in the wonderful range of actors, representing a crossover between different generations of Hong Kong stardom. Richard Ng is far removed from his comedy persona made famous in the Lucky Stars series and shows his range as a great character actor. Portraying Wong, he is both humble and, when he needs to be, incredibly ruthless and aggressive.

In all, the movie offers up a wide range of stars stepping into characters outside normal typecasting. This elevates the story beyond expectation and injects a new, character-driven quality of drama into the action and gangster themes.

Veteran actor, the late, great Shing Fui-On, even features in a cameo role, further evidence of the possible homage to good old fashioned Hong Kong gangster movie-making. Certainly one of the most appealing points of the movie is the range of stars appearing together on screen – a real achievement in casting this many talented, high profile actors in a single project.

Bodyguard is a great achievement as a low-budget piece of multi-national action cinema, breaking new boundaries while still managing to deliver traditional conventions for genre purists. It is seeing these traits; veteran actors and rising stars, or classical stories with fast-paced film-making, that gives the film its integral character and identity. Cheung Chee Keong is reinventing British action cinema as we speak and, trust me, you don't want to miss out.

Don Kit Mak's Epic, Ultra Big-Budget film of the rise and fall of arguably the most powerful Godfather of 20th Century China is certainly an interesting experience.

Luk Yu-San (Ray Lui) is a petty fruit seller with ambition who seeks the money and respect of those great men carted through the streets. One day, he does a good deed and earns mob money for some friends and family, while gaining the recognition of the slimy, corrupt local Police Inspector (Kent Cheng). While falling for a local, prestigious girl (Cecilia Yip), Luk Yu-San begins his gradual climb of the underworld ladder, working with gangsters from both sides of the law and establishing himself as an up-and-coming local icon.

Despite being somewhat overlong and at times falling into irrelevant detail, the film is saved by a strong cast, a clearly competent director, and genuinely impressive production values. Originally shot as one long epic film, it was subsequently broken into parts I and II (the other half being "Lord of East China Sea 2") with the belief that the overall running time was too long. With this first part of the story running at nearly two and a half hours, this is probably true. Nevertheless, the subject is handled with care and does produce a strong depiction of a fascinating time and place in history. Despite inevitable flaws, the film certainly deserves attention and praise by international audiences. The over romanticized plot seems to give the film a more theatrical "feel" but is not detrimental to the engaging characters, particularly Kent Cheng's Chief Wong, whose arrogant and brash depiction of the Police Inspector seems to give the film a whole other dimension.

A combination of enjoyable big-budget epic and history lesson, but be sure to see Part II for the conclusion and to excuse the abrupt ending of this first chapter of "The Lord of East China Sea".

Andrew Lau's incredibly powerful crime thriller; "Infernal Affairs" should be studied long and hard by all Western Filmmakers for a lesson in how contributing factors can, together, create something very special. This film has an excellent "New Wave" HK Director, a first-rate cast, great script, good production values and an overall rich and elegant style which defines it as being one of the best HK films in the last few years.

The film is a cat and mouse tale of two undercover agents, operating on different sides of the law, working to bring down each other's organization and expose each other's true identity. Chan Wing Yan (Tony Leung) is a Hong Kong Police officer undercover within the HK Triads; led by the intense and unpredictable Sam (Eric Tsang). On a long term undercover assignment, his real identity is only really known by his close friend and senior Policeman, Superintendent Wong (Anthony Wong). On the opposite side of the scale is Inspector Lau (Andy Lau), a Triad working for Sam who is climbing the ranks of the Hong Kong Police Department in an attempt to restrict their monitoring of the Triads' activities.

Needless to say, the film goes into far more detail than that, emphasizing strong character development, personal relationships, and issues surrounding honour, love and sacrifice. The film succeeds best on the basis that it draws on so many emotions and convictions, emersing the audience in the lives of the characters and genuinely engaging with the events on screen. The audience also grow to very much like both lead characters, in a strange sort of "Heat"-esque kind of way, and can relate to both characters problems.

The film contains a very interesting non-linear narrative including flashbacks to explain the early lives of Lau and Chan, and also contains some elaborate, but not excessive direction techniques. Andrew Lau, famous for kicking off the "Young and Dangerous" popular film franchise seems to "grow up" somewhat with this film and experiment further with narrative styles and techniques. The cast is nothing short of excellent. Tony Leung, in particular drives incredible emotion into the torturous lifestyle of Chan, and Andy Lau gives a subdued and anxious approach to Lau. Eric Tsang delivers what is probably his best ever performance as the Triad boss, Sam, which is at times both funny and terrifying. Anthony Wong gets a rare opportunity to play a good guy, and seems to adopt naturalism and non-theatrical conviction, reminiscent in performances such as that in "Hard Boiled".

The film is a powerful reminder of how fantastic a movie can be when all the necessary elements come together. They certainly did here. See it for yourself now.

Wong Jing's original and forerunner to the successful "HK Casino" film franchise is an excellent example of how skilfully the genre can be presented.

Crab (Andy Lau) is a smooth professional gambler, although "con man" might be more accurate to describe some of his sleazy and deceptive means by which he tricks his rich victims out of huge amounts of money. Although it must be said, he never steals from the innocent, but only slimy business tyrants. His friend and gambling partner, Law (Alan Tam) is arguably the more careless of the two. They are called in to assist a Casino owning friend of theirs who has lost a lot of money to some cheating Japanese Yakuza, and so their investigation into the suspected men ensues. Needless to say, this attracts unwanted attention and eventually leads them into trouble with the Yakuza. When Law's girlfriend, Tong (Idy Chan) is kidnapped by the Yakuza in exchange for Crab, a punishment for stealing back some money in a gamble, Crab goes straight after the kidnappers...

Without giving the whole film away, little else can really be said, but the film does contain a great deal of plot twists and interesting developments.

Alan Tam is probably the best lead here, and gives an emotionally deep and interesting performance. Andy Lau is not nearly as great as he was in "Casino Raiders II", the unrelated sequel, but still gives a solid depiction of the morally uncertain 'Crab' Chan.

In all, very rich noir-visuals and stylishly subdued direction from Wong Jing and Jimmy Heung make this a strong high-point of the HK Casino-Noir genre.

"Rich and Famous" is a slow-moving but character driven Triad drama from director, Taylor Wong, very much created in the style of other Wong titles such as "Triads: The Inside Story".

Kwok (Andy Lau), his brother (Alex Man) and some of his friends begin working for local Triad kingpin Li-Ah Chai (Chow Yun-Fat) to eradicate their debt problems. They gradually become more deeply involved with Chai's activities and the goings on within the Triad organization. But problems begin to arise when Tang Kat-Yung, Kwok's brother, begins plotting his own schemes away from Chai and moving towards the company of Chai's enemy, "Big Eye" (Lam Chung).

Taylor Wong creates a very familiar plot here, using all the familiar Triad clichés. Yet he manages to construct a film which is still entertaining, tense, and maintains audience interest. His detached, almost documentary style direction, passively observing the characters, is used once again. The interesting aspect of this style is that it does not generally create an opinion for the viewer but instead presents the characters in their normal states and allows the viewer to decide who is good and who is bad. Nevertheless, the slightly formulaic structure is redeemed somewhat by an excellent ensemble cast. Chow Yun-Fat, Andy Lau and Alex Man all give strong performances, while Shing Fui-On, Pauline Wong and Danny Lee provide powerful support. Danny Lee is in fact on screen far less than one would expect and only really appears in two or three scenes. However, his minor role is actually expanded by his vibrant and colourful depiction of the determined cop.

Overall, although lacking in originality and inspiration, "Rich and Famous" can still be described as an entertaining and watchable addition to the genre and deserves to be seen by all HK film fans.

It is my pleasure to be able to review "A Date on Portland Street". It could be described as romantic, funny, dark, depressing; all these things would certainly be true. The main point to note, particularly from the perspective of a Western viewer, is that HK Romantic films in no way resemble the dire, and painfully cheerful monotony of typical British and American cinematic Romance. This film has a soft, romantic side, but it is soon challenged by themes of loneliness, failure and pessimism, making the entire movie both absorbing and much more interesting. Moving onto casting, Kelvin Wong is exceptional in this film, moving far away from his "villain" typecasting, with which he has been labeled, within HK cinema. His performance is complex, and he successfully highlights his characters' immaturity, but at the same time a sense of bawdy flirtations, and deeply withheld dissatisfaction with his life. Li Feng Xu provides a strong female lead and sustains the independent woman character who could effectively lead a life without Zhang Wei, yet they remain together despite growing differences.

Director, Zhang Zeming creates a dark and ultimately bittersweet Romantic drama which comes across as refreshing and interesting especially compared to some of the genre's disposable garbage, courtesy of Hollywood and Britain's "Working Title Films" (eg- Hugh Grant). The film is, at times, challenging, but well worth a look. The editing back-and-forth between Zhang Wei in London and Hong Kong creates occasional confusion about where exactly he is at any one point. Yet the overall "feel" of the film is one which certainly deserves wider recognition and praise. Well worth taking a look.

"Hana-Bi" is well-known as being Kitano's most critically acclaimed and iconic film to date, and with good reason. Despite a backlog of excellent films ("Violent Cop", "Sonatine", "A Scene By The Sea", etc), the reason "Hana-Bi" stands out as arguably the finest is that it so beautifully captures a personal time in Kitano's life and blends some of the more eloquent features of his persona not heavily represented in his other works. That title alone; "Hana-Bi" (In Japanese, combining 'fireworks' with 'sunflower') represents an almost poetic change in Kitano cinema, conveying a combination of sub-meanings and representations making the film strongly multi-layered with many possibilities for interpretation.

Kitano gives one of the best performances in his career as Nishi, the hardened cop looking after his dieing wife. Despite his stone-cold exterior and tendencies to explode in a violent rage, he is nonetheless a weak, broken, and tired man, haunted by some colleague's recent deaths and injuries and daunted by his wife's nearing death. Kitano is able to convey such an emotional stretch with sincerity, making this 'man of few words' one who the audience nevertheless bonds with throughout the film.

The supporting players are excellent. Kitano regulars; Susumu Terajima and Ren Osugi give exceptional performances as troubled men in an emotionally crumbling world. Osugi, in particular, plays the disabled Detective Horibe with such intensity and unfathomable depth. The numerous scenes of Horibe seated infront of Kitano's token sea-view, staring silently with Joe Hisaishi's fantastic score soaring over the top conveys more emotion and moves the audience to tears in a way words never could. It is this which makes Kitano such an incredible director, of not just Japan, but contemporary cinema as well. His dialogue is irregular, yet powerful, and his distinctive taste of visual style combined with beautiful music and emotionally rich characters creates further emotional intensity within film, powerful cinema which is undoubtedly absent in recent Hollywood works.

I have read that Kitano films are an acquired audience taste, and not suited to everyone. That maybe true with more shocking films such as "Violent Cop", but if you've not yet experienced the undeniable magic of a Kitano film, where better to start than the very best? It is certainly a film which needs to be viewed many times, as although the first time will leave you stunned, watching the film further allows you to notice more subtle qualities, as well as experience the film again.

In closing, I hope that wider audiences will experience the power of Kitano's work, and in particular, "Hana-Bi" It is a film unlike any other you will see, and no review can do it justice. You must see it for yourselves.

When you sit back to watch this film, you probably should, at least to some extent, know what you are letting yourself in for! The reason for this warning is that this is no Saturday night family film... and if thats what you think lies ahead, you may be a little shocked.

Mark Cheng, Ivy Leung and Kelvin Wong star in Kai Cheong's insane, surreal and incredibly exploitative Category III black comedy. The film, set inside the presumably mundane settings of a greyscale Insurance building proves to be the backdrop of some wild events of sex, parties, violence, and most amusingly, the competition between rival Insurance teams. The film purposely jumps between conventional situation comedy and borderline soft-core Pornography to create an edgy and controversial atmosphere which makes the film all the more unpredictable.

So if you're a HK film fan who doesn't mind being a little shocked and surprised, even when watching a comedy, this film could certainly serve you well.

Everything relating to the film; the directing, casting, script, events, are handled in an almost insanely hammed up, slapstick routine which gives the film a colourful and almost hypnotic sense of confusion through weirdness.

In particular, Mark Cheng is at his comic best in the leading role as the slacking and daydreaming new employee who soon learns the meaning of competition from Kelvin Wong, who gives a very funny and larger-than-life performance as their slimy business rival.

The film's main downfall is that, at times, too little interaction takes place in the office itself, in which some of the film's funniest scenes take place. By attempting to highlight the Insurance broker's work outside the walls, the film tends to sometimes shift location with little significant consequence. As though the director thought too many scenes inside an office would be boring. With these characters, that would not happen.

Despite some minor flaws, this wildly imaginative, strange dark comedy is worth a look if you don't mind laughing hysterically at something which makes little sense.

Chicken Feet (Andy Lau) assists in running an honorable gambling den owned by the crippled Uncle Fan (Siu-Ming Lau) and his son Kit (Wong Kit). Having previously tried to shut down the gambling den and take over by paralyzing Fan and framing Kit for another man's murder, ruthless local Triad boss, James (Kelvin Wong) goes a step further by murdering Fan. Driven only by money and the pursuit of two valuable 'Jade stones', James kidnaps Kit's daughter so he will surrender gambling in order for James to win the upcoming Championship. Despite Kit's wish to live a life of peace, Chicken Feet finds the Jade Stones and along with his partner, Lin (Wu Chien-Lien) plots his own revenge against James.

The sequel to the 1989 Hong Kong Modern Classic "Casino Raiders" was never going to be as well received as it's predecessor, yet, despite the criticism that this merely cashed in on Lau's fast on-screen success, this is nevertheless an interesting film to look at.

Foremost, director, Johnny To takes a somewhat more 'poetic' perspective than Wong Jing did on the original, focusing more on drawn out character emotions which can, however, sometimes fall backwards on style. There are some exceptional scenes though, such as the lynching on the cruise boat, the fight on the docks at nighttime, and, of course, the final showdown between Lau and Wong. These emphasize To's ability to maintain consistency of plot without relying on visual spectacle, but still including subdued rich imagery.

The always impressive Andy Lau is brilliant yet again, and the entire support cast, particularly Wong Kit and Wu Chien-Lien give strong performances. Kelvin Wong, it must be said, is also thoroughly convincing as the cold-blooded James and gives, quite possibly, one of his best-ever performances.

In terms of fallbacks, the film does, at times, rely slightly too heavily on assumed prior knowledge, particularly on playing cards. Therefore, while an uninformed HK film fan might wait it out and try and keep up, the half-interested modest might give up completely.

Although not a criticism of the film itself, this (as well as "Casino Raiders") are LONG overdue for a DVD Re-Release. Particularly in the UK, I'd hope the Hong Kong Legends label will show interest; re-master the film, re-dub and re-subtitle (the Laser Universe label subtitles are pretty bad) and of course throw in a handful of interesting special features. So, Mr. Bey Logan, if you're reading this, put in a good word! And, hey, you can do the commentary track, too!