Are you ready for a Kung Fu Christmas? Once again the last year has been an amazing time for fans of martial arts films as the vaults of Hong Kong’s Shaw Brothers and Golden Harvest have opened up with great Blu-rays arriving in America that have only been listed in articles and books. There are releases that were only available on crummy pan and scan VHS bootlegs taken off TV. Now you can see all the glorious details and aspect ratio of these gems from the ’60s to the ’90s. There are also vintage films from Japan ranging from the era of the Samauri to the domination of the Yakuza. Plus a few J-Horror titles that didn’t make it to America for remakes. We got a boxset dedicated to the fake Bruce Lees. Even more interesting is a film about a man with no league and another with no arms teaming up to be the ultimate fighter. There’s so much physical media that you could give as gifts or gift them to yourself if you’ve been good. Be a black belt Santa. Here is a list of the Asian action films that I really enjoyed reviewing last year.
Shawscope: Volume Three (Arrow Video) is another fantastic festival of prime Hong Kong action. While there’s no techniques perfected at the Shaolin Temple, the action in the Wuxia films is on the same level as the martial arts melees. The weapons flash brightly. The characters have the jumping abilities of an NBA superstar. There’s a sweet mix between mysticism and metal. You’ll believe a guy with one arm can take on a dozen men at once. This is the perfect gift for that someone who can’t get enough bone crunching action in Mandarin. Or you can give it to yourself. Shawscope: Volume Three is 14 lethal slices of Shaw Brothers goodness.
Shaw Brothers Classics Vol. Five (Shout! Studios) has another 11 titles from the studio coming out on January 14th. You might want to use any holiday gift cards on the boxset.
Japanese Organized Crime Boss (Radiance Films) slices into the underbelly of Yakuza life. Director Kinji Fukasaku elevates the mobster film by first giving it the sense of a historical documentary. We’re given a map of Japan with arrows depicting the power class between the major families. The initial action is captured in a documentary form to see the bloodbath on the streets. Freeze frames and narration speeds up the story. He’d keep perfecting these techniques throughout his career of Yakuza movies. He sets up the movie so if you’re not deeply versed in mobster history, you’ll grasp the action. If you’re eager to see why Kinji Fukasaku is a master of gangster films, Japan Organized Crime Boss is the perfect start.
Tomie (Arrow Video) sets an extremely creepy tone on the screen. This isn’t a fright fest with jump cuts to have you bounce in your recliner with a shock. There’s a subtle unnerving nature to the horror attitude. When the guy is “feeding” the hairy thing in the box, the sound effects should made me cringe. Tomie does have plenty of grotesque moments because of the way she keeps coming back. The relationship between Tomie and Tsukiko is what makes this film special. Tomie doesn’t merely chase around the final girl with a weapon. There’s more to her attack. Amnesia adds to the excitement and anticipation when the two classmates meet once more. Will Tsukiko finally remember why she cut Tomie loose? Or will she end up like the rest of her classmates? Tomie is a well-executed alumni horror film.
The Kung Fu Instructor (88 Films) gives us the divided town of Ho Si that’s not split by train tracks. If a local steps onto the wrong side, there’s an extreme price to pay besides the side eyes.
Kid from Kwang Tung (88 Films) is an exciting late era Shaw Brother film. Yue Wong and Kam Cheung are a fun duo to watch for both the comedy and fighting aspects of the film. They’re like a black belt Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis. Director Hsia Hsu proves that he knew what to do when he got behind the camera. Visually Kid from Kwang Tung keeps popping with the fists, kicks and comedy.
Facets of Love (88 Films) gives us three stories that go from a harsh reality drama to an educational film to a supernatural musical. Luckily the sadistic tale goes first so you’ll feel like you’ve had a good time when the songs of the third story reach a crescendo. But Li Han-hsiang doesn’t let us dance out of the theater. He ramps up the intensity during the finale of the framing story. Facets of Love isn’t just a good time at a brothel.
J-Horror Rising (Arrow Video) is a fantastic collection for people who enjoyed the major titles that were adapted for Hollywood films and want to see more. The seven films are rather different from each other. We go from high school trauma to countryside creeps. The locations can be a peaceful rural graveyard or an earthquake damaged city. No land is off limit. You sense that no matter where you go, Japan is a haunted nation. J-Horror Rising will keep your weekend spooky.
Daiei Gothic (Radiance Films) has three extraordinary, haunted stories. The cinematography and the color palate are visually rich. There’s a level of beauty that we normally don’t associate with horror films in America. The dramatic elements aren’t just set ups for jump scares. There’s a lot going on between the regular people before the supernatural arrives. It’s easy to realize why a couple of these guys married a ghost or a supernatural creature. The films aren’t completely out to spook you.
Broken Oath (Eureka!) is Golden Harvest doing their variation of the Japanese film Lady Snowblood (1973) with Meiko Kaji. Both films have similar first acts, but Broken Oath isn’t a complete copycat. Angela Mao doesn’t battle anyone in a snowstorm. Meiko Kaji doesn’t flips scorpions on her targets.
Project A (88 Films) was a rather massive undertaking for Golden Harvest and showed how much they believed Jackie Chan was going to be their biggest star since Bruce Lee’s death. They built a massive outdoor set. They had real sailing ships for the pirate action. The plot has enough complications to give Jackie, Sammo and Yuen Biao their moments to shine without overshadowing each other. Project A Part II changes things up immediately by only having Jackie as the lead. By making him an undercover cop, the film works with a whole new crew in the major supporting roles. Back in the early ’90s, I drove nearly 90 minutes to Dave’s Videodrome in Carrboro, NC to rent Project A and Project A Part II. This is how bad we wanted to see Jackie Chan films instead of being stuck with Hollywood junk. Getting to see both movies in 4K UHD instead of a VHS tape has made me really appreciate the mayhem the trio brought to the first film and what Jackie accomplished in the sequel. The Project A Collection boxset is magnificent and deserving of an A.
Golden Harvest Volume 1: Supernatural Shockers (Shout! Studios) contains Sex and Zen, Doctor Vampire, Robotrix and three installments of Erotic Ghost Story. These films are from a time when Golden Harvest mixed magic, martial arts and carnality. Among the stars are Amy Yip, Chau-Sang ‘Anthony’ Wong, Pauline Chan, Bowie Lam and Lawrence Ng.
Golden Harvest Vol. 2: Shining Stars (Shout! Studios) features eight films with major stars including Chuck Norris, Angela Mao, Jimmy Wang Yu, Sammo Hung, Jet Li and even Brandon Lee (The Crow).
Two Taoist Tales (Eureka!) is a wild double feature as the Yuen Clan dig deep into finding another level of physical comedy. Things get wilder for the characters over the course of the films. You can’t take your eyes off the screen since they will make something crazy appear either by a spell or stupidity. This is not normal kung fu attitude. Where else will you see the bowling ball critter? Two Taoist Tales is twice the Yuen Clan excitement.
The Champions (Eureka!) is more than watching a bunch of actors use their martial arts skills while kicking around a soccer ball. Brandy Yuen dares to dip into how gambling might steer a sport. This is a contemporary story as online betting has overwhelmed American sports.
Tattooed Life (Radiance Films) is tight tale of putting brotherhood above a crime family. Tetsu was a loyal solider for his Yakuza overlords. He had no clue they’d make him into a patsy. Tetsu does his best to keep his brother Kenji safe, but the life of crime turns him into a murderer. Tetsu expresses the guilt during their journey.
The Threat (Arrow Video) gives us a sense of the films that Kinji Fukasaku would be creating in the future. The camera angles and editing style hint at his documentary style he’d bring to crime dramas. We get headlines flashing across the screen. He gives us gangsters that aren’t merely impersonating Bogart on the run. They are both scary. Kawanishi looks like he’s all for wasting everybody after they get their ransom. Sakata is eager to get Misawa’s wife alone.
The Shadow Boxing (88 Films) is a fun film mixing the supernatural with martial arts. We’re able to accept this folk superstition of reanimating corpses without it being a fraud. The corpses hopping across the countryside makes complete sense. How else were you supposed to get a body back home in an area before major roadways? We eventually get a great martial arts battle involving Gordon Liu. This was a busy time for Gordon Liu (Kill Bill) since he just broken through internationally with The 36th Chamber of Shaolin and Dirty Ho.
The Stephen Chow Collection (Shout! Studios) has four films include tales of a dead cop still on the beat, a God being taught an Earthly lesson, an odd married couple and Hong Kong paranormal investigator.
The Golden Lotus (88 Films) doesn’t water down the disturbing nature of the novel although it does discretely shoot a bit of the action. Qing is a remarkably disgusting character. He’s extremely obsessed with tiny bound feet on women. He promotes one concubine over another because her feet are just a fraction smaller. What he does to his neighbor’s wife is rather nasty. Peter Yang really gets at the cold heart of the entitled lothario.
To Kill A Mastermind (88 Films) is what you want when you pop a Shaw Brothers movie in the Blu-ray player. There’s a plot that has as many twists as the fighters leaping all over the screen with cool weapons. There’s even a metal claw glove that slashes away in combat.
Tokijiro: Lone Yakuza (Radiance Films) is not a movie about the post-World War II gun wielding mobsters in Japan. The movie is set in 18th century Japan when a sword made the man. Yakuza back then was still a bit of an outlaw living the life of gambling and hanging around brothels. Some men are part of a crew located in the red-light district of villages. Others roam the country fighting, betting and spending a lot of time with tattooed prostitutes. It’s a busy life. Tokijiro – Lone Yakuza is what happens when a Yakuza makes two promises without realizing that they will conflict.
A Man Called Tiger (Eureka!) lets us appreciate Lo Wei as a director. He has two really great fight scenes that are more complicated and riskier than anything in Big Boss and Fist of Fury. He has Jimmy Wang Yu taking on goons in moving a cable car. Jimmy Wang Yu is so right as the stranger in town that moves very quickly up the Yakuza organizational ladder. He looks like trouble especially when he unhooks his belt.
The Bounty Hunter Trilogy (Radiance Films) cements Tomisaburo Wakayama as one of the great badasses of Japanese Cinema along with Toshiro Mfume and Sonny Chiba. He’s a frumpy and lumpy guy. Yet when he pulls out his samurai sword, Wakyayama slices and dices with the best of them.
Prison Walls Abashiri Prison I-III (Eureka!) gives us a taste as to why Ken Takakura was a major star in Asia. He ended up with supporting roles in American movies shot in Japan such as Black Rain and Yakuza. These three films have him as the star. He dominates the screen whether he’s stuck in prison, dealing with hijinks on a boat or facing off at the docks.
Shinobi (Radiance Films) has three movies are full of action and power plays. There’s a fight scene that features flaming ninja throwing stars. Who knew you could set them on fire before flinging them?
The Valiant Ones (Eureka!) gives us a glimpse the future of martial arts movies. Four major faces appear that were relatively unknown at the time. The most noticeable in the film is Sammo Hung who does dual duty as the fight coordinator and the deadliest of the pirates. He has the final battle and keeps up with the whirlwind attack. Mars (Project A) gets a solo fight as a pirate with an attitude. Biao Yuen (The Prodigal Son) pops up as a pirate and stunt man. The biggest name doesn’t get his name in the film. Jackie Chan (Rumble In The Bronx) was part of Sammo’s stunt team on the movie. What’s amazing is even with these four future superstars in minor roles, you don’t wish they’d replaced any of the leading cast. Ying Bai and Feng Hsu are perfect as the husband and wife.
Beast Fighter: Karate Bullfighter and Karate Bearfighter (Eureka!) has Sonny Chiba prove he’s got a death punch that can take out any creature that challenges him.
Sympathy For the Underdog (Radiance) has Kinji Fukasaku getting into the techniques that marked his Battles Without Honor and Humanity films. He sneaks handheld cameras onto the streets to get a realness of his mobster characters roaming Okinawa. The movie has touches of Hollywood influences. Getting his loyal mob soldiers back together feels like the reunion of the squad from Ocean’s 11. Towards the end of the movie, there’s a homage to The Wild Bunch as Masuo Gunji and his men head to a face off.
A Queen’s Ransom (Eureka!) has Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip showing up in Hong Kong and co-starring with a former James Bond in a Golden Harvest film. She was visiting the city while it was still a British colony in May of 1975. A few of the cameras pointed at her during her rides and attendance at events were not there to capture images for the news. They were putting her in a movie where she would be the co-starring with a former James Bond.
The Crippled Masters (Film Masters) is an exciting kung fu film that allows Frankie Shum and Jackie Conn to shine. Frankie Shum was born with thalidomide syndrome which is why he doesn’t have arms although one side has a small hand-like part. Jackie Conn’s legs don’t work and so he fights with them interlocked Indian style. The duo don’t rely on CGI or green screen. Both men look impressive during the fight scenes.
The Game of Clones: Bruceploitation Collection Vol. 1 (Severin) takes us to the time when distributors and producers thought they could fool you into thinking Bruce Lee made more films before his death. Severin has upgraded the image and presents them on Blu-ray. This is a Bruceploitation Film Festival for your home.
Eighteen Years In Prison isn’t an outright Yakuza film, but it helps set the vibe for the genre that Toei films would dominate for the next decade. The two main characters are Robin Hoods forced to steal items from a Japan where supplies are limited.
Zero Woman: Red Handcuffs (Neon Eagle Video) was like a really extreme version of Police Woman (which was starting to air on TV in 1974). Rei goes super deep cover to get inside the gang. She eventually gets abused as bad as the kidnapped girl. She could probably bail at any moment, but she doesn’t want the girl to left behind. She also wants to snuff the leader of the gang herself.
Inspector Wears Skirts 2 (88 Films) is more on the relationships between the characters and not their guns. How are the new recruits going to handle the already established women? What happens when they have a chance to take them on in a training exercise? Will they bond or destroy each other? This is a light comedy so these scenes aren’t as vicious as they could be.
The Inspector Wears Skirts 3 – Raid On Royal Casino Marine changes the formula from the first two entries to create an exciting comedy cruise.
The Inspector Wears Skirts 4 ups the amount of action from the third installment. The opening attack scene and the hospital shoot out is full out mayhem. The finale has action along with bizarre comedy involving freeing the hostages from the mobsters.
The Shaolin Plot exposes the dark side of collecting books. Sammo Hung comes off extremely scary as the monk who can be bought. He looks like the guy who will slice off your heads with a drum cymbal.
The complete Hong Kong cut of Police Story III: Supercop (88 Films) will have you not merely amazed at Jackie’s death defying stunts, but his chemistry with future Oscar winner Michelle Yeoh (billed as Michelle Khan in the film).
