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Chow Yun-fat takes the lead in this scene from John Woo’s patchy but occasionally brilliant follow up to his own A Better Tomorrow. Playing the twin brother of the character of the role he played in the original, we first meet him as the owner of a restaurant on New York. When a guy from a protection racket tries to threaten him and his business, Chow Yun-fat flies into a full on Robert De Niro impression – in English – expounding how rice is like his mother and father! The scene even ends with the line “You talking to me?”

It’s John Woo all right, but turned all the way up to 11!… (more…)

The latest from Kim Ji-woon (A Tale of Two Sisters, The Quiet Family), a slick tale of that revenge resounds with amazing style and wit, but ultimately do we really care?… (more…)

Wong Kar-wai returns to his 1994 classic to produce a definite version – but is it really any better…? (more…)

This impressive debut by the Pang brothers is a heady mix of dazzling imagery and a violent tale of love, betrayal and redemption… (more…)

More than 30 years after his death, the ‘Little Dragon’ has never been more popular – but isn’t it time we left his memory alone? (more…)

With a cast including Tony Leung, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Zhao Wei, Zhang Fengyi and Chen Chang, Red Cliff looks like a real return to form for director John Woo, whose last Chinese movie was Hard Boiled. Originally released in China as two movies, the Western version has been edited down into a more concise, two and a half hour version that hopefully gets rid of the slow start to the original without losing integral plots or characterisation (here’s hoping!).

Red Cliff is released by Entertainment Films at the Vue West End and nationwide around the UK on 12 June 2009.

Leslie Cheung leads an all-star cast in Wong Kar-wai’s sophomore film… (more…)

Since 1999 Hong Kong Legends had released remastered versions of classics (relatively) old and new that had gained them an international reputation. But that wasn’t enough to keep them in business – why? (more…)

Hot on the heels of John Woo’s Red Cliff comes Dragon Squad and Black Mask director Daniel Lee’s historical action epic Three Kingdoms: Resurrection Of The Dragon.

Based on the same source material as Red Cliff – Guanzhong Luo’s 700-year-old historical novel, Romance Of The Three Kingdoms (one of the most famous and important novel in Chinese literature) – and similarly capturing the spirit of such historical epics as Braveheart and The Last Samurai, Three Kingdoms: Resurrection Of The Dragon features a powerhouse cast that includes Andy Lau, Sammo Hung and, returning to her Asian cinema career roots following star turns in Hollywood action blockbusters Die Hard 4.0 and Mission: Impossible III, Maggie Q.

The Battle Of Red Cliff (the climax of Woo’s film) was a decisive battle at the end of the Han Dynasty (208/9) between the allied forces of the southern warlords Liu Bei and Sun Quan and the numerically superior forces of the northern warlord Cao Cao. The allied victory at Red Cliff ensured the survival of Liu Bei and Sun Quan, gave them control of the Yangtze and provided a line of defence that was the basis for the later creation of the two southern kingdoms of Shu Han and Eastern Wu.

Three Kingdoms takes up the story circa AD 220. With the Empire divided into three warring factions, the kingdoms of Wei, Shu and Wu are engaged in a fight for total control of the country. Within the Shu army emerges an unlikely warrior, Zhao Zilong (Andy Lau), a common man from the humblest of roots whose loyalty and bravery in battle quickly propel him to the rank of general. Following a daring solo mission in which he saves the life of his warlord’s son, Zhao is feted as a hero amongst his people and embarks on what results in a 20-year period during which he never loses a battle in which he fights. His unprecedented success on the battlefield becomes the stuff of legend and earns him the title, The Undefeated General.

However, as war rages on and the throne changes hands, age begins to take its toll on the seemingly invincible Zhao. Despite his advanced years, he perseveres in leading a final, bloody campaign aimed at overthrowing the Wei forces once and for all. But, hindered by treachery and betrayal from unexpected sources, Zhao is forced to question his motives for fighting a war that none seems able to win. Ultimately driven by his own righteousness and morality, the aged warrior plunges himself into a conflict that will crown his name in glory for all time.

A spectacular tale of undaunted heroism told on the grandest of scales, Three Kingdoms: Resurrection Of The Dragon is a gritty and powerful historical war movie boasting impressive action direction and choreography by star Sammo Hung and a remarkable central performance by one of Asian cinema’s biggest stars, Andy Lau.

Three Kingdoms: Resurrection Of The Dragon (cert. 15) will be released on DVD (£17.99) and Blu-ray (£24.99) by Icon Home Entertainment on 13th July 2009. Special Features include: The Making of Three Kingdoms: Resurrection of the Dragon; interviews with Maggie Q, Andy Lau, Sammo Hung and Daniel Lee; trailers.

Three undisputed masters of contemporary Hong Kong cinema – Tsui Hark (Seven Swords; Zu Warriors; Once Upon A Time In China), Ringo Lam (Full Contact; City On Fire) and Johnny To (Mad Detective; PTU) – join forces for the first time ever to apply their directorial skills ‘exquisite corpse’ style to Triangle, an “inventive, and darkly comic” (Mail on Sunday) crime thriller starring Louis Koo (Flashpoint), Simon Yam (SPL; Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle Of Life), Honglei Sun (Mongol; Seven Swords), Lam Ka Tung (Mad Detective; Infernal Affairs) and Kelly Lin (Mad Detective; Zu Warriors).

Read our review of Triangle here »

Johnnie To’s triad epic may not offer anything new to the gangster genre, but his ensemble cast are a delight to watch… (more…)

There’s something in the air all right… but Beijing Olympics or not, haven’t we seen it all before? (more…)

Danny Pang proves he can no longer see the wood for the trees in this disappointing, ill-conceived, badly scripted horror-thriller… (more…)

Lau Ching Wan (Mad Detective, The Longest Nite) and Francis Ng (The Bride With White Hair, 2000 AD) star in this superbly paced thriller from writer/director Ringo Lam (Full Contact, City On Fire)… (more…)

It’s John Woo at his most brutal and explosive, but Woo fans beware – there was a reason this film originally stayed on the shelf for a couple of years… (more…)

They don’t come much slicker than this – Tony Leung and Andy Lau shine in this classy thriller… (more…)

Heralded as something of a return to heyday of Hong Kong action movies, Invisible Target isn’t quite that, but it sure ain’t half bad. (more…)

Sorry, I thought you were someone else. You know, that fella that made The Killer and Hard Boiled? What, you are? Then what is all this business with that Ben Affleck geezer, a man who could take acting lessons from the cast of Thunderbirds, his acting’s so wooden? (more…)

Come on, we’ve all dreamt about flying into that room, a gun in each hand blazing away – well, now’s your chance to recreate those scenes and more… (more…)

Arguably it would have been unimaginable 20 years ago, when his crowning glory The Killer was originally released – if only because few filmmakers from Hong Kong were lauded at the time – yet next year John Woo will be presented with a lifetime achievement honour at the Venice Film Festival.

Some may indeed scoff (and some of Woo’s back catalogue, such as Payback, may well be better glossed over) but his influence over cinema in the last 30 years, particularly action films, is undeniable.

Organisers praised him for being “an innovator of the contemporary language of cinema”. Continuing: “Woo is considered a master who has changed the language of contemporary film for generations of filmmakers.”

The award will be presented next September.

Read more on the BBC News website »

John Woo’s new Chinese epic Red Cliff, starring Tony Leung Chiu-wai and Takeshi Kaneshiro, has been chosen to open the 21st Tokyo International Film Festival running from October 18 to 26.

Read more on the official Tokyo International Film Festival site »

A must see just for the John Woo spoofs, this is a great Stephen Chow (Shaolin Soccer, God of Cookery) vehicle with some unexpected darker turns… (more…)

Tsui Hark’s follow-up to the classic Zu: Warriors from the Magic Mountain is a spell blinding feast for the eyes. The special effects are equal anything Hollywood has to offer, but sadly it’s also just as hollow… (more…)

Peter Chan’s take on the historical wuxia drama is far grittier and more grounded than we’re used to, with a fine performance by Jet Li that will surprise his critics – but do we really need another film like this? (more…)

Just time for a quick round-up of other notable releases to look out for in the UK in the next few months:

Wilson Yip and Donnie Yen’s latest collaboration – following S.P.L., Flashpoint and Dragon Tiger Gate –Ip Man, gets released in selected cinemas from 5 October. Celebrating the life of the Wing Chun master who taught a young Bruce Lee his first kun fu lessons, the impressive action choerography by Sammo Hung follows the close-range fighting particular to the style. Look out for a review and, hopefully, interviews soon…

John Woo’s fab return to form, Red Cliff, makes its way onto DVD and Blu-ray on 5 October courtesy of Entertainment In Video. Out the following week, 12 October, comes the DVD and Blu-ray release of the live-action version Blood: The Last Vampire.

Yukihiko Tsutsumi’s second film in his live-action adaption of 20th Century Boys, Chapter 2, also makes its way on to UK DVD, but be prepared for the wait – it’s not until 31 December 2009!

Easily the most palatable Chinese historical drama in ages, John Woo’s Red Cliff comes to UK DVD and Blu-ray today courtesy of Entertainment in Video. Oh, and it’s the best film he’s done in a long time too, so if you’ve yet to catch it, this is a must!

(Shame it’s not all four hours plus??)

Peter Chan’s The Warlords, starring Jet Li, Andy Lau and Takeshi Kineshiro, is released in the UK on two-disc DVD and Blu-ray today by Metronome.

You can read our review here »

The 33rd Hong Kong International Film Festival is now in full swing, after a gala premiere of Ashes Of Time Redux (yes, I know – well after the rest of the world?). There was a rare public appearance from Brigitte Lin Ching-hsia, long retired from the film industry. Director Wong Kar-wai also attended, with Tony Leung and his wife Carina Lau, and Charlie Yueng.

Elsewhere, John Woo and Tsui Hark celebrated the 25th anniversary of the production company they set up, Film Workshop, best known for 80s classics A Better Tomorrow and Zu: Warriors From The Magic Mountain.

See the official 33rd HKIFF site »

Yet another historical drama, over blown, over acted and over long – but it’s still easily the best thing John Woo has done in a long time…! (more…)

Could this really be a return to form for John Woo? Well, we might have only seen the over inflated Asian two-part release, but here at easternKicks we reckon so. And Woo himself looked in good spirits promoting the film at the Sydney Film Festival on Tuesday. With deliberate old-school references to Hard Boiled and The Killer, this is a treat for fans and general cinema-goers alike – welcome home, Johnny boy!

Catch Red Cliff in UK cinemas from today…

Say what? Another two hours to find out how the Battle of Red Cliff actually goes? Is it worth it? Oh yes, all you John Woo fans out there, it really is… (more…)

The ground breaking martial art films that broke Jackie Chan as a superstar… (more…)

Three ass kicking babes in some of the best action sequences in ages – Charlies Angels eat your heart out… (more…)

…what do you think you’re doing? No, you are not Chow Yun-fat in John Woo’s classic action epic Hard Boiled, so what is this about…? (more…)

Hong Kong Legends launch their ‘Ultra-bit’ tag with two formative films from the career of Jackie Chan… (more…)

The bite size guide for those of you who loved Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, but were too afraid to ask where to go next… these are the ten Hong Kong movies you MUST see! (more…)

Peter Chan’s The Warlords, starring Jet Li, Andy Lau and Takeshi Kineshiro, is on limited release in London and around the UK by Metrodome.

You can read our review here »

From the same novel that spawned John Woo’s Red Cliff comes Three Kingdoms, surrounding the legend of Zhao Zilong who became known as The Undefeated General. But do we need another hysterical – I mean historical – drama…? (more…)

Three of Hong Kong’s most respected directors – Tsui Hark, Ringo Lam and Johnnie To – each take one half-hour segment of the same plotline, each with complete creative control – but is it any more than an self-indulgent experiment? (more…)