Category Archives: Reviews

Paradise Z | aka Dead Earth (2020) Review

AKA: Two of Us Director: Wych Kaosayananda Cast: Milena Gorum, Alice Tantayanon, Michael S. New, Brian Migliore, Lee Mason Running Time: 90 min.  By Paul Bramhall  In the closing scenes of 2019’s The Driver, the final entry (and first to be released – best not to ask) in director Wych Kaosayananda’s post-apocalyptic zombie trilogy, we’re introduced to a pair of zombie hunting femme fatales in the form of Milena Gorum … Continue reading

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Bang (2025) Review

Director: Wych Kaosayananda Cast: Jack Kesy, Peter Weller, Tristin Mays, Kane Kosugi, Elliot Allison, Paul Mann, Steve Bastoni Running Time: 88 min. By Paul Bramhall Being a fan of director Wych Kaosayananda can be a tough gig, or at least, that’s what I assume. Since returning in 2012 after a 10-year hiatus following 2002’s Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever, if there’s one thing that’s become apparent, it’s that getting a production … Continue reading

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Mantis (2025) Review

Director: Lee Tae-sung Cast: Yim Si-wan, Park Gyu-Young, Jo Woo-Jin, Jeon Do-yeon, Sol Kyung-gu, Kim Tae-Han Running Time: 113 min. By Paul Bramhall  When I first heard that streaming giant Netflix had greenlit a spin-off to its 2023 assassin flick Kill Boksoon, titled Mantis, I’d hoped it was going to focus on the newbie assassin played by Lee Yeon, whose killer action scene in the former gave her a scene … Continue reading

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Villagers, The (2018) Review

Director: Lim Jin-soon Cast: Ma Dong-Seok, Kim Sae-ron, Lee Sang-yeob, Jin Sun-gyu, Jang Gwang, Oh Hee-joon Running Time: 99 min.  By Paul Bramhall The trope of a big city character having to set up shop in a small rural town is one that’s been repeatedly visited in Korean cinema. Whether it be a cop hiding from their past in A Girl at My Door, a grieving widow looking to start … Continue reading

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Ugly, The (2025) Review

"The Ugly" Theatrical Poster

Director: Yeon Sang-ho Cast: Park Jeong-min, Kwon Hae-hyo, Shin Hyun-been, Im Seong-jae, Han Ji-hyeon Running Time: 102 min.  By Paul Bramhall Back in 2020 the Korean film industry hedged its bets on director Yeon Sang-ho’s Train to Busan sequel, Peninsula, to bring back cinema audiences after the COVID-19 pandemic had forced filmmaking into a period of hibernation. While for the most part the bet paid off, whether it be because … Continue reading

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Dear Stranger (2025) Review

Director: Tetsuya Mariko Cast: Hidetoshi Nishijima, Gwei Lun-Mei, Christopher Mann, Everest Talde, Fiona Fu, Mia Reece, James Chu, Aitor Martin, Lanett Tachel, Matt Golden Running Time: 138 min. By Paul Bramhall The plot of a missing child is a staple of the thriller genre, however with 2025’s Dear Stranger director and writer Tetsuya Mariko eschews the thriller route, instead opting to use the scenario as a catalyst for framing the … Continue reading

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Prisoner of War (2025) Review

Director: Louis Mandylor Cast: Scott Adkins, Louis Mandylor, Shane Kosugi, Peter Shinkoda, Donald Cerrone, Masanori Mimoto, Michael Copon, Michael Rene Walton, Gary Cairns, Sol Eugenio, Kansuke Yokoi, Atsuki Kashio Running Time: 110 min. By Paul Bramhall Under any other circumstance if someone told me in 2025 that they’d just watched a Philippines shot jungle actioner set during World War II, my assumption would be that another Bruno Mattei helmed Italian … Continue reading

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Affinity (2025) Review

Director: Brandon Slagle Cast: Marko Zaror, Louis Mandylor, Brahim Chab, Brooke Ence, Jane Mirro, Elliott Allison Running Time: 81 min. By Paul Bramhall At the risk of showing my age, I’ve been following the trajectory of the Chilean Dragon Marko Zaror ever since he landed on action fans radars with the release of Kiltro in 2006, almost 20 years ago. A product of his native Chile, in the succeeding years … Continue reading

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Hidden Face (2024) Review

Director: Kim Dae-woo Cast: Song Seung-heon, Cho Yeo-jeong, Park Ji-Hyun, Park Ji-Young, Park Sung-Geun Running Time: 115 min. By Paul Bramhall  Hidden Face marks the return of a long missing in action genre for not only Korea’s film industry, but cinema in general – the erotic thriller. While the jury is still out on if we’re currently in a new Puritan age of cinema, what can’t be denied is that … Continue reading

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Shadow’s Edge, The (2025) Review

Director: Larry Yang Cast: Jackie Chan, Tony Leung Ka-Fai, Zhang Zifeng, Ci Sha, Lin Qiu-Nan, Wen Jun-Hui, Yuen Qiu Running Time: 143 min.  By Paul Bramhall Being a Jackie Chan fan in 2025 can be a divisive affair to say the least. There are those fans who still see the appeal in what he does, whether it be bumbling around with CGI panda cubs, or passing himself off as a … Continue reading

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Devils (2023) Review

Director: Kim Jae-Hoon Cast: Jang Dong-Yoon, Oh Dae-Hwan, Choi Gwi-Hwa, Jang Jae-Ho, Son Jong-Hak, Shin Seung-Hwan, Yoon Byung-Hee, Ji Nam-Hyuk, Lee Sang-Won Running Time: 106 min. By Paul Bramhall  The body swap trope certainly isn’t a new one, and in Korean cinema there have already been plenty of examples. From Shin Ha-kyun and Byun Hee-bong in 2007’s brain swapping thriller The Devil’s Game, to Jin Young and Park Sung-woong as … Continue reading

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My Daughter Is a Zombie (2025) Review

Director: Pil Kam-sung Cast: Cho Jung-Seok, Lee Jung-Eun, Choi Yoo-Ri, Cho Yeo-Jeong, Yoon Kyung-Ho Running Time: 113 min. By Paul Bramhall While surrounded by hordes of the undead in the middle of their Seoul neighbourhood, a father and his teenage daughter attempt to make their escape, the father telling the daughter to stay put while he makes a break for their car parked nearby. Successfully getting behind the wheel, its … Continue reading

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Frankenstein vs. Baragon (1965) Review

Director: Ishiro Honda Cast: Nick Adams, Kumi Mizuno, Tadao Takashima, Yoshio Tsuchiya, Yoshifumi Tajima, Takashi Shimura, Susumu Fujita, Peter Mann, Koji Furuhata Running Time: 89 min.  By Ian Whittle “A nomination for me means that Twilight of Honor will bring in another million dollars and supply funds for more Hollywood pictures. Next, it means I, as a Hollywood star, can make more films in Hollywood and stop this runaway production … Continue reading

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Baby Assassins: Nice Days (2024) Review

Director: Yugo Sakamoto Cast: Akari Takaishi, Saori Izawa, Sosuke Ikematsu, Atsuko Maeda, Atomu Mizuishi  Running Time: 112 min.  By Paul Bramhall Whatever your opinion of director and writer Yugo Sakamoto, what can’t be denied is that few filmmakers are keeping grounded martial arts movies alive quite like he is. In the 4 years spanning 2021 to 2024 his Baby Assassins trilogy has cemented a modern-day iron triangle of action goodness … Continue reading

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Invincible Swordsman (2025) Review

Director: Luo Yi Wei Cast: Kitty Zhang Yuqi, Tim Huang Xiyan, Xuan Lu, Terence Yin, Sammo Hung, Yun Qianqian Running Time: 118 min. By Paul Bramhall When Brigitte Lin was cast as the character Invincible Asia in 1992’s Swordsman 2, few could have predicted the role would become so iconic, leading Lin to spend the last 3 years of her acting career as a mainstay of the new wave wuxia … Continue reading

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