Yu Chau (Cheung) is a cop who has gone so deep undercover within the triad. When he accidentally kills one of his pals in an operation, he runs off into the boonies to lick his wounds. Upon his return, he teams up with fellow officers to catch a triad Boss, only to unveil collusion with government officials at the highest level. Yu Chau once again faces the dilemma of taking the law into his own hands…
The irony isn’t lost on me that, considering I now devour more Korean cinema than any other countries output, unlike Hong Kong and Japan my first taste of it didn’t have me hook, line, and sinker. If anything, my introduction to the world of Korean cinema left me equal parts perplexed, but with an unshakable feeling that I wanted to see more. Looking back now I think I know why. While I’d gotten into Hong Kong and Japanese cinema when their Golden Era’s had already long past, leaving a seemingly unlimited back catalogue to explore, in the case of Korea my first taste came just as it was on the cusp of entering into its own Golden Era (or in other words – what would popularly become known as ‘The Korean Wave’).
Fox Lorber’s John Woo 2-Pack VHS Cover
The funny this is, I’d often waxed lyrical about how fantastic it must have been to have experienced the classics of Hong Kong and Japan at the time they actually came out. Now in 2018, I understand that identifying a countries output as its Golden Era is something that can only be done from the viewpoint of looking back, and is rarely something that can be labelled in the present moment. With the benefit of hindsight, I would say the 15 years spanning 1999 – 2014 were Korea’s Golden Era, and they were years that I was lucky enough to be around for the same way I’d wished I was around for Hong Kong and Japans.
However when I viewed my first Korean movie back in 2001, I somehow felt that I’d been a victim of false advertising. At the time I’d been devouring Hong Kong action cinema like it was going out of fashion, and one of my most revisited purchases was a 2-DVD box set released by Fox Lorber of John Woo movies, which I’d imported from the States. The movies in question of course, were The Killer and Hard Boiled, and as an introduction to John Woo, it was impossible to beat (I’d spend several of the following years attempting to track down new copies of the Criterion releases of both titles, but that story is for another time).
So you can likely imagine my delight, when local UK distributor Tartan Video added a title to their slate, that came with a cover proudly announcing – “A SURE-FIRE HIT FOR FANS OF ‘HARD BOILED’” and “IS HOLLYWOOD READY FOR THE NEXT JOHN WOO?” I didn’t care if Hollywood was ready or not, but I certainly was, and the image of 2 men brawling in a torrential downpour, which the quotes were splattered over, only sealed the deal. The movie in question was Nowhere to Hide, and despite its 2001 DVD release in the UK, it was actually made a couple of years prior, in 1999.
“Nowhere to Hide” Korean Theatrical Poster
It’s safe to say that I didn’t think Nowhere to Hide was anything like a John Woo movie, however despite not delivering on the sleeves promises, it left an impression that set me on the path to being a lifelong fan of Korea’s output. Regardless of the misguided expectations, even at the time I knew the opening 8 minutes were something special, and it’s an opening which I still class as one of the greatest even to this day.
While the initial scene gets plenty of attention, which has Ahn Sung-ki (who doesn’t have a single line) assassinating Song Young-chan on a rain soaked set of stairs, set to the Bee Gees ‘Holiday’ (and even inspired a Giordano commercial starring Jeon Ji-hyun), it only gets better from there. As the credits appear onscreen we follow Park Joong-hoon’s dungaree adorned cop, sporting possibly the most distinctive swagger ever put on film, as he gate crashes a gangsters beat-down, all set to punk band Cherry Filter’s rendition of the trot song ‘Hae Ddeul Nal’. Joined by then new face on the block Jang Dong-gun, what follows is a monochrome assault on the senses of flashy editing techniques and electrifying sound design, incorporating slow-motion, jump cuts, step-printing, still frames, and just about anything else you can name. Anyone who watches the opening to Nowhere to Hide, isn’t likely to ever forget it.
Hearing the distinctive Korean tone and intonation for the first time also set it apart from anything I’d watched previously, and combined with the unique aesthetic, there was something unmistakably alluring about this newfound world of cinema. However finding other titles to explore Korea’s output wasn’t so easy back at the start of the millennium, with 2003 being the year that really opened up the floodgates for much of Korea’s output (thanks to the likes of Park Chan-wook’s OldBoy, Kim Jee-woon’s A Tale of Two Sisters, and Bong Joon-ho’s Memories of Murder). Even Shiri, another movie from 1999 that was largely credited as Korea’s international breakthrough, didn’t get a release in the UK until 2003, also by Tartan Video.
So for close to 2 years, while there seemed to be an unlimited number of Hong Kong and Japanese movies to watch, I found myself barely watching more than a handful of other Korean productions. Thankfully 15 years on it’s very much a different story, with the Korean Film Archive actively releasing plenty of material from the pre-1999 era (indeed for anyone that got into Korean cinema in the early 00’s, you could be mistaken for thinking the industry didn’t exist before 1999), giving the countries rich cinematic history the exposure it deserves.
“Two Cops” Korean Theatrical Poster
It took around 10 years for me to watch Nowhere to Hide again, then fully aware of who the actors are. Little did I know in 2001 that both Park Joong-hoon and Ahn Sung-ki had already made a couple of movies together – Chilsu and Mansu from 1988, and Two Cops from 1993. After Nowhere to Hide they’d go onto to feature in 2006’s Radio Star, and Sung-ki had a cameo appearance in Joong-hoon’s 2013 directorial debut Top Star. It made me enjoy Nowhere to Hide even more, and appreciate many of director Lee Myung-se’s visual perks that perhaps I didn’t fully absorb at the time, because I was constantly waiting for some double handgun action to explode off the screen. I think Nowhere to Hide is probably the first usage of CGI blood in an Asian production, and the end fight in the rain soaked abandoned coal field remains one of the most visually striking finales put on film.
For the Korean Film Festival in Australia in 2014, Park Joong-hoon was flown in as the special guest, there to introduce Top Star. I still remember seeing him in a bar during a rare quiet moment, and every instinct in my body wanted to ask him for a photo, the plan being to recreate the iconic scene in which he and Ahn Sung-ki punch each other in the face at the same time (yes, I was going to be audacious enough to be Ahn Sung-ki). However nerves got the best of me, and I never went through with it, not even a standard lame selfie. Still one of my life’s regrets.
Ahn Sung-ki and Park Joong-hoon in “Chilsu and Mansu”
While both Ahn Sung-ki and Park Joong-hoon remain active in the Korean film industry, with close to a century of work between them, director Myung-se unfortunately hasn’t been as lucky. While he gave his unique visual style to both The Duelist in 2005 (which also featured Ahn Sung-ki) and M in 2007, what was set to be a spy caper set for a 2013 release titled Mister K found him at loggerheads with the production company, at a time when they were already in the midst of filming in Thailand. Stating irreconcilable differences, Myung-se left the production, leaving the studio scrambling for a replacement director, which eventually came in the form of frequent assistant director Lee Seung-joon. Mister K was eventually released as The Spy, and was met with almost universal disdain. Myung-se hasn’t worked since the incident, marking a real loss to the industry.
Regardless of all that’s happened since its release, I’m sure there are other fans of Korean cinema out there whose love affair with the industry started with Nowhere to Hide. In the UK at least, it was the first legitimate Korean title to get distribution by a well-known label, and while Shiri tends to take all the glory for giving Korean cinema its international breakthrough, out of the 2 it’s Nowhere to Hide that I find more frequently going into the DVD player. It’s one of those titles which has yet to make it to Blu-ray, however when it does, you can count me in for a first day purchase.
Today’s Deal on Fire is the Blu-ray for Iron Protector (read our review), aka Super Bodyguard, a martial arts movie directed by and starring Yue Song (King of the Streets).
After the death of his clan master, Wu-Lin (Yue Song) leaves the village for the City of Stone-cold to protect the daughter of the richest family in the city, Fei-Fei. When the city s most dangerous gang attempts to kidnap Fei-Fei, Wu-Lin is forced to fight them alone and discovers an even more sinister power is taking over the city.
Direcor: Kim Min-ho Writer: Kim Min-Ho Cast: Ma Dong-Seok, Song Ji-Hyo, Kim Sung-Oh, Kim Min-Jae, Ji-Hwan, Lee Sung-Woo, Bae Noo-Ri, Park Ji-Hoon, Park Kwang-Jae, Lim Hyung-Joon Running Time: 115 min.
By Paul Bramhall
It’s fair to say that if The Man from Nowhere was Korea’s Taken, then Unstoppable is Korea’s Taken 2. One had Won Bin tracking down the traffickers who kidnapped his neighbour’s child, while the other has Ma Dong-seok tracking down the traffickers who’ve kidnapped his wife. Of course it’s been 8 years since The Man from Nowhere, and since then Korean cinema has largely moved away from the no frills action narrative, despite such an approach being one of its biggest strengths. These days it’s all about undercover cops and corrupt businessmen, and the twisty narratives that usually accompany them. So to see a return to the genre trope of an everyman seeking to save their loved one is a welcome sight, and the fact they want to punish the bad guys just as much is all part of the ride. As Liam Neeson once said, “It’s personal to me.”
In 2018, making Ma Dong-seok the everyman in question is such an obvious choice, it’s a wonder it’s taken this long for Unstoppable to get made. Clearly the last couple of years have been Dong-seok’s time to shine. After stealing the show in the zombie thriller Train to Busan, as an undead beating protective husband, in 2017 and 2018 alone he’s headlined 7 movies. From action thrillers such as this one, The Outlaws, and The Villagers (which shares a plot remarkably similar to Unstoppable, and was released just months earlier), to comedy with The Bros, supernatural outings like Along With the Gods: The Last 49 Days and The Soul-Mate, and family dramas with Champion. Much like it was almost impossible to escape from Hwang Jeong-min a few years ago, audiences are unlikely to be blamed for getting Ma Dong-seok’d out.
However Unstoppable comes with an irresistible premise whichever way you look at it. I doubt there’s any fan of the burly Korean that hasn’t been craving to see him in a straight up action thriller, in which he flexes that distinctive muscle to put the beat down on some unscrupulous characters. So what if the plot sounds similar to one of the worst sequels ever made (thanks Olivier Megaton), if Koreans know how to do anything, then it’s brutal and bloody action. This is perhaps the biggest disappointment with Unstoppable, it’s not that it’s everything Taken 2 should have been, but rather it feels more like The Man from Nowhere-lite.
The debut of director Kim Min-ho, Unstoppable continues to cement Ma Dong-seok as his own genre, much like Jackie Chan and Steven Seagal are their own genre. It wasn’t like this even just a few years ago, with Dong-seok’s filmography filled with a diverse range of roles, however it was his supporting parts in the likes of Kundo: Age of the Rampant that the Korean film industry decided to pick up and cultivate. He’s the big burly bruiser who, beneath his tough exterior, has a heart of gold (and in many cases is actually a bit of a softie). Unstoppable should have been the movie for him to play it straight, but instead Min-ho makes our lead fall back on his usual shtick, here as a one-time gangster now living an honest life working at the local fish market, and married to the woman (Song Ji-hyo, A Frozen Flower) who set him on the straight and narrow.
Dong-seok’s character doesn’t have much business sense, which has resulted in him being scammed several times, the latest of which he breaks the news to his wife over her birthday dinner in an expensive restaurant. Leaving him to dine alone, once home she’s abducted during a home invasion by a group of hooded men, and whisked off into the night. With the police reluctant to help, Dong-seok reverts to his old ‘punch first, ask questions later’ demeanour to start getting some answers, and find his wife. Indeed, this is exactly what he does, but the main issue with Unstoppable is that it’s so content to deliver what’s expected, it forgets to actually make us care about anything, and too often recycles elements that we’ve seen done plenty of times before.
The Man from Nowhere was far from perfect, but at least it was committed to its premise, and followed through, which made it easy to overlook its weaknesses. Unstoppable seems to want to channel The Man from Nowhere, but at the same time wants to play it commercially safe. Considering what we know about the villains – they traffic girls to be prostitutes (the popularity of K-pop gets the blame for this, seriously), harvest other girls organs, and make others have illegal plastic surgery (yes, this one is kind of left of field) – the tone is remarkably light. Dong-seok and his co-worker hire a private detective (Kim Min-jae, The Truth Beneath), who’s a master of disguise and proceeds to wear several of them throughout the runtime for comedic effect. Together they form a bizarre version of the Three Stooges, with the poker faced Dong-seok followed around by the bumbling pair and their broad comic shenanigans.
This is played off against the likes of implied rape, implied beatings, and brutal home invasions. It almost feels like a throwback to the early 2000’s comedies that Korea cranked out, which struck a similarly jarring tone. I still remember watching My Wife is a Gangster, which had a scene of a gangster giving a dog mouth to mouth, followed by one of a pregnant woman being repeatedly kicked in the chest. The feeling was one of uncomfortable bewilderment. Perhaps it’s a cultural thing, but considering the plot of Unstoppable, the very notion of having a character for comedy relief (let alone 2) feels somewhat incomprehensible, and it doesn’t play out any less so onscreen.
Despite everyone’s best efforts, Unstoppable feels like another example from the last couple of years that show a Korean film industry that’s lost its bite. The fact that Min-ho has even cast the same bad guy from The Man from Nowhere, in the form of Kim Sung-oh (Missing You), only increases the obligation to compare the two. One of the highlights of the former was its actions scenes, masterfully placed as punctuation marks throughout the runtime. Because they always had a lot riding on them, the audience’s emotional investment was such that the outcome of the confrontations was more important than the action itself. That’s how it’s done. In Unstoppable it’s kind of half way there, but there’s an overriding feeling that the actions scenes are present mainly because Min-ho thinks the audience want to see Dong-seok punching people, more so than anything relating to plot progression.
That’s not to say the action is a write off. Some of it is derivative (if you’re going to do a one vs many corridor scene in 2018, it better be damn good), however once Dong-seok decides to get down to business his physicality is utilised well. People get thrown around by force, a lot of force, and nobody stands a chance of being conscious after one punch (until the finale, which betrays the logic of everything that’s gone before). We even get two nicely staged one-on-ones, as brief as they may be. The first of which takes place against an energetic taekwondo guy, who moves like he just stepped out of a mid-1990’s Korean gangster flick, and the second of which pits Dong-seok against a guy even bigger than he is. There’s a particular move Dong-seok pulls of in the latter which I daresay will bring a smile to any fight fans face.
Again though, the commercial leanings of Unstoppable ensure proceedings stop short of us getting the full on bad-ass Dong-seok we all want. His clenched fist rampages may result in plenty of collateral damage, but for the most part they remain a largely bloodless affair, and the fate that awaits Sung-oh when Dong-seok confronts him in the finale is frustratingly unsatisfying. While it’s great to see one of the most distinctive faces in Korean cinema enjoy the limelight, it’s also true that you can have too much of a good thing. In a very short space of time we’ve come to know exactly what to expect from a Dong-seok movie, and what type of character he’ll be playing (himself). Maybe it’s time to take a step back from these custom made roles, and go for something that really shows his dark and gritty side.
Until that time though, Unstoppable is best described as a decaffeinated coffee, compared to The Man from Nowhere’s espresso shot. They may both look similar, but only one of them will give you the hit you need.
Indonesian director Timo Tjahjanto (The Night Comes for Us) of the “Mo Brothers” directing duo (Killers, Headshot, Macabre) has released the Trailer for his upcoming action/thriller, After.11.
After.11 stars Dian Sastrowardoyo (villainess from The Night Comes for Us) as Agent D, a secret agent whose latest situation finds her held captive and forced to choose between her mission, and her family (via FCS).
And just like its promotional material promises: What Comes After Will Shock You. Given Tjahjanto’s track record, we definitely expect to be shocked. Look out for After.11 (hopefully in some shape or form for U.S. audiences) on December 12, 2018.
On February 12, 2019, Arrow Films will be releasing the Blu-ray for Takashi Miike’s Audtion, starring Ryo Ishibashi (Brother), Eihi Shiina, Miyuki Matsuda (Outrage), Renji Ishibashi (20th Century Boys), Tetsu Sawaki (All About Lily Chou-Chou) and Jun Kunimura (The Wailing). Read Arrow’s official details below:
One of the most shocking J-horror films ever made, Audition exploded onto the festival circuit at the turn of the century to a chorus of awards and praise. The film would catapult Miike to the international scene and pave the way for such other genre delights as Ichii the Killer and The Happiness of the Katakuris.
Recent widower Shigeharu Aoyama is advised by his son to find a new wife, so he seeks the advice of a colleague having been out of the dating scene for many years. They take advantage of their position in a film company by staging an audition to find the perfect woman. Interviewing a series of women, Shigeharu becomes enchanted by Asami, a quiet, 24-year-old woman, who is immediately responsive to his charms. But soon things take a very dark and twisted turn as we find that Asami isn’t what she seems to be…
Pulling the audience into a story that will lead to one of the most harrowing climaxes in cinema history, Miike twists and turns us through delirious editing and shocking visuals for one of the most depraved nightmares of all time!
Special Features:
2K restoration of original vault elements
Original 5.1 Dolby Surround Audio
Optional English subtitles
Audio commentary with director Takashi Miike and screenwriter Daisuke Tengan
Brand new commentary by Miike biographer Tom Mes examining the film and its source novel
Introduction by Miike
Ties that Bind – A brand new interview with Takashi Miike
Interviews with stars Ryo Ishibashi, Eihi Shiina, Renji Ishibashi and Ren Osugi
Damaged Romance: An appreciation by Japanese cinema historian Tony Rayns
Trailers
Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Matthew
Griffin
First pressing only: Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Anton Bitel
“Blood Hunters: Rise of the Hybrids” Teaser Poster
The recent release of Erik Matti’s Buy Bust is still making waves in the industry, which makes Blood Hunters: Rise of the Hybrids a welcome addition into the world of Filipino martial arts cinema.
In the film, an avenging aswang killer teams up with a hybrid and a team of demon hunters to attack the lair of the most powerful underworld warlords, only to find themselves in a twisted trap and a fight to the death.
“My main motivation in doing Blood Hunters: Rise of the Hybrids is to improve the appreciation of Filipino martial arts. We have to change people’s perspective about it,” prizefighter-turned-filmmaker Vincent Soberano (Police Story: 2013) told MB, who also stars in the film.
“They’ve used Filipino martial arts in blockbuster action films like John Wick, Jason Bourne,Frankenstein, and a huge list of other films, but no one knows its Filipino because its always portrayed by Hollywood stars. It’s about time I did,” Soberano recently stated (via CB).
Blood Hunters: Rise of the Hybrids also stars John Arceo (Amok), Janice Hung (Wansapanataym) and Taekwondo Olympian-turned-Makati Congressman Monsour Del Rosario (Techno Warriors, Bloodfist II).
Look out for Blood Hunters: Rise of the Hybrids in 2019. Stay tuned!
And you thought South Korean martial arts films were dead!? Lee Seung-won’s debut film, Revenger (read our review), sees the return of super kicker Bruce Khan (Bridal Mask) in his first starring role since 2005’s The Last Eve.
Khan – who is perhaps best-known for his stunt/choreography work on films such as Beat, Gen-Y Cops and The Medallion – plays a man who heads out to Sura Island to locate those responsible for murdering his family.
On January 8, 2019, Well Go USA is releasing The Great Battle on Blu-ray & DVD. This highly anticipated epic war film is directed by Kim Kwang-Sik (Tabloid Truth).
The Great Battle tells the story of the Siege of Ansi, where Goguryeo forces held their fortress against 500,000 invading Tang soldiers in a battle that raged for eighty-eight days. The film’s set features a replica of the Ansi Fortress, which was built 36 feet high and 590 feet in length.
Set in Busan in the the 70’s, The Drug King is the tale of two men on opposite sides of the law: A public prosecutor (Cho Jung-Seok of My Annoying Brother) and a notorious drug dealer, Lee Doo-Sam (Song Kang-Ho).
Director: Jingle Ma Cast: Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Kris Wu, Tiffany Tang, Du Juan, George Lam, Jija Yanin, Cung Le Running Time: 100 min.
By Paul Bramhall
It’s fair to say that perhaps the biggest fan of cinematographer turned director Jingle Ma’s …….. Raiders series, is Ma himself. The first (and I’m sure many considered last) entry in the series was 2000’s Tokyo Raiders, which was a fun but slight slice of action adventure, with lead actor Tony Leung’s private detective ably backed up by the likes of Ekin Cheng and Kelly Chan. It was a surprise to everyone when, in 2005, a sequel randomly arrived in the form of Seoul Raiders, which was even more throwaway than the original. While Ma’s overly polished cinematography criminally made the Korean capital look like it could have been anywhere, new co-stars Shu Qi and Richie Ren at least made it a pleasant enough diversion. Now, a whopping 13 years since Seoul Raiders, the series becomes a trilogy with 2018’s Europe Raiders.
Ma’s latest was first announced in 2015, with the working title of Paris Raiders (there was even a promotional poster featuring the Eiffel Tower), and was reported to feature Korean actress Jeon Ji-hyeon as Leung’s new co-star. Somewhere along the way though, Ji-hyeon dropped out, and perhaps hinting that a bigger budget had been secured than expected, the title was changed to Europe Raiders, upgrading from a city to a whole continent. The first disappointment of Europe Raiders then, is that it features very little of Europe. In fact the whole thing takes place in Italy (with the exception of a handful of Shanghai set scenes), so if anything the change of title was possibly a move to distance itself from Wong Jing’s similarly themed 2016 production, Mission Milano.
Sure that’s speculation on my part, but the similarities are many. One features a popular Hong Kong actor protecting a new technology called the Seed of God and its creator from the forces of evil, who are trying to use it for their own ill ended intentions. The other features a popular Hong Kong actor protecting a new technology called the Hand of God and its creator from the forces of evil, who are trying to use it for their own ill ended intentions. Europe Raiders is the latter. Unfortunately for Ma, all of the issues with Mission Milano also exist with Europe Raiders, in some cases even more so.
Proceedings open in 2006 with Leung handing over a genius hacker (George Lam, Shanghai, Shanghai) to the CIA. Lam’s really a good guy though, whose only crime is to steal from criminals bank accounts, and funnel it to those in need. Leaving 2 kids behind, he sets upon creating the Hand of God, a mass-surveillance system intended to bring world peace (seriously). Skip forward to 2018, Lam has passed away, and the CIA are using his creation to target terrorists, but at the cost of killing thousands of innocent lives with their indiscriminate bombing campaigns (not so subtle swipe at America – check!). When an ex-CIA agent (Du Juan, Wine War), who turns out to be Lam’s daughter, steals the Hand of God and threatens to reveal its code to the world, it’s up to Leung to team up with his love interest (Tiffany Tang, Bounty Hunters), and Lam’s son (Kris Wu, Journey to the West: The Demons Strike Back) to stop her.
If the plot sounds convoluted, it’s for good reason, however Ma confounds things even further by filling Europe Raiders to the brim with characters, some of whom don’t get a single line of dialogue. Leung works with a trio of bounty hunters who are played by old-school kung-fu stars – we get Lo Meng sending up his Toad character from The Five Venoms, Yuen Qiu again riffing on her tough landlady character from Kung Fu Hustle, and Lau Kar Leung’s nephew Lau Ga Yung, who’s perhaps best known for directing New Kids in Town. What’s their role in the plot? Grating comedy and to throw an occasional kung fu shape.
Tiffany Tang, playing a bounty hunter again after her abysmal turn in 2016’s Bounty Hunters, is followed around by a pair of bodyguards played by Zhou Xiao Fei and Jennifer Tse (who hasn’t done a whole lot since headlining 2012’s Naked Soldier), and their biggest contribution is to hold the door of a cake shop open for an old lady. You would think Tse would be given at least a few lines of dialogue, but she doesn’t get to say a word. Then we have a pair of assassins called Black and White Mantis, played by Jija Yanin and Cung Le, making his first return to Hong Kong film since The Grandmaster. Yanin continues to be the modern action era’s greatest tragedy, after such an amazing debut exactly 10 years ago with Chocolate. Here, much like her barely there role in Hard Target 2, she plays a character that could literally have been played by anyone. Here’s hoping some redemption is on the way with Triple Threat.
Perhaps the reason for Ma’s decision to make Europe Raiders such a smorgasbord of characters, is that there isn’t really anyone up to the task of sparring with Leung like he had in previous instalments. Despite both Tokyo Raiders and Seoul Raiders shortcomings, Leung played well off the likes of Shu Qi and Ekin Cheng. Here you can almost feel the weight of the movies success burdened on his shoulders. Tiffany Tang has an incredible talent for generating zero chemistry as a romantic lead, and here there’s a certain forced feeling during her scenes with Leung. Kris Wu, after serviceable performances in the likes of The Mermaid and xXx: Return of Xander Cage, is particularly insufferable, and seems to spend most of the time posing as if he never left EXO, the Korean boyband he was once a member of.
Speaking of the modern era, it’s not one that’s been kind to a director like Jingle Ma. He may have started off as a cinematographer, but Europe Raiders is an ugly movie to look at. Ma seems to have subscribed to the theory that quick fire editing is the best way to generate excitement, and the constant application of colour filters, grain, and static only serve to make Europe Raiders look like it was lensed by a poor man’s Tony Scott. There’s also a significant amount of green-screen work that’s an abomination to look at, none more so than when Leung replicates the final scene of Alien 3, only with his heart instead of an alien. Trust me, you’ll know it when you see it.
Like so many recent productions, action choreography duties have been handed over to a relative newcomer. Gone is Alien Sit, who choreographed both Tokyo Raiders and Seoul Raiders, and in his place is Jackie Chan Stunt Team member Han Kwan Hua. While Kwan Hua’s choreography has clearly had some effort put into it, there’s an inescapable feeling that it’s nothing we haven’t seen before, and done much better. The editing also doesn’t help, with shots rarely lasting more than a second or two. The grand finale, that has an overload of characters convene in an abandoned (mostly garish CGI) factory to duke it out, is agonisingly bland. As the main villainess, Du Juan’s supposedly icy cold performance is more bored model than vengeance seeking sibling.
Europe Raiders saves the best for last though, with an ending that throws it so far off the rails, it veers into the murky realms of almost being so bad its good. After 90 minutes of silliness, Ma has the audacity to attempt a gloriously overwrought melodramatic ending, which is so drenched in unearned histrionics, it feels more surreal than a Dali painting. But as they say on the home shopping channels – but wait, there’s more! He then doubles down on himself, and hits us with a twist that’s so unbelievably stupid and insulting to the audience, you’ll question if a pre-condition of watching Europe Raiders was that you must have recently had a lobotomy.
While a movie such as this is not completely unsurprising from a director like Jingle Ma, how he convinced an actor of Tony Leung’s calibre to return to the series is beyond me. To its credit, Europe Raiders at least keeps the audience on its toes – Klingon is used as a legitimate language, and frequently. At one point Tiffany Tang reveals that she’s telepathic, but that her powers have diminished since she had her heart broken some years ago. Ok. There’s a car chase that starts at night and then suddenly turns to day, because in Europe continuity doesn’t matter. My personal favorite moment though, has Leung and Wu having a heart to heart while walking down a quiet street at night, when out of nowhere a group of (completely silent) protestors holding banners for Love and Peace stroll past them. What’s the point of their appearance? There isn’t one, an answer that could well be applied to Europe Raiders as a whole.
A man kisses his wife and baby goodbye and seemingly heads away on business, with a plan to check into a hotel, call an escort service, and kill an unsuspecting prostitute…
What you’ve just read is the plot synopsis for Piercing – starring Christopher Abbott (Vox Lux) and Mia Wasikowska (Stoker) – from director Nicolas Pesce (who is also working on a reboot/remake of Ju-on).
Piercing is based on a novel by cult Japanese writer Ryu Murakami (Coin Locker Babies), who is perhaps best known for Audition, which was adapted to film by Takashi Miike (Blade of the Immortal).
Piercing is due to hit theaters/VOD on February 1, 2019. Don’t miss its Trailer below (via Ningen31/TMB):
Nikkatsu Diamond Guys: Vol 2 | Blu-ray (Arrow Video)
Today’s Deal on Fire is the Blu-ray collection for Nikkatsu Diamond Guys: Vol 2, which celebrates three classic films from directors Buichi Saito (The Rambling Guitarist), Ko Nakahira (Crazed Fruit), and Haruyasu Noguchi, who is a new discovery for the West.
Nikkatsu Diamond Guys: Vol 2 includes 1960’s Tokyo Mighty Guy (read our review), directed by Buichi Saito (The Rambling Guitarist); 1962’s Danger Pays (read our review), directed by Ko Nakahira; and 1965’s Murder Unincorporated (read our review), directed by Haryasu Noguchi.
Director Macoto Tezka (Black Kiss), son of the late Osamu Tezuka (creator of Astro Boy/Mighty Atom, often dubbed “The Godfather of Manga”) is currently preparing the release of Tezuka’s Barbara, a Live-action film adaptation of his father’s sexually-charged manga, Barbara.
Tezuka’s Barbara stars Fumi Nikaido (The World of Kanako), Goro Inagaki (13 Assassins), Shizuka Ishibashi (Parks), Kiyohiko Shibukawa (Blue Spring), Eri Watanabe (Ichi) and Ryousuke Ohtani (Departures).
Hong Kong film afficiendos will welcome the inclusion Christopher Doyle, who handles the film’s cinematography. Doyle is best-known for his award-winning camera work with frequent collaborator Wong Kar-wai in films such as Chungking Express and Happy Together.
Here’s what you can expect from Tezuka’s Barbara’s plot (via Amazon): Wandering the packed tunnels of Shinjuku Station, famous author Yosuke Mikura makes a strange discovery: a seemingly homeless drunk woman who can quote French poetry. Her name is Barbara. He takes her home for a bath and a drink, and before long Barbara has made herself into Mikura’s shadow, saving him from egotistical delusions and jealous enemies. But just as Mikura is no saint, Barbara is no benevolent guardian angel, and Mikura grows obsessed with discovering her secrets, tangling with thugs, sadists, magical curses and mythical beings – all the while wondering whether he himself is still sane.
Look out for Tezuka’s Barbara in 2019. Until then, here’s the film’s Trailer from U.K. film distributor Third Window Films (via Ningen31/ANN).
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The irony isn’t lost on me that, considering I now devour more Korean cinema than any other countries output, unlike Hong Kong and Japan my first taste of it didn’t have me hook, line, and sinker. If anything, my introduction to the world of Korean cinema left me equal parts perplexed, but with an unshakable feeling that I wanted to see more. Looking back now I think I know why. While I’d gotten into Hong Kong and Japanese cinema when their Golden Era’s had already long past, leaving a seemingly unlimited back catalogue to explore, in the case of Korea my first taste came just as it was on the cusp of entering into its own Golden Era (or in other words – what would popularly become known as ‘The Korean Wave’).
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