REVIEW: Hanzo the Razor 3: Who’s Got the Gold? (1974)
April 20, 2005 | Posted in Film and TV Reviews by Mark Pollard | 1 Comment »Hanzo uncovers a plot to smuggle gold out of the national treasury that’s linked to an illegal loan shark operation run by an official and a blind high priest who hosts sex orgies for middle-aged wives. The [...]
REVIEW: Hanzo the Razor 2: The Snare (1973)
April 20, 2005 | Posted in Film and TV Reviews by Mark Pollard | No Comments »Renegade officer Hanzo’s (Shintaro Katsu) investigation of a fouled abortion at the hands of a cult-like practitioner leads him to a twisted S&M party hosted by a Buddhist nun and attended by a high-ranking treasury officer he [...]
REVIEW: Hanzo the Razor 1: Sword of Justice (1972)
April 20, 2005 | Posted in Film and TV Reviews by Mark Pollard | 2 Comments »A rebellious samurai police official goes to any lengths to uproot corruption and injustice, even when that includes turning on his superiors and employing unconventional interrogation methods on female suspects. Shintaro Katsu will always be remembered best [...]
REVIEW: Sword of Swords, The (1968)
April 7, 2005 | Posted in Film and TV Reviews by Mark Pollard | No Comments »The ‘Sword of Swords,’ the ultimate weapon in the martial world is left to noble swordsman Lin Jen-shiau (Jimmy Wang Yu), who sacrifices nearly everything to save the country by keeping it out of the hands of [...]
REVIEW: Sin City (2005)
April 6, 2005 | Posted in Film and TV Reviews by Mark Pollard | No Comments »Hardboiled tales of sex, murder and corruption in Sin City revolve around the intersecting lives of several residents, including a cop (Bruce Willis) who sacrifices himself to protect a young girl (Jessica Alba) and an unstable bruiser [...]
REVIEW: Red Trousers – The Life of the Hong Kong Stuntmen (2003)
March 31, 2005 | Posted in Film and TV Reviews by Mark Pollard | No Comments »Mortal Kombat star Robin Shou reveals the history, faces, dedication, and pain behind Hong Kong’s amazing action stunt choreography through interviews, film footage, and a behind the scenes look at an original action short film entitled Lost [...]
REVIEW: Roving Swordsman (1980)
March 29, 2005 | Posted in Film and TV Reviews by Mark Pollard | No Comments »Traveling swordsman Shen Sheng-yi (Ti Lung) and his lady friend match wits and swords with the last surviving member of the once great Murung family who is determined to rule the martial world by stealing plans to [...]
REVIEW: Raw Courage (1969)
March 21, 2005 | Posted in Film and TV Reviews by Mark Pollard | No Comments »After the Ming Emperor is overthrown and his infant son put in the care of the Black Dragon Society, a traitorous martial arts clan attacks the society and forces two inexperienced swordsmen to flee with the infant [...]
REVIEW: Hero Youngster (2004)
March 16, 2005 | Posted in Film and TV Reviews by Mark Pollard | No Comments »Before avenging his master’s death by standing up to Japanese occupiers with a “Fist of Fury,” a young Chen Jun comes to the aid of a rebel princess (Marsha Yuan) as she fights alongside fellow rebel Ou [...]
REVIEW: Gojoe (2000)
March 14, 2005 | Posted in Film and TV Reviews by Mark Pollard | No Comments »Following a war with the defeated Genji clan, the Heike clan have sought to bring peace to the land, but there is none outside the city of Kyoto where soldiers are being brutally killed by what is [...]
REVIEW: Iron Fist [TV] (2004)
March 1, 2005 | Posted in Film and TV Reviews by Mark Pollard | 1 Comment »Any self-respecting Hong Kong movie fan has seen or at least heard of The Story of Ricky (1992), a cult action movie of ridiculously bloody and fantastic violence, starring an otherwise unknown Terry Fan Siu-wong. Despite his [...]
REVIEW: G.I. Samurai (1979)
February 22, 2005 | Posted in Film and TV Reviews by Mark Pollard | No Comments »A small platoon of Japanese SDF soldiers from the modern era mysteriously travel back in time to the feudal era where they find themselves with their military machinery caught between two warring clans of samurai. There are [...]
REVIEW: Chinese Boxer, The (1970)
February 18, 2005 | Posted in Film and TV Reviews by Mark Pollard | 3 Comments »Before Bruce Lee became a superstar and before the kung fu movie genre exploded into a phenomenon, there was one-time swimming ace Jimmy Wang Yu, Shaw Brothers’ first “million dollar” star who helped to revitalize the swordplay [...]
REVIEW: Into the Sun (2005)
February 17, 2005 | Posted in Film and TV Reviews by Mark Pollard | No Comments »A CIA operative raised in Japan is assigned to investigate the murder of a prominent Japanese politician and goes up against a dangerous new breed of yakuza that have allied themselves with a Chinese triad. Into the [...]
REVIEW: Sky High (2003)
February 14, 2005 | Posted in Film and TV Reviews by Mark Pollard | 2 Comments »When a police detective investigating a string of grisly murders discovers Mina, his fiancée is the latest victim, he embarks on a quest for revenge. But he discovers that he’s up against supernatural forces that threaten to [...]
REVIEW: Street Fighter, The (1974)
February 10, 2005 | Posted in Film and TV Reviews by Mark Pollard | No Comments »A tough karate fighter for hire refuses to kidnap a beautiful heiress to an oil fortune and comes to her defense by going to war with the Mafia who are after her estate.
REVIEW: Ong Bak (2003)
February 10, 2005 | Posted in Film and TV Reviews by Mark Pollard | No Comments »Audiences can argue the finer points of their favorite martial arts movies and their merits or lack thereof, but the films can all be boiled down into one of two categories; those that try to kick ass [...]
REVIEW: Sword in the Moon (2003)
February 7, 2005 | Posted in Film and TV Reviews by Mark Pollard | No Comments »Two friends trained as swordsmen under the same master reluctantly find themselves on opposing sides when the Emperor is overthrown. Now, one is assassinating traitorous government officials and the other is ordered to hunt him down.
REVIEW: Shaolin Prince (1982)
February 2, 2005 | Posted in Film and TV Reviews by Mark Pollard | No Comments »The traitorous Lord 9th usurps the Emperor’s throne and the infant princes are sent into hiding. The younger grows up to be a master of the sword and the elder and rightful heir masters the infamous “Scriptures [...]
REVIEW: Ninja Wars (1982)
January 31, 2005 | Posted in Film and TV Reviews by Mark Pollard | No Comments »During the warring states era, samurai warlord Donjo Matsunaga plots with an evil sorcerer and his five black magic-wielding monks to fulfill a prophecy that whoever marries princess Ukyo will rule. All that stands in their way [...]
