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- Hand of Death | aka Countdown in Kung Fu (1976) Review
- All hell breaks loose in the Malaysian actioner ‘Polis Evo’
- Deal on Fire! Shogun | Blu-ray | Only $25.70 – Expires soon!
| Hand of Death | aka Countdown in Kung Fu (1976) Review Posted: 05 Aug 2015 01:59 AM PDT  "Hand of Death" Chinese Theatrical Poster AKA: Shaolin Men By Zach Nix The Hand of Death (aka Countdown in Kung Fu) is an early John Woo film from his formative years as a filmmaker. Woo wouldn't become an acclaimed or recognizable filmmaker until his breakout hit, A Better Tomorrow, was released upon the world in 1986. While one might expect The Hand of Death to be a decent or throw away entry in Woo's filmography, viewers will be pleasantly surprised to discover that film contains a well-paced story, likable characters, and solid action sequences. The Hand of Death is worth checking out by Woo fans for his incredible action mastery and trademark themes of honor, loyalty, brotherhood, and self-sacrifice. Action fans will also want to seek out The Hand of Death for two early appearances by action legends Sammo Hung and Jackie Chan. The Hand of Death opens during the Qing Dynasty as a Shaolin traitor, Shih Shao-Feng (James Tien), leads an attack on the Shaolin Temple by Manchu rulers. Various Shaolin teachers and students retreat from the temple in order to preserve their teachings and to fight another day. As Shih and his right hand man, Officer Tu Ching (Sammo Hung), take over the land, one of the temple's best students, Yun Fei (Tao-Liang Tan), trains in secret in order to avenge the death of his Shaolin master and to kill Shih. Yun Fei eventually aligns with two men, Tan Feng (Jackie Chan) and a wandering swordsman (Wei Yang), who wish to avenge their fallen loved ones at Shih's hands and to restore their honor. Woo holds one of his earliest action pictures together with traditional martial arts themes. The film is ultimately a story of revenge amongst strangers become brothers in the process. Tao-Liang Tan does fine work as the film's lead, a determined martial arts expert who must learn how to combat Shih's own powerful methods. Tao is given most of the film's action sequences and showcases superb martial arts mastery against several henchmen, bodyguards, and James Tien himself. Supporting performances by Jackie Chan and Wei Yang are especially enjoyable. Chan is charming and likable in this early performance of his that allows him to show his stuff in two awesome fight sequences. Wei Yang also plays a memorable drifter who joins up with Yun Fei. The Hand of Death's trio of lead characters feel like a formative step in Woo's career leading up to the unforgettable trio of leads in Woo's own A Better Tomorrow. James Tien and Sammo Hung play two despicable villains, one a vile and cruel murderer and the other a dopey but loyal martial artist. Tien, a main stay in the genre, plays one of his earliest villain roles here. Poor Hung is forced to wear a ridiculous set of fake teeth throughout the film as well. However, his impressive moves, especially his final fight against Tao-Liang Tan, off set his ridiculous pair of chompers. The Hand of Death is never boring because Woo graces the viewer with an action scene every few minutes. The film opens and closes with action for goodness sakes. Every action sequence is a solid display of Woo's mastery of photography, editing, and direction. The Hand of Death really comes to life in its final act when Yun Fei, Tan Feng, and The Wanderer guide a scholar (John Woo himself) through the country-side while fighting off Shih's various bodyguards and loyal servants. Characters sacrifice themselves and put their lives in danger, an important theme in Woo's filmography, in order to stop Shihs' evil reign. Unfortunately, The Hand of Death is not immune to problems, as some cheesy wigs and a rushed opening hamper the film from being one of Woo's top tier pieces of entertainment. Fans of classic martial arts cinema are typically used to the cheesy wigs atop the actors' heads. However, the wigs in this film seem particularly cheap and fake, especially the one atop Jackie Chan's head. The film is also burdened by a rushed opening that hurls as much exposition at the viewer as possible. The Hand of Death could have benefited from a more organic and natural opening that relied less on narration. The introductory action sequence would have been made more dramatic if the audience were slightly familiar with the characters and their plight, especially Yun Fei. Woo's The Hand of Death is a solid martial arts film made all the more enjoyable thanks to the inclusion of martial arts mainstays Tien, Hung, and Chan. The film is never boring, as Woo provides the audience with an action scene nearly ever few minutes. And the characters, while far from complex or original, are all likable and developed enough so that their motives are understandable. The story that surrounds all of these characters and the action sequences is enjoyable too, as the film contains actual stakes to its proceedings. All in all, The Hand of Death comes highly recommended to die hard John Woo fans curious to see his early work. Woo's future mastery of character, action, and story is all evident in this early film of his. Fans of Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung will also want to seek the film out to see some solid fist and spear play by the two. Zach Nix’s Rating: 8/10 |
| All hell breaks loose in the Malaysian actioner ‘Polis Evo’ Posted: 05 Aug 2015 12:01 AM PDT  "Polis Evo" Theatrical Poster According to Paul Bramhall, Malaysian cinema is inevitably on its way to putting a dent in the action world, especially with films like Bunohan: Return to Murder, Lari, Apokalips X, Balistik, One on One and the upcoming Full Throttle making their rounds on the internet. The latest to come out of the Southeast Asian country is Ghaz Abu Bakar’s Polis Evo, an upcoming “buddy cop” flick with the whole package: martial arts, gun battles and car stunts. Sure, it’s a description that fits the mold to practically every thriller of its kind, so you’ll have to scope out the film’s trailer (via twitch) to see its point of difference. Polis Evo hits Malaysian screens in September. Hopefully, a U.S. distributer is taking notice. |
| Deal on Fire! Shogun | Blu-ray | Only $25.70 – Expires soon! Posted: 05 Aug 2015 12:00 AM PDT  James Clavell's Shogun | Blu-ray (Paramount) Today’s Deal on Fire is the Blu-ray for James Clavell’s Shogun. This critically-acclaimed 1980 mini-series, spread out on 6 Blu-ray discs, focuses on John Blackthorne (Richard Chamberlain), an English ship pilot, whose vessel wrecked upon the Japanese coast in the early 17th century. Blackthorne is thrown in the midst of a war between Toranaga (Toshiro Mifune) and Ishido (Nobuo Kaneko), who struggle for the title of Shogun which will give ultimate power to the one who possesses it. | Watch the trailer. Order Shogun from Amazon.com today! |
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