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MAGIK ROMPAK: Malaysian Hitmaker Adrian Teh Back On Set With New Heist Thriller

Lee B. Golden III

If you’ve missed Malaysian film director Adrian Teh and were wondering at all what he’d been up to, you needn’t look further than the set of his current heist adventure, Magik Rompak. Clover Films and ACT 2 Pictures are shepherding production with the former handling international sales. Magik Rompak tells the story of a leading magician who assembles a reluctant crew for an audacious and daring heist to steal a priceless gem. As their pasts intertwine and the stakes rise, the team must perfect the art of illusion, confront their own vulnerabilities, and orchestrate the ultimate vanishing act to protect their futures. Leading the ensemble cast are Sharnaaz Ahmad, Zul Ariffin, Miller Khan, Fabian Loo, Amelia Henderson, Yasmin Hani, Elvina Mohamad, and veteran Singaporean actor Tay Ping Hui. It has a budget of RM13 million and is filming entirely in Malaysia over a 50-day period. Variety’s Patrick Frater has more […]

Donnie Yen in THE PROSECUTOR

THE PROSECUTOR: Well Go USA Bangs The Gavel For Donnie Yen Actioner In Janaury

Lee B. Golden III

Screendaily’s Michael Rosser reports that action drama The Prosecutor will bow on January 10 in North America from Well Go USA. The news comes on the heels of the official trailer for the Donnie Yen-led flick ahead of its Hong Kong release on December 27. Yen directs and stars from a script by Edmond Wong, centered on a former cop-turned-prosecutor who sets out to right some wrongs when a wrongfully accused man is set to take the fall for a crime, facing pressure by forces on both sides of the law. Also starring are Julian Cheung, Kent Cheng, Adam Pak, and Kang Yu, with action and stunt sequences by Yu along with Yen and fellow action cohort Kenji Tanigaki. Read more at Screendaily.

Tien Feng in THE SWORD (1980)

THE SWORD – Eureka Blu-Ray Review: A Glimmering Old-School Lesson On Grade-A Wuxia Cinema Through A Subversive Lens

Lee B. Golden III

Celebrated television veteran Patrick Tam has only directed a small number of films throughout his career, which spans close to half a century. He’s been a filmmaker in several aspects of the word, and this is undoubtedly signified on one of his earliest pieces, the 1980 wuxia action drama, The Sword. Lee Mak-Yin (Adam Cheng) is a noble, lone swordsman who has studied martial arts and pugilism under a revered master. He is now on a journey to find a particular master with whom he can share a duel, in order to gauge his own skills and possibly complete his training. Along the way, he meets a rambunctious young woman named Ying-Chi (Jade Hsu) who herself is in pursuit of an enemy one evening. After a brief scrimmage, Ying-Chi reluctantly joins Mak-Yin on their journey together, arriving at an inn where Mak-Yin just happens to bump into Siu-Yiu (Jo Jo […]

Louis Koo and Aaron Kwok in TWILIGHT OF THE WARRIORS: WALLED IN (2024)

Giveaway: Win A Blu-Ray Copy Of Well Go USA’S TWILIGHT OF THE WARRIORS: WALLED IN!

Lee B. Golden III

It’s been a good year for fans of action and Hong Kong films with the ceremony permeating around Soi Cheang’s Twilight Of The Warriors: Walled In. The movie arrives on Blu-Ray and 4K disc on Tuesday from Well Go USA, and we are giving away three copies on Blu-Ray to readers! For this, you need only email your entries to fcsyndicate@outlook.com and just tell us your favorite top three films by Soi Cheang, or famed action director Kenji Tanigaki, and apply the term “WALLED IN” in the subject bar in order to qualify. The contest ends on Friday, November 22, and extends only to residents in the U.S.. Many years after the bloody turf war that ushered in an uneasy era of peace in Hong Kong’s underworld, the notorious Kowloon Walled City serves as a fortified, lawless safe haven for gangs and refugees alike. But when a skilled underground fighter […]

Marcos Mion in MMA: MEU MELHOR AMIGO

MMA: MEU MELHOR AMIGO: Marcos Mion Champions Fight Life And Fatherhood In The Official Trailer

Lee B. Golden III

TV and film steward José Alvarenga Jr. popped up on my radar on Monday thanks to the activity of a few folks in my news feeds. He’s on the road these days promoting his collaborative effort with actor and Brazilian television personality Marcos Mion on the new upcoming sports drama, MMA: Meu Melhor Amigo. Mion is also an associate producer on the film as well, with a story that bodes as a personal motivator for his attachment since he’s also a real-life activist who advocates for children living with autism. In the movie, Mion plays an mixed martial arts champion at the end of his career and recuperating from a serious injury. He soon learns he’s the father of an 8-year old son with autism, setting the stage for one man’s underdog story as a man resetting his priorities to win over his son, and a fighter driven to return […]

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THE LOCK IN: Help Crowdfund Nathan Geering’s Latest Ambitious New Indie Actioner

Lee B. Golden III

The past year or so have seen my news feeds crackling a little with word of emerging talent, actor, martial artist, and newly-inducted Black Belt Hall Of Famer Nathan Geering. He’s got a feature film in development called The Lock In, and his Indiegogo pitch certainly reads like something right up my alley. A man trapped in a pub finds himself caught in the crossfire between a mysterious bartender and a gang hell bent on killing him at any cost. To make matters worse our hero has arranged to go on a romantic date at the pub. When his date arrives things immediately take a turn for the worse as the pub closes it’s doors and holds a deadly event known as The Lock In. What started out as a romantic evening turns into a fight for survival. Geering has won a ton of awards for his shortfilm work, most […]

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Spanish upcoming actioner HARD COIN (EL DURO) Conquers New York in the 12th Edition of the URBAN ACTION ACTION SHOWCASE.

After a successful run in prestigious spanish films festivals such as the 33rd Madrid International Film Festival and the 57th Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival, Nacho Serapio´s second directorial effort, Hard Coin (El Duro) starring uprising action hero, Alberto Hidalgo, has landed in US soil with strentgh and success, within the framework of the 12th URBAN ACTION SHOWCASE, one of the most important action and martial arts film festivals in the USA, and therefore, in the world. The past November 9th, the 12th edition of the well-known URBAN ACTION SHOWCASE was held at the REGAL cinemas in Times Square, in the heart of Manhattan. The event began at 10 a.m. with a film and pop culture EXPO, packed with stars of yesterday and today from this genre of cinema, who were signing autographs and taking photos with the fans. Among them were actors such as Taimak, known for the film […]

Donnie Yen in THE PROSECUTOR (2024)

THE PROSECUTOR: Bare Witness To Donnie Yen In The Official, Action-Packed Trailer!

Lee B. Golden III

Star/director Donnie Yen is ready to make his case before the court of public opinion with the official trailer now out for The Prosecutor. Part courtroom procedural, part martial arts fisticuffs and ballistic thrills are the ingredients he and producer Raymond Wong have assembled for a proper delight coming to their region by Christmas. Inspired by a true story in Hong Kong. A young man wrongfully charged with drug trafficking, pleads guilty under undue influence from his defense lawyer, letting the actual convict escaped from penalty. Fok (Donnie Yen), an unconventional prosecutor assigned to the case, firmly believes that the case is full of doubts and decides to conduct a private investigation for the young man. Fok risks his life and career to uncover the truth and bring the real culprit to justice. Also starring are Francis Ng, Kent Cheng, Julian Cheung, and Adam Pak, with a script by Edmond […]

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LEGEND OF THE CONDOR HEROES: THE GREAT HERO Teaser Revealed For Tsui Hark’s Newest Jin Yong Adaptation

Lee B. Golden III

This was a long time coming, but the first teaser is out to announce the pending release of Legend Of The Condor Heroes: The Great Hero. The film marks filmmaker Tsui Hark’s first return to the literary world of late author Jin Yong since 1992’s Jet Li starrer, Swordsman II which he co-wrote for director Tony Ching. Leading the cast for Legend Of The Condor Heroes: The Great Hero are actor Xiao Zhan, actress Sabrina Zhuang, and Ip Man 4 co-star Vanda Margraf. Hark directs from a script based on a segment of Yong’s first book in the “Legend Of The Condor Heroes” saga, and the available story details insofar read as follows: The Mongols, led by Genghis Khan, went west to destroy the Jin Dynasty, wanted to go south to destroy the Song Dynasty. Martial Arts Masters from several Schools in the Central Plains of China fought gathering strength […]

Cameron Diaz and Jamie Foxx in "Back In Action" (2025)

Cameron Diaz And Jamie Foxx Get BACK IN ACTION In The First Teaser

Lee B. Golden III

Horrible Bosses helmer Seth Gordon is back, and in titular form with none other than actress Cameron Diaz after a decade-long acting hiatus who now joins leading man Jamie Foxx for Back In Action. The action comedy bound for Netflix on January 17 has an official teaser online as of Thursday to help spread the gospel some. Years after giving up life as CIA spies to start a family, Emily (Cameron Diaz) and Matt (Jamie Foxx) find themselves dragged back into the world of espionage when their cover is blown. Don’t miss the teaser below!

Justin Long (Photo: Santiago Felipe/Getty) and Kate Bosworth (Credit: Courtesy)

COYOTE: Justin Long And Kate Bosworth Star In New Survival Thriller Now Filming In Colombia

Lee B. Golden III

Cameras are now rolling as of this weeks in Bogota, Colombia for survival thriller, Coyote, from director Colin Minihan (What Keeps You Alive, Grave Encounters) as announced by Capstone Studios’ CEO Christian Mercuri. Cast includes Justin Long (Barbarian) and Kate Bosworth (Superman Returns, 21, Remember the Titans) with a script storied by by Daniel Meersand & Nick Simon (The Pyramid, The Girl in the Photographs) and Tad Daggerhart (The Expendables 4, Black Lotus), and written by Daggerhart and Simon. Daggerhart, Long, and Bosworth are also exec producing Coyote, which follows a family fighting for their lives against a pack of crazed coyotes during a raging wildfire in the Hollywood Hills. Nathan Klingher (Land of Bad) and Ford Corbett will produce for Gramercy Park, along with James Harris (Fall) of Teashop Productions and Jib Polhemus (Old Guy) of Source Management. Capstone’s Roman Viaris and Ruzanna Kegeyan are also exec producers next […]

Lee Byung-hun in "A Bittersweet Life" (2005)

A BITTERSWEET LIFE Script Underway For Netflix Remake Of Korean Neo-Noir Hit Thriller

Lee B. Golden III

Remember news of a potential remake development for 2005’s A Bittersweet Life? Well, that is a thing yet again. The word now from Deadline’s Matt Grobar has it that Kevin McMullin is penning the script for a production to be overseen by Netflix, and by Chernin Entertainment’s Alex Jackson. Kim Jee-woon’s Korean gangster flick starred Lee Byung-hun in the role of Sun-woo, a weary underworld enforcer who turns on his boss after refusing to kill his mistress for cheating, upon falling in love with her himself. The neo-noir hit played for Cannes that year and became a beacon of Asian cult cinema fandom for years to come with leading man Lee riding the wave to stardom in future hits like Kim’s 2008’s The Good, The Bad, The Weird, and 2010’s I Saw The Devil, and later appearing in Kim’s 2016 thriller, The Age Of Shadows. Kim’s body of work is […]

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RUNNING ON KARMA Blu-Ray Gets The Masters Of Cinema Treatment Through Eureka In January

Lee B. Golden III

Johnnie To and Wai Ka-Fai’s 2003 hit film, Running On Karma, is coming to the U.S. on Blu-Ray re-release on January 28. Rolling out through Eureka Entertainment’s Masters Of Cinema line, the film will come in the form of a Limited Edition Blu-Ray package with 2000 copies (per territory), exclusively featuring an O-card slipcase. A lot has happened in the last two decades since this title, and I’m old enough to remember that Asian news outlets and adjacent websites like this one picked up on word of a sequel that was in the works that would have also starred Jacky Heung (100 Yards). Eventually Heung and To did collaborate on one other fantastic venture which managed to pull off a North American festival premiere. It really has been that long, though, that it feels like a Running On Karma sequel would hardly happening at all. I’m open to be proven […]

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GUNNER (2024) Review – BMC Preview

Lee B. Golden III

It’s been close to twelve years since I restarted this journey a little more formally as a “news guy” – less so of a “review” guy as I was only just beginning to find my own rhythm. That search eventually evolved into something that implored me to be a little more responsible in how I watch movies, thusly calibrating a lot of my viewpoints into that of someone who some filmmakers won’t take kindly to. I’m okay with that, frankly, as I would rather be a critic and enjoy what I do than someone’s proverbial cat’s paw, and be a little more honest with my perceptions on film. Especially when it comes to action. Enter Acme Rocket Fuel’s Dimitri Logothetis, known as the frontman for the current Kickboxer reboot franchise which includes its upcoming third installment, and sci-fi action thriller, Jiu Jitsu, which is based on an in-house graphic novel. […]

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In Tom Cruise We Trust In The First Teaser For MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – THE FINAL RECKONING

Lee B. Golden III

The campaign has officially begun for next year’s release of Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning. Paramount and Skydance are releasing the film on May 23 and the first official teaser and poster have made their debut with none other than Tom Cruise front and center on the artwork, and in the requisite action that’s kept the franchise going since 1996. The Christopher McQuarrie-directed second chapter to last year’s Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning continues the saga with Cruise going head to head with a looming A.I.-imbued threat backed by a terroristic zealot and his army. We see a little more of what that struggle now entails in the teaser culminating footage from previous films as well, as per the new installment’s tagline which reads “Our lives are the sum of our choices” …oof! Cruise also stars alongside Hayley Atwell, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Vanessa Kirby, Esai Morales, Pom Klementieff, […]

THE WIDE WEST: Sumos And Gunslingers Collide In The Official Trailer

Lee B. Golden III

It’s been a week of deals and filmfare for any and all on the ground at AFM and that especially goes for Hollywood Storm whose Alexander Nevsky has been on deck with his latest Western romp, The Wide West, which is due for a 2025 release. Joe Cornet (A Prayer for the Damned) directs from a script by Craig Hamann (Showdown in Manila) with three-time Mr. Universe himself, Nevsky (Gunfight at Rio Bravo) joined by Sumo Champions Hiroki Sumi (John Wick: Chapter 4) and Ichi (Ballerina). 1907. The first-ever sumo delegation from Japan, led by Sumo Legends, travels through the United States to Washington D.C. to meet with President Theodore Roosevelt. When the train is stopped for track repairs, they have to stop in a dangerous Western town, where trouble awaits. Also starring are Cornet, and actors Nick Baillie (Malicious), Tatiana Neva (Prey of Wrath), and Kaz Kobayashi (Baragaki: Unbroken […]

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THE FERRYMAN Delivers Kyrgyzstan’s Answer To ‘The Transporter’ In The Official Trailer

Lee B. Golden III

Kyrgyzstan is one area of the world that that seldom gets coverage by sites like our for what we do. Alas, when a name like that of actor and influencer Shumkarbek Beishenaliev comes into the spotlight with a campaign for a local action comedy called The Ferryman, I’m keen to help draw some attention. The official trailer is finally here following the last few months of poster campaigning and you can spot three of them beneath the player. Uchkun Zhakypbekov directs the Central Asian actioner which sees Beishenaliev in the role of Ruslan, an ex-special forces operative-turned car smuggler. As the rest of the logline reads: “His world changes when he accidentally saves a little girl, Eva, whose father has become a victim of a ruthless drug dealer. Ruslan takes on the protection of Eva and tries to save her father, who is no longer alive.” The film also stars […]

David Blue Garcia

ZEUS: Highland Ramps Up Creature Feature With David Blue Garcia To Direct

Lee B. Golden III

David Blue Garcia (Netflix and Legendary’s Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Tejano) is directing Mucho Mas Media’s upcoming horror-thriller, Zeus. Highland Film Group is handling worldwide rights to the horror-thriller and launching sales at the American Film Market. Zeus follows a group of friends in their early 20s being terrorized by a Cane Corso during a lakeside holiday celebration. Blue Garcia is directing from a script written by Tate Hanyok (The Pet-Nup) and Shane McKenzie (Prime Video’s Bingo Hell), which promises to “introduce a new killer monster into the canon of terrifying predators including “Jaws,” “Cujo,” and even Michael Myers!,” according to the announcement. Javier Chapa (The Black Demon, The Long Game, Rosario) is producing for Mucho Mas Media, with Phillip Braun (Rosario, The Long Game) also exec producing, as are Robert Muñoz, Morgan Cano-Long, Simon Wise, Vincent Cordero, Bruce Barshop, and Highland CEO Arianne Fraser, and COO Delphine Perrier. Production is […]

Tony Jaa in "Striking Rescue"

STRIKING RESCUE: Well Go USA Snaps Chinese Action Thriller Starring Tony Jaa

Lee B. Golden III

Chinese actioner Striking Rescue is getting a theatrical release in the U.S. from Well Go USA. The Youku-produced actioner releases in the mainland through streaming service Youku this week featuring global martial arts star Tony Jaa. Directed by Cheng Siyi, the action revenge movie follows An Bai (Jaa), a veteran Muay Thai expert who goes on a take-no-prisoners mission of revenge after his wife and daughter are brutally murdered by mysterious forces. THR‘s Patrick Brzeski notes the film is the first in an effort for Youku’s planned expansion into theatrical releases for international markets. The film also stars Shi Yanneng, Hong Junjia, Chen Duoyi, Philip Keung, and more. Check out the most recent promo below thanks to a reupload from user @shaolinjaa:

Still from "Inexternal" (2024) - Image via NYAFF

INEXTERNAL: Don’t Miss The Trailer For Yuen Kim Wai’s Supernatural Martial Arts Thriller!

Lee B. Golden III

I’m late as hell to the party on this and only because my eyes can only reach so far. That fact is all but clear when reminded of how I tried to catch Yuen Kim Wai’s latest Hong Kong martial arts action thriller, Inexternal, during its run at the 24th edition of the New York Asian Film Festival, and those efforts wouldn’t come to pass, sadly. The good news? Emperor Motion Pictures have since released the film locally in theaters, and with any luck, fans of the genre on this side of the water will be able to take a gander at what Legally Declared Dead helmer Yuen Kim Wai proffers for his latest return to the big screen. I don’t know what or when, though it would be nice if a familiar label keen on titles like this picked it up. Tsui Chak-ming has been badly beaten and left […]