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THE PROSECUTOR Review: Donnie Yen Knuckles Up And Adjudicates For A Winning Verdict

The Prosecutor opens in theaters on January 10 from Well Go USA. It is an exciting time to be a Donnie Yen fan – specifically for anyone who has kept up with the 61 year-old martial arts film star post-Wilson Yip’s Sha Po Lang, which hailed a resurgence of Hong Kong action full of gumption and bravado. It was the era of Flash Point as well, as Yen took to his team to showcase a performance of technique and dexterity that remains as fresh as it did to this day, building enough momentum for the actor to branch out a little further to other different roles on both sides of the lens. Fast forward to 2025 with the last few weeks signaling more local success with his latest project, The Prosecutor, which transitions to U.S. audiences this week from Well Go USA. Mixing action-packed crime thriller with courtroom procedural, The […]

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MEGALOPOLIS Review: Was it worth it?

The pillars of the history of the seventh art have been cemented by dreamers with a vision doomed to failure. Men and women who persevered in bringing their vision forward so that their ideas would become reality, even at the cost of great sacrifices. Throughout the more than one hundred years since the creation of cinema, the industry has been nourished by these stories of overcoming and perseverance that have enriched the epic and legend surrounding the films. Without a doubt, Francis Ford Coppola belongs to a generation of filmmakers where taking a vision forward was synonymous with great deeds and sacrifices. The director has written his name in gold letters in the Olympus of filmmakers, and despite having achieved the immortality that only the world of cinema can grant to mortals, his image in the modern world has been left as that of a filmmaker from the past, who […]

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HARBIN Review: The Measure Of A Man In A Time Of War And Subterfuge

Harbin is currently playing in select U.S. theaters from Well Go USA. Woo Min-ho is someone I’ve been slow to keep up with since I first caught wind of his 2015 political thriller, Inside Man. The good news is that some of his films aren’t intangible, so I can definitely catch them when I get time. As of late, that includes Harbin, Woo’s newest period assassin drama which chronicles the efforts of Korea’s rebellion against Japanese colonialism, led in part by Ahn Jung-geun, a lieutenant beleagured by a crisis of conscience following a fatal blunder at the cost of fighters, putting him under heavy scrutiny among ranks in the resistance. Intent on ameliorating his actions, it is then that Ahn makes the stern commitment to eliminate Japan’s first prime minister, Hirobumi Ito, as the empire looks to annex Korea. The effort entails evading Japanese soldiers while trekking between snowy rural […]

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Streaming Sleepers: In THE BROKENHEARTED, A Bruising Redemption Tale That Goes Down Swinging

Fifteen years is probably long enough for someone like Leroy Nguyen to have lived and toiled through the independent film arena to garner a book publication one day. Whether or not that day comes remains to be seen, while his latest feature film makes the release rounds via Amazon on digital for rental or purchase with The Brokenhearted, a gritty new crime drama that is also poised to be his final bow. Black Scar Blues was the first time I’d really been able to get a hold of Nguyen’s work, and only because he reached out to me on social media three years prior to its release. The film gave me a really good handle on his cinematic vision which sets discernibly apart from other independent creatives with whom he’s collaborated – folks like Fernando Jay Huerto, Joey Min, and Joseph Le to name a few. The Brokenhearted is an […]

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HOLY NIGHT: DEMON HUNTERS Teaser Reveals Don Lee Punching Evil To Smithereens!

If you couldn’t get enough of watching Don Lee punch people in the face in last year’s Badland Hunters and The Roundup 4: Punishment, then consider the matter settled. The first teaser is here for Holy Night: Demon Hunters, from debut writer and director Lim Dae-hee, looking to service the fans accordingly with the actor firmly in fighting form! Holy Night is team that fights against groups that worships demons. The members of the Holy Night team are Bau (Ma Dong-Seok), Sharon (Seohyun) and Kim-kun (David Lee). Bau’s special ability is his powerful physical strength. Sharon has an ability to identify demons and performs exorcisms. Kim-kun helps Bau and Sharon. Meanwhile, Psychiatrist Jung-won (Kyung Soo-Jin) visits the Holy Night team to save her younger sister Eun-seo (Jung Ji-So). A demon resides in Eunseo’s body. Lotte Entertainment is releasing the film to Korean audiences beginning April 30. Catch the teaser below, […]

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STREET TRASH Review: Ryan Kruger’s Audacious Cult Classic Reimagining

Lightbulb Film Distribution opens Street Trash in UK cinemas on January 10, and on digital and Blu-Ray on February 17. Straight horror isn’t usually my thing, so my only experience with J. Michael Muro’s 1987 cult classic, Street Trash, is an official trailer on YouTube. I watched it to have something to help gauge a little more the latest iteration directed by Ryan Kruger which, fairly, easily takes plenty of its cues from the original hit, and quite possibly delivers the goods on multiple ends. Kruger’s Street Trash lands us squarely in a dystopian version of Cape Town in South Africa, where we Ronald (Sean Cameron Michael), and his ragtag group of homeless streetmates, along with the newest addition of Alex (Donna Cormack-Thomson) who he rescues after she’s confronted by henchmen working for the Rat King. The two, along with fellow homeless mates Chef (Joe Vaz), 2-Bit (Gary Green), Wors […]

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THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO Review: An Epic And Satisfying Revisit To A Literary Classic

The Count Of Monte Cristo is now playing in theaters across the U.S. from Samuel Goldwyn Films. The last screen adaptation of famed author Alexandre Dumas’s The Count Of Monte Cristo was 2002’s release from director Kevin Reynolds. To say the least, while I enjoyed the film, it always felt like there was more missing to its treatment for such an epic tale to be told. Would it be a stretch to say that the time our dear protagonist Edmond Dantes spent on an island prison equate to the weight of having to wait as long as the rest of us did for something significant and impressive to come along from the film front? I reckon that it depends on your viewpoint and tastes in film, in general. Moreover, and personally, I certainly didn’t expect the latest French-language iteration from directing duo Alexandre de la Patellière and Matthieu Delaporte to be […]

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HITMAN 2: Kwon Sang-Woo Draws Up More Chaos In The Official Trailer

No, you’re not going crazy. It really has been four years since director Choi Won-sub and leading man Kwon Sang-woo landed a hit with action comedy Hitman: Agent Jun, about a construction worker whose past and present worlds collide through his elementary passion for drawing webtoons. That story now continues with the pending release of Hitman 2, rejoining the star and director for another explosive affair that also adds Jung Joon-ho and Lee Yi-kyung from the first film. Choi directs Hitman 2 from a script he wrote with Shin Joong-ryul which finds Kwon’s character, Jun, briefly back on his feet and gaining stardom for his hit webtoon, only to falter when his second season falls flat with audiences. It’s enough for Jun to start working on another webtoon, until a terrorist attack mirroring his work finds him back in the spotlight of the NIS and forced to clear his name. […]

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Mongol Stunt Team Kicks The Door Down On 2025 With Its Newest Action Packed New Years’ Day Release!

Mongolia got a nice little kickoff this week with the New Year’s Day release of a new action thriller hailing from the good folks of Mongol Stunt Team. Its regional title, “В1 Давхар” has different translations depending on what tool you use. I’m thinking we’ll have better luck with its international sales provided that a banner picks it up for the coming markets. At any rate, В1 Давхар, or “B1 Level” comes from action director and stunt professional, Mandakh Naranbaatar, who has a number of credits as a stunt professional across East Asia; In addition to Disney’s Mulan, and Marvel’s Shang-Chi: Legend Of The Ten Rings, his resumé extends even further with the shared credits of his cohorts at Mongol Stunt Team which also include Tsui Hark’s upcoming Jin Yong adaptation, Legend Of The Condor Heroes: The Great Hero, and Woo Min-ho’s Korean espionage period thriller, Harbin. At the forefront […]

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CHINESE HERCULES Documentary: Bolo Says ‘Not Approved’

Action star and martial arts mainstay Bolo Yeung (Double Impact, Bloodsport, Enter The Dragon) is the center of what has now been deemed an unauthorized documentary according to a statement on the actor’s Instagram page. The statement comes following the release of a trailer promoting the documentary “Chinese Hercules: The Bolo Yeung Story”, a product of Hussar Productions directed by Pavel Nyziak, and produced by Nyziak along with Dan Delts, Aziz Cem, and Dr. Bob Goldman. “I am incredibly grateful to have such a loyal and supportive fanbase. However, I want to make it clear that I did not give permission to Hussar Entertainment Productions-or any other party-to create or release any documentary about me, including the recent trailer for Chinese Hercules that was made available online on December 8, 2024,” said the post. “I deeply value my privacy and personal narrative, and I am actively addressing this situation to […]

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THRONE: THE LIFORIAN ODYSSEY: Witness The Birth Of ‘A Brand New Original IP’ In Aaron Toney’s Proof Of Concept Fantasy Action Pilot

In keeping up with the burgeoning potential of today’s independent film and stunt-talented creatives, Monday saw the premiere of actor and filmmaker Aaron Toney’s (Wolf Warrior 2, Debt Collectors, One More Shot) passion project, Throne: The Liforian Odyssey. The nine-minute shortfilm marks the latest phase in Toney’s proof of concept which began roughly a decade ago with the birth of a spectacular, action-packed martial arts short. “Even though this has been such a long journey, I know it’s still like, the beginning, because no one knows about this,” said Toney, who took to speaking with viewers while livestreaming the project on YouTube on Monday. “We need to go ahead and build a fanbase because, this is a brand new original IP, so we’re putting this out so that people can know that it exists.” Toney’s Thone: The Liforian Odyssey, is a continued evolution of that IP, now with updated costumes, weapons […]

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Hey, New York City! Train With Actor And Martial Artist Bruce Khan In January!

Actor and filmmaker Bruce Khan (Revenger, The Killer) is pounding the pavement lately to promote his own series of martial arts and screenfighting seminars through his platform, S.E.M. Academy, in North America. His next stop will be at Mr. J’s Gymnastics in New York City’s Williamsburg section of Brooklyn on Saturday, January 25, and Sunday, January 26, from 2:00pm to 6:00pm. There’s a payment tier for the events as well, with $150 for one day, $300 for the weekend, and $400 for an entire VIP package that extends to a private one hour session with the actor on whatever attendees want to discuss. There was a promo cut together boosting the event that recently made the rounds which included a little bit of action from his upcoming thriller, Purgatory: Zone Of Murderers, spliced in. That promo pretty much disappeared into the ether, but if you’re in Brooklyn this month and up […]

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OPERATION LEVIATHAN: Official Trailer Revealed For Dante Lam’s Patriotic Action Threequel Epic

Continuing a string of patriotic action dramas that began with 2016’s Operation Mekong, Dante Lam returns to the maritime trenches for Operation Leviathan, billed as a sequel to 2018’s Operation Red Sea. The official trailer is now online ahead of the film’s January 29 release from Bona Film Group. Operation Leviathan stars Huang Xuan, Yu Shi, Zhang Hanyu, and Duan Yihong, and finds the Chinese military back on the battlefield in the aftermath of a civil war when unrest stirs in a foreign country in lieu of a deadly conspiracy. Also starring are Jiang Luxia, Wang Yanlin, Li Chen, Bryan Larkin, and more. Catch the trailer below!

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@OnePerfectHEADShot Reviews 2024’s Year In Action Cinema

At times like this, I’m joyfully reminded that there are times throughout the year I get to partake in little side projects. In the case of the video below and its creator, however, I will say that it definitely isn’t so little. It’s about ninety-minutes long and comes courtesy of Kinemotions on YouTube. Folks who follow the channel also likely follow its host on social media through pseudonym, “Head Exposure,” or OnePerfectHEADShot as some of us know him, which is also how I came to be a part of the video essay below among colleagues for “The Action Year In Review – 2024,” which you can now view below. This video is a fully-loaded piece of work with rightfully credited titles galvanizing the year’s best and most memorable films of the genre. Filmmakers Liam O’Donnell and Jordan Santacana, critics and influencers like Outlaw Vern, Mike Fury, Shogun Supreme, Polygon’s Pete […]

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BROKEN: Catch The First Teaser Trailer For The New Korean Crime Drama Starring Ha Jung-Woo!

Formerly titled “Nocturnal,” the first trailer is out for upcoming crime drama now titled Broken, from director Kim Hwang-jin. Ha Jung-woo, Kim Nam-gil, Yoo Da-in, and Jeong Man-sik star. Min-tae, a once-notorious gangster who now leads a peaceful retired life, discovers the bloody corpse of his only next of kin: his younger brother Seok-tae. With his brother’s missing wife Moon-young as the prime suspect, Min-tae uncovers a suspicious last phone call between her and a mysterious novelist, sparking a vicious hunt for the truth despite his seemingly deceitful former crime syndicate and the police in hot pursuit. Broken opens for Korean audiences beginning February 5 from Barunson E&A. Check out the trailer below along with a pair of teaser posters just beneath!

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RED ONE – A Streaming Success Review

The latest film fair from Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is slightly different to his usual action packed, muscle pumping, adrenaline rushing flicks. Instead, he delivers a festive feature which all the family can enjoy. Released early last month on 6th November in theatres it didn’t go to plan as the studio hoped, with it only making $82 million domestically. I think this was down to a number of factors one – it being too early for a Christmas film and two – the decline in cinema goers which is very sad to see. Either way DJ has been saved by the millions of streamers with the film breaking Amazon prime records with a 50 million streams debut. And I was one of those millions who sat down and enjoyed the Christmas tale with a twist. Here is what I thought of it. J.K. Simmons (Santa Claus) and […]

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LEGEND OF THE CONDOR HEROES: THE GREAT HERO Official Trailer Revealed For Tsui Hark’s Latest Epic

Arriving just in time for the Chinese New Year festival on January 29 is action adventure epic, Legend Of The Condor Heroes: The Great Hero. The latest Tsui Hark adaptation of Jin Yong’s literary work stars Xiao Zhan, 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, which follows martial arts hero Guo Jing as he and others defend the Central Plains during the Mongols’ war campaign against the Jin and Song dynasties. The official trailer is now online along with new key art just below.

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REVERSI Trailer: Beto Kusyairy Battles Fate In Adrian Teh’s Newest Time-Travel Thriller

Malaysian filmmaker Adrian Teh is busy making another cinematic memory for us to endulge in the new year these days. In the meantime, his most recent work, Reversi, had made its way through the international festival circuit long enough to garner some publicity in the past year. The film is now playing in Malaysian cinemas and stars actor Beto Kusyairy who has easily become a favorite to watch in recent memory. Here, Kusyairy plays Akid, a police negotiator whose ability to time-travel unravels a harrowing journey as he battles fate to save his incumbent wife from death at the expense of his own lifespan. I just caught the trailer as well and couldn’t resist sharing it, along with a little more of Kusyairy on screen – him being one of the most definitive and physically commanding actors I’ve seen on film. Deft at drama as well as action, the Mat […]

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SUPERMAN – DID THE DOG STEAL THE SHOW!?

  On Thursday 19th December 2024 DC fans from around the World were treated to the highly anticipated teaser trailer for James Gunn’s Superman. There has been much speculation surrounding the film’s cast and storyline. Check out the teaser trailer below – 

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