jet li
BLADES OF THE GUARDIANS Review: A Gritty ‘Soy Western’ That Revitalizes the Wuxia Genre
After seven years away from the lens, the legendary Yuen Woo-ping returns to the director’s chair this Chinese New Year with a triumphant adaptation of Xu Xianzhe’s acclaimed manhua, Blades of the Guardians. In this ambitious project, the Hong Kong maestro revitalizes the wuxia genre by stripping away the over-reliance on CGI that has plagued recent productions. Instead, he embraces a visceral, “old-school” approach: gritty physical combat, traditional wire-fu, and sweeping cinematography filmed on location in the unforgiving Xinjiang desert. Set during the turbulent Sui Dynasty, the narrative follows Dao Ma (Wu Jing), a formidable mercenary and the empire’s “second most wanted fugitive.” His journey begins with what appears to be a routine escort mission: transporting the mysterious prisoner Zhi Shilang across the treacherous Gobi Desert to the capital, Chang’an. The film’s strength lies in its generational synergy. Wu Jing anchors an ensemble cast where icons like Tony Leung Ka-fai […]
THE JET LI COLLECTION – Shout! Review: Not As Legendary, But Still A Plentiful Fistful
This is probably the most I’ve written about Jet Li in a single article.
Please enjoy my review of The Jet Li Collection from Shout! Studios, and share with friends!
Streaming Sleepers: Gordon Chan’s FIST OF LEGEND Lands A Hit On Tubi!
The action classic stars Jet Li, Billy Chow, Chin Siu-Ho and Yasuaki Kurata
Shout! Launches The Hong Kong Cinema Classics Initiative Rolling Out The Hits On Digital And Disc This Summer!
Many of these titles have been out-of-print for years outside of Asia, and will finally make their debut on digital and 4K/Blus beginning in June and July!
Shout! Studios Unleashes A Fistful Of Jet Li Action Classics On 4K Digital In February!
After nabbing the Golden Princess library earlier this month, Shout! Studios back to blow our minds by revealing a quintet of Jet Li action hits arriving in February on 4K Digital!
88 Films Reveals Upcoming 4K/Blu-ray Release Of Two Jet Li Classics
I think it’s safe to say that 2024 has been the year of Jet Li for physical media enthusiasts. Boutique Blu-ray label, 88 Films, has, so far, released Fist of Legend and The Bodyguard from Beijing on both 4K UHD and Blu-ray, with Tai-Chi Master (aka Twin Warriors) set for an October release. We can now expect another Jet Li film to drop on November 25th. Artwork has appeared online revealing that 88 Films are planning to release a double-pack of FONG SAI YUK and FONG SAI YUK II. Once again, on 4K and Blu-ray disc. Ronin Flix released a double-pack of the same films last year, though their release is widely regarded as being rather poor. This will be a huge upgrade of two films that definitely deserve 88 Films’ dedicated time and attention. Sadly, due to Ronin Flix seemingly still having US rights, it looks like this release will be UK only. US fans will have […]
Vinegar Syndrome Brings Jet Li’s MY FATHER IS A HERO To US Shores
Boutique Blu-ray specialists, Vinegar Syndrome, anoounced their new slate of releases today and Corey Yuen’s 1995 wire-fu classic, My Father is a Hero, is amongst them. The film stars Jet Li, Anita Mui, and Xie Miao. While it was recently released as part of a Blu-ray three-pack by Eureka! Entertainment, this is the official US release. Previously, it was only available in the form of Miramax’s godawful rebrand , The Enforcer. Complete with horrific dub and horrific score. Vinegar Syndrome’s release will be freshly restored and a breath of fresh air in comparison. Gong Wei is an undercover cop living in mainland China. He is so deep undercover that his own wife and son don’t even know he’s a cop. After a mid-level gangster nicknamed Blackie is arrested, Wei is ordered by his superiors to help Blackie escape back to Hong Kong in an attempt to gain his trust and infiltrate his […]
88 Films Delivers More Kung Fu Classics This September!
88 FILMS are on fire lately. Not only did they announce a new slate of Shaw Brothers releases mere days ago, they just announced the release of two kung fu classics (and a saucy CAT III collection which I won’t touch upon here). Both are set to land this September. The first of the two is Jackie Chan’s 1978 film, MAGNIFICENT BODYGUARDS. This early effort, directed by frquent Chan collaborator, Lo Wei, has something a bit unique to it as it was originally released in 3-D. Well, 88 Films’ upcoming Blu-Ray will also be in 3-D. No word on technical specs yet so exactly how it’ll be in 3-D is unknown. Looks like this will be quite the drop for physical media enthusiasts. Secondly, another martial arts legend gets a release in the form of Yuen Woo-Ping’s TAI CHI MASTER (originally released as Twin Warriors in the US). Jet Li (Fist of Legend) stars alongside Michelle Yeoh (Crouching Tiger, […]
88 Films Bombards Us With Action With Their June/July/August Slate
British Blu-Ray distributor, 88 FILMS, have been delivering the goods with their martial arts action releases for years now and they’re showing no signs of stopping any time soon. Physical Media fans have a lot to look forwards to over the next few months as 88 Films are set to hit us with a veritable avalanche of classic Hong Kong action flicks. Check out their slate below: JUNE Fist of Legend (6/24) – Everyone and their dog knows this film. Considered Jet Li’s best by many, it tells the story of Chen Zhen (also portrayed by Bruce Lee in Fist of Fury) fighting off the evil Japanese. Features fight choreography from Yuen Woo Ping and a fantastic villain in the form of Billy Chow. Availaiable on both Blu-Ray and 4K UHD. To Kill Wih Intrigue (TBD) – While a date hasn’t been set in stone for this one, most people are leaning […]
BLACK MASK Eureka Blu-Ray Review: Two Discs. One Movie. No Mercy!
This review was previously published for my supporters exclusively at Buy Me A Coffee. Consider being a contributor and/or sharing my page with friends to help support my work. Eureka Entertainment is the latest banner to carry the mantle for director Daniel Lee’s 1996 action sci-fi, Black Mask. The release marks the latest since the film’s transition to overseas markets, with U.S. labels Artisan Entertainment and Distant Horizon nabbing the title for its own remixed version a few years later. Based on a 1991 manhua by Pang Chi-Ming and Li Chi-Tat, the Jet Li starrer centers on the former member of a clandestine unit, once subject to a government experiment to create supersoldiers. Tsui-chik (Jet Li), formerly of Squad 701, maintains a low profile as a librarian who spends his time buried in books. He gets along with his co-workers, and his best friend is Shek (Lau Ching-wan), a Hong […]
BLACK MASK Eureka Blu-Ray Review: Two Discs. One Movie. No Mercy!
Eureka Entertainment is the latest banner to carry the mantle for director Daniel Lee’s 1996 action sci-fi, Black Mask. The release marks the latest since the film’s transition to overseas markets, with U.S. labels Artisan Entertainment and Distant Horizon nabbing the title for its own remixed version a few years later. Based on a 1991 manhua by Pang Chi-Ming and Li Chi-Tat, the Jet Li starrer centers on the former member of a clandestine unit, once subject to a government experiment to create supersoldiers. Tsui-chik (Li), formerly of Squad 701, maintains a low profile as a librarian who spends his time buried in books. He gets along with his co-workers, and his best friend is Shek (Lau Ching-wan), a Hong Kong Inspector who oftentimes finds himself rescuing Tsui-chik from muggers and gangsters. Little does Tsui-chik know that his former team has resurfaced to cause a stir in the criminal underworld, […]
NON STOP: Don Lee Confirms Ensemble Action Film Development Following Last Year’s Peculiar Poster Reveal
The Eternals and Train To Busan actor Don Lee confirmed the development of Non Stop, a new action film whose existence went viral with the release of a concept poster late last year. The following quote comes via Variety’s Patrick Frater who interviewed Lee as his latest film, The Roundup: Punishment, is set to screen at the Berlinale. “I still have a project left for Marvel. Also ‘The Gangster, the Cop, the Devil,’ which I’m remaking with Sylvester Stallone. And then I’m getting ready for something called ‘Non Stop,’ which is an actual franchise where Asian martial art actors [‘The Raid’ star] Iko Uwais, [‘Ong Bak’ star Tony Jaa] and Jet Li – get together in one movie,” says Lee. The poster began making the rounds on Instagram and in news sites overseas in the Southeast. Actor Lee shared it on his Instagram page in December while Jaa later shared […]
BLACK MASK: Pre-Orders Are Now Up For The Fully Uncut 1996 Jet Li Actioner From Eureka Classics
Following the Eureka/MVD output deal, the official details are now out for Black Mask, director Daniel Lee’s high-octane 1996 sci-fi martial arts action thriller starring Jet Li, Karen Mok and late screen thesp Patrick Lung. The upcoming Eureka Classics re-release marks latest update from the deal as one of two titles announced last week, with Black Mask resurfacing once again following its theatrical U.S. release from Artisan Entertainment in 1999. The new version is a limited edition, remastered and restored in 2K and will be a fully uncut version of the film debuting in the UK on April 22, and made available for the first time in the U.S. on Blu-Ray from April 23. Only 2000 copies are available per territory and will feature an O-card slipcase and collector’s booklet, plus a bonus disc featuring an alternate Taiwanese cut and an extended version of the film. Read on below, and […]
Jet Li Action Thriller BLACK MASK Kicks Off MVD/Eureka North American Catalog Partnership
Director Daniel Lee’s 1996 gory action sci-fi thriller, Black Mask, will get a hyper-kinetic Blu-Ray revival in North America later this year through a new deal announced on Tuesday between genre labels MVD and London-based Eureka Entertainment. The two brands announced the distribution deal which would pave the way for a North American rollout of Eureka’s award-winning Blu-ray catalog to North America for the first time. “It’s extremely exciting to be partnering with MVD for our North American physical and digital distribution,” said Kevin Lambert, former Head of Content at Arrow Films who joined Eureka! in 2023. “We can’t wait to get our first releases out to US retailers, and we look forward to bringing the best of auteur and classic cinema, including our celebrated Masters of Cinema series, to a wider audience. It is a big new step forward for the company, and I’m sure Blu-ray collectors will be […]
Coming To Hi-YAH! In December: Kowloon Walled City, Epics Featuring Jet Li And Donnie Yen, And More!
December is chock-filled with some Asian action delights over at Well Go USA’s niche streaming channel, Hi-YAH!, and the company has a brand new promo which you can view below, firstly introducing footage from Channel Choi’s Kowloon Walled City (2021), starring Shi Yan Neng (a.k.a. Xing Yu) as a migrant from Dongbei who finds himself up against evil forces to protect friends within the notorious city. The action continues with two Jet Li headliners beginning with The Legend Of The Red Dragon (a.k.a. New Legend Of Shaolin) (1994) from directors Corey Yuen and Wong Jing, with Li joined by then-rising star Xie Miao for the story of a heroic father/son martial arts duo forced to mitigate poverty, and the exploits of a con woman and her mother while journeying to avenge the destruction of their village against a traitor during the government crackdown on Shaolin. Li will also be seen […]
Happy Birthday, Jet Li!
I keep waiting for some of my stunt friends to get together and make a Wah Sing Ku fan flick based on the deadly triad enforcer played phenomenally by action star Jet Li in Lethal Weapon 4. It’s certainly one of the best villain characters I’ve ever seen alongside Yayan Ruhian’s Mad Dog from The Raid in recent memory and I dare say Whang In-sik’s leadfooted martial arts antagonist in Jackie Chan’s The Young Master, and I think it would be a great fan ode to preserve the fanfare, especially considering Li has long since been retired from the game due to his hyperthyroidism diagnosis in 2010. Indeed, Li’s newfound fame upon arriving via the fourth installment of the Warner Bros. Pictures blockbuster franchise in the wake of the reception of colleagues Donnie Yen, Michelle Yeoh and Jackie Chan, also brought about some memorable performances in his mainstream career with […]
THE SHAOLIN TEMPLE: LEGEND OF DEBAO Sees Wang Baoqiang Pay Homage To A Kung Fu Classic
It’s been about thirty years or so since a screening of Chang Hsin-yan’s 1982 Jet Li starrer, Shaolin Temple, had a definitive impact on a young and inspired Wang Baoqiang (Kung Fu Killer, Detective Chinatown 3). The actor himself, bred into martial arts at the age of six before his own temple training a few years later, talks a bit of this in the first teaser now online for The Shaolin Temple: Legend Of Debao. Directed by Stanley Tong (Jackie Chan’s First Strike, Vanguard), the film is reportedly set to launch IQIYI’s super movie channel as a Premium Video on Demand (PVoD) release beginning on February 12 – in time to kick off China’s Spring Festival, according to the Global Times. The move signals a business model proven to work since last year’s PVoD release of Kenji Tanigaki’s Donnie Yen action comedy, Enter The Fat Dragon, amid theater closures due […]
ONCE UPON A TIME IN CHINA: All Four Jet Li Starrers Make Their Way This December From Eureka Classics
Tsui Hark’s Once Upon A Time In China film series became one among many quintessential investments in introducing the world to one of Hong Kong Cinema’s most renowned film stars to date, with Jet Li in the title role of legendary healer and pugilist, Wong Fei-Hung. Undoubtedly, it’s the first three that get the most attention having long been celebrated by most fans thanks to companies like Fortune Star and Hong Kong Legends. This time, Eureka Entertainment is taking the mantle once again through its Eureka Classics shingle with another revisit of the trilogy on 4K Blu-Ray, as well as Li’s 1997 reprisal in a 2K-restored Once Upon A Time In China and America, beginning December 7, brandishing new artwork to boot. Pre-orders are now up and running through the UK’s Eureka Store and at Zavvi. Starring Jet Li as the real life Cantonese folk hero, Wong Fei-hung, a physical […]
MULAN: Jet Li, Gong Li And Xana Tang Join The Cast For The Live-Action Film
News seems to be fast-tracking this week for Walt Disney Pictures amid the current progress toward reviving the studio’s animated gender-bending classic, Mulan. Following the addition of international action star and actor Donnie Yen for the role of Commander Tang on Wednesday, three new names are now circling the live-action production: International action star Jet Li (Hero, The Expendables Trilogy), distinguished actress Gong Li (Curse Of The Golden Flower, Miami Vice, The Monkey King 2) and New Zealand actress Xana Tang (Filthy Rich, Dead Lucky). As Rebecca Sun’s exclusive at The Hollywood Reporter on Wednesday confirms, Jet Li is in final talks to play the Emperor of China. The report also cites at least two moves signaling departures from the Barry Cook/Tony Bancroft-directed 1998 film, highlighting actress Li for the role of a powerful witch, and actress Tang who will play Mulan’s sister. Actress Crystal Liu is headlining the cast […]
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