INVINCIBLE SWORDSMAN Review: Luo Yifei’s Crowded Wuxia Adaptation Still Delights
The film stars Tim Huang, Zhang Yuqi, Terrence Yin, and Sammo Hung.
sammo hung
INVINCIBLE SWORDSMAN: Don’t Miss The Official Trailer For The New Wuxia Adventure Thriller
Coming in August from WELL GO USA!
The Movies That Moved Me: Sammo Hung’s WHEELS ON MEALS
Jackie Chan is 71 years old this week, so today’s pick for “The Movies That Moved Me” brings us to a memorable classic in my book: Sammo Hung’s WHEELS ON MEALS!
The Criterion Collections Picks Up A Slice Of Sammo Hung Military Madness This December!
Every now and again, the guys and gals at Criterion – who are mostly known for releasing some rather high-brow cinema on Blu-ray – give action fans something special. Whether it’s their Police Story and Once Upon a Time in China releases or John Woo’s Last Hurrah for Chivalry, they certainly know their Hong Kong cinema. And so it should come as no surprise that, yesterday, Criterion announced they’ll be releasing Sammo Hung’s military actioner, EASTERN CONDORS, on shiny Blu-ray in December. Region locked US residents have been waiting for this once, since the only decent releasee as of late has been the Region B Eureka! Entertainment disc, which saw the film in a three-movie set with The Magnficent Butcher and The Iron-Fisted Monk. Criterion’s release will be standalone and, per usual, is jampacked with special features. Per Criterion: Legendary actor-director Sammo Hung delivers a bazooka blast of pure adrenaline in this exemplar of Hong Kong action […]
THE DOUBLE CROSSERS Punch Down With A Vengeance On 2K Blu-Ray From Eureka In July
Eureka Entertainment is proudly announcing its summer release of 1976 flick, The Double Crossers. Directed by Jeong Chang-hwa (The Skyhawk, Broken Oath and King Boxer), the Golden Harvest thriller stars South Korean actor and martial artist Shin Il-ryong, and features the legendary Sammo Hung. Restored in a brand new 2K restoration on Blu-ray for its worldwide, the Eureka Classics release will have an initial print run of 2000 copies only (in each territory), and will exclusively feature an O-card slipcase and collector’s booklet. Following his late father’s murder, police officer Detective Lung (Shin) discovers that both of his parents were involved in a smuggling ring – and that his father was killed by its leader, a violent criminal now living in Hong Kong under the name Wang (Chao Hsiung, The One Armed Swordsman). Determined to avenge his father’s death, Lung resigns from the police force to take matters into his […]
TWILIGHT OF THE WARRIORS: WALLED-IN Doles Out Raw Deals And Deadly Blows In The Official Trailer
The 42nd Hong Kong Film Awards were the place to be over the weekend where laureates like actor and film legend Sammo Hung were on hand to accept his Lifetime Achievement Award for the over 200 films he’s done in the last sixty years. The South China Morning Post’s Edmund Lee captured the celebrated mainstay most recently ahead of his ceremony and you can read all about it here. In the meantime, Hung’s festivities have since arrived just in time as Media Asia and distro outlets therein have already begun ramping up the latest campaign for Twilight Of The Warriors: Walled-In, in which Hung joins an ensemble cast topped by Louis Koo and Richie Jen. Based on the hit manhua penned and inked by Andy Seto and “Yuyi,” the movie also reunites Hung with filmmaker Soi Cheang who also took home Best Director at the awards ceremony for last year’s […]
Anticipation Grows As Soi Cheang’s TWILIGHT OF THE WARRIORS: WALLED IN Teaser Drops
To say Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In has martial arts cinema fans champing at the bit would be an understatement. The film, directed by Soi Cheang (Limbo), and starring Raymond Lam (Saving General Yang), Richie Jen (Seoul Raiders), Louis Koo (Paradox), Sammo Hung (Ip Man 2) and Philip Ng (Once Upon a Time in Shanghai) was met with immediate anticipation as soon as it was announced back in 2021. In fact, the film garnered buzz as far back as 2013 when Donnie Yen was rumored to star. Fast forward a decade and here we are, finally getting a taste of what we might see from legendary Action Director, Kenji Tanigaki. I think I can comfortably say that fans won’t be disappointed! While a few snaps of Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In‘s FILMART promo poster made it to Instagram yesterday, Chinese website and newspaper, Ming Pao, posted this teaser late in the […]
Streaming Sleepers: Sammo Hung’s HEART OF DRAGON Delivers Endearing Drama With Hearty Classic Action
The mid-80s delivered peak Hong Kong action. It marked an era of post-Bruce Lee film fandom that helped pave the way for stars to rise and become some of the biggest influences and staples of their industry. This inevitably included Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung, whose careers would explode from the 70s and onward with the two joining up once more for 1985 action drama, Heart Of Dragon. The story kicks off with an explosive action sequence that later reveals Chan’s role as Ted, a freshly-minted police detective. His job is one thing though, while it’s another to maintain not only his teetering relationship with his girlfriend Jenny and chasing his real dream as a sailor, but also the care and oversight of his brother, Danny, who has the mental capacity of a child and is often taken advantage of by his younger peers, and abused by adults as a […]
Streaming Sleepers: Knuckle Up With Sammo Hung’s KNOCKABOUT
Kung fu cinema may be far and away from its heyday glory, but its enduring fandom remains adherent to its ties to the genre with unrelenting fervor through rigorous preservation and re-releases of these considerable classics in various selections. To date, you can look toward companies like Arrow Films’ genre specialty imprint, Arrow Video, with the recent launch of its streaming platform currently beholden to numerous titles in cult cinema, including and especially martial arts classics like Sammo Hung‘s 1979 hit, Knockabout. Hung joins the cast in a major co-starring role, with cinema legends Yuen Biao and Bryan Leung starring as two brothers – sibling conmen whose daily shenanigans for quick cash and a meal find themselves hustling hard to earn the favor of a silver-haired traveler who reluctantly takes them in, equipping them with his kung fu teachings as useful subordinates. The man’s fugitive past surfaces along with the […]
KNOCKABOUT: Bring The Hit Kung Fu Classic Home On 2K Restored Blu-Ray March 28
I first bought a copy of Sammo Hung’s 1979 hit film, Knockabout, a little less than twenty years ago via 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment on DVD. It was during a time when I could do nothing but spend all my hard earnings on DVDs and certainly Fox’s line-up of Hong Kong classics had piqued my interest. Nowadays Arrow Video is carrying the torch for the film’s North American distribution per its acquisition and matriculation of Hong Kong niche releases and they’re soon welcoming it on a newly restored 2K Blu-Ray format with tons of special features, including on their exclusive streamer, Arrow Player beginning March 28. The language, official trailer and Blu-Ray art can all be viewed below. Pre-orders are up as well! Having established himself as Hong Kong’s premier action choreographer throughout the 1970s, Sammo Hung ended the decade by directing a non-stop assault of kung fu classics […]
Media Asia Targets 2023 For Hong Kong Actioner TWILIGHT OF THE WARRIORS: WALLED-IN, Picked Up By Well Go USA
Soi Cheang’s martial arts gangland manhua adaptation, Twilight Of The Warriors: Walled In, has scored a 2023 release from Media Asia with Well Go USA acquiring for distribution in North America. Louis Koo (The White Storm), Sammo Hung (S.P.L.) and Richie Jen (Trivisa) star in the pic which is set in the eighties inside the dangerous and enigmatic Kowloon Walled City, which was a de jure Chinese enclave within British colonial Hong Kong. Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In follows troubled youth Chan Lok-kwun as he accidentally enters the Walled City, discovers the order amidst its chaos, and learns important life lessons along the way. In the Walled City, he becomes close friends with Shin, Twelfth Master and AV. Under the leadership of Tornado, they resist against the invasion of villain Mr. Big in a series of fierce battles. Together, they vow to protect the safe haven that is Kowloon […]
Celebrate Sammo Hung With A Hip-Hop-Flavored Fistful Of Well Go USA’s IP MAN 2 This Friday!
Netizens are invited this Friday to partake in this month’s livestream celebration of actor and Asian action legend Sammo Hung for Shaolin Jazz’s latest livestream installment of Can I Kick It?. Presented in association with the National Museum Of Asian Art for the Made In Hong Kong Film Festival, Shaolin Jazz will premiere Wilson Yip’s 2010 franchise sequel hit, Well Go USA’s Ip Man 2: Legend Of The Grandmaster, bolstered by a live soundtrack performance by DJ 2-Tone Jones. The film bookends its three-title slate following this month’s screenings of Huang Feng’s The Final Plot, and Corey Yuen’s Yes, Madam. Since kicking off in 2013, Can I Kick It? is best known for rolling out the festivities with immense gala for in-person attendance as it has for the last six years – something that’s obviously become a factor due to the pandemic and the new rise of cases as of […]
SEPTET: THE STORY OF HONG KONG Official Trailer Narrates With Culture And Soul
Months since the first teaser launched, the official trailer is out for Septet: The Story Of Hong Kong. Years in the making and once bearing the title “Eight And A Half” when there were indeed more than seven directors on board, the long-awaited omnibus is getting a 2021 release featuring respective shortfilm segments from directors Sammo Hung, Ann Hui, Patrick Tam, Yuen Wo Ping, Johnnie To, Ringo Lam and Tsui Hark, each contributing a story to pay tribute to the city’s “golden era” during which all the directors emerged. Johnnie To ropes in six fellow veteran Hong Kong filmmakers for this highly anticipated omnibus. Each one of the short films covers a different period in the city’s recent history, including Sammo Hung’s nostalgia-tinged piece about his martial arts training, the late Ringo Lam’s poignant tribute to his hometown, Ann Hui’s quietly moving ode to the educators, and To’s dark comedy […]
SEPTET: THE STORY OF HONG KONG Trailer Explores The Omnibus Project From Seven Legendary Directors
With the scaled-back 25th Busan International Film Festival set to launch next month, we now have a look at the long-awaited omnibus, Septet: The Story Of Hong Kong, formerly known as Eight And A Half by most outlets. The project is billed as the work of seven directors: Sammo Hung, Ann Hui, Patrick Tam, Yuen Wo Ping, Johnnie To, Ringo Lam and Tsui Hark, each contributing a short film to pay tribute to the city’s “golden era” during which all the directors emerged. The project also marks the last piece of cinema from Lam, who sadly passed away in December of 2018. Formerly announced as part of the since-delayed Cannes 2020 festival, the film will now open Busan on October 21. Head over to the festival website for more info.
SPL Review: A Milestone Donnie Yen/Sammo Hung Crime Opus That Still Holds Up
After failing to protect a witness and his family from retribution by ruthless Triad leader Wong Po (Hung,) Inspector Chan (Yam) discovers that he has cancer. Vowing to take down Po no matter what, and seemingly now with nothing to lose, Chan gets a team of like minded officers and begins to resort to illegal means. Hoping to keep things orderly, Chan is assigned a new boss, Inspector Ma (Yen) who has a serious reputation and is more than capable in a fist fight. It’s difficult to believe that SPL was released 15 years ago at the time of this review. I remember the anticipation I had when the first trailer was released and the prospect of a Sammo vs. Donnie matchup with Yen choreographing. What I wasn’t prepared for was the grey shades of right and wrong morality tale and revenge story that carry the film tonally to the […]
DRAGONS FOREVER: 88 Films Shares Key Art For Upcoming Uncut 4K Re-Release
If nothing else, 88 Films understands the need for posterity on physical media when it comes to classic Hong Kong cinema. For this, say what you will about previous incarnations of Corey Yuen and Sammo Hung’s hit action comedy, Dragons Forever, but the UK-based firm is finally rolling out a portion of the goods with the official key art for its re-release as announced earlier this year, as illustrated by Robert “Kung Fu Bob” O’Brien. The film centers on a lawyer, an arms dealer and a career burglar (Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung, Yuen Biao) who find themselves embroiled in a mix of romantic upheaval, and a face-to-face duel with an underground narcotics operation fronting as a chemical factory. The film also stars Pauline Yeung, Deanne Ip and Yuen Wah with appearances by Billy Chow, Benny “The Jet” Urquidez, Phillip Ko-Fei and many more for its re-relese which will be 4K, […]
WHEELS ON MEALS: Eureka’s 2K-Restored Limited Edition Blu-Ray Relaunch Gets A Trailer
UK distro banner Eureka Entertainment is the latest to revive its series of Jackie Chan classics as its done in the last few years, now with Sammo Hung’s “three brothers” reunion, Wheels On Meals. Pre-orders are still up and running at UK outlets for Amazon and Zavvi and now with an official trailer making the rounds following its live premiere on Wednesday. Eureka Entertainment to release WHEELS ON MEALS, a spectacular, non-stop action comedy starring Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung and Yuen Biao, presented from a brand new 2K restoration for the first time ever on Blu-ray in the UK as part of the Eureka Classics range on 18 March 2019. Available with a Limited Edition slipcase and booklet [4000 copies ONLY]. From a brand new 2K restoration comes perhaps the greatest martial-arts comedy of all time, Sammo Hung’s Wheels on Meals, starring Hung, Jackie Chan, and Yuen Biao as the […]
The Korean Roots of Hong Kong Kicking
The fast and precise kicks of Jackie Chan, Bruce Lee, Donnie Yen, and other great Hong Kong action stars are staples of the Hong Kong style of action choreography, but if we look before Bruce’s 1971 breakout hit The Big Boss, there were almost no kicks to be found in any action cinema. Only Billy Jack, released in the same year in America, featured the same high-flying kicks courtesy of Korean Hapkido artist Bong Soo Han. The similarity between Billy Jack’s kicks and Bruce’s in The Big Boss is no mere coincidence: Bruce had picked up his cinematic kicking style by studying from Korean and Vietnam war vets who brought Korean kicks to the USA, Chuck Norris being a major player. In his backyard home videos, we see Bruce shooting spin kicks and stepping side kicks, experimenting with how to make these kicks cinematic. Bruce’s backyard filmmaking endeavors would become […]
Eureka Announces JACKIE CHAN’S PROJECT A & PROJECT A II For UK Release
UK-based home distributor Eureka Entertainment isn’t done making 2018 their year for celebrating the Guiness World Record-breaking stunt and cinema stylings of legendary action star Jackie Chan. Project A & Project A II are both on deck this Fall returning Dragon Ma to the fray as he fights pirates and gangsters while surviving big scale explosions and falls next to fellow brothers Sammo Hung and Yuen Biao. The 2K-restored 2-disk package is now on pre-order with links available! New Announcement! JACKIE CHAN’S PROJECT A & PROJECT A PART II, a set of effortlessly entertaining action comedy adventures, will be released on Blu-ray as part of the Eureka Classics range on 22 October 2018, presented from brand new 2K restorations in a lavish Special Limited Edition 2-disc Hardbound Boxed Set. Available to PRE-ORDER now from Amazon https://amzn.to/2n3B7W8 and Zavvi http://po.st/Mzx1od A pair of incredible action-adventure extravaganzas from the legendary Jackie Chan, […]
THE RETURN OF THE LUCKY STARS Signals The Return Of Lucky Faces And New Cast Additions
For up to four decades, the Lucky Stars franchise has been a staple of Hong Kong action cinema bearing the likes of Sammo Hung a motley crew of players like Richard Ng, John Sham, Charlie Chin, Eric Tsang and Stanley Fung. Adding to the robust action comedy fare were legends Jackie Chan and Yuen Biao along with Sibble Hu, Dick Wei, Andy Lau, Michelle Yeoh, Richard Norton and Kurata Yasuaki to name a few and with seven non-linear narrative films in, it was a likely surprise for all who learned last year that another was in tow. Fast forward to 2018 and with a hat tip to Asian Film Strike via Twitter that production has long since begun with some weeks already in filming The Return Of Lucky Stars with Hung taking on acting and directing duties. Previous reports have indicated several of the regular cast members may be back […]
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