well go usa

RAGING FIRE Heats Up A North American Release With The Official U.S. Trailer

One thing is certain when it comes to late director Benny Chan in the wake of a phenomenal 35-year career in film and TV: He’s gone out on what looks to be an explosive, thrilling high note with his final film, Raging Fire. The film has since been acquired by Well Go USA to release theatrically in the U.S. before landing on the company’s niche streamer, Hi-YAH! later this year, according to a new report at Variety‘s Rebecca Davis who also shared the first official U.S. trailer which you can view above. Shan (Donnie Yen) is a highly respected hardline cop with a long history of success on dangerous cases. However, his past unexpectedly comes back to haunt him when a sting operation is attacked by a mysterious group of criminals led by Ngo (Nicholas Tse), his former protégé, a talented former officer who had once respected and admired Shan. […]

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THE PAPER TIGERS Review: Embracing Earnestness

Brandon Streussnig

Earnestness is underrated. Cynicism and brutality have their time and place, especially in martial arts films, but sometimes it’s refreshing to be reminded why the art form matters and what can happen when taken too far. Western action puts a heavy emphasis on jacked guys kicking ass and taking names, quipping about how cool they are or how crazy their situation is along the way. When it’s clicking, that can be a ton of fun, but it becomes tough to watch when the prerogative has been placed on that and not on the action itself. You forget that this stuff hurts. Investment becomes almost nonexistent because you’re just watching people do unbelievable things with very little effort. It becomes visual noise that washes over you with little impact. Action has largely forgotten that we need to care about our central figures. It’s not enough to say “Isn’t this cool??” Enter […]

HYDRA: Kensuke Sonomura’s Japanese Action Debut Hits Hi-YAH! July 2, On Digital, DVD and Blu-Ray July 20

Lee B. Golden III

Leave it to Well Go USA Entertainment and their in-house streaming service, Hi-YAH! to hail the coming of new names to the forefront of martial arts action and thrills. Paving the way for stunt professional-turned-filmmaker Kensuke Sonomura since taking his freshman feature actioner, Hydra, on the road back in 2019, Hi-YAH! is announcing a July 2 premiere for subscribers. The film marks a headlining stake for Japanese actor and action star Masanori Mimoto who has appeared in a number of U.S. releases such as Funimation’s Sushi Typhoon release, Alien Vs. Ninja and Samuel Goldwyn Films’s Yakuza Apocalypse, as well as Well Go USA’s Enter The Fat Dragon starring Donnie Yen. After retiring as an assassin, Takashi leads a quiet life as a chef at a sushi bar, where he secretly watches over the daughter of a former associate. His peace is short-lived: soon, he is recruited for a final job […]

SILAT WARRIORS: DEED OF DEATH Trailer Signals Malaysian Martial Arts Action And Thrills This Friday On Hi-YAH!

Lee B. Golden III

Out of all of last year’s choice festival selections, Areel Abu Bakar’s Geran has to be one of the proudest for those able to screen films. Highly celebrated by NYAFF, the award-winning action thriller now gets a fair shake with an official trailer for its stateside release as Silat Warriors: Deed Of Death. release this Friday on Hi-YAH!, before hitting Digital, Blu-ray and DVD from July 6 through Well Go USA. When a reckless young gambler’s wild lifestyle of illegal betting, drag racing, and brutal street fights pits him against a ruthless criminal enterprise, his luck finally runs out. The gang shows up at his father’s home to collect on the debt, forcing his family to fight in order to save their land—and his life. In addition to actors Namron (One Two Jaga, Dukun, Redha) and Fad Anuar (Dollah Superstar, TV’s “KL Gangster: Underworld”), first-time film director Areel Abu Bakar […]

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Your Next Viewing: A Night in the MORGUE Will Give You Chills

Christina Ortega

Sometimes when I am watching a film or TV show, I wonder where that booth was on Career Day. I don’t remember anyone talking to me about how to become a blood splatter technician à la Dexter, or an engineer like Jigsaw, or a morgue attendant. Ah, the paths not taken. Sorry, my unchosen career paths are not the point. The point of this article is to talk about Well Go USA Entertainment’s latest release MORGUE which, despite my opening, does not focus on a morgue attendant, but it does take place in one. The film opens with Diego Martinez arguing with his girlfriend and being teased because he says he does not have gas money to drive her friend home. Diego eventually takes a job as a security guard at, you guessed it, a morgue. Well, that should be easy, right? All he has to do is stay alert […]

CROSSING HANDS, AND HUGS: A Night Out Celebrating With The Director, Star And Producers Of THE PAPER TIGERS In NYC [UPDATED]

Lee B. Golden III

There’s no question the abysmal toll taken on theatrical exhibitors left behind by the Covid-19 pandemic. That espeicially included the prospects of any in-person events that folks might have been planning at the top of last year. With more than a year passing since then, and the progress brought on by the accelerations of vaccine output in the States thanks in large part to a new administration, it’s been rejuvenating somewhat to see moviegoers slowly getting to return to theaters, albeit under continual safety restrictions still in place in many areas. In the midst of it all, it’s especially been opportune for filmmaker Bao Tran as he and his team travel the country to attend select screenings and Q&A events to celebrate the long-awaited release of his feature film debut, The Paper Tigers, now out in theaters and on Digital from Well Go USA. Following recent stops in Bellevue, […]

UNDERCOVER PUNCH & GUN Review – Gunning For Nostalgia

Matthew Essary

There was a span of time from the early 1980s until the mid-1990s where Chinese action films from Hong Kong were produced with such regularity that it seemed like instant classics were constantly appearing in video shops. Films by performers like Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung, and Jet Li came in like a steady stream but the reality was not all of these films were great. The consistently high volume of output from the HK film industry in those glory days meant that for every actual classic that got released, there were dozens of other action films released that were less than memorable. Even these second or third-string titles though often had an enthusiasm and urgency to them that made up for their poor acting, cheap sets, and incoherent scripts. They also always had action that was head and shoulders above anything else being produced in the world at the time. […]

Reminder: Bao Tran’s THE PAPER TIGERS Debuts In Theaters Today From Well Go USA!

Lee B. Golden III

By all accounts, if you’re a martial arts fan then there’s really no excuse for not having heard of Bao Tran‘s feature debut, The Paper Tigers. Born from an idea nearly a decade ago leading to an action-packed proof-of-concept, and an extensive galvanizing effort to crowdfund a targeted campaign to the global film markets for better appeal just a few years ago, that idea now comes nourished with nearly back-to-back stellar reviews from critics and virtual festival audiences the world over, including two reviews here at FCSyndicate HQ from none other than myself, as well as Melbourne-based Vance Ang whose own recent coverage partly states the following: “…As a feel good action comedy, the movie concludes in a decidedly formulaic fashion neatly wrapping up the story. Though nothing teases a sequel, the strength of its characters and themes could no doubt present this avenue – as Bao Tran clearly deserves […]

THE GREAT WAR OF ARCHIMEDES: War And Politics By The Numbers In Well Go USA’s Cataclysmic Official U.S. Trailer

Lee B. Golden III

More than two years since Toho landed with its campaign for celebrated director Takashi Yamazaki’s latest period war drama, The Great War Of Archimedes, folks within Well Go USA’s distro lane can now take a gander at the explosive tale that awaits with a Digital, Blu-ray and DVD release slated for June 15. Yamazaki, best known for helming films such as Returner, The Eternal Zero, and Parasyte and Parasyte 2, directs from a script he adapted for the screen based Norifusa Mita’s 2015 Weekly Young Magazine publication. The film marks a reunion for the Planos, Texas firm as the film stars actor Suda Masaki who can be seen in Well Go USA’s 2018 release, Yuichi Fukuda’s Gintama. In The Great War Of Archimedes, the film is a fictionalized depiction of the behind-the-scenes struggles of building the Yamato, the largest battleship in the world, during WWII; Pre-WWII, the Japanese Navy commissioned the […]

UNDERCOVER PUNCH & GUN Trailer: Philip Ng And Andy On Unload Their Action Arsenal On Hi-YAH Next Month, Digital And Disc This Summer!

Lee B. Golden III

If a little more Phillip Ng is what you’ve been wanting these days, then pull up a chair and get a whiff of Well Go USA’s latest Hi-YAH! induction, Undercover Punch & Gun, from directors Lui Koon Nam and Frankie Tam. While an elite cop is working undercover to infiltrate a notorious drug ring, his plan is compromised when a rival agency with a grudge attacks during a trade, killing the gang’s leader. Their cover blown, both teams are forced to unite and take to the high seas in an attempt to overthrow the ruthless smuggler behind it all. This one’s taken quite a while to circulate, and for North American genre filmgoers, Hi-YAH! is a perfect landing spot for a title of this kind. The film arrives exclusively on Hi-YAH! from May 7, so you’re not a subscriber yet, I recommend changing that. The film also arrives on Digital, […]

Movie Review: The Paper Tigers – “FEROCIOUS FERVOR”

Vance Ang

Late one evening, a venerated martial arts master Sifu Cheng (Roger Yuan) is quickly dispatched by a superior opponent cloaked in shadow, who respectfully bows and fades into darkness as the master succumbs to his injuries. Though jarring, it quickly sets a shocking tone for ‘THE PAPER TIGERS’ (TPT) before quickly doing a flashback into the past with three young pupils being mentored by the aforementioned fallen master. The young children are friends Danny, Hing and Jim (played by child actors Kieran Tamondong, Bryan Kinder and Malakai James). Through the literal lens of VHS, these memories show how this trio develop into talented and lethal martial arts fighters, winning challenge matches in high school, at rival dojos and even on the street. Teens Danny (Yoshi Sudarso), Hing (Peter Adrian Sudarso) and Jim (Gui DaSilva-Greene) quickly gain notoriety for their prowess and are dubbed as ‘The Three Tigers’, growing their reputation […]

SILAT WARRIORS: DEED OF DEATH Panel Interview, Release Announced By Well Go USA

Cathy LaFrance

The success of Geran, a 2019 Malaysian martial arts movie, should be an opening for action films from Southeast Asia, says film director Areel Abu Bakar. The award-winning, albeit first-time director was interviewed Friday, April 9 via Zoom from Malaysia along with one of the film’s actors, Megat Sharizal. The late-evening discussion was sponsored by Columbia University’s Asian Pacific American Heritage Month organization and co-moderated by students from the university, which is based in New York City. Malaysia is 12 hours ahead of NYC — so it was already Saturday morning for the director, actor, translator, and what seemed to be a live audience there. Called Silat Warriors: Deed of Death for the international film market, the movie premiered virtually for American audiences in 2020 at the 19th New York Asian Film Festival, where it won the Daniel A. Craft Award for Excellence in Action Cinema. Director Abu Bakar, who […]

DELIVER US FROM EVIL: Well Go USA Delivers Hong Won-Chan’s Hit Korean Action Thriller On Blu-Ray, DVD And Digital In May

Lee B. Golden III

The latest round of Asian-centric action and crime thrills coming to Blu-Ray, DVD and Digital on May 25 from Well Go USA now hands us the official trailer for Deliver Us From Evil. The film reunites New World actors Hwang Jung-min (The Wailing; The Spy Gone North) and Lee Jung-jae (Tazza: One-Eyed Jack; The Face Reader; Along With the Gods franchise), and also stars Park Jeong-min (Svaha: The Sixth Finger), Park Soi a.k.a. Park Myung-hoon (Parasite) and Choi Moon a.k.a. Choi Hee-seo (Anarchist from Colony; Okja). After the shocking kidnapping of a little girl in Thailand, a mercenary with a murky past as a government black ops agent (Hwang) is forced to re-emerge from the shadows when he learns the incident is closely connected to him. With the help of expat Yui (Park), he flies to Thailand and begins tracking the girl’s whereabouts, moving ever closer to the notorious child trafficking ring responsible for her […]

MORGUE: Hugo Cardozo’s Hit Paraguayan Horror Thriller Haunts This May From Well Go USA

Lee B. Golden III

Well Go USA Entertainment is proudly releasing writer/director Hugo Cardozo’s feature debut, Morgue, on Digital, Blu-ray and DVD beginning May 11. The Paraguayan supernatural horror thriller – based on real life events – hails a milestone for Cardozo whose film has since been a local box office hit upon its release in 2019, and the inspiration behind a new revisal in development as of last January from Bird Box writer Eric Heisserer. After a harrowing accident, the perpetually down-on-his-luck Diego Martinez accepts a gig as a security guard at the local morgue. He thought he’d had a lucky break, but as the night wears on, eerie occurrences and the suddenly not-quite-lifeless body of the victim leave him to wonder: how much otherworldly rage does it take to wake the dead? Morgue stars Pablo Martínez, María del Mar Fernández, Willi Villalba, Abel Martínez, Dr. Aldo Von Knobloch, Raúl Rotela, and Francisco […]

GOD OF WAR II Heads To Well Go USA For North America

Lee B. Golden III

In the midst of closing deals for this year’s virtual events at FilMart, Media Asia has sold North American rights to director Cai Cong’s God Of War 2, according to Variety on Thursday. The film is an indirect sequel to Gordon Chan’s 2017 period action thriller, God Of War, which starred Vincent Zhao as a general enlisted to help defeat the onslaught of Japanese pirates. The film also starred Sammo Hung and Yasuaki Kurata. Cong’s succsssor bills a cast headed by David Wu, Charles Lin and Liu Yuxi and centers on Lu Bu, a warlord who lived during the Eastern Han Dynasty and, as reported by Screendaily last year during AFM, “whose life was dramatised in classic Chinese novel Romance Of The Three Kingdoms”. In times of war, the traitor Dou Zhun was in power and used poisonous poison to domesticate the medicine people. Yao Ren 19 escaped after a […]

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RUSSIAN RAID Review: An Action Classic Gets Reinvented For A Whole New Audience

Matthew Essary

Film critic Roger Ebert once eloquently said, “It’s not what a movie is about, it’s how it is about it.” The idea that the execution is ultimately more important than the actual elements of the story is one that has been illustrated time and time again throughout the history of cinema. Whether it’s the more than thirty loose adaptations of the 1929 novel “Red Harvest”, that includes such drastically different films (in content and quality) as Akira Kurosawa’s classic samurai tale YOJIMBO and Albert Pyun’s sci-fi schlockfest OMEGA DOOM, or the seemingly endless interpretations of Bram Stoker’s horror novel “Dracula” to name just a couple of examples, different artists have always looked for ways to reinterpret ideas for their respective audiences. One of the more common reasons this occurs is to “localize” a foreign film for domestic viewers. Hollywood is often criticized for this practice. The most common complaints thrown […]

THE PAPER TIGERS Lunge Into U.S. Theaters And On VOD This May From Well Go USA

Lee B. Golden III

Collider‘s Haleigh Foutch presented the exclusive trailer and poster for Well Go USA’s upcoming martial arts comedy, The Paper Tigers. The film marks a feature debut for writer/director Bao Tran, following its nine-year journey of development which included a blistering shortfilm pitch to present to marketeers. This, followed by preliminary footage to showcase for Frontières, in addition to crowdsourcing and campaigning in alignment with a heavy-handed movement for inclusion in today’s film industry amidst its festival run, and you can surmise exactly the kind of effort that makes a film like The Paper Tigers worth appreciating, rounds of positive reviews and sequel hopes notwithstanding. As teenagers, kung fu aficionados Danny (Uy), Hing (Yuan), and Jim (Jenkins) were inseparable, but drifted apart after graduation due to a mysterious fallout at an overseas tournament. Fast forward 25 years, and each has grown into a washed-up middle-aged man seemingly one kick away from […]

Well Go USA’s CRAZY SAMURAI: 400 vs. 1 Trailer Teases The Deadly Odds

CRAZY SAMURAI: 400 VS. 1 review – 77 Minutes of Non-Stop Samurai Sword Slingin’

Matthew Essary

Miyamoto Musashi is a legend; a mix of fact and fabrication. The seventeenth-century samurai certainly existed. His surviving art and writings on philosophy he created in his later years prove that. His prowess in battle, however, is where the facts start to blur into myth. He is believed to have been a prolific warrior who never lost in over sixty duels, many of those to the death. That idea, coupled with Musashi’s thoughtful musings on life and combat in tomes such as “The Book of The Five Rings”, led to him being revered as the ideal example of a samurai warrior by popular culture in Japan and a cult figure among martial arts enthusiasts worldwide. So naturally, embellished versions of Musashi have appeared frequently in Japanese film and television programs. Some strived for realism but frequently the Miyamoto Musashi presented on screen, with varying degrees of success, feels more myth […]

Well Go USA’s COSMOBALL Trailer Takes The Battle For Mankind To The Stars!

Lee B. Golden III

Furious (a.k.a. The Legend Of Kolvorat) director Dzhanik Fayziev is back home at Well Go USA for his latest sci-fi epic, Cosmoball. Formerly known as Goalkeeper Of The Galaxy, the film was acquired by the Planos, Texas-based genre outlet last June and thus, the official trailer has arrived ahead of the film’s Blu-Ray, DVD and Digital release on March 23. COSMOBALL, directed by Dzhanik Fayziev (The Turkish Gambit, August Eighth), takes place after an intergalactic battle that destroys Earth’s moon and causes worldwide devastation, leaving the human race desolate and clinging to survival. The film follows four athletes with the rare ability to teleport, which makes them the only humans capable of playing “cosmoball,” a dangerous sport requiring unimaginable speed, reflexes, and courage. While the rest of the world religiously scans the sky to catch the high-flying tournaments, no one suspects that with each match, they are actually witnessing four […]

Well Go USA’s RUSSIAN RAID Storms Online With The Official U.S. Trailer

Lee B. Golden III

Denis Kryuchkov’s new action thriller now has an official trailer with Well Go USA Entertainment poised to release Russian Raid on Digital, Blu-Ray and DVD from March 9. The film reportedly takes its inspiration from Gareth Evans’ 2011 martial-arts hit The Raid, with renowned stuntman Ivan Kotik (Dragonblade, Outcast, Legendary) heading the cast for Kryuchkov’s feature debut. Long after the murder of his father—a secret agent killed in a missile factory raid—former special forces operative Nikita (played by renowned stuntman Ivan Kotik) returns to Russia as a mercenary. He leads an elite team on a top-dollar heist targeting the same facility, but no one else knows his true objective is revenge. Kotik is joined by Alexander Krasovsky (winner of the Moscow Championship and Russian Cup in hand-to-hand combat), Elias Antonenko (Psychos, The Legend of Kolovrat, Battle), Vladimir Mineev (world heavyweight kickboxing champion), Nikita Kologrivy, Sophya Ozerova, and Kirill Sarychev (President […]