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Look Out For Well Go USA Arrivals In Sports Drama, CHAMPION And Crime Thriller Redo, BELIEVER

It’s always a good day when Well Go USA delivers, and the Texas-based niche distributor has apparently snatched up two titles for U.S. release. The first hails from sales agent, Finecut which reportedly sold Kim Yong-Wan’s Sylvester Stallone-inspired freshman debut, Champion, has also found a home with multiple territories, U.S. included. As Lee Hyo-Won writes at The Hollywood Reporter, the film made number two at the local box office this week on Tuesday after its May 1 open. Don Lee (Train To Busan, The Outlaws) stars as an L.A. nightclub bouncer whose redemptive underdog rise in arm-wrestling with the help of a schemer serves as a means to reunite with his long lost family in South Korea. Champion, the latest production from Warner Bros. Pictures Korea, reportedly also sold to Hong Kong and Macau (Edko Films), Malaysia and Brunei (Clover Films), Philippines (Rafaella Films International), Taiwan (Sky Films Entertainment) and Vietnam […]

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Review: THE SWINDLERS Baits You With A Brilliant Crime Caper

It’s often interesting in wondering how a director can conjure a mystery tale that keeps audiences guessing. Jang Chang-Won’s new film, The Swindlers, certainly lives up to the task with as much intricacy and detail as possible in its two hour duration. Written by Jang for his own debut, the film sets its course with tragedy in its wake when a church learns it was swindled out of billions by Doo-Chil (Heo Sung-Tae), a schemer who fakes his own death while escaping from Korea. Eight years later, we meet Ji-Sung (Hyun Bin), a vengeful con-artist hunting Doo-Chil and eager to hatch a plan of his own until he’s forced to pair up with Hee-Soo (Yoo Ji-Tae), an ambitious prosecutor to help culminate more than enough evidence to catch the big fish. The devil, of course, is in the details with a story that offers numerous moving pieces in its narrative. […]

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EFM 2018: Well Go USA Nabs BUYBUST For A 2018 Theatrical Release

Well Go USA continues to prove itself to be a Mecca for genre speciality in Asian cinema for North America. The latest in point hails from breaking news from The Hollywood Reporter with word on the distributor’s acquisition of Erik Matti’s BuyBust, which opens theatrically in the Philippines pending a new release date to be announced. The On The Job and Honor Thy Father helmer directs from his own story scripted by Anton Santamaria in which Australian actress Anne Curtis plays the rookie member of an elite anti-drug narc squad forced to fight its way out of Manila’s most dangerous slum following a poorly-planned buy-bust. The film also stars MMA champion Brandon Vera, with Joross Gamboa, Mara Lopez, Nonie Buencamino, AJ Muhlach and Victor Neri rounding out the cast with stuntman and fight choreographer Sonny Sison (Broken Path, Nilalang) designating the brutal fight scenery, partly sampled in a proof-of-concept action sequence featuring Curtis last […]

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Review: DETECTIVE K: SECRET OF THE LIVING DEAD Honors The Living With Love And Laughter

One can certainly comprehend sticking with what works as a creative. With director Kim Sok-Yun’s commitment to mining the work of author Kim Tak-Hwan undoubtedly comes a delightful trio of entries with the Detective K franchise that began in 2011 and clearly it’s done the filmmaker some justice after working in television in the early two thousandsies. Both the first and second films remain wishlist items for me while Well Go USA has since taken it upon themselves to harbor the release of the latest installment, Detective K: Secret Of The Living Dead. Watching this, it became even more intriguing wondering how the first two would play out on a narrative level prior to constructing a threequel considering what unfolds. Lee Nam-Kyu, who had a hand in adapting the screenplay with other writers for the first two films, lends us a solo act this time around with a screenplay that […]

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OPERATION RED SEA: Chinese Navy Commandos Fire Away In The Official Trailer

Writer and director Dante Lam is no Michael Bay. Gladly he doesn’t need to be with his 2016 box office hit, Operation Mekong lending all the viewable proof you could want despite not being a perfect film. Thus, he’s since stuck to what works and with Operation Red Sea being central to those efforts as we mark another notch on the belt for Chinese military action cinema. Famed action director Dante Lam returns with this explosive follow-up to his 2016 box office smash OPERATION MEKONG. When a terrorist plot to obtain nuclear materials is hidden under the cover of a violent coup, only the Chinese Navy’s elite Jiaolong Assault Team have the deadly skill and precision needed to take on the situation. Gearing up for a February 23 release in select theaters, Well Go USA is pushing forward once more in its representation and with an official trailer to make […]

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GINTAMA Unleashes Demonic Weapons And Old Rivals In The Official U.S. Trailer

Well Go USA has unveiled the full trailer for their latest limited theatrical release, Gintama. Azoland Pictures is hosting its U.S. and Canadian rollout which commences this Friday based on Sorachi Hideaki’s highly successful gag manga and its equally fantastic animated series which is currently running. Oguri Shun, Hashimoto Kanna and Masaki Suda star in the film here taking cues from the Benizakura Arc. I won’t get too much into the narrative here as I’ve promoted this movie a billion times and I still have yet to see it, and the trailer is subbed anyway; As it stands the current showtimes in my area aren’t conducive for me so expect me to have an opinion on it a few months from now when it opens on VoD and DVD/Blu-Ray. At any rate, check the trailer below. It’s nothing different from the Japanese trailer last summer but it’s something. However, note […]

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GINTAMA: Catch The Official U.S. Trailer For Fukuda Yuichi’s Live-Action Manga Adaptation

Azoland Pictures is bringing Fukuda Yuichi’s live-action manga adaptation, Gintama, to the big screen in the U.S. and Canada beginning this Friday. It’s a film that I’ve especially waited for and have cheered on if only for the fact that the animated series, currently on its final arc from TV Tokyo, is my most favorite of all the shows I myself have seen, even as some who’ve seen cuts of the film since its rollout starting last summer in Japan have fallen short of some expectations despite becoming a regional box office hit. Oguri Shun, best known for roles in other adaptations like Miike Takashi’s first and second Crows Zero films leads the narrative based on Sorachi Hideaki’s long running gag manga set in an alternative universe where aliens have conquered Japan. The story, previously summed up in an animated feature edit in 2010, takes its cues from the Benizakura […]

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THE MONKEY KING 3: Aaron Kwok Defends A Kingdom Of Damsels In The Official U.S. Trailer

It’s high time for the rollout of promos to present Soi Cheang’s The Monkey King 3. With the 2014 installment becoming a hit and launching a franchise with a much more solid framework in its sequel, phase three now moves us forward once more with Aaron Kwok shepherding the narrative once more as we journey into an all-female kingdom with our heroes now faced with even greater foes and diar circumstances. The third installment of the blockbuster fantasy series sees the return of the Monkey King (Aaron Kwok) in his most action-packed adventure yet! While continuing their epic journey to the West, the Monkey King and his companions are taken captive by the Queen of an all-female land, who believes them to be part of an ancient prophecy heralding the fall of her kingdom. With a lot of sorcery and a little bit of charm, the travelers devise a plan […]

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GINTAMA: Azoland Pictures Acquires Fukuda Yuichi’s Live-Action Adaptation For Select Theatrical U.S. Release

Late last year a good friend of mine sent me the most adorable Kagura keychain in the world. I sent her a video of a partially-teared thank you because as it stands, Kagura is the most loveable and adorable character in the TV Tokyo anime series, Gintama, which is on track to debut its final story arc on January 8. The show took off from the genius mind of manga creator Sorachi Hideaki and in the most admirably meta of ways, became a sprawling hit. It was an easy sell for me from late 2016 and onward as I binged heavily and caught up long before Fukuda Yuichi’s live-action adaptation starring Oguri Shun, Suda Masaki and actress Hashimoto Kanna who plays the aforementioned Kagura-chan who plays central to the Battle On Rakuyo story arc. Needless to say, I’ve been waiting for the film’s transition to the states since its release […]

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Hey New York City! Get Metrograph Tickets For ICHI THE KILLER In 4K Restoration Now!

Get ready to embrace the craziness once more in a complete 4K restoration of Miike Takashi’s cult manga adaptation, Ichi The Killer. Tickets are available for the film’s opening this Friday and over the weekend at the Metrograph in New York City courtesy of Well Go USA who are also readying a wider release thereafter. Searching for his missing boss and a lot of missing money through the channels of the seedy underworld, Kakihara (Tadanobu Asano), a sadomasochistic yakuza enforcer, more than meets his match in the form of the mysterious Ichi (Nao Ohmori), a shy, sexually-repressed lad who, when enraged, becomes a virtuoso of creative slaughter. Miike’s manic manga adaptation was a phenomenon, appalling audiences around the world, and may never be topped for the sheer variety of ways that it presents to pulverize the human body. Asano Tadanobu and Omori Nao lead the cast for the controversial cult […]

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Review: Jang Hun’s A TAXI DRIVER Enthralls And Reminices On A Time When Getting It On Video Meant Something

I haven’t seen a lot of films featuring actor Song Kang-Ho, although I can assert that he has never disappointed in being the entertaining actor that he is. Films like The Good, The Bad, The Weird, Sympathy For Mr. Vengeance and Snowpiercer come to mind, and I can certainly now add his latest performance in acclaimed filmmaker Jang Hoon’s A Taxi Driver to the list. Reuniting with Jang since the 2010 action drama, The Secret Reunion, Song stars as Kim Man-Seob, a former soldier-turned-Seoul taxi driver struggling to make ends meet for himself and his daughter Eun-Jung. Desperate to pay the rent and keep the peace with his landlord, he jips a private cab service of its new scheduled pick-up: a high-paying customer named Peter who declares himself a missionary upon entry in South Korea. Learning his latest mealticket happens to, instead, be German reporter from Japan covering the Gwangju […]

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AFM 2017: THE THOUSAND FACES OF DUNJIA Gets A U.S. Day-And-Date Release In December

Well Go USA has been doing awesomely in the last few years accommodating Asian film titles for its designated niche. Their latest acquisition should be of no surprise with Yuen Woo-Ping’s The Thousand Faces Of Dunjia currently selling at the American Film Market this year under Distribution Workshop. This is a martial arts world of exceptional talents which defy nature. They live in a secluded life and secretly protect the humans against the threat of outer space creatures. What takes them by surprise is that their rivals are becoming more powerful beyond imagination. To save the world, the warriors are ready to face the impossible again. The film is a reinterpretation of Yuen’s own wuxia comedy, Miracle Fighters, which released in 1982 under Golden Harvest. Variety’s report on Sunday cites a December 15 day-and-date release in North America to coincide with the film’s China release. Rounding out the cast are […]

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Well Go USA’s ALONG WITH THE GODS: THE TWO WORLDS, Bows On December 22

200 Pounds Beauty and Mr. Go helmer Kim Yong-Hwa’s sweeping new fantasy adventure, Along With The Gods, aims to cover a lot of ground through next year. Its inspiration from a popular webcomic hopes to be the seed that sprouts a two-part epic that is now being confirmed for an official North American release date on December 22 from Well Go USA two days after its Korean bow. Having died unexpectedly, firefighter Ja-hong is taken to the afterlife by 3 afterlife guardians. Only when he passes 7 trials over 49 days and proves he was innocent in human life, he’s able to reincarnate, and his 3 afterlife guardians are by his side to defend him in trial. Well Go USA has launched its official trailer with the date branded accordingly. Rounding out the cast of principles are actor Ha Jung-woo (The Handmaiden), Cha Tae-hyun (Scandal Makers), Ju Ji-hoon (Asura: The City of […]

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THE SWINDLERS Gets An Official U.S. Trailer

Jang Chang-won’s directorial debut is edging closer to its November 22 start in theaters for heist comedy, The Swindlers. That will be just over a week off from its expected rollout in North America starting December 1 while Well Go USA is making things official with its own push. Trailer included. High stakes and fast talk are the game in this crime caper that brings together an all-star cast (Yoo Ji-tae, Hyun Bin, Bae Seong-woo, Park Sung-woong, Nana) as unlikely allies from different sides of the law. Each member of the team has their own motives, but they’ll have to work together to achieve their common goal – trapping the world’s most legendary con man. Check out the trailer below!

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Win A Double Prize Pack Giveaway Of BROKEN SWORD HERO And THE VILLAINESS!

Bin Bunluerit’s latest outing with actor and champion K1 kickboxer Buakaw Banchamek is coming this Wednesday with period epic, Broken Sword Hero, from Well Go USA. The U.S. distributor is also honing in on fans later this month with the forthcoming Blu-Ray/DVD combo pack release of Jung Byung-Gil’s acclaimed crowdpleaser, The Villainess, starring actress Kim Ok-vin. Both Blu-Ray/DVD combo packs are now subject to five lucky winners of our newest two-hander giveaway here at Film Combat Syndicate. Broken Sword Hero (out as of October 31) and The Villainess (releasing on November 21) are unrated and share respective run times of 122 and 124 minutes with the latter including a making-of featurette. BROKEN SWORD HERO: Based on a real warrior from Thailand’s Ayutthaya period, Broken Sword Hero follows the heroics of legendary military general Thongdee. From the disparity as a young runaway to the toughest warrior among his people, a legendary fighter with […]

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ALONG WITH THE GODS: Kim Yong-Hwa’s Two-Part Epic Takes To North America For Well Go USA

200 Pounds Beauty and Mr. Go helmer Kim Yong-Hwa’s latest is something of a mystery to me. I remember spotting a trailer online for the new film, Along With The Gods, earlier this month only to suddenly lose track of it after seeing it mysteriously disappear from my YouTube viewing history. Now all of a sudden reports are coming in via Variety as of a few days ago that Well Go USA have nabbed the rights to the film which turns out to be a two-part epic – the first of which is now branded Along With The Gods: The Two Worlds, and seeing the trailer here again has only inspired that same fascination and excitement I felt the first time around. Having died unexpectedly, firefighter Ja-hong is taken to the afterlife by 3 afterlife guardians. Only when he passes 7 trials over 49 days and proves he was innocent […]

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RV: RESURRECTED VICTIMS Reanimates With A Killer U.S. Teaser

RV: RESURRECTED VICTIMS Reanimates With A Killer U.S. Teaser

Though its taken nearly two years to release after finishing production in late 2015, Friend and Friend, The Great Legacy helmer Kwak Kyung-Taek’s new thriller, RV: Resurrected Victims, is finally on deck for a South Korean October release. That leaves room for planning over at Well Go USA with a U.S. rollout now preceded by a newly branded trailer for North American audiences. In the near future, murder victims have begun coming back to life with the sole purpose of avenging their deaths. Jin-hong (KIM Rae-won) is a cold-hearted prosecutor who’s obsessed with catching the man that killed his mother- but when she returns home, intent on killing him, he quickly becomes the lead suspect. Don’t miss the new trailer announcement below!

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ICHI THE KILLER Gets A Digitally Restored 4K Bloodbath From Well Go USA Starting This November

It was back in May ahead of the Cannes Film Festival that news broke of a forthcoming remastering and re-release of film auteur Miike Takashi’s manga adaptation hit, Ichi the Killer. The controversial ultra-violent crime horror scored a cult following after its 2001 and having only been shot on Betacam and only coverted 35mm film at the time, new technology now deems it possible for a more crisp and pristine finish. Restoration of the film was handled by L’Immagine Rittrovata Asia, the Hong Kong offices of Davide Pozzi’s Bologna, Italy-based film restoration lab which opened to a lucrative streak of restoring Asian film in the wake of bolstering online video demand. Since then, the long-awaited announcement of its acquisition news was made over the weekend with word that Well Go USA have officially acquired distribution rights to the new 4K restoration now dubbed Ichi The Killer: The Digitally Restored Director’s. […]

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Na Hyun’s THE PRISON Release Date Pushed Back, Contest Extends Thru September 18!

Pre-Order THE PRISON [Blu-ray] Today! Well Go USA is presenting freshman director Na Hyun’s directorial debut, The Prison, in fine form for its U.S. Blu-Ray and VoD release. As far as dates go, the company is pushing back its previously announced September 12 date by another week on September 19, which is good news for folks who haven’t entered our contest yet. After a fatal accident, Yu-gon, a former police inspector, is sentenced to hard time in a prison he once helped fill. Once inside, he discovers the entire penitentiary is no longer controlled by the guards, but by a vicious crime syndicate that breaks out at night, using their prison sentences as the perfect alibi to commit intricate heists. Looking for revenge against the system that placed him inside, Yu-gon joins the syndicate… but with every man out for himself, how long can the perfect crime last? Pre-orders are […]

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TRIPLE THREAT Sells To Multiple Territories Worldwide For Theatrical And Netflix Releases In 2018

July was a great month to be a martial arts fan with all the excuse in the world to repeat-watch the comic-con teaser trailer for the new martial arts thriller, Triple Threat. Of course, critical results are pending but the trailer ponies up everything you could want in a movie of its genre with Tony Jaa, Iko Uwais and Tiger Chen leading the cast and Savage Dog helmer Jesse V. Johnson directing. The movie opens in 2018 with plans for a sequel already underway and Well Go USA has already snagged first dibs on the upcoming ensemble action pic. That leaves off a number of territories to be accounted for which brings us to Screendaily‘s exclusive on Monday for the U.S. based company to release the film in the U.K. and Australia as well, in addition to the following locations: Germany (Koch), Latin America (Swen), Italy (Movies Inspired), Portugal (Cinemundo), […]

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