"Actor: Chien Yuet San"

• The Thundering Mantis | DVD | (25/07/2005) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  Seriously weird as only the best, completely-barking-mad kung fu flicks can be, The Thundering Mantis is the story of Ah Chi, a martial artist who hooks up with a kid sidekick. However, an old grudge resurfaces, with the result that the boy's uncle is murdered and the boy himself kidnapped. So far so Arnie-in-Commando, but it's at this point we're reminded that indigenous martial arts movies are something else again, as Ah Chi's rescue attempt goes disastrously wrong and the boy is tortured to death before his eyes. Apparently driven to insanity by this experience, Ah Chi goes berserk, breaking free and systematically trashing everything and everyone in sight. End of movie. Devotees will absolutely want this in their collections, but those who have yet to progress beyond the Jackie Chan/Jet Li school of Americanised martial arts films will need to leave their preconceptions at the door. There's a nice touch to the dubbed English soundtrack, where the voiceover artists seem to have taken it upon themselves to imitate various British character actors: listen out for Wilfred Brambell, Kenneth Connor and so on. On the DVD: The Thundering Mantis has no extras on the widescreen DVD other than a one-screen guide to other titles in the Kung Fu Connection series. --Roger Thomas

• Last Hurrah for Chivalry | DVD | (19/02/2007) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £16.99

  Kao (Wei Pei) the duplicitous pivotal character has purchased a beautiful wife for 1 000 taels of gold; alas his rival the prodigious fighter Pei has paid her 2 000 taels to kill him. When loyalty can be purchased it no longer exists... With outstanding action choreography and notions of betrayed loyalty this early Wu Xia (martial chivalry) period piece was written and directed by John Woo becoming an essential point in the young artist's career and went on to directly influence most of 1980s Hong Kong action cinema.