"Actor: Chin kun Li"

• 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

• Red Corner | DVD | (01/02/2000) from £9.43   |  Saving you £6.56 (69.57%)   |  RRP £15.99

  Using a faulty thriller for his soapbox as an outspoken critic of China, a devout follower of the Dalai Lama, and an influential supporter of Tibetan freedom, Richard Gere resorts to the equivalent of propagandistic drama to deliver a heavy-handed message. In other words, Red Corner relies on a dubious strategy to promote political awareness, but director Jon Avnet appeals to the viewer's outrage with such effective urgency that you're likely to forget you're being shamelessly manipulated. Gere plays a downtrodden TV executive who sells syndicated shows on the global market, and during a business trip to China he finds himself framed for the murder of the sexy daughter of a high Chinese official. Once trapped in a legal system in which his innocence will be all but impossible to prove, Gere must rely on a Chinese-appointed lawyer (played by Bai Ling) who first advises him to plead guilty but gradually grows convinced of foul play. Barely attempting to hide its agenda, Red Corner effectively sets the stage for abundant anti-Chinese sentiment, and to be sure, the movie gains powerful momentum with its tale of justice gone awry. It's a serious-minded, high-intensity courtroom drama with noble intentions, but one wonder if it has to be so conspicuously lacking in subtlety. --Jeff Shannon, Amazon.com

• Asia Line: Kwan Fu - Das Schwert des Todes / Vol. 16 | DVD | (08/11/2018) from £8.73   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

• Phantom Kung Fu | DVD | (07/06/2004) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  Old skool martial arts from Hong Kong. Finally released from Hong Kong film vaults. Get ready for the amazing supernatural Kung Fu action....

• Treasure Hunt | DVD | (31/07/2006) from £19.90   |  Saving you £-3.91 (N/A%)   |  RRP £15.99

  Chang Ching (Chow Yun-Fat) is a CIA operative who is commanded to return to his native China and ""recover"" a Chinese national treasure for the US Government. The treasure turns out to be Mei a young girl with paranormal powers who is the center of politicial intrigue and greed hidden in the famed Shaolin Temple from those who would seek to exploit her. When Chang Ching falls in love with the innocent young woman he is called upon to make sacrifices fight monsters and perform brave deeds to win the hand of his lady-love. As it happens the sacrifices are of his arrogance and selfishness the monsters are corrupt men and his brave deeds include leaving behind his entire former life as a CIA operative and enduring a long separation from his beloved and waiting for her return even if it lasts a lifetime...

• Fists of Legends II: Iron Bodyguards | DVD | (24/04/2001) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £9.20