Armstrong & Miller: Series 4
When a body is found on the bridge between Denmark and Sweden, right on the border, Danish inspector Martin Rohde and Swedish Saga Norén have to share jurisdiction and work together to find the killer.
Jet Li stars as Tai Feng a Hitman with a sense of justice and a talent for deliberately missing his intended victims. When his streetwise agent Sam (Eric Tsang) uses Tais awesome fighting skills to acquire billions of dollars at the expense of the heavy-hitting Japanese mobsters the scene is set for a martial-arts showdown of ground-breaking proportions.
All-action martial arts tale of three Ninjas competing for a statue of the Golden Ninja Warrior which embodies the divine power of the Ninja Empire. Spectacular fight scenes and swordplay.
Eric the would-be assassin is such a nice, caring fellow that Hitman has an immediate credibility problem: how could Eric (oriental superstar Jet Li in his follow-up to Lethal Weapon 4) ever believe he could be a cold-blooded murderer? The script tries to get around this by emphasising his poverty, and once he meets conman Norman (Hong Kong comedy star Eric Tsang), the film manages to blend amiable humour with amoral characters and polished action into an entertaining whole. A yakusa crime lord has been murdered by the Angel of Death, a professional hitman who only kills those he believes deserve to die. Getting well out of their depth in the hunt for the assassin, Li and Tsang make an appealing double act, while Gigi Leung is charming as Norman's lawyer daughter. With a moderately involved plot and an emphasis on character, action is limited to five well-staged set-pieces which are stylishly conceived, exciting and don't outstay their welcome. The finale even has a joke at the expense of Die Hard's running across broken glass, while the ending sets up the inevitable sequel. A long way from Li's magnificent Once Upon A Time in China (1991), Hitman is efficient, highly watchable Hong Kong entertainment.On the DVD: The 1.77:1 anamorphically enhanced picture is generally very good, though sometimes slightly grainy. The sound is Dolby Prologic, and far better than many other Hong Kong releases. Even so, the end title notes the film was shown theatrically in Dolby Digital, raising the question as to why the DVD does not also use this system. The film is presented in Cantonese with subtitles, or dubbed in English. Included is a 10-minute interview with Jet Li and a seven-minute interview with Simon Yam (who plays a detective), neither of which are specifically about Hitman. However, a 13-minute interview presented anamorphically enhanced with Keiji Sato (who plays the murdered yakusa's grandson) is specific to the film and ranks as the best extra. A text biography of Jet Li covers many pages and provides an excellent introduction to his career. The "music promo" is Hong Kong Legends' own trailer for Hitman, and is complemented by trailers for five other releases. --Gary S Dalkin
Hidden Tiger stars international Tae-Bo superstar Billy Blanks in his most powerful action role ever. The boss of the Asian underworld has ordered a deadly gladiator contest to fuel his gambling appetite and entertain his Mafia colleagues. The savagery of the elimination matches has created a shortage of skilled fighters. Niko (Billy Blanks) is forced to enter the underworld fight circuit to protect his family. He must survive round after round of death-defying combat and overcome his inner torment in his attempt to escape with his life.
Deep in the mind of Steven Colin the secret of an ancient martial arts power lays dormant. In a former life Colin wielded the forceful sword of Alexander The Great. With it's strength and his superior fighting skill he massacred an army of warriors led by the vicious Parmenion (Hong). Now in the year 2003 his enemies are back and are determined to seek the man who would be king in their attempt to destroy him for all eternity. With new-found force Colin must step forth once again into a 2000 year-old battle and finally settle the score.
In Red Planet the only thing thicker than the Martian atmosphere (which is breathable, by the way) is the layer of clichés that nearly smothers a formulaic beat-the-clock plot. Science fiction fans are sure to be forgiving, however, because the film is reasonably intelligent, boasts a few dazzling sequences, and presents fascinating technology in the year 2057. We don't know how the Mars-1 spaceship gets to Mars in only six months (newfangled propulsion, no doubt), but we do get some cool diagnostic read-outs on tinfoil scrolls, an abundance of well-designed hardware, and a service-robot-turned-villain that's a high-tech hybrid of RoboCop, Bruce Lee, and a slinky panther with plenty of lethal attitude. A perfectly suitable companion to another Year 2000 sci-fi thriller, Pitch Black, Red Planet is a fine way to kill a couple of hours. --Jeff Shannon, Amazon.comWhen Battlefield Earth was released theatrically, this inept sci-fi epic qualified as an instant camp classic, prompting Daily Variety to call it "the Showgirls of sci-fi shoot-'em-ups". Other reviews were united in their derision, and toy stores were left with truckloads of Battlefield Earth action figures that nobody wanted. Recklessly adapted from the novel by sci-fi author and Scientology founder L Ron Hubbard and set in the year 3000, the film is no worse than many cheesy sci-fi flicks, but the sight of Travolta as a burly, dreadlocked alien from the planet Psychlo provokes unintentional laughter from first frame to final credits. The best that Battlefield Earth can hope for is a Dune-like fate: it might improve in a longer director's cut--but that's wishful thinking. --Jeff Shannon, Amazon.comKurt Russell hits new heights in laconic action heroes with his portrayal of Sergeant Todd, born and bred to be a Soldier in a futuristic army. Raised to kill mercilessly, living only for battle, he finds himself at the twilight of his career (and so-called life) when a regiment of genetically enhanced warriors threatens to make his brand of soldiering obsolete. Soldier is one of those rare sci-fi movies that relies more on plot and action than special effects (though the trash planet is effectively wrought). The pace of action in the last half of the film is relentless and exciting, and Russell's portrayal of the old warrior as he warms to human emotions relies more on expression than words-in fact, he barely utters half-dozen lines. --Tod Nelson, Amazon.com
Golden Ninja Warrior: The Golden Ninjas decide to return their valuable golden statue to China for an important ceremony. However their long-time enemies the Red Ninjas intend to steal the statue and send their best Ninja heroine to draw out the Golden Ninja leader Max.
Ninja Terminator: All-action martial arts tale of three Ninjas competing for a statue of the Golden Ninja Warrior which embodies the divine power of the Ninja Empire. Spectacular fight scenes and swordplay. Ninja Dragon: Set in Great Shanghai two rival gangs the Furious Fox and the Black Eagle are fighting to establish domination in the territory. Only one force can stop the never-ending killings: the Ninja Dragon!
When a body is found on the bridge between Denmark and Sweden, right on the border, Danish inspector Martin Rohde and Swedish Saga Norén have to share jurisdiction and work together to find the killer.
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