Seven Swords
by Hark Tsui
from Weinstein Company
As the title indicates, Seven Swords is in the epic spirit of The Seven Samurai and its American cousin, The Magnificent Seven. A grittier enterprise, it may not surpass Tsui Hark's 1990s classics like Once Upon a Time in China, but offers its own unique pleasures--like non-stop action (for which it received a coveted Golden Horse Award). Based on the book Seven Swordsmen from Mountain Tian, the action begins in rural China in the 1600s. The Ching Dynasty has just banned martial arts, and in response seven dissidents band together to fight against Fire-Wind (Honglei Sun) and his minions. The septet includes Hong Kong superstars Charlie Young (Wu Yuan Yin), Leon Lai (Yang Yun Chong), and Hero's Donnie Yen (Chu Zhao Nan). One of the mountain villagers they save is pretty Korean refugee Green Pearl (So-yeon Kim), who falls for the moody Chu. Filmed on location in scenic Xinjiang, Seven Swords is a feast for the eyes. Though some critics have taken Hark to task for the army's anachronistic goth-punk garb, it sure looks menacing. Originally four and a half hours long, this version clocks in at 153 minutes. Hark's soft-spoken commentary, along with Hong Kong cinema expert Bey Logan, is on the first disc. Deleted scenes and other extras are on the second. Because of the cuts, the complex narrative isn't always easy to follow--and the film still feels long--but the gold-tinged visuals and fight choreography by Kar-Leung Lau (The Legend of Drunken Master) helps to compensate. --Kathleen C. Fennessy
In the early 1600's, the Manchurians have taken over sovereignty of China and established the Ching Dynasty. The newly set-up government immediately imposes a Martial Arts Ban, forbidding the practice of martial arts altogether in order to gain control and order. A group of soldiers travel the country seeking out those who would flout the law. A swordsman and his disciples decide to take the fight to the enemy, following a plea from a group of villagers. The SEVEN SWORDS is formed and their heroic journey begins. As they lead the entire village to the road of a safer place, they discover there is a trator amongst them. Between this narrow gap of life and death, the situation is further complicated by the blossoms of love.
City Hunter
by Jing Wong
from 20th Century Fox
Hong Kong superstar Jackie Chan gives his self-mocking humor full flourish in City Hunter, adapted from a Japanese comic book. But that doesn't mean there isn't a solid dose of action--after a brilliantly cartoonish opening, the movie settles into a half-comedy, half-thriller variation on Die Hard, in which Eurotrash terrorists have hijacked a plush ocean cruise liner and super-detective Ryu Saeba (Chan) has to stop them, aided by his lovely, love-lorn assistant (Joey Wong, A Chinese Ghost Story, Green Snake) and a beautiful undercover secret agent (Chingmy Yau, Naked Killer). Though City Hunter is short on breathtaking stunts, there's plenty of well-choreographed hand-to-hand combat. Jackie Chan's lecherous, self-absorbed character (accompanied by a parade of girls into skimpy or skin-tight outfits) come across like a gleeful parody of James Bond (slightly marred by a bit of homophobia). All in all, a high energy romp. --Bret Fetzer
Based on a popular Japanese comic strip, Hong Kong's high-flying martial arts action hero Jackie Chan stars as private Ryu Saeba in City Hunter. Hired to find the runaway daughter of a Japanese publishing tycoon, Ryu's first impulse is to turn the job down - until he sees a picture of the beautiful Shizuko (Kumiko Goto). Hot on her heels, Ryu tracks her down on board a cruise ship, and much to the annoyance of his jealous female sidekick Kaori (Joey Wong) the womanizing Ryu seems more interested in catching Shizuko's attention than returning her safely to her father. However, Ryu's romantic plans quickly go astray when a gang of ruthless criminals hijack the ship and hold the passengers to ransom. To save the day Jackie Chan's unique action style reigns supreme in a series of brilliantly conceived fight sequences as Ryu swings into action to dispatch the bad guys and rescue the goergeous Shizuko!
3 Extremes II
by Nonzee Nimibutr
from Lions Gate
Three Extremes took you to the edge, now Three Extremes II pushes you over with three more nightmarish tales of terror from Kim Jee-Woon (A Tale of Two Sisters), Nonzee Nimibutr (Nang Nak) and Peter Chan (Producer of The Eye, The Eye 2 and Three Extremes).
Infernal Affairs 3 (Special Collector's Edition)
by Siu Fai Mak
from Weinstein Company
Fans of the Hong Kong action/crime movie Infernal Affairs (2002) and its 2003 prequel (both of which served as inspirations for Martin Scorsese's The Departed) seem split over this final part of the trilogy, which picks up at the conclusion of the original film and brings the tortured path of cop and Triad mole Lau Ming (Andy Lau) to a close. The story picks up shortly after the execution of undercover cop Chan Yan (Tony Leung), with Lau now heading up an internal investigation to ferret out other Triad plants working in the police department. While Lau works frantically to eradicate any connection between himself and mobster Hon Sam (Eric Tsang), his actions are being carefully observed by Inspector Yeung (Leon Lai), who bears a personal grudge against the crooked cop. Less aggressively action-oriented than its predecessors (though certainly still featuring plenty of gunplay), Infernal Affairs 3 suffers from a disorienting structure that shuttles back and forth between events in the first and second film (which conveniently allow stars from both pictures to make return appearances), but the central idea--the final descent of Lau--remains engaging. DVD extras are comprised of a making-of featurette and theatrical trailers. -- Paul Gaita
(Action/Foreign) Directed by Wai Keung Lai and Siu Fai Mak, IA 2 is the prequel and IA 3 is the sequel to the highly successful original Infernal Affairs, the movie on which Martin Scorcese based his recent hit, The Departed, on. Infernal Affairs 3 explores through an intricate interlacing of stories what happened before and after Tony Leung's character's death
Sausalito
by Wai-keung Lau
from Tai Seng Video Marketing
Comrades - Almost a Love Story
by Peter Chan
from Tai Seng
Hero Never Dies
by Johnny To
from Tai Seng Video Marketing
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