Ching Siu Tung

Naked Weapon (Chiklo Dakgung)

Belly of the Beast

Steven Seagal stars as the world s deadliest agent for hire and this time it s personal. When his daughter is kidnapped there are no rules and nothing to get in his way. ~ Sony Pictures Home EntertainmentSystem Requirements: Running Time 91 MinFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: ACTION/ADVENTURE Rating: R UPC: 043396007246

Duel to the Death

Dragon Inn

The young director Raymond Lee (Rebel from China) deserves some credit for daring to remake one of the great King Hu's most impressive movies. The 1967 original looked like a vintage Technicolor Western, and it had more sweep and panache than any other movie of its kind. Filming in Taiwan, Hu relished the possibilities offered by a shrewdly limited situation. The plots of the two versions are identical: Among the guests at a remote inn in dusty Northern China are representatives of the eunuch-controlled secret police that secretly runs the imperial Ming government, and a group of staunch rebels who have sworn to overthrow them. The story line could be described as an excuse for the sword fights, between as many combinations of antagonists as possible. But when the result was so intoxicating, who could complain? In 1992 Lee updated the basic conception with some winking sexual innuendo and snagged an all-star cast: Maggie Cheung Man-yuk (Song of the Exile), Tony Leung Kar-fei (The Lover), and Brigitte Lin Ching-hsia (Peking Opera Blues). But his staging of action feels mechanical, and the movie never comes to life. You may find yourself nodding out over the endless whirlwind swordplay. --David Chute

Chinese Ghost Story

This popular and beloved film, produced by Tsui Hark and directed by Ching Siu Tung, is a standout in the Hong Kong supernatural-action genre and spawned many sequels and copycats. A Chinese Ghost Story stars Leslie Cheung as Ning Tsei-Shen, a timid and likable tax collector. Looking for a place to stay the night, he comes upon a spooky abandoned temple occupied by a tough Taoist swordsman (Ma Wu). Despite his warnings, Tsei-Shen stays anyway. Later he encounters a beautiful maiden (Joey Wang) who he quickly falls in love with. Unfortunately, she is a ghost who is being forced to trap men for an evil spirit who feeds on their souls. A Chinese Ghost Story has been widely praised for infusing the genre with humor, action, romance, and inventive special effects. Memorable images include an attacking mile-long tongue and a cloak opening to dozens of ghastly decapitated heads. The final battle in hell is said to have inspired scenes in Sam Raimi's Army of Darkness. And the film has its share of homage: A group of crusty zombies are reminiscent of the skeletons in special-effects guru Ray Harryhausen's 7th Voyage of Sinbad--and they are eliminated by Tsei-Shen in comedic slapstick fashion, not unlike the style of Charlie Chaplin. Cheung and Wang are a likeable romantic pair, and Ma Wu creates a hilarious character who breaks out into song and a martial arts dance when drunk. The DVD transfer is topnotch, with the film's misty mood lighting and fluttering gowns appearing layered and crisp. It's a must-see for Hong Kong action film fans. --Shannon Gee

Former Miss Malaysia and current butt-kicking Hong Kong action star Michelle Yeoh leaped to international attention costarring alongside Jackie Chan in Supercop. The film was actually the third installment of Chan's successful Police Story series, but that didn't stop cagey producers from turning out Supercop 2 as a solo vehicle for the lean, lithe Yeoh. She travels from mainland China to Hong Kong to "advise" local cops on a Chinese drug lord and discovers Rong Guang Yu (from Iron Monkey and Rock and Roll Cop), her former lover and now the leader of a militia-style gang in partnership with her quarry. Yeoh is in fine form, kicking off the picture with a thrilling close-quarters battle in a high-rise hotel, but the complicated plot of high tech crime, double crosses, and conflicted loyalties strangles the action and slows the film despite such action highlights as an impressive three-man raid on a well-armed criminal den. (Jackie Chan's jokey cameo as a cop in drag doesn't really help matters.) The film finally regains its energy in an explosive free-for-all bank heist climax, in which the painful English dubbing becomes all but unnoticeable as bullets fly, bodies crunch, and balletic Michelle Yeoh moves like a dynamo. --Sean Axmaker

Swordsman II

It's not necessary to see the first Swordsman before you see Swordsman II--though some of the characters are the same, the cast is almost completely different. Into the thick of a clan feud in long-ago China comes young swordsman Ling (Jet Li), who has a romantic attachment to the leader of one side of the feud (Rosamund Kwan). However, on the other side is an evil sorcerer, Asia the Invincible (Brigitte Lin), who has found a magical scroll that will give the user formidable powers if the user castrates himself. Not only has Asia done so, over the course of the movie he transforms into a woman. Ling accidentally meets the newly feminine Asia, who remains silent to hide her still masculine voice, and they find themselves in the throes of a powerful attraction. But this much of the plot is only the tip of the iceberg; Hong Kong movies routinely pack enough story for three films into one, and Swordsman II is no exception. What is exceptional is the emotional power of the story, the superb performances, and the spectacular and hyperkinetic cinematography. Lin is completely magnetic and Li is at his buoyant, charismatic best. There's something so delightful and inviting about the special effects in Hong Kong films that it's simply more fun to believe them than not, even if they aren't realistic by Hollywood standards. At their best, Hong Kong fantasies (like A Chinese Ghost Story or Green Snake) become much more than camp. An epic of amazing scope and surprising richness, Swordsman II is quite possibly one of the greatest movies ever made. --Bret Fetzer

Swordsman III - The East is Red

A Chinese Ghost Story III

The Legend of the Swordsman

It's not necessary to see the first Swordsman before you see Swordsman II--though some of the characters are the same, the cast is almost completely different. Into the thick of a clan feud in long-ago China comes young swordsman Ling (Jet Li), who has a romantic attachment to the leader of one side of the feud (Rosamund Kwan). However, on the other side is an evil sorcerer, Asia the Invincible (Brigitte Lin), who has found a magical scroll that will give the user formidable powers if the user castrates himself. Not only has Asia done so, over the course of the movie he transforms into a woman. Ling accidentally meets the newly feminine Asia, who remains silent to hide her still masculine voice, and they find themselves in the throes of a powerful attraction. But this much of the plot is only the tip of the iceberg; Hong Kong movies routinely pack enough story for three films into one, and Swordsman II is no exception. What is exceptional is the emotional power of the story, the superb performances, and the spectacular and hyperkinetic cinematography. Lin is completely magnetic and Li is at his buoyant, charismatic best. There's something so delightful and inviting about the special effects in Hong Kong films that it's simply more fun to believe them than not, even if they aren't realistic by Hollywood standards. At their best, Hong Kong fantasies (like A Chinese Ghost Story or Green Snake) become much more than camp. An epic of amazing scope and surprising richness, Swordsman II is quite possibly one of the greatest movies ever made. --Bret Fetzer

Global action megastar Jet Li unleashes all of his devastating martial arts power in this thrilling tale of a reluctant warrior who becomes a timeless hero! A young swordsman, Ling Wei (Li), and other followers of the Sun Moon Sect are making a journey to the mountains to abandon the violent swordsman's life. But upon arrival, they find their people are at war! With their leader, Master Wu, captured and the clan pushed out of their village, Ling must lead a desperate counterattack in hopes of freeing Master Wu and ending the reign of the supernaturally powerful Master Asia and his Highlander clan before it's too late! Packed with incredible martial arts choreography, this endlessly hard-hitting epic is another exciting addition to the phenomenal Jet Li Collection

A Chinese Ghost Story II