City On Fire (1987)

Saxophone is the weapon of choice for Teddy Robin’s score to City On Fire (1987). I couldn’t help but think of the David Sanborn sax sound to the Lethal Weapon soundtrack. What I love about Hong Kong cinema in the 1980s (and into the 1990s) is that circuit loop, of taking on influences from western […]

The Dragon Lives Again (1977)

This film is dedicated to the millions who love Bruce Lee. The Dragon Lives Again (1977) opens with this text, and within the next ten minutes, the character of “Bruce Lee” is lying on a slab in the underworld after his death, and there’s an erection joke. Later in the movie, Bruce Lee talks about […]

Tai-Chi Master (1993)

Yuen Woo-ping is the legendary Hong Kong action choreographer, who Hollywood eventually took notice of, working on films like The Matrix and Kill Bill. Wire work was one of his signature techniques, delivering beyond the athletic prowess of the actors and stunt people to depict them flying through the air. In Tai-Chi Master (1993; also […]

Yes, Madam (1985)

Yes, Madam (1985) Or In The Line Of Duty II: Super Cops, the English dub available on Tubi. A Hong Kong martial arts action flick that announced Michelle Yeoh to the world in her first leading role, and brings in Cynthia Rothrock for her first international starring role. Both Yeoh and Rothrock are sporting 1980s […]

Full Contact (1992)

A night full of rain lit by the flames from multiple explosions. Motorcycle silhouette and hair metal power ballad wailing on the soundtrack. The Whitesnake MTV music video aesthetic crossed with the HK action cinema Heroic Bloodshed. This is Full Contact (1992), directed by Ringo Lam and reuniting him with star Chow Yun-Fat after films […]