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drewconnor
Reviews
Il grande silenzio (1968)
Brilliant
I watched The Great Silence for the first time last night. There is no doubt in my mind that this film is easily amongst the best spaghetti westerns ever made. I do feel this is better than Django. The Sergio Corbucci films I'd previously seen seemed very hit and miss. The photography sometimes looked rough, complete with shaky zooms. The photography in The Great Silence however is generally superb. Some wonderful wide shots and a number of other beautiful shots, the camera does pan about very well. The film is set on a snow swept landscape and it looks terrific, it also contains a wonderful, haunting score from Ennio Morricone. On an unforgiving, snow-swept frontier, a group of bloodthirsty bounty hunters, led by the vicious Loco (Klaus Kinski) prey on a band of persecuted outlaws who have taken to the hills. As the price on each head is collected - one - by - one, only a mute gunslinger named Silence (Jean-Louis-Trintignant) stands between the innocent refugees and the greed and corruption that the bounty hunters represent. It's hard to believe this film was made in 1968, it is very impressive for many reasons. First it does not follow most genre conventions, it simply follows it's own set of rules, the ending is especially different. It's well cast, I thought both of the male leads were perfect. There is a very good moment where the mute gunslinger and a coloured woman make love. This scene is really unusual and quite daring for the time. This is a very bleak film, which may put some people off. I happen to think the ending is brilliant.
Wo hu cang long (2000)
A masterpiece of kung fu cinema
No matter what Oscar says. I knew as soon as I saw this movie nominated for both best foreign film and best picture that it would definitely win best foreign, and fall to gladiator for best picture. While I enjoyed Gladiator a great deal, it is a crime that CTHD did not win the award it so richly deserved: Best Picture of the year 2000. When I first went to see this film, I was among the hordes who were blown away by the stunning cinematography, incredible action choreography and amazing wire work. Truly a remarkable action film with amazing filming on location. I don't think I've ever seen anything quite so brilliantly green as the bamboo forest that is but a small location shot in this movie. The first viewing proved to me that I loved this film, but it did not prove to me that it was the best picture of the year. That took 2 viewings. I highly recommend to anyone who has seen this film and enjoyed it that you go see it again. I found (since I don't speak Chinese) that seeing it a second time while already knowing the story allowed me to concentrate less on reading subtitles, and more on the actors and their performances. It was amazing to me to peel back the layers of the initially strong performances in this film and see the incredible amount of nuance that each of the leads provided in their portrayals. After seeing it the second time, I had a whole new take on almost every piece of dialog in the film. The first scene between Chow Yun Fat and Michelle Yeoh most definitely sets the tone for this film, and contrary to what many would have you believe it is not a tone of rollicking action/adventure. It is instead a tone of yearning, tragedy and love found too late, then lost. This movie, packed with stunning fights and amazing flying martial artists is not so much about fighting, as it is about the Chinese values of loyalty, honor and duty, and how these admirable values can ultimately keep one from truly being happy. It is the story of a love denied too long, and accepted too late. I am not ashamed to say that I wept openly at the end of this film both times that I saw it. The power of the story and the performances were so strong that I felt a small shadow of the loss that the characters in the film felt, and even this small shadow was enough to make me weep. For those of you who find nothing but swordfights and blood in this movie, nothing I can say will change your mind; but for those who have an inkling that this film is about much more than fighting and bloodshed, go see it again and buy it when it is released on DVD. You will not for one instant be sorry that you did.
Yôjinbô (1961)
Fantastic
Its no wonder that Sergio Leone used every last detail of Yojimbo to write A Fist Full of Dollars this film is bordering on perfection.
Toshiro Mifune tosses a stick in the air to see in which way to travel and the rest is straight out of legend.
The film has its comic moments,all the baddies look like they have come from a horror movie set,one in particular looks like Lurch from the Adams family but the entire plot down to the finest detail was used by Leone for his first Dollar film.
Mifune sucks on a straw whilst Clint sucks on a cheroot,even Wanderdios the crazy bell ringer is there and the undertaker.
Yojimbo is the film A Fist Full of Dollars should have been.Leones first outing lacks the style and cinematography of the final two but Yojimbo in Japanese ranks alongside Throne of Blood as one of the greatest Japanese films of all time.The atmosphere and comic dialogue is one of a master director at work and the film sets and special effects are truly excellent.
If there is only one Kirosawa film you should see then Yojimbo is it because the atmosphere and acting especially by Mifune are of the highest standard.
Jôi-uchi: Hairyô tsuma shimatsu (1967)
Masterpiece
"The Greatest Evil is when Good Men do nothing in the face of Injustice..." SAMURAI REBELLION (1967) is directed by Masaki Kobayashi, the same director responsible for the awesome KWAIDAN and the far superior samurai film "Hara-Kiri". Don't get me wrong, this film is a true emotional achievement by Kobayashi, the drama and intense screenplay is magnificent that even the awesome swordplay displayed on screen seemed utterly unnecessary. "Samurai Rebellion" is a stunning masterpiece in Japanese cinema, originally titled Joiuchi Hairyo tsuma Shimatsu (Rebellion, Receive the Wife) is a tale of righteous rebellion to protect a husband and his wife's honor.
Peacetime. A retainer in the Matsudaira clan named Isaburo Sasahara (Toshiro Mifune) is a retiring samurai who seeks a wife for his son Yogoro (Go Kato). However, his Clan Lord orders him to have his son marry a woman named Ichi (Yoko Tsukasa). She is the Lord's mistress and she has just given birth to his son. Ichi has caused a scandal and has been dismissed from the castle for striking Lord Matsudaira. Isaburo refuses to the union until the son himself agrees to the marriage. Surprisingly, Ichi proves to be a worthy wife; she and Yogoro get along famously and she bears him a daughter. Then the unexpected happens, Matsudaira's heir dies, which makes Ichi's son the heir apparent. Matsudaira decides to forgive Ichi for striking him and requests her return to his castle, since the mother of the heir cannot be married to a vassal. Ichi refuses and decides to stay married to Yogoro. Ruin may come to the house of Sasahara as Isaburo and his son decides to disobey; the Azu clan has gone too far.
The film is a stunning portrayal of righteousness in the face of injustice. The film effectively explores the social impact of rebellion in the midst of a totalitarian excesses in the Edo Period in Japan as well as the domestic tragedy of the honorable men and the wife who precipitated the events. As in "Hara-Kiri", Kobayashi gives a very bleak view of the political and social injustices committed by self-indulgent authority figures. Kobayashi further delves into the emotional expression of similar themes about family and honor. The main characters are victims of fate, and the lead characters stand tall in their righteous indignations. Even Isaburo's close friend; Tatewaki Asano (played by Tatsuya Nakadai, Hara-Kiri, Sword of Doom) is also a victim of his principles and fate. Tatewaki was instructed to engage Isaburo in combat since he is the only one who may be able to defeat him in a duel, and as much as he tries to stall the inevitable encounter, he ends up crossing swords with his old friend nonetheless.
Ichi is the most interesting female character I've ever come across in chambara films. She is strong-willed and while she did give in to Matsudaira's orders before, she is unmoved to suffer the same injustice a second time. Pressured by relatives to avoid the ruin of the Sasahara family, the woman is such a sight to behold; she outshines the heroism of the two men bent on defending her. Most classic chambara films portray Japanese women as a demure, obedient and ideal wives, and while Ichi's character are all those things; Yoko Tsukasa's devastating performance has created a character far stronger than the all the males around her; this includes her husband, played by Go Sato and her father-in-law, played by Toshiro Mifune.
Toshiro Mifune's character, Isaburo is a master swordsman, whose skills have earned him the position of weapons keeper in the clan. While he did marry his wife out for the sake of social status, never for one moment that his character felt weak. Quite curious that this past may have contributed to the reasons as to why the father would support his son's decisions to disobey their lord. For him, love is a cause worth fighting for, even if it would mean his family's ruin. Yogoro is a man divided in doing his duty to his lord and to his wife, Go Kato bears his soul in his portrayal though his screen time may be limited. The actor efficiently and effectively shows all the needed emotions that an overwhelmed husband would feel.
While I did say that the film didn't need any swordplay to emulate the darkness and intensity of the proceedings, we get it anyway. Toshiro Mifune once again proves why he is among the most loved actors to ever play a samurai warrior. The swordplay is realistic and intense, and follows the choreography that we have been privy to in past samurai films. Adding the strong exclamation point brought about by the duel with his Tatsuya Nakadai, the film satisfies those looking for swordplay action. Which also brings us to the film's one possible very minor fault, the bloodshed near the climax seemed a bit pointless, since the dilemma is over but I suppose the screenplay by Hashimoto Shinobu wanted to end the film with an exciting element for international audiences. (The title has been changed to fit international marketing)
In Samurai Rebellion, director Kobayashi has taken his character study of individuals pushed against their emotional tolerances to the absolute limit. He successfully overcomes the stereotype that samurai films are composed of manly swordfights and has given new emphasis on the strengths of the Japanese woman and the aspects of family. In doing so, he has widened his scope and elevated the film's emotional potential.
Ginî piggu 2: Chiniku no hana (1985)
When it comes to Horror movies no one can beat the Japanese
don't understand why some people are saying that the effects in the guinea pig films,especially the two simulated snuff titles, flower of flesh and blood and devils experiment, look unrealistic because it just isn't true. these people obviously have no clue what their talking about. i have seen multiple mondo films and shockumentaries and one of the scenes that has always stuck with me was of an iragi man getting his hand cut off for stealing which in comparison to the woman in flower suffering the same type of mutilation to her hand isn't any more realistic or convincing but as most of you probably know the previously mentioned iragis fate was not staged and was not a gore effect it was for real. there are very few faults as far as the special effects go in both films. the only minor details that show either film to be staged are objects in the environment that just shouldn't be their such as the blanket that covers the woman throughout her mutilation (flower) or the actresses response to her torture (flower and devils exp.) all i want to clarify by writing this is that all these pretentious people that have seen either of the two films and call the effects bad should sit down and watch what its like to see a real persons body be mutilated its not a pretty sight and unless you have just shut the hell up and don't criticize the effects in either film because you have no idea how truly realistic they are. oh yeah make sure your kids don't get ahold of 'em because if they do they will certainly be scarred for the rest of their lives.
Dredd (2012)
awesome
Easily one of the best sci-fi/action films I've ever seen, definitely the best in a while. Not having read any of the comics, I didn't really have any expectations of the film; I'd only heard about the previous Sylvester Stallone version which was meant to be a complete failure. So like many other viewers I wasn't expecting to be amazed, but definitely was. I've now gone on to read a couple of the comics and can confidently say that there couldn't be a better introduction to the world of Dredd.
It's impossible not to be captivated by the gritty, dystopian reality of Mega City 1. Reminiscent of the setting of Blade Runner or 5th Element, it's a harsh, uncompromising world troubled by overpopulation and crime. The seemingly futile quest of bringing order to this world is taken on by the Judges, a police force with the power to sentence and execute criminals. The film focuses on two of them: Dredd, a seasoned Judge, and Anderson, a rookie on assessment. Their mission is to investigate a homicide in Peach Trees, one of the roughest Megablocks in the city, run by the ex-prostitute drug lord Ma-Ma. Impossibly outnumbered but armed with high-tech weapons and Anderson's psychic abilities, they wander through the maze-like, seemingly endless expanse of Peach Trees. In spite of all they violence they inflict and encounter, the overall effect is dreamlike and almost hypnotic, an effect of the excellent soundtrack and captivating special effects which illustrate the effect of the drug Slo-Mo distributed by Ma-Ma's gang.
I was impressed by Karl Urban's acting, not limited at all by having to keep his face covered by Dredd's helmet. Olivia Thirlby makes Anderson thoroughly sympathetic and worth rooting for as the idealistic but surprisingly resilient rookie. Overall an unforgettable movie experience - I can only hope there will eventually be a sequel!
Kozure Ôkami: Ko wo kashi ude kashi tsukamatsuru (1972)
classic samurai film
Lone Wolf & Cub: Sword of Vengeance is the story of an once distinguished samurai executioner who was framed for treason. Shows how the main character went into being an avenging assassin. After the death of his wife, Ogami Itto makes a vow of vengeance on the people responsible for the murder of his wife and his frame up. With his son Daigoro by his side, Itto tends towards the road of assassin as a way to get even with his arch enemy, the Yagyu Clan. His assignment in this story is to kill a few high officers of a samurai clan who plan on killing their future leader.
The film combines the back story of volume one and volume six in the Lone Wolf & Cub comics. The prologue and the first flashback is from volume six. The second flashback later in the movie is from the first volume. These scenes for the most part are faithful to the original source.
Lone Wolf & Cub: Sword of Vengeance is not as polish or technically slick as the samurai films of Akira Kurosawa. Does not share Kurosawa's eye for the spectacle touch of his samurai pictures. Also, not deep in depiction of human nature and human error like Akira Kurosawa's Samurai epics. More an authentic look at the period of the Shogun and the fatalistic nature of the samurai warrior.
The scene where Ogami Itto gives his son the choice of the ball or the sword is intense and suspenseful. Its in this scene that Itto and his son Daigoro become the Lone Wolf & Cub. The choice given to Daigoro is cruel yet compassionate. When Daigoro touches the sword his path is more fatalistic and worst than death. A very emotional moment for Ogami Itto because of his love for his son and the fact that their path together will be of loneliness and tragedy.
The revenge motif dominates the motives of Ogami Itto as well as the plot development of Lone Wolf & Cub: Sword of Vengeance. This motif is done in the same manner as in many Westerns. The theme of revenge makes the film pretty much a Japanese Western. Honor and revenge are the two most important things for Ogami Itto. The motif of revenge is a strong force in both the comic and film version of Lone Wolf and Cub.
The action sequences are visually arresting and physically awesome. The sword play in these action scenes are fresh and imaginative. Many of these scenes are gory and violent but not as gory as in some of the later Lone Film & Cub films. Lone Wolf & Cub: Sword of Vengeance does an excellent job in being faithful to the visual style of the samurai sword fights from the graphic novels. The camera work on these action scenes are free flowing with style and booming with graceful movement.
The Climatic battle scene builds up with an incredible amount of suspense. Awesome depiction of sword play with some gory moments. The camera moves around in a smooth fashion and acts as another member of the cast. The director, Kenji Misumi does the battle scenes in the graphic novel series. Tomisaburo Wakayama is excellent in doing this scene. The cinematography, editing, and art direction are great. Tomisaburo Wakayama was the perfect actor to play Ogami Itto because of his physical similarities. Akihiro Tomikawa is cute as Ogami Daigoro.
Breaking Bad (2008)
brilliant
What can be said about this spectacular saga that hasn't been said before? One of the very few series that competes with the best films in history for achievement in cinematic storytelling. Like a great novel slowly unfolding, it's funny, heartbreaking, incredibly tense, deeply disturbing.
A nebbishy high-school science teacher finds he has lung cancer, so becomes a meth dealer to make money for his family before his death. Often visually stunning, with a breathtaking performance by Brian Cranston in the lead, and great work from all the supporting roles, this portrait of a man's decent into hell couldn't be much better, and it just grows darker and more disturbing each year.
In a way, thematically it recalls "The Godfather I and II" in how that epic charts Michael's journey from innocence to darkness, along with the moral murkiness of the endless drive for money and success - how we lose ourselves, so that succeeding and having ever more becomes an end in itself for which we will pay any price, rather than a route to happiness, trapping us in a game we can never win.
Kudos too, to creator Vince Gilligan to have the courage to end the show at just the right time rather than string it out past where the story would bear. It may take a few episodes to get into, but you oweit to yourself to try. This is powerful, important and utterly enthralling stuff.
Jing wu men (1972)
Best Bruce Lee film of all time
This, for me has to be the best Bruce Lee film there is. It contains every part of Bruce's dynamism that I don't think is visible in his other films. Based on a true story, Bruce portrays the character Chen Jun, a past student of a school of martial arts at which his sifu (master) has just died. On returning, Bruce does not believe his sifu died of natural causes and after a while discovers the truth, at which point he goes on a killing rampage. For every second that Bruce is on the screen he has an aura which surrounds him that I think gives you an insight into why he is a legend. His performance is unlike any other, not only in this film but in the era also. Scenes to remember for me are; Bruce seeking revenge in the Bushido school, returning the 'sick men' sign. the scenes in which before and after he discovers the real reasons for his sifu's death and the climactic battle with Petrov. I've watched this film again and again and I'm always amazed at Bruce's on screen presence, even now
Wu du (1978)
Toad style is immensely strong
This one is a simple story that can get confusing, but has just the right stuff to keep the audience on track. Instead of a revenge theme like we so commonly see in the kung-fu flicks. Not that revenge themes are bad but it gives us a new taste to a different type of film. Basically, a master has taught his pupils 5 deadly arts of Kung-fu all of which fit the the title 5 deadly venoms because the styles mimic animals that are poisonous. The centipede, snake, toad, lizard, scorpion. Hence the name "poison clan". The master teaches all of these to pupils at different times and is only explained by the master as a sort of flashback but more of a background builder. Each pupil mastered a specific style within the clan but do not know anything besides that style. However, they know their own style very well. Each style has it's own weaknesses but if one can know how to do them all they essetially complement each other and then one can have no weaknesses. The master is telling this story to his pupil Yan Tieh who actually has a small role in the film even though his role is rather important because it actually sets things in motion. The reason is the master has taught all of the tecniques to Yan but he doesn't know anyone technique very well and therefore he can be easily beaten by anyone of the 5 previous pupils. His mission is to check up on the 5 pupils to see if they are doing good deeds with their skills. As the story unfolds there are 2 who are obviously bad and are after a treasure and killing people left and right. Only they screw up and use their skills and leave death marks of special kung-fu on the people they killed. PLus to add to all the fun some innocent bystander witness thee murders. 2 others are less noticeable but are good and one later reveals himself who is actually an officer of the law (but you kind of figure this out because he get the lead role in the film). The officer hides himself by using the Toad who is his friend to help caputure the bad guys which are centipede style and later the snake who actually has a feels sorry for his murders and centipde who could careless and wants to keep using his skills to kill people for money and status. They succeed and a chain of events leads to an ultimate battle at the end because the scorpion actually finds the map to the treasure and later reveals himself as the wild card of the stack and plots to kill all of the clan members so he can be the most powerful and have all the gold. Yan teams up with the officer who has the lizard skills and teaches Yan his style. The toad is tortured to death because Snake and Centipede styles are behind the whole thing and have semi-control over the governing body.
Toad: strengths are iron skin style (it does exist in real life but well over dramatic in the movie of course). The iron skin does not allow weapons and hand to hand combat strikes to cause damage to the person who trained toad style. His weakness is his temples.
Lizard: Strengths are able to do wall kung-fu. Able to strike like a lizard while standing on the wall.
Centipede: Speed of attack is best of all the techniques and rest of the styles.
Snake: It's awkward floor (fighting while on the ground) and hand speed and cunning is its strengths.
Scorpion: Able to smash objects with great efficiency. The powerhouse of the techniques.
You can tell putting all these together makes you basically invincible.
The wall-to-wall action makes the pace of the film fast and furious. The unique kung-fu is fun to watch and the choreography is brilliant. The best thing is the actors are very talented and very fast with their fighting. Everyhing here looks very well done.
Acting: B Actor Performance: A+ Action: A+ Choreography: A+ Entertaining value: A+ Replay value: A+ Storyline: A- Directing: A
The Man with the Iron Fists (2012)
Worst Kung Fu movie of all time
I watch a lot of b-movies cause I enjoy them, but this is by far the worst b-movie I have ever seen, there is literally no enjoyment watching this garbage. Set in china, all the characters speak perfect English with an American accent. The main enemy looks like a woman from the 80s with a bad wig, the fight scenes are horrible with people being clearly suspended with rope. It is like the movie was created by a 10 year old. The writer has taken every common thing and cliché from past kung-fu movies: bad guy kills his leader to become leader, bad guy kills people, underdog rises to kill bad guy, prostitute turned assassin. Everything in this movie was bad, there was not one part in the movie where I said "oh that's alright", it was all horrible. Rza clearly failed to make a proper kung-fu action film as the pacing was uneven, the one liners were hilariously bad and just lame and the acting was awful. Oh and Russell Crow clearly was in this to collect his pay check. Just terrible! And the idea of a blacksmith that has a Voice Over like Shaft with the rap music does not work at all.... maybe it could have been possible if Tarantino or a solid director with a better script and dialogue.. but this was low quality and poor judgement. Avoid this and watch The Raid instead, trust me you will not regret it. this movie is totally not comparable to Kung fu classics like Enter the Dragon, 36th Chamber of shaolin, Drunken master, fist of fury and many more
Pitch Black (2000)
riddickously brilliant
It's not often I get to say this, but this a great film with Vin Diesel in it. The Riddick character suits him perfectly. He plays a violent criminal who is being transported back to prison when the ship crashes on a desert planet. The survivors then discover that the world isn't as empty as they first thought.
It's a sci-fi horror film of the best kind. The survivors are a mixed bunch, a bounty hunter, ship's pilot, settlers and believers on a pilgrimage.
As with any good monster flick you need a decent monster and this has them. The mechanic of using the light is a simple one, but effective for film. The scene with the fire breathing is excellent.
The monsters are nasty, but so is Riddick. This is a fun film to watch.
Furious 6 (2013)
Brilliant
You might think this series of films would get dull by now,no way,it's still brilliant over the top action. The main crux of this one is this is Dominic finds out Letty is still alive and working for a bunch of crimials. So Dominic teams up with the police to find her,he does so and she... Well i won't tell you,but it's all brilliantly played out,leaving the viewer wondering just what is going on in Letty's mind. So another fast and furious and the end leaves you with no doubt they'll be yet another. the fast and furious series just keeps getting better and better so far fast and furious six has to be the best film in the series.
American History X (1998)
We are not enemies
This is the only film i have seen which really tackles racism in a realistic and intelligent way. The Ed Norton character is an intelligent and articulate individual who convincingly preaches the twisted logic of racism. The film manages to convey most psychological explanations of racism - the authoritarian personality,the scapegoat hypothesis, in-group out-group bias, transference, etc, without feeling preachy. I can't think of a more socially important or responsible film than this. Derek's emotional oddessy is both moving and disturbing, with all points of view given equal airing, no matter how extreme. Personally I found the question asked of Derek 'Has anything you have done made your life better?' a stark and penetrating wake up call for anyone who is unhappy. The ending has been criticised for being overly emotional but I thought it was appropriate, Derek gets hurt by former chosen enemies who have not yet learnt the lesson he has. This makes us question whether Derek was wrong in the first place. This is a complicated film about a difficult subject which should be required viewing in all schools. The ultimate message is to do your best and try to get along with other people. Its not just about racism, its about personal choice, do we live to hate or do we try to make life better for ourselves and others. The director walked away from the film, my question is if he was unhappy with this cut, what would his version be like? This version is a technical, artistic and emotional triumph.
Death Wish (1974)
Underrated
Death Wish. What a film. This film rode the tide of admiration for vigilante action against the ones that seem to avoid justice or just plain slip through the cracks. When Paul Kersey's (Bronson) wife and daughter are attacked in their own home, beaten and sexual assaulted by a gang of low life scum, the police and the courts offer no justice. Later after learning to shoot and ditching his liberal values Kersey takes to the streets to dispense some real justice! Now this sure does raise some interesting moral questions, but lets face it, we all back Bronson/Kersey, and maybe even secretly admire his actions, at least to some extent. We know that what he does is wrong, but the 'thrill' of revenge and harsh punishment dealt out to criminals sure carries a hell of a punch. You may be surprised just how relevant and fresh the issues are to modern Britain now. Time to remind yourself just how important a film this is.
The Shield (2002)
one of the greatest shows ever
There are certain shows which come along with a regular premise, but make it their own. "The Shield" is one of these shows. You follow the protagonist "Vic Mackey", a police officer heading up a special unit known as the "Strike team". Their way of protecting and maintaining the peace, is to essentially skirt, and occasionally go well over the boundaries of justice. This means planting drugs on people they know are guilty, taking bribes or withholding evidence to be used again later. It is a scary, and yet highly plausible concept, based upon the real life "Rampart" scandal in Los Angeles (where the show is also based).
I won't ruin any of the story lines, but you can imagine where all of this corruption leads the squad of exceptionally memorable characters. I literally cannot think of a single actor in the entire 7 season run who did any less than a stellar job. Every character evolves, and in some cases it is not for the better. I can honestly say there are less than a handful of shows that have ever shocked me, or hit me with something so powerful I've actually had to stop the enjoyment of watching and sit slack jawed for a while. This show is one of that handful. The drama, the power, the story, they are so strong in the entire run that this show is absolutely a must have. Understand, it is not easy watching. There are some of the most uncomfortable scenes ever written, but I'll be damned if they aren't also some of the most powerful.
Il buono, il brutto, il cattivo (1966)
Greatest western of all time
This masterpiece is the film which defines the Spaghetti Western.
Clint Eastwood is good guy Blondie and the other two main characters, Tuco (Eli Wallach) and Angel Eyes (Lee Van Cleef) veer between bad and ugly over the two and half hour duration of this film. The plot is long and winding, but is essentially fairly simple - three guys who don't trust each other trying to get their hands on a consigment of gold. We all know about the music - and Morricone's soundtrack is an undisputed masterpiece. If there is a better marriage of sound and vision in cinema than the last 15 minutes of this film, I have yet to see it. But it's more than just a music video - the direction from the legendary Sergio Leone is out of this world. This is an epic in every sense of the word - the battle against good and bad, a cast of hundreds in the Civil War scenes and camera work which makes no concessions to TV and uses the entire length of the screen.
Léon (1994)
Luc bessons greatest movie
This is one of my all time favourite films, its a great story of a hired assassin in New York who meets a young girl played by a young Natalie Portman (the daughter of a neighbour) who soon becomes an orphan because of the ruthless corrupt and crazy DEA Police officer played by the fantastic Gary Oldman, who shows one of his best performances in this movie.
Its packed full of action including an explosive finale, but its just not an action thriller, its a very powerful and moving story.
I have often found it hard to describe the relationship between the "cleaner" played by Reno and Portman's character. He I feel sees her as the family he has never had. She obviously has a crush and sees him in romantic way, which he doesn't encourage and struggles to cope with!!! its these unexpected twists in the story and clever sub plot that makes the film stand out from the crowd. its a modern classic and needs 10 stars. Watch and enjoy endlessly
Shichinin no samurai (1954)
The most entertaining movie i have ever seen
Every fan of movies should see a Kurosawa, and this is (along with Yojimbo) the most accessible of his many great works. The film is an artistic and technical masterpiece, but above all it is a rousing adventure story, gripping and emotionally involving from the start. The origin of the film lies in an idea for a story Kurosawa had about a samurai who made a tiny mistake and went home and committed suicide. Told this wouldn't work, he and his writing team began researching the 16th century, and became interested in the fact that villagers would hire samurai as night guards to protect them from bandits, the samurai receiving food and lodging in return. This evolved into Seven Samurai, Kurosawa's greatest jidai-geki (period drama), about desperate peasants who turn to professional warriors when bandits repeatedly raid their harvest. Kurosawa draws fantastic performances from his cast, most notably Takashi Shimura (as the samurai leader Kambei, the living embodiment of the samurai code) and Toshiro Mifune (as the peasant turned warrior, Kikuchiyo), and marshals the elements for an astonishing climactic battle scene in the mud and the rain. This ten-minute sequence has to be seen to be believed; the images have a painterly quality (Kurosawa trained in western-style painting) but are also extremely realistic, perfectly capturing the chaos of the battlefield as figures wade through the mire, hacking at each other. I've heard it remarked that this sequence was in Spielberg's mind when he conceived the Omaha Beach landing scene in Saving Private Ryan; and indeed, the use of grainy film stock, the slightly speeded-up movement and fast editing, and the depiction of war as utter chaos all seem rooted in Kurosawa.
A final word: do not be put off by the 190 minute running time or the fact that it is subtitled. Although Kurosawa has the reputation of an auteur, he was also a brilliant and influential storyteller. This is perhaps the most entertaining great movie ever made.
Shao Lin san shi liu fang (1978)
Greatest Kung Fu movie ever
Gordon Liu (also known as Lau Kar Fai) stars as a young man who's friends and family have been killed by the new government. He wakes up at the Shaolin Temple, a place he has only heard about a couple of times. When he realizes he is at the best place possible to learn kung fu, he begs and begs to learn so that he can revenge his family. He does finally get taught, but has to start with the basics. Every part of his body must become stronger before he can learn how to fight. After he finishes the first stages of training in record time, he is now highly respected and moves onto learning actual fighting styles. He breezes through this and becomes a great fighter in only 5 years or so. This is not one of those movies that has 1 or 2 training sequences. Gordon is shown in at least 13 of the chambers and half of the movie is spent at Shaolin. So after he has become a master fighter, he is given a high honor and told that he can become second in charge of any of the 35 chambers. A senior monk played by the great Lee Hoi San objects to this and says that he can't have this honor unless Gordon defeats him in a weapons duel. Lee Hoi San does not play a villain, but he does not think that Gordon is a good enough fighter to receive so much praise. His plan works better than he could have ever imagined. He ends up helping Gordon improve as a fighter and as a person. Gordon is told he can leave Shaolin now, and he goes to take revenge on the evil General who killed his family.
One thing that sets this movie apart is that it tries to be a real movie, and it succeeds. Watching Gordon grow up into a man is remarkable to see. The commentators didn't notice, but a lot of the stuff in this movie is very real. When Gordon has to use the pole with the wieght on the end to hit the bell over and over again, that is a real weight on the end of the pole! Gordon talks in the interview (included on this disc) about how the sabres that Lo Lieh uses in the final fight are real, and it just makes the movie that much better. Don't expect your average tale of revenge. I was touched deeply when I first saw this and there are not many kung fu movies that have as much meaning and feeling, making it one of the best if not the best kung fu movie of all time.
Dip huet seung hung (1989)
What can i say Amazing
if it wasn't for John woos the killer there would not be any reservoir dogs and certainly not any of the el mariachi films due to the fact Rodrigo Rodriguez was heavily inspired by woos films especially the squid blood effects.John Woo's bloody and brilliant action film stars the master of Hong Kong heroic bloodshed films, Chow Yun Fat, as the title assassin, who falls in love with the singer Sally Yeh. After he injures her in one of his hits and feels responsible, her sight begins to deteriorate to the point where she will become blind. Taking his weapons he agrees to one more hit to get the money to fund an eye operation for her.
That, along with his tracking down by a Hong Kong cop is the basis of the film. A simple storyline and a basic few themes of love, honour and friendship are slung together against a film dominated by bullets and blood. But the action is what moves the character arcs and more important themes along.
Although Woo fills his film with violence and action, a bodycount of 120 being recorded, it is not portrayed as honourable or acceptable. The themes of honourable killing versus dishonourable killing are explored in great detail, and the killings are displayed as morally wrong.
The action sequences themselves are incredible. Stylised beyond belief, in an explosion of brilliantly executed fighting, which only makes you sit back and shake your head, in an amazed and overpowered fashion. Scattered throughout the film, these sequences, keeping you breathing heavily, climaxing in a final church battle which will wind any Hollywood action film, especially 'Die Hard'. As well as these massive shootouts, there are also quieter affairs, such a scene with a quiet standoff between the killer and the cop in Sally Yeh's apartment.
It's completely over the top and unrealistic, but never overwhelming as the tone keeps itself in check, balancing humour as well as real tear creating pure emotion.
A great amount of wonderfully directed sequences, brought together under a film whose themes and overall meaning are not shoved in your face, like so many American action films today, gives 'The Killer' the grand title of one of the greatest films ever made
Lat sau san taam (1992)
Chow yun fat is unstoppable!!!!!!!!!
Chow Yun-fat plays Inspector "Tequila" Yuen, who turns gunplay into a form of ballet, with everyday objects exploding in a hail of bullets as he single-handedly takes down a criminal empire. While it may seem old hat to have a hero (or villain) firing away with two guns or coolly sliding down a banister to blow someone away, in 1992 John Woo was literally writing that stylistic playbook. There are in fact too many cool sequences to even mention here, although three set-pieces (the opening teahouse shootout, the warehouse showdown and the epic finale at the hospital) will undoubtedly go down in history as some of the greatest gunfight choreography ever executed on screen. Many of the film's trademark cues may strain plausibility to the near breaking point, but Hard Boiled is exhilarating to watch as an exercise in style that also happens to possess substance.