1990s / Action / Comedy / Martial Arts
by Vincent Leo · Published January 13, 2007 · Last modified January 29, 2019
Wing Chun has two saving graces: Yuen Woo-ping’s (Iron Monkey, In the Line of Duty 4) breathtaking martial arts choreography and Michelle Yeoh’s (The Heroic Trio, Magnificent Warriors) dynamic physical performance. Just like a musical is entertaining...
1980s / Action / Comedy / Martial Arts
by Vincent Leo · Published January 3, 2007 · Last modified February 16, 2019
One of Jackie Chan’s (Cannonball Run II, Wheels on Meals) first big breakthroughs beyond a Hong Kong market, Police Story works well beyond just the standard kung fu fare, as it is, at the same time, also...
1990s / Action / Fantasy / Martial Arts
by Vincent Leo · Published November 16, 2006 · Last modified May 17, 2021
In the mid-1990s, merchandising tie-ins to movies earned three times the revenue of the movies themselves. Although the pie of profit was bigger, individual slices were smaller, fragmented among a conglomeration of companies across...
1990s / Action / Fantasy / Martial Arts
by Vincent Leo · Published October 30, 2006 · Last modified May 1, 2021
“Mortal Kombat”, the video game, started in 1991 when game programmer Ed Boon and artist John Tobias sought to create a fighting game featuring a digitized Jean Claude Van Damme, specifically related to his...
1990s / Action / Adventure / Martial Arts
by Vincent Leo · Published September 28, 2006 · Last modified August 13, 2021
Video game aficionados need no introduction to the “Street Fighter” name. It’s one of the most popular game franchises of all time primarily due to the release of “Street Fighter II” into arcades in...
1990s / Action / Comedy / Martial Arts
by Vincent Leo · Published April 28, 2006 · Last modified July 1, 2019
Stephen Chow stars as an undercover cop whose latest assignment is to pose as a student at a nearby school in order to find out what happened to the missing gun of the captain...
1990s / Action / Drama / Martial Arts
by Vincent Leo · Published February 14, 2006 · Last modified May 31, 2019
Fist of Legend is the updated remake of the classic Bruce Lee film, The Chinese Connection, this time starring Hong Kong superstar Jet Li. Lee’s are big shoes to fill for the diminutive Li, but if anyone...
2000s / Action / Adventure / Martial Arts
by Vincent Leo · Published June 3, 2005 · Last modified June 3, 2019
Ong-Bak is a breath of fresh air for martial arts fight flicks, with its refreshing balance of relentless action, raw humor, and subtle symbolism. In many ways, it is reminiscent of the pre-Hollywood Jackie Chan...
1980s / Action / Comedy / Martial Arts
by Vincent Leo · Published October 11, 2004 · Last modified May 14, 2019
I realize that this film, the first attempt to introduce Jackie Chan to American audiences, has been somewhat maligned over the years, but I’ll always have a special fondness for it. The Big Brawl (or Battle Creek Brawl as...
1990s / Action / Comedy / Martial Arts
by Vincent Leo · Published June 30, 2004 · Last modified May 10, 2019
SNL alum, Chris Farley, plays Haru, who lands among a clan of ninjas when a ship he is on is shipwrecked while he is still a baby. Prophecy has foretold that a Great White...
Reviews from film writer Vince Leo, covering all eras and genres of films from classics to the latest releases.
Film reviews from Vince Leo, from classics to new releases, since 1996.
