Police Academy (1984)
The first of a whopping seven films in the series, two short-lived television series, and it’s still the only one worth watching, Police Academy is an amiable, juvenile romp that is recommended for a few belly...
Tagged: police
The Fugitive (1993)
A film doesn’t necessarily have to be high art to be good, and The Fugitive is case in point. It would be a smash hit for 1993, amassing almost $200 million at the box office,...
Crime Story (1993)
You know something is wrong when 45 minutes into a Jackie Chan flick he’s done nothing in terms of action save fire off a pistol about two dozen times. No kicking, no punching, no...
Tricky Master (1999)
I may be willing to concede that some of the humor in The Tricky Master could not possibly be understood from an American rather than a Hong Kong perspective. Some of the jokes seem to...
City on Fire (1987)
There is no denying that City on Fire was an influence on Quentin Tarantino, a notorious aficionado of Hong Kong flicks, and his first film, Reservoir Dogs. In fact the last 20 minutes of this film can...
Minority Report (2002)
More gold mined from the stories of Philip K. Dick, whose other works include the basis of Blade Runner and Total Recall, two classics in the science fiction film genre. Minority Report may not be as good as...
The Crimson Rivers (2000)
While there are some viewers who may like The Crimson Rivers (the French title is Les Rivieres Pourpres) for its very dark subject matter and the director’s energetic, sweeping style, it doesn’t make the mystery of the...
Hard Rain (1998)
Hard Rain and Chain Reaction. What do these two movies have in common? Answer: they both have Morgan Freeman (Kiss the Girls, The Shawshank Redemption) as the bad guy, and star an annoying, young, lackluster protagonist. Note...
Rear Window (1954)
In my humble opinion, Rear Window is one of the true masterpieces of cinema. To this day, I can’t find one aspect of this film that doesn’t inspire a feeling of awe, from Hitchcock’s (Strangers on...
The Killer (1989)
An assassin (Yun-Fat, All About Ah-Long) inadvertently nearly blinds a young lounge singer (Yeh, Peking Opera Blues) during one of his assignments. Overwhelmed by pity, he decides to take care of her and soon they fall in love. ...