BlacKkKlansman (2018)
Spike Lee co-writes and directs this comedic drama that, like many of Spike’s films, dips back to the past to comment on the present day. In BlacKkKlansman, based on Ron Stallworth’s memoirs, published in 2014...
Spike Lee co-writes and directs this comedic drama that, like many of Spike’s films, dips back to the past to comment on the present day. In BlacKkKlansman, based on Ron Stallworth’s memoirs, published in 2014...
Schmidt (Hill) and Jenko (Tatum) are back, moving to the Vietnamese Church across the street as their new base of operations for their undercover narcotics unit. This time, they’re going to portray themselves as...
1980s / Action / Comedy / Thriller
by Vincent Leo · Published May 6, 2007 · Last modified September 2, 2023
In the mid-1970s, Don Simpson relocated to Beverly Hills for a job developing films for Paramount Pictures. A mechanic’s son from Anchorage, Alaska, Simpson felt out of place residing among the wealthy elite. After...
by Vincent Leo · Published February 16, 2007 · Last modified March 30, 2019
As much as I love Hong Kong action films, I must still admit that most directors tend to prefer style over substance, slow-motion shootouts over character development. This is why it comes as a...
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...
At its heart, State of Grace isn’t really a new kind of film in the small-time gangster genre, but it is an example of one that follows the formula with well-oiled precision. What these movies all...
Call it a guilty pleasure if you must, but I do find Miss Congeniality to be one of Sandra Bullock’s most entertaining comedies, despite all of the things going against it. It is a ridiculous idea...
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...
by Vincent Leo · Published November 28, 2002 · Last modified April 8, 2019
I’ve heard that Bad Company was originally made before the events of 9/11 and has been postponed because the plot involves terrorists setting up a nuclear bomb in the heart of New York City. Although...
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...
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.