Martial Arts > Japanese Martial Arts

Advantages: Amusing trickery
Disadvantages: Not involved enough, Weak Storyline

This is the 14th part of the legendary series of Zatoichi, which all told contains a whopping 27 parts. Zatoichi is a blind Japanese Samurai who stummbles across a dying woman who's giving birth in a field. Entrusted with the baby he sets off on a mission to give the baby to his father. When he reaches the village he meets some enemys and they fight. I think it's worth mentioning that you drift away from the weak story line because there are so ...
...That said this is kind of just another Zatoichi film in some respects as the characters quirks are present throughout, including but not limited to blocking stones thrown by an ever tormenting little boy and undressing a room full of blokes with swords. I wouldnt usually watch a film like this but I was previously blown away by the newest revision of Zatoichi (Yes the Special Edition - Steel Tinned one, wow), and so I went with it and I can say ... Read review

Advantages: Great martial art film with the master!
Disadvantages: Sad end

...powerful. Lee isnt going to enter the tournament but it approced by a government agent who tells Lee they are investigating Han for crimes linked to drugs and prostitution. They have no proof however and need Bruce to investigate whilst he is there. Bruce goes to the island and as you can expect there are many fights and Han ends up being a bad guy. The plot then may not be the most complex but it provides easy watching. The main reason to watch ...
...despite being is quite a lot of pain due to a recuring back problem. Bruce was very proud however and still did all his own stunts and many difficult fight scenes. Bruce was also challenged by the extras on the set, many of whom were actual chinese gang members. Im sure if Bruce had his way he would have fought them all but most of the time fights were dissolved quickly. Bruce also loved being involved in the camera work and the direction in general. ... Read review

Advantages: Funny, exciting, amazing, great popcorn flick.
Disadvantages: The story is a little hokey. Who cares?

This is a fantastic film, I'll say that now. If you are already a Martial-Arts movie fan, you should believe the hype. I actually took quite a while to get round to seeing this one, but that was because I hadn't seen a good martial arts flick since... Jackie Chan! I hate Seagal, and Van Damme only has one or two good films. So when I finally watched Ong-Bak: my faith in 'chop-socky' films was reaffirmed. Balletic, exciting, there's even a little ...
...fight scenes, and incredible acrobatic feats that you watch this one for. The 'pants on fire' moment blew me away! When I first watched Jackie Chan (I was very young at the time) I was filled with a 'wish I could do that' sense of awe. Watching this film I felt the same way, and that's rare now that I am at a very jaded age. Very little cinema leaves me feeling the way this film does. A must watch movie, especially if you have been to Thailand! (which ... Read review

Advantages: Tony Jaa...The Man Is Not Human
Disadvantages: Lack Of A Story

...does he do that?". With Ong Bak you see a breathtaking on screen debut from Tony Jaa and i guarentee you hav never seen a martial arts movie quite like this. The story line itself is very basic and predictable and really is just an excuse to showcase Jaa's rare talent, none the less you will be heavily entertained from start to finish. The co-stars also play a good part in the movie and are some what amusing and very clumsy. If you appreciate amazing ... Read review

Advantages: Very Captivating
Disadvantages: Hero dies

This movie is a masterpiece. If you have fascination with the eastern arts, there is a lot of things in this movie that will be interesting to you. Its as if the director wanted you to experience the life of warriors. As opposed to kung fu movies where one guy has a quest and goes and kicks everyone's ass, this one is quite different. This movie has a very wide plot. Rivalry between two old generation warriors encompasses all the secondary stories ...
...other appended incidents. Very beautifully written script and perfect settings for such a tale. The one thing which by far stands out is the cinematography. You are going to be amazed. Its not very techno, when it comes to image capturing, like the matrix, but its the fully captured scene which communicates the values of what perhaps the Eastern cultures hold on to as a proud history that sets this movie apart. Because the way the characters speak ... Read review