INVISIBLE TARGET Movie & DVD Review

INVISIBLE TARGET (2007)

With a huge explosion, a bold heist in the middle of the day gets underway as a notorious criminal gang robs an armored truck in Hong Kong carrying millions. The bomb’s explosion and the ensuing firefight in the street leave scores wounded and several dead, including the fiancee of Detective Chan. After disappearing without a trace for six months, the gang returns just as mysteriously and begins killing those that were associated with the robbery. Chan, who has been patiently biding his time to get his revenge against the men responsible for his fiancee’s death, begins relentlessly pursuing the criminals through the underworld.

Meanwihle, a young rookie cop, Officer Wai, becomes caught up in the mess when it is discovered that his brother is now part of the murderous gang of thieves, and Inspector Carson lets the case get personal when the gang attacks his police division. Chan, Carson, and Wai create an unlikely and unbalanced alliance as they pursue the criminals, who they discover were double crossed after the robbery by the mastermind of the heist. The identity of the mastermind, who may just be a dirty cop, is unknown to even the gang’s leader, Tien, but he is going to discover who it is even if he has to destroy the entire police station to find out!

Read my full review on Geeks of Doom!

THE TIGER BLADE Movie & DVD Review

THE TIGER BLADE (2005)

When a highly synchronized jailbreak plan puts the heads of a powerful crime organization, as well as the rogue military leader of a neighboring nation, back on the streets of Bangkok, it is up to Yos, one of Thailand’s best police officers, to put them back behind bars. Together with his team of dedicated but not necessarily professional teammates, Yos begins tracking down the criminals, but soon discovers that the black magic they control makes them nigh-invincible and that only the mystical Tiger Blade is strong enough to strike them down.

Yos travels to a remote Buddhist temple, where the legendary sword is said to be hidden, and proves himself worthy of possessing the blade. With the weapon now in hand, Yos begins to make quick work of the wanted convicts and cuts them down in the streets. But as he works his way toward the psychotic leader Five Bullet Bandit, things take a personal turn when Yos’ family is attacked and he suspects there may be a traitor on the police force. The final straw comes when Yos’ teammate is taken captive and assaulted! Yos knows that the Five Bullet Bandit must be stopped no matter the cost, and draws his blade for one final confrontation to avenge those that have been wronged!

Read my full review at The DVD Lounge!

THE KILL POINT Television Series Review

THE KILL POINT (2007)

It was supposed to be a lightning quick and perfect bank robbery, as five military veterans lead by the codenamed Mr. Wolf (John Leguizamo) assault a Pittsburgh bank, steal the millions of dollars that have just been delivered, and head off into the sunset in the waiting getaway car. But when variables beyond their control foil their plot, they are forced to hole up inside the bank with the terrified hostages. As S.W.A.T. take their positions and await further instructions, so do the curious crowd and media reports take theirs. Amidst this confusion is Horst Cali (Donnie Wahlberg), a top-ranked negotiator who has never lost a hostage.

Wolf and Cali begin a methodical back and forth conversation, as each try to outsmart the other and anticipate the next move. But Cali's slow and easy approach as he tries to get one hostage out at a time becomes foiled when the FBI are brought in to expedite the procedure with a harsh no-nonsense plan to break down Mr. Wolf. Meanwhile, Pittsburgh mayor Alan Beck (Tobin Bell), whose daughter is one of the hostages, takes his own risky and very dangerous approach to ending matters and getting his daughter out alive. As the hours roll into days, tension and exhaustion begin to take their toll on all involved, it is only a matter of time before someone makes a fatal mistake.

Read my full review on Geeks Of Doom and pick it up on Amazon now!

THE OMEGA MAN Movie Review

THE OMEGA MAN (1971)

Two years after germ warfare exterminates the human population, Robert Neville believes he is the last human on Earth. But the germs have created an entire new race of mutants out of those that were infected but did not die. These creatures, who have taken on the properties of albinos and are extremely light sensitive, are forced to live in total darkness. By night, Robert fortifies himself in his home as he attempts to survive the mutants' daily assaults. But by day, Robert becomes the hunter, and speeds through the barren streets of Los Angeles looking for their den.

When Robert is captured by the mutants, he fears that this is the end for him. At the last minute, however, he is rescued by a group he never knew of before — an even smaller band of those who have been infected, but have not completely submitted to the alterations of the germ. These infected are still able to walk in daylight and have not been driven to madness. With this new revelation, Robert once again begins to work on a way to use his own immune blood to create a serum that will cure his new friends. But the clock is ticking and the mutants are growing ever stronger!

Read my full review at Geeks Of Doom!

TOKYO DRIFTER Movie Review

TOKYO DRIFTER (1966)

Tetsu is a reformed gangster who is still loyal to his boss, Kurata. Kurata is in debt, and when the rival Otsuku gang attempts to swindle Kurata office building away from him, Tetsu attempts to be a middle man, but things go wrong and two people involved wind up dead. Tetsu decides to take the blame, leaving Kurata in the clear, and heads off to northern Japan to lure away suspicion. But Otsuku knows that Tetsu must die if he is to stay free, and sends his henchmen to kill him. Tetsu evades them, and heads to southern Japan, but Otsuku's connections are wide, and he is found once again. This time though, it is Kurata who betrays Tetsu and makes the call to kill him. When Tetsu learns of his boss' betrayal, he returns to Tokyo to see for himself, and prepares for one final showdown.

Mention the name of director Seijun Suzuki, the mastermind behind this jazzy gangster drama, and you will most likely either get a blank inquisitive look or hear lavish praise. The man is like Japanese version of Roy Lichtenstein or Andy Warhol, who uses pop as art and vice versa as he splashes bright colored sets and costumes, flashy (for the time) camerawork, and over-the-top melodrama across his silver screen canvas. Suzuki sees cinema differently then most do, but as a mere "hired gun" for Nikkatsu Studios, had to make due with slipping his unique ideas into his previous outings for them. These playful uses with light and with the characters did not go unnoticed, and for this picture he was commanded to play it straight. Instead he went even further than he did before.

In the world of TOKYO DRIFTER, the criminals wear red and blue suits that would not be uncommon in a Dick Tracy comic, and sunglasses that are never removed. Dance clubs, seedy dives, apartments and offices are all drench in color, not from paint, but from some mysterious and unknown light source, that change with the mood of the scene. In this world, not only does the actor who portrays Tetsu sing the haunting and melodic theme ballad, but the character Tetsu knows the theme, and hums it to himself incessantly. In this world, there is always someone who pops up at just the right moment to watch your back, whether it be just after the cuffs are slapped on, or in the middle of a brawl that takes place in, where else, but the Saloon Western, a bar styled with swinging doors, breakaway chairs, and burlesque dancers.

The opening and closing scenes of TOKYO DRIFTER are particular dissecting, which will help to note the depth that Suzuki intended, and that the color and style was meant to go beyond just 60's bubblegum pop inspiration. The opening sequence is filmed in gritty black and white, still a staple in cinema at the time, especially for lower budget b-movies. But within this scene are two flashes of color, before bursting into the full-color title sequence, as if to say the film is shaking of traditional black and white convictions. In the final shootout in a club, literally everything is white (which is the color of death in Japanese culture), and Tetsu has also changed into a white suit, which portrays Tetsu as not only the death of his rivals, but also that Tetsu has accepted that he is figuratively dead as well, and now with no place to call home is doomed to wander forever.

Suzuki and writer Yasunori Kawauchi attempted to inject the dying yakuza code within its characters, allowing those that still followed honor, loyalty gratefulness and forgiveness the chance to live, while punishing those who would betray, scheme, and undermine with death, all hidden beneath what would become trademark stylings. However, Nikkatsu Studios didn't see it that way when they were given a picture that they didn't know how to market. Suzuki went on to make two more pictures for them, before being fired for ignoring the studio's demands and continuing to make, in their words, incomprehensible movies. Incomprehensible? Hardly. It just took a few years for everyone to catch up with him.

DRAGON HEAT Movie & DVD Review

DRAGON HEAT
(aka DRAGON SQUAD) (2005)

When Panther Duen is apprehended and brought to justice, an international team of special agents are brought to Hong Kong to testify against him. During his transport to trial, Panther's police caravan is attacked, and in a military-style ambush, Panther is taken away. While at first it is thought that it was his triad who saved him, it becomes clear after inspecting the attack style and the aftermath in the criminal underground that Panther has been abducted instead. The agents that were only brought in to testify have now teamed up and storm the streets to figure out who is behind the brutal attacks. Commander Hon (Simon Yam) offers all the police back up he can, while Kong Long (Sammo Hung), who has been demoted to transportation supervisor, offers the team advice on what they are going up against. And what they are going up against is a team of ruthless mercenaries who will stop at nothing to collect the money that is owed them.

For pure balls-to-the-wall action that is going to satisfy your need for hails of bullets, there is still no other source more reputable than Hong Kong to turn to. Even in this day, where current films must live in the shadows of their predecessors, Hong Kong can still deliver the goods. Director and writer Daniel Lee, who was the force behind mid-nineties martial arts fare such as ONE-ARMED SWORDSMAN '94 and BLACK MASK starring Jet Li, now focuses his lens and pen on the cops-n-criminals bullet fest genre. [Read My Full Review At Geeks Of Doom]

Johnnie To's EXILED Review

EXILED (2006)

When Wo is discovered to be living in Macao, Boss Fay orders Blaze to kill him. Wo once attempted to assassinate Fay, and now he must pay the price. But Blaze and Wo were once friends, and Blaze is unable to pull off the job. Even more so, his friend Tai has pleaded for Blaze to spare Wo’s life. These three, along with their gangster friends Cat and Fat, conspire to pull off a highly risky assassination job of Boss Keung, and intend to give the money they earn from it to hide away Wo and his family. Their plot to kill Keung is quite tricky, and even the slightest deviation from their plan will alert Fay, and bring his henchmen down on them. And on top of all this, the clock is slowly counting down to the handover of Macao to the Chinese government, their lives and fates are up in the air as to what the future holds.

For fans of Hong Kong action with knowledge that goes past John Woo and Chow Yun-Fat, you have only to look at the laundry list of talent attached to this film to know that it will succeed on every level. Johnnie To directs, through his Milky Way Image production company. The script comes from the pen of two writers whose previous scripts include EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED, A HERO NEVER DIES, and BREAKING NEWS. And the cast is a perfect assortment of Hong Kong's classic gangster actors including Anthony Wong, Simon Yam, Francis Ng, Lam Suet, and Roy Cheung, which coincidentally is most of the main cast for Johnnie To's classic THE MISSION. [Read My Full Review at Geeks Of Doom]

EL MARIACHI Review

EL MARIACHI (1992)

Out of the desert and into a small Mexican town roams a down-on-his-luck guitar player, seeking out his destiny to continue the family tradition of being a mariachi. But as fate would have it, the black-clad, guitar carrying mariachi bears the same trademarks as a local crime figure, who is being hunted down by his rivals. The Mariachi quickly becomes the target of the shoot-first-don't-bother-asking hitmen who only know that they are looking for someone carrying a guitar case. But when the Mariachi also comes into possession of some guns, it becomes a Mexican stand-off of epic proportions!

Robert Rodriguez's debut film came out of nowhere in the early nineties and became caught up in a storm of movie festivals and praised by basically anyone who laid eyes on it. Originally shot for Mexico's direct-to-video market, it was quite apparent that there was something much more going on here than simply a low-budget quickie actioner. And no sooner than the film discovered than the stories and rumors circulating about Rodriguez's insane fundraising ploy (he became a lab guinea pig for a month), the actual production costs. In an age before digital cameras and home computer moving editing equipment, Rodriguez's name became synonymous with the late 80's / early 90's DIY filmmaking firestorm that was sweeping America and ushering in the directors and writers that would help close out the decade.

Looking back at EL MARIACHI, Rodriguez's trademark energy and excitement that he instills in any project he touches can already be seen breaking out and maturing during the film's short eighty minute running time. Via camera flourishes, quick-but-steady editing, a simple storyline that is easy to follow and rally behind, and some wicked jaw-dropping action sequences, Rodriguez spins a tale that had action junkies reaching for their remote and rewinding their favorite bus-jumping-on, blood-squib-bursting, hand-being-shot-through scenes again and again.

As much as this is Rodriguez' baby - he practically did everything himself, which lead to him being dubbed "the rebel without a crew" - it is the face of El Mariachi, Carlos Gallardo, that really help sells the film. Gallardo's boyish and innocent face, and his slightly messed up curly hair, paints the portrait of a man who goes to great lengths to stay out of trouble and just wants to play music. Gallardo really gets behind his character, and really enjoys being the characters. His physical change is painful to watch, as the confused and mistaken nameless mariachi realizes his life has basically been destroyed, and in order to survive must unwillingly transform the gun-toting vengeful El Mariachi.

EL MARIACHI's international success of course lead to the big-budget sequel/re-do DESPERADO which fully lionized him into the hearts of over-the-top action fans, the SPY KIDS trilogy, and SIN CITY among others. He continues to stay the course as the rebel without a crew, shooting, editing, scoring, and producing via his Troublemaker Studios. But it is here, in a movie that he made as "practice", that Rodriguez's lays bare his cinematic soul for anyone willing to take a peek. Right here, in a dirty and grainy Spanish language flick that was never meant to get beyond the shelves of Mexican video stores, the true heart of what being a filmmaker is beats to sound of machine gun firing and chord strumming, and waits for you to request a song.

JOINT SECURITY AREA Review

JOINT SECURITY AREA (2000)

Three days after a firefight that leaves two soldiers dead in the De-Militarized Zone that separates North Korea and South Korea, Sgt. Jean, a Korean who grew up in Switzerland and is now part of the Neutral Nations Security Council is sent to investigate and hopefully clear up a potentially devastating event. Within the DMZ, she meets survivors Sgt. Lee of the South and Sgt. Oh of the North. They both give RASHOMON-esque different tales of the events that transpired, and Jean realizes that she has a very tough job ahead of her. She begins to pour over the evidence for the truth, while the reality is that everyone just wants this brushed under the rug.

From here, time is flashbacked six months ago. Here it is learned that Lee and Oh, who both guard their nation's respective posts on opposite sides of a small river, have become friends, and secretly meet in the shadows of night as brothers and comrades. Along with them are North Korean soldier Jung and South Korean soldier Nam, who have joined in the intimate circle. They tell war stories, drink to unity, and in the wee hours, Korea becomes reunified once again. However, as the dates slip away, the unavoidable conflict comes closer and closer and the truth behind the events will finally be revealed.

Two years before director and writer Park Chan-Wook became an international name to be reckoned with upon the release of SYMPATHY FOR MR. VENGEANCE, this love letter to the people of the Korean peninsula became one of the highest grossing films for 2000. Even to Westerners, who may only have a fleeting knowledge of the two countries' history over the past fifty-odd years since it was divided in two, will be able to easily understand the pressure that is mounted on the main characters here. The closest hypothetical example that could be compared would be if two families on opposite sides of the Mason-Dixie line were to meet in the spirit of American brotherhood during the Civil War.

Through both symbolic cinematic framing, Park is able to convey how a simple line in the middle of the bridge can be a razor-sharp blade that has cut a country in two. Great pains are taken throughout the movie to show symmetric imagery, with half the screen representing the North and the other the South. And while it is obvious that the cut has been made, what is not always represented is which side is which. This is set up on purpose obviously, to show just how similar the two countries are, and that if they could only set aside their political differences, Korea could once again become whole.

Both Lee and Oh give monologues on brotherhood and how the same Korean blood runs through their veins. Lee presents gifts of music, sweets, and pornography to his Northern brethren, while Oh instills a sense of military honor and loyalty, and what it means to be a soldier that was somewhat lacking in Lee combat philosophy. The finest moment in JOINT SECURITY AREA, which wraps up the entire message of the film, is when a photograph is taken of the soldiers. They are in their respective uniforms, but have exchanged hats, and come closer and closer together within the frame until a photograph of Kim Jong-Il in the background is blocked by their heads. Let that image soak in for a moment.

Park Chan-Wook is not purely to thank for this message of ethnic unity. The conviction and professionalism of all the actors involved is what really sells the film. Lee Byung-Hun, who would later reunite with Park for his segment of THREE: EXTREMES, plays Sgt. Lee. Song Kang-Ho, who later takes of up the role of "Mr. Vengeance", is Sgt. Oh. Lee Young-Ae, would go on to take up the "Lady Vengeance" role, is Sgt. Jean. Together these three, who represent three factions of ideals, bring out emotional performances that verge on tear-jerking, as their characters attempt to deal with their ethnic division.

Even with the completion of the VENGEANCE TRILOGY and Park's now international recognition, JOINT SECURITY AREA seems to still elude the general populous as even existing. Though it appears that the film is available on Netflix, the film criminally has still not received a proper domestic release. Perhaps any potential distributor feels people will not be able to connect to the film? That foreign history and military policy will be too tough to understand? That the subtle and slight tinges against the American military within the film will turn off the viewer? It is a sad day indeed if these are the reasons to keep this film hidden away, for anyone with a heart and soul who is exposed to the film will find a connection, and be able to interpret the film's overriding message to coincide with basically any conflict they've dealt with, for it is conflict that paradoxly unites all humans.

DJANGO (1966) Movie Review

DJANGO (1966)

When Django, a lone gunslinger who drags a coffin behind him, rescues a woman from being attacked by bandits, he sets himself up at odds with the merciless desperados. After the encounter, he wanders into a desolate, dirty, and muddy town that can only be describe as physically looking like Hell on earth. He soon discovers that the bandits he previously encountered also have the town under their thumb, and Django acts in the only way he can - with a gravely-voiced wit and violence. The townspeople, in a strange turn of events, try to stop Django from saving them, but his mind has been made up, and even if it means killing every bandit and allowing innocents to die in the crossfire, he will accomplish his goal.

In the wake of A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS, the European movie market became a monster with an insatiable appetite for spaghetti westerns. Production companies were spitting out rip-offs of Sergio Leone's work as fast as they could get the film negatives processed. Then, a director named Sergio Corbucci set off to Spain with a young actor named Franco Nero who would play the title character, and brought back to his homeland of Italy a spaghetti western that would completely change the expectations of the sub-genre.

At its heart, DJANGO is nothing more than another rip-off of A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS (and thus a remake/rip-off of Kurosawa's YOJIMBO), as a lone wanderer happens into a corrupted town, through trickery and bloodshed kills the oppressors, and then wanders off again. However, what makes DJANGO stand out is its much darker tone, a gritty style that is as much a product of the film stock as it is the actual sets and characters, and the shocking graphic violence for the time. Innocents are brutally gunned down, a hapless ear is sliced off, and in a grueling sequence Django's hands are trampled and crushed by horses.

Franco Nero, whose performance would create an iconic character symbolic of spaghetti westerns, may just be rehashing the stoic and squinting Man With No Name previously brought to the screen by Clint Eastwood, but there is something about the way he does rehash it that makes him a more "dangerous" character. While the Man With No Name may have tried to act hard, he was a hero and just at heart. Here, Django's vision of good deeds, heroics, and bravado are twisted and skewed, and even cowardly. Perhaps it is these elements that caught the public's eye, and caused what can only be described as an insane amount of unofficial sequels featuring the character of Django (none actually played by Franco Nero) and even more spaghetti westerns being rechristened with the Django moniker depending on where they would be exported, even if Django wasn't even in the movie! Nero would make one official sequel, 1987's DJANGO STRIKES AGAIN, which also starred Donald Pleasence.

Corbucci, who also wrote the story and screenplay, brings several crucial, genre defining sequences to the screen in DJANGO, which have been stolen, reused countless times since. Those include the sequence in which Django faces off against the entire group of bandits armed with a machine gun, a heartwrenching sequence featuring quicksand, and the all-important final shoot-out, where Django coaxes the bandit leader into a graveyard. This scene in particular is symbolic of where Django feels most comfortable, and his acceptance of death as both an ally and enemy. This downbeat embrace of death is also an element that would make DJANGO stand out against its cookie-cutter competition.

In America, save for the die-hard and dedicated fans, spaghetti westerns basically begin with and end with Sergio Leone's output. And agreeably, for the casual fan this is enough as Leone's work morphed the sub-genre to what we know it and remember it as today, and has unequivocally defined it major themes, character arcs and storylines. For the adventurous and curious western fan though, DJANGO is an excellent place to start diving into the rich and abundant amount of films that were churned out in the heyday of the spaghetti western.

THE BOONDOCK SAINTS (1999) Movie Review

THE BOONDOCK SAINTS (1999)

On Saint Patrick's Day, in a South Boston bar, two Irish brothers, Connor and Murphy, are having a few rounds with their friends, when a few Russian mafia soldiers step in and threaten the good time. The next morning, FBI agent Paul Smecker (Willem Dafoe) is brought in to investigate two dead Russian mafia soldiers found in an alley. As he makes his way through the evidence, almost clairvoyantly piecing together what happened, he is unaware that Connor and Murphy, who until the previous night were just meat packers, have taken the spontaneous barfight as a message from God, to begin a vengeful elimination of the evil men in the world, starting with Boston's criminal underground.

With help from their friend Rocco, a low level delivery boy in the Italian mob who has just been betrayed by his boss, the two brothers begin to target the higher-ups. Italain boss Poppa Joe, who now fears for his life, calls in Il Duce (Scottish comedian Billy Connolly in a chilling reverse typecast) a merciless killer who has just been released from jail to eliminate the two brothers. All the while, Smecker, who has finally figured out who his mysterious killers are, becomes torn between upholding the law or standing aside to let the two brothers continue to purge the city of villains.

Seven years before Martin Scorcese took a baseball bat to the kneecaps of South Boston's ethnic organized crime syndicates, an unknown writer and director, Troy Duffy, gave it a few good pistol whips with this debut film (and at the time of this writing, his only movie). Unfortunately, as the film was being prepared to be released, two brats in Colorado decided it would be a good idea to storm their school armed to their teeth with guns. In the ensuing aftermath, THE BOONDOCK SAINTS was practically shelved due to its graphic violence and vengeful themes. The film was released quietly on a few screens, and then dumped onto DVD almost three years later. For lesser films, this would be its final death toll. However, great films will find their audience no matter the circumstances, and after several years of churning in the waters and building up word-of-mouth, this movie has found its embracing audience.

Troy Duffy, along with some helpful flare from b-movie cinematographer Adam Kane, brings to life some unusual characters in some very unusual circumstances, which play out in a stylish and non-linear timeline, that seems new and exciting even in the midst of the "Tarantino-influenced" 90's crime-action movie glut. Much of this credit though is due, not from the time-jumping itself, but from the performance from supporting actor Willem Dafoe, whose FBI character Smecker is tracking the citywide crime syndicate slayings. The movie follows a back and forth pattern, as it chronicles the two brothers up until just before they begin their rampage. Time then jumps forward to the aftermath, where Smecker deduces what he believes has happened. It then jumps back in time and divulges what actually happened. It is an interesting timeframe setup, made all the more enjoyable by Dafoe, whose already off-kilter Smecker slowly creeps into absurdity as he attempts to piece together the increasingly bizarre crime scene.

While Dafoe does steal the show here, the two main heroes, Connor and Murphy, played by Sean Patrick Flanery (of THE ADVENTURES OF YOUNG INDIANA JONES fame) and Norman Reedus pull off a commendable job as the two lovable, multi-lingual Catholic killers, who eloquently quote the bible scripture, Irish family prayers they are given, and portray a brotherly love and bond that most siblings would be jealous of. Their devilish good looks may also get some of the more squeamish female viewers through the graphic violence, which delivers in spades. The rest of the cast is pulled right out of every other mob movie made in the past twenty years. They know their lot in movie acting and do a fine job a cannon fodder. Also, keep an eye out for the Hedgehog himself, Ron Jeremy, in a brief cameo.

Beneath the surface layer of the brutal, yet somehow beautiful, action and the splattering of blood that is the very essence and base for the argument against glorified violence, lies an even more dangerous open-ended question that will be inescapable for even the most casual viewer of the film - can there be justifiable homicide? Wrath, being your reviewer's favorite sin, and the judgment of God plays a key role in the brothers' decision to do what they do, and when a loose code of honor is created amongst the two to murder only bad guys, it creates an additional layer of questioning. The film is smart in that it does not try to answer the question, and even puts doubt within Connor and Murphy even as they release soul after soul to the afterlife. In a post-script to the film, under the closing credits, passer-bys on the street are asked what they think of the media dubbed Saints, which range from placing them on pedestals to condemning them to damnation. Within the film broad strokes are made for both sides of the argument, and it'll be up to you to put the fine touches on the canvas.