Movies from the continent (9 titles)

Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon

Superb in every way, a must see for anyone, it has a great cast and satisfies every film critic. But it has to be said, if you're not keen on people flying with the aid of string, expect some of this in Crouching tiger. I actually quite like this aspect myself - so top marks, 5 stars

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• Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon on DVD (2000)
  Starring: Chow Yun Fat,  Michelle Yeoh,  Zhang Ziyi
  Director: Ang Lee
  Certificate:
  Known for making films about familial relationships, director Ang Lee surprised everyone with his martial arts epic CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON. Based on a novel by Wang Du Lu, CROUCHING TIGER starts with the revenge plot common in the wuxia stories that Lee loved as a child, then adds a ..read more »
  
  Rate this: 70% from 38,355 members

The Host

This Korean movie has black comedy to an art form. It's jaws meets jarasic park meets ace ventura pet detective! Love it.

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• The Host on DVD (2006)
  Starring: Song Kang-ho,  Bae Du-na,  Bae Du-Na
  Director: Bong Joon-ho
  Certificate:
  The Park family seem to lead a quite ordinary and peaceful life; well, maybe a little poorer than the average Seoul citizens. Park Hee-bong (played by Byun Hee-bong) is a man in his late 60s running a small snack bar on the banks of the Seoul's Han River and, living with his two sons, daughter and ..read more »
  
  Rate this: 61% from 13,814 members

Hero

Martail arts beautifully portrayed to be exactly what it says on the tin... an art form. It is a story of love and hate, based on an actual historical time in china when china was split into rival countries and the struggle to reunite it. With fancy camera work, fighting scenes, romance and a pretty use of colours and art, this is one of my all time favourite films.

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  • our price: £6.93
• Hero on DVD (2002)
  Starring: Jet Li,  Maggie Cheung,  Ziyi Zhang
  Director: Yimou Zhang
  Certificate:
  Jet Li stars in this Academy Award-nominated martial-arts masterpiece takes place amidst the turmoil of China's "Warring States" period. An orphan fighter (Jet Li) presents himself to an avaricious king, bearing the weapons of three assassins (Donny Yen, Maggie Cheung and Tony Leung) in exchange ..read more »
  
  Rate this: 64% from 53,681 members

House Of Flying Daggers

Another film made by the talented Zhang Yimou, the director of Hero. Please see my portrayal of Hero, as they are similar in basic description. The difference being narrowed down from rival countries to rival factions. Chinese government officialls attempting to put down the rebal group naming themselves "The House of Flying Daggers". A very good movie, but doesn't live up to the greatness of Hero.

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  • our price: £5.43
• House Of Flying Daggers on DVD (2004)
  Starring: Andy Lau,  Ziyi Zhang,  Takeshi Kaneshiro
  Director: Yimou Zhang
  Certificate:
  Near the end of the Tang Dynasty, police deputies Jin (Kaneshiro) and Leo (Lau) tangle with Mei (Zhang), a dancer suspected of having ties to a revolutionary faction known as the House of Flying Daggers. Enraptured by her, the deputies concoct a plan to save her from capture, and Jin leads her ..read more »
  
  Rate this: 68% from 60,892 members

Ong Bak

A treasured and priceless tai artifact has been stolen from a small tai village by urban gangsters, Tony Jaa to the rescue! This butt kicking, air diving tai boxing master lets no one stand in his way... a pretty good martail arts movie, that does not disappoint with its entertainment factor.

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• Ong Bak on DVD (2003)
  Starring: Tony Jaa,  Petchtai Wongkamlao,  Pumwaree Yodkamol
  Director: Prachya Pinkaew
  Certificate:
  When the head of a statue sacred to a village is stolen, a young martial artist goes to the big city and finds himself taking on the underworld to retrieve it.
  
  Rate this: 70% from 20,026 members

Warrior King

Another one of Tony Jaa's all-out bone crunching no holds bard Tai-bo movies. It wasn't long for a successor to his pilot movie "Ong-Bak" to be released, but already you notice that the budget is far heftier. Tony Jaa still does his own technical stunts (Jackie Chan? Eat your heart out) which are fast paced and jaw dropping - I also noticed huge ongoing filming also, meaning Jaa easily went through 50 men in the space of 4-5 mins without a cut! Just Extraordinary, you could actually see the man genuinely gasping for breath and sweating his gonads off! Unfortunately, there are draw backs. I think Warrior King was trying to go too hollywood, and a lot of the acting by the Aussies were just cringingly painful to watch... but still it was a success in my books, it is after all a martial arts movie, and one with a plot that was actually moving. Not quite as good as Ong-Bak, but brilliant effort.

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  • our price: £4.43
• Warrior King on DVD
  Starring: Tony Jaa,  Petchtai Wongkamlao,  Bongkoj Khongmalai
  Director: Prachya Pinkaew
  Certificate:
  When a mafia syndicate based in Australia steal Kham's (Tony Jaa, ONG-BAK) beloved elephants from him in Thailand, he travels to Australia to get them back, taking out anyone in his path. The elephants were being prepared to be presented by Kham's family to his Majesty the King of Thailand as a ..read more »
  
  Rate this: 70% from 6,536 members

Kung Fu Hustle

This one is both hilarious and a martial arts butt kicking fest! Stephen Chow made an excellent "it's got it all" movie with Kung Fu Hustle. It's set in china, but I hear it wasn't actually filmed in china for some reason, you really can't tell while watching it. It's basically about 2 idiot drop outs with a dream of becoming rich and powerfull. There are sub-plots firing off in every direction, but not in a confusing way... I hope that makes sense! The comical factor sticks out the most in my opinion, a fantastic film.

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• Kung Fu Hustle on DVD (2005)
  Starring: Stephen Chow,  Wah Yuen,  Qiu Yuen
  Director: Stephen Chow
  Certificate:
  In Shanghai, China in the 1940s, a wannabe gangster aspires to join the notorious "Axe Gang" while residents of a housing complex exhibit extraordinary powers in defending their turf.
  
  Rate this: 68% from 26,843 members

Night Watch

Set and filmed in Russia, the best way to describe this one is fantasy/horror, it's about the hidden struggle between the light and the dark "others", not really human and not really demon, but kind of half way. Each "other" has their own special ability (e.g vampirism for some "dark others"). The night watch are "light others" that protect human kind from the "Dark others" at night... and visa versa vis a vie the Day Watch. A good film, but lacking greatness.

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• Night Watch on DVD (2004)
  Starring: Konstantin Khabensky,  Vladimir Menshov,  Valeri Zolotukhin
  Director: Timour Bekmambetov,  Timur Bekmambetov
  Certificate:
  Set in contemporary Moscow, Night Watch (Nochnoi Dozor) uncovers the other-world battle that upholds a 1000-year-old truce between the forces of Light and the forces of Darkness. For centuries, the undercover members of the Night Watch have policed the world's Dark Ones - the vampires, witches, ..read more »
  
  Rate this: 59% from 27,998 members

Casshern

I really don't know what to say, jaw dropping! This movie carries a blatant message of anti-war, which I admire hugely. Set in futuristic japan, done with a beautiful merging of camera and CGI work, makes Casshern very unique in style. The love between a soldier and his old school sweetheart is well portrayed as being literally indestructible, with twists all over the place. Make yourself comfortable, preferably with your feet up, as this is a lengthy one, and can be confusing in places. Great movie.

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  • our price: £4.93
• Casshern on DVD (2004)
  Starring: Yusuke Iseya,  Kumiko Aso,  Akira Terao
  Director: Kazuaki Kiriya
  Certificate:
  Set in a bleak futuristic world, Doctor Azuma applies his knowledge of genetics to attempt to regenerate mankind. When his experiments go drastically wrong, only his dead son can save humanity from a plague of mutant androids.
  
  Rate this: 52% from 5,973 members

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