Ottilia

First of all, this film is a sequel to Hitokiri (1969). Thats one of the classic Samurai swordfighting films with very fast action scenes thats still better than much we get to see today.

"Izo" starts where the first film ended. The protagonist is crucified for his crimes that he committed as a hired terrorist in the service of those who tried to restore the old regime.

But he finds himself alive again, at first not understanding that he has taken on a demonic existence because his soul cannot rest and he must descend through the layers of hell in full consciousness.

Following his motto from the first film, "Divine punishment", he sets out to take revenge on the world and on the gods for getting him into this whole mess.

This film may be another blood bath, but the philosophical content is also enormous. Miike film-making at its very best, another no-budget production whose profundity may give the watcher stuff to think about for years.

Finally a real HK film again that is meant to appeal to a local and young audience.

A former Triad hit-man is trying to go clean but of course it doesn't work. The story builds up nicely to the finale with a very righteous revenge trip by the excellent Jordan Chan. A sea of CGI blood and cartoon intercuts make this a surprisingly stylish affair with the traditional colored lighting only adding value to the premise. Wong Tin Lam is in great shape and we get to see another gangster election headed by the producer's father, too.

As far as Wong Jing films go, this one is certainly one his better projects and shows that HK cinema isn't dead quite yet.

This is the film from which Tarantino copied the idea of mutilating someone's ear for a bit of a shocker effect. The film chronicles the career of the "O gang", a bunch of Mainland Chinese who hope to make some superfast bucks during a few days of illegal stay in the crown colony.

Things start to go in the wrong direction for them even before they can cross the border, however and the gang makes a conscious effort to defeat the odds through camaraderie and loyalty. They loudly profess their love of freedom and one wonders if these are in fact hardened criminals or clueless country potatoes. They definitely are clueless towards their impending downward spiral that continues with a double cross from a local mobster, while they have to wait for their targeted jewelery shop to re-open after someone else's robbery.

This film has it all, gratuitous violence that was all but impossible for western cinema back then. Very funny and absurd tales of country boys vs the HK redlight district. Now historic Hong Kong footage from the walled city ghetto, where the gang takes refuge in an underground clinic and is drawn into a superbly staged final shootout.

A classic tale of male and criminal self-destruction, told in an early superlow-budget HK film from a bygone era.