The Boxer's Omen

I've seen a lot of freaky Asian cinema - and many of the strange horror/black magic stuff from the Phillipines and Indonesia makes your jaw drop but I must say, BOXER'S OMEN (or MO)has to be one of the weirdest if not THE weirdest films I've ever seen. There is a plot but it almost doesn't matter - just the mind-blowing action sequences are enough for you and your like-minded friends to enjoy. Demon bats, spiders, eels emerge from people's mouths, strange insects burrowing into people's openings, alligator's being cut open so a corpse can be laid inside to bring the dead soul back, man oh man. Now most of the effects are really cheesy and laughable but hey - this is almost 25 years ago! Then again, some of the effects are very EFFECTive - enough to make you gasp, while as I said, many will make you howl with laughter. Produced by The Shaw Brothers, who have made legendary kung-fu movies and such horrid big gorilla movies like Mighty Peking Man totally deliver the goods with this fun trainwreck of a movie - it's like David Lynch meets John Waters meets the Mystic Of Bali. The new DVD release is great - the print is spotless.

As if Jodorowsky met Coffin Joe in Hong Kong and decided to collaborate on a supernatural martial-arts action film. Filled to the brim with visual overload, mystical drama, Buddhist symoblism and dark supernatural atmosphere, this film follows the life of a boxer embroiled in a vengeful feud sparked by the brutal, nearly fatal beating of his brother in a sparring match. He is overwhelmed one night by a vision, an omen as it were, which ultimately leads him towards the realization of his own destiny that takes him along a path of spirituality and a quest for the power and inner peace that may free his lineage from an ages old curse. This scenario is used as a launching point for what is surely one of the most bizarre, chaotic & excessive Hong Kong flicks ever made. Most of the movies effects are obviously low budget but the rather excellent filmwork and audaciously gonzo, over-the-top nature of the imagery far than makes up for any budgetary restrictions. The indelibly weird vibe that permeates the film is, in fact, partially due to it's low-fidelity nature. Those familiar with the "Chinese Ghost Story" and similar fare will be familiar with the themes conjured up by these supernatural Hong Kong action flicks and may know what to expect. But those who are not should get ready for a pretty wild trip down a road full of wild twists of logic that lead through glowing supernatural vistas, magical terrorist attacks, flying eyeball creatures, and wild clashes with demonic entities and manifestations of all sorts. A crazy little nugget of a film that could even be an accidental masterpiece. At the very least, a unique cinematic experience that's probably like nothing else you've ever seen. Virtually impossible to track down and not, as far as I know, offically available. In spite of this, fans of offbeat & mondo cinema should do whatever they can to track this gem down.

This one's definitely one to see, just to say you've seen it. That's not to say you won't get something out of it, but it's weird… it's tremendously weird! It starts off predictably enough, with a revenge flick set-up, but soon goes off on superbly bizarre tangents involving flying heads, automaton Buddhas and tons of maggots and oodles of vomit. It seems that anything to do with magic also involves maggots and vomit.

A word of warning to people - like me - who like to try to psycho-analyse weird films, books etc.; don't try. Your head will hurt. The best thing to do when watching this, is just to let it wash over you.

A late Shaw oddity that has elements of a classic Shaw occult film but with qualities that are very un-Shaw like.

The plot is about a Hong Kong gangster discovering a supernatural connection with a deceased Thai monk after the monk's spirit saves him from an ambush from a rival gang. Ignoring the spirit's pleas, the gangster goes home to his beautiful (and frequently naked) girlfriend. The gangster then goes to Thailand to challenge a cheating Thai kickboxer who gravely hurt his best friend in a match. After disgorging a live Moray eel in a hotel, the gangster decides that it's a good time to find the temple that the monk resided in. The gangster learns that he was a twin brother to the dead monk in a previous life and therefore their lives are forever intertwined! The monk was about to achieve immortality but a crazy Thai dark warlock poisoned his eyes with spiders and the monk died. The gangster's life is at risk if he can't defeat the warlock and break the poison spider spell.

That's enough description. I can't begin to list the strangeness that occurs in this film. Lots of rubber animals, vomit eating wizards, talking corpses, a flying alien head that hatches from a giant pink slime egg, lots of butcher shop offal, maggots, bats, Buddhist monks and breasts pressed against windows, all in the same movie! The photography is very good at points sometimes much better than other Shaw films but then we are plunged into a typical Shaw scene of garish colored lights. The art direction is very, very good. The pacing is uneven but the weirdness keeps your attention. At one point the film stops to spend a few minutes showing crocodiles with no dialog and no warning. It's not so bad since you are actively trying to figure out what you are watching. The vomit eating and chewed food sharing scenes might be over the top for some people.

I enjoyed the film but I also realize that this might not be a shared reaction. You are warned.

Ko plays Xiong,out to avenge his brother,crippled in a kick-boxing fight by Bolo Yeung.His hallucinations lead him to a temple and his karmic twin priest;their fates are inextricably linked, and that's bad,since the priest was killed by a black magician.Xiong initially sceptical is eventually convinced-the graphic scene of eel-vomiting seems to do the trick - and agrees to become a monk in order to take on the forces of darkness and save both the priest's soul and his own.This surreal and completely over-the-top HK trashy horror flick has to be seen to be believed.The special effects are weak,however you will laugh until it hurts watching several totally weird moments.The action is fast and the film is loaded with hallucinatory imagery straight from Jodorovsky's works.9 out of 10 for sheer pleasure of watching this surreal madness.