News

Martial arts movies aren't usually known for their gripping stories, but a rare few of them can break the mold of the genre with genuinely fantastic narratives alongside gripping action. For the most part, martial arts movies are given a lot of leeway when it comes to their stories, with gripping hand-to-hand fight scenes being the primary draw for audiences of the genre. That being said, some of the best fight scenes in martial arts movie history come from films with brilliant narratives that compliment the action.

Martial arts movies with earnestly great stories come in multiple varieties. Often, the period setting of martial arts films allows for some fascinating political and cultural drama sprouting from the relevant movements or historical events of the time they take place in. In other cases, lovingly choreographed action is used as an emotional vessel for two characters to hash out their relationship, mirroring...

Heads up film aficionados and collectors, The Criterion Collection's flash sale is on for the next 24 hours with all discs at 50% off. From classics to must-have titles the collection features a variety of genres, directors, and foreign language films. The collection includes new editions of Inland Empire, Last Hurrah for Chivalry, Hollywood Shuffle, Wall-e, and many more. For those who need help deciding from their vast collection, a curated guide will help choose from over 1,500 films on Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K Uhd.

The Criterion Collection: March 2023 DVD, Blu-ray, and 4K Ultra Releases — Many films are being released in March 2023 by The Criterion Collection. Some of these films are appearing within The Criterion Collection for the first time, on The Criterion Collection Blu-ray for the first time, and/or on The Criterion Collection 4K Ultra [...]

Continue reading: The Criterion Collection – March 2023 DVD, Blu-ray, & 4K Ultra Releases: Mildred Pierce, Inland Empire, Last Hurrah For Chivalry, & More...

Before inventing the “Heroic Bloodshed” genre in the 80’s, with films that shaped action cinema for decades, like “A Better Tomorrow” and “The Killer”, John Woo was directing martial-arts films for the two biggest studios in Hong Kong, Shaw Brothers and Golden Harvest, under the guidance of the great Chang Cheh. “Last Hurrah for Chivalry” in particular, was a testament to both his past, as the film functions as a tribute to his mentor, and his future, as one of the most important elements of the “Heroic Bloodshed”, male friendship/comradeship also has a central role here. Lastly, the main character Tsing Yi is an inspiration taken from the real-life assassin Jing Ke, who is historically remembered for his failed assassination attempt of Qin Shi Huang, and has “loaned” his story to a number of movies, including “The Emperor and the Assassin” and “Hero”.

The story begins...

Eureka Entertainment to release Last Hurrah For Chivalry & Hand Of Death: Two Films By John Woo, an essential pair of early films from one of the greatest action directors of all time, presented for the first time ever on Blu-ray in the UK in a 2-disc set taken from brand new 2K restorations. Released as part of the Eureka Classics range from 24 June 2019, the first 2000 copies will feature a Limited Edition Collector’s booklet.

A decade before he would change action filmmaking forever with “A Better Tomorrow” and “The Killer”, director John Woo was directing martial-arts films for the two biggest studios in Hong Kong, Shaw Brothers and Golden Harvest. Under the mentorship of the great Chang Cheh (“Five Deadly Venoms”), Woo began to develop his signature style, films that featured slick, stylish and often violent choreography, with dramatic plots that revolved around brotherhood, honour and redemption.

Synopsis

A decade before he would change action filmmaking forever with A Better Tomorrow and The Killer, director John Woo was directing martial-arts films for the two biggest studios in Hong Kong, Shaw Brothers and Golden Harvest. Under the mentorship of the great Chang Cheh (Five Deadly Venoms), Woo began to develop his signature style, films that featured slick, stylish and often violent choreography, with dramatic plots that revolved around brotherhood, honour and redemption. Presented here are two of his early works from this period.

In Last Hurrah for Chivalry, two killers (Wei Pai and Damian Lau) agree to help a man exact revenge upon a kung fu master. Woo’s first cinematic masterpiece, Last Hurrah for Chivalry is a dark and violent revenge film, featuring lightning fast swordplay and stylish cinematography.

In Hand of Death, a young Shaolin monk must train to defeat a dangerous Manchu...

Stars: David Bautista, Sienna Guillory, Uriah Shelton, Mark Chao, Francis Ng, Zha Ka, Kara Hui, Dakota Daulby | Written by Luc Besson, Robert Mark Kamen | Directed by Matthias Hoene

Filmed in 2015, The Warrior’s Gate sees Jack (Shelton), a bullied teenager mistaken for the video game hero he plays in his favourite game, magically transported to China, on a mission to save Su Lin, the princess he had been tasked with protecting. He teams with warrior Zhoo (Chao) and a flaky wizard (Ng) to stop the evil Arun (Bautista) from marrying the princess and get back home. ALong the way he learns bravery, inner strength and, of course, kung-fu!

The first in a three-picture deal between Luc Besson’s EuropaCorp and China’s Fundamental Films, The Warrior’s Gate is a French/Chinese co-production, written by long-time Besson collaborator Robert Mark Kamen (The Karate Kid, Lethal Weapon 3, The Transporter), helmed...

When I think of Wu Xia movies, I immediately think of Shaw Brothers and the many classic they have made over the years. What I love about this genre is many things, the Swordplay, The Characters, Story lines, Setting, Costumes and much more.

Wu Xia, traditionally is a form of literature. But after high demand over the years it’s become involoved in many art forms such as Movies, Opera, Video Games and beyond. This list of 30 Wu Xia movies listed, i hope you’ll like and want to thank my friend Richard Robinson for contributing to the list. If we missed any classics out, its most probably because we honestly forgot at that time or maybe we haven’t seen all the classic Wu Xia movies so far, anyway enjoy the list and let us know what you thought in the commen box at the bottom.

1.Have Sword Will Travel (1969)

Cast: David Chiang,...

Golden Harvest started in 1970, after Raymond Chow had left Shaw Brothers studios along with producer Leonard Ho and decided to start there own company and go up against the dominance of Shaw Brothers.

Shaw Brothers had been the leading studio for many years, showcasing legendary Directors, Actors and Marital Artists. Raymond Chow and Leonard Ho knew they had to come with something big and make a huge noise in the world of cinema and indeed they did just that. They made a few movies in 1971 such as The Angry River, Lady Whirlwind and One Armed Boxer. But one Actor stood out over the rest, showcasing his incredible talent for the first time in a big movie and his name was Bruce Lee. When the Big Boss premiered in Hong Kong, the audience cheered and mobbed Bruce after the movie had ended.

Raymond Chow and Bruce Lee

Also at this time...