Fearless: Director's Cut (R3) (141 min)

Synopsis:

Fearless follows the life of Huo Yuanjia (1867-1909), founder of the Jing Wu Sports Federation. Apart from the gripping plot, partly historical and partly fabricated, the film also demonstrates great creativity in its action scenes. Rarely does a movie show contests between Chinese Kung-fu and Japanese Judo or Thai boxing, but Fearless will show you all these, with every scene carefully choreographed, plus more! The film's exploration into the spirit beneath Chinese martial arts, which is as significant as the stunning actions, distinguishes Fearless from ordinary Kung-fu movies. Jet Li will show fans the real meaning of Chinese martial arts, and why true heroes are Fearless.

Mini-Review:

I have to say "WOW!” This felt like a whole different movie than the theatrical release. With more than 30 minutes added back in, it makes a BIG difference. And, I liked the theatrical version, but this just makes it that much better. Not all directors’ cuts do that.

The opening scene is new, and it stars Michelle Yeoh. It is present day, and she is talking to a group of people about adding Wushu as an Olympic sport. Then we go to the story, when Jet Li's character (Huo Yuanjia) is a kid.

There are a few new scenes when he is a kid. There is a pretty cool fight scene with a Thai boxer. But, the main difference is the story. They show so much more about Huo Yuanjia's fall and rise. This for me, made the film much more interesting and believable.

If you have not seen Fearless yet (where have you been?), then I say do not waste your time with the theatrical version. Just see this version. It's the way it was meant to be seen. The DVD is Region 3, so you will need to have a Region-free DVD Player. If you don't, you should not be reading this blog! :)-

The Video (New HD transfer) and DTS audio are awesome! The action scenes will use your subwoofer and pack a PUNCH! The subtitles were really good as well.

Overall, this is the definitive version of this great film!

Rating: Keeper

CROSE

Fatal Contact DVD Review

Synopsis:

Wu Jing returns with more vigorous action in Fatal Contact after his stunning performance in SPL. The film also stars Ronald Cheng, whose comedian talent helps spice up this hard-boiled action movie directed by Dennis Law. After two youth films The Unusual Youth and Love @ First Note, Law shifts to the action genre for his third feature-length movie. Fatal Contact takes its viewers into the underground world of illegal boxing, a violent and merciless arena where one has to fight in order to simply survive. The top-notch action in the numerous martial arts sequences will surely keep the audience entertained.

Wu Jing excels in his role as the martial arts champion Kong who participates in underground boxing under his friend Siu Tin's (Miki Yeung of Cookies) encouragement. There he meets Captain (Ronald Cheng), an apparently good-for-nothing gangster who has actually concealed his real capabilities. While Kong repeatedly wins the matches in these illegal tournaments, a triad leader who runs another boxing circuit gets annoyed and finds a martial arts master to beat Kong. A life-and-death boxing game is about to begin...

Mini-Review:

This film stars Wu Jing. You will remember him as the blond-haired knife wielding bad ass in S.P.L. (Sha Po Lang). This was one of my favorite fights in S.P.L.. Donnie Yen and Wu Jing going all out on each other! I knew I would see more of this guy in the future. So, when I read a review about Fatal Contact, and realized this was his first lead role, I had to check it out.

The film starts off kind of slow, and the acting is pretty uncomfortable. They introduce the presumed love interest, but you can tell right away something is off. I don't want to go into to much, but that part of the film is annoying, until the end. Then you understand, kind of.

The film revolves around underground boxing. Wu Jing's character reluctantly gets involved for money and the presumed love interest. The fight scenes are great. You can really tell this guy has talent. I counted around 6 good fights. All were well choreographed, and sometimes brutal.

The DTS audio was awesome. Great base was used for the fights, and that's what I liked. The subtitles were good from what I could tell. They could have been saying something completely different, and I wouldn't know. 0_o

Overall, I am glad I watched the film. I can't wait to see more of Wu Jing in the future. The ending is not expected, and I usually like that. In this case though, I really didn't. It messed up the rest of the film for me.

Rating = Rental

CROSE

Exiled (R3) DVD Review

Synopsis:

After the hugely popular Election series, Johnnie To offers Exiled, another astounding piece depicting triad characters. The film was rumored as the sequel to To's acclaimed The Mission which features the same cast and a similar situation of brotherhood running into conflicts with triad regulations. Simon Yam, Anthony Wong, Francis Ng, Roy Cheung, and Lam Suet from The Mission return to team up with Nick Cheung, who has gained much acting experience through his supporting roles in Johnnie To movies like Breaking News and Election.

Wo (Nick Cheung), a gangster who went into exile for a few years after attempting to kill Boss Fay (Simon Yam), returns to Macau with his wife (Josie Ho) and their newborn baby, hoping to settle down. There he meets his four friends, two commissioned by Boss Fay to kill him and the other two coming to aid him. The five hitmen open the film with a carefully designed gunfight that brings out both enormous tension and peculiar elegance. The brilliantly choreographed gunplay in Exiled promises to offer a stunning experience.

Apart from the action, Johnnie To's strength lies in bringing out the humane side of the action heroes, who in this film are doomed to be Exiled with their buddies. The strong bond among them simultaneously manifests in hard-boiled masculinity and sentimental emotions, a theme that is apparently contradictory but indeed recurs in many acclaimed Hong Kong action movies. From John Woo's A Better Tomorrow to Johnnie To's The Mission and Exiled, the alliance among action heroes remains a fascinating subject in Hong Kong cinema.

Mini-Review:

I have been waiting for Exiled to come out for along time. It is billed as The Mission 2. The Mission and Full-Time Killer are the movies that made me a Johnnie To fan. Over the years, I realized that as a director, he is pretty hit or miss. But, when he’s on, HE’S ON!

I heard rumblings about this movie being made a couple of years ago, and was very excited. I knew this would be one of his best. Then when it came out last year in Hong Kong, it started to get much praise and winning awards. My excitement to see this grew even more. Luckily, in the last couple of years, Hong Kong started putting DVDs out sometimes a couple of months of it’s theatrical release (America could learn something from this). I got my copy right before the New Year.

If you know my tastes in movies, there are many things that will really peak my interest. In Johnnie To’s case, it’s some of the coolest hitmen and lots of slow motion well choreographed gun fights! This film has all of this and more. It is a good idea to watch The Mission first, but this movie would also stand on it’s own. Seeing The Mission will just help you understand the camaraderie and friendships between the 5 hitmen. It starts off with one of them getting a hit put on him. Two of the guys are sent to kill him, the other two to protect them. This starts off with an awesome gunfight between the 5 friends. Things progress, and the main villain messes with the wrong killers. They unite and fight as one to rid the world of the bad guy. I don’t want to say how it ends, but it has one of those endings that I love. Basically, not usually what you expect.

The DVD packaging is unique. It is a single disc that comes with a “three-ring diary, featuring many photos, a full 2007 calendar, and even Exiled-branded note paper!” I ordered it, because it was the only one available, and I REALLY wanted to see this. My disappointment is the disc itself goes in a very tight little sleeve (see picture). This will allow for scratching when taking it out and putting it backing. The size of the packaging looks like it’s a 3-disc set, as the diary is not small. I think I will end up selling this one, and getting the 2-disc set, when it becomes available.

Rating = Keeper (Well, when I get the 2-disc S.E. of course)

CROSE