Raging Fire is a Hong Kong action thriller directed by Benny Chan, known for genre films such as Who Am I?, New Police Story and The White Storm in his final directorial effort before his untimely death. Starring Hong Kong action star Donnie Yen, the film goes back to the identity of Hong Kong action cinema of the late eighties and early nineties with a dynamic contemporary twist.

The movie revolves around highly respected hardboiled cop Bong who doesn't take any bribes and always speaks the truth which often puts him in dangerous and difficult situations. His former protégé Ngo was forced to go to prison due to to Bong's testimony in a controversial trial. Once out of prison, Ngo has become a different man seeking vengeance upon everyone who had once wronged him. After a streak of violent crimes, Ngo finally faces his former mentor to conclude his quest for revenge.

Raging Fire convinces on many levels. The plot finds the right balance between emotions and energy. The crimes committed in the film and their immediate reactions are sparked by bitter, passionate and tragic feelings.

The characters are truly interesting. Bong is a protagonist who is an outsider but easy to identify with because of his strong beliefs and convictions. Ngo is a tragic antagonist who was once a dedicated and talented officer who has become blinded by frustration and greed. The conflict between these two men carries the entire film in a gripping way through more than two hours of fast-paced entertainment.

The actors and actresses manage to incarnate their characters authentically. Donnie Yen convinces as righteous cop who never seeks for the easy but rather the right way out of trouble. Nicholas Tse goes through significant changes with his character who develops from a promising cop over a tragic victim to a grim avenger. The supporting actors and actresses also manage to become one with their roles and add some depth to the film.

The action sequences are up to the highest contemporary standards. Pitiless martial arts fights meet frantic car chases and brutal shootouts. The different scenes offer much variety and never overstay their welcome. The camera work isn't overtly hectic and the scenes are easy to follow, dynamic and captivating.

The only element one could possibly criticize is that the plot is somewhat predictable and certainly doesn't reinvent Hong Kong action thriller cinema.

At the end of the day, genre fans will appreciate Raging Fire as one of the greatest action thrillers released in recent memory. It can not only compete with the golden age of Hong Kong action cinema three decades ago but also with contemporary Hollywood movies and franchises such as John Wick and The Expendables. Due to its spectacular cinematography in general and its excellent sound and visual effects in particular, you should try to catch this movie on the big screen. Up to this point, I would consider Raging Fire as one of the three greatest movies released this year.

Gamera, the Giant Monster was Daiei's answer to Toho's Godzilla franchise. Despite a low budget that also explains why the movie was still shot in black and white in the mid-sixties, this first film of the franchise was crafted with care, imagination and passion. The story revolves around a gigantic prehistoric turtle that is awoken in the Arctic after the explosion of an atomic bomb. The titular creature moves towards Japan to feast upon its thermonuclear plants. Doctors and military plan on defeating Gamera but the turtle is much more resilient than it initially appears. A group of international scientists must prepare a risky plan to get rid of Gamera.

This movie convinces on numerous levels. First of all, the fact that the movie was shot in black and white gives it an atmospheric retro touch connecting it to the first two outstanding Godzilla movies.

Up next, the locations varying from Arctic Inuit camps over isolated islands in the Pacific to Japanese airports and ports offer much diversity.

Thirdly, the special effects have been created with creativity and care despite a low budget which shows that imagination is much more valuable than money. The gigantic turtle itself offers quite a few surprises that are only revealed step by step in this very entertaining film.

Fourthly, the plot comes around with a few nice twists and turns. The characters are quite diversified, dynamic and sympathetic. It's interesting to observe them trying to figure out how to get rid of the gigantic turtle without hurting it. The film's daring conclusion certainly leaves its mark and can be called surprising to say the least.

Fifthly, the movie has a perfect length of seventy-eight minutes. Not one single second is wasted here and the swift pace still entertains from start to finish. The scriptwriting is still very efficient in that regard many decades later. This movie remains the best possible introduction to the franchise and is one of the very best kaiju films ever created.

In the end, Gamera, the Giant Monster is a creative, entertaining and gripping science-fiction film that has been crafted with care, imagination and passion which explains why it has aged so well despite its monetary and technical limitation that were already obvious at the time of its creation. Everyone involved in this movie deserves nothing but respect and recognition. Any fan of Japanese cinema should have watched this amazing film and I can highly recommend the two recently issued boxed sets by Arrow Films that are worth their slightly expensive prices.

Pan Deng Zhe or The Climbers is a Chinese action-adventure movie inspired by historic events. The movie explores how a group of Chinese mountaineers attempts to ascend Mount Everest from the perilous north side. The film exposes the intense relationships between the mountaineers and the challenges related to the expedition.

The movie has been shot on location in the Tibet Autonomous Region. The settings are therefore quite authentic and the landscapes are absolutely breathtaking. Lead actor Wu Jing conducted a cold tolerance training before the shooting and his dedication shows off in a convincing performance. The intense scenes on the mountain have been filmed with great care in form of emotional acting skills and impressive special effects.

The movie also has a few downsides. The numerous highly emotional relationships between the members of the expedition feel somewhat exaggerated and only distract from the already fascinating main plot and the stunning mountaineering scenes. As many other Chinese productions, this film has also an extremely strong patriotic side as it's constantly claimed that Mount Everest is a Chinese mountain that must be climed by Chinese mountaineers which has to be proven and shown to the entire world.

If you are willing to ignore the overtly emotional side stories and the strong propaganda, you will discover a good mountaineering film that should please fans of movies such as Vertical Limit. The settings and special effects alone are worth watching this movie as its high budget shows off quite impressively. To leave an even better mark, this movie should have had less dramatic side stories, less propaganda and more skilled actresses and actors.

Crazy Samurai: 400 vs. 1, also known as Crazy Samurai Musashi, is based upon writer, swordsman, strategist, ronin and philosopher Musashi Miyamoto who has inspired numerous legends. This low-budget movie shows how the titular hero confronts four hundred swordsmen when arriving to duel the disgraced Yoshioka dojo.

This movie can be separated into three scenes. The first scene is filled with atmosphere, context and tension as the members of the disgraced dojo expect the swordsman to arrive. They are planning on ambushing him but are obviously underestimating their enemy's wit.

The second scene has been filmed in one single take and lasts for seventy-seven minutes. Musashi Miyamoto confronts his enemies. They fight in a forest, on a field, in a house, in a court and later on in a small village. There are a few elements that offer some short breaks from the fight sequences such as the protagonist's brief monologues, the argument between two samurai and a peasant girl who betrays the hero.

The final scene takes place several years after the events portrayed before. It shows us what Musashi Miyamoto has become and what his foes are willing to do to murder him for once and for all.

The movie title already indicates exactly what you get here. This film is filled with fight scenes from start to finish. The stamina of lead actor Sakaguchi Taku is quite remarkable. The beautiful locations bring to life Japan in the early seventeenth century. Some of the fight scenes end up being a little bit repetitive. The visual effects look quite cheap but one gets used to them. The ending of the second scene felt a little bit unfinished in my opinion but didn't have an overall negative impact.

To keep it short, this movie is only interesting for martial arts enthusiasts and people who are interested in Japanese culture, history and legends. The movie has an unusual approach which makes it interesting to watch despite some repetition here and there. You should not expect witty dialogues, profound plot and unexpected twists here. Genre fans will get what they want and everyone else should simply ignore this film.

Geom-gaek, internationally known as The Swordsman, is an epic historic action drama from South Korea. The story revolves around Tae-yul, the best swordsman in Joseon who is unable to protect the king during an uprising. He decides to live as a recluse in the mountains with his daughter. As his eyesight is getting worse from a past injury, his daughter seeks to find a treatment for him. She also wants to get the opportunity to move to town and work as a maid in a rich family. She ignores her father's pleas to be careful and soon gets caught up in a web of conspiracy as she is kidnapped by a ruthless slave trader. Tae-yul has to face the demons of his past to save his daughter's life.

This movie convinces on many levels. The story is diversified and comes around with several changes and twists that will keep viewers on the edge of their seats until the very end. The plot is epic but coherently told in one hundred highly entertaining minutes. The characters are complex, intriguing and profound and especially the lead character is an unlikely hero that is easy to empathize with. The acting performances are equally great and especially the quirky female support actresses add some energy to the movie. The fight scenes convince with elegant yet gritty choreography involving a multitude of styles and weapons. The settings and locations truly bring the seventeenth century back to life. The isolated farms, poor villages, busy cities, imposing living quarters of the soldiers and the magnificent castle and its surroundings are absolutely stunning. The camera work is calm and precise. The light techniques make the numerous scenes happening in the dark or at night work very well. The sound effects offer the highest standards and should please action movie fans from all around the world.

To keep it short, Geom-gaek or The Swordsman is an epic historic action film with an intelligent story, amazing settings, gripping fight scenes, excellent cinematography and intriguing characters. Fans of historic action films from all around the world should give this movie a try. It's certainly better than anything Hollywood has released in the same genre for the past two decades. This movie underlines yet again that the greatest contemporary movies come from South Korea in my humble opinion.