The Street Fighter's Last Revenge is the third and last installment in the series around vicious hitman and karate fighter Tsurugi Takuma. This movie is also the best in the series and one would have liked to see more films in the franchise. This last film combines the strengths of the great first movie such as diversified settings, vicious fight scenes and interesting characters and adds an interesting plot with numerous twists and turns until the very end. In order to fully appreciate this film, you should watch the Japanese version because the American version has cut some fight scenes and changed parts of the plot for no reason whatsoever.

The story revolves around a Yakuza clan associated with a ruthless company that blackmails and bribes politicians. Tsurugi Takuma steals an important tape that proves this scheme and blackmails the Yakuza clan himself. The main character needs to fight an overtly motivated Taiwanese fighter who quickly changes sides to support him, a determined prosecutor who initially wants to expose the criminals but then decides to betray them and get rich and a seductive woman associated to the Yakuza who tries to murder the main character and the prosecutor on numerous occasions.

The fight scenes are even more interesting than in the previous installments because Tsurugi Takuma faces an opponent who is even stronger than him and needs to learn about his background and fight techniques to clear his mind and win the deadly final duel. The characters are even more interesting than in the two predecessors and especially the diversified prosecutor and the deadly femme fatale are particularly intriguing and make the viewers care about their fates. The settings are diversified as the fights take place on a fairground, in a crematorium and at a marina on a particularly rainy night. The story offers numerous at times surprising twists and turns that keep viewers on the edge of their seats until the very end.

The Street Fighter's Last Revenge is among the very best contemporary martial arts films ever made and a very positive surprise after the lackluster second installment in the series. This movie deserves more attention and recognition. Even if you haven't watched the first two films in the series, you should watch this one if you are a genre fan. It's regrettable that the series didn't continue but one has to admit that it ended on a very high note.

Return of the Street Fighter is the sequel to brutal, dynamic and entertaining The Street Fighter which was only released two and a half months earlier. This film features some vicious fight scenes like the predecessor but disappoints in all other regards. The movie seems to have been rushed in order to take advantage of the predecessor's surprising success.

Some of the brutal fight scenes look so ridiculous that they are unintentionally humorous. One example is when Tsurugi Takuma beats up a Yakuza so hard on the top of a snow-covered mountain that his eyes pop out. The story is even shallower than the plot of the first movie and basically revolves around a Yakuza clan that blackmails people to finance a new martial arts school that serves as hideout for an international organized crime organization. To make matters worse, one of Tsurugi Takuma's opponents from the first movie who was believed to be dead makes a random appearance in this film to get revenge. This film also features two extended flashbacks from the first film that overstay their welcome and only attempt to make the film longer than it is. The main character has a new sidekick in this film named Pin Boke whom he picked up from the streets for vague reasons and who is constantly annoying the main character and talking nonsense.

The elements that makes this weak sequel acceptable are its relentless pace, brutal fight scenes and gloomy atmosphere. Those who really liked the first movie can give this sequel a try and should definitely check out the third and last installment in the series entitled The Street Fighter's Last Revenge which is the best of the three movies in my opinion.

The Street Fighter is a Japanese martial arts film that stands out with its rough fights and graphic brutality. Main character Tsurugi Takuma is a tough guy with quite a temper who is able to rip out his opponent's eyes, testicles and vocal chords. The film also features a few interesting side characters with Tsurugi Takuma's clumsy but resilient partner Zhang Rakuda, charming and determined heiress Sarai Chuayut-Hammett and condemned murderer Shikenbaru Tateki who desperately desires to kill the protagonist.

The story of the movie is vivid but shallow. Tsurugi Takumi is asked to kidnap the daughter of a recently assassinated oil tycoon but refuses when he realizes that the gangsters involved are Yakuza since he wants to remain an independent hitman. The Yakuza don't accept his decision and try to assassinate him since he knows too much about them. Along with his easily scared but remarkably loyal partner Zhang Rakuda, the protagonist now attempts to save the heiress and fight the Japanese Yakuza and their Hong Kong allies.

The film has numerous memorable scenes that have stood the test of time. The first one is already the gloomy opening sequence in a prison when Tsurugi Takuma disguises as a monk in order to free a convicted murder with a clever scheme. The dynamic fight scene between the main character and two siblings in his apartment is also intense. The adventurous plan to free the kidnapped heiress is also quite gripping. The most emotional scene follows a short time after when Zhang Rakuda desperately tries to prove his loyalty to his partner. The highlight however are the last fifteen minutes of the film when Tsurugi Takumi faces off dozens of Yakuza on a ship at night.

There are only two minor flaws for me. First of all, the main character is somewhat unbalanced. He is introduced as pitiless, relentless and selfish character who acts a little bit like an evil version of Bruce Lee. Later on however, the same character deeply cares about his partner, risks his life to save a heiress he barely knows on multiple occasions and is shown to have a troubled past through a flashback. These two sides of the character clash on several occasions and make him look somewhat bipolar. Tsurugi Takumi is as cold as ice in one moment and almost heartbroken in the next sequence. One more thing that bothered me was the ending of the film. Even though the final fifteen minutes are the highlight of the film, it somewhat ends on a cliffhanger with several questions left unanswered. The second and third feature in the series wouldn't resolve these questions either. One gets the impression that the production was running on a low budget and that the final five minutes that should have been there are missing. This movie doesn't have a proper conclusion which is slightly frustrating.

Still, The Street Fighter is a dynamic, entertaining and vicious martial arts film that still entertains almost five decades later. Watch the original Japanese version with subtitles in order to avoid conservative censorship and ridiculous translations in the English version.

The Great Battle, originally titled Ansi Fortress, is a South Korean historical war epic about the Siege of Ansi in the seventh century as Chinese Emperor Taizong attacked the Korean kingdom of Goguryeo. Despite embellishing a few historical details such as the eye injury to Emperor Taizong, the most important aspects of the film are historically accurate. The numerous Chinese viewers who rated this movie down due to misplaced patriotic pride should be ignored.

The movie convinces on numerous levels. The four prolonged battle scenes are creative, dynamic and intense. In between these battles, the viewers are introduced to numerous interesting characters such as powerful military dictator Yeon Gaesomun, dissident commander Yang Manchun and young soldier Sa-mul who was asked by Yeon Gaesomun to assassinate traitor Yang Manchun. The movie also deals with emotional topics such as friendship, love and loyalty which adds more depth to the characters without distracting from the dramatic military circumstances. This dynamic mixture makes the film easy to digest despite its long running time. The special effects are fluidly employed and make the film quite dynamic. The camera work is mostly calm if compared to numerous contemporary military films with shaky camera passages.

The Great Battle is entertaining from start to finish and convinces with four intense battles and numerous intriguing characters. The only things that could be improved are the facts that the character portraits could be even more detailed and that the characters shouldn't look as sharp and beautiful as they do while living in a rural community under siege for three months. In the end, anyone who likes historical war epics should give this movie a try as it's one of the best of its kind in recent memory.

It's quite funny who I discovered Farewell My Concubine. I was looking for some records in a second-hand shop in Montreal when I saw a gorgeous Korean boxed set including a DVD of this film as well as its soundtrack. Since this Korean version of an old Chinese film was quite obscure, the package only cost three dollars. I assumed I couldn't do anything wrong purchasing this film and I was indeed not disappointed at all when I finally watched the award-winning classic. The airy soundtrack is also quite unique.

Farewell My Concubine is based upon a novel of the same name and depicts a surprisingly honest picture of Chinese history throughout the twentieth century. The movie follows a young boy named Douzi whose prostitute mother tries to get rid of him by any means necessary. She cuts his supernumerary finger with a cleaver and then sends her son to a group of young boys who are trained to perform Peking opera. Douzi is bullied by the other kids because of his origins and regularly beaten and intimidated by adults. He is further humiliated by being forced to act female roles but manages to perform brilliantly with his best friend Shitou. He even endures sexual abuse by an eunuch to hold on to his dream to become a star and have a better life. But even when he becomes a renowned star, Douzi's life seems to be cursed. His best friend slowly drifts away from him when he marries a selfish prostitute. His patron tries to seduce and abuse him. Political forces accuse him for having been forced to dance for Japanese generals. Despite all the hardship, Douzi doesn't stop believing in a better future.

Despite a few lengths over a running time of nearly three hours, the movie has numerous strengths. The film is a critical portrait of Chinese history from the mid-twenties to the mid-seventies and shows how societal and political forces of different origins abuse, menace and persecute the protagonist alike. The costumes, settings and soundtrack are detailed, emotive and inspiring. The acting performances are intense and especially lead actor Leslie Cheung fully convinces as homosexual actor, dancer and singer who is never fully accepted by society. The film has a gripping melancholic atmosphere and there only very few inspiring hopeful moments as opposed to numerous grim setbacks. This intellectual movie certainly isn't easy to digest but offers incredibly rewarding food for thought.

One thing that needs to be pointed out is that famous actor Leslie Cheung plays the greatest role of his life in this ambitious epic drama. The parallels between his character Douzi and the actual actor Leslie Cheung are almost creepy regarding his stardom, sexuality and fate. That makes the movie even more thought-provoking in hindsight and shows that the film has aged quite well.

If you like ambitious and epic dramas and are interested in Chinese culture, history and society, you should watch Farewell My Concubine. The movie is emotionally gripping, historically accurate and intellectually challenging. It has aged quite well and shows an extraordinary lead actors who fully identifies with his role.