Kung Fu Jungle

As much as I was disappointed by the action flicks from Korea this year (The Divine Move, For the Emperor, The Fatal Encounter) I was very pleasantly surprised by Hong Kong with quite possibly the best film with Donnie Yen, who is in his best form ever. The film is an amazing roller coaster ride that is both decently written and perfectly shot for an action film (the $25 million budget is evident around every corner). The film is shot in perhaps the most modern and stylish way (the visuals made my ass clench), or fans of the old school will probably cry, as there is no shortage of slow motion and 3D effects (although some are a bit too far-fetched, like the 20 meter rooftop jump, but there was something similar in Fast & Furious 6, so why not here). There is plenty of action, which along with the main villain (who I should point out is perfectly sleazy, charismatic, scars everywhere, in short the biggest bad ass on sight, making for a unique action romp). The fighting style is mainly kung-fu, so you can look forward to a lot of great moves and punches, with very original choreography, in which fingers are used very often, and there is also a sword and pole fight. It's properly hard, fast, agile and clear and that's how I like it! During the 15 minute finale, I was literally squirming with bliss, and not just because of the clash between the two main rivals, but mainly because of the perfectly chosen location, a highway, so they had to dodge not only hard punches, but also oncoming trucks. 85%! (12/10/2014)

A subtle film that builds from a classic B-movie plot to a finale that's truly choreographically excellent. There are some interesting ideas here; for example, getting those bamboo sticks into the hands of the fighters was both entertaining and unconventional. I'm starting to like the fact that some filmmakers are trying to make even the cheap B-movies look really good. This was good. (07/28/2015)