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Reviews
Wu du (1978)
A Waste of Time
I rarely write reviews for IMDb.com, but I feel compelled to warn potential viewers that this movie is terrible. Just terrible. I like Shaw Bros. movies (I'm not a hater.), and I had high expectations for this one since I found it listed on many "10 Best Kung Fu/Martial Arts Movies" websites. (I'm now convinced that those 10 Best lists are all cut-and-paste jobs.) First of all, there's barely any action in the film. Most of the movie consists of talking about the plot, which is an amazing feat because it's thin at best. And the action itself may have been impressive back in 1978, but it's routine by today's standards. A special warning to Netflix users: the DVD they ship is terrible; the picture is horrendous and it's not even 16:9 enhanced.
Tom yum goong (2005)
What a disappointment...
Like most, I was blown away by Ong-bak, the filmmakers' previous effort. While that film had a very simple storyline, the action was nothing short of amazing. Petchtai Wongkamlao's portrayal of Dirty Balls was pretty funny, too. All in all, Ong-bak was a breath of fresh air in the martial arts genre. So I was looking forward to Tom yum goong with eager anticipation. Sadly to say, I was disappointed by it. The storyline to Tom yum goong is similar to Ong-bak in that Tony Jaa plays a Muy Thai master who leaves his village to pursue his smuggled elephants. This time around, a seemingly simple storyline is complicated by the inclusion of too many villains -- all with their own motives. The result is often hard to follow. Another serious misstep was the filmmakers' decision to have Petchtai Wongkamlao (once again providing some comic relief) speak English throughout most of the movie; his English is terrible and makes him hard to understand. While the movie is largely disappointing, there are a couple of bright spots. The first is a scene in which Tony Jaa ascends the steps of a high-rise and fights every goon in his path (there are many); this scene was filmed as one long continuous take, and I don't think I've ever seen a martial arts fight filmed this way. The second is just a tidbit really: during Tony Jaa's showdown with the main goon (played by the hulking Nathan Jones), a secondary goon grabs Tony's baby elephant and literally tosses the animal through a glass window -- just like a discus! My friend and I could not believe the insanity; we watched it at least five times repeatedly, laughing all the while. I would recommend Tom yum goong only to serious fans of Ong-bak and Tony Jaa.
Only the Brave (2006)
A Respectable Effort
I had the opportunity to screen Only The Brave at a special event sponsored by the filmmakers in Little Tokyo. The version I saw was close to being completed. I felt the movie resembled more of a play than a feature film; this shouldn't come as a surprise since Lane Nishikawa's background is in theater. While I found that a bit disappointing, there were aspects of the film that I admired. From start to finish Nishikawa's passion and reverence for the material is clearly evident. Overall, the acting in the film is good, and there are a handful of effective dramatic scenes. The casting of a couple of "name" actors was distracting to me -- particularly since I would be hard-pressed to call either Japanese American. Also, the version I saw lacked a traditional narrative structure, which was one of the reasons why it felt like a play to me. Nishikawa's intention is to release the finished film into theaters. I think Only The Brave is a worth a look for anyone with a special interest in Japanese American history.