Xiong Xin Xin Movies
Action hero Steven Seagal goes behind bars -- though don't worry, he isn't really a bad guy -- in this action thriller. Sascha Petrosevitch (Seagal) is an FBI agent working undercover to infiltrate a gangland kingpin's operations. While Petrosevitch is able to gain the trust of one of the gangster's lieutenants, Nick Frazier (Ja Rule), things go haywire during an FBI raid, and Petrosevitch takes several slugs in the back as he struggles to maintain his cover. Eight months later, Petrosevitch and Frazier are serving time together in the newly refurbished Alcatraz Penitentiary, as Petrosevitch secretly continues his investigation. Prison warden Hubbard (Stephen J. Cannell) is arranging for the execution of convicted killer and thief Lester (Bruce Weitz), and U.S. Supreme Court justice Jane McPherson (Linda Thorson) has announced she will attend as a witness. But Hubbard's assistant Donny (Morris Chestnut) has devised a secret plan -- it seems Lester stole and stashed away 200 million dollars in gold before he was arrested, and Donny, along with an underground SWAT team, takes control of the prison and takes Hubbard, McPherson, and the other assembled dignitaries hostage, demanding to be told where Lester has hidden his fortune. Now Petrosevitch must drop his cover and persuade his allies within the prison -- including Frazier and Little Joe (Michael "Bear" Taliferro) -- to join him in a desperate bid to foil Donny and free the hostages. Half Past Dead also features Nia Peeples, Kurupt, Tony Plana, and Claudia Christian. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Steven Seagal, Morris Chestnut, (more)
Director Peter Hyams brings the modern choreography talents of famed Hong Kong fight sequence designer Xin Xin Xiong to this action adventure that departs widely from its classic novel source material, focusing exclusively on the D'Artagnan character and either excising other characters completely or relegating them to minor supporting roles. Justin Chambers stars as D'Artagnan, a country-bred lad whose skill with a sword has led to aspirations of becoming a Musketeer, one of the French king's elite guard. Upon arriving in Paris, however, he finds that the Musketeers have been disbanded by order of Cardinal Richelieu (Stephen Rea), who is usurping the king's authority with the help of a lethally gifted henchman, Febre (Tim Roth). Soon, D'Artagnan is embroiled in an effort to prevent a war between his native country and England, meeting up with a beautiful love interest (Mena Suvari) along the way. As he has often done before, director Hyams doubles as his own cinematographer. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Catherine Deneuve, Mena Suvari, (more)
Two men who have a great deal in common become friends, only to find themselves turned into enemies in this slam-bang action fest from Hong Kong. Tyler (Nicholas Tse) is a man trying to make a career in a rough section of Hong Kong. One night, after several drinks too many, he hooks up with Ah Jo (Cathy Chui), an off-duty undercover cop who has also had a bit more alcohol than usual. Tyler and Ah Jo spend the night together, even though she usually prefers the company of women, and Ah Jo soon finds she's pregnant. Ah Jo has no desire to remain involved with Tyler, but he wants to do the right thing, so he takes a job as a bodyguard for low-level gangster Uncle Ji (Anthony Wong) and sends her his money, all the while wishing he could be in Brazil. Meanwhile Jack (Wu Bai), who once lived in Brazil, is back in Hong Kong with his very pregnant wife Ah Hui (Candy Lo), the daughter of a triad kingpin targeted by Brazilian gangsters. Uncle Ji is in charge of protecting the triad leader, and he makes Tyler one of his right-hand men. Tyler and Jack get to know one another and become close friends, but their friendship comes to an end when the Brazilian mob makes Jack an offer he can't refuse, putting the two men on opposite sides of a gangland war. Seunlau Ngaklau was directed by Tsui Hark, who returned to Hong Kong filmmaking after a brief sojourn in Hollywood. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Nicholas Tse, Wu Bai, (more)
Former basketball star Dennis Rodman stars in this action-and-espionage thriller as Simon, an Interpol agent called into action when the daughter of a close friend is abducted. In order to track down the kidnappers, Simon seeks the assistance of a pair of monks (John Pinette and Ricky Harris) who are experts in computer sleuthing. Simon Sez was Rodman's first solo starring vehicle, following his dramatic debut alongside Jean-Claude Van Damme in Double Team. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dennis Rodman, Dane Cook, (more)
When ultra-patriotic Chinese anti-terrorist operative Yan Dong (Zhao Wenzhuo, the martial artist/actor hailed by many as the next Jet Li) disobeys a direct order and continues with plans to stop a dangerous hijacking operation, he is promptly demoted. Despite his good intentions, Yan gets reassigned to the Chinese embassy in Lavernia (a fictional country said to have been part of the former Soviet Union) with his former partner Hong Weiguo (Ken Wong) to stop an outbreak of corruption and criminal activity by arresting and returning to China the troublemaking Keizo Mishima (Andrew Lin), the Japanese leader of the cult of the Red Sun. Mishima's group has dedicated themselves to promoting worldwide anarchy and, unbeknownst to Yan and Hung, have close ties with corrupt officials in Lavernia. Soon after Mishima's arrest, the villains retaliate by blowing up parts of the city. In the midst of the chaos, Yan reunites with his former lover Chen Pan (Shu Qi), who fled China following the Tienanmen Square massacre. When the terrorists kidnap Chen Pan, Yan becomes a veritable fighting machine in his efforts to save her. Filmed on location in Budapest, this Hong Kong actioner brims with well-choreographed and exciting fight scenes. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Zhao Wenzhuo, Shu Qi, (more)
- 1997
Martial arts master/doctor Wong Fei-hung (a familiar character in Hong Kong cinema) and his gang find adventure amidst the cowboys and Indians of the American West. The sixth in the enormously popular "Once Upon a Time in China" series of Hong Kong action films that was created by director Tsui Hark in 1991, this episode takes an entirely new direction for the series; it features plenty of broad comedy in the first half (though whether or not it was intentional is debatable), eye-popping stunts and excitement. In another unusual turn, it was also shot with scenes in English as well as the standard Cantonese. Wong's adventure's begins when he and his gang sail to San Francisco to oversee the latest branch of their Bo Chi Lam. They find a country where the Chinese are exploited and despised. Soon after arriving, the courageous Wong (Jet Li) loses his memory after the daring rescue of Aunt Yee (Rosamund Kwan), Wong's long-time love, who was just about to fall from a cliff. Separated from his group, the amnesiac Master Wong ends up with a tribe of Native Americans (all of whom are obviously white), who adopt him. Though they too know martial arts (as do the cowboys Wong encounters), but are no match for Wong, who proves his skill by single-handedly braving the spears, kicks and chops of an enemy tribe. Eventually, Wong reconnects with Aunt Yee and his gang; together they go on to have more adventures and battle a number of evil villains. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jet Li, Rosamund Kwan, (more)
- 1996
- NR
The godfather of the Hong Kong action spectacular, Tsui Hark adapts Chang Cheh's 1967 martial arts masterpiece The One-Armed Swordsman into a two-fisted yarn about violence and revenge. On (Zhao Wenzhou) is a nebbish orphan working at sword manufacturers. When he learns of first the vicious murder of a local holy man and later of the equally vicious slaying of his own father at the hands of barbarous band of bandits, he vows revenge. His early attempts at justice go horribly -- he loses his right arm in an ambush. Though On recovers after being nursed back to health by a recluse, he remains an outcast in the world of warriors. After dogged training, he invents a new fighting technique that proves to be quick and powerful enough to thwart the baddies -- especially the psychopathic bandit leader Lung (Xiong Xinxin). This film -- along with Wong Kar-wai's brilliant Ashes of Time -- is considered to be the high-water mark of the swordplay genre that gained popularity in the mid-'90s. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
With a marvelously convoluted plot and featuring plenty of slapstick action, Chinese Feast is essentially a kung-fu film with a tasty twist: the combatants battle with knives, not to carve each other up but to make exquisite culinary delicacies. The story's impetus comes from a long-standing feud between cooking schools and centers on an upcoming cook-off in which two master chefs compete to present the most delicious version of the Qing & Han Imperial Feast staples -- monkey brains, bear paw, and elephant trunk. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
In this, the third of what has become a long series of films, Doctor Wong Fei-Hung (Jet Li), a master of the martial arts, defender of the poor, upholder of tradition and a Confucian scholar (in addition to being a medical man) is visiting Beijing during a competition designed to determine what group has the best Lion King dancers. The doctor's father, a member of the Cantonese Association in town, is well known for his ability to turn out the best Lion King, and the many criminal gangs of the city, usually embroiled in rivalry against one another, are of one mind when it comes to wanting to eliminate the threat that this "outsider" will win. However, they had not counted on the intervention of the good doctor and his helpers. Simultaneously, the doctor foils several nefarious plots against the government - one of which has gotten his lady-love, Aunt Yee (Rosamund Kwan) involved. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
