Johnny To's 1998 triad ballad to downtrodden mob employees and the perils of having poor workers compensation entitlements. Starring a super charasmatic snakeskin wearing Sean Lau and ice cool Leon Lai, this is tragicomic bro-mance at its finest. It doesn't always hit where it aims but it will still maim you.
Mike, Sam and Nathan watch the biggest movie of 2020, Mugen Train for Ani-May. Mugen Train, Directed by Haruo Sotozaki sees our young Demon Slayer Tanjiro board a train with Hashira Rengoku in order to slay the demon hiding within.
Overcome the forces of The Hell King in this 1989 Yuen Biao Blockbuster, the Peacock King! Featuring incredible stop motion monsters and electric martial arts with the indomitable Gordon Liu - unleash your magic monk!
Whacky Jackie fights the Jet! 1984's Wheels On Meals brings you one of the most iconic fight scenes in martial arts movie history. Directed like a demon by a Jheri Curled Sammo and with plenty of fan service from the buff brother from another mother Yuen Biao, we at the AAC salute this masterpiece.
Iron Angels 2, or Angels 2, or Tian Shi Xing Dong II Zhi Huo Feng Kuang long or apparently Iron Madam 2 in some territories. The 1988 sequel sees the Angels take down a small army in Malaysia. Directed by Stanley Tong and starring Moon Lee, Elaine Lui and Alex Fong.
The follow up to Stephen Chow’s reimagining of the classic Monkey Character. Featuring the late great Ng Man Tat and directed by Jeffrey Lau. The film follows directly after the events of the first film after Joker is transported 500 years into the past where Joker must battle a bunch of demons and his own attachments.
The 1976 horror action classic from Shaw Brothers. Life isn't going well for Shen Yuan played by Danny Lee. Laid low by polio at an early age and left with a disability Shen Yaun is beaten down by life. Then when the father of his childhood friend is imprisoned he uses a magic spell to turn him into a magic oil monster.... for revenge, oily revenge.
It's 1934, the second world war is looming and tensions between Korea, Japan and China at boiling point. A Hapkido master send his top 3 students (Angela Mao, Sammo Hung and buff boy Carter Wong) to China to open up a school and spread the word of 'Forbearance' (and fighting). However the dastardly Japanese Black Bear Gang (lead by Goro Kumo hamming it up) are having none of it, can our heroes summon up enough Forbearance to deal with it? Will Carter Wong flex? Is Sammo gonna spoil it all? Tune ...
Tony Jaa's 2003 adrenaline shot to the chest, Ong Bak, singlehandedly reinvigorates kinetic martial arts action films. Director Prachya Pinkaew weaves Tony Jaa's manic, bone crunching action through a spiritual tale of farming hardships.
If you haven’t heard about Yoshihiro Nishumura’s 2017 karmic splatter-fest, Meatball Machine: Kodoku - see nothing, hear nothing, know nothing and watch it. Make sure to watch it with someone who has seen it so they can savour your facial expressions and reactions as you’re subject to the primal onslaught of visceral chaos. Then join the Asian Action Cast for some mental therapy and debrief, you will need the human connection after watching.
100th Episode Special: Asian Action Cast have come full circle to bring you Project A: Part II! This is Jackie Chan in his prime delivering electric action cinema in the streets of old Hong Kong, outwitting pirates, corrupt cops, femme fatales and mob bosses, its Asian Action at its best.
Asian Action Cast have Shanghai’d the Millionaires Express to deliver our take on this 1986 Sammo led all-star (no Jackie!) extravaganza!
2020, what a year right? Lets take some time to have a laugh and a look back at the movies we watched for the AAC. Also, the awards for the Bolo Yeung "Buff Boi" male actor, the "Amy Kwok call me" award for best female actor plus craziest stunt, best use of a song and much more! Thanks for listening, we'l see you in 2021~!
The 2005 live action Chinese film based on the Manga. Featuring mega star triple threat Jay Chou in his first leading role, and Anthony Wong as Bunta, his abusive dad. There is barely any action to be had in this drama about street racing and tofu. * this was quickly reuploaded after I realised that I put up an non levelled and non edited early save. To anyone who heard the first one, damn I'm sorry.
Mike, Sam and Nathan watch Shadow Hunters 2: Echo of Destiny. Released in 1972 and starring Yujiro Ishihara and directed by Toshio Masuda. Following the events of the first film the trio of sworn ninja killers take a job helping to guard and transport a cannon and the Shogun's ninja spies are after.
Straight from 1996 with a bullet comes BIG BULLET, directed by Benny Chan and starring Ching Wan (Sean) Lau as Bill Chu a hard boiled police officer who is just too 90's Xtreme to do actual policework and keeps getting busted by his superiors. He's up again a cool drug syndicate, I think I'm not exactly sure. It's pretty good.
Shaw Brother's 1983 schlocktacular. Starring Phillip Ko as Fei Kao. While attempting to avenge his brother's beatdown on the ring by none other than Bolo Yeung, Fei Kao gets dragged into a supernatural battle between black wizards and his monk brother from another life. This film is a gross out gorefest, a true eastern exploitation film.
Sammo produced Spooktacular, Hocus Pocus whets the appetite for greater things to come. It tries to be a comedy but overstays its welcome with a lukewarm Wei Tung playing opera troupe protagonist, Kuei, failing to carry the film. Rife with familiar Sammo collaborator cameos, there’s certainly plenty to enjoy with some amazing optical camera tricks and illusions, and genuinely tense moments (REAL TURTLE!). Beware the roller skating ghost demon!
Set to be the cameo filled, Chinese New Year blockbuster for 2020, Enter The Fat Dragon got denied by our ongoing Covid situation. However a low box office isn't gonna deny the AAC a chance to...praise a Donnie Yen film? Donnie plays Zhu Fallon, a good cop that loses his job, girlfriend and the respect of his peers due to being *too* dedicated to the cause. A routine prisoner escort mission to Japan could see him win his job back, but what shennanigans await him there? With an all star cast incl...
Hong Kong 80's Sci-Fi action? Hell yeah! We check out the 1987 murder mystery The Final Test. Austin Wai makes his AAC debut as an undercover agent tasked with fiding out the inner workings of a seedy mine, where productivity is paramount to the lives of the workers. With a blink and you miss it cameo from Chin Siu-Ho, Deborah Sims being charmed, 80's synth balladry, Terminators and a freeze frame ending for the ages, you know you're gonna have a good time.
The 2019 Russian/Chinese collab about the trials and tribulations of a dragon cosmetologist and an oblivious cartographer. It's CGriffic Starring Xingtong Yao and Jason Flemyng and with main draws Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jackie Chan in the film for about 7 minutes each cashing a paycheck. This movie has big Lucky Stars energy.
The two top hitmen in "Asia" battle for bragging rights and the love of the same woman. In director Johnnie To's 2001 flashy ode to Desperado via Poinrt Break (?) and Leon The Professional (??!), Andy Lau (Lok Tok-wah) hams it up trying to dethrone top dog Takashi Sorimachi (Lok Tok-wah). In the middle of all this chaos and violence bored video store employee Kelly Lin is dragged along whilst Simon Yam plays the grizzled interpol agent trying to make an ending of his own.
Killer born and bred, 'The Fable' is a 2019 Manga based story of a cold blooded legendary assassin, raised to be an unrivalled killer; looking to take a break. But there is no rest for the devil and no normal lives for the initiated - a life of blood can only end one way. The Asian Action Cast feasts on this slick Kan Eguchi directed Japanese action thriller, join us for a bite.
Yuen Biao plays Fong Sau-ching a royal guard out to save his family name and seek vengeance against his no-good bro Feng San. Both brothers are frozen during a fight and are thawed out in 1989 Hong Kong. Will Fong capture Feng San for the Ming emperor, or will Fong forget his mission and settle down in Hong Kong with Polly.
Two legends, Jimmy Wang Yu and Shintaro Katsu cross swords in this 1971 Chinese Japanese co-production. Co-Directed by Kimiyoshi Yasuda and Hsu Tseng Hung. While on a journey to a temple in Japan, Wang Kang, the One-Armed Swordsman, gets blamed for a massacre actually committed by Samurai. Zatoichi gets embroiled after a chance encounter the the lone survivor, an orphaned Chinese boy.
The original and the best, China's First Super-Hero! Presenting the (Super) Infra-Man! When Princess Dragon and her Mutant army rise to take over the world, only Danny Lee's incredibly good looking, motorbike weilding Infra-Man can stop them. This movie is ridiculous amounts of fun and is historically relevant as being one of the most bombastic Chinese productions ever.
When Kato of Green Hornet meets industrial goth cyberpunk, you end up with the 1996 film Black Mask. Mysterious superhero Jet Li teams with policeman Sean 'The Rock' Lau to bring down an international drug cartel with a penchant for hacking and purple lighting. Two girls are throwing themselves at him (Karen Mok, Francoise Yip), but can Jet Li act enough to care? With a special appearance by a deranged Anthony Wong, and some Universal Soldier type stuntmen. Watch this and pretend you're living i...
This 2020 Korean dystopian action thriller takes the Asian Action Cast through the highs and low of a coming of age terminator film. Starring 2020 Korean Golden boy Woo-sik Choi of 'Parasite' fame, along with a small group of young talent, Time to Hunt is part horror, part social commentary. Stylish and sometimes stupid, its a suspenseful ride all the way.
Bruce Lee in his first blockbuster headlining role as the unassuming Tang, watch as he enters into the seedy world of a drug smuggling operation, taking his fists of fury all the way up to the Big Boss. This 1971 power pic showcases why Bruce Lee is still a legend today. Join us as we take a trip down concussion lane with the immortal Bruce Lee through his first major film debut.
Part 1 of Stephen Chow's 1995 slapstick epic taken from the pages of Wu Cheng En's Journey to the west. Part hilarious, part inexplicable, this is Stephen Chow before he refined himself to be an auteur of thoughtful toilet humor. Join the Asian Action Cast as we plumb the toilet depths.
