Tag: Gangster

When Fealty and John Wick 4 Are Like Best Buddies… not!

What we see in John Wick 4 is more than a revenge story when the lead has to meet old acquaintances, look for new allies, and challenge the High Table just to achieve freedom. The world is looking very sinister.

John Wick 4 Movie PosterLionsgate Pictures
Spoiler Alert

Just now many lives does Jardani Jovonovich (Keanu Reeves) have? By my count, he expended enough to say John Wick 4 is the tally on the times he should’ve died. But this man is tough. He can withstand punishment that would send a common man into a coma, and he must have the supernatural abilities of a spider to dodge getting hit.

Before embarking on this review and fan commentary, I wanted to revisit the previous films to remind myself about the world Wick was once part of. He was a hit-man. Throughout the films, we find out he wants to be free from The High Table. Past chapters reveal that they are a global criminal cabal who employs a special league of assassins for their in-fighting and assaults on humanity. Fans of the Batman comics can forget about the Court of Owls and Ra’s al Ghul’s empire; this version is worse and dates back to the time of antiquity. With ominous titles like The Harbinger (nicely played by Clancy Brown), Charon (Lance Reddick) and even Caine (Donnie Yen) making up a huge supporting cast, I wondered who can be added since the third film?

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What Happens When Gangsters Face a Spiritwalker?

Yoon Jae-geun’s sophomore work continues his love for making gangster films, and what we find here is a man (Yoon Kye-sang) with no memories of who he was.

SPIRITWALKER | Well Go USA | Official Movie Site | Korean Action FilmsWell GO USA

The premise behind Spiritwalker (유체이자) is a very intriguing one. Yoon Jae-geun’s sophomore work continues his love for exploring gangster politics, and what we find here is a man (Yoon Kye-sang) with no memories of who he was, and what he’s supposed to do in a jaunt around Seoul, Korea. What he sees in the mirror is not the image of himself. That’s all he really knows, and we’re on the same scary ride he’s in.

A bum calls for help, and he allows himself to be taken to the hospital for treatment. Twelve hours later, he wakes up in another body. The only thing that keeps him grounded is needing to find Jina (Lim Ji-yeon). The only person who believes he’s the same person in different bodies is that homeless man, Haengryo (Park Ji-hwan) he’s met before, who helps him navigate this crazy, mixed up world.

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Wei Xiang’s Too Cool To Kill is Hot and in North America!

Not everyone knows Too Cool to Kill is an adaptation of the Japanese film, The Magic Hour.

Too Cool to Kill Official Movie Poster

Well Go USA
For showtimes and locations in North America, please visit the official English website.

Too Cool To Kill (这个杀手不太冷静) is too hot of a movie to handle. After its debut during the Lunar New Year in China as This Killer Is Not Too Calm–with terrific box office results–it’s coming to North America so Wei Xiang‘s comedic talent can be recognised.

The joy is in how this zany film pulls you into the life of Lyingtown with its sweeping Tim Burton style cinematography and iconic Euro style setting. The name of this sleepy seaside hamlet is intentional, as it foreshadows everything to come! Even the soundtrack establishes a Henry Mancini style tone.

After meeting the supporting cast of Mr. Harvey (Chen Minghao) nearly shot by the assassin Karl (Allen AI), we are introduced to Wei Chenggong (Xiang), a hasbin stand-in and part-time actor who hopes to make it big in Chinese Hollywood. But after the director MIller (Huang Cailun) chides him for his overacting, he’s asked to star in a bigger movie by the star of the show, Milan (Ma Li). The two happen to be siblings. But there’s a secret, the cameras will be hidden, and her agenda isn’t all that pure.

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Shang Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings, A Movie Review

This film feels more like an obligatory product that had to be made because of Black Panther’s success

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings poster.jpegWuxia movies are a dime a dozen. To stand out requires a proper vision. Somehow Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (SCLotR) lack the sense of feeling like an Asian film. It’s produced by Chinese-Americans, who are probably two generations removed from their heritage. Instead of earning their wings on some feudal period piece for television in Shanghai (or Hong Kong), they only have the approval of Disney to produce this piece.

This film begins nicely enough, with bits from Jackie’s Chan’s The Myth and Forbidden Kingdom mixed in, but somehow in the tale’s progression, it turns into something like a Black Widow type of film.

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[Fantasia 2021] When the Future is in the Hands of “Yakuza Princess”

The Blade Runner-like colour palette in the cinematography makes this work based on Samurai Shiro by Danilo Beyruth (Amazon USA link) even more compelling.

Yakuza Princess poster.jpgBy Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)

Fantasia Film Festival 2021
Available Aug 18 & 20, 2021
to Stream On Demand

Coming to theatres & VOD
on Sept 3rd. Please check local listings.

Tickets can be purchased here

There is no honour amongst thieves in the families vying for absolute leadership in Yakuza Princess. This stylish neo-noir revenge thriller establishes that a very young girl, Akemi, will inherit a regime. But after a huge assassination attempt to which many members of the Takikawa clan get slain, she’s taken into hiding.

Instead of a feudal setting, this story by Vicente Amorim (director), Kimi Lee, Tubaldini Shelling and Fernando Toste (writers) sets the tale in modern times and in a world not everyone is familiar with. Akemi (MASUMI) is all grown up now and is being hunted in São Paulo, Brazil. She doesn’t know why until she questions a few people and learns about her heritage. Those that are after her knows she’s the true heir of the Yakuza crime syndicate. They won’t settle for controlling half of the organization and need to dispose of her.

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