Actions Speak Louder Than Words

The Furious (Kenji Tanigaki, 2025/2026)

As an aficionado of onscreen violence, I am particularly drawn to action films that feature intense combat sequences, copious amounts of pain and a dash of blood or two. Fortunately, acclaimed fight choreographer Kenji Tanigaki, who was involved in one of your host’s favourite action films in recent years - Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In (2024), has transitioned to film directing and has subsequently delivered an action-packed bruiser that’s a summer riot.

The Furious (2025/2026) follows Wang Wei (Xie Miao), a mute, Chinese handyman working “Somewhere in Southeast Asia” (the location is intentionally left vague), as he embarks on a mission to rescue his young daughter, Rainy (Yang Enyou), from child traffickers. He forms an alliance with Navin (Joe Taslim), who shares a similar motive in finding his missing journalist wife. The premise is straightforward and the plot is not particularly complex. The narrative’s simplicity justifies the pair’s decision to launch a series of devastating assaults on numerous machete-wielding adversaries in locations connected to the trafficking leader Paklung’s (Joey Iwanaga) operation.

Wei may lack the ability of speech, but martial arts skills do all the necessary talking in his quest to retrieve his daughter. Throughout his journey with Navin, the extent of the trafficking operation’s reach is revealed, including the corrupt police captain who remains indifferent as desperate children attempt to escape from a dilapidated apartment building known as The Snake Pit.

The fight scenes are choreographed with expert precision; drawing the eye deeper into the intensity of the battle. The impact of every punch, kick and weapon used is viscerally wince-inducing. Bones are shattered, blood is spilt, and in some cases, body parts are severed. This is back from the pub heaven for your humble host. Meteor Cheung’s cinematography is characterised by a fluid dynamic that mirrors the chaotic visual spectacle of the unrelenting action that occurs on screen.

Diminutive Miao’s strict kung fu discipline is contrasted with Taslim’s more erratic judo skills. When Wei mistakenly identifies Navin as a child trafficker, the pair briefly engage in a fight. A comedic moment occurs when Miao removes his jacket as he warms up to unleash pain. To Navin’s relief, he realises that Wei shares a similar objective and they subsequently team up. For fans of the game-changing martial arts classic The Raid (2011), Taslim has a rematch with the indomitable Yayan Ruhian. The latter plays a ruthless henchman to Paklung; who wields a deadly bow, upping the bloody gore quota considerably. However, Brian Le almost steals the film as the bald, dungaree-clad Ho, a strong and persistent antagonist who is more than a match for the combined skills of Wei and Navin. Ho is instrumental in the film’s unforgettable pièce de résistance; consisting of an epic two versus two versus one rumble.

The English dubbing may be an issue for some viewers. While it did not detract from my enjoyment of the film, it was sufficiently noticeable to warrant mentioning it for this review. Apparently, there is a Mandarin language version of the film; one that includes some different scenes. This is enough to interest me in determining which might be the better cut of the film in the foreseeable future. Although, given The Furious is a martial arts film of a very high calibre, it's a win for action film fans, regardless of which version they watch.

The Furious is an excellent martial arts film. Blending the premise of Taken with the intense action of The Raid, and if that justifies it with the label of dadsploitation movie by some, then so be it. Hail to 2026's big daddy of action flicks!

Moggy Cheung

The Cat (Lam Nai-Choi, 1992)

Hong Kong cinema is often characterised by its eccentricity and unconventional style, drastically  distinguishing it from Hollywood. Consequently, its genre output attracts international audiences with a taste for insane content. My first exposure to Lam Nai-Choi’s work was his unofficial adaption of the popular manga, Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky (1992). Set in a sadistic prison, the film’s excessive violence and gore made it a splatterfest classic comparable to Peter Jackson’s Braindead also released that year. Regrettably, I remained unfamiliar with Nai-Choi’s other films until they became more available relatively recently. Produced directly after his magnum opus, The Cat (AKA The 1000 Years Cat, 1992) is a surreal sci-fi horror that achieves almost the same heights; a feat in itself, considering how much Riki-Oh is an incredibly tough act to follow.

Sourced from the popular series of books written by Ni Kuang, concerning the paranormal/science fiction novelist Wisely, played by Waise Lee (seriously!) in the film. The Cat is an adaptation of The Old Cat. The film revolves around three extraterrestrials stranded on Earth: one, a young woman named Princess (Gloria Yip); her elderly bodyguard, Errol (Lau Siu-Ming); and a black cat known as the General, who are after an artefact which will aid them to defeat a powerful enemy and help them return home.

The plot is largely secondary to the film’s visual spectacle, which is just as well as the original director assigned to direct The Cat constantly demanded for script changes, as revealed by screen writer Gordon Chan in an interview in the 88 Films' Blu-ray release. Amusingly, once Nai-Choi was hired to direct the picture, he wasn't in the least bit bothered about the screenplay. For those familiar with 1980s cult sci-fi classics The Thing, The Terminator, The Hidden, and The Blob you will no doubt spot their inspirations on the film. A gun deal involving the possessed Wang Chieh-Mei (Phillip Kwok) unfolds in a manner that is reminiscent of the scene where Arnold Schwarzenegger's killer cyborg is tooling up in a gun shop.

Aside from the melting pot of obvious influences, the film also exhibits unusual tonal shifts. While The Cat primarily qualifies as a science fiction horror film due to its subject matter, gory violence and special effects, it occasionally resembles a Saturday morning children’s show in relation to its peculiar sense of wonder and naivety. Conversely, some scenes featuring Wisely and his girlfriend Pai So (Christine Ng) are shot in a manner reminiscent of an erotic film. Wisely is portrayed as intensely horny around his partner, while the camera focuses on Pai So’s perspiring body. The gratuitous close-ups are predictably jarring from the rest of the film.

The pièce de résistance is an epic junkyard brawl between the titular character and a dog. The sheer absurdity of the fight is difficult to describe, but the sight of a cat performing a suplex on a dog is a sight for the eyes and one that won't be forgotten easily. This was all achieved before the advent of computer-aided effects, with much of the grandiose battle executed using hand puppets, stop-motion animation and practical effects. It is undoubtedly one of the most ludicrous fights I involving domestic animals I have ever witnessed. Incredible.

Nai-Choi’s film does not merely culminate in a single impressive fight sequence; it merely set a precedent for the remainder of the film. A particular highlight is the alien antagonist, still possessing Wang Chieh-Mei’s body, conducting bullet-ridden destruction upon Wisely’s home. The scene is characterised by a distillery's worth of vodka stored in the premises used as Molotov cocktails, which burn with napalm-like intensity. You know you aren't watching a Hollywood film when one of its main cast members is doused in flame retardant and performing their own stunts amongst all the fire and carnage. Then again, how many of Hollywood's thespians are like Phillip Kwok, serving as a stunt co-ordinator on their film?

The alien antagonist undergoes transforms into an even more monstrous entity once the General is revitalised by a beam of light from its home world. Simultaneously, the antagonist attacks diners in a canteen with appendages reminiscent of the creature from The Thing. The practical effects are remarkably well executed and evoke a sense of nostalgia for an era when computer-generated visual effects were not so prevalent. Ultimately, the extraterrestrial villain smothers the entire building when it assumes the form of a colossal, gelatinous mass. This is what I live for.

According to Asian film expert Frank Djeng, the villain was an analogical representation of  Britain's handover of Hong Kong to China. Thus, the scenes where Philip Kwok acquisition of black market Chinese Army weapons, along with him manifesting into a giant, red amalgamated monster, depicts the fears and woes of Hong Kong's citizens. You would never know it, unless someone told you. As an ignorant foreigner, I just assumed it was all inspired by some of Hollywood's greatest sci-fi horror films from the 1980s. 

Interestingly, a Japanese version of the film titled Nine Lives was produced concurrently using some of the same cast, sets and effects. The differences between the two films are numerous but the use of an alternative director and Japanese actor Hidekazu Akai as the lead are the most significant. Admittedly, I have not yet seen the Japanese version but further details regarding the changes between the two films are listed on this website.

 

The Cat is an amazingly eccentric film that should appeal to anyone with an interest in unconventional and whimsical films from around the world. Its influences are evident yet it instils its own brand of bizarre entertainment; making it a unique viewing experience. The fact that Lam Nai-Choi chose to retire from the film industry after helming The Cat is noteworthy, as it's a magnificent mic drop for any director. 

 

Lovers of psychotronic cinema will dig this.

Kowloon Ruck

Twilight Warriors: Walled In (Soi Cheang, 2024)

Director Soi Cheang first came onto my radar with his Hong Kong crime thriller Limbo (2021). Despite its incredible production design and hyper-stylised noir aesthetic, the central core of the film was like every generic crime thriller involving the hunt for a serial killer. It was superficially alluring, at best. His latest film, adapted from a graphic novel known as City of Darkness, is also laced with fantastic visuals, but more importantly, it also has a more interesting plot.

Twilight Warriors: Walled In is set during the eighties in Hong Kong's shanty city of Kowloon. The historical region resembled a post-apocalyptic nightmare rather than an actual urban province. The gargantuan ramshackle is the basis for the film's amazing look. Within its corrugated walls is a densely populated feudal society with triad bosses acting like governing elders.

After being ripped off obtaining a fake ID card by Mr. Big (the legendary Sammo Hung still kicking arse in his seventies), Chan Lok-kwan (Raymond Chan) runs afoul of the triads by mistakenly snatching a bag of drugs thinking it was the money owed to him. The result is an epic chase fight into the Walled City, where the triads are prohibited from venturing in. Lok-kwan finds sanctuary in the urban shit hole to be temporary when he runs into another gang led by the chain smoking, martial arts master Cyclone (Louis Koo). After some more fighting, Lok-kwan goes through the motions of finding acceptance with the inhabitants of the Walled City.

The police free zone has its own laws and politics, which is fascinating during the downtime of not having a violent fight light up the screen. This also benefits the film's world building along with defining its central characters. There's a back story to Lok-kwan, which eventually leads to serious consequences for everyone living in Kowloon.

A refreshing concept is how Mr. Big isn't the major villain in the film. That duty falls to his maniacal second-in-command, King (Philip Ng), who looks like an Asian verison of Paul Calf. Controversially, King the power of invulnerability. He is impervious to lethal machete strikes, a sledgehammer to his skull, and can chew on red hot coal like it's a chicken nugget. This comic book style villain is more than a challenge for Lok-kwan and three of his comrades during the film's epically climactic showdown.

The fight choreography comes somewhere in between Steven Chao's cartoonish action in Kung Fu Hustle (2004) and the brutal grittiness of Gareth Evans' The Raid films. Thus, Twilight Warriors: Walled In does not disappoint with its entertaining action scenes. Did not expect the emotionally effective drama sequences, either. A good example is the brotherhood of Lok-kwan's inner circle: Shin (Terrance Lau), Twelfth Master (Tony Wu) and the masked AV (German Cheung). From playing mah jong to dispensing street justice to a prostitute killer, a tight bond is formed with the foursome, where they're willing to sacrifice themselves to prove it.

The film is superior to the average John Wick-core actioner, which has long outstayed its welcome. Of course, there is the potential of the comic book style combat being a turn off for some, but it more than makes sense considering it's based on an actual graphic novel. A rare win for comic book movies over the last few years.

Overall, Twilight Warriors: Walled In is a quality action film. Not only does it deliver an abundant amount of shit kicking, but it does it with resplendent glee. Apparently, there are another two films (one, a sequel; the other, a prequel) planned and this instalment has managed to get its hooks in, and left me willing to check them out too. Recommended.

The Viper Rooms

Calamity of Snakes (William Chang Kee, 1982)

William Chang Kee's Cat. III nasty, Calamity of Snakes (1982), puts me in an awkward spot when it comes it an honest review, as I feel both love and revulsion for it.

Events kick off when a construction crew are building an apartment complex and discover a nest of snakes (we're talking thousands here). Rather than contact the relevant authorities and face delays, they cruelly kill the snakes off with the aid of an excavator smashing them (for real). This is the revenge motive for an even greater number of snakes, led by a giant python, to exact their vengeance on the humans moving into in the new apartment complex.

Calamity of Snakes employs Irwin Allen's tried and tested formula from his nature-gone-wild and disaster movies. Prominent film subgenres movies from the seventies and early eighties. Delving further, Calamity of Snakes shares much of the same DNA as the star-studded The Towering Inferno (1974); swapping fire for a serpent invasion. Thus, the clichéd introduction involving the apartment complex's occupant is ever present, before they're eventually killed off. This is where some unexpected Benny Hill style humour takes over and when a sadly small noticeable dip in pacing occurs. In a disco party scene, a snake crawls up a woman's leg and a guy predictably receives a slap because of it. Typical Saturday night for some.

If you're at all familiar with any of the Jungle horror films from the seventies and eighties; particularly of the Italian kind, then you'll be aware that real animal cruelty was very prominent in them. Calamity of Snakes is not only guilty of committing this taboo, but performs it on a mass scale. Numerous scenes show snakes being skinned alive, burnt, chopped and eaten. These scenes are both incrediby graphic and disturbing. Hard to recommend this film for this very reason, or at the very least, to advise anyone interested to tread with caution.

On a more positive note, what I totally adore about Calamity of Snakes is just how surreal it is from start to finish. There's an elderly snake master tasked with dispatching the giant python leader, which culminates in a bloody and savage martial arts battle between the pair. It's an amazing face-off and one you'll never quickly forget. Snakes gatecrashing the apartment's disco party is equal parts hilarious and down right brutal. Hundreds of snakes are thrown over the actors, and it all looks very dangerous (and possibly unsupervised). The camera doesn't shy away from the carnage that ensues - it's all very graphic detail.

Well done to the music department for borrowing a few recognisable horror film soundtracks. Goblin's Zombie makes a cameo, but Jay Chattaway's Subway Terror is used more liberally, and works effectively well in the background while snakes slither around various rooms and hallways; legitimately adding a another layer of intensity.

Calamity of Snakes is amongst the most outlandish and mean-spirited entry in the whole nature-gone-wild subgenre I've watched thus far. The animal cruelty alone stigmatises it. Definitely not a film for everyone, but the insanity of it all might be the jackpot that exploitation movie enthusiasts are craving for.

We Are The Robots

Robotrix (Jamie Luk, 1991)

It goes without saying that both James Cameron's The Terminator (1984) and Paul Verhoeven's Robocop (1987) were hugely influential science-fiction films when they were released. Both of them spawned a slew of rip-off movies, including Jamie Luk's hybrid of the two, Robotrix (1991). An outrageous Catergory III co-production from Japan and Hong Kong, featuring Chikako Aoyama and buxom pin-up Amy Yip. Intentional or not, it's an aptly named movie considering the film's protagonist is a dead police officer brought back to life in a robotic body and is turning tricks.

 Always great when you find a diamond in the rough, but I can't honestly put my hand on my heart and say I'm a big fan of this film; it's largely a dull mess, and based on whatever information I could dig up regarding Robotrix's production, the cast had about as much idea with what was going on than I did. For me, the biggest cardinal sin a movie could commit is being boring. This is the major distinction I will make when defending far more notorious exploitation films, like Ilsa, She Wolf of the SS (1975) for example. At least there was never a dull moment in the stalag. There are a few eyebrow raising scenes lightly sprinkled here and there during its run time, but not enough to maintain my interest. Not even Amy Yip or the quarry fight scene could keep me interested.

 Robotrix (Quarry Fight scene)

(Jamie Luk, 1991)

The BBFC didn't pass this film for release until over seven minutes worth of cuts were made. Not to side with the bane of my youth, but I would have let Jamie Luk's problematic issues slide with no worries, if his film had a real sense of direction and offered a little something more than just sleaze.

File this in the "one man's trash is another man's treasure" section.