Subway Cinema's last SUNDAYS ON FIRE film on November 13th

 Subway Cinema

Presents 

SUNDAYS ON FIRE: : SECRET HONG KONG 35MM FEATURE
When: Sunday, November 13, 2022 at 12:00 pm
Where: Nitehawk Cinema
188 Prospect Park West, Brooklyn, NY

 

Sundays on Fire started 9 movies ago in February, and now it ends with month and movie number 10 on Sunday, November 13. The series began with Michelle Yeoh starring in her second movie, and now we come full circle and end with one of the most brutal Girls with Guns pictures ever made. Shot in the ‘80s, this truly apocalyptic blast of action struts down a runway named Death, wearing big shoulder pads made of corpses, its hair full of mousse, holding a smoking hogleg pistol in each lace-gloved hand.

Hong Kong’s Girls with Guns movies were always shot fast, cheap, and barely under control, their stunts teetering on the verge of doing permanent damage to the actors, plots constantly threatening to spin off into insanity, their bloody hearts pinned to their sleeves, their leads actors turning on the afterburners to deliver level 11 intensity despite the sheer exhaustion etched into their faces by the grinding shooting schedule and the grueling stunts they had to perform.

In this movie, two hardcore action actresses go toe-to-toe in a high caliber deathmatch that features some of the most brutal beatdowns every put on the big screen, choreography courtesy of one of Hong Kong’s most famous action dynasties. The core of this movie is a pentagram of three Hong Kong bruisers, one Japanese power lifter, and one Japanese superhero going at each others’ throats, and God help any supporting character, pane of glass, fashion show, innocent bystander, or city that gets in their way. If you think girls can’t fight, allow this movie to punch you in the throat. Hard.

This is how Sundays on Fire is going out — with blood on its knuckles and glass in its hair.

Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased here.

Subway Cinema's next SUNDAYS ON FIRE screening will be on Sunday, October 9th

Subway Cinema
Presents 

Sundays On Fire: Secret Hong Kong 35mm Feature
When: Sunday, October 9, 2022 at 12:00 pm
Where: Nitehawk Cinema
188 Prospect Park West, Brooklyn, NY

 

The second Sunday of every month sees Subway Cinema take over the Nitehawk Cinema to unleash an action classic from the golden days of Hong Kong cinema but this time they're jumping to the year 2000 and going maximum Y2K by emptying a full clip of Millennial Mayhem directly into your face. The title will not be revealed until it appears onscreen because it’s more fun that way, but know that this is one of Hong Kong’s most pioneering directors delivering a modern day action classic that rewrote the rules of cinema in a movie that stands as a monument to what might have been if anyone else had been brave enough to make the same warp speed jump so many light years ahead.

If that makes it sound like a sci-fi flick, you’re not far off. Even though it’s set in contemporary Hong Kong the city is shot like an alien landscape, there is so much running up walls, across ceilings, and down the sides of buildings the rules of physics seem to be suspended, and the cast are a multi-culti, polyglot crew of miraculous mutants whose luminous faces will get burned into your brains. No one ever screens this movie anymore, so this 35mm, subtitled print is our Halloween treat to you.

Subway Cinema's next SUNDAYS ON FIRE screening will be on Sunday, September 11th

Subway Cinema
Presents 

Sundays On Fire: Secret Hong Kong 35mm Feature
When: Sunday, September 11, 2022 at 12:00 pm
Where: Nitehawk Cinema
188 Prospect Park West, Brooklyn, NY

Tickets

On Sunday, September 11th, Subway Cinema will present a brand new SUNDAY ON FIRE, an amazing 35mm print of a Wong Jing movie. If you don't know Wong Jing, this is your chance to meet Hong Kong's evil genius of bad taste, the director who's been serving up slapdash, surreal, bizarre blockbusters since the '80s. Wong has his finger on the pulse of the Hong Kong audience and his movies are exuberantly over-the-top, cranked out fast, full of dumb jokes, bloody carnage, and surplus explosions, and this one's no different.

An action-packed takedown of one of the biggest action stars in the world, starring one of the biggest action stars in the world, this flick is like Die Hard turned up to 11, featuring top-notch action choreography, super-stupid slapstick, oblique in-jokes, a bunch of stars, and plenty of bisected bystanders. No child is left uncharred in this anything-goes lunatic tour of Wong Jing’s brain that feels a lot like sticking your face in a blender.

NOTE: This movie is dubbed into English because, as the wonderful folk at Subway Cinema say, it's dumber that way!

Subway Cinema's next SUNDAYS ON FIRE screening this Sunday, May 8th

Subway Cinema
Presents

Sundays On Fire
When: Sunday, May 8, 2022 at 12:00 pm
Where: Nitehawk Cinema
188 Prospect Park West, Brooklyn, NY

Tickets

The second Sunday of every month sees Subway Cinema take over the Nitehawk Cinema in Brooklyn to unleash an action classic from the golden days of Hong Kong movies. The titles are not revealed until they appear onscreen because it’s more fun that way but, believe that you'll be celebrating the biggest stars of the ‘80s and ‘90s in their best movies, all presented in glorious 35mm.

This Sunday’s movie redefines “celebrate.” Every Chinese New Year, Hong Kong’s biggest and most badass turn in their greatest movies and this is one of the most insane Chinese New Year movies ever made, a tornado of absolutely all the action stars, comedians, and stunt wizards in Hong Kong cinema rampaging through a movie from one of HK’s greatest action directors. It’s a bit of a western, a bit of an action movie, a bit of a comedy, but most of all it’s a delirious spectacle where the stunts and the fight scenes keep getting bigger…and bigger…and bigger until there isn’t a building left standing onscreen. If you ever wanted to be astonished, this is the movie that’ll astonish you until you explode.

Subway Cinema's SUNDAYS ON FIRE begins tomorrow Sunday, February 13

Subway Cinema
Presents

The very first of Subway Cinema's SUNDAYS ON FIRE will occur tomorrow, Sunday, February 13th at noon at the Nitehawk Prospect Park. It's a 35mm screening of a rare, golden age Hong Kong action classic that hasn't been seen on the big screen in decades. This one's got a female lead and you won't regret it. Future screenings in this series will be on the second Sunday of every month through June!

Get tickets here.

Subway Cinema's THE HONG-KONG-A-THON PART III: HONG KONG NEVER DIES! coming to Anthology Film Archives on January 8, 2022

SUBWAY CINEMA PRESENTS:
THE HONG-KONG-A-THON PART III: HONG KONG NEVER DIES!
When: Saturday, January 8, 2022
Screenings begin at 12:30 p.m.
Where: Anthology Film Archives, NYC
32 Second Avenue New York, NY 10003

They said it was over. They said it couldn’t happen again. But just when you thought it was safe to go back into movie theaters…the Hong-Kong-a-Thon returns! Six movies! All on 35mm! Almost 12 hours of some of the gnarliest, scariest, weirdest, wildest movies from Hong Kong, flying through your eyes and giving your brain a deep tissue massage…with their fists! The titles won't be announced until they appear on screen because it’s more fun that way.

The wonderful folk at Subway Cinema dug deep and found prints for some lost classics that never made it onto DVD or Blu-ray. In fact, some of these movies are only available on VHS, and it seems that three of them haven't been projected since their release dates. Made between 1987 and 1993, these movies are out to hurt you, and you’re going to love every second of it! More info at www.subwaycinema.com.

All tickets will be $30.

CLICK HERE TO BUY TICKETS NOW!

ONCE UPON A TIME IN CHINA 2 to screen on Sunday, November 28th

 

The Criterion Collection recently released a Once Upon a Time in China box set and to celebrate, Subway Cinema scheduled screenings of the 4K restorations of ONCE UPON A TIME IN CHINA 1 & 2!!!!

The organization  screened Part 1 last Sunday and had a huge crowd that rocked the room with cheers and applause from the moment the Golden Harvest logo appeared until the last bad guy got done in.

Now, Subway Cinema is doing it again with OUATIC Part 2 screening at the Nitehawk Prospect Park on Sunday, 11/28 at noon. No familiarity with Part 1 is required.

Tickets for Part 2 are on sale now! 

Founded in 1999 in New York City, Subway Cinema is a not-for-profit volunteer-run organization dedicated to the exhibition and appreciation of Asian popular cinema and preservation of America’s Asian film exhibition heritage.

UNDERCOVER PUNCH & GUN available on Digital, Blu-ray™ & DVD June 8th with an all-new English dub

Well Go USA
Entertainment
Presents

Undercover Punch & Gun / Wo hu qian long
Co-directed by Lui Koon Nam and Frankie Tam

Hong Kong, 2019, 91 minutes

 

An undercover cop’s daring plan to infiltrate a notorious drug ring is severely compromised when a rival agency attacks mid-trade and kills the gang’s leader in the action-packed MMA thriller Undercover Punch & Gun (a.k.a. Undercover vs. Undercover). Their cover blown, both teams are forced to unite and take to the high seas in an attempt to overthrow the ruthless smuggler behind it all. Undercover Punch & Gun wil be coming to Digital, Blu-ray™ and DVD on June 8 with an all-new English dub from Well Go USA Entertainment.

First-time co-directors Lui Koon Nam and Frankie Tam assembled an exciting cast – including Philip Ng (Enter the Fat Dragon, Chasing the Dragon), Van Ness Wu (Ip Man 4, Dragon Blade), and Andy On (Special ID, Once Upon a Time in Shanghai) – for this MMA extravaganza with the explosive action fight sequences choreographed by Philip Ng, “…one of the best action directors working today.” (Asian Film Strike)

Synopsis:
While an elite cop is working undercover to infiltrate a notorious drug ring, his plan is compromised when a rival agency with a grudge attacks during a trade, killing the gang’s leader. Their cover blown, both teams are forced to unite and take to the high seas in an attempt to overthrow the ruthless smuggler behind it all.

ENTER THE FAT DRAGON Debuts on Digital, Blu-ray™ & DVD on July 14th

Well Go USA

Presents

Enter the Fat Dragon / Fei lung gwoh gong

Directed by Kenji Tanigaki

Hong Kong, 2020, 97 minutes

International martial arts icon Donnie Yen [Ip Man, Mulan (2020), Rogue One: A Star Wars Story] is back in the action-comedy Enter the Fat Dragon, “a hilarious, hyper-paced, rock-em sock-em blast of a movie!” (Ultimate Action Movies) debuting on Digital, Blu-ray™ and DVD July 14 from Well Go USA Entertainment.

The film chronicles the events that transformed super-fit super-cop Fallon Zhu (Yen) into a records clerk with a major snack cake habit—and one shot to regain his job and his fiancée. A hilarious parody of Bruce Lee's 1972 film Way of the Dragon and a reimagining of the popular comedy martial arts film starring Sammo Hung, Enter the Fat Dragon was directed by Kenji Tanigaki (Legend of Seven Monks) and costars Teresa Mo (Hard Boiled), Niki Chow (Heavenly Mission) and Wong Jing (Kung Fu Mahjong).

Synopsis:

Enter the Fat Dragon is a hilarious chronicle of the events that transformed super-fit super-cop Fallon Zhu (martial arts phenom Donnie Yen) into a glorified records clerk with a major snack cake habit. After a desperate request from an old colleague, Zhu teams up with a wily, wok-wielding restaurateur to solve a mysterious murder—and take his one last shot at regaining both his job and his fiancée.

ENTER THE FAT DRAGON opens in North American theaters today

Well Go USA

Entertainment

presents

Enter the Fat Dragon / Fei lung gwoh gong

Directed by Kenji Tanigaki

Hong Kong, 2020, 97 minutes

In this action-comedy movie starring martial arts superstar Donnie Yen, a police officer's suspect suffers a mysterious death, and he must team up with an undercover inspector to solve the murder mystery.

Synopsis:
Sent to Japan on a routine police escort, Officer Zhu (Yen) is excited to have the chance to re-qualify for full time duty as a police officer. However, after a series of mishaps, the mission goes terribly wrong and the suspect Officer Zhu is escorting suffers a mysterious death. Zhu enlists the help of wok-wielding restaurant owner and a former undercover inspector to solve this murder mystery in the new best action comedy movie from martial arts superstar Donnie Yen.

To watch the trailer and get tickets, click here.

[Note that this film seems to bear no relationship with Sammo Hung's 1978 film of the same title.]

BIG BROTHER reviewed; debuts on Blu-ray and DVD today, May 21st

Well Go USA

Presents

Big Brother

Directed by Kam Ka-Wai

Hong Kong, 2018, 101 minutes

Big Brother, a rather different film vehicle for action star Donnie Yen, debuts on Blu-ray and DVD today, May 21st from Well Go USA Entertainment. (It's been available on digital since April 16th.) My review is based on watching the Blu-ray version.

Here Yen stars as Henry Chan, a former soldier who manages to secure a position teaching a class of problematic teenage delinquents. His unconventional approach, which includes caring involvement with his students' lives outside the classroom, proves surprisingly effective. The reasons for his taking the job and caring so much become apparent as Chan's back story is gradually revealed over the course of the film.

Think of the movie as a Chinese version of the 1967 film To Sir, with Love, which starred Sidney Poitier as a teacher of troubled white students from the slums of London's East End. Only Big Brother, since it stars Donnie Yen, has a couple of ass-kicking action sequences that feature Yen taking on both multiple and individual opponents.

Disc Specs:
-- Audio
  -- Cantonese DTS-HDMA 5.1
  -- Cantonese Stereo
-- Subtitles
  -- English
  -- Chinese
  -- Off
-- Bonus
  -- Trailer A
  -- Trailer B
  -- US Trailer
-- Previews
  -- Master Z: Ip Man Legacy
  -- Golden Job
  -- Triple Threat

AsianCineFest Rating: 3 out of 4 stars; while not your typical Donnie Yen film, it's a touching "feel-good" film with some nice action scenes.

Hong Kong actioner VIXEN arrives on digital streaming platforms today

TriCoast Studios

Presents

Vixen

Directed by Ross W. Clarkson

China, 2018, 90 minutes

Vixen, a Hong Kong a female driven take on Die Hard, arrives on digital streaming platforms (Amazon, DirecTV, AT&T, FlixFling, Vudu, Vimeo on Demand, XBOX, Sony, Google Play, FANDANGO + Sling/Dish) today, May 6th. The film stars former stuntwoman Li Ran. Also featured are such action legends and martial art experts as Bryan Larkin (Dead End, Outlander) and Jai Day (Transformers, Pacific Rim: Uprising). Africa’s most famous Chinese martial arts expert, Luc Bendza, who graduated from Beijing’s prestigious Sports University, plays the film’s Machiavellian main villain.

Synopsis:
Vixen is a femme-centric Hong Kong action film about a Chinese security expert who fights a lone battle against a European criminal gang that has seized the world’s tallest building, where a massive, high-tech international conference is taking place. With the building under lockdown, the lone expert, Sunny Liu (former stuntwoman Li Ran) must use all her courage, intelligence and martial arts prowess to outwit, outlast and outfight the terrorists. She’s beautiful, she’s deadly, and she always knows – a woman’s work is never done.

BIG BROTHER available on Digital on April 16th, Blu-ray & DVD on May 21st

Well Go USA

Presents

Big Brother

Directed by Kam Ka-Wai

Hong Kong, 2018, 101 minutes

Big Brother features iconic action star Donnie Yen (the IP Man franchise, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story) as you’ve never seen him before – a high school teacher.

As a seasoned former soldier Henry Chan’s next mission is teaching a class of problematic teenage delinquents. Against all odds, his unconventional and sometimes questionable teaching methods turn out to be exactly what his pupils need.

Big Brother debuts on digital tomorrow, Tuesday, April 16th and on Blu-ray and DVD May 21st from Well Go USA Entertainment and is directed by Kam Ka Wai (Ip Man, Colour of the Game).

Synopsis:

Martial arts legend Donnie Yen stars as a former soldier recruited for his toughest mission yet – teaching a class of teen delinquents. As he kicks his way into their school and home lives, it becomes clear that his unconventional teaching style might be just what they need.

STILL HUMAN receives several 38th Hong Kong Film Awards nominations

Golden Scene

Presents

  Still Human

Written and directed by Chan Oliver Siu Kuen

Starring: Anthony Wong, Crisel Consunji, Sam Lee, Cecilia Yip, Himmy Wong

Hong Kong, 2018, 111 minutes

In Cantonese, English and Tagalog

Still Human, director Chan Oliver Siu Kuen's feature film debut, has received eight nominations at the 38th Hong Kong Film Awards (coming on April 14th), including noms in all four major categories: best film, director (Chan), actor (Wong) and actress (Consunji).

The film and cast have already received four award wins, including the NETPAC award at the 38th Hawaii International Film Festival, and another four nominations. (Details of those wins and nominations can be found here.)

Synopsis:
A paralyzed and hopeless divorcé, Cheong-wing (Anthony Wong) is in need of a caretaker. He meets his new live-in Filipino domestic helper, Evelyn (Crisel Consunji), who has put her dream on hold to come to Hong Kong to earn a living. Living under the same roof, these two strangers develop an unlikely relationship. As they get to learn more about each other, they also rediscover themselves -Cheong-wing begins to reconnect with his estranged son; Evelyn reignites her dream of being a photographer. Together, they help each other through ups and downs, twists and turns, love and loss and experience the different seasons of life. Just when they think they have lost all hope, little do they know, life still has a lot to offer.

The trailer is available here.

ICEMAN: THE TIME TRAVELER debuts on February 19th, 2019

Well Go USA

Presents

Iceman: The Time Traveler / Bing feng: Yong heng zhi men

Directed by Raymond Yip

Hong Kong/China, 2018, 88 minutes

Iconic action star Donnie Yen (Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, IP Man franchise) gets defrosted for the sequel to the fantasy-adventure Iceman when Iceman: The Time Traveler debuts on digital, Blu-ray Combo Pack and DVD February 19 from Well Go USA Entertainment.

Iceman: The Time Traveler tells the story of warriors from imperial China who after being buried alive and kept frozen in time for 400 years, are defrosted and must continue the battle they left behind. Directed by Raymond Yip (Bruce Lee My Brother) Iceman: The Time Traveler features a returning cast including Baoqiang Wang (Kung Fu Jungle), Shengyi Huang (Kung Fu Hustle), Kang Yu (Ip Man 3) and Simon Yam (Operation Red Sea) with the legendary Yasuaki Kurata (God of War) joining the sequel.

Synopsis:
During the Ming Dynasty, a palace guard, Ying (Donnie Yen), is buried and frozen in time by an avalanche during a fierce battle. Brought back to life in the present day, Ying embarks on a quest for the only thing that can correct the wrongs of history – The Golden Wheel of Time. Ying sets out on his dangerous journey, never knowing every step he takes is leading him closer to a deadly trap.

CHASING THE DRAGON coming to Digital, Blu-ray Combo Pack & DVD January 23rd from Well Go USA

Well Go USA

Entertainment

presents

Chasing the Dragon

Directd by Jing Wong

Hong Kong/China, 2017, 129 minutes

Iconic action stars Donnie Yen (Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, IP Man franchise) and Andy Lau (House of Flying Daggers) team up for the stylish Hong Kong crime thriller Chasing the Dragon, debuting on digital, Blu-ray™ Combo Pack and DVD January 23 from Well Go USA Entertainment. Based on a true story, Yen plays an illegal immigrant from Mainland China who sneaks into corrupt British-colonized Hong Kong in 1963 and transforms himself into a ruthless drug lord. Lau reprises the role of the corrupt cop seeking money and power he originated in the Lee Rock franchise. As The Action Elite noted, “Donnie Yen and Andy Lau are superb, there’s plenty of R-rated action and the story is never dull for a second.”

Chasing the Dragon also stars Kent Cheng (IP Man franchise), Philip Keung (Drug War, The Stool Pigeon), Wilfred Lau (Young Bruce Lee), Yu Kang (Kung Fu Killer), Michelle Hu (Once Upon a Time in Shanghai) and Raquel Xu (Chinese Wine). Hong Kong cinema fans should look out for cameo appearances from movie legends Kenneth Tsang (Rush Hour 2) and Chan Wai-man (Dragon Strike).

Synopsis:
Donnie Yen stars as infamous real-life drug kingpin Crippled Ho, who came to Hong Kong an illegal immigrant in 1963 and ruthlessly carved an empire from the chaotic underworld of drug dealers and corrupt police that ruled the city under notorious detective Lee Rock (Andy Lau).

SWORD MASTER debuts on Blu-ray & DVD today

Well Go USA

Entertainment

Presents

 Sword Master / San shao ye de jian

Directed by Derek Yee

Hong Kong/China. 2016, 105 minutes

Hong Kong cinema giants Derek Yee (Triple Tap) and Tsui Hark (Flying Swords of Dragon Gate) join forces for an epic remake of 1977’s Death Duel, when the wuxia martial arts extravaganza Sword Master debuts on Blu-ray™ and DVD today, Tuesday, April 11th from Well Go USA Entertainment. (It's been available on digital since March 7th.)

Visually opulent, the film follows a master swordsman who must once again wield his weapon against those who threaten his desire to live in peace. Sword Master stars Kenny Lin (The Taking of Tiger Mountain), Peter Ho (The Monkey King), Yiyan Jiang (Reign of Assassins) and Mengjie Jiangin (Kung Fu Hero). Bonus materials include the featurette “Mastering the Sword.”

Synopsis:
A powerful swordsman is haunted by the destructive impact his deadly talents have on others. Weary of the bloodshed and violence from the martial arts world, he banishes himself to the humble life of a vagrant, wandering the fringes of society. But his violent past refuses to let him go quietly. The master swordsman must regain the ability to wield his sword and fight those disrupting the peace he so desperately craves.

Bonus Materials Include:
-- “Mastering the Sword” featurette

AsianCineFest Rating: 3 out of 4 stars; a good martial arts action flick.

SWORD MASTER coming to Blu-ray & DVD on April 11th from Well Go USA

Well Go USA

Entertainment

presents

Sword Master / San shao ye de jian

Directed by Derek Yee

Hong Kong/China. 2016, 105 minutes

Hong Kong cinema giants Derek Yee (Triple Tap) and Tsui Hark (Flying Swords of Dragon Gate) join forces for an epic remake of 1977’s Death Duel, when the wuxia martial arts extravaganza Sword Master debuts on Blu-ray™ and DVD April 11th from Well Go USA Entertainment. (It's been available on digital since March 7th.)

Visually opulent, the film follows a master swordsman who must once again wield his weapon against those who threaten his desire to live in peace. Sword Master stars Kenny Lin (The Taking of Tiger Mountain), Peter Ho (The Monkey King), Yiyan Jiang (Reign of Assassins) and Mengjie Jiangin (Kung Fu Hero). Bonus materials include the featurette “Mastering the Sword.”

Synopsis:
A powerful swordsman is haunted by the destructive impact his deadly talents have on others. Weary of the bloodshed and violence from the martial arts world, he banishes himself to the humble life of a vagrant, wandering the fringes of society. But his violent past refuses to let him go quietly. The master swordsman must regain the ability to wield his sword and fight those disrupting the peace he so desperately craves.

Bonus Materials Include:
-- “Mastering the Sword” featurette

Johnny To's THREE is available today on Blu-ray and DVD

Well Go USA

Entertainment

presents

Three / San ren xing

Directed by Johnnie To

Starring Louis Koo, Vicki Zhao, and Wallace Chung

Hong Kong/China, 2016, 89 minutes

Tensions mounts and bullets fly in master filmmaker Johnnie To’s (Drug War, Exiled, Election) Three, his latest showdown between cops, robbers and everyone else caught in the crossfire. The action-packed thriller will become available on Blu-ray™ and DVD on April 4th from Well Go USA Entertainment. (It's been available on digital since March 7th.) My review is based on watching the Blu-ray version.

When a police sting goes bad, a cornered criminal (Wallace Chung, Drug War) makes a desperate choice: he shoots himself, forcing the officers to cease fire and rush him to the hospital. Once there, he refuses treatment, waiting for his cohorts to break him out. Caught between an obsessed cop (Louis Koo, Triad Election) and the dedicated surgeon assigned to save his life (Zhao Wei, Red Cliff), the hospital is now a battleground of deception, double-crosses and a coming onslaught of violence.

Synopsis:
When three disparate souls—a doctor desperate to redeem her reputation (Vicki Zhao), a policeman who will go to any length to seek out justice (Louis Koo), and a criminal with a gunshot wound to the head (Wallace Chung)—are thrown together in the hustle and bustle of an emergency room, a hospital descends from a pristine sanctuary to an explosive battleground.

Disc Specs:
-- Audio:
   -- Cantonese DTS:x
   -- Cantonese 2.0 Stereo
-- Subtitles:
   -- English / Chinese / Off
-- Bonus Materials:
   -- Making of featurettes
      -- “Master Director Johnnie To”
      -- “Three Complex Characters"
   -- Trailer
-- Previews:
   -- Sky on Fire
   -- Cold War 2
   -- Operation Mekong

AsianCineFest Rating: 2.5 out of 4 stars; a fairly decent action film from To, but not one of his best.

COLD WAR 2 reviewed; debuts on Blu-ray & DVD today

Well Go USA

Entertainment

presents

Cold War 2

Directed by: Lok Man Leung and Kim-Ching Luk

Starring: Aaron Kwok, Tony Leung Ka Fai, and Chow Yun-fat

Hong Kong/China, 2016, 110 minutes

Cold War 2, which continues the original film’s saga of intra-police rivalry, debuts toady, March 7th on Blu-ray™ and DVD from Well Go USA Entertainment. (It's been available on digital since February 7th.) This review is based on my watching the Blu-ray release.

The original Cold War (2012) also was directed by Leung and Luk. I also had Kwok and Leung starring as rivals in the Hong Kong police force. It was shown at the 14th New York Asian Film Festival in 2015 as one of several films starring Aaron Kwok, who was in attendance to receive that year's Star Asia Award.

M.B. Lee (Tony Leung Ka Fai, right center) is pissed at Sen Lau (Aaron Kwok, left center)

This second installment, which includes Hong Kong superstar Chow Yun-fat as eminent legislator Oswald Kan, picks up after the events of the first film. Sean Lau (Kwok), a straight-arrow bureaucrat, has risen to the position of Commissioner of Police, besting M.B. Lee (Tony Leung Ka Fai), the former Deputy Commissioner of Operations.

Lee's son, Joe Lee (Eddie Peng of Call of Heroes), is a criminal in police custody. His buddies kidnap Lau's wife and demand his release in exchange for her life. This sets things in motion, including a behind-the-scenes conspiracy to control the Hong Kong Police Force.

Chow Yun-fat as legislator Oswald Kan

The film starts out at a funeral and numerous characters are identified by subtitles, in Chinese and English, as they appear on scree. This tends to get things off to a slow start. There are a few decent action scenes, but nothing all that spectacular.

Frankly, the best thing about the film was the opening credits which feature ice figures such as those seen in the Blu-ray image above. It's truly lovely to watch, and every bit as good as the best Bond film openings credit sequences.

Disc Specs:
-- Audio
   -- Cantonese DTS 5.1 HDMA
   -- Cantonese 2.0 Stereo
   -- Mandarin DTS 5.1 HDMA
   -- Mandarin 2.0 Stereo
-- Subtitles
   -- English
   -- Chinese
   -- Off
-- Bonus
   -- Behind the Scenes
      -- A Powerful Cast
      -- The Story
      -- The Three Powers
      -- VFX and Action
   -- Teaser
   -- Trailer
-- Previews
   -- Sky on Fire
   -- Operation Mekong
   --  Three

AsianCineFest Rating: 2.5 out of 4 stars. A decent-enough policier,  but not all that great.