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Men In Black 3

It’s not a sequel that needed to be made, but thanks to the charm of its leads and a tone that harks back to the wit and humour of the original, it’s a pretty enjoyable trip.

Bel Ami

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A disappointing, often repulsive and mean-spirited mess of a film with seemingly only one real criterion on its agenda: to shock and offend.

The Woman In Black

Packed with atmosphere, this old-fashioned but deftly told ghost story delivers ample chills and thrills.

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Wu Xia (Film)

by Jarrod Walker | July 06, 2011 13:39 | Edited July 06, 2011 13:40

Meshing western and Asian style sensibilities, the martial art sequences are dazzling but we’re always invested in the action, thanks to the intelligent script.

It's 1917 and paper maker Liu Jinxi (Donnie Yen) lives with his small family in an idyllic Chinese country village. Liu Jinxi attracts the unwanted attention of the law when he accidentally kills two robbers who bust up his workshop and threaten to kill his fellow shopkeepers. Eccentric Police detective Xu Baijiu (Takeshi Kaneshiro) soon arrives, putting his unique knowledge of martial arts, acupuncture and homeopathy to task (in a stylishly CSI flourish) and deducing that that the two men can only have been killed by someone with extraordinary fighting prowess. Xu Baijiu's convinced that Liu is Tang Long, a violent mass murderer and a member of the 72 demons, a bloodthirsty criminal gang. Liu Jinxi's peaceful existence is shattered as he's forced to fight to protect the family he loves and to maintain the happy life that he has built for himself.

 

Aubrey Lam's understated script devotes a lot of time to establishing character and setting up drama, so when the fighting does start, the stakes are ratcheted high and there's a curious feeling of actually being invested in the action. It's a dazzling fusion of western style sensibilities and the staple martial arts themes of Asian cinema. That it works is a testament to Peter Ho-Sun Chan's solid direction and Jake Pollock's detail-oriented cinematography.

 

Yet despite all the talents involved, Donnie Yen deserves a share of the praise, not only does he deliver a subtle and nuanced lead performance as a loving husband protecting his family but also as the film's action and fight director, he manages to make the intricate and brutal fight scenes leap from the screen with emotion, immediacy and gravitas.