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The Everlasting Glory (1974) Directed by: Ding Sin-Saai

KENNETH'S REVIEW: Depicting war turmoil between China and Japan during the 1930s and 40s, this production knows it can provide big and loud images but aside from in the eyes of perhaps history buffs, The Everlasting Glory is a boring trek. Injecting basic personal drama at times and including O Chun Hung playing it dignified, tormented and heroic very competently, most of the piece is steered by need to celebrate the Chinese spirit. All well and good but it's more lazy propaganda on display than emotions reaching out. As O Chung-Hung's character goes from icon-status to being perceived as a traitor, director Ding Sin-Saai's injects some poignancy but returning to the big scale of it all has the reverse effect of boredom. Watch A Home Too Far instead, containing equal amounts of well-honed acting chops from our lead.

Evil Instinct (1996) Directed by: Chu Wai Kwong

Insurance for sex, fraud, death and snake serum all collide in Chu Wai Kwong's Cat III thriller, elements that add up to a product that is watchable thrash. Not because of any finely honed filmmaking skills or acting because Chu definitely churns out a rather stale thriller. If you're trying to thrill with a plot concerning insurance, you better be a filmmaker of note. Chu isn't. He does know where he draws his inspirations from (Basic Instinct being one) but despite being that "clever", Evil Instinct adds up to nothing. What makes one unexpectedly easily get through the 90 minutes is the sexy presence of Carrie Ng and Diana Pang Dan and as silly as the plot twists become, Chu's visual style keeps us involved during the final 20 minutes. Also with Bowie Lam and Stuart Ong.

Evil Seducers (1975) Directed by: Poon Lui

Fang Mengyin (Hong Hoi) would rather flirt and be picky about who he possibly marries rather than arranged marriage or a career as an official. He thinks he's scored when he meets the beautiful Qinglian (Ai Ti) but she and her servants turn out to be ferocious ghosts. Well designed but quite an intimate ghost story on the Shaw Brothers stages, director Poon Lui (The Sword, with Jimmy Wang Yu) creates plenty of spooky atmosphere, mystery and involvement. Despite also having a very unappealing, by design, main character who possibly won't learn anything even after receiving aid in battling the ghosts. Movie loses some appeal by the twist ending. Also with Chan Shen.

Excape From Kingdom (1988) Directed by: Addy Sung

Obviously meant to be Escape From Kingdom, this often forgettable but sometimes mildly entertaining diversion sees young, innocent Peggy hook up with Eddie who turns out to be Mr. Buttmunch in disguise and she is subsequently entered into a striptease/prostitute ring in Thailand. Back home her father (Lau Siu-Ming) enlists a private detective to find Peggy but it seems like they've got the poorest one in the agency. The dick played by Dai Sai-Aan may seem a bit dopey and disorganized but is a dedicated worker who is not afraid to throw punches and get into the thick of things...

Scenes initially showing what Peggy's kingdom turns out to be has the exploitation vibe to them that is able to draw in audiences but tone is switched to a slightly lighter (and welcome) one. In a rare appearance as a lead, Dai Sai-Aan equips himself well, being an off-beat and also fighting P.I. The filmmakers don't have much else to say here so a few scattered elements are what's entertaining about Excape From Kingdom. Michael Chan, Phillip Ko and Shum Wai also appear.

Excelsior (1974) Directed by: Mo Man-Hung

Two childhood friends (Chang Yi, Raymond Lui) decides to not only share fortune, misfortune but also infections via self-made gambling tattoos and when they meet as adults, they're on opposite sides of the law. Bashing ensues. The classic story of innocence abused by the powerful is given no resonance in this ordinary martial arts venture. Goofy dubbing featuring all manner of accents, including Chinese, makes sure the proceedings flow and Excelsior does offers up harmless genre entertainment despite. Lung Wei co-stars.

Executioners (1993) Directed by: Johnnie To & Ching Siu-Tung

The sequel to Heroic Trio and released merely months later, the trio of Tung aka Wonder Woman (Anita Mui), Invisible Girl (Michelle Yeoh) and Cat (Maggie Cheung) are apart again, especially so after a nuclear holocaust has destroyed large parts of the society. Tung has retreated to be a house wife, Cat continues to catch thieves for money and Invisible Girl fights on the side of the resistance against the Clean Water Corporation (led by the scarred Mr. Kim played by Anthony Wong) that is holding back the supply of clean water. Violence and personal death forces the trio into action again (albeit largely working on their own or being incarcerated) to find the last source of clean water...

While the first movie wanted melodrama at its heart and had a cool future design, its most memorable sections involved supernatural shenanigans and mainly Anthony Wong armed with a flying guillotine. Executioners is a lot darker and gloomier. That's not to say Johnnie To and Ching Siu-Tung stroke gently as melodramatic storytellers but also missing seems to be the out there outrageousness. The film certainly says a lot of valid things, portrays an apocalyptic future on a budget quite well and no doubt all action (in particular the wirework but less so for the gunplay) is put together by Ching Siu-Tung with an aura of cool and creativity. The leading ladies are dedicated to the cause as well and Executioners is a worthy, albeit dark follow up that you have to be warned beforehand a little about. Paul Chun, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Damian Lau and Lau Chung-Wan appear in support.

Executioners From Shaolin (1977) Directed by: Lau Kar Leung

Coming off portraying the Hung Fists most famous performer Wong Fei Hung in Challenge Of The Masters, Lau Kar Leung turned to what has been said to be its founder, a Shaolin temple monk and rebel called Hung Xiguan (portrayed here by Chen Kuan-Tai and a few years earlier in Heroes Two, directed by Chang Cheh and co-action directed by Lau Kar Leung). The typically high quality display of kung fu is as always a prominent factor in Lau's work but he's in actuality celebrating heroism and family for Executioners From Shaolin.

A significant time is spent with Hung Xiguan and his wife Fang Yongchun (Lily Li), detailing their particular family dynamic as Hung prepares to take revenge on Master White Brows (Lo Lieh). Why this is strong direction lies in Lau's excellent portrayal of Fang as a strong woman, very much adept at martial arts while combining the duty of home wife. The two have made a promise to not teach other but it will eventually come down to Fang's acquired skills in combination with the teachings of Hung to bring their common enemy down. Lau injects the relationship with a sweetness and playfulness, getting strong chemistry and performances from Chen Kuan-Tai and Lily Li but at heart also lies the age old revenge storyline, taken to greater heights through Lo Lieh's presence as the classic movie villain and historical figure Master White Brows (or Pai Mei).

Lo Lieh is seemingly the true embodiment of the Shaolin temple traitor that Pai Mei is (although there are no historical facts confirming that story), being a master of body protection and making such an impact that he was called upon to reprise the role movies such as Abbot Of Shaolin, his own directed sequel/remake to Executioners From Shaolin called Clan Of The White Lotus and more recently, Gordon Lau under the direction of Quentin Tarantino took on a more comic portrayal of Pai Mei in Kill Bill Vol. 2.

While Lau Kar Leung's climax, featuring the son of Hung (Wong Yue) may feel a little short and under whelming, Executioners From Shaolin is unusually well-rounded for a martial arts movie but it certainly comes as no surprise that the master martial arts filmmaker Lau Kar Leung is behind it. Cheng Hong Yip's annoying performance gets the movie in trouble sometimes but Gordon Lau logs a fine fighting cameo during the opening. Lee Hoi San and Donald Kong also appear while there are brief flashes of Lau Kar Leung himself, Fung Hark On, Wilson Tong, Hsiao Hau and Lam Ching Ying.

Buy the DVD at:
Yesasia.com

Execution In Autumn (1972) Directed by: Lee Hang

Craftsmanship is high but emotional investment isn't AS high. This well regarded Taiwanese period drama concerns Au Wai's character scheudled for execution after killing in self defense AND cold blood. Fu Pi-Hui is his grandmother trying desperately to get her grandson granted his freedom. When all seems fruitless, she tries to get the son to marry in jail to continue the bloodline at least. Expertly shot and designed, there is a lot of thought to character, nuances in dialogue and storytelling. We're fairly engaged in not necessarily a mystery but a narrative that reveals beats slowly along the way. That makes the work admirable rather than emotional though. Noble and driven home well by the end, it's difficult to escape that despite the dedication in all departments Execution In Autumn is a bit of a cold experience. Also with Tong Bo-Wan.

The Executor (1981) Directed by: Chan Chuen

A boring montage of the Hong Kong night accompanies the opening credits and this being an early Chow Yun-Fat movie we know didn't get acclaim, in a way (wrongly or not) we've made up our mind early. Danny Lee and fellow cops try and bring down a nasty gang boss, solve corruption within their own force and later there's a vigilante streak to go on as a triad hitman (Chow Yun-Fat) raises hell. Attempts at a gritty street look is a poor one (this ain't no Jumping Ash after all) and about only a scene and a half got any tension to speak of. What there is to remember is the fairly rare sight of Chow Yun-Fat playing it very evil and in a confrontation with Danny Lee, he urinates in the face of his future The Killer co-star. Some kind of classic image I guess. Also with Ng Man-Tat, Paul Chun and Tien Feng.

Released on Hong Kong dvd as Heroic Cops while a VHS release in America tried to sell it as a sequel to The Killer by blessing it with the title Killers Two.

Buy the DVD at:
HK Flix.com

Exorcist Master (1993) Directed by: Ma

Taoism and Christianity, represented by Lam Ching Ying and Wu Ma respectively, team up for battle in this lesser effort amongst all films that folllowed in the wake of the hugely influential Mr. Vampire. Wu Ma fails to inject the action with that energetic spark but the more memorable moments of Exorcist Master not suprisingly comes from Lam Ching Ying. The character have always been comedic gold when placed in situations he's not comfortable in and Lam truly made such scenes work to the best degree. Also starring Ngai Sing, Yip Wing Cho and Chan Gai Gwan.

Buy the DVD at:
HK Flix.com
Yesasia.com

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