A French-German-Chinese co-production based on the 'The Good Man Of Nanking' (a collection of personal journals by Nazi party member and German businessman John Rabe who headed the Nanking Safety Zone during Japanese occupation in 1937 and reportedly kept over 200 000 people alive during the Nanking Massacre). The topic always sparks heartache, feelings of being disheartened, horrified and the film is a well produced, not overly graphic account of Rabe's struggles to protect as many men, women (as well as Chinese soldiers) as he could. Excellent performance by Ulrich Tukur and Steve Buscemi as American Surgeon Robert Wilson help move this along and ultimately John Rabe comes off as a very honorable portrayal of someone who may have used his Nazi credentials but humanely. To protect from inhumane ways. Also with Zhang Jingchu (Beast Stalker). Awfully re-titled City of War: The Story Of John Rabe in the UK with poster art playing up an epic, war feel that isn't fair to the film at all.

Far from the highs director Zhang Ren-Jie reached with The Devil, Journalist Story feels like vague ideas to populate your Category III movies strung together into one somewhat too long and overpopulated 1993 production. Lam Wai (My Wife's Lover) is a cop who has a history of bumping into a woman he calls Jinx (Tsui Man-Wah) and the bad luck she brings takes him away from police work to instead be the tool of an old man wanting to bed young girls that he can't pick up himself. So the handsome, lost man does it, unconfused drama enters and so does Charlie Cho as a drug dealer/pimp. Further character connections and an action ending INVOLVING Charlie signals somewhat fun but Journalist Story is also so low-budget, sloppy and timid about what it does that it doesn't register a whole lot. A LOUD, probably stolen score overpowers certain scenes and the subtitles offer up a record in errors that in itself leads to bearable fun with a product that 1993 had room for.

Using the acting- action-troupe surrounding him for this leg of his career, Chang Cheh takes aim at the classical Chinese novel. Working with ambition and sufficient production- and costume design, matters do tend to have a problem escaping the low-budget feel however. Much is bright and flat but action-focus is pretty intense. Meaning Chang Cheh's actors choreograph and perform quite well but doesn't start to break through until the second half. Upping the blood, on-screen intestines and practical effects (most of which involves fire), we might scratch our heads at the fragmented storytelling but the action-spectacle ranks as fairly impressive.

Acting as a prequel to the often depicted events in the classical Chinese novel 'Journey To The West', Chen Xuanzang (here played by Wen Zhang of Ocean Heaven) is an aspiring demon hunter being taught the ways of love and kindness to be employed in his various hunts. This is contrasted against Shu Qi's Miss Duan who's in the game for the kill. Along the way they fight a fish demon, a pig demon and an enraged Monkey King (Huang Bo). Decidedly dark but also a recognizable Stephen Chow-comedic in feel and performing-style, no one is forcing Chow to headline his own movies anymore but the main failing point of his 'Journey To The West' is poor casting. There's not a heavy reliance on Chow trademark nonsense comedy via physical gags or dialogue but seasoned viewers will recognize a fair amount of situations placed in the hands of Wen Zhang that are very true to his comedy-style. But Wen Zhang does not have the timing or skill to make these either outrageous or even subdued jokes come to life. Chow does offer up a packed 110 minutes though, with entire story beats gleefully taken out of Jaws, his own movies such as God Of Cookery (and of course Stephen himself essayed the Monkey King in the two A Chinese Odyssey films from 1995) and the computer generated imagery is used quite well for cartoony effect mostly. Imagination is strong and there is belief in the material being decidedly dark as well as wacky. Perhaps not attempting to be profound when focusing on the romance between Shu Qi (who brings great energy to the role) and Wen Zhang, it nonetheless is a confusing element because of how hard Chow pushes for poignancy come ending time. In a way, Chow was almost there with Journey To The West: Conquering The Demons and he had MOSTLY the right people to pull it off. But when a main component isn't, it's hard to build a compelling time around it.

KENNETH'S REVIEW: Early days of Chow Yun-Fat and especially comedy Chow Yun-Fat aren't pretty, nor good. In fact, there's little the future superstar could do around this time to salvage matters and Joy To The World is further proof. He plays Lung, a medicine salesman who gets thrust into the position of a manager at a garment company. All being part of a bet between rival heads. One of the designers at the company is Tung Tung (Cora Miao) and Lung dare not reveal the fact that he's her boss and into a double life he goes. Actually, it seems very hard to find the plot in this stinker of a film on all fronts. Direction is stale and stagey without taking on a fine aura of theater like it could have plus director Gam Yan is clearly a bit of a voyeur as there are a handful of scenes of gratuitous nudity thrown in just for the heck of it. Desperate indeed and it's the only "talent" Gam Yan can show as his cheap cartoony comedy is sleep-inducing (despite Tin Ching running around with a Hitler moustache and a mirror on his foot to sneak a peak of women's panties). Chow Yun-Fat and Cora Miao's scenes are cute however, borderlining on cheesy in a joyous way. Of note especially is a scene at a club where the biggest laugh comes from the translation of the happy song performed before them. Available on Hong Kong dvd as King Of Comedy.

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Despite the dizzying clan intrigue-plot, Sun Chung (Human Lanterns, The Avenging Eagle) manages to argue that we should just sit down with Judgement Of An Assassin and not worry too much. As much disposable as it is thrilling before, Chung's direction is swift and the genre imagination fairly strong. Conveyed by his action directors Tong Gai and Wong Pau-Gei, despite weapons- and fantasy-based concepts, a lot of the hugely primal and frenetic action is actual grounded martial arts in a surprise move. Genuinely thrilling and electrifying when dominating the screen, the lack of full story-clarity isn't that much of a problem therefore. Starring David Chiang, Chung Wa, Ching Li, Wai Wang and Ku Feng.

Continuing producing his brand of horror-comedies involving writer Abe Kwong, Wellson Chin is again out to echo the notion of pairing up cop-characters. Chin, David Wu and Michelle Reis are out there making quite a valiant attempt but July 13th for all its positive aspects can't quite reach an acceptable level. Wu and Reis are cops and former lovers tackling a case of mysterious suicides where it's said an old woman (Helena Law Lan) has always appeared as well. In need of diving deeper into the case, they turn to former cop turned mental patient Pierre (Dayo Wong) who once was on the very same assignment...

A haunting passage from a suicide book opens the movie and it is to become a key to the mystery on display. First thing you notice is the extreme lengths Chin goes to evoke dread, both on the audio and visually. Always having one colour dominate and choirs on the soundtrack, July 13th comes off as having the higher division tools but ultimately trying way too hard to use them. True to his trademark form that but when comparing this film to the likes of The Third Full Moon, the aura of wacky banter and dread worked so much better when Michael Chow and Lau Ching-Wan had the frame. David Wu and Michelle Reis aren't quite that pairing. When bringing in Dayo Wong, the character may be an unpredictable loon but the low-brow gags (in particular one involving flatulence) doesn't gel. This overall really is Wellson Chin's arena of expertise though and the movie is on the verge of being that combo of playful and eerie but having featured exactly that doesn't bring the movie home effectively. Shame about the effort therefore.

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Yesasia.com

Headed by directorial rookies Josephine Siao (award winning actress in Summer Snow) and Leung Po-Chi (Hong Kong 1941), this gritty, documentary-esque Hong Kong cop thriller has the marks of stuff seen before and since. But thanks to a keen eye for placing the narrative amongst the Hong Kong people and the world they would be familiar with, Jumping Ash immerses well. Ga Lun is Callan Leong, whose cop life and straight line of administrating the law gets a bit blurred at times. Working in the Kowloon Walled City for instance, a little corruption, immoral attitude and bribes solves crimes in a society that's heading downhill. The big fish in the pond is drug king Tung (Nick Lam) however and the two killers from Amsterdam (Michael Chan and Chen Sing). The former protects Tung, the other wants him dead and the closer Callan gets to Tung, the closer he gets to co-operation with the opposite side....

Placing their camera quite effectively in the midst of environments alive with activity, the realism of Jumping Ash isn't a fashion statement at all. It adds to a sense of doom, grit, danger and the obvious social commentary about the struggles of the outnumbered cops. There are equally important moments of lightheartedness such as one scene with a stakeout at a brothel and Callan is both the clichéd movie cop and suitably struck out of a mold the filmmakers have witnessed on their beloved Hong Kong street. That mold contains some quite grave stupidity in terms of decision-making which leads to a questionable scene towards the end but no doubt, Jumping Ash remains important today. As a statement and view, even though it probably rightly won't be looked at as an edge of your seat work. Crude isn't bad in this case either and the worse print quality you can find of the film, probably serves of it. Josephine Siao also appears as Callan's wife.

Getting no heritage from his foster father, Big Light (Frankie Chan) will have to learn to earn money the hard way. Earning some cash when he's mistaken as a gigolo, he mostly helps out friend Lemon (Liu Wai-Hung) in romancing Sally (Sally Yeh). Lessons of friendship and earning a living looming... or something. Because Frankie Chan's comedy is really hard to penetrate (especially at an excessive 100+ minutes). Often loud exchanges, situation comedy and misunderstandings are elements that dominate but without any distinction, the fun between characters does not travel to an audience. There's some momentum created when the trio of Chan/Liu/Yeh all take charge of the frame but situations such as Chan getting a bee beard and the slightly action-oriented ending are merely glimpses of what would've made Just For Fun actual fun. Frankie only realizes at points that excessiveness needs to be cranked up to cartoon-levels in order to at least suffice as escapist entertainment. Co-written by Wong Kar-Wai and co-starring Wu Ma, Melvin Wong, Wong Wan-Si and Charlie Cho.

Jeff Lau is back to yet again to seemingly spoof classic Chinese literature. Something he is arguably famous for but hasn't been able to capture that well for a decade or so. Which begs the question, just because it's an endless well should a creator keep tapping it? Well, if anything the problem is Lau is not confident or competent at crafting frantic energy like he once did but he insists on doing so anyway. Plus, with no PHENOMENAL comedic star at his disposal (Ronald Cheng does his best in support here), whoever is given the comedic beats can't live up to an old, established style that someone like Stephen Chow would nail. Lau is clearly setting up a scenario where he can free roam with comedy, parody, content and sometimes the dry as well as the cartoony does break through. Having space aliens as part of his costume comedy plot doesn't mean he is able to crank proceedings though and only bright spots concerns some of Cheng's broad nature as well as action beats during the effects ending. Familiar with characters, the written material that is referenced or not, it is very clear Just Another Margin struggles. And to boot, it gave itself an ironic English title. Also starring Betty Sun, Ekin Cheng and Lam Suet.