Reviews (41)

Love Sports? Then Watch This Ultra-Funny Action-Comedy
In the summer of 2001, this hilarious comedy-action film was released in Hong Kong, and it immediately became the biggest hit there, even beating the previous box-office record of Jackie Chan's "First Strike." The craze went on, and when it was released in Japan in May, 2002, it again became an instant smash hit even though Stephen Chow's name, before that release, had been known only among the small number of devoted Hong Kong film fans. How the movie is received in US and other regions, I don't know, but as those facts testify, "Kung-Fu Soccer" is an incredibly funny movie.

[STORY}] You need one? OK, it is about a young man Sing (Chow) who wants to promote the usefulness of kung-fu he learned at Shaolin Temple, and an ex-star soccer player "Golden Leg" Fung (good supporting actor Ng Man Tat), who is now down and out, living in misery. However, when Fung meets Sing on the street of Hong Kong, and sees how he kicks an empty can miles away (literally), Fung realises that here is a golden opportunity for him to regain the dignity and pride he lost long time ago. Combination of Kung-fu and soccer! Invincible!!

So, Sing recruits the old pupils he knew when he was training at the temple to make a soccer team. They are no longer what they were; one is a businessman busy with a cell ohone, another totally unemployed, and so on.... And they seem to have lost the skills they had once until, of course, one day, suddenly, they come back in good shape, ready for fight, game for more. Meanwhile, Sing meets a girl named Mui (Vicki Zhao), and a romance (but very unusual one) starts to bloom. My overall impression is, in short, Austin Powers with sports and martial arts.

[WHO IS STEPHEN CHOW?] Chow has been very popular in Hong Kong since the year 1990, about two years he made his film debut, and he is 40 years old at the time of writing this, but looks much younger and very agile. His comedies are always filled with incredibly stupid and ridiculous things, often under the very unique situations. Some of his movies include "With Love from Beijin" (1994) "The God of Cookery" (1996), and many others, and I hope those titles would tell you what you see in those funny films. Always stupid and powerful, often with extraordinary parodies, his films give you dynamic gags with improvised atomosphere. Though the film often lacks a coherent story, and his character is not always amiable, finally you come to like him.

[ABOUT THIS FILM] As I said, "Kung-Fu Soccer" is a funny comedy, and it also uses first-rate wire-actions and CG images to create its original world. The soccer players jump (to the height of more than 10 meters), kick a ball (to make a hole in a concrete wall, or sometimes catches fire, becoming a roaring puma-like shape!), and ... well, about the rest you should see for yourself. Some of the CGIs are intentionally (and aptly) cheesy (see how villains fly in a browl), but some are surprisingly effective, especailly in the final game scene. Not "Titanic" class, but its use is well-regulated and most importantly, makes lots of funny scenes.

[AND ... TRIVIA] 1) As Stephen Chow is a great fan of Bruce Lee, he makes a reference to this legendary hero in the character of the goal keeper whose orange-colored uniform is that of Lee in his last film "Game of Death." 2) Vicki Chao is a famous, very popular idol singer/actress in mainland China, but she never shows her real face. Three time she appears, but each time she is wearing some make-ups. This is an in-joke for those who know her, but to some audience Chow's joke may seem to have gone too far. 3) If you're a Hong-Kong film fan, check out the special appearances of Karen Mok with a strange make-up (regular of Chow's films like "The God of Cookery" and also seen in Jet Li's "Black Mask") and Vincent Kok (also seen in "With Love" and director of Jackie Chan's "Gorgeous").

[AND FINALLY...] The film has first made with the running time of 102 minutes, and then two additional sequences are made to make it 109 minutes (I saw the latter one in Japan). However, it has been reported that for the US release Miramax decided to cut extensively the Asian version, so you may keep that in mind. But, though I hate those changes done to the films, I think, as far as this case goes, the cuts would not affect the total effect of the film very much (I admit some parts of the original version was, to me, a little unnecessary or ineffective) because the film itself is way too funny. Well, anyway, that's for the record.

I love the film. Hope you enjoy it.

Wow, just wow
I very rarely (if ever) review movies. So why start now? Sometimes good things go unnoticed due to them being strange or not promoted right. Shaolin Soccer definitely falls into those categories. Movie is old by industry standards since it was made in 2001. It was recognized and wildly played in Asia and Europe but got none of the publicity in North America. Just like the title suggests Shaolin masters of Kung Fu are playing soccer. It's not another non stop Jackie Chan fighting movies. It has a decent plot; it has a fight between good and evil, greed and humbleness, lies and honesty. It teaches about friendship, being loyal, dedication and positive look on life regardless of the circumstances. And of course the special effects: amazing stunts and Matrix like action make it stand out from other Asian productions. Movie is well paced with no down time. Everything that happens, leads to more and more action. We have our share of baseball and football movies which all of them containing their dose of drama. Now it's time for a soccer movie. It's a bit of comedy mixed with action. Even if you've seen 1000 martial arts movies, even if you are sick and tired of sports genre flicks, see Shaolin Soccer. It is different and you will be glad you did.

grreaat
This movie is funnay!It employs some great martial arts techniques and kool computer effects. It begins with a group of former Shaolin monks that have chosen to embark on different ways of life. They reunite through one student that is down on his luck poor, but still positive. Another man was once a soccer legend and loses that prestige through an injury. He takes abuse from the coach. He then meets the former shaolin monk and they decide to form a soccer team.
It sums up the sense of honor and respect that the martial arts emanate. It does this lightly and humorously. The part in which stephen chow and his other monk brethren dress up and sing and dance...very funny. I nearly choaked on my popcorn and collapsed on the floor of my room laughing. It has the contrast of the basic yin and yang of evil, hence the "evil team"(a bad soccer team that the shaolin monks must compete against)It brings the martial arts timeless ideals of honor into the 21rst century, With style and substance.

My new fascination with Stephen Chow
While I like to think of myself as an internationalist when it comes to watching films, I had never heard of Stephen Chow before deciding to take a chance on 'Shaolin Soccer.'

Shame on me. Chow turns out to be a hilarious and creative star. Who could have dreamed of something as goofy, infectious and, at the same time, as technically brilliant (the special effects are eye-popping) as Shaolin Soccer? Now, I'm reading through the comments left here by Mr. Chow's longtime fans and I realize I'm going to have to check out some of his "better works" (as judged by these aficionados) like 'God of Cookery' and 'From Beijing with Love'.

Not knowing what to expect from Shaolin Soccer, I found myself delightfully convulsed with laughter at two early points in the film:

- An impromptu synchronized 'street' rendition of the Kool and the Gang hit 'Celebration.' This is almost impossible to explain. When it took shape in the movie, I literally mouthed the words "What the...?" Truly inspired.

- A second muscial number, in which two of the Shaolin 'brothers' take to the stage in an ill-fated cabaret act. While I'm sure this was even funnier in Cantonese, even the wonderfully descriptive subtitles demonstrated the amateur campiness of their performance (which was exactly Chow's point).

Plus, for any soccer/football fan the depictions of the in-game events are a joy. All in all, Shaolin Soccer was a unexpected treat.

Overated work of Chow
Dare no one criticize the "king of comedy" stephen Chow or, OK, most of you westerners may have a different taste.
From the point of view of a Hong Kong born native speaker of cantonese, I have no choice but to say that Shaolin Soccer was overrated. SC's hilarious jokes went stale and he was too obssesed with the use of special effect too. This movie makes me miss his past works like "from beijin with love", etc so much.
another point is that, SC are now more concern of the market of the rest of Asia and even Western, he eliminates all jokes which only locals find funny. So to me, as a Hong Kong people, I am disappointed. ... Read more

Description

When his daughter is kidnapped and held in exchange for diamonds, the leader of a crew of highly skilled urban thieves (DMX) forges an unlikely alliance with a Taiwanese Intelligence officer (Jet Li) to rescue her. Their race against the clock to find the precious stones ultimately unravels a plot to distribute a deadly new weapon of war. ... Read more

Reviews (69)

Plot finally outweighs the action.
'Cradle 2 the Grave' looks like it would be the typical martial arts action flick. But there is very little martial arts, and I thought the action was rather laid back as well. Seems that the Hollywood people are beginning to realize that there is room in the industry for action films with good stories and plots.

In 'Cradle', DMX portrays Tony Fait--a high-tech thief who goes into a building one expects to be well-guarded and steals fifty black diamonds. Of course, he has help. This is one of the best opening sequences I have ever seen. Perfectly timed.

Jet Li plays Su, an agent from Taiwan. He also wants the weird, black diamonds. So does everyone else. Fait and Su team up when Fait's daughter is kidnapped. All of this leads to the climax--another well timed cut between three fight sequences.

The movie only goes bad during the end credits. But I am giving this film five stars because I really enjoyed Anthony Anderson, who finally tones down and plays a more serious role--and he is able to remain funny at the same time.

Like action flicks? C2G does not disappoint!
Popular rapper DMX has teamed up in an earlier martial arts film with Steven Segal, and has stepped his role in action films up a notch with martial arts superstar Jet Li, who has (to my mind)established himself as one of the greatest martial arts stars of our time.

DMX's role is Tony Fait, a smooth (but somewhat excitable)master thief. He and his crew (including the lovely Gabrielle Union and his partner-in- crime from the afore-referenced "Exit Wounds" Anthony Anderson) break into a diamond exchange, and steal a cache of black diamonds. They were created by the Taiwanese government, and when agitated (kinda like what we saw as the principal weapon in the fifth Bond flick "Diamonds Are Forever") unleash incredible energy. They were originally stolen by the real bad guy Ling (Mark Dacascos), who intends to auction them off to a room full of worldwide nogoodnicks. Ling then abducts DMX's baby girl to ransom them back. And as they say, it is ON.

You cannot have these guys together without great fight scenes, and this movie does not disappoint. Li has an incredible nonchalance about himself, and actually fights (and easily handles, of course) his first few adversaries with one hand in his pocket! He has to use both hands, though, when he ends up in the middle of a brawl with a crew of Ultimate Fighters. Of course, he can, and does, without raising much of a sweat (but he does get around to tossing around a midget as a "weapon").

Just as he did in Exit Wounds, Tom Arnold provides some comic relief (among his best lines: "I cannot read Chinese, but I know cop in every language").

Forget about the folks who dog out this movie. The acting is just fine. This script does not call for Meryl Streep, and neither is it incredibly thought provoking screenplay. It does not need to be. It doesn't pretend to be anything other than what it is, a slammin', ultra-violent, retribution filled, sexy action film. While I thought at first that the one-handed fight scenes were a bit much, as another reviewer noted, it does show another side of the virtuosity of Jet Li. And I don't really care whether Kelly Hu (bad-guy Ling's equally ultra-fine sidekick) would have beat down Gabrielle Union in two seconds "in real life". The two of them on the screen is worth seeing, in my humble opinion.

Like action movies? Then this one is for you. Enjoy it for what it is, and you will have spent a great ninety minutes.

yawn............................................
dmx knows his tired rap act is through,so now hes trying to spread his tired image into movies.is it any wonder his movies(AND EVERY MOVIE OF THIS KIND)barely make it to see a second weekend?the saving grace here is jet li(a minimal save).jet li is also in a massive decline and proved that action also needs acting/believable plot.every rapper acts the same way,they are interchangable/easily forgotten.since i rented this,im not so upset.can you imagine how the crowd was during and after movie?rowdy and uncontrollable as if they were on prison leave.to some extent,you can tell the charactor of a person by what entertains them.im pretty sure the males in the audience couldnt wait to be dmx tough and start some nonsense.we all know how tough guys are....tough from a distance and only with alot of backup.typical and pitifull.any monkey can direct movies this horrible,but how can people actually rush to see this?so very sad...............................

dissapointing
Only saw this movie because I'm a Jet Li fan. This is definately not one of his best movies, probably because he is redelegated to the role of sidekick. Some fights were decent but story wasn't very intertaining. DMX is only good at playing one role-gangbanger. Maybe he should stick to his day job.

A Solid Action Film
"Cradle 2 the Grave" stars Jet Li and DMX as an odd couple duo who must get back a package of black diamonds from a rogue Taiwanese intelligence agent. DMX plays Fait, a master thief who undertakes a very high-paying job to steal some black diamonds from a very high security vault. Jet Li plays the Taiwanese intelligence agent Su who has to get them back.

At first Fait and Su are opponents after the diamonds. When they are taken by Ling (Mark Dacascos) they team up to retrieve them. Su wants the diamonds and Fait wants his daughter Vanessa (Paige Hurd) back. Ling has kidnapped her as leverage against Fait.

"Cradle 2 the Grave" also stars Anthony Anderson, Tom Arnold, Gabrielle Union, and Drag-On as Fait's assistants, willing and forced. They stage a raid on a deserted airfield where Ling is holding Fait's daughter and the diamonds.

As far as martial arts movies go, "Cradle 2 the Grave" isn't bad. Many of the fight scenes are too well choreographed though and far too Matrixy in the way the actors bodies seemingly mock gravity. I seriously doubt that Jet Li can throw a 200 pound man about 20 feet through the air. This movie also makes the horrendous mistake of having one guy fight about 15 other guys one at a time. Just once I'd like to see all 10 or 15 guys jump the hero at one time and see how he gets out of it. I know that if I were one of those 15 guys, I'd be looking to take a cheap shot while he's working over one of the other guys.

My only real problem with this film is the title. What exactly are they referring to when they call it "Cradle 2 the Grave". Ususally that term is reserved for discussions about Swedish social programs. At no time in this movie did Jet Li and DMX expound upon the benefits of an all-encompassing social safety net vis-a-vis the social benefits of a low-tax economic policy to foster long-term wealth production and distribution. Then again, the movie producers didn't even have enough time to spell out the word 'to'; so, I doubt they had the time to work such a policy discussion into the movie. ... Read more

Amazon.com

The Art of War is the first action movie with a hero who works for the United Nations--the U.N. Covert Operations Unit, to be specific. Who knew there was such a thing? Wesley Snipes plays Shaw, their top operative, who's unafraid of dropping several stories from one ledge of a skyscraper to another. When the Chinese ambassador is assassinated, it threatens the stability of an impending trade agreement that the secretary-general (played by Donald Sutherland) has worked so hard to achieve. Shaw gets arrested for the assassination, but who's really responsible? Is it the wily Chinese capitalist? A seemingly affable FBI agent? Only a lovely U.N. interpreter (Marie Matiko) believes he's innocent, especially when someone tries to knock her off and Shaw is the only person she can turn to... well, you get the idea. The script is neither original nor comprehensible, but that's not why you'd want to watch a movie like The Art of War--it's the action. And the action is pretty good, particularly earlier on when the confusions of the plot don't matter as much. Michael Biehn (The Terminator, The Rock) does a serviceable job as one of Shaw's associates, Anne Archer (Fatal Attraction, Clear and Present Danger) tries to seem complicated as the head of the Covert Operations Unit, and Maury Chaykin (The Mask of Zorro, Devil in a Blue Dress) is dependable as ever as the FBI guy. --Bret Fetzer ... Read more

Reviews (56)

Decent but nothing spectacular.
The Art of War is a stylish action film that trys too hard to follow the trend and style of recent blockbusters. The actions are mostly reminisant of John Woo films (such as Hard Boiled, Face Off, or Mission Impossible 2). For the most part, they are fairly good if un-inspired. The climax however is simply atrocious. It's an utter (...) of the last gun-fight in the Matrix with both men dodging bullets right and left. Aside from being a rather tired (...), it simply doesn't work. The characters don't posses any supernatural powers and so it's really hard to buy that they are dodging bullets.

Another problem is the films awful plot. For some reason, the Wesley Snipes character seems to have ESP. In one scene, he comes into a room where his partner had been beaten and murdered. Then, just by looking at the room, he sees everything replay in his head. In another scene, the character sees some guy coming out of a resturant. He notices that the asian guys is carrying a back-pack. He then drives through the resurant, grabs the back-pack, and throws it out the window where upon it explodes. Talk about police intuition (or maybe all asian guys carry bombs). As before, this wouldn't be a problem if the character actually had ESP but it's just kind of dumb here.

Wesley despatching badies in cool movie
You know you will always get top class action and style when Wesley Snipes is involved in any movie. Wesley is both a convincing actor and superb martial artist, which is what makes his movies so unique. The Art of war is maybe a bit too complicated but its engrossing stuff - political conspiracies, incredibly slick action scenes - wow, is all I can say!

Overlooked and underrated
"The Art of War" was a pleasant surprise when I rented it. Once you get past the admitedly far-fetched premise that the UN has its own covert ops teams, it emerges as a spy movie that remembers how to be a spy movie. Rather than going the James Bond/Mission Impossible route of pitting a super-human spy agaisnt a supervillian, "The Art of War" serves up old-fashioned twists, turns, secrets, lies, betrayals, and assassination attempts.

Another nice thing about this movie is that it seems to understand the nature of post-Cold War politics. Nations now clash with treaties, trade agreements, and capitalist aspirations. By addressing issues such as the WTO, human traficking, and China's emerging status as an economic superpower, I got the distinct impression that the screenwriters actually read the newspaper. Ultimately, the plot doesn't quite hold up, but it's an admirable effort.

Snipes does a great job, never lightening the tone by playing to the cheap seats. By playing it straight he makes the film that much more believable. His fight scenes--including the end shootout feating slow-mo bullet-time--are both thrilling and plausible in a way that "The Matrix's" cgi-enhanced action can't manage.

Finally, the film just *looks* great. Director of Photography Pierre Gill plausibly passes off a lot of Canadian locations as Hong Kong and New York. He gives these cities a glossy sheen, a convincing grittiness, and a neon readiance, depending upon the scene.

All in all, I think if the movie had featured Tom Cruise or Keanu Reeves it would have been much better received. Too bad, since Snipes blows both of them off the screen. This one is definitely worth a look.

Snipes very under-rated actor of our time!!!
What's with the hate? I watched this movie numerous times. I liked it the first time but the movie gets better after you see it a few times because you start to pick things up that you missed. I am big fan of action films and this movie delivers, yes it predictable at times but what movie isn't. I thought the actors did a pretty good job also. The film also ended on a good note makes you feel good especially with the nice musical score the films has. Wish they would of actually made a score soundtrack for the film.

The Art of Martial-Arts Film-Making!
I don't care what anybody says!...In my opinion, as far as American action-movies with martial-arts are concerned, "The Art of War" is flat out THE BEST! Forget Van Damme, forget Seagal, Snipes fights well & he's a legitimate, competent actor to boot!

This is an espionage, spy thriller with Snipes as a U.N. security agent. The plot centers around a conspiracy to thwart American-Chinese trade negotiations. There are double & triple crosses galore & this film has the feel of an updated film-noir classic, MTV style.

If you like well-made martial-arts films as much as I do, "The Art of War" is for you! ... Read more

Album Description

Asian only All Code / NTSC DVD. One of the top grossing films in Asia for 2001! The film tells the tale of how a ragged bunch of Shaolin warriors become a top football team. The film is incredibly funny & the action is kinetic & imaginative. The movie ope ... Read more

Reviews (41)

Love Sports? Then Watch This Ultra-Funny Action-Comedy
In the summer of 2001, this hilarious comedy-action film was released in Hong Kong, and it immediately became the biggest hit there, even beating the previous box-office record of Jackie Chan's "First Strike." The craze went on, and when it was released in Japan in May, 2002, it again became an instant smash hit even though Stephen Chow's name, before that release, had been known only among the small number of devoted Hong Kong film fans. How the movie is received in US and other regions, I don't know, but as those facts testify, "Kung-Fu Soccer" is an incredibly funny movie.

[STORY}] You need one? OK, it is about a young man Sing (Chow) who wants to promote the usefulness of kung-fu he learned at Shaolin Temple, and an ex-star soccer player "Golden Leg" Fung (good supporting actor Ng Man Tat), who is now down and out, living in misery. However, when Fung meets Sing on the street of Hong Kong, and sees how he kicks an empty can miles away (literally), Fung realises that here is a golden opportunity for him to regain the dignity and pride he lost long time ago. Combination of Kung-fu and soccer! Invincible!!

So, Sing recruits the old pupils he knew when he was training at the temple to make a soccer team. They are no longer what they were; one is a businessman busy with a cell ohone, another totally unemployed, and so on.... And they seem to have lost the skills they had once until, of course, one day, suddenly, they come back in good shape, ready for fight, game for more. Meanwhile, Sing meets a girl named Mui (Vicki Zhao), and a romance (but very unusual one) starts to bloom. My overall impression is, in short, Austin Powers with sports and martial arts.

[WHO IS STEPHEN CHOW?] Chow has been very popular in Hong Kong since the year 1990, about two years he made his film debut, and he is 40 years old at the time of writing this, but looks much younger and very agile. His comedies are always filled with incredibly stupid and ridiculous things, often under the very unique situations. Some of his movies include "With Love from Beijin" (1994) "The God of Cookery" (1996), and many others, and I hope those titles would tell you what you see in those funny films. Always stupid and powerful, often with extraordinary parodies, his films give you dynamic gags with improvised atomosphere. Though the film often lacks a coherent story, and his character is not always amiable, finally you come to like him.

[ABOUT THIS FILM] As I said, "Kung-Fu Soccer" is a funny comedy, and it also uses first-rate wire-actions and CG images to create its original world. The soccer players jump (to the height of more than 10 meters), kick a ball (to make a hole in a concrete wall, or sometimes catches fire, becoming a roaring puma-like shape!), and ... well, about the rest you should see for yourself. Some of the CGIs are intentionally (and aptly) cheesy (see how villains fly in a browl), but some are surprisingly effective, especailly in the final game scene. Not "Titanic" class, but its use is well-regulated and most importantly, makes lots of funny scenes.

[AND ... TRIVIA] 1) As Stephen Chow is a great fan of Bruce Lee, he makes a reference to this legendary hero in the character of the goal keeper whose orange-colored uniform is that of Lee in his last film "Game of Death." 2) Vicki Chao is a famous, very popular idol singer/actress in mainland China, but she never shows her real face. Three time she appears, but each time she is wearing some make-ups. This is an in-joke for those who know her, but to some audience Chow's joke may seem to have gone too far. 3) If you're a Hong-Kong film fan, check out the special appearances of Karen Mok with a strange make-up (regular of Chow's films like "The God of Cookery" and also seen in Jet Li's "Black Mask") and Vincent Kok (also seen in "With Love" and director of Jackie Chan's "Gorgeous").

[AND FINALLY...] The film has first made with the running time of 102 minutes, and then two additional sequences are made to make it 109 minutes (I saw the latter one in Japan). However, it has been reported that for the US release Miramax decided to cut extensively the Asian version, so you may keep that in mind. But, though I hate those changes done to the films, I think, as far as this case goes, the cuts would not affect the total effect of the film very much (I admit some parts of the original version was, to me, a little unnecessary or ineffective) because the film itself is way too funny. Well, anyway, that's for the record.

I love the film. Hope you enjoy it.

Wow, just wow
I very rarely (if ever) review movies. So why start now? Sometimes good things go unnoticed due to them being strange or not promoted right. Shaolin Soccer definitely falls into those categories. Movie is old by industry standards since it was made in 2001. It was recognized and wildly played in Asia and Europe but got none of the publicity in North America. Just like the title suggests Shaolin masters of Kung Fu are playing soccer. It's not another non stop Jackie Chan fighting movies. It has a decent plot; it has a fight between good and evil, greed and humbleness, lies and honesty. It teaches about friendship, being loyal, dedication and positive look on life regardless of the circumstances. And of course the special effects: amazing stunts and Matrix like action make it stand out from other Asian productions. Movie is well paced with no down time. Everything that happens, leads to more and more action. We have our share of baseball and football movies which all of them containing their dose of drama. Now it's time for a soccer movie. It's a bit of comedy mixed with action. Even if you've seen 1000 martial arts movies, even if you are sick and tired of sports genre flicks, see Shaolin Soccer. It is different and you will be glad you did.

grreaat
This movie is funnay!It employs some great martial arts techniques and kool computer effects. It begins with a group of former Shaolin monks that have chosen to embark on different ways of life. They reunite through one student that is down on his luck poor, but still positive. Another man was once a soccer legend and loses that prestige through an injury. He takes abuse from the coach. He then meets the former shaolin monk and they decide to form a soccer team.
It sums up the sense of honor and respect that the martial arts emanate. It does this lightly and humorously. The part in which stephen chow and his other monk brethren dress up and sing and dance...very funny. I nearly choaked on my popcorn and collapsed on the floor of my room laughing. It has the contrast of the basic yin and yang of evil, hence the "evil team"(a bad soccer team that the shaolin monks must compete against)It brings the martial arts timeless ideals of honor into the 21rst century, With style and substance.

My new fascination with Stephen Chow
While I like to think of myself as an internationalist when it comes to watching films, I had never heard of Stephen Chow before deciding to take a chance on 'Shaolin Soccer.'

Shame on me. Chow turns out to be a hilarious and creative star. Who could have dreamed of something as goofy, infectious and, at the same time, as technically brilliant (the special effects are eye-popping) as Shaolin Soccer? Now, I'm reading through the comments left here by Mr. Chow's longtime fans and I realize I'm going to have to check out some of his "better works" (as judged by these aficionados) like 'God of Cookery' and 'From Beijing with Love'.

Not knowing what to expect from Shaolin Soccer, I found myself delightfully convulsed with laughter at two early points in the film:

- An impromptu synchronized 'street' rendition of the Kool and the Gang hit 'Celebration.' This is almost impossible to explain. When it took shape in the movie, I literally mouthed the words "What the...?" Truly inspired.

- A second muscial number, in which two of the Shaolin 'brothers' take to the stage in an ill-fated cabaret act. While I'm sure this was even funnier in Cantonese, even the wonderfully descriptive subtitles demonstrated the amateur campiness of their performance (which was exactly Chow's point).

Plus, for any soccer/football fan the depictions of the in-game events are a joy. All in all, Shaolin Soccer was a unexpected treat.

Overated work of Chow
Dare no one criticize the "king of comedy" stephen Chow or, OK, most of you westerners may have a different taste.
From the point of view of a Hong Kong born native speaker of cantonese, I have no choice but to say that Shaolin Soccer was overrated. SC's hilarious jokes went stale and he was too obssesed with the use of special effect too. This movie makes me miss his past works like "from beijin with love", etc so much.
another point is that, SC are now more concern of the market of the rest of Asia and even Western, he eliminates all jokes which only locals find funny. So to me, as a Hong Kong people, I am disappointed. ... Read more

Album Description

Asian only All Code / NTSC DVD. One of the top grossing films in Asia for 2001! The film tells the tale of how a ragged bunch of Shaolin warriors become a top football team. The film is incredibly funny & the action is kinetic & imaginative. The movie ope ... Read more

Reviews (41)

Love Sports? Then Watch This Ultra-Funny Action-Comedy
In the summer of 2001, this hilarious comedy-action film was released in Hong Kong, and it immediately became the biggest hit there, even beating the previous box-office record of Jackie Chan's "First Strike." The craze went on, and when it was released in Japan in May, 2002, it again became an instant smash hit even though Stephen Chow's name, before that release, had been known only among the small number of devoted Hong Kong film fans. How the movie is received in US and other regions, I don't know, but as those facts testify, "Kung-Fu Soccer" is an incredibly funny movie.

[STORY}] You need one? OK, it is about a young man Sing (Chow) who wants to promote the usefulness of kung-fu he learned at Shaolin Temple, and an ex-star soccer player "Golden Leg" Fung (good supporting actor Ng Man Tat), who is now down and out, living in misery. However, when Fung meets Sing on the street of Hong Kong, and sees how he kicks an empty can miles away (literally), Fung realises that here is a golden opportunity for him to regain the dignity and pride he lost long time ago. Combination of Kung-fu and soccer! Invincible!!

So, Sing recruits the old pupils he knew when he was training at the temple to make a soccer team. They are no longer what they were; one is a businessman busy with a cell ohone, another totally unemployed, and so on.... And they seem to have lost the skills they had once until, of course, one day, suddenly, they come back in good shape, ready for fight, game for more. Meanwhile, Sing meets a girl named Mui (Vicki Zhao), and a romance (but very unusual one) starts to bloom. My overall impression is, in short, Austin Powers with sports and martial arts.

[WHO IS STEPHEN CHOW?] Chow has been very popular in Hong Kong since the year 1990, about two years he made his film debut, and he is 40 years old at the time of writing this, but looks much younger and very agile. His comedies are always filled with incredibly stupid and ridiculous things, often under the very unique situations. Some of his movies include "With Love from Beijin" (1994) "The God of Cookery" (1996), and many others, and I hope those titles would tell you what you see in those funny films. Always stupid and powerful, often with extraordinary parodies, his films give you dynamic gags with improvised atomosphere. Though the film often lacks a coherent story, and his character is not always amiable, finally you come to like him.

[ABOUT THIS FILM] As I said, "Kung-Fu Soccer" is a funny comedy, and it also uses first-rate wire-actions and CG images to create its original world. The soccer players jump (to the height of more than 10 meters), kick a ball (to make a hole in a concrete wall, or sometimes catches fire, becoming a roaring puma-like shape!), and ... well, about the rest you should see for yourself. Some of the CGIs are intentionally (and aptly) cheesy (see how villains fly in a browl), but some are surprisingly effective, especailly in the final game scene. Not "Titanic" class, but its use is well-regulated and most importantly, makes lots of funny scenes.

[AND ... TRIVIA] 1) As Stephen Chow is a great fan of Bruce Lee, he makes a reference to this legendary hero in the character of the goal keeper whose orange-colored uniform is that of Lee in his last film "Game of Death." 2) Vicki Chao is a famous, very popular idol singer/actress in mainland China, but she never shows her real face. Three time she appears, but each time she is wearing some make-ups. This is an in-joke for those who know her, but to some audience Chow's joke may seem to have gone too far. 3) If you're a Hong-Kong film fan, check out the special appearances of Karen Mok with a strange make-up (regular of Chow's films like "The God of Cookery" and also seen in Jet Li's "Black Mask") and Vincent Kok (also seen in "With Love" and director of Jackie Chan's "Gorgeous").

[AND FINALLY...] The film has first made with the running time of 102 minutes, and then two additional sequences are made to make it 109 minutes (I saw the latter one in Japan). However, it has been reported that for the US release Miramax decided to cut extensively the Asian version, so you may keep that in mind. But, though I hate those changes done to the films, I think, as far as this case goes, the cuts would not affect the total effect of the film very much (I admit some parts of the original version was, to me, a little unnecessary or ineffective) because the film itself is way too funny. Well, anyway, that's for the record.

I love the film. Hope you enjoy it.

Wow, just wow
I very rarely (if ever) review movies. So why start now? Sometimes good things go unnoticed due to them being strange or not promoted right. Shaolin Soccer definitely falls into those categories. Movie is old by industry standards since it was made in 2001. It was recognized and wildly played in Asia and Europe but got none of the publicity in North America. Just like the title suggests Shaolin masters of Kung Fu are playing soccer. It's not another non stop Jackie Chan fighting movies. It has a decent plot; it has a fight between good and evil, greed and humbleness, lies and honesty. It teaches about friendship, being loyal, dedication and positive look on life regardless of the circumstances. And of course the special effects: amazing stunts and Matrix like action make it stand out from other Asian productions. Movie is well paced with no down time. Everything that happens, leads to more and more action. We have our share of baseball and football movies which all of them containing their dose of drama. Now it's time for a soccer movie. It's a bit of comedy mixed with action. Even if you've seen 1000 martial arts movies, even if you are sick and tired of sports genre flicks, see Shaolin Soccer. It is different and you will be glad you did.

grreaat
This movie is funnay!It employs some great martial arts techniques and kool computer effects. It begins with a group of former Shaolin monks that have chosen to embark on different ways of life. They reunite through one student that is down on his luck poor, but still positive. Another man was once a soccer legend and loses that prestige through an injury. He takes abuse from the coach. He then meets the former shaolin monk and they decide to form a soccer team.
It sums up the sense of honor and respect that the martial arts emanate. It does this lightly and humorously. The part in which stephen chow and his other monk brethren dress up and sing and dance...very funny. I nearly choaked on my popcorn and collapsed on the floor of my room laughing. It has the contrast of the basic yin and yang of evil, hence the "evil team"(a bad soccer team that the shaolin monks must compete against)It brings the martial arts timeless ideals of honor into the 21rst century, With style and substance.

My new fascination with Stephen Chow
While I like to think of myself as an internationalist when it comes to watching films, I had never heard of Stephen Chow before deciding to take a chance on 'Shaolin Soccer.'

Shame on me. Chow turns out to be a hilarious and creative star. Who could have dreamed of something as goofy, infectious and, at the same time, as technically brilliant (the special effects are eye-popping) as Shaolin Soccer? Now, I'm reading through the comments left here by Mr. Chow's longtime fans and I realize I'm going to have to check out some of his "better works" (as judged by these aficionados) like 'God of Cookery' and 'From Beijing with Love'.

Not knowing what to expect from Shaolin Soccer, I found myself delightfully convulsed with laughter at two early points in the film:

- An impromptu synchronized 'street' rendition of the Kool and the Gang hit 'Celebration.' This is almost impossible to explain. When it took shape in the movie, I literally mouthed the words "What the...?" Truly inspired.

- A second muscial number, in which two of the Shaolin 'brothers' take to the stage in an ill-fated cabaret act. While I'm sure this was even funnier in Cantonese, even the wonderfully descriptive subtitles demonstrated the amateur campiness of their performance (which was exactly Chow's point).

Plus, for any soccer/football fan the depictions of the in-game events are a joy. All in all, Shaolin Soccer was a unexpected treat.

Overated work of Chow
Dare no one criticize the "king of comedy" stephen Chow or, OK, most of you westerners may have a different taste.
From the point of view of a Hong Kong born native speaker of cantonese, I have no choice but to say that Shaolin Soccer was overrated. SC's hilarious jokes went stale and he was too obssesed with the use of special effect too. This movie makes me miss his past works like "from beijin with love", etc so much.
another point is that, SC are now more concern of the market of the rest of Asia and even Western, he eliminates all jokes which only locals find funny. So to me, as a Hong Kong people, I am disappointed. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Magnificent movie! Three thumbs up.
Brian Denehy is a superb actor. He always seems to elevate the quality of every film he appears . (Remember him in The belly of an arquitect or Bestseller, for instance). Gifted with strong character , and charimatic personality he reminds very often me to Broderick Crawford , a hard actor of the fifties (All the king's men).
In this film he is an attorney who must to defend a man framed of murder.
The puzzle script is absorbing and deeply haunting ,specially in some sequences like instance that one in which we see stating the point that not all Vietnam veterans are murders by definition.
Christopher Leicht has made a punch movie and we expect new works from this consistent director . He reveals himself as a young promise in this hard competing office .
Jill Stuart Masterton gives a credible performance.
Acquire this one and please: the title is not related with Agatha Christie novel . ... Read more

Description

When his daughter is kidnapped and held in exchange for diamonds, the leader of a crew of highly skilled urban thieves (DMX) forges an unlikely alliance with a Taiwanese Intelligence officer (Jet Li) to rescue her. Their race against the clock to find the precious stones ultimately unravels a plot to distribute a deadly new weapon of war. ... Read more

Reviews (69)

Plot finally outweighs the action.
'Cradle 2 the Grave' looks like it would be the typical martial arts action flick. But there is very little martial arts, and I thought the action was rather laid back as well. Seems that the Hollywood people are beginning to realize that there is room in the industry for action films with good stories and plots.

In 'Cradle', DMX portrays Tony Fait--a high-tech thief who goes into a building one expects to be well-guarded and steals fifty black diamonds. Of course, he has help. This is one of the best opening sequences I have ever seen. Perfectly timed.

Jet Li plays Su, an agent from Taiwan. He also wants the weird, black diamonds. So does everyone else. Fait and Su team up when Fait's daughter is kidnapped. All of this leads to the climax--another well timed cut between three fight sequences.

The movie only goes bad during the end credits. But I am giving this film five stars because I really enjoyed Anthony Anderson, who finally tones down and plays a more serious role--and he is able to remain funny at the same time.

Like action flicks? C2G does not disappoint!
Popular rapper DMX has teamed up in an earlier martial arts film with Steven Segal, and has stepped his role in action films up a notch with martial arts superstar Jet Li, who has (to my mind)established himself as one of the greatest martial arts stars of our time.

DMX's role is Tony Fait, a smooth (but somewhat excitable)master thief. He and his crew (including the lovely Gabrielle Union and his partner-in- crime from the afore-referenced "Exit Wounds" Anthony Anderson) break into a diamond exchange, and steal a cache of black diamonds. They were created by the Taiwanese government, and when agitated (kinda like what we saw as the principal weapon in the fifth Bond flick "Diamonds Are Forever") unleash incredible energy. They were originally stolen by the real bad guy Ling (Mark Dacascos), who intends to auction them off to a room full of worldwide nogoodnicks. Ling then abducts DMX's baby girl to ransom them back. And as they say, it is ON.

You cannot have these guys together without great fight scenes, and this movie does not disappoint. Li has an incredible nonchalance about himself, and actually fights (and easily handles, of course) his first few adversaries with one hand in his pocket! He has to use both hands, though, when he ends up in the middle of a brawl with a crew of Ultimate Fighters. Of course, he can, and does, without raising much of a sweat (but he does get around to tossing around a midget as a "weapon").

Just as he did in Exit Wounds, Tom Arnold provides some comic relief (among his best lines: "I cannot read Chinese, but I know cop in every language").

Forget about the folks who dog out this movie. The acting is just fine. This script does not call for Meryl Streep, and neither is it incredibly thought provoking screenplay. It does not need to be. It doesn't pretend to be anything other than what it is, a slammin', ultra-violent, retribution filled, sexy action film. While I thought at first that the one-handed fight scenes were a bit much, as another reviewer noted, it does show another side of the virtuosity of Jet Li. And I don't really care whether Kelly Hu (bad-guy Ling's equally ultra-fine sidekick) would have beat down Gabrielle Union in two seconds "in real life". The two of them on the screen is worth seeing, in my humble opinion.

Like action movies? Then this one is for you. Enjoy it for what it is, and you will have spent a great ninety minutes.

yawn............................................
dmx knows his tired rap act is through,so now hes trying to spread his tired image into movies.is it any wonder his movies(AND EVERY MOVIE OF THIS KIND)barely make it to see a second weekend?the saving grace here is jet li(a minimal save).jet li is also in a massive decline and proved that action also needs acting/believable plot.every rapper acts the same way,they are interchangable/easily forgotten.since i rented this,im not so upset.can you imagine how the crowd was during and after movie?rowdy and uncontrollable as if they were on prison leave.to some extent,you can tell the charactor of a person by what entertains them.im pretty sure the males in the audience couldnt wait to be dmx tough and start some nonsense.we all know how tough guys are....tough from a distance and only with alot of backup.typical and pitifull.any monkey can direct movies this horrible,but how can people actually rush to see this?so very sad...............................

dissapointing
Only saw this movie because I'm a Jet Li fan. This is definately not one of his best movies, probably because he is redelegated to the role of sidekick. Some fights were decent but story wasn't very intertaining. DMX is only good at playing one role-gangbanger. Maybe he should stick to his day job.

A Solid Action Film
"Cradle 2 the Grave" stars Jet Li and DMX as an odd couple duo who must get back a package of black diamonds from a rogue Taiwanese intelligence agent. DMX plays Fait, a master thief who undertakes a very high-paying job to steal some black diamonds from a very high security vault. Jet Li plays the Taiwanese intelligence agent Su who has to get them back.

At first Fait and Su are opponents after the diamonds. When they are taken by Ling (Mark Dacascos) they team up to retrieve them. Su wants the diamonds and Fait wants his daughter Vanessa (Paige Hurd) back. Ling has kidnapped her as leverage against Fait.

"Cradle 2 the Grave" also stars Anthony Anderson, Tom Arnold, Gabrielle Union, and Drag-On as Fait's assistants, willing and forced. They stage a raid on a deserted airfield where Ling is holding Fait's daughter and the diamonds.

As far as martial arts movies go, "Cradle 2 the Grave" isn't bad. Many of the fight scenes are too well choreographed though and far too Matrixy in the way the actors bodies seemingly mock gravity. I seriously doubt that Jet Li can throw a 200 pound man about 20 feet through the air. This movie also makes the horrendous mistake of having one guy fight about 15 other guys one at a time. Just once I'd like to see all 10 or 15 guys jump the hero at one time and see how he gets out of it. I know that if I were one of those 15 guys, I'd be looking to take a cheap shot while he's working over one of the other guys.

My only real problem with this film is the title. What exactly are they referring to when they call it "Cradle 2 the Grave". Ususally that term is reserved for discussions about Swedish social programs. At no time in this movie did Jet Li and DMX expound upon the benefits of an all-encompassing social safety net vis-a-vis the social benefits of a low-tax economic policy to foster long-term wealth production and distribution. Then again, the movie producers didn't even have enough time to spell out the word 'to'; so, I doubt they had the time to work such a policy discussion into the movie. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Good. Peters out towards the end.
Jack Cutter (Don Wilson), is the son of a vampire hunter. When his parents are killed, Jack inherits a book which lists the remaining vampire bloodlines. Jack must kill the remaining vampires before before they get a chance to reproduce. Sound like your typical vampire plot? Yep, but, okay I actually LIKED Night Hunter. I expected it to be just another cheesy martial arts flick, but instead, there was actually a fairly decent plot line. Don Wilson was good as the flawed, and lonely Jack Cutter. The vampires themselves were good-looking bunch (not the skinny white nosferatu type), with actual motivation (a desire to breed), and some fairly decent acting on all parts. I was rather pleased by the cast selection. Usually in less expensive films, the vampires are ugly to make the hero look good!

Towards the end, this flick petered out a bit, and became one endless fight scene, which had me knocking off a star. There was also a few thinly veiled S&M catfight scene between the main heroine and the lesbian vampire which seemed to be added to tittilate the audience. YAWN. (Must this happen to the heroine in EVERY vampire movie?) Still, this was a worthy vampire flick, worth viewing. (Although I could wish for a little bit more exploration into the lives of the vampires and the vampire King's love for the French woman).

Worth seeing, for some decent character development early on and a cast of good-looking vampires. Ultimately disappointing because of its uninspired ending.

About as smart as hunting at night.
Not much Maria Ford. She does some kind of accent which is cute.
They shake the camera every time theres a fight. Should have had a lot more Maria. For those who don't know Maria ford might have the best legs in the world.

Hysterical!
My favorite scene involves Don "The Dragon" Wilson walking into a swanky restaurant and having a martial arts brawl rich, snooty vampires...all while Southwestern music plays on the soundtrack. Priceless!

well in the running for the worst Vampire movie ever made
I know the stars and the Title don't match but this is a great movie. My friends and I rented this movie and laughed the whole way through. Trust me you'll want this movie after you watch it just so you can show everyone out there that a movie htis bad really does exist.

BEAUTY & THE BEAST meets BLADE!
Kick boxing champ Don "The Dragon" Wilson is the last of the vampire hunters, a tortured soul who spends his life breaking necks and driving wooden stakes through people's hearts. In Los Angeles, the heads of all of vampire families are meeting to discuss their plan to put the bite on the city. Wilson has to stop them! His only help comes from a sexy National Enquierer reporter played by that girl who made out with SEINFELD durring SHINDLER'S LIST. Cool action, funny lines, and a character you can really care about. I read about this movie in The Washington Post! ... Read more

Reviews (2)

A B Movie But Adds Some Class
This is not the "Best" of the kickboxing films, but it is also far from the worst. There is an actual attempt at charactor development as two brothers attempt to work out their relationship with their used up father (Martin Kove) as they compete in a kick boxing tournament.

It stars Michael Worth, Martin Kove, Phillip Troy and Britanny Powell. Worth and Powell are two very good actors. I hope these guys are just not lost in these B fight movies as they both have a lot of talent and charm. Worth is also a very good fighter and I recently saw him in US SEALS 2 and can see he continues to improve in both fields. The rest of the cast is good and there seems to be some chemistry with the leads.

The fights are sometimes lacking choreography excellence but there are so many bloddy fights, you get plenty of good stuff. Has a happy ending for a change too.

Great fighting action
Do not look for a particularly meaningful plot. But the action scenes are great, the story is pleasant enough. If you like great kicking and some noble training then you will like this film. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Sometimes cheesy is GOOD!
I liked this film! Honest! It was great fun, and quite exciting too. Okay, so I liked most of the actors, such as Wil Wheaton as Rodney and Terry Farrell as the scientist Allison

It reminded me greatly of the film The Core in various parts, in fact I think that The Core took a great deal from this low budget sci-fi than people are willing to admit.

The plot is quite simple, it's a save the from destruction movie, with your obligatory bad guy who finds his conscience at the last minute and saves the others by sacrificing his own life, the gruesome death of a likeable crew member (Rodney) and the exciting ride in the bowels of the earth by the survivors trying to make it to the surface in one piece!

Of course there are other baddies in that the Deep Core Machine they are using has been built and funded by the Chinese who want to use it as weapon at some point and the sleazy American bad Daryl guy played with gusto by the dead pan actor James Russo gets his just deserts at the end.

It is nothing spectacular but it is good fun to watch! The special effects aren't all that brilliant though they do have their moments, the finding of a huge diamond cavern is one of them, the lasers on the Deep Core machine another, and I thought the lava flow was pretty good too!

All in all this is quality cheese, and I really enjoyed it and I'm not ashamed to admit to it online!

Cheesy, But Worth Watching
Deep Core is one of those Sci-Fi movies that you almost wish they didn't make. The premise is good, about half of the actors are good, there are even some interesting scenes of the ship that aren't half-bad. That's about all that can be said for the movie.

Deep Core is based on the same basic premise as 2003's The Core - Man has screwed up the earth and has to tunnel down into the earth to fix it. The Core is clearly the better of the two movies. Deep Core, on the other hand, has all of the same elements: a ship (The Core's is a lot better looking), a crew, a few nuclear warheads, a person that gets killed by lava, and a person that sacrifices themselves for the rest of the group. Once you get passed those basic similarities, Deep Core is but a pour precursor to the later film. It has three good actors: Wil Wheaton, Terry Farrell and Bruce McGill; the rest are generally overly dramatic.

There are a few special effects that don't look all that bad (such as the cutting scenes). All of the earth-quake-type scenes look rather fake and the ship looks poorly suited to the type of work that it was designed for. Overall, its not a bad film, but if you have a choice watch The Core, not Deep Core.

How can you NOT love this movie???
This is the ultimate sci-fi geek movie... we have Ms. Terry Farrell of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (Jadzia Dax) and the infamous Wil Wheaton of Star Trek: Next Generation (Wesley Crusher) and current Internet fame. I can't honestly believe the trekkies can stay away. This one scores WAY higher for me than Free Enterprise.

It was recommended by Wil on his site (see url below) yesterday so we hopped down to the video store and rented it. It's cheesy and fun and a great movie.

Nice death scene, Wil....

Awesome - if you're a B movie scifi or Terry Farrell fan
Anything with Terry Farrell in it rates Five stars in my book, she is one of the,(if not thee), most beautifull and sexy women alive, not to mention a very intelligent, talented actress, I wish she had the confidence (she has the talent) to do more quality movies. (she'd be awesome in a romantic comedy) What can I say I'm a fan. But to be honest this is a Sci-fi B-movie action adventure, Probably low budget, but the special effect are good. I gave it 3 Stars for having Terry in it, her acting is very good (considering the script). If it had a bigger budget, a better plot and script it would earn the 3 stars or more. But still it is a fun movie to watch and I enjoyed it. But you have to be a B-movie, SCI-FI fan to really enjoy it. (or a Terry fan) I'm both. The cast is good and the acting, I think they had a lot of fun making it, and some of you will watching it.

Meanwhile, back in the 60s.
This is just like an updated B movie from the sixties and I enjoyed it. It's real comic book stuff. The effects are not bad, the pace hardly flags and the cast seem to be enjoying themselves so it's easy viewing. I enjoyed this more than big budget films such as Evolution or Jurassic Park 3. But I think the absence of big names will put people off, not that it matters because the cast here do a fine job. And if big names don't matter to you then you could do a lot worse than watch this. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Kung fu Hong Kong-style
It's probably a well-known fact that some of the best martial arts movies come from Hong Kong. CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON is a contemporary classic from Hong Kong. Jackie Chan, Jet Li, and Chow Yun-Fat are all martial arts legends who have made it big through the Hong Kong cinema. Cory Yuen (aka Yuen Woo Ping) has made himself a household name by staging the karate battles in such outstanding kung fu films as THE MATRIX, CROUCHING TIGER, THE ONE, CRADLE 2 THE GRAVE, THE TRANSPORTER, etc.

Don "The Dragon" Wilson, WKA World Light-Heavyweight Kickboxing Champion, stars in BLOODFIST V:HUMAN TARGET, a movie very much in the tradition of Hong Kong cinema. "The Dragon" plays Jim Stanton, a federal agent hell-bent on breaking up the arms-smuggling ring of Kwon, a nefarious Chinese criminal whose latest deal involves some stolen plutonium. Unfortunately, Stanton is shot in the head and left for dead by some of Kwon's meanies. He awakens in a hospital bed with his memory completely erased. Both Kwon and Stanton's superiors, who believe he's become a double agent, have him at the top of their hit lists, making his "wife" Candy (Denice Duff) his only ally.

There's no denying that HUMAN TARGET's martial arts sequences are lavish and flashy. One of the great things about Don "The Dragon"'s movies is that he's always given worthy opponents to go toe-to-toe with. In HUMAN TARGET, one of them is Steve James, whose been in such karate gems as the AMERICAN NINJA series. I rank him at the same level of all the best opponent's Don "The Dragon" stuck it out with, including Billy Blanks (BLOODFIST), Maurice Smith (BLOODFIST II), Gary Daniels (BLOODFIST IV:DIE TRYING), and Matthias Hues (BLACKBELT).

Still, it's Don "The Dragon"'s movie, all the way, and how better to showcase his astonishing kickboxing abilities than to put him in a Hong Kong-esque kung fu movie?

Out of nowhere!
I had no expectations when I popped in this video, which might be why I absolutely thought it was the greatest film since "Total Recall." Great twists and turns, and "The Dragon" was quite good. I appreciate his realistic fighting style rather than all this "wire work" that is so preposterous in movies like "The Matrix." This film really deserves attention. It is that good. I highly suggest getting this film.

Awesome kickboxing picture!
Move over Steven Segal. This picture has a great plot, filled with turns in the plot that keep you guessing, never knowing who to trust. Denise Duff is quite good in this. Who is she?! Usually, in a kickboxing film you only get long drawn out fights and little story. This film has terrific fights that don't outlast their welcome and a story that really works. Technical credits are solid. Writing and directing are top notch.

A great kickboxing action thriller!
The plot kept me guessing. Loved the twists and turns and the action. Fights were realistic...no absurd acrobatics like other flicks. Acting and tech credits were decent. Directing and writing impressed me. DVD looks fantastic. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Another Great Don Wilson flick!!
Don "the dragon " Wilson is a kick boxing legend. Winning 10 different world championships and proving his dragon style kung-fu was affective in the ring. Ring of Fire is one of my favorites. The plot is very well put together unlike some of Don's other films. Don only had one fight scene lasting a maximum 7 minutes. It has some great fights between what I like to call, "the asians" and the " white boys", Ring of Fire is a prety good martial arts/kick boxing film that gives you a action packed time!

AT LONG LAST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
After almost 12 years of looking hopelessly for this edition of Ring of Fire on VHS and DVD, and even asking people online and searching the web to see if someone taped a copy off of TV, the real deal is finally here on DVD! If you don't know what I'm talking about, there was about 4 minutes of sex and nudity cut out of all versions of this movie on VHS and DVD and was only shown on premium channels back around 1991 or 1992. After almost 12 years they finally decided to release it with the nudity. Even if you already own a previous edition on DVD or VHS this is still a MUST BUY for Maria Ford fans. You won't be disappointed and the movie's (finally) great now!!

great movie, great fights, EVEN A GOOD PLOT!
This is one of the very few movies of dons that I like. It shows great fight scenes keeps the action pumping has good dialouge and the training sequnces really stick with you! It shows the true athletisism af the masters because dispite his performance in his other movies don is a phenominal fighter. this movie gives his name some meaning. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Another Great Don Wilson flick!!
Don "the dragon " Wilson is a kick boxing legend. Winning 10 different world championships and proving his dragon style kung-fu was affective in the ring. Ring of Fire is one of my favorites. The plot is very well put together unlike some of Don's other films. Don only had one fight scene lasting a maximum 7 minutes. It has some great fights between what I like to call, "the asians" and the " white boys", Ring of Fire is a prety good martial arts/kick boxing film that gives you a action packed time!

AT LONG LAST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
After almost 12 years of looking hopelessly for this edition of Ring of Fire on VHS and DVD, and even asking people online and searching the web to see if someone taped a copy off of TV, the real deal is finally here on DVD! If you don't know what I'm talking about, there was about 4 minutes of sex and nudity cut out of all versions of this movie on VHS and DVD and was only shown on premium channels back around 1991 or 1992. After almost 12 years they finally decided to release it with the nudity. Even if you already own a previous edition on DVD or VHS this is still a MUST BUY for Maria Ford fans. You won't be disappointed and the movie's (finally) great now!!

great movie, great fights, EVEN A GOOD PLOT!
This is one of the very few movies of dons that I like. It shows great fight scenes keeps the action pumping has good dialouge and the training sequnces really stick with you! It shows the true athletisism af the masters because dispite his performance in his other movies don is a phenominal fighter. this movie gives his name some meaning. ... Read more

Description

Finding your roots in the hood ain't easy. An accidental switch at an adoption agency sends a Chinese baby to an African-American family. Julian is accepted into the family and his tight-knit Atlanta neighborhood, but the search for a better life takes the family to South Central L.A., where his new neighbors think Julian is pretending to be black. For the first time in his life, Julian faces an identity crisis. "Fakin' da Funk" pokes fun at stereotypes and proves that what's in your heart is what's important. ... Read more