Brad reviews CITY ON FIRE (1987), starring Chow Yun-Fat, and directed by Ringo Lam!

Posted on May 8, 2026 by Bradley Crain

Ringo Lam’s CITY ON FIRE is one of the first movies starring Chow Yun-Fat that I really wanted to see after I had made my way through the John Woo films. Chow worked with Ringo on a total of 5 films from 1987 – 1992, and they’re a gold mine. I have previously reviewed PRISON ON FIRE and FULL CONTACT, so I decided now was a good time to take a fresh look at this one.

Opening with an awesomely 80’s, neon-drenched saxophone solo from Teddy Robin Kwan, CITY ON FIRE tells the story of undercover cop Ko Chow (Chow Yun-Fat). He’s practically forced by his handler on the force, Inspector Lau (Sun Yueh), to infiltrate a violent gang of jewel thieves. The problem is that he has a history of getting in way too deep, so deep that he forgets where the job ends and his real life begins. It happens again when he’s able to get close to the leader of the thieves, Fu, played by his KILLER co-star, Danny Lee. When the gang hits a jewelry store with Chow in tow, and with the cops on their trail, everything goes to hell. Some store employees are killed, some gang members are taken out, and Chow even takes one in the gut. As the survivors meet back up at the warehouse, it becomes clear that there’s a mole in their midst, even though not everyone wants to admit it.

Does that premise sound familiar to you? If you’re a big fan of Quentin Tarantino and RESERVOIR DOGS, you can’t help but recognize how strongly his film was influenced by CITY ON FIRE. The influence is clear, especially in the broad strokes of the plotline and at the famous finale, but these are two very different crime films in execution, and they’re both excellent in their own ways.

In the late 80’s, some of the best action and crime films in the world were being made in Hong Kong. So many of the films had a reckless energy, which seems to be especially evident in director Lam’s works. In contrast to John Woo’s stylish action scenes, Lam’s scenes aren’t polished. They’re more grounded, they’re chaotic, and they’re not “cool” at all. For example, the film opens with an undercover named Chan Kam-Wah (Elvis Tsui) being called out and murdered in the middle of a busy market. Stabbed multiple times with a big butcher knife while desperately fighting for his life, the scene plays out in a realistic, clumsy, and very bloody way. In other words, it’s painful to watch without a slow-mo tracking shot in sight. We know immediately that no one is safe, and there’s a palpable tension as the undercover cop / criminal drama plays out that really works for the film.

Chow Yun-fat is fantastic, with his performance winning him his 2^nd consecutive Hong Kong Film Award for Best Actor. He’s not the impossibly cool heroic bloodshed hero of the prior year’s A BETTER TOMORROW. Rather, while he’s charming in certain early scenes with his girlfriend Hung (Carrie Ng), when he starts his new assignment, you can see that he’s completely exhausted with his life as an undercover cop, a life that seems to have broken him emotionally. You can almost feel an impending doom with his character that lingers over the film, turning it into something different than your average cops and robbers story. In the other major lead of the film, Danny Lee is so good as the leader of the gang of jewel thieves, Fu. He’s very professional, and once he’s accepted Chow into their ranks, he’s very friendly and personable to him. In these moments, you can see how the two men could bond. But Fu’s also shown that he will kill anyone who gets in his way, so you know it’s inevitable that the two will collide head-on at the end. When it comes, it hits hard.

I highly recommend CITY ON FIRE to any person who enjoys gritty crime films. The action is brutal, the lead performances are excellent, and the drama of the story will leave you emotionally drained as the end credits roll. I can see why it would have had a major impact on a lover of Hong Kong cinema like a young Tarantino!

CITY ON FIRE is currently streaming on Prime Video, PlutoTV, Tubi, and Plex.

4 Shots From 4 Films: Special Roberto Rossellini Edition

Posted on May 8, 2026 by Lisa Marie Bowman

4 Shots From 4 Films is just what it says it is, 4 shots from 4 of our favorite films. As opposed to the reviews and recaps that we usually post, 4 Shots From 4 Films lets the visuals do the talking!

120 years ago, on this date, the great Italian neorealist director (and husband of Ingrid Bergman and father of Isabella Rossellini), Roberto Rossellini was born in Rome. It’s time for….

4 Shots From 4 Roberto Rossellini Films

Rome, Open City (1945, dir by Roberto Rossellini, DP: Ubaldo Arata)

Europe ’51 (1952, dir by Roberto Rossellini, DP: Aldo Tonti)

Fear (1954, dir by Roberto Rossellini, DP: Carlo Carlini, DP: Heinz Schnackertz)

Journey to Italy, (1954, dir by Roberto Rossellini, DP: Enzo Serafin)

Brad reviews PROJECT GUTENBERG (2018), starring Chow Yun-Fat & Aaron Kwok!

Posted on May 7, 2026 by Bradley Crain

There was a time when Chow Yun-Fat was one of the hardest working actors in show business. He had 11 different films come out in 1987 alone, and his dedication to making movies would eventually lead him to superstardom all around the world by the turn of the century. Alas, even the greats must eventually slow down and by the end of the 2010’s, it felt like he had practically retired. He only starred in one film between 2017 and 2019. That film was 2018’s PROJECT GUTENBERG, and to say I was looking forward to the film would be quite the understatement. The filmmakers knew how to draw me in as the trailer recreated Chow’s famous scene from A BETTER TOMORROW where he lights his cigarette with a counterfeit $100 bill. The movie promised to play up his most iconic on-screen images, and I was down for it!

PROJECT GUTENBERG introduces us to an artist named Lee Man (Aaron Kwok), who’s been arrested in Thailand and taken to Hong Kong. The local police interrogate him for information about a ruthless counterfeiter known as “Painter.” Reluctant to talk at first due to fear, Lee is convinced that he must provide some information, or he could spend the rest of his life in jail. He eventually begins to tell the story of his time with the elusive criminal mastermind, played by Chow Yun-fat, through a series of flashbacks. Director Felix Chong (writer of the INFERNAL AFFAIRS and OVERHEARD trilogies) has crafted a story that seems like the confession of small fish being used to bait a big fish, before eventually turning into something much more sinister and fascinating. I won’t say anything else about the plot as there’s much fun to be had in watching it unravel!

I’m going to state right up front that Chow Yun-Fat is in prime form. Some actors age with grace, and then there’s the 63-year-old Chow of this film, who’s managed to age with almost a mythic gravitas. This film masterfully highlights his incredible charisma, recreates iconic images of his past gunplay, and then turns it all on its head by making Painter into one of the most evil bastards he’s ever played on screen! It’s an incredible use of his legendary career to provide levels of depth that no words on paper ever could.

Even with the iconic images of Chow Yun-Fat, PROJECT GUTENBERG would not work nearly as well if it wasn’t also a captivating crime thriller. Its counterfeit money operations, double-crosses, gun battles and international intrigue pulled me in, and I found myself on the edge of my seat at times as the story unfolded. The last 30 minutes of the film made me question everything I’d seen up to that point, but in a way that did not take away one moment of my enjoyment. It’s not a completely unique ending, as film lovers will certainly notice, but it works.

Aaron Kwok’s character of Lee Man is weak in comparison to Painter, but the actor navigates the tightrope of showing just enough emotional desperation that we understand why he’s doing what he does. When the plot starts taking some crazy twists and turns, I was still right there with him. I’ve always liked Aaron Kwok, and even with his bad haircut in the film, I still thought he did a fine job. I also want to shoutout actress Zhang Jingchu (RUSH HOUR 3, OVERHEARD), who plays the woman that Lee Man loves. Her character drives a lot of Lee’s actions in the film, and I found her very beautiful and compelling. Last, but not least, Liu Kai Chi (KILL ZONE, CALL OF HEROES) gets one of the best supporting roles in the film as a vital member of the counterfeiting team who befriends Lee before making an unforgivable mistake.

PROJECT GUTENBERG was a critical and box office smash when it was released in China in the fall of 2018. It won Best Picture, Director, Screenplay, Cinematography and Editing at the 2019 Hong Kong Film Awards. On a budget of around $40 million dollars, it would bring in over $150 million in China alone, on its way to around $200 million worldwide. It’s a slick crime thriller that serves as a reminder that in the right role, Chow Yun-fat is still one of the great movie stars on the planet. This film understands that, bet the house, and won big.

PROJECT GUTENBERG is currently streaming on the free “Fawesome” streaming service.

Brad reviews THE STORY OF WOO VIET (1981), starring Chow Yun-Fat!

Posted on May 6, 2026 by Bradley Crain

When I became obsessed with Chow Yun-Fat in the latter half of the 1990’s, I would constantly search for his movies at the Suncoast Video Store in the Park Plaza Mall whenever we’d go to Little Rock. Unfortunately, I’d run into cheap looking DVDs with titles like “God of Killers,” but I’d buy them anyway. That’s the title under which I first attempted to watch THE STORY OF WOO VIET, starring a young Chow-Yun-Fat and directed by Hong Kong legend Ann Hui. Whoever distributed the film was making a blatant cash grab on Chow Yun-Fat’s worldwide popularity at the time, and the DVD was terrible. I turned it off after a little while because the print was so dark you could barely see it, and the subtitles were illegible, constantly falling off the screen. I had not attempted to watch the film again until very recently. My friends on “Podcast on Fire” devoted an episode to THE STORY OF WOO VIET, which piqued my interest again. Lo and behold, I found a fine print with English subtitles streaming on Tubi!

As the story starts, we meet Woo Viet (Chow Yun-Fat) on a boat full of starving refugees. We learn that he’s a former Vietnamese soldier escaping to Hong Kong in hopes of making his way to the United States. It’s a tough start as we see a baby die of malnourishment and an old man murdered by Vietnamese special agents, which leads to Woo Viet fighting off and killing those same agents, all within the first 15 minutes. On the run for murder, he’s lucky that his Hong Kong pen pal, social worker Lap-Quan (Cora Miao), can help him get fake papers for his escape to the United States. As he’s getting ready to leave, he meets the beautiful Shum Ching (Cherie Chung), who’s also using fake documents to get to the U.S. Unfortunately, the Hong Kong trafficker who’s supposed to be helping them, has sold Shum Ching to a powerful gangster in the Philippines with plans to turn her into a prostitute. When she’s taken away from the Manila airport, Woo Viet goes after her. Unable to kick enough ass to save her, he ends up working as a hired gun for her kidnapper in hopes of buying her freedom. Throw in Shaw Brothers legend Lo Lieh as Sarm, Woo Viet’s partner in crime in Manila, and the stage is set for an escape to a better tomorrow or loneliness and a quick death.

After viewing the film, it’s probably best that I couldn’t watch THE STORY OF WOO VIET back in the late 1990’s. At that time, I wanted Chow Yun-Fat as the honorable gangster of films like A BETTER TOMORROW and THE KILLER, or the badass cop of HARD-BOILED. I could not have appreciated director Ann Hui’s work here, the second film in her “Viet Nam trilogy.” Gritty and downbeat, it’s about as far away from John Woo’s stylish films as you can get. When the violence comes, it lands with a painful thud as nails enter heads, knives slash bodies, and even toothbrushes are shoved through cheeks. This is Ann Hui working within a genre film plotline while infusing it with something akin to bleak realism. She would go on to develop her legendary career with the next year’s BOAT PEOPLE, and she would use Chow a couple of more times in films like LOVE IN A FALLEN CITY and THE POSTMODERN LIFE OF MY AUNT. This is not peak Ann Hui, but she still brings something interesting to this early effort.

As far as the performances go, Chow may have been 5 years away from the superstardom of A BETTER TOMORROW, but he already had what it took to be a film lead. Even in a film like this, without his heroic bloodshed honor, he has a way of making it look easy. Cherie Chung is appealing as Shum Ching, and she was soon on her way to film stardom in Hong Kong hits like PEKING OPERA BLUES, AN AUTUMN’S TALE (with Chow), and John Woo’s ONCE A THIEF (also with Chow). Like many Hong Kong actresses before her, after a string of successful films she would get married and retire in 1991. I like Cora Miao early in the film as the kind social worker, but she fades as the film progresses. Miao would work with Chow and Ann Hui frequently throughout the 80’s. Like Chung, she retired in 1991 and married director Wayne Wang (THE JOY LUCK CLUB). Finally, I wanted to give a shoutout to Lo Lieh as Woo Viet’s one friend, Sarm. While he may be known best for his classic work with Shaw Brothers in films like the FIVE FINGERS OF DEATH and THE 36^TH CHAMBER OF SHAOLIN, he gives a solid character performance here and would go on to work in Hong Kong for another two decades.

THE STORY OF WOO VIET is not at the top of the list of films that Hong Kong legends Chow Yun-Fat and Ann Hui would work on, but it’s still an important watch to see their obvious talent at this point in their careers. I’m glad I finally watched the film in 2026. After all the life I’ve lived since those days digging through the DVDs at the Park Plaza Mall, there’s no way it could have hit me the same way then that it does now.

4 Shots From 4 Films: Special Orson Welles Edition

Posted on May 6, 2026 by Lisa Marie Bowman

4 Or More Shots From 4 Or More Films is just what it says it is, 4 shots from 4 of our favorite films. As opposed to the reviews and recaps that we usually post, 4 Shots From 4 Films lets the visuals do the talking!

Today we celebrate what would have been the 111th birthday of the great Orson Welles! It’s time for….

4 Shots from 4 Orson Welles Films

Citizen Kane (1941, dir by Orson Welles, DP: Gregg Toland)

MacBeth (1948, dir by Orson Welles, DP: John L. Russell)

The Trial (1962, dir by Orson Welles, DP: Edmond Richard)

Chimes at Midnight (1965, dir by Orson Welles, DP: Edmond Richard)

Brad reviews THE LAST TYCOON (2012), starring Chow Yun-Fat!

Posted on May 5, 2026 by Bradley Crain

When fans of Hong Kong cinema think of high-quality film craftsmanship, the name Wong Jing doesn’t immediately come to mind. Sure, he directed one of my all-time favorite films, GOD OF GAMBLERS (1989), and he’s had his share of box office success over the years, but he’s also churned out a lot of crap. His name is not often the stamp of quality on a film production, but there’s something about working with Chow Yun-Fat that will sometimes bring out his best.

THE LAST TYCOON tells the story of Shanghai crime boss Cheng Daqi, portrayed here in two separate timelines by actor Huang Xiaoming in his younger years, and by the legendary Chow Yun-Fat in his older years. When we meet young Cheng, he seems like an awfully nice guy and then fate places him in a jail cell with the shady Mao Zai (Francis Ng). To escape and save his own life, and with a little help from Mao, Cheng commits his first murder. Forced to flee, Cheng aligns himself with a gang led by Hong Shouting (Sammo Hung). A natural leader, and as badass as it gets, Cheng rises rapidly in the ranks. The narrative isn’t as straight forward as this sounds so far, because it leaps frequently back and forth between younger Cheng and older Cheng. When the film finally settles in with Chow Yun-Fat for its latter half, we have seen how Cheng rose to become one of the most powerful men in Shanghai. We also understand how he has found himself in an extremely difficult wartime position with the Japanese that will test his loyalty to his country, as well as to the people he loves.

Right out of the gate, I want to give kudos to Wong Jing for putting together a highly entertaining film, set against an incredible 30-year backdrop of historical Shanghai! I don’t mention it in the summary above, but THE LAST TYCOON finds time to feature an abundance of romance between Cheng and the two loves of his life. We’re talking about grand melodrama done right, offset periodically with awesome action sequences, whether they be hand-to-blade street brawls, heroic bloodshed shoot-outs, or explosive wartime bombing raids. The emotions and the blood flow very strongly in this one!

The role of Cheng Daqi fits Chow Yun-Fat like a glove. He emotes early and often, and when he takes a break from that, it’s usually to pick up a pistol that he’s able to wield with maximum precision and efficiency. For a long-time fan like me, it’s high-quality fan service that fits seamlessly into the pulpiness of the story. As the younger version of Cheng, Huang Xiaoming does a fine job with the romance and the action. It seems perfectly natural that he’d eventually turn into the legend. Huang gets a lot of screentime, and without his solid portrayal, I don’t think the film would have worked nearly as well.

I did want to mention some of the notable supporting performances in THE LAST TYCOON. Veteran Francis Ng is as reliable as ever as we see his character go from a mystery lifesaver at the beginning to an evil villain by the end. The role may be underdeveloped, but Ng makes it work. I’m going to be looking for more from actor Gao Hu, who’s a total badass in his role as Cheng’s loyal soldier Lin Huai. Present over the entire 30-year timeline of the film, the man’s expert switchblade skills and gun-handling abilities are crucial to Cheng’s safety! Yolanda Yuan and Monica Mok are very good as the two women in Cheng’s life. They are very different, but it’s easy to see why he loves them both, and I think the movie ultimately gets the ending right where the romance is concerned. Finally, I did want to mention that I was somewhat disappointed in the character of Hong Shouting, played by the legendary Sammo Hung. Even though he was a powerful boss, I don’t think he comes across very strongly in the film. For someone of his stature, I see this as one of the few missteps from writer / director Wong Jing.

Small quibbles aside, I recommend THE LAST TYCOON without any reservations. Fans of Chow Yun-Fat and Hong Kong cinema can’t go wrong!

THE LAST TYCOON is currently available for streaming on Amazon Prime, Tubi, PlutoTV, and Plex.

4 Shots From 4 Films: Special Cinco De Mayo Edition

Posted on May 5, 2026 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Happy Cinco De Mayo to all of our readers! It’s time for….

4 Shots From 4 Mexican Films

Simon of the Desert (1965, dir by Luis Bunuel, DP: Gabriel Figueroa)

El Topo (1970, dir by Alejandro Jodorowsky, DP: Rafael Corkidi)

Like Water For Chocolate (1992, dir by Alfonso Arau, DP: Emmanuel Luzbeki)

Pan’s Labyrinth (2006, dir. by Guillermo Del Toro, DP: Guillermo Nava)

Brad reviews PEACE HOTEL (1995), starring Chow Yun-Fat!

Posted on May 4, 2026 by Bradley Crain

Just like November is Charles Bronson month in my house, May is Chow Yun-Fat month. My favorite living actor, Chow made so many good movies during his Hong Kong heyday, he made a few good movies here in America, and he’s still working to this day! This year I plan on revisiting some of his lesser known films and sharing my thoughts on them with you. I don’t know how many reviews I’ll have time to write, but I’m certainly looking forward to the movies! To kick off the month, I decided to revisit PEACE HOTEL, which was the last Hong Kong film that Chow starred in prior to making his English language debut with THE REPLACEMENT KILLERS in 1998.

PEACE HOTEL is a Chinese “western,” which is certainly different for Chow Yun-Fat who made his name by playing heroic gangsters and badass cops. Even though it’s not a movie I revisit often, its uniqueness in his filmography is something I enjoy when the right mood hits. The story setup, which is credited to Chow, is classic. Chow plays the notorious “killer,” a reformed man who has set up a remote “hotel” where violence is never allowed, no matter who you are or who’s after you. When a desperate woman shows up at the hotel, with a horde of outlaws right behind her, the rules are tested. The outlaws set up shop just outside the gates of the hotel and give the residents a few days to get out, or they’re all going to die. Considering they’ll have to go through the killer, things are certainly going to get interesting.

Fans of westerns and samurai films will recognize many of the story elements, but I’d have to say that this movie is less about originality and more about establishing a mythic mood. Director Wai Ka-Fai plays up the legend of the killer, so there’s a lot of setup to get through. This does require some patience for those used to the star’s wall to wall action-fests with director John Woo. Let’s just say the action is used sparingly, but when it comes, it’s good stuff.

Chow Yun-Fat carries the film effortlessly. His charisma, toughness and charm is fully on display whether he’s horsing around with a small child, romancing the beautiful Cecilia Yip, or dispatching throngs of bad guys with his blade. The role certainly isn’t flashy, but he’s just so cool. Nobody can portray a noble killer as well as Chow Yun-Fat.

PEACE HOTEL is currently playing on Tubi. When I first saw the film back in the 90’s, I remember a sequence where Chow Yun-Fat slides down a ladder while mowing down bad guys with a machine gun. That sequence is not included in the cut playing on Tubi, which is a little disappointing for me. Still, the film has so much going in its favor, that I still give it an easy recommendation. It may not be balls-to-the-wall action like THE KILLER, FULL CONTACT or HARD BOILED, but I’ll definitely be reaching for PEACE HOTEL again someday when I’m in the mood for something different than your typical action film.

10 Films For May the 4th

Posted on May 4, 2026 by Lisa Marie Bowman

If you want to celebrate the 4th of May but you really don’t feel like sitting through any of the Star Wars films (especially now that you know that Leia, Luke, and Han’s struggle was pretty much for naught), here are ten other sci-films that will keep you entertained without ruinng your childhood memories!

Starcrash (1978, dir by Luigi Cozzi) is not only the best of the so-called Star Wars rip-offs, it’s also one of the best space adventures ever made. In fact, I would argue that Cozzi’s film is actually more entertaining than Star Wars, just because of Cozzi’s unabashed love of the genre and the fact that Starcrash had a bit more deliberate wit than George Lucas’s film. Starcrash also had a once-in-a-lifetime cast of Caroline Munro, Marjoe Gortner, Joe Spinell, Christopher Plummer, and David Hasselhoff. Starcrash is a true pop art masterpiece.
Laserblast (1978, dir by Charles Band) — Fresh from menacing Mark Hamill in Corvette Summer, Kim Milford plays a totally 70s dude who finds a discarded alien weapon and turns into a green monster. At one point, Milford blows up a Star Wars billboard. Roddy McDowall is a small-town doctor. Eddie Deezen and Dennis Burkley are bullies. The Claymation aliens are adorable, especially when they start arguing with each other.
Moonraker (1979, dir by Lewis Gilbert) –– James Bond in space! I’m well aware that Moonraker does not have a great reputation as far as Bond films are concerned but actually, it’s one of Roger Moore’s most enjoyably ludicrous outings. Daniel Craig’s Bond could never go into space but Roger Moore could. That’s why Moore will always be the superior Bond.
The Humanoid (1979, dir by Aldo Lado) — After playing Jaws in both The Spy Who Loved Me and Moonraker, Richard Kiel got to play a leading role. “I believe that jacket belongs to Mr. Gilmore….” No, this was before Happy Gilmore! In The Humanoid, Kiel plays the kindly Golob who is transformed into a hulking, evil warrior. Good Golob has a beard. Evil Golob doesn’t. This movie is a bit long but Kiel is always a delight to watch and it also features a cute dog robot. Barbara Bach is the evil Lady Agatha, who is kept young by space virgin blood. Ivan Rassimov, owner of the best hair in Italian exploitation, is Lord Graal.
The Visitor (1979, dir by Giulio Paradisi) — What happens when you mix The Omen, The Exorcist, and Star Wars with a bunch of basketball stock footage? You end up with one of the greatest Italian films ever! John Huston is the alien/angel! Lance Henriksen is the devil worshipper who owns a basketball team! Franco Nero is Jesus, who lives on the Moon with a bunch of bald children! Shelley Winters is Shelley Winters! The Visitor is a film that simply has to be seen.
Battle Beyond The Stars (1980, dir by Jimmy T. Murakami) — This Roger Corman-produced film never would have been made if not for the success of Star Wars. That said, it’s actually a science fiction version of The Magnificent Seven, featuring the type of cast that only Corman could put together. Richard Thomas, Robert Vaughn, George Peppard, Darlanne Fluegel, John Saxon, and Sybil Danning, they’re all in this terrifically entertaining space opera.
Flash Gordon (1980, dir by Mike Hodges) — How many people have been driven mad after getting the theme song stuck in their head? At every watch party that I host, Flash Gordon is always at the top of the list of films that people want me to select. (Unfortunately, it’s not streaming anywhere for free right now.) Like Starcrash and The Visitor, it’s a pop art masterpiece. All together now: “Godon’s alive!”
Space Raiders (1983, dir by Howard Cohen) — Roger Corman produced this film about a dumbass kid (David Mendenhall, who also played Stallone’s son in Over The Top) who stows away with a bunch of lovable space pirates and basically gets everyone killed. This is worth seeing for Thom Christopher as Flightplan. This film also features a scene where the kid tries to shout across space. “HAWK!”
Spaceballs (1987, dir by Mel Brooks) — Mel Brooks sends up the Star Wars saga as only he can. It’s not totally successful but there are plenty of funny lines and Rick Moranis and John Candy are a delight. Bill Pullman wisely plays his role straight and allows the supporting crew to get most of the laughs.
Space Mutiny (1988, dir by Neal Sundstrom and David Winters) — “GO! GO! GO!” Reb Brown yells as Dave Ryder, the new head of security for Cameron Mitchell’s space fleet. And Brown has a lot to yell about because John Phillip Law is leading a mutiny in plain sight. Space Mutiny has a reputation for being one of the worst films ever made. It may be. But I still enjoy it. Every space ship needs a disco.