“If the film (Romeo Must Die) cannot integrate Jet Li into his own film, it stumbles even more over its incorporation of 'Hong Kong action'. Romeo Must Die is, visually, a post-Matrix film, but it does not have its predecessor's fantasy remit to explain why fighters float in mid-air... the CGI-enhanced wirework looks as though…
The Defender – the action
As stated in a previous blog, I find The Defender to be reasonably entertaining and competently made but a little slow and overloaded with lovey-dovey scenes. What Corey Yuen lacks as a director of romance he (with the assistance of action co-director Yuen Tak) makes up for as a director of action. This film has…
The Defender
To my mind The Defender (aka Bodyguard from Beijing*) is a typical contemporary Hong Kong action film. There is none of the poetry or epic scope of some of Jet Li’s earlier films (such as Once Upon A Time in China 1 and 2 or Tai Chi Master – favourites of mine). This film is…