Ryojin20 Reviews

Unleashed (2005)

A new era of martial arts action-drama

[10/10 · 20 June 2005]

Jet Li's previous Hollywood projects have been decent fares, but they could have been better. Though they display Jet's incredible martial arts prowess like his Hong Kong work, they really did not portray his true acting potential to their fullest. Unleashed a.k.a. Danny the Dog changes all that with amazing results. The film revolves around Danny, a mysterious yet unique man with the mind of 12-year old due to being raised with no human education and possesses brutal efficient martial arts abilities. He is a human weapon for a Glasglow mobster named Bart played by Bob Hoskins. Bart raised Danny just to be a vicious killer and has him under control with a collar. Bart is a debt collector uses Danny as an enforcer to threaten the people who owe Bart. When the collar stays on, Danny is peaceful, but when it comes off, Danny becomes an unstoppable killing machine beating the living hell out of anyone who is in his way. One fateful day, Danny meets a gentle and wise piano maestro/tuner named Sam, played by the great Morgan Freeman. Sam shows Danny how to play the piano and the path to Danny's human education begins. Several days later Danny and Bart are involved in a horrifying car accident. Danny becomes free and wanders off believing the Bart is dead. Danny reunites with Sam and is taken under the caring wing of Sam. Sam also lives with his beautiful and intelligent 18-year old stepdaughter, played amazingly by Kerry Condon. Danny begins a new life with his new family and learns to become a normal human as Sam and Victoria educates Danny about music, art, life, and most of all: the love of family. But soon Bart recovers from the car crash and wants his Danny back to participate in underground gladiator-style fight clubs. Danny wants nothing to do with Bart anymore and vows to protect his new family and stop Bart once and for all. Unleashed is a excellent movie and a different departure from Jet's usual American films and it showcases Jet's true acting abilities. Jet is a great actor and he is excellent in this. This role a quite a stretch for him and he portrays his character so well. Danny is a very likable and sympathetic character. The character development is brilliant and its scenes are filmed well with a touch of adorable humor. The interactions between Danny, Sam, and Victoria are great to watch and beautifully portrayed. Morgan Freeman also delivers another incredible performance and newcomer Kerry Condon is amazing and adorable as Victoria, she also has such an breathtaking smile! Bob Hoskins portrays Bart with brilliantly with scumbag bravado. The fight scenes are jaw dropping amazing. They are choreographed by the legendary Hong Kong action master, Yuen Woo-Ping. The last time Jet Li and Yuen Woo-Ping have worked together was back in 1996 in Black Mask and it is great to seem them team up again. All the fights are executed with such brutality and they are amazingly designed and filmed very well such as the opening scene, the underground gladiator fight, and the final battle. Music plays a big part in the film and each song track fits the scenes perfectly. Director Louis Leterrier did excellent work with the film as he combined several factors to make Unleashed a great film: a fantastic cast, beautiful cinematography, brilliant soundtrack, gripping plot, incredible jaw-dropping knock down drag out fights, and mesmerizing storytelling.This is one of Jet Li's best films and hopefully his next project will be just as good as this one.

***** (5 stars) Ryojin20 favorite

Samurai Champloo (2004– )

Absolute Anime Brilliance!

[15 March 2005]

I was at Best Buy one time checking out the anime section, there I found Samurai Champloo for sale. I am a big fan of samurai anime so I took a look at it. Two things made me want to buy it: the dream team of director Shinchiro Watanabe (Cowboy Bebop & The Animatrix), designers Kazuto Nakazawa (Kill Bill Vol. 1: Chapter 3: The Origin of O-Ren), and Mahiro Maeda (Last Exile & Blue Submarine No. 6), and an awesome, hard-hitting hip hop soundtrack! There aren't many animes that have rap soundtracks, so I had to check this out. Samurai Champloo is one of the best new animes. Brilliant animation, memorable characters, laid-back kinetic atmosphere, great music, and kick-ass Hong Kong, Akira Kurosawa style fight sequences. The story revolves around two highly skilled ronins and a girl: Mugen, a violent, buck wild swordsman whose style emphasizes one hand kendo and Capoeira. Jin, a mysterious, calm gentleman swordsman that masters traditional, straight-forward Japanese Swordsmanship. And Fuu, a young, beautiful ditzy waitress. After Fuu saves them from being executed, Mugen and Jin agree to temporarily set aside their differences and help her in her quest to find the "samurai who smells of sunflowers. Jin and Mugen are the perfect examples of the yin-yang concept. These unstoppable, independent warriors are complete opposites, but their skills are equal to each other. Fuu plays a perfect mediator between the two. This series has strong ties to Watanabe's previous classic, Cowboy Bebop: same style action and atmosphere, but with a hip-hop soundtrack instead of Jazz. And Mugen, Jin, and Fuu could be compared to Spike, Jet, and Faye. But what makes this series original is the hybrid combination of a feudal Japan setting and philosophy with modern fighting, urban street flavor personality, and off-beat comedy, hence the title "Champloo", meaning stir-fry. The verbal exchanges between the three heroes are amusing and great to watch. They series also utilize rap DJ record style scratching to switch between scenes perfectly. Overall, Samurai Champloo is an anime bond to be a classic, and raises the level for anime. If you are a major anime fan, check this out, it will be an excellent addition to a collection.

***** (5 stars) Ryojin20 favorite!

Hero (2002)

A Martial Arts Work of Art

[31 August 2004]

Hero is one of the most talked about, visually stunning, action packed, and beautiful films I have seen this year. It has a great cast, amazing characters, a solid story, a great musical score, beautiful settings and art direction, and incredible fight scenes. Many people, including myself, have been looking forward for Hero's release, it was a long wait, but it was worth it. The film revolves a meeting between an assassin known as Nameless, played by the amazing Jet Li, and the King of Qin played by Chen Daoming. Nameless recounts to the king how he defeated three assassins: Sky played by the awesome Donnie Yen, Broken Sword played by Tony Leung, and Flying Snow played excellently by the beautiful Maggie Chueng. But the recollections are actually told in three different perspectives giving the film a Rashomon-like pace. Some fights, vendettas, and encounters may or may not have happened. This is an excellent way to show character development. Zhang Yimou did an Oscar-worthy excellent job directing the film. Even more impressive is the fact that it is his first time directing a martial arts film. All the perspectives are told without messing up the film's pace and the settings, costumes, and even horses look like they come from a fairy tale. The best thing about the movie is its use of color as each of them has a primary meaning: red is imagination, blue is perceived reality, green is enlightenment, white is truth, and black is sacrifice, an original way of using color in film and a way of showing the character's true emotions. The battle scenes are amazing; Ching Siu Hung did an outstanding job choreographing them. The fights have a whimsical flair, making them theater-like, each having great rhythm and execution. All the fights are memorable; like the match between Maggie Chueng and the alluring Zhang Ziyi in the forest. Maggie gathers a storm of leaves and kicks it at Zhang not just to subdue her, but to simply walk away. It reminded me of the training sequence in The Tai-Chi Master. The most breathtaking was one between Jet Li and Tony Leung, where they fight on the surface of a lake; they tip their swords to the water to propel themselves in the air again and again. The fight is actually happening in their minds, its basically psychological warfare. But the best fight is the long awaited rematch martial arts fans have been waiting for; the awe-inspiring fight between Jet Li and Donnie Yen. The scenes have such great execution, rhythm, timing, and it was flawlessly filmed. These Wushu experts are perfectly matched and it's their finest duel since Once Upon a Time in China 2. Due to the films different point of views, the matches have different outcomes and everyone is in combat including the King of Qin himself. Overall, Hero is a masterpiece, even surpassing Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. It has elevated martial arts films to the next level.

***** 5 stars (Ryojin 20 favorite!)

Tai Chi Master (1993)

Breathtaking

[6 April 2004]

*minor spoiler alert*

I first watched Twin Warriors a.k.a The Tai Chi Master back in August 2000 on a Saturday afternoon, the signature time for Kung Fu Theater. After watching this, I became a (and still am) major Jet Li fan! This is one of his finest films. It has the most amazing, jaw-dropping, knock down drag out fights ever. Like Fist of Legend, every fight scene is incredible. Twin Warriors are about two best friends named Junbao played by Jet Li, and Teinbao played by Siu-Hou Chiu. They grew up and trained in the Shaolin temple. They are expelled from the temple after Tienbao is set up by a rival monk in a sparring competition which leads to an awesome battle pitting Junbao and Tienbao against hundreds of Shaolin monks. The two friends wander into a village starting their new lives as civilians and meet unique people. Such as Siu Lin, played by the beautiful Michelle Yeoh, and the hilarious Reverend Ling played by Yuen Cheng-Yan who is also one of the films fight directors. But the two go in different paths, Tienbao wanted power so he joined the military that is led by the corrupt Liu Jing, while Junbao preferred to have a peaceful life and work at a restaurant owned by Siu Lin, Ling, and anti-government rebels that are against the government's taxation of the local villagers. But Tienbao's craving for power and wealth overtakes him and in the process jeopardizes his friendship with Junbao and company. He betrays Junbao and the others which send Junbao in a state of shock and depression. Junbao recovery is due to learning the art of Tai Chi to face off against Tienbao with the help of Siu Lin. The story is very good and tragic, its almost like a Chinese Macbeth, a man turned evil by the pursuit of power, and his friend the only one to stop him. Yuen Woo-Ping does an amazing job directing the movie and choreographing the fight scenes. One of the best fights is between Michelle Yeoh and her ex-boyfriend's new girlfriend in the restaurant, incredible duel between the two ladies! The final duel between Jet Li and Siu-Hou Chin is amazing, Tienbao's deadly and brutal Iron Palm form against Junbao's graceful and strong Tai Chi form, which reflect the two fighter's personalities. Siu-Hou's performance as Tienbao is great; he played an amazing villain corrupted by his own ego and power hunger. The chemistry between Jet Li and Michelle Yeoh is solid; Siu Lin is a great friend and ally. Jet also delivers a great performance as a man of honor and tranquility, especially in his state of shock then enlightenment. Twin Warriors is amazing, top notch performances and brilliant full force action scenes, along with great music make this film a Hong Kong classic many will and have enjoy!

***** 5 stars Ryojin20 favorite!

Spider-Man (2002)

Marvel's Finest!

[5 April 2004]

*mild spoiler alert*

Spider-Man lives up to his title: "The Amazing Spider-Man!" Spider-Man is one of the best comic-book movies ever made. It is a hyper-kinetic thrill ride. When Spidey zips through the city, it feels like you are flying through the air with him. It has it all, great action, amazing Hong Kong style fights choreographed by Chuck Jeffreys, intense drama, and a wonderful cast! Tobey Maguire delivers a great performance as Peter Parker/Spider Man. He represents the average guy becoming a great hero, which I respect a lot. Spider-Man is a very hard role to play along with many superhero roles, but Maguire played it flawlessly. Willem Defoe was incredible as corporate C.E.O. Norman Osborn/Green Goblin. His performance playing a villain with double personalities was amazing to watch. You could feel his pain trying to get resist the murderous intent of the Goblin. Green Goblin is one the greatest villains it greatly shows in the movie. Kirsten Dunst was beautiful and great as Mary-Jane Watson. Her portrayal of the alluring girl next door was great to watch and she looked incredible in the rain! The most accurate comic book portrayal was John Jonah Jameson played by J.K. Simmons. He played J.J. down to a T, he had it all: the cigar smoking, the ordering around, the cynicism, and the haircut! Sam Rami is one of my favorite directors ever since I saw Army of Darkness. He directed the movie perfectly, the camera angles, the emotion, everything. His trademarks are seen in the movie, such as the "whip-pan" camera technique. It was also great to see Bruce Campbell in a cameo role as the ring announcer, funny stuff! My favorite scene is when Peter Parker final stands up to Flash Thompson and beats his with his newly formed spider-powers. Awesome scene and a great moment for all comic-book fans! Great supporting performances by James Franco as Harry Osborn, Rosemary Clooney as Aunt May, and Cliff Robertson as Uncle Ben. The theme song "Hero" by Nickleback is a very uplifting and inspiring song. It makes you want to become superhero. Spider-Man is one of my favorite movies and I can't wait to see the sequel!

***** 5 stars Ryojin20 Favorite!

Power Rangers DinoThunder (2004)

Dino Thunder, Power Up! Great start!

[14 March 2004]

I've seen episodes of Abaranger before Dino Thunder premiered and I wondered how Dino Thunder was going to be like Americanized. And after hearing that Tommy (Jason David Frank) one of the greatest rangers ever was going to be in it, I was really excited and looking forward for the premiere. Dino Thunder has gotten off on an amazing start. It's greatly remixing dinosaur concept and putting its own rhythm to it making a great story. Tommy is back as the black ranger and teacher to the three new rangers and possesses stealth powers. The new rangers are awesome as well. Connor the red ranger (James Napier) is a proficient Soccer Player and has incredible speed powers. Ethan the blue ranger (Kevin Duhaney) is a expert gamer and has the power to activated a special dino skin shield. And Kira the yellow ranger (the beautiful and cute Emma Lahana) is a talented musician and has the power to emit powerful scream waves. I've seen pictures of the white dino thunder ranger and the Triassic ranger and they look awesome, can't wait to seem them on the show. Hayley (Islay Johnston) is a great ally to the ranger, and cute as well! There are also funny characters as well. Like Cassidy Cornell (Katrina Devine) as Reefside High's school reporter. It's cool to see Katrina Devine in another ranger series after she was in Power Rangers Ninja Storm. The villains are great as well; Mesogog has the quiet evil, which makes him scarier and more threatening. Elsa is pretty treacherous as well like Scorpina from Mighty Morphing, Trakeena from Lost Galaxy, Nadira from Time Force, and Toxica from Wild Force. Dino Thunder is truly a great series and has such a strong connection to the Power Rangers history. It has a great story, awesome fight sequences, and amazing Zords. A promising new series indeed.

Power Rangers Time Force (2001)

Time For Time Force!

[8 December 2003]

When Mighty Morphing Power Rangers debuted I was a huge fan and never missed an episode of that and Zeo. But then came Power Rangers Turbo and the kid who ruined it, Justin, and I stopped watching. Gladly it ended. I watched some episodes of In Space, Lost Galaxy, and Lightspeed Rescue, but then when Time Force debuted when I was 16, I started watching it and became a fan again, even though I'm 19 now but age in this case is just a number! Time Force a.k.a Murai Sentai Timeranger is the best in the Power Ranger/Sentai series. It has it everything: great fight scenes, powerful drama, great storyline, memorable characters. What made Time Force great was that it was darker than the other series. Especially when Ransik's past is revealed, who by the way is one of the best villains since Lord Zedd. The rangers were amazing as well: Wes the Red Ranger (Jason Faunt) developed over the series from a spoiled rich guy to a dedicated and hard working man and skilled fighter, Jen the Pink Ranger (Erin Cahill) was both a tough, focused ranger and a beautiful caring woman and the romantic relationship between her and Wes was great and was a reminder of the relationship between Kimberly and Tommy in Mighty Morphin. Trip the Green Ranger (Kevin Kleinberg) was funny, naive but loyal to the Time Force and a great fighter as well, Lucas the Blue Ranger (Michael Copon) was a cool and laid back ladies' man, but was also a dedicated ranger, Katie the Yellow Ranger (Deborah Estelle Phillips) was cute, funny, and sometimes bubbly and possessed great super strength, and Eric the Quantum Ranger (Dan Southworth) was an awesome 6th ranger and a total bad-ass! Circuit was an awesome ally to the rangers. Not only were there great heroes, there were great villains: Ransik (Vernon Wells) was a tortured soul and a very dangerous adversary, Nadria (Kate Sheldon) was funny, obnoxious, yet violently psychotic when in battle. And Frax was one of the most memorable and tragic villains. Koichi Sakamoto and Alpha Stunts did a amazing job choreographing the fight scenes. Time Force had some elements of "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon", "Once Upon a Time In China", and "The Matrix". Time Force took the Power Rangers series to a whole new level.

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)

Brilliant

[9 July 2003]

*Minor Spolier Alert*

When I first saw Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, I thought it was going to be in English dubbing, obviously it wasn't so was basically the first foreign film i've seen in theaters. The film was breathtaking. It showed a mystical part of ancient China that was almost long forgotten. The story of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is as follows: A magic sword called the "Green Destiny" is stolen by a impetuous nobleman's daughter who is amazingly skilled in martial arts named Jen Yu played by import hottie Zhang Ziyi. Two respected warriors Li Mu Bai played by the great Chow Yun-Fat and Yu Shu Lien played by the beautiful "queen of martial arts" Michelle Yeoh team up to retrieve the sword. Along the way they clash with a female criminal known as Jade Fox, played by Pei-Pei Cheng. C.T.H.D is a new type of Hong Kong action movie combing drama with gravity defying martial arts and romance. Director Ang Lee is not exactly known for kung-fu movies, but for drama's such as "Sense and Sensibility" and "Ride With the Devil." Him directing a kung-fu action movie and and comic-book based action movies ("The Hulk") shows that he is a very versatile director. C.T.H.D's plot is pretty simple, stolen sword, a young girl who is in a crossroads in her life, and two fighters realizing their love for one another. The cinematography and camera work is brilliant. They show the beautiful mountains and fields of feudal China. The best thing about thing about the movie is the incredible fight scences choreographed by one of the people who revolutionized Hong Kong action movies, Yuen Woo-Ping. The man behind great action movies such as "Drunken Master" with Jackie Chan, "Once Upon a Time in China", "Fist of Legend" "Black Mask" and "The Tai Chi Master" with Jet Li, and "The Matrix" trilogy. The fight scenes both had aggressiveness and softness with wire-work magic. What made the fight scenes great was the fact that the some of the main actors are not exactly martial artist. Zhang Ziyi is not trained in martial arts but is actually a dancer which made it easy for the action directors to teach her some wushu techniques. Chow Yun-Fat, who is a action movie veteran, is not a martial artist as well but was also trained and picked up the moves real quick. He should of gotten more fight scenes though. The best fights were the restaurant fight with Zhang Ziyi fighting a crew of warriors which kind of looked like the restaurant fight in "Legend of Drunken Master", the night fight with Chow Yun-Fat fighting Jade Fox, and the training hall fight between Michelle Yeoh and Zhang Ziyi. The movie gets a little slow in the desert flashback, but overall Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is a landmark film to be remembered. Score 4/5

Blade II (2002)

Awesome!

[22 March 2002]

This has got to be the best sequel in years! Blade 2 has certainly surpassed the first. There were kick ass new weapons, new allies, ravging new enemies, solid intense acting, and incredible CGI techniques actually wowed the crowd at the theaters, so did the grewsome makeup and violence. Wesley Snipes is bad-ass personified, Kris Kristopherson is excellent, Leonor Valera is so hot! And Ron Perlman is scary yet funny. Nomak (Luke Goss) is awesome as the main reaper, and the bloodpack kicked ass especially Donnie Yen and Phillip Rey Santos. This is an definite must see! The crowd cheered at the end! 5 out of 5.

John Q (2002)

Incredible

[23 February 2002]

John Q is one of greatest movies to date. Denzel Washington gives an Oscar-Winning performance as John Q. A father who's son, Michael needs a new heart or he will die. John has insurance, but it can't cover a heart transplant operation, so the hospital won't operate. John has no choice, but to take the hospital hostage so they can perform the operation. Denzel is not the only one who gives a knockout performance. James Woods is excellent as a cardiologist taken hostage. Anne Hecht is great has a ruthless medical supervisor, Kimberly Elise give a amazing performance as Denzel's wife and mother to Michael. Eddie Griffin is hilarious as a hostage and Robert Duvall gave a riveting performance. Ray Liotta is also great,and the hostages are excellent.This movie also shows that you should never get an HMO. 5 stars out of 5.