The Shaolin Temple (1982)

Kicker Chang/Jue Yuan vs Emperor/Guards: 2.75/5


Bai vs Jue Yuan: 2/5


Bai vs Guards: 3/5


Jue Yuan vs Guards: 3/5


Jue Yuan vs Emperor: 3.5/5


Monks vs Guards: 4/5



Jue Yuan vs Monks: 3.25/5


Battle Of Shaolin Temple: 4.25/5


Monk/Bai vs Officer: 4/5



Jue Yuan vs Emperor: 3.75/5



This is a great movie. The action doesn't pick up until the second half of the film. But there are some great training montages to hold you over till then. Jet Li, though quite young here, really carries the emotional weight of the movie. His facial expressions convey such deep, sincere meaning. Oh and also, the man can fight. But this is one of his better acting performances.

The meat of this movie's action comes when all of the monks take up arms and do battle. It is glorious. Watching them fight with different weapons and styles is truly something to behold.

This movie is really all about what it means to be a monk. Which I found quite interesting. If you're into that sort of thing, you'll enjoy this too.

The movie has some gorgeous shots. Beautiful landscapes. It's the first Hong Kong film shot on mainland China. It's kind of legendary, in that way.

There are flaws with the film. It's paced a bit strangely, though that's an echo of the genre and time. Occasionally it feels almost like a series of vignettes. Some of the comedic beats don't hold up. But these are minor concerns.

I really liked this movie. Recommended.

Man of Tai Chi (2013)

Opening Fight: 2.25/5

Tiger Chen vs Chou Ping: 3.25/5

Tiger Chen vs Brawler: 3.5/5

Tiger vs Guy in Blue: 2.25/5

Tiger Fighting Montage: 3.25/5

Tiger vs Iron Body Guy: 3.75/5

Tiger vs Sanshou Fighter: 3.25/5

Tiger vs 2 Fighters: 4/5

Tiger vs Master: 4/5

Tiger vs Uri Romanov: N/R

Tiger vs Iko Uwais: 3/5

Tiger vs Keanu Reeves: 2.75/5



Tiger Chen is a talented guy. This movie functions as his vehicle. That being said, I wish I liked it more. It's an ok film, but considering they got Iko Uwais from the Raid in it and the sheer amount of fighting in it, I expected more.

Keanu Reeves chews so much scenery throughout this. He is way over the top. You can tell they wanted to make his final showdown with Tiger an epic, but they fall quite short. Keanu just can't move well enough to convince me he's the dominant villain he's presented as. Yeah he's bigger than Tiger, but that's about it. Also, if I never have to hear Keanu say, "You owe me a life" ever again I can die happy.

I wish Tiger and Iko Uwais had gotten a real chance to go at it, but the story film's narrative prevents that. Let's hope Tiger shows up in The Raid 3.

Onto the positives, there are 2 great fights and a couple very good fights in this. Tiger vs his master is especially resonant, the actor playing the Master moves better than Keanu. Plus the music that fight is set to really helps to convey the story. Tiger looks good in every fight scene he's in. He holds up his end quite well. I want him in more things.


I want to support movies like this and guys like Tiger. Somewhat recommended.

El Testigo (The Witness, 2011)

Jose vs Thugs: 3.75/5


Jose vs Gil: 2.5/5


Jose vs Detective Suarez: 2.25/5


Market Fight: 3.5/5


Gil vs Thugs: 3.25/5


Jose/Cristina vs Thugs: 2.25/5


Jose vs Gil: 3.25/5



Solid action throughout. Gil Sanabria carries himself very well. He's smaller than Jose but more imposing. He's a real badass in this movie. Jose has the beats down of a prototypical action hero. The Jackie Chan influence is big in this movie, and that's not necessarily a bad thing. This is from 2011 and having seen the stuff this team has done since, they've gotten even better. There's not a bad fight in it.

The action is good and well laid out, I just wish this movie did a little more to distinguish itself from other modern martial arts movies. There are a couple of nice turns in the plot, but it is a pretty straight forward movie. This is this team's first feature, so it's good that they got all the basics down. There's just nothing that really stands out, for me. The fights range from good to very good.

I wanted more from that end fight too, since my favorite aspect of the movie is Gil's inferiority complex towards Jose. I feel like they really made me want to see them fight and then didn't give that fight enough time.

Also, the girl that plays Cristina, Melissa Serrano, is stunningly gorgeous. I think this is my first review where I ever mentioned that about a leading lady, which tells you how gorgeous she is. I was distracted at times.

I'm partial towards this movie also because I am Puerto Rican, and how many Puerto Rican martial arts films are there? No seriously, are there more? If there are, link me. Not joking. I want more.

Recommended.

Yellow Zone (2012)

Andy Long vs Khoi Chau: 3/5



Andy Long vs Can Aydin: 4.5/5



That 80's Hong Kong style fight Andy and Can pull off shows that they would've fit in nicely back then. It's so good. And the tribute to Millionaire's Express at the end is terrific. And you get to see Andy do a Jackie Chan Police Story stunt during the credits. What's not to love?

Dogfight (2012)

The Fight: 4.5/5



One of the best LBP fights ever. And that's saying something. Shawn Bernal's never looked better. That's also saying something, as Shawn is one of my favorite screen fighters of all time. This is also a top contender for greatest 2 vs 1 fight of all time. Interesting dynamic in that there are 2 good guys. I guess my only complaint about the short is I wish there was more to establish them as the good guys. I was rooting for Shawn through most of it. But the choreography and exchanges still run through my mind sometimes, it's so on point. Excellent stuff.

Men In Suits (2012)

Green vs Blacks: 4.25/5


Green vs Red: 3.25/5


Purple vs Blacks: 4/5


Purple vs Red: 4/5



One of my favorite Vlad shorts of all time. And that's saying something. The use of dress color is evocative yet effective in establishing the characters, who never speak. Aaron Toney, the badass big boss in red. Mickey's heroine is easy to root for and Amy carries herself with a real sense of self confidence. I also appreciated Xin's mini boss character, clearly a lover of violence and challenging fights. I do wish I had a little more back story on what is going on, exactly. But the storytelling is simple and told well through the fighting. Great stuff.

Relic Hunt (2012)

4 Way: 4.25/5


Arcqeo vs Sheriff: 2.75/5


Arcqeo vs Vanessa: N/R



A classic 3 for all turns into an exciting 4 way fight with racial implications. This is a really fun short film, with great action. The second fight is great too it's just too short for me to rate any higher. The characters are fun and there's also a great motorcycle kick spot. Great stuff.