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Reviews
The Hunt for Eagle One: Crash Point (2006)
Semper Fi -- Dragon Style!!
Picked this one up at the video store because I was looking for a nice shoot 'em, but also had a little hankering for some fu with my blood and guts. When I saw Mark on the box, I thought maybe I'd get both -- and this movie didn't disappoint.
First off, Mark Dacascos kicks ass. BROTHERHOOD OF THE WOLF anyone? That said this movie had some sweet gun play in it as well. I particularly liked when Mark gets pinned down at the bombed out building and sprints the gauntlet to blow up the M-60. It was like LAST OF THE MOHICANS clicked off safe onto fully automatic. Mark also shows some real chops acting wise. Great gravitas that made you believe that his unit would follow him into battle. Why he doesn't get these roles more often is beyond me. That's not to say this movie isn't without it's problems.
Like whats up with all the plane shots from the nightly news? I mean whoever made this thing obviously knows how to make action look real -- and let pros like Mark do what he does best -- but the plane stuff and CGI are laughable. It looks like they stole the plane from the video game my dad plays on his Atari in the basement. And why is the Colonel talking all the time just repeating what we already know from watching the movie? I was like - no kidding Sherlock.
All in all, I say get this if you like to see stuff blow up, watch guys go down with spin kicks, and want a little acting with your action. There is some real BAND OF BROTHERS moments that I liked, especially with some guy named Steve Cryin, I think. Hard to tell from the titles which screamed low budget. But even with the budget, the shots showed real visual flare. BOONDOCK SAINTS this isn't, but I would put the best stuff in that category.
Da zui xia (1966)
How come they can't do it like this today?
This movie has it all -- meaning that it's directed by King Hu, and stars Cheng Peipei. The wire work is flawless, the use slow motion breathless, and the butt kicking is epic. The mistaken identity plot RE: Cheng is the same as a lot of pictures from this time -- but King Hu does it with real flair in this one. I was put on to this movie and King Hu in general by a guy I spar with every week at Fu. Cheng's moves are fluid and inspiring. Pay particular attention to how it is that she's able to take on multiple opponents -- I can't say exactly what style she's using, but it's surprsingly believable considering many actors of the time did more ballet/Peking opera acrobatrics, than actual ancient forms. This is a must see for anyone into martial arts.