Popcorn, Soda, and Goobers - Movie and DVD Reviews and Film Commentary

Azumi (imdb)

So perhaps this isn’t quite a perfect fit to “kung-fu” cinema, but Azumi has the samurai and furious action that allows it to fit into this martial arts series (technically samurai do use martial arts). This flick has buckets ‘o blood and off the wall action that is a feast for the eyes. Again, if you’re vehemently against violence, this flick (and probably most of extreme asian cinema) isn’t for you.

The flick follows Azumi, a young warrior assassin, who is out on a mission to kill dangerous warlords in order to restore peace in Japan. Throughout the flick, she and her allies battle a ridiculous amount of opponents including deadly mercenaries such as Bijomaru Mogamiweird, a feminine white clothed swordsman.

The flick is long, and the body count is innumerable. The stylized violence is taken to an extreme in this flick like many other pulptastic films and parallels between Tarantino and director Kitamura are obvious. If you’re into this sort of excessive indulgence, Azumi should be on your watch list; it is without a doubt, a masterpiece of bloodshed.

Iron Monkey (imdb)

In the tradition of the wu xia film (flying people, ridiculous choreographed fights, highly stylized visuals) comes Iron Monkey. I remember this film’s US release, soon after the success of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon; it tried to ride the wave of America’s fascination with the wu xia flick. I didn’t get a chance to see this film in theaters, and I don’t remember if it did well at the US box office - my memory leans toward a limited release and not a huge success.

Over the summer, I threw this little gem onto my Netflix queue and was happily surprised by this action-packed kung fu flick. The Iron Monkey is the Chinese Robin Hood, and he fights the corruption of the government by punches and kicks in glorius displays. The film follows the basic Robin Hood story and throws in gorgeously choreographed combat sequences throughout the flick. The movie is fast paced with its nearly constant action and it also constantly entertains.

Iron Monkey is a little jewel that you may have overlooked during its theatrical release. Its constant stunts and action sequences make the film a very quick paced feast for the eyes. If you’re a fan of ridiculous fighting, you should pick this up immediately; it won’t disappoint.

Both films: 3.5 wire stunts out of 5