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A bloody Samurai and Spaghetti Western inspired wuxia revenge tale that wastes no time in getting straight to the gritty vengeance. A noble swordsman takes a woodcutter under his wing and turns him into a mystical agent of heroic fury and violent rampage. Was not expecting the insane levels of bloodshed and brutality that this film dishes out at all. Every fight sequence is filled with plenty of severed limbs, torn apart bodies, and heads being ripped open that result in some glorious blood spraying madness. The revenge plot couldn’t be any simpler, but it works all the better for it, being able to focus on the fierce impact of the bloody action. Its effectiveness in its simplicity makes it even more enjoyable to watch all the bad guys being hacked apart and shredded to pieces. This is another shining example of the glory of the early Shaw Brothers era.

Corey Yuen delivers a rip-roaring girls with gun flick featuring a family of badass cops taking on a ruthless Vietnamese gang. The action is absolutely stellar as expected from Yuen’s incredible track record of crafting some truly impeccable set pieces as seen in Yes, Madam and Righting Wrongs . It’s fast, furious, and unapologetically brutal when it needs to be, full of explosive shootouts and vicious fights, most notably in the blistering finale full of martial arts madness. Just when you think it ends, it erupts into another sequence of all out mayhem. Joyce Godenzi is fantastic as the lead, carrying a sharp intensity that cuts right through the screen and screams action heroine. There’s a lot more depth and heart infused in the story than you’d expect, with the family drama setting some great emotional stakes thanks to some great chemistry and performances from the cast that elevates the intensity and impact of the action. As always, Yuen never ever disappoints!

Hell of a lot darker than the first two, this third entry in the series ramps up the fully throttled action at maximum overdrive. The savagery is at an all time high with an intense brutality and ferocious energy infused in the blood-soaked set pieces. At 84 minutes, the film doesn’t give you any time to breathe at all with fully loaded set piece after set piece of wild shootouts and lightning fast fights. Cynthia Khan is an absolute badass, delivering the non-stop mayhem with a fierce intensity that perfectly matches the ruthlessness of the action. The opening sees her ripping her dress so she can kick higher and faster, immediately letting you know that she isn’t one to fuck with as she swiftly goes on to spin kick everyone in the face. The brutal opening heist massacre and relentless final 30 minutes of non-stop insanity are particular highlights here and are absolutely incredible in their delivery of exhilarating thrills. Really surprised by how good this third entry is based on how awesome the first two are. Am hoping one day I’ll be able to track down the Eureka Blu-Ray for the fourth one with Donnie Yen, but for now, this series has no misses at all!

A collection of strange, otherworldly tales of haunting surrealism and hypnotically chilling ambience. The visuals on display here are simply marvellous. A riveting poetic beauty in the mesmerising imagery Is as beautifully elegant as it is deeply unsettling and fiercely unnerving. It’s an imaginative overload of technical proficiency as Masaki Kobayashi develops each story with a slow, brooding presence of lingering evil, utilising colour and lighting to great effect to enhance the sinister terror and dreamlike atmosphere. It really takes it’s time and requires the audience to be patient, focusing on the suspenseful build up and fear induced in the unseen horror. The horror on display here isn’t exactly one that’s directly visible, but rather a reflection of emotional strain and psychological dread. It took me a while to get around to this one but I'm finally glad I did. It's not only a magnificent slice of Japanese cinema, but also an enthralling piece of art.

Been a minute since I watched a Fukasaku film. This time around, I’m venturing out of my yakuza comfort zone and digging into the world of dark fantasy with this epic, brooding tale of vengeful demonic samurai. It’s a very stylish mix of samurai action and gothic folk horror, balancing each one with impressive direction and style from Fukasaku. The first half of the film is particularly compelling, with the demon leader Shiro recruiting each fallen hero, convincing them to give in to their evil desires by playing on their depraved and tragic backstories. The cast is stacked with some true legends of Japanese cinema, with the likes of Sonny Chiba, Tomisaburō Wakayama, and Hiroyuki Sanada all delivering some fantastic performances. There are some very striking dreamlike visuals throughout which perfectly supplement the mythical, fantastical tone, and gives the world a more immense supernatural presence. It's wildly different from what I’m used to from Fukasaku, but this was absolutely awesome!

An enchanting tale of revenge fuelled by a dreamlike world of sweeping psychedelic haze. The unravelling labyrinth of pummelling hypnotic madness is incredibly compelling in its presentation, keeping you in a disorienting trance of dazzling intrigue with the constant barrage of mesmerising visuals.

A relentlessly wild slice of 70’s blaxploitation. Truck Turner is the jaw bustin’, gunslingin’ badass bounty hunter who unleashes hell on all the sleazy scumbags in LA. This film is a non-stop, fully loaded ride of brutal, blood-soaked violence with some vicious shootouts and nasty brawls, and an abundance of endlessly quotable, snappy dialogue. It’s a perfect balance of action and humour that’s executed with rapid fire pacing and a fantastic charismatic performance from Isaac Hayes who also delivers the funk in the groovy theme song. This exploitation gem absolutely fuckin’ rocks!

The ultimate Japanese exploitation flick. Sonny Chiba brings forth the ancient techniques of extreme badassery to deliver a savage, over the top slice of hard-hitting martial arts mayhem. The incredible display of visceral action carnage is soaked in sleazy, vicious brutality and bone-crunching impact, delivered by the ferocious, primal energy and intensity of Chiba. An explosive, animalistic rage consumes Chiba’s destructive, high flying kicks and punches, which results in outrageous blood spraying madness, including the infamous X-Ray death punch. Throat ripping, eye gouging, teeth shattering, dick tearing, bone crushing insanity all ensue in 90 minutes of pure ultra-violent bloodshed. A definitive classic of the exploitation and martial arts genre, and an all-time favourite of mine.

One of the bleakest, most unforgiving films of pure raw depravity. A shocking, provocative descent into the deepest, darkest corners of torment, misery and intense, unrelenting suffering. A spiritual journey through sleaze and decay. Abel Ferrara’s corrupt cop film is rooted in deep philosophical and morally challenging destructiveness, a depressing tale of self-immolation and mournful redemption perpetuated by a phenomenal performance from Harvey Keitel. Keitel’s Lieutenant is the filthiest scumbag in the world, seduced by the grimy pleasures of the New York wasteland, a nightmarish underworld of primal desire. Ferrara presents the absolute worst of humanity, a wandering metaphysical narrative that lingers in your mind, penetrating through to your most evil, unkept thoughts of a depraved existence. This is a truly harrowing cinematic experience that will leave you absolutely floored by the unnerving level of anguish and agony on display.

A haunting, mystical Spaghetti Western hellscape, Enzo G. Castellari injects so much grandeur and ingenuity in the savage depiction of the Old West. A sweeping, melancholic haze washes over the dilapidated, decaying world of brutal violence and vicious cruelty. A tragic, mournful atmosphere of a damaged past and a dying world cuts through like a bullet through flesh. Castellari’s staging of the violence is imbued with a ferocious intensity that is perpetuated by the most incredible use of slow motion that recollects the cinematic greats of John Woo and Sam Peckinpah. The hard-hitting bloodshed is operatic in its wild, ruthless display, lingering on the bodies being torn apart and the shocking nature of the suddenness of it all. Franco Nero presents one of his finest roles, a man lost in constant sorrow, trying to find his place within the harsh world. He delivers a mesmerising presence within the surreal atmosphere, boasting a painstakingly compelling portrait of raw emotions. The hypnotic, freak folk style score from the De Angelis brothers perfectly ties everything together, giving this bleak Western a very unique feel and atmosphere. Easily one of Castellari’s most powerful displays of his impeccable directing talents.

The most phenomenal, explosive start to one of the greatest trilogies ever made. Sergio Leone distils the western down to its most raw, primal form. A true depiction of the Old West. A bleak, unforgiving world of brutality and survival. Six shooters as a form of unrelenting power. Gunshots are the most common form of language, bullets ripping through the air, cracking with a thunderous roar. Quick draws are the epitome of existence, a ruthless display of survival of the fittest. A historically monumental film, Leone completely transformed the western into a depraved barren wasteland of vicious cruelty.

Watched at Lido Cinemas for the closing night of the Fantastic Film Festival Australia with a phenomenal live improvisational jazz score from local Melbourne band The Rookies.

The very first time I’ve watched this masterpiece on the big screen in a packed out theatre with other action junkies and wow, wow, fuckin’ WOW! That live score really elevated the blistering intensity of the action to incredible new heights. Pummelling drum rhythms, wild saxophone breakouts, hypnotic keyboard grooves. Every minute detail of each note played perfectly captured the raw brutality and ferocity of all the chaotic bloodshed and hyperkinetic choreography. Watching Tequila sliding down the stair rail to the live score has to be one of the greatest moments I've ever had in a cinema. The reaction to it erupted into a wild applause and thundering cheers of awe and sheer fuckin' ecstasy.

THIS IS THE GREATEST ACTION FILM EVER MADE

An impeccable bloody sympathy of non-stop mayhem and carnage, perpetuated by a vicious barrage of seamless style and an unhinged, poetic beauty in each bullet shredding through the bodies of each blood bag bad guy. Every single moment of fully loaded action is filled with the most jaw-dropping stunts and squib work anyone will ever see in any film ever. Every frame is set to destruct, and it constantly moves from one moment of gruesome, over the top insanity to the next. The tea house opening, the warehouse sequence, the fuckin’ finale with almost 40 minutes of unbroken, non-stop action. It just gets better and better with each ing moment of bloody mayhem. Many have tried and failed to recreate the sheer level of immaculate gunplay and chaotic bloodshed, but nothing will ever come close to this definitive action masterpiece.

This is pure action incarnate. The best opening, the best finale, the best everything in between. Quite possibly my favourite film of all time and the most defining, monumental cinematic experience I've had in recent years. Thank you, John Woo.

First time watch in the true grindhouse double feature format. A truly unbeatable experience. It’s a brilliant ride of relentlessly thrilling excess brought together by two filmmaking friends recreating the sleazy, ultra-violent exploitation films that they grew up watching. Planet Terror is a pure bloody splatterfest with endless wild action and gory insanity, while Death Proof is an exciting, quick-witted thriller that’s more authentic in its ode to the renegade, unhinged days of 70’s exploitation. The fake trailers between the two films are absolutely phenomenal, showcasing the incredible influences these type films had on modern filmmakers. It perfectly adds to the grindhouse feel and are all made with dedication and care to bringing the highly stylised, over the top vibe to life in a modern era. Would die to see full length features of Eli Roth’s Thanksgiving and Edgar Wright’s Don’t.

Planet Terror is my favourite out of the two, purely based on the fact that it was a lot more entertaining, featuring more over the top action and all out mayhem and carnage. But that incredible first half of Death Proof is truly fuckin’ brilliant with the snappy dialogue, creepy escalating tension and suspense, and the grimy grindhouse aesthetic. I do also prefer the longer cut of Planet Terror and also much prefer the shorter cut of Death Proof. It’d also be hard not to mention Kurt Russell as the unhinged psychopathic killer Stuntman Mike. His presence in the first half was genuinely unsettling and was greatly elevated to terrifying heights in the first murder sequence. It would be awesome to see another slasher action style film with him and some more exhilarating car stunts, brutal, gory violence and just all out madness.

Grindhouse as viewed in its intended double feature format is a true cinematic masterpiece and a HIGHLY underrated entry in both Tarantino and Rodriguez’s filmography. I really hope we get to see them make another double feature in the future!

Easily the sleaziest and most insane of the V-Cinema Essentials set. A pulpy, erotic tale of a deadly assassin trained by a fanatical religious cult who has a sexual awakening whilst attempting to kill a target. It’s something ripped straight out of the 70’s exploitation era with its constant unapologetic depictions of sleazy, scuzzy insanity. Sex galore, pistol masturbation, kinky S&M torture, and bloody gunfights all explode onto the screen in gloriously grimy, neon-soaked style. The final film in this fantastic set from Arrow Video is a perfect wrap-up of everything that V-Cinema has to offer. This has been an incredible journey into the edgy underworld of V-Cinema, and I couldn’t be more excited for a Volume 2 in the future!

My definitive ranking of the nine films from the set:

1. Crime Hunter: Bullets of Rage
2. Female Prisoner Scorpion: Death Threat
3. XX: Beautiful Hunter
4. Neo Chinpira: Zoom Goes the Bullet
5. Stranger
6. Carlos
7. Danger Point: The Road to Hell
8. The Hitman: Blood Smells Like Roses
9. Burning Dog

A solid hardboiled crime thriller following two hitmen investigating the photo of a nurse found in the hands of their latest victim. A twisty story, bloody violence, compelling performances, and a jazzy score mixed with the noir-tinged cinematography make for a great slice of edgy V-Cinema.

A blood-soaked revenge tale of one gunslingin’ avenger taking on two yakuza clans that much like Crime Hunter, takes a lot of inspiration from the heroic bloodshed genre. Like some other films in the set, it focuses more on the story and features less action than you’d want, but when the action hits, it hits hard, especially in the fantastic bullet riddled finale.

The deranged mind behind Mermaid Legend delivers a fantastic legacy sequel to some of the greatest exploitation films ever made. Like many others, I was expecting a cheap knockoff or reboot, but damn was I very wrong. The mythical legend of the Scorpion is alive once again in full lethal force. Toshiharu Ikeda brings a new level of grit and grimness to the series that captures the edge of V-Cinema but still retains the spirit and themes of the originals. It doesn’t go all out on the brutal, over the top exploitation sensibilities or the dreamlike imagery, but there are still a couple of moments that homage and bring out the essence of the ruthless savagery and trippy surrealism of the original films. Even without Meiko Kaji’s presence, this is still a worthy sequel that doesn’t come close to the quality of the originals, but it was far better than I expected it to be.

A 70’s style heist film set In Okinawa. It doesn’t have as much action as you’d want from it - was expecting a lot more shootouts and bloodshed but there are some good bursts of brutal violence throughout. It probably didn’t need to be as long as it did, because if there’s one thing that this set has proved, is that these films can accomplish the same thing in an hour or so.

A Japanese-Brazilian gangster ignites a vicious gang war, pitting two rival factions against each other Yojimbo style. It’s pretty standard Yakuza fare, but it's flourished with some nice touches that make it stand out. But as typical in the yakuza genre, plenty of betrayals, backstabbings, politics, infighting, and intense violence and bloodshed ensue, especially in the last half hour.

A striking, slow-building descent into chilling terror and suspense, fuelled by loneliness and fear. Three films into the V-Cinema Essentials set and each one delivers something uniquely different. This one leans more into high tension thriller territory with some great slasher sensibilities. There’s a focus on mood and atmosphere with a constant state of fear and uncertainty being established right from the start. Just about every character is a creepy asshole as Kiriko is constantly trying to be left alone, with each scene playing out to great effect of not knowing where it will lead to. There are some sudden bursts of brutal violence that perfectly erupt from the unsettling tension that get increasingly more violent and intense. You constantly get a feeling that something bad will happen at any time, keeping you at the edge of your seat with your eyes glued to the screen, waiting for that moment to arrive and explode onto the screen. Once again, I was hoping for more action, but really digged the heavy dose of gripping tension and moody atmosphere.

After the raging bulletfest of Crime Hunter , this second entry in the V-Cinema Essentials set swaps the relentless bloodshed for a darkly comedic and romantic tale of a wannabe yakuza. There’s virtually no action in this one, taking a more grounded, human approach to crafting a nuanced story of the violent yakuza lifestyle. It’s satirical in its depiction, conveying the gangsters as being fearful of violence rather than being vicious savages. They will do whatever it takes to avoid pulling the trigger. Shooting yourself in the stomach, injecting yourself with drugs, cutting your finger off. Violence as a way of escaping violence. It feels like the complete antithesis of a Fukasaku film. I was expecting another ferocious bloodbath, but I was pleasantly surprised by this, especially in the story, the humour and the overall style and aesthetic.

The very first V-Cinema film from Toei is fuckin’ electric. 60 minutes of non-stop action mayhem. An ultra-violent, bloody ride of relentless bullet-riddled carnage. It does everything it could have possibly wanted to do in its short blood splattered run time, brilliantly delivering a fast-paced, gritty tale of a vengeful hardboiled cop teaming up with a shotgun totin’ nun against all the scumbag criminal motherfuckers in town. The action is incredibly well shot and crafted with exquisite squib work and a Hong Kong style level of kineticism that we would later see in the works of John Woo. Just sit back, relax, and watch the bullets fly and blood flow at maximum overdrive. Really looking forward to digging into the rest of the amazing Arrow Video V-Cinema Essentials set.

A dust filled, sun soaked, acid laced hat western. A large suitcase filled with money commits everyone who comes across it within the barren desert wasteland of hopelessness to a cruel fate of ruthless betrayal and brutal violence. The dreary, gritty purgatory is unforgiving in savagely punishing all the seedy, amoral characters. Everyone wants a slice, but you have to kill to get it. The gripping, escalating tension situated between the three corrupt characters slowly builds and makes you anxiously wait until it all violently explodes. The entrancing, hallucinogenic CAN psych rock soundtrack is absolutely phenomenal. It’s a perfect companion to the hazy desert imagery. I’ve listened to the album countless times before, especially as a chill, sprawling mood piece to get lost into, something best suited to watching a planet grow. As a first time watch, it feels great to match the music to the desolate badlands compositions. It’s one hell of an experimental, pulpy neo-western.

A savagely cruel and nasty grindhouse style splatter western. The grisly, unforgiving snow swept frontier sets the stage for all out gruesome brutality. The nihilism of Sergio Corbucci meets the grotesque, filthy depravity and bloodshed of Lucio Fulci. A slow descent into primal viciousness beckons extreme bloodshed. Every death is made as brutal and grimy as it can be. Explosive headshots, eyeball popping, bodies burned to a crisp, throat cutting, guts being ripped out, legs being hacked off. It’s graphic and utterly grotesque as bodies get mutilated in the most shocking detail. The Old West was truly made out to be utterly horrific and frightening in its blood-soaked, carnage fuelled atmosphere. This is a fantastic horror tinged western gorefest that will appeal to exploitation fans just as much as western fans.

The grooviest rockin’ and rollin’ giallo from the grandmaster himself Dario Argento. It’s a great early example of Argento refining his skills and showing off his immense eye for mesmerising visuals. As opposed to his usual vibrant palette of bright, neon-soaked colours, Argento focuses on emphasising shadows and darkness, which is further exemplified by his intention for this film to be watched in complete darkness. As always, the camerawork here is top-notch and meticulously crafted to create an anxious, unsettling atmosphere, which is most notable in the park sequence where the camera is constantly moving and adjusting to the heightened sense of fear in the scene. Once again, Ennio Morricone creates another dazzling score, combining groovin’ proggy psych rock with creepy, ethereal jazz that perfectly adds to the nightmarish, paranoia fuelled atmosphere. Even though this is not one of his best works, it’s still a highly undervalued and crucial work in Argento’s catalogue.

A phenomenal giallo and poliziotteschi hybrid that brings out the absolute best of each genre. A gripping murder mystery surrounding an underground prostitution ring is met with the relentless killings of a motorcycle riding, meat cleaver wielding serial killer. It starts off as bleak as can be and doesn’t let up with a fast-moving, rapid fire pace and momentum of shockingly savage, gritty depictions of gruesome violence and intricate, suspenseful plotting. The procedural scenes are never dull, consistently engaging, and flawlessly move the plot forward, while the giallo elements provide some truly grisly, intense bloodshed. Massimo Dallamano’s direction is top notch, using his strong eye for thrilling visuals and rich detail to great effect, most notably in the tense parking garage pursuit. He also has a great ability to generate some strong emotional resonance using sharp, subtle movements to accentuate and elevate the escalating tension and suspense. This is an excellent dark and sleazy mash up of two of the best genres of Italian cinema.

Ringo Lam delivers yet another fully throttled action bulletfest full of bloody, visceral set pieces. Come for the action and stay for the action as there’s nothing much here that is particularly worth noting besides from a great performance from Andy Lau and some slick direction and cinematography. Overall, it’s a solid forgotten entry in the heroic bloodshed genre.

A brain melting, heavy psychedelic cinematic acid trip. It completely transcends any known genre. Is it a horror? A comedy? A coming of age story? A fantasy adventure? Whatever it is, it must have somehow crash landed onto Earth from some far-off, distant planet where it rains acid all day, every day. This just completely pushes the boundaries of wild imagination and creativity, completely committing to extremely over the top visual insanity and confidently saying ‘fuck you’ to any conventional modes of storytelling. The best way to experience this is just to fully give in to its outrageously bizarre and hyper surreal nature and enjoy the mind-boggling ride of pure unhinged madness.

Watched on Friday May 2, 2025.

A rain soaked melancholic Miike crime film that opts for a less hyper violent and bizarre approach to focus on mood and atmosphere. A former yakuza banished by his brothers for reasons unknown wanders alone in a strange land where it won’t stop raining. It’s Miike’s most straightforward, being almost completely free of his extreme and shocking qualities that he is known for. But those fans of his relentless brutality will still be pleased by some of the brutal shootings and the finale. It’s grounded, human approach paves the way for a more emotional, heartfelt story that’s expressed exquisitely through some great cinematography, precise direction, inspiring performances, and a moody, guitar driven score. A very different and unique Miike film.

Takashi Miike’s theatrical debut begins his era of extreme brutality, sleaze and all out insanity. The first true and pure Miike film. Shocking violence, pitch black humour, bizarre characters and visuals all drenched in nasty, savage depravity. It’s wall to wall Miike madness, and only just the beginning.

Kitano in the west can only result in all out ultra-violent carnage. Despite the Los Angeles setting, it doesn’t lose or take away anything that makes it a typical Kitano film. It’s definitely not his best, but it’s still a very solid entry in Kitano’s catalogue with some fantastic direction & meticulously precise framing and some vicious moments of chaotic bloodshed.

Takeshi Kitano’s masterpiece. It’s the most nihilistic, violent and painfully tragic he’s ever been. A gripping and deeply contemplative meditation on the calm within the chaos. The tranquil atmosphere of poetic sorrow broken up by explosive bursts of gruesome ultra violence. An expressive beauty within the brutality strips the violence down to its most raw, purest form. A glimmer of hope shines through the underlying themes of depression, loss, and heartbreaking depravity. The sheer magnificence and mesmerising graceful elegance in the paintings. Kitano’s near-death experience truly changed him and awoke something in him that he never appreciated before. Life is strange, confusing, and often cruel and confronting, but ultimately rewarding and fulfilling if you take in everything it has to offer. Just utterly floored and blown away by how beautiful this film was. A phenomenal cinematic experience like no other.

An extraordinary love letter to exploitation & grindhouse cinema and the late great master of the yakuza film Kinji Fukasaku. As soon as the theme from Battles Without Honour or Humanity blasted on the screen, I just knew this was going to be great. This was such a wild ride from beginning to end. A rag tag group of wannabe filmmakers collide with a bloody yakuza gang war that results in all out hilariously over the top insanity. It’s just as funny as it is outrageously gruesome especially in the relentless carnage of the climactic bloodbath. There’s a lot of comparison being made to Quentin Tarantino and I can definitely see it purely in the level of spirit and energy that Sion Sono brings to paying tribute to Japanese cinema. It’s full of imagination and heart, and you can just tell everyone had a fuckin’ blast making every second of this. Keen to check out some of Sono’s other films.

Ringo Lam unleashes all out bloody carnage in this pulpy grindhouse style heroic bloodshed revenge flick. It’s a guns blazing, bullet riddled, blood-soaked ride of excessive brutality and sleazy insanity. Chow Yun-fat vs Simon Yam in a violent, over the top battle of who’s the baddest gunslinging, knife slashing, head busting motherfucker. Absolutely loved every second of the non-stop chaotic mayhem. Easily stands its ground with the very best of John Woo’s bulletfest masterpieces.

Ringo Lam’s HIGHLY influential film is a brutally grim, neon-soaked underworld nightmare of endless bloody violence. Chow Yun-fat’s reluctant undercover cop wants nothing more than to retire and escape this repetitive cycle of destruction. His moral complexity and deep-seated humanity lends itself to the main draw of the films escalating tension. He is constantly living in a state of perpetual anxiety, stress and fear. His guilt of betraying people he’s befriended, his girlfriend leaving him because of his demanding, emotionally taxing job, his relentless effort to not get discovered by the savage, jewellery robbing outlaws. The further he goes to capture the criminals and the deeper he falls into this violent underworld, it all goes to shit and everything erupts like a nuke into all out mayhem.

The violence excels in capturing all of the fierce brutality with Lam’s gruesome approach to linger and focus on all the intense bloodshed. From the opening execution to the first heist to the interrogation/torture scene all the way to the incredible finale, it all builds upon the thrilling tension that pulls you in from the start and makes you feel the impact of each brutal moment. While there’s a lot here that most certainly identifies with the heroic bloodshed genre, it’s reliance on building suspense and tension makes this an exceptionally crafted grounded crime drama oozing with gritty realism. Nevertheless, it's still a shining example of the heroic bloodshed genre. So far it’s the best Ringo Lam film I’ve seen.

Gareth Evans returns to the action genre more than 10 years since The Raid 2 and delivers a fully loaded, hard n’ heavy tribute to John Woo and the heroic bloodshed genre. Hardboiled cops. Vicious triad gangsters. Petty criminals. Everyone’s a goddamn savage outlaw. Tom Hardy as Walker is simply brilliant. A tough as nails, shoot first, ask questions later cop who busts through walls without looking for the door or the key to the door. The only way he knows how to solve problems is through sheer brute force. The story builds with a simmering intensity as all the warring factions and morally corrupt characters slowly unravel until it all eventually erupts into what we all came here for…

The motherfuckin’ action.

The brutal nightclub battle and the chaotic lake house bloodbath are hands down the best action sequences of the decade. The crescendo into all out savage brutality hits like a truck as blood starts gushing by manner of entire magazines of automatic weapons ripping and tearing bodies apart into total annihilation. The destructive bloody mayhem is incredibly creative and innovatively constructed through some brilliant choreography and fully throttled camerawork that flawlessly immerses you into the blistering intensity of the over the top, ultra violence.

After almost 4 years of eager yet anxious anticipation, Gareth Evans fully delivers in dishing out all out fuckin’ HAVOC.

John Woo’s most personal film. A tragic and emotionally devastating reflection of the destructive consequences of violence through a savage display of intense, bloody action. Woo’s approach to the action retains the hyper kinetic stylized chaos and embraces the terrifying, shocking brutality of it all. The impact of the relentless carnage with the ferocious bloodshed and high-octane insanity is made even more shattering through the bleak emotional depth and harrowing intensity of the story. It’s easily Woo’s most confronting and serious film, using the setting of the Vietnam War as the backdrop for an exploration into the emotional complexities of friends being torn apart by the horrors of violence and depravity. It’s a gradual decaying hellscape of spiralling cruelty and blood-soaked madness. Truly blown away by this masterpiece from an absolute titan of action cinema. God bless you, John Woo.

Fuck the messy editing, pacing and story. The hotel shootout and the finale mansion bloodbath. Some of the best work John Woo has ever done and one of the most incredible endings in action cinema. Double the bullets, double the blood. Ungodly amounts of vicious bloodshed and squibs galore. Death by a thousand bullets. Fuck reloading. Pure blood soaked chaos and mayhem in its most primal form. A spectacular symphony of over the top ultra violence.

Brotherhood, loyalty, honour, and a hell of a lot of guns and bullets. The genesis of the heroic bloodshed genre is one of the most influential action films ever made. Gun fu becomes the most elegantly brutal and savagely graceful art form. Poetic, operatic and balletic. The sheer level of kineticism and energy is utterly breathtaking. John Woo’s action direction is a gift from the gods. Fully loaded squibs, a hailstorm of endless bullets, and pure fuckin’ mayhem. Dual-wielded pistols tearing bodies apart and exploding into buckets of blood. Total destruction and annihilation. A perfect ballad of blood-soaked carnage. This is just the beginning. It only gets better from here.

Retaining the gritty, melodramatic heroic bloodshed sensibilities from the first, this name sequel features some brutally elegant and stunningly operatic action. The choreography is lightning fast and ferociously intense, maintaining great clarity and impact in all the unhinged movement and sheer chaos. It gradually builds with a relentless intensity and evolves in scope and vision. The story is infused with a lot more heart and emotion than the first, crafting distinct leads with strong personalities and motivations. The drama is efficiently interwoven with the action as it naturally evolves and occurs with the development of the story. It all perfectly crescendos into a spectacular finale of pure bone-crunching action mayhem, an epic display of phenomenal balletic viciousness and graceful brutality. While I didn’t like this as much as the first, I enjoyed the slight change in approach while still keeping the sensibilities of what made the first so great, albeit with some tweaks and enhancements.

For how many times I’ve seen THAT fight scene on YouTube I never ever get around to watching this in full, and it did not disappoint at all. Now, the plot here is rather thin and isn’t anything special at all, feeling like a mix of John Woo and Johnnie To. But who gives a fuck about the derivative story when the action is that fuckin’ good. The story is just purely set up and designed around all the incredible set pieces, leaping from one brutal fight straight to the next one. It’s merely a vehicle for the ruthless hyperkinetic action and it works all the better for it. The fights flow at a rapid fire speed and are choreographed to perfection with a blistering intensity. The fluid camerawork is superb and really accentuates the incredible energy and movement of the performers. The variety of the choreography with the infusion of MMA and BJJ really stands out and expertly displays Donnie Yen’s immense skill and talent. The final 20 minutes are action perfection with the brilliant battle between Donnie Yen and Collin Chou hands down being one of the absolute best fight scenes I’ve ever seen. It just keeps getting more brutal and intense with each punch and kick. Despite the plot having any remarkable quality, this is still a fantastic action film that shows off how incredibly badass and lethal Donnie Yen is.

A sadistically bleak and violent tale of savage brutality and tragic bloodshed. It’s just as superb as a brutal, bloody action film as it is a dark, brooding crime drama, essentially an anti-heroic bloodshed film. A lot of the camerawork here reminded me of the great Johnnie To. It’s fluid and dynamic, perfectly accentuating the escalating intense chaos and violence. Sammo Hung is fantastic as the villain. A true despicable scumbag. The fight scenes are utterly mind blowing, especially the knife fight between Donnie Yen and Wu Jing which was mostly improvised. There’s a great hour long behind the scenes video of how this fight was made which I highly recommend checking out! You can really feel the intensity and the vicious impact of the barrage of blows and hits. The final fight with Sammo Hung is also truly extraordinary, with a good variety of MMA and grappling techniques which weren’t very common in many Hong Kong action films. Sammo Hung’s kicks are some of the most powerful and terrifying things I’ve ever seen. He could kick a goddamned hole in the sky that’s how powerful he’s kicking everybody into oblivion. Easily one of the best modern Hong Kong films that offers up absolutely everything that makes them so fuckin’ incredible.

As per usual Lau Kar-leung standard, this is an absolutely incredible film that serves as an extraordinary celebration of martial arts. It’s an astonishing showcase of why Lau Kar-leung is the greatest action choreographer to ever walk the Earth as he choreographs all the various styles of martial arts to perfection. Kung Fu, Karate, Judo, Kendo, Ninjitsu, and many more all blend together to create some highly unique and entertaining action that’s executed flawlessly by all the impeccable performers. The various styles are perfectly captured in all their distinct energy and intensity as well as their elaborate and intricate techniques that make them so entertaining to watch. I particularly loved Gordon Liu’s impressive performance as he constantly adapts to each style and utilises different techniques to battle each one. He always delivers in all of his films but here he was remarkably impressive in executing all the innovative choreography. Lau Kar-leung truly has one of the greatest filmographies of all time.

The kung fu dream team of Gordon Liu and Lau Kar-leung deliver a balls to the wall extravaganza of non-stop martial arts fun. Easily some of Lau Kar-leung’s most breathtaking and inventive direction and action choreography, as well as one of the most purely entertaining films to come out of the extensive Shaw Brothers catalogue. The sequence of Gordon Liu disguising his skills as he puppeteers someone to give the illusion that they’re a martial arts master is pure cinematic perfection. But it’s also hard not to mention the extraordinary wine tasting and antique shop sequences as well. The incredible fluidity and elegance of the choreography is absolutely top notch and immensely creative. It’s all a grand testament to Lau Kar-leung’s elaborate design of the choreography, approaching everything with a heightened attention to detail and precision that still remains unmatched to this day. It’s utterly beautiful and performed to perfection with some incredible comic timing and sharp, relentless energy and intensity. Lau Kar-leung can never ever disappoint. This is essential viewing for any kung fu fan.

A seminal kung fu flick that began the era of Jackie Chan’s flawless mix of slapstick comedy and razor sharp choreography. It’s pure, non-stop relentless fun and excitement. The opening is absolutely incredible with Chan showing off his skills and technical prowess which soon jumps straight into a badass duel between clashing styles. It doesn’t let up from there with a constant flow of astonishing fight sequences which benefits from Chan’s electric screen presence and charisma as well as his amazing fluid style of combat. The infusion of comedy really adds to the appeal and overall quality of the fight sequences, creating a unique flair and energy that brings out the best of the performer’s talents. It’s most evident in Chan, but we get a good amount of great comic timing, skill and technicality from Yuen Siu-ten as the aging snake style master. An essential film to check out for all kung fu and Jackie Chan fans as well as any action cinema junkies. Oh yeah and this is Yuen Woo-ping’s debut so it’s a perfect viewing to see where all the exceptional choreography from films like The Matrix , Kill Bill , and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon originally came from!

An acid laced, cocaine fuelled John Woo tribute of non-stop, over the top bloody mayhem. It’s pure, extreme pulpy fun. Everything is so fuckin’ wildly insane and creative you can’t help but to love every ing second of balls to the wall action carnage.

An intensely wild, brutal and chaotic hard n’ heavy exploitation action bloodbath that takes heavy influence from the likes of Tarantino, Kitano, Miike, Fukasaku, Woo and many, many more. Just pure non-stop entertainment of relentlessly savage brutality and ultra bloody vicious mayhem from start to finish.

A notoriously grimy and sleazy debut. Abel Ferrara’s punk rock exploitation scuzzy gorefest goes all out on the shocking depravity and deplorable filth. A furious barrage of hypnotic, blood soaked heavy psychedelic imagery drives the down n’ dirty descent into insanity. The raw, noisy soundscapes pummel the senses and perfectly complement the trippy visuals. The atmosphere is gritty as fuck. 70’s New York City has never looked and felt so nasty, dirty and intensely grim. It’s a decaying wasteland of nightmare fuelled excess. The titular drilling killings themselves are brutal and grotesque, exquisitely shot and depicted in all its extreme, savage glory. Can easily see the influence this had on Joe Begos Bliss. Would absolutely work perfectly as an ultra sleazy, scuzzy double feature.

There’s something off from the beginning. A lingering presence of unsettling, creepy intentions looming within the chilling slow burn. Miike lures you in to something truly sinister. An unravelling spiral of terrifying evil and tragic depravity. The demonic Asami is akin to an Onryo, a wrathful entity of sadistic, psychopathic intentions. The violence is some of the most horrific and graphic imagery ever depicted on screen. The immersive sound design is stomach churning and utterly gruesome. Kiri kiri kiri. It's completely repulsive and outrageously sickening. Easily one of the most shockingly extreme and disturbing third acts I’ve ever witnessed. I’m starting to realise that maybe watching this right before bed might not have been the best idea. What a fuckin’ haunting and scarring barrage of horrifying visuals.

• The Big Racket
• Rome, Armed to the Teeth
• Contraband
• High Crime
• The Italian Connection
• Street Law
• Almost Human

• Hobo with a Shotgun
• Brawl in Cell Block 99
• Bone Tomahawk
• Dragged Across Concrete
• Planet Terror
• Death Proof
• Machete
• Revenge
• Let the Corpses Tan
• Crank

...plus 9 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

1. Sympathy for the Underdog
2. Battle Royale
3. Street Mobster
4. Graveyard of Honor

• No Country for Old Men
• Sicario
• Wind River
• Hell or High Water
• Desperado

• 3:10 to Yuma
• The Proposition
• Bone Tomahawk
• Old Henry
• The Hateful Eight
• Django Unchained
• The Good, the Bad, the Weird

• Blow Out
• Mute Witness
• Malignant
• Berberian Sound Studio
• The Editor
• Bliss
• Censor
• Black Swan
• Don't Look Now

• The Psychic
• The Strange Vice of Mrs Wardh
• Torso
• Deep Red
• Tenebre
• What Have You Done to Solange?
• Death Walks on High Heels
• A Lizard in a Woman's Skin