My Many MiniReviews

[DrNgor]

Glad you liked this! The final fight is also one of my personal favorites, although the one-two combo of Chin Siu-Ho vs. Billy Chow and Cynthia Rothrock vs. Sai Bar is also a great one. Don't you love how Cynthia runs across the wall in her high heels? She's the original Claire from Jurassic World!

I find it interesting that it's been a holy grail for you, since I got for about 9 bucks in Chinatown back in 2004.

[ShaOW!linDude]

Glad you liked this! The final fight is also one of my personal favorites, although the one-two combo of Chin Siu-Ho vs. Billy Chow and Cynthia Rothrock vs. Sai Bar is also a great one. Don't you love how Cynthia runs across the wall in her high heels? She's the original Claire from Jurassic World!

I find it interesting that it's been a holy grail for you, since I got for about 9 bucks in Chinatown back in 2004.

Yes! There is not a sub-par fight throughout the film.

I live on the outskirts of Birmingham, Alabama. We have a Chinese community, but it is quite dispersed through the area, thus not consolidated enough to warrant having a Chinatown.

[DrNgor]

Yes! There is not a sub-par fight throughout the film.

I live on the outskirts of Birmingham, Alabama. We have a Chinese community, but it is quite dispersed through the area, thus not consolidated enough to warrant having a Chinatown.

Perhaps later (re: next year), I'll send you In the Line of Duty V: Middle Man, which also features some wonderful girl-fu action.

[ShaOW!linDude]

Perhaps later (re: next year), I'll send you In the Line of Duty V: Middle Man, which also features some wonderful girl-fu action.

Cool beans, dude!!! That'll be sweet!

[ShaOW!linDude]

MIRAGE (1987) Running time: 92 mins.

Stars: Yu Rong-Guang, Tsui Siu-Ming, Pasha Romani, Connie Khan, Faan Dung-Yue, Wang Hua, Dion Lam Dik-On, Yee Tin-Hung, Cho Wing, Ng Git-Keung, Guk Hin-Chiu, Yuen Fai, Tony Ling Chi-Wah, Cheung Loi-King, Re He-Man

 

Action Director: Tsui Siu-Ming

Dir.: Tsui Siu-Ming

 

Synopsis

Tong Ting Hsin (YR-G), a photographer and explorer, captures the mirage of a beautiful girl on film when Russian raiders attack his party on the Silk Road. He enlists his friend Mao Da Wei (TS-M) to help seek her out only to discover that the reality of who she is may be nothing like the allure of her mirage.

 

Fight #1 --- Opening battle

Huge melee!!! This is rife with both gunfights and hand-to-hand. There are some insane stunts here, like the rock wall of a cliff crumbling onto one man as he and 3 other rappel down, or a man hiding in a wooden crate where a load detonates to throw him out of it. It’s really too much to describe. It has to be seen.

 

Fight #2 --- Tong (YR-G) & Mao (TS-M) vs gangsters

Good fight! Starts in a restaurant and spills out into the street. It’s a great brawl full of impacts and falls, almost verging on that “basher” quality, but doesn’t. There are more insane stunts involving a motorcycle, especially a jump through a neon sign with a gangster straddling the front tire. Wild!!!!

 

Fight #3 --- Tong vs Bartok (WH)

The fight is pretty good with a couple of really neat falls and equipped with some comedic value. One particular fall YR-G takes is quiute impressive.

 

Fight #4 --- Tong vs rival clansmen

It’s short, but full of good kicks and exchanges.

 

Fight #5 --- Tong vs #1 Warrior

Sword fight!!!! And quite a good one, too! I mean it’s almost scary to watch the way these guys are hacking at each other. It’s fast with kicks interspersed throughout and some more hard falls.

 

Fight #6 --- Jailbreak

Oh, this is wild!!! Mao arrives to free Tong. TS-M is really fun to watch here as he takes out a number of bandits, at one point executing a sweet jump-spinning crescent kick. The escape evolves into a chase with Mao in a Jeep and Tong on a motorcycle followed by the gang of bandits on horses, all amid a myriad of explosions. It’s like the stuntmen didn’t know or couldn’t remember where the loads were planted, and kept driving or riding over them. It’s crazy!...but not as crazy as TS-M’s finale stunt to the whole sequence. The man drives his Jeep off a cliff while being snatched from it by a rope around his waist. It’s shot from a distance but not so far you can’t tell that it’s no dummy pulled from the plunging vehicle. It’s a real person. (I kept watching this bit over and over. It’s mind-boggling.)

 

Fight #7 --- Tong vs Gaza Nova (PR)

Man, this is just brutal! This chick is nuts! The choreography is full of dynamic kicks and hard falls! It’s set on a desert mountain, and spliced with scenes of their horse fighting just as viciously as they are.

 

Fight #8 --- End fight

Oh…my…word!!!! It’s another huge melee! Again it’s a mixture of stunt work and fighting; more stunts actually, but the fight sequences are hard-hitting with YR-G and PR mixing it up once again. But that is all secondary to some of the stunts that TS-M puts himself in, including: falls, diving out a second story window as the building explodes, and setting himself on fire to ride a motorcycle.

 

This movie is fantastic! I enjoyed every aspect about it. It has some funny moments, but isn’t belabored with the typical campy Chinese humor we usually see. The acting is really good, and superbly cast. The locations are killer. It’s filmed in the northern and northwestern regions of China, and the locals are arid and desolate, which make from some dusty action sequences.

 

And the plot is great. (This may be a bit of a spoiler, but I can’t help it. I love irony.) The mirage Tong sees that sets his heart on the search for this mystery woman. Something about her captivates him. Yet when he finally finds her, she turns out be the queen of the bandits who are raiding the Silk Road. She is not the winsome, demure beauty of his dreams, but a woman who thrives on her beauty, wealth, and power. She offers him all those things, but her vicious coldbloodednes, her inhumanity, dispels the allusion he thought her to be. He prefers the mirage to the reality of her. I love that!!!!

 

Yu Rong-Guong is fantastic in the lead role of Tong. I’ve seen him in many films, always the supporting player. Here he stars, and he shines. I’ve always thought him a good screen fighter, but he absolutely blows me away in this showing an agility and dexterity I didn’t know he was capable of.

 

Tsui Siu-Ming astounded me in every capacity he undertook. He’s a good director, a great choreographer, and an impressive screen fighter and stunt performer. In this he actually reminds me a good deal of Sammo Hung, both in appearance and performance. If you can’t think of him off the top of your head, he starred as the disgraced and blackmailed monk who was one of the lead characters in The Buddhist Fist. I will be seeking out more of his films. Check out his HKMDb page.

 

Again, for the 2nd time this month, I’ve been blessed to receive a copy of a film that for me has been a sort of “holy grail”, and a special thanks is due to One Armed Boxer for supplying me with it.

 

This is a stunt heavy film, equally balanced with some good, solid fight choreography. I cannot impress upon you enough to…GET THIS!!!!!!!

[SMK]

Thank you very much for posting this very informative review.

[sym8]

Great review.Just been on YouTube and saw a clip,now to find this movie(any ideas anyone)

[legendarycurry]

Great review.Just been on YouTube and saw a clip,now to find this movie(any ideas anyone)

I've only seen it available at one website under the tile "Mirage Of Martial Arts" not sure if it is a bootleg though. If you searh for the film with that title and "DVD" first site that shows up is a place called "White Lotus DVD" not familiar with that site personally.

[sym8]

Thanks for the help

[DrNgor]

Can't wait for your review of a certain pair of Mainland films!

[ShaOW!linDude]

Can't wait for your review of a certain pair of Mainland films!

I need to watch those again so I can do that.

[Secret Executioner]

Nice to see the minireviews are still going on strong.  

[One Armed Boxer]

Hey ShaOW!linDude...glad you enjoyed 'Mirage'!  It has a lot going for it...Yu Rong-Guang in a rare lead role, the unique locales, some of the most breathtaking vehicle stunts ever committed to film, and fantastic fight action.  I can't believe it's never received an official DVD release, it should almost be a crime.

[DrNgor]

Hey ShaOW!linDude...glad you enjoyed 'Mirage'!  It has a lot going for it...Yu Rong-Guang in a rare lead role, the unique locales, some of the most breathtaking vehicle stunts ever committed to film, and fantastic fight action.  I can't believe it's never received an official DVD release, it should almost be a crime.

Mirage was nominated for Best Action Design at the 1988 Hong Kong Movie Awards, but lost to Jackie Chan's Project A II. Back then, Jackie bagged the award on an almost yearly basis.

[ShaOW!linDude]

BLOOD AND BONE           (2009)    Running time: 93 mins.

Stars: Michael Jai White, Julian Sands, Eamonn Walker, Dante Basco, Nona Gaye, Michelle Beloegrin, Bob Sapp, Dick Anthony Williams, Francis Capra, Ron Yuan, Kimbo Slice, Gina Carano, Maurice Smith, Ernest “The Cat” Miller  

Stunt Coordinators: JJ Perry, Steve Upton

Fight Coordinator: Fernando Chien

Synopsis

Isaiah Bone (MJW) is an ex-con determined to keep a jailhouse promise. Upon release, he seeks out a way to enter into the local street-fighting game through a hustler named Pinball (DB). Seeing the Hammerman,the beastly fighter of James (EW), a powerful crime lord, Bone wants a match for reasons known only to him. However, James has designs of his own. Having seen Bone fight, he wants to use the ex-con to make his way into the international underground fight organization known as the Consortium, through Franklin McVeigh (JS), a member and wealthy arms dealer. Who is using who, and who will survive in the end?

Fight #1 --- Bone vs JC (KS) & gang

Good opening fight!...though it’s too short. It takes place in a prison lavatory. Sadly, Kimbo Slice doesn’t get to do anything, but get dropped first. MJW is lightning fast with a nice snap to his punches and kicks. His bootwork here is only a taste of what’s in store throughout the film.

Fight #2 --- Bone vs Big Lamont (Imani Lee)

It’s short but sweet! 2 kicks; 1 a picture perfect flying side kick, and it’s over.

Fight #3 --- Bone vs street fighters

This is an outstanding fight!!! Actually there is no competition to speak of, but it’s sweet the way MJW mows these guys down. The impacts are hard. MJW demonstrates his versatility of styles, and the icing on the cake is a quadruple jump kick.

Fight #4 --- Montage

This has Bone taking out a lot of fighters. It’s mostly 1-hit bits; but the final one is a fight that is more MMA in feel. Still, it’s a good tussle.

Fight #5 --- Bone vs The Hammerman (Bob Sapp)

Excellent fight!!! BS is a massive, hulking brute, and MJW is a delight to watch here. He uses a fast flurry of punches and unleashes kicks with his ferocious feet in killer combinations. A favorite here is a spinning hook kick to the back of the Hammerman’s head after dancing around him while avoiding his haymakers.

Fight #6 --- Bone vs Pretty Boy Price (Matt Mullins)

Best fight!!! Oh, this is so good! It’s a fight with attitude. It starts off slow with MM and MJW feeling each other out. From there the exchanges progress steadily. These guys are so fast. MM gets to showcase a bit. He’s a good MA and screen fighter, and why he hasn’t done more films is beyond me. (For those who may not have ever seen it, check him out in Bloodfist 2050. He stars as the hero, and it’s got some pretty good fights.) MJW is a hard-hitting kicker, and he pulls off a couple of doozies, but his finishing move is mindboggling: an axe kick that morphs into a scissor-leg takedown. Love it! The whole fight is one, big, rewatchable segment.

Fight #7 --- Bone vs James

Short, but fun watching the hero dole out a lesson to the villain. MJW is cool, calm, and collected as he, using a scabbard, dominates his opponent, who uses a katana.

I’ve got to say that is one of the best MA flick that came out in the 2000’s, and for some reason people give it a lot of flack. I don’t get it. The plot is nothing new in and of itself, but it’s used quite well here, and the acting is really good, even from the supporting players. What I think makes it work so well is that the philosophy of a warrior is tied into it.

MJW plays Bone as a man with an enigmatic past. The only thing ever said regarding it, is that he was in prison because his twin brother was killed because he was mistaken for Bone. Bone is quiet and reserved, at one point even telling Pinball to lay off the hype he spouts prior to the fights (which makes for a funny moment). He handles his opponents fearlessly and efficiently. His martial arts prowess isn’t something that makes him tough and bad; it’s his life.

EW as James is a fantastic, villainous character. (He sort of reminds me of Idris Elba.) He’s a smart bad guy, and those are the best. James is ruthless and narcissistic. He wants to be distinguished and respected. Yet he views himself as a warrior, mistakenly thinking the fear he instills passes for honor. One of the best scenes in the film is where he and Bone swap quotes of Genghis Khan. While he enjoys the trappings of his life (cars, clothes, money, women), he eschews others, such as smoking, drinking, and swearing. At one point, he tells Ron Yuan’s character, “Profanity is a brutal vice. He that uses it is no gentleman.” I love that! So when his designs start falling apart, and he gets angry and curses, it is quite telling. He, in fact, is no gentleman, though that’s the image he seeks to promote.

Julian Sands’ McVeigh appears only for a few scenes, but he’s a delight in them. When James accuses him of bias for not helping him get into the Consortium, McVeigh makes no excuses, even venturing into a little diatribe of honesty of how that is truly the case. 

The choreography is brutally fantastic!!!! MJW exudes power and finesse, and the combinations and exchanges are not marred with close-ups, quick-cuts, or hyper-editing. And the director had the good sense to actually pick solid MA’s for him to fight, thus adding a sense of realism to the film. I hate when an opponent is an unskilled actor pitted against a seasoned screen fighter. These guys sell the fights, and they know what they’re doing, which makes them so rewatchable.

A few points of interest:

-          Gina Carano appears as a female street fighter in Fight #3. The small amount she’s on screen is okay, but she doesn’t get showcased like she could have. There is a neat bit at the end of it where she passes her phone # off to Bone.

-          Gene LeBell plays Sands’ attendant.

-          Bob Wall appears at the end fight as one of Sands’ guests and an apparent Consortium member. 

MJW has said that he didn’t want the character of Bone to be some “run of the mill” tough guy. He wanted to play someone who adhered to the warrior’s philosophy, for whom the martial arts was a way of life. I believe he succeeded quite well. Fans of this film have been crying for a sequel, and fortunately one is going to be made at some point. Hopefully it won’t be long. Until then, if you’ve not seen this, then GET IT!!!! And if you have, then go watch it again!

Edited February 18, 2017 by ShaOW!linDude

[One Armed Boxer]

Great timing ShaOW!linDude, I'd actually been having a conversation with fellow forum member @mpm74 about where Bob Wall was in this movie, after seeing him listed on imdb!

 

Definitely my favorite role from MJW out of the movies that I've seen of his so far (don't shoot me, I've never seen 'Undisputed 2').  He's a guy that's fought onscreen with the best of them - Jean Claude Van Damme, Steven Seagal, Michelle Yeoh, Tony Jaa, Scott Adkins, Darren Shahlavi, the Toxic Avenger - it's an impressive roll call, but like you I tend to agree that his best performance is in 'Blood and Bone'.  He nails the character, and the fight scenes are often short, but brutally effective.  A perfect example of quality over quantity.

[paimeifist]

Good review, I know this one is on Netflix, maybe I'll check it out soon.

 

I have to admit, as impressive as MJW can be as a screen fighter, his arrogance has always kept me from liking him as much as I could.

[Secret Executioner]

I have to admit, as impressive as MJW can be as a screen fighter, his arrogance has always kept me from liking him as much as I could.

I haven't seen any of the guy's film, but I agree on the arrogance part. Somehow, thinking of how arrogant he is pretty much blocks me from wanting to just read of his movies.

[paimeifist]

Yeah I am basically the same, his personality keeps me from even wanting to check his material out.. I haven't seen anything he stars in (except Spawn, haha!), but have seen him in ma movies and he does have skill.

[ShaOW!linDude]

Can either of you cite me some examples where he's come off as arrogant? I can't think of any from the interviews I've read or seen. He's always seemed pretty down to earth to me. Could it be that maybe you've misunderstood the context of what he might have said to give you the impression he's arrogant?

[Secret Executioner]

The time he said he could defeat Bruce Lee and the guys from Expendables ? Not sure when, but there was a topic on this statement on the old KFC forum.

[DragonClaws]

 

I haven't seen any of the guy's film, but I agree on the arrogance part. Somehow, thinking of how arrogant he is pretty much blocks me from wanting to just read of his movies.

 

Black Dynamite is a fun parody of old school Martial Arts/Blaxploitation/Grindhouse cinema and MJW has a laugh at himself as much as the film characters he's spoofing. I know a lot of people who enjoy the film that haven't even heard about his other movie appearances such as Blood & Bone. Worth watching if you get the chance to see it.

Edited October 18, 2015 by DragonClaws

[Morgoth Bauglir]

I think MJW would have a good chance against Bruce Lee.   It's a tough question because of the size difference.

Edited October 18, 2015 by Morgoth Bauglir

[ShaOW!linDude]

And that's the point he makes, specifically in regards to weight, in this interview (which is probably what Secret Executioner and paimeifist are referring to). I have to say, I don't see him as coming off as arrogant so much as a matter of fact. He's just plain spoken. Was Bruce being plain spoken or arrogant when he said he could beat anyone in the world? And honestly, I'm sorry, but I'd put money on MJW, with his accomplishments in the martial arts, against anyone in the Expendables. I find his attitude completely different compared to some of the thing Steven Seagal has said regarding his peers/contemporaries. To me, Seagal came across as both dismissive and arrogant.

 

[Morgoth Bauglir]

I've listened to hours of MJW interviews and commentaries, and the first thing I think of when his name his mentioned is how nice he is.  He's confident, but I can't say he's arrogant.