Reign of Assassins (2010)

An impressive Wuxia movie that borrows heavily from Ang Lee's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) but pleasingly tips its hat even more to the successful genre stylings of the 1980-90s. Likewise, alas, that same era's uneven pacing and hurried scripting also feature. The result is a work that's both graceful and frantic, although not always at the same time.
At the centre of the conflict is the mummified corpse of a Buddhist monk, an unusual treasure that a small group of assassins desperately seek. The aggressors' martial arts skills are given a thorough workout. The combat scenes are of a high standard, but the emotional side is no slouch either, with a deep soulful love and an earthy, tender love each playing a part.

3½ secret skills out of 5

The Good, The Bad, The Weird [2008]

Director Kim Ji-woon's bizarre and highly entertaining Western film The Good, The Bad, The Weird is a wonderful delight front to back.

There's some obvious nods to the classic western genre, humorous action set pieces that reminds me of the outrageous choreography of the Pirates Of The Caribbean series and outlandish, yet strangely human performances that all make up for some pretty damned good fun.

If it's a thought provoking character-driven story, I might go elsewhere.  This is just good fun and attempts to be nothing more.

3½ spikes up the bum out of 5

MUSA [2001]

The word "epic" has been thrown around so much it means almost nothing these days. Fortunately, South Korea's Musa can grasp onto that word and mean business.
It's raw, brutal, vast in the historical story it covers, beautifully shot, gives you more than enough to think about and tells the story of heroism, vengeance and love like it really means it.
Clocking in at over 2+ hours, not a second is wasted, making note of the superb, yet understated performances, the well-choreographed battle scenes, the costumes and the scenery.
Highly recommended for those interested in seeing what a real epic film is.

4 bloody zanbatos out of 5