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Hong Kong Action DVDs

Anna and the King (Full-Screen Edition)

Sales Rank:6970
List Price: $9.98
Lowest New Price: $4.85
Lowest Used Price: $3.73
MPAA Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)

Format:

Closed-captioned
Color
DVD-Video
Full Screen
Special Edition
NTSC

Director(s):

Actor(s):

Jodie Foster
Yun-Fat Chow
Bai Ling
Tom Felton
Syed Alwi

What's a director to do? Andy Tennant's previous film was the highly enjoyable Cinderella romance Ever After, which vanished from theaters and became a video hit. Then Tennant made this gorgeous, nonmusical version of Anna and the King, and once again felt the sting of box-office failure. Both films deserved better, and this Anna is certain to eventually find the appreciative audience that eluded it in theaters. In many ways, this delightful costume romance transcends the latter-day quaintness of The King and I to offer a more lavish and rewarding version of the story of Anna Leonowens, based on her diaries and first told in Margaret Landon's 1944 novel.

In an otherwise admirable performance (although many felt her miscast), Jodie Foster struggles with her Victorian accent as Anna, the grieving widow who arrives in Siam in 1860 with her young son. Having accepted a post as tutor for the many children of the polygamous King Mongkut (Chow Yun-Fat), Anna finds herself drawn to the progressive monarch, whose passions swirl in a turbulent political climate. If the chemistry isn't entirely there, this culture clash still has plenty of regal charm, and Luciana Arrighi's production design is appropriately magnificent. Humor and politics are given equal measure, and Chow Yun-Fat is arguably the most endearing king to date--powerful yet tender, forceful but anguished by the heavier burdens of leadership. Bai Ling's intense performance as the tragic lover Tuptim adds emotional depth to one of the most underrated films of 1999. --Jeff Shannon

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Jet Li's Fearless (Unrated Widescreen Edition)

Sales Rank:7167
List Price: $19.98
Lowest New Price: $7.44
Lowest Used Price: $2.05
MPAA Rating: Unrated

Format:

AC-3
Color
Dolby
Dubbed
DVD-Video
Subtitled
Widescreen
NTSC

Director(s):

Actor(s):

Jet Li
Shido Nakamura
Betty Sun
Yong Dong
Hee Ching Paw

A moving and inspiring story of redemption and personal triumph in the face of great odds, Jet Li's Fearless is the based-on-facts story of Chinese folk hero Huo Yuanjia (Jet Li). The son of a martial-arts master whose greatest strength was his restraint, Huo grows into an unbeatable fighter whose pride and thoughtlessness lead to a chain of tragic losses. After a classic wanderer-in-the-wilderness penance, Huo reinvents himself as a mature instructor of Wushu, a martial arts system that embraces all forms of fighting without preference or pre-judgement. He also becomes a populist symbol, at the dawn of the 20th century, of China's refusal to entirely capitulate to the boot of Western colonialists. Taking on whatever European, American, or Japanese fighter the outsiders bring in to demoralize the natives, Huo becomes a legend that, in real life, is still revered. Thrillingly directed by Ronny Yu (Warriors of Virtue), Jet Li’s Fearless is a dazzling action movie that transcends its breathless fight sequences with Huo's sportsmanship virtues, i.e., knowing when you've won by example, rather than by the fist. Jet Li is superb in the role. --Tom Keogh

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Curse of the Golden Flower [Blu-ray]

Sales Rank:8700
List Price: $28.95
Lowest New Price: $13.89
Lowest Used Price: $12.88
MPAA Rating: R (Restricted)

Format:

AC-3
Color
Dolby
Dubbed
Subtitled
Widescreen

Director(s):

Actor(s):

Chow Yun Fat
Gong Li
Jay Chou
Liu Ye
Ni Dahong

Curse of the Golden Flower, a fictionalized historical glimpse into the brutally complicated politics of Emperor Ping's (Chow Yun Fat) reign during the Tang Dynasty, shows the viewer just how far a megalomaniac must go to gain and retain power in medieval China. Lavish sets, massive ceremonial displays, and perversely fascinating battle scenes impress similarly to the special effects Americans have come to love and expect from Chinese action films like Zhang Yimou's previous House of Flying Daggers and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. An intricate plot involving the Emperor's wife, Empress Phoenix (Gong Li) and their three sons, Crown Prince Xiang, Prince Jie, and Prince Cheng, most closely follows the Empress's secret plan to force abdication upon her corrupt husband as revenge for his slowly poisoning her with Black Fungus tea. Opening on the eve of the Chysanthemum Festival, 928 A.D., the Empress obsessively embroiders gold chysanthemums to adorn her army's uniforms while hatching plans with Jai to overthrow the Crown Prince for control of the throne. Meanwhile, a side plot develops as the Emperor's ex-wife and mother to Crown Prince Yu reemerges as Yu's lover. By the time the Festival occurs, family members are pitted against each other in a King Lear-ian web of lies that can only result in demise. The most sophisticated narrative aspect of Curse of the Golden Flower is that as the royal family crumbles, the Emperor's death grip on China remains unwavering. Gorgeous scenes set in the palace and costume design displaying China's upper class decadence cannot fail to entertain. The paradox between good and evil, here, is highlighted by how the Emperor successfully rules despite, and because of, his utter cruelty. --Trinie Dalton

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Shanghai Noon

Sales Rank:8794
List Price: $9.99
Lowest New Price: $3.98
Lowest Used Price: $1.00
MPAA Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)

Format:

Color
Dolby
DVD-Video
Special Edition
Widescreen
NTSC

Director(s):

Actor(s):

Rafael Baez
Xander R. Berkeley
Eric Chen
Jason Connery
Walton Goggins

Story? What story? All a movie like Shanghai Noon needs is the amazing stunt set pieces featuring kung fu superstar Jackie Chan and the drolly caffeinated ramblings of Owen Wilson (and to be sure, that's all it gets). It's a buddy comedy about Roy O'Bannon (Wilson), a minor, borderline incompetent desperado, and Chon Wang (Chan)--Roy thinks he hears (and scoffs at) the name "John Wayne"--a member of the Chinese Imperial Guard searching for a kidnapped princess (Lucy Liu). They become reluctant partners in the Old West (Roy, who considers Chon his sidekick, is hurt to discover that the bounty on Wang's head is more than his own), brawling, drinking, bathing, and bonding and in general having mildly amusing adventures together, while eluding a posse and other random enemies.

There's not a lot of focus to the plot or much motivation for characters to turn up where and when they do--just what was achieved by the much-discussed trek to Carson City, anyway? But Chan's inventively staged battle sequences (particularly an early one in which he uses flexible, resilient trees to best some Crow Indians) are predictable highlights. You'll wish there were more to some of them, but as with his many of other films, you'll want them on video to watch in slow-motion to see how he pulls them off. And in a potentially star- making role, Wilson's loquacious, hyper-self-conscious meanderings--he's funny even when his lines aren't--make him seem less like a character than a very amusing deconstruction of one. Chan and Wilson are entertaining together, even though they're both off in their own little worlds. Think of it as Butch Cassidy and the Shanghai Kid, and you won't be too far off. --David Kronke

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Cannonball Run 2

Sales Rank:9031
List Price: $14.98
Lowest New Price: $8.72
Lowest Used Price: $5.20
MPAA Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)

Format:

Closed-captioned
Color
DVD-Video
Full Screen
NTSC

Director(s):

Actor(s):

Susan Anton
Catherine Bach
Foster Brooks
Sid Caesar
Jackie Chan

Our racers are back for a second cannonball run - the illegal race that takes place all over the country... Almost every star of the first film is here, along with new ones. Will J.J. McClure (Burt Reynolds) finally be the winner this time?

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Mission Impossible II (Two-Disc Special Collector's Edition)

Sales Rank:9064
List Price: $12.98
Lowest New Price: $6.20
Lowest Used Price: $2.94
MPAA Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)

Format:

Color
DVD-Video
Widescreen
NTSC

Director(s):

Brian De Palma
John Woo

Actor(s):

Tom Cruise
Jon Voight
Emmanuelle Béart
Dougray Scott
Thandie Newton

Visually stunning, and a likely must for John Woo aficionados, the second Mission: Impossible outing from megastar Tom Cruise suffers from an inconsistent tone and tired plot devices--not only recycled from other films, but repeated throughout the film. Despite remarkable cinematography and awe-inspiring, trademark Woo photography, the movie offers a tepid story from legendary screenwriter-director Robert Towne (Chinatown, Without Limits) and a host of other writers, most uncredited.

It is, regrettably, as forgettable as the first big-budget, big box-office MI in 1996, and it's clear (as Towne confirms) that the plot was developed around Woo- and Cruise-written action sequences. The film combines equal elements of romance and action, and is best when it features the stunning allure of Thandie Newton as Nyah, a master thief recruited by the sinewy charms of Ethan Hunt (a fit Cruise). Deeply in love after a passionate night, the couple must then combat MI nemesis (and Nyah's former lover) Sean Ambrose (Ever After's Dougray Scott). Ambrose holds hostage a virus and its cure, and offers them to the highest bidder.

Woo's famed mythic filmmaking is far from subtle, with heroic Hunt frequently slow-motion walking through fire, smoke, or other similar devices, replete with a white dove among pigeons to signal his presence. The emphasis on romance is an attempt to develop character and a more human side to superspy Hunt, but still the dreary story proves a distraction from the exciting action sequences. John Polson (as an MI team member) is an Aussie talent to keep an eye on. --N.F. Mendoza

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Kung Fu Hustle (Widescreen Edition)

Sales Rank:11421
List Price: $19.94
Lowest New Price: $3.84
Lowest Used Price: $2.34
MPAA Rating: R (Restricted)

Format:

AC-3
Color
Dolby
Dubbed
DVD-Video
Subtitled
Widescreen
NTSC

Director(s):

Actor(s):

Kwok Kuen Chan
Chi Ling Chiu
Xiao Lung Ding
Zhi Hua Dong
Xiaogang Feng

Stephen Chow (director and star of Shaolin Soccer) is at it again with his newest action-packed and comedic martial-arts adventure, KUNG FU HUSTLE. From wildly imaginative kung fu showdowns to dance sequences featuring tuxedoed mobsters, you've never seen action this outrageous and characters this zany! With jaw-dropping fight sequences by Yuen Wo Ping (famed action choreographer of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and The Matrix), KUNG FU HUSTLE will blow you away! In a town ruled by the Axe Gang, Sing (Stephen Chow) desperately wants to become a member. He stumbles into a slum ruled by eccentric landlords who turn out to be kung fu masters in disguise. Sing's actions eventually cause the Axe Gang and the slumlords to engage in an explosive kung fu battle. Only one side will win and only one hero will emerge as the greatest kung fu master of all.

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Tomorrow Never Dies (Special Edition)

Sales Rank:9925
List Price: $19.98
Lowest New Price: $13.15
Lowest Used Price: $3.99
MPAA Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)

Format:

Anamorphic
Closed-captioned
Color
Dolby
DVD-Video
Special Edition
Widescreen
NTSC

Director(s):

Actor(s):

Pierce Brosnan
Jonathan Pryce
Michelle Yeoh
Teri Hatcher
Ricky Jay

Pierce Brosnan returns for his second stint as James Bond (after GoldenEye), and he's doing it in high style with an invigorating cast of costars. It's only appropriate that a Bond film from 1997 would find Agent 007 pitted against a media mogul (Jonathan Pryce) who's going to start a global war (beginning with stolen nuclear missiles aimed at China) to create attention-grabbing headlines for his latest multimedia news channel. It's the information age run amok, and Bond must team up with a lovely and lethal agent from the Chinese External Security Force (played by Honk Kong action star Michelle Yeoh) to foil the madman's plot of global domination. Luckily for Bond, the villain's wife (Teri Hatcher) is one of his former lovers, and at the behest of his superior M (Judi Dench), 007 finds ample opportunity to exploit the connection. Although it bears some nagging similarities to many formulaic action films from the '90s, Tomorrow Never Dies (with a title song performed by Sheryl Crow) boasts enough grand-scale action and sufficiently intelligent plotting to suggest the Bond series has plenty of potential to survive into the next millennium. Armed with the usual array of gadgets (including a remote-controlled BMW), Brosnan settles into his role with acceptable flair, and the dynamic Yeoh provides a perfect balance to the sexism that once threatened to turn Bond into a politically incorrect anachronism. He's still Bond, to be sure, but he's saving the world with a bit more sophisticated finesse. In addition to theatrical trailers, this special edition DVD comes with a feature-length audio commentary by director Roger Spottiswoode, more commentary by stunt director Vic Armstrong and producer Michael G. Wilson, a storyboard overlay that compares action-sequence concepts with final footage, a 45-minute "Secrets of 007" featurette covering the evolution of the Bond character, and an isolated music-only track with an interview of composer David Arnold. Bond would be proud.--Jeff Shannon

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Shanghai Noon / Shanghai Knights

Sales Rank:7434
List Price: $14.99
Lowest New Price: $8.80
Lowest Used Price: $7.35
MPAA Rating: Unrated

Format:

Color
DVD-Video
NTSC

Director(s):

Actor(s):

Shanghai Noon
Shanghai Knights

SHANGHAI NOON: Jackie Chan and Owen Wilson jump back in the saddle for SHANGHAI KNIGHTS, the hilarious sequel to the hit action-comedy SHANGHAI NOON. When Chon Wang (Chan) gets news of his estranged father's murder in Shanghai, he leaves his honorable life as Carson City's sheriff in a cloud of dust and reunites with his yarn-spinning sidekick, Roy O'Bannon (Wilson). Together they make their way to London on a daring quest for honor and revenge. Hilarious escapades and hair-raising adventures ensue as our heroes find themselves in the middle of a devious plot to eliminate the entire royal family. And Chon gives Victorian Britain a royal kick in the pants as he tries to avenge his father's death and keep love-struck Roy away from his sister! SHANGHAI KNIGHTS: Two cultures collide in SHANGHAI NOON, a wildly hilarious, stunt-filled action-adventure comedy starring the death-defying action hero Jackie Chan, Owen Wilson, and Lucy Liu. Chan plays Chinese Imperial Guard Chon Wang (say it out loud) who hightails it to the wild and woolly West to rescue the beautiful kidnapped Princess Pei Pei (Liu). When he meets up with the laid-back outlaw cowboy dude Roy O'Bannon (Wilson), they form the best mismatch ever made in the rough and tumble Old West -- the two face jail, brawls, bordellos, and the vilest villains this side of the Great Wall! Spectacular stunts, outrageous irreverence, and epic vistas reign as East meets West in a battle for honor, royalty, and a fortune in gold! It's a real kick

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Hard Boiled (Two-Disc Ultimate Edition)

Sales Rank:13660
List Price: $14.95
Lowest New Price: $4.40
Lowest Used Price: $4.75
MPAA Rating: R (Restricted)

Format:

Closed-captioned
Color
DVD-Video
Widescreen
NTSC

Director(s):

Actor(s):

Chow Yun-Fat
Kwan Hoi-Shan
Cheung Jue-lin
Tsang Kong
Philip Kwok

Masterful Hong Kong action director John Woo (The Killer, Face/Off) turns in this exciting and pyrotechnic tale of warring gangsters and shifting loyalties. Chow Yun-fat (The Replacement Killers) plays a take-no-prisoners cop on the trail of the triad, the Hong Kong Mafia, when his partner is killed during a gun battle. His guilt propels him into an all-out war against the gang, including an up-and-coming soldier in the mob (Tony Leung) who turns out to be an undercover cop. The two men must come to terms with their allegiance to the force and their loyalty to each other as they try to take down the gangsters. A stunning feast of hyperbolic action sequences (including a climactic sequence in an entire hospital taken hostage), Hard-Boiled is a rare treat for fans of the action genre, with sequences as thrilling and intense as any ever committed to film. --Robert Lane

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