Rating:  Summary: An Average Hero Review: Let me start out by saying that "The Storm Riders" is, in my humble opinion, one of the best movies to come out of Hong Kong over the last few years. That said there is no way "A Man Called Hero" could compare to "The Storm Riders". This movie lacks the style and drama of "The Storm Riders". If one takes away Ekin Cheng's strong performance and the special effects, there really is not much left to this movie. Overall I enjoyed the movie, however as an action movie I expected more action. There are just to many long periods between the action peices. The special effects were great (I wish the movie included more), however the martial arts action is not up to the usual Hong Kong standard that I am used to. As far as the storyline goes I will not nitpick it. There are quite a few holes in the story and some unresolved issues. Several of the actors including Shu Qi, Yuen Biao and Ken Lo and good in thier respective roles, however they are not given enough to do. The dubbing was halfway decent, however I really prefer to watch these movies in the original Chinese with subtitles. The dubs are generally goofy and something is lost in the translation. Overall this was a decent movie, however it does not compare to the great movies from the heyday of the late 80' to early 90's of Hong Kong cinema. I would definately recommend this movie, however it is not the best movie from this genre.
Rating:  Summary: Heroic effort... Review: Following the success of Storm Riders, Andrew Lau and his crew return in the visually stunning but choppy A MAN CALLED HERO. It was made in half the time Storm Riders took - and it becomes painfully obvious when you try to understand what's going on.Don't get me wrong, I loved the movie, but hell... It tried to do way too many things at once. There's a great deal of characters, subplots, and confusing flashbacks (the editing could've used work). The first half of the movie is also quite slow. But dammit, forget the story and watch the actors and special effects. Ekin Ching does a good job of protraying Hero and Bad guy Francis Ng is excellent as usual (he's such a badass). The surprising role was in Shu Qi - who is usually protrayed as a ditzy, young, immature, and spunky girl (Storm Riders and Gorgeous). Here, she plays a serious and quiet (!) Japanese Ninja who becomes emotionally involved with Hero (although the movie never develops this point... in fact, the movie never really develops anything at all). Overall the movie has an impressive cast - although it's kinda funny to watch the Japanese roles given to Chinese actors. Yuen Biao is also present with a very small part. Special effects are excellent, although I'm not sure how to compare it with Storm Riders. The climatic fight has a little bit of corniness and is sped up to the point of being unrealistic. When Francis Ng calls Ekin Ching and his voice zooms through the entire city of New York, I tripped out. Never in my life have I seen such a concept on film. Other great moments belong to the sword fight in the rain and the run in with Hero and the Japanese Ninjas (although the outfits were silly). In the end I was wondering what the hell I just watch and tried to make sense of the story... After a while I realized that it didn't matter - it was fun to watch and I was very satisfied with the effort put into this production. I'll be waiting for the sequel - for now, this Special Cut DVD was worth the money.
Rating:  Summary: Not horrible, but did the other reviewers even see the movie Review: OK after reading the reviews here I wonder if any of the others even saw the movie or just read the back of the box... Anyway, on to my review. It was not a horrible movie, it focused more on story than action unlike others like The Duel and Storm Riders, and it is a good story, special effects where not as good as some but better than other movies of the Genre the final fight was a bit confusing to watch and somewhat uneventful, and with the many subplots there where enough loose ends to make 2 sequals just to tie them up, Hero's Daughter? Moon? Shadow? Sword? what happens to all of these characters is a mystery. My overall review is that it is one of the better movies of the genre but not the best, if your a fan of Ekin or fantasy martial arts or even Honk Kong soap operas you should like this movie.
Rating:  Summary: hmm........ Tin San Kut Sing Review: Hmm... honestly, I was not impressed with 'Storm riders', maybe because i watched it after watching 'The Duel'. Well anyway here's the synopsis to this movie... Wah Ying-Hung, a Chinese hero in the early 20th Century who wields a legendary glowing red blade dubbed The Blood Sword. Born under the Star of Death, Wah Ying-Hung the unfortunate destiny of causing harm to those around him. Thus, he must remain alone and such is his tragic end. Ekin Cheng is one of my favorite actor. However, even he could not save this film(besides the fact that Ekin's hair is exactly like Hero from the comicbook). Despite incredible production values and an epic storyline, 'A Man Called Hero' suffers from too much exposition and not nearly enough actual storytelling. there are too many side-stories and too many characters, and they are all crammed in 105 minutes, and the results, BAD. We meet Hero aka Wah ying-Hung primary enemy played by Francis Ng, in the last parts of the film. And nothing was built to make him and Hero's battle special. And let's talk about the final battle, it was just WAY too much. but don't get me wrong. This movie is not complete[ly bad], with its intersting side characters and some amazing visual effects it might interest some people. So watch with caution.
Rating:  Summary: A Man called Hero Review: The creators of Storm Riders delivers another blast for the senses! This movie focus more on the martial arts aspect compared to Storm R., but there's also tons of awesome special effects that are equal to or surpass western movies(ie: Matrix). The Man Called Hero is based on a Jademan Comic book character who is a tragic figure, He is born on the sign of a death star, and is destined to be alone. All who gets closed to him will suffer an untimely death. If you like a good story, lots of spectacular stunts and martial arts with high tech special effects look no further, I cannot recommend this title highly enough to do it justice! Buy it!!!
Rating:  Summary: Don't believe the hype Review: Storm Riders is a wonderful movie. Ground-breaking for a HK movie. However, A Man Called Hero is one of the worst movies I have seen. Yeah, great special effects, some of the fight scenes were amazing. However, if you are not familiar with the comic book series, you will be lost. The story jumps around, NO Character development, essentially, a piece of crap made to try and show off Centro's CGI capabilities. Big Deal. Don't believe the hype about "Oh...from the makers of The Storm Riders....Oh...a modern retelling of the Blood Sword saga"...crap I tell you, Everyone gave it four or five stars just because of the special effects...sigh.
Rating:  Summary: CG + Love Review: Entirely dependent on computer graphics (CG) as the lead Ekin Cheng lacks Martial Arts skill. It really is nothing more than a love story, with some Street Fighter II characters thrown in. The movie leaves you guessing as to how Ekin got his powers. However, you may have been inclined to focus solely on Hsiu Chi.
Rating:  Summary: A Film Called Exceptional Review: While I've been a longtime fan of the Woo-influenced Hong Kong action pics and I've been any even longertime (is there such a word?) fan samurai films, I've had a dubious love/hate affair with the more traditional 'martial arts' films where would-be superheroes dance on air whilst wiggling and waggling their magical swords to dice and slice the villains. I've loved CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON, and I've meddled with THE BRIDE WITH WHITE HAIR. I don't know. Something about traditional martial arts films have seemed to extremist entertainment to me ... but then along comes A MAN CALLED HERO and I find myself in a curious predicament: I'm hooked. I won't go into a massive rehash of the plot b/c the film does suffer a bit from some of the hallmarks of Hong Kong cinema: there's far too much story to be told in two hours, but, somehow, it all manages to fit together. There are a few plot points (Sword Hua's search for his sister, Hero's love-hate relationship with the Elements, Shadow's real intentions, etc.) that don't get enough screen time -- surprisingly -- but sacrifices were made, and what's left for the story is more than enough to chew. This film is dazzling to watch, and I think it so for a variety of reasons. It takes the traditional martial arts formula of the mystical hero, and it turns the film upside down to avoid going overboard in every way possible. Also, it strives to be much more of a contemporary 'period piece' -- set in what one could guess is America, circa 1920/1930 (I honestly don't remember that a date was mentioned) ... a creative choice that does give the principal characters far more of a 'superhero' feel and less of battling martial artists. That and EVERYTHING THAT COULD POSSIBLY BE WRITTEN ABOUT THE FILM'S CLIMAX ON THE STATUE OF LIBERTY MUST BE BELIEVED! While there are a few parts of the Statue's final battle that are hard to swallow, it's easy to look the other way and just be dazzled in the way many other blockbuster films have tried to do. A MAN CALLED HERO (not to be confused with Jet Li's HERO) is a remarkable find, and it's a remarkable piece of work from a man called Andrew Lau. This is a definite owner. While parts of it are more guilty pleasure than anything else, A MAN CALLED HERO is wonderfully entertaining and even manages to tug on a few heartstrings along the way.
Rating:  Summary: Great Special Effects, Love that Ekin! Review: Hero is a man born under an unlucky star with a terrible fortune: (Everyone close to Hero will die an unnatural death). After an assassin kills his family, Hero must flee to America to start over. Traveling to New York to begin his new life, Hero (Ekin Cheng) is taken to work at a mine. Along the way, he befriends a Buddhist monk, who admires his devotion and sense of honor. Falsely accused of murder at the camp, Hero is forced to flee yet again. When Hero discovers his wife, Jade, has also come to China town, Hero risks all to be with her... With some unforeseen consequences. "A Man Called Hero" has some excellent special effects, martial arts fans will enjoy. For instance: there is a scene where Hero and the villian are battling on top of the Statue of Liberty which was really breathtaking. There were also several really cool scenes where Hero is battling in the city as well. What really prevented me from giving this movie a five star rating was the choppy plot, and the way it was narrated. Half of the movie is told in 'real time' and the other half seems to be relayed by Hero's friend Shadow. The movie jumps from present to past, without much sense, and this was distracting. Also, the plot seemed to meander a bit, with Hero just taking what life dished out, and never doing much of anything. On the good side, Ekin Cheng was absolutely WONDERFUL as Hero, lending the role the fire it needed to breath life into an otherwise cardboard stiff character. With some editing and a decent script, I'd give this movie five stars!
Rating:  Summary: Mmm Ekin Cheng.... Review: This was the first Ekin Cheng movie I had ever seen and I fell in love with him the moment I laid eyes on him! I'm not a fantasy movie fan so basicly if Ekin wasnt in this movie, I would not have watched it. But, if you are an Ekin Cheng fan, you'll no doubt love this film.
|