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Black Mask

Black Mask

List Price: $9.98
Your Price: $9.98
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Good pre-Matrix action film
Review: "Black Mask" is one of several Hong Kong action movies that immediately predates the Matrix trilogy, and influenced the trilogy on a superficial level. It stars Jet Li (who's done much better things) as a superpowered vigillante, and features lots of camera trickery and wirework. The characters tend to wear black trenchcoats, fight kung-fu in midair, and several important showdowns occur on rooftops in the rain (just like in "The Matrix")! I enjoyed this fun film a lot, due to its extremely fast pace and incredibly clever stunts. I would recommend, however, other Jet Li films such as "Once Upon A Time in China" and "Romeo Must Die" if you are new to Jet Li's movies.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Blow-you-away martial arts action
Review: "Black Mask" is an incredible film. The action is unbelievable. If you thought the martial arts action in "The Matrix" (1999) was cool, then look no further. Both films have the same martial arts director (Yuen Wo Ping), and you get some incredible stuff here. Lots of mid-air, wire work which rocks. Big time. And the fighting is lightning fast. Really, this is must-see material.

The dubbing is fine. There's no problem there. There is a rap soundtrack which I wasn't fond of, but it's not terrible. The sound effects work well. The story and characters are nothing to write home about, but who cares? You watch this for the action, and that's it. If you want a great story, read a book. If you're looking for blow-you-away action, look no further.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Fast, brutal, zany and furiously entertaining!
Review: All the best of over the top HK cinema is noisily and delightfully juiced into this super slick thrill-ride. Jet Li is excellent and the fights are superb and nearly non-stop except for a few pleasant scenes between Li and the supremely endearing Karen Mok. There are several cool charaters, including the gorgeous Francoise Yip as a vicious and sexy schizo, and the whole lot of them--along with some great direction and editing--do their best to keep the comic book plot from careening wildly out of control and right on the brink of straight buzz gloriously silly and wildly entertaining action cinema.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: One of Jet Li's worst.
Review: And I thought _Romeo must DIe_ was bad. Uggh. The only good thing in this movie would be the Martial Arts sequence, and the good job of dubbing the actors.

The story is lame. It's basically reads like a script rejected for _Universal Soldier_.

I have no real interest in the Characters.

All and all a pretty rotten movie.

If you want to see Jet Li at his best, get Fist of Legend instead.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Good Fights
Review: As a Jet Li fan, I really enjoyed the fight scenes in this movie, but the story is nothing. My version is dubbed in english and probably cut, so cant rate this one fair. Anyway, see this movie for the fight scenes, not for the story.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: weird translation
Review: as I remember when i watched the original chinese version, although it wasnt any big deal but I did like it as I remember, but this version is totally destroy that feeling, something about the translation is just bad to the core makes the movie like a piece of crap, especially some sound effect. Why don't they put the original track in it I hard can understand. if u can find some asian version and rewatch it u would agree with me. it worth my 3 stars with the original track

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: A hysterically funny film for the whole family!
Review: Before Jet Li started breaking into the American market of action films with "The One", "Romeo Must Die", "Kiss of the Dragon", etc, he was pretty much revered overseas with Fist of Legend and numerous other martial-arts films which I can't remember already. Like many other martial-arts films before it, Black Mask suffers from the "American Tampering" syndrome. They feel that instead of subtitles, which we all know has successfully worked with such recent hit films like "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon", and last year's "Hero", they take American voices and insert them into the mouths of the foreign actors. Black Mask, aside from being tampered with, is still a bland, lackluster film. If you see it just for the fighting, which in my opinion isn't very much compared to, let's say, "Enter the Dragon", then that's all you get, but I thought every aspect of it was cheap, uninspired and well, just plain funny! The main villain is a spitting image of Yoko Ono for crying out loud! Who keeps his sunglasses on no matter what during the scene's last "intense" fight scene! How can you get any better than that in such a cheesefest? Jet Li's fighting skills are just as undermined as his character's relationship to cop buddy Rock, which I may add manages to emerge from not one, but TWO explosions, at close range, with barely a scratch and just a band aid over his brow! I could go all out on how bad it is, but I won't since it wouldn't be productive whatsoever. My advice? RENT IT as a comedy and DON'T buy it as an action/martial arts ride. Take in mind that this is my opinion. 2 stars.

AHHHHH!!!!

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: cool, cheesy, and fun!
Review: Being mainly a fan of old horror and sci-fi B-movies, I was a bit skeptical when a friend suggested I borrow this movie from his collection and watch it. Overall, the movie turned out to be a pleasant surprise. The hip-hop soundtrack works a lot better than one would expect, and the cheesy, badly acted dubbed dialogue is of the same type that you would expect from a Godzilla movie. The movie also has its share of twisted violence and gore. It's much cooler and more imaginative than that of The Matrix or any run-of-the-mill Schwarzennegar movie. If there is such a thing as a modern B-movie, this is it. I definitely recommend it.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Excellent Action, cheezy plot
Review: Black Mask is a must have for any Martial Arts enthusiast. In the tradition of Chineese film making the plot is cheezy by Western standards. The asians just have a different sense of humor and romantic involvement than westerners.

As you watch the film I am sure you will question how the stunts were performed. I would also like to point out the graphic violence that sometimes seemed to go beyond what I have seen in other movies of this ilk.

Excellent action, filmography, special effects, and apparently real physical feats are so great this movie is set apart from any other movie I have seen. The writing is very transparent and plot is, well, 12th grade.

If you are a male between 12-22 and into martial arts, this is a five star movie. Younger than 12 I would advise parental permission. I am 40, into martial arts, and found the movie to be a good purchase.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Stick With the Original HK Version
Review: Black Mask is an interesting film with Jet Li dressed up like Kato and going after guys, however this American release is strictly dogmeat. It has a hip-hop soundtrack that is just terrible and is poorly dubbed in English. I wish Amazon.com carried the subtitled DVD with the original soundtrack cause I'm certainly not picking up the Americanized version. Check that obscure video store that you have in your town where you go for good anime and ask for the HK version of this title.


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