The Evil Cult (aka “Lord of the Wu Tang”) is a wildly and wacky supernatural epic in which Jet Li masquerades as Mo-kei, a weakling warrior orphaned as a child when his parents are killed by two evil Jinx warlords. Chased out of the Wu Tang compound by a leader who considers him a liability, Mo-kei (and his female protectress) find themselves trapped in a dark abyss where they stumble upon a “cooking monk” trapped in a massive boulder who holds the secret to a lost form of Shaolin kung fu. They trick him into teaching Mo-kei the secret of his “solar stance”. Newly empowered, Mo-kei sets off to find his maternal grandfather, King of the Gold Lion (de facto leader of the Evil Cult), to rally his clan with the Wu Tang in order to defeat the stifling government forces and exact revenge on the terrible Jinxes. Martial Law‘s Sammo Hung appears as Chang San Fung, Tai Chi Master of the Wu Tang clan (Hung also choreographed the action sequences for this film). Director Wong Jing (who also helmed the God of Gamblers series, Hard Boiled 2, and Return to a Better Tomorrow) just about keeps a handle on the plot and ably directs the stunning action sequences, some of which occur on battlefields swarming with soldiers.

On the DVD: the main feature is presented in letterboxed format with original Cantonese dialogue and English subtitles. The print is generally of good quality but afflicted with blemishes and white flecks throughout. The subtitles are clear but their awkward translation and speed of transition serve at times to make an already convoluted plot harder to understand. It’s a shame that an option to listen to a dubbed soundtrack wasn’t added as the dubbed theatrical trailer (included here) enhances the daffiness of the movie. Other extras include comprehensive cast and crew filmographies and a small selection of stills. –Chris Campion

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There’s a satisfying sense of closure to the definitive noir kick achieved in The Big Heat: its director, Fritz Lang, had forged early links from German expressionism to the emergence of film noir, so it’s entirely logical that the expatriate director would help codify the genre with this brutal 1953 film. Visually, his scenes exemplify the bold contrasts, deep shadows, and heightened compositions that define the look of noir, and he matches that success with the darkly pessimistic themes of this revenge melodrama.

The story coheres around the suicide of a crooked cop, and the subsequent struggle of an honest detective, Dave Bannion (Glenn Ford), to navigate between a corrupt city government and a ruthless mobster to uncover the truth. Initially, the violence here seems almost timid by comparison to the more explicit carnage now commonplace in films, yet the story accelerates as its plot arcs toward Bannion’s showdown with kingpin Lagana (Alexander Scourby) and his psychotic henchman, the sadistic Vince Stone, given an indelible nastiness by Lee Marvin. When Bannion’s wife is killed by a car bomb intended for the detective, both the hero and the story go ballistic: suspended from the force, he embarks on a crusade of revenge that suggests a template for Charles Bronson’s Death Wish films, each step pushing Lagana and Stone toward a showdown. Bodies drop, dominoes tumbled by the escalating war between the obsessed Bannion and his increasingly vicious adversaries.

Lang’s disciplined visual design and the performances (especially those of Ford, Marvin, Jeanette Nolan as the dead cop’s scheming widow, and Gloria Grahame as Marvin’s girlfriend) enable the film to transcend formula, as do several memorable action scenes–when an enraged Marvin hurls scalding coffee at the feisty Debby (Grahame), we’re both shattered by the violence of his attack, and aware that he’s shifted the balance of power. –Sam Sutherland

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Pandemic Studios invites you to experience the ultimate open-world action/adventureas The Saboteur. Fight, climb, and race your way through a uniquely stylized version of Nazi-occupied France, and hunt down your sworn enemies who have taken everything from you. Enter the seedy underground world of a saboteur living in 1940s Paris, where the women are sexy, the missions are epic, and the revenge is satisfying.

Play as Sean Devlin, a street-tough Irish racing mechanic seeking personal redemption in the first open-world action game set in Nazi-occupied Europe. Now, its time for paybackwith the help of the French Resistance, British intelligence, an arsenal of weaponry, and your own street smarts and brawn, you must exact revenge on those who aimed to destroy your life. Motivated by retribution and armed with tactics of sabotage, blow up zeppelins, derail trains, implode bridges, destroy armoured tanks, and level enemy facilities in the name of vengeance.

• Live the resistance in an open-world Paris Fight and sabotage your way through a stylized open-world 1940s Paris from the top of the Eiffel Tower, to the riverbanks of the Seine, the cathedral of Notre Dame or the prestigious Champs-lyses
• Be the Saboteur Use a broad range of weapons and explosives to perform your blockbuster sabotage as you single-handedly hunt-down your enemies to dismantle and destroy the Nazi occupation
• Quiet In, Loud Out Use gameplay systems like Climbing, Sneaking, and Stealth Kills to infiltrate the Nazi occupation to perform acts of Sabotage Once you’ve blown your target to pieces, leverage the intuitive cover system and assortment of weapons to blast your way to freedom
• Vertical World This version of Paris was designed to leverage the unique abilities of The Saboteur. Being a Saboteur is all about surprise attacks and Paris’ rooftops are the perfect path for your
  The Saboteur (PS3)

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Pandemic Studios invites you to experience the ultimate open-world action/adventureas The Saboteur. Fight, climb, and race your way through a uniquely stylized version of Nazi-occupied France, and hunt down your sworn enemies who have taken everything from you. Enter the seedy underground world of a saboteur living in 1940s Paris, where the women are sexy, the missions are epic, and the revenge is satisfying.

Play as Sean Devlin, a street-tough Irish racing mechanic seeking personal redemption in the first open-world action game set in Nazi-occupied Europe. Now, its time for paybackwith the help of the French Resistance, British intelligence, an arsenal of weaponry, and your own street smarts and brawn, you must exact revenge on those who aimed to destroy your life. Motivated by retribution and armed with tactics of sabotage, blow up zeppelins, derail trains, implode bridges, destroy armoured tanks, and level enemy facilities in the name of vengeance.

• Live the resistance in an open-world Paris Fight and sabotage your way through a stylized open-world 1940s Paris from the top of the Eiffel Tower, to the riverbanks of the Seine, the cathedral of Notre Dame or the prestigious Champs-lyses
• Be the Saboteur Use a broad range of weapons and explosives to perform your blockbuster sabotage as you single-handedly hunt-down your enemies to dismantle and destroy the Nazi occupation
• Quiet In, Loud Out Use gameplay systems like Climbing, Sneaking, and Stealth Kills to infiltrate the Nazi occupation to perform acts of Sabotage Once you’ve blown your target to pieces, leverage the intuitive cover system and assortment of weapons to blast your way to freedom
• Vertical World This version of Paris was designed to leverage the unique abilities of The Saboteur. Being a Saboteur is all about surprise attacks and Paris’ rooftops are the perfect path for your
  The Saboteur (PC DVD)

  <- Read More Buy Now for [wpramaprice asin=”B002GYVYW6″] (Best Price)

There’s a satisfying sense of closure to the definitive noir kick achieved in The Big Heat: its director, Fritz Lang, had forged early links from German expressionism to the emergence of film noir, so it’s entirely logical that the expatriate director would help codify the genre with this brutal 1953 film. Visually, his scenes exemplify the bold contrasts, deep shadows, and heightened compositions that define the look of noir, and he matches that success with the darkly pessimistic themes of this revenge melodrama.

The story coheres around the suicide of a crooked cop, and the subsequent struggle of an honest detective, Dave Bannion (Glenn Ford), to navigate between a corrupt city government and a ruthless mobster to uncover the truth. Initially, the violence here seems almost timid by comparison to the more explicit carnage now commonplace in films, yet the story accelerates as its plot arcs toward Bannion’s showdown with kingpin Lagana (Alexander Scourby) and his psychotic henchman, the sadistic Vince Stone, given an indelible nastiness by Lee Marvin. When Bannion’s wife is killed by a car bomb intended for the detective, both the hero and the story go ballistic: suspended from the force, he embarks on a crusade of revenge that suggests a template for Charles Bronson’s Death Wish films, each step pushing Lagana and Stone toward a showdown. Bodies drop, dominoes tumbled by the escalating war between the obsessed Bannion and his increasingly vicious adversaries.

Lang’s disciplined visual design and the performances (especially those of Ford, Marvin, Jeanette Nolan as the dead cop’s scheming widow, and Gloria Grahame as Marvin’s girlfriend) enable the film to transcend formula, as do several memorable action scenes–when an enraged Marvin hurls scalding coffee at the feisty Debby (Grahame), we’re both shattered by the violence of his attack, and aware that he’s shifted the balance of power. –Sam Sutherland

<- Read More Buy Now for [wpramaprice asin=”B000CIWXEQ”] (Best Price)

<- Read More Buy Now for [wpramaprice asin=”B0046GCJLM”] (Best Price)

<- Read More Buy Now for £14.99 (Best Price)