In the midst of a reign of terror by the mysterious supervillain Fantomas (Jean Marais), newspaper reporter Fandor (Marais, again) and photographer Helene (Mylene Demongeot) stage a mock interview with the villain that incurs Fantomas’ wrath. Kidnapping Fandor, Fantomas pulls off an audacious jewel robbery disguised as the reporter and then another heist posing as his nemesis, police inspector Juve … Read the rest
Author: rob
Blood On My Hands (Yves Boisset, France/Italy, 1970)
After Robert Dassa (Pierre Massimi) is viciously beaten and then thrown to his death from a rooftop car park his sister Helene (Francoise Fabian) takes over the running of his nightclub but is brutally assaulted by the same men, thugs seeking to use the club to push drugs on behalf of crimelord Tavernier (Francis Cosne). However Robert’s friend Dan Rover … Read the rest
Weekend At Dunkirk (Henri Verneuil, France, 1964)
At Dunkirk, Sergeant Maillat (Jean-Paul Belmondo) finds himself stranded with three comrades; the perpetually armed Pinot (Georges Gerat), water fetcher Dhery (Pierre Mondy) and Pierson (Jean-Pierre Marielle) the former priest turned soldier with whom Maillat engages in sporadic theological debate. Under constant aerial bombardment Maillat attempts to secure permission from a British officer to join a ship departing for England … Read the rest
Violent Panic: The Big Crash (Kinji Fukasaku, Japan, 1976)
Kyoto bank-robber Takashi (Tsunehiko Watase) loses his partner in a heist gone wrong and decides to leave the country for Brazil. But his plan is sidetracked by Michi (Miki Sugimoto) the delinquent woman who loves him and won’t leave him alone, as well as his dead partner’s vengeful brother who wants all the cash they stole for himself. Events are … Read the rest
Modern Yakuza: Outlaw Killer aka Street Mobster (Kinji Fukasaku, Japan, 1972)
A street thug named Okita (Bunta Sugawara) emerges from prison after a five year stretch and hooks up with his former gang. Finding his old turf divided between two rival crime syndicates headed by Takigawa (Takeo Chii) and Yato (Noboru Ando) he begins muscling in on the former’s territory. But Okita can’t stay out of trouble and his love/hate relationship … Read the rest
Killer Constable (Kuei Chih-hung, Hong Kong, 1980)
In 19th century China a massive gold robbery at the court of the Manchurian Empress sends a squad headed by Constable Leng (Chen Kuan-tai) – a man with a well earned reputation for unsparing brutality when it comes to dealing with lawbreakers – on a hunt for the culprits, members of the despised Han minority. But the villains, led by … Read the rest
The 15:17 To Paris (Clint Eastwood, US, 2018)
The bond of friendship between three Californian kids – Spencer Stone, Alek Skarlatos and Anthony Sadler – helps them overcome the perils and pitfalls of school life. As young adults trying to figure out what to do with themselves Spencer feels driven to help others so he and Alex enlist in the military but both find it tougher than they … Read the rest
A Woman’s Testament (Yasuzo Masumura, Kon Ichikawa, Kozaburo Yoshimura, Japan, 1960)
An excellent anthology film comprising three determinedly unsentimental stories about the struggles of modern women. Despite getting on for 60 years of age it feels remarkably modern. Both in its depiction of women making their own way in the world and its sexual frankness (it’s certainly way ahead of anything coming out of Hollywood circa 1960). Masumura muse Ayako Wakao … Read the rest
Doppelganger (Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Japan, 2003)
Hayasaki (Koji Yakusho) the genius inventor of the world’s first artificial body is stunned when his own doppelganger turns up and offers to help clear away all the stresses in his own life so he can concentrate on his work. With the help of hired thug Kimishima (Yusuke Santamaria) and Yuka (Hiromi Nagasaku), a woman whose own brother has also … Read the rest
Big Bad Sis (Sun Chung, Hong Kong, 1976)
Seamstress Ying (Chen Ping) beats the crap out of a garment factory’s resident dyke when she tries to rape newbie Fong (Chong Lee) in the toilets. After hearing of Fong and co-worker Sai’s (Siu Yam-Yam) tragic histories Ying agrees to train the two girls in street fighting. But in the process Ying is brought face to face with her past … Read the rest
