As per usual when it came to Category III exploitation from this part of the 90s, The Rapist took its premise straight from the headlines of reality (Portrait Of A Serial Rapist covered the same story and also featured Chan Kwok-Bong and Farini Cheung). Director Cha Chuen Yee (Once Upon A Time In Triad Society 1 & 2) provides atmosphere that relies highly on immersing gritty style and pushes all the buttons the ratings allow to greatly upset. It definitively services the crowd but even that crowd knows when to feel disgusted while more than gladly being ones that takes on this less than life affirming experience. Cha's greatest asset to this production is a good ability to crank up the tension during the police hunt for the Tuen Mun rapist of the piece (played by Lee Kar-Sing) and thankfully, the cop unit is of the less goofy kind. Other sub plots including the a lame romance register as filler only and while chilling in its own right, the psychological aspect behind the rapist is the age old stuff that Dr. Lamb and the likes already handled.

KENNETH'S REVIEW: There's not much info to be found about this Category III rape-revenge thriller but notably it's an early role for Lily Chung who would go on to dedicate herself fully in victimized roles such as in Daughter Of Darkness and Red To Kill. Here she's fully clothed throughout but nonetheless a fine effect in director Cheung King-Nin's frame. She is conveniently enough Lily, scarred mentally from rape and after being saved from possibly yet another one by Po Wah (Ridley Tsui) and Ben (Karel Wong), she shacks up with the former while she regains her composure. But composure is hard to come by with memories of a dominating mother and a hungry Ben...

Quite amateurish partly as director Cheung exaggerates Lily's back story cinematically and the romance between Lily and Ridley's characters is certainly a poor man's hack job as created. But when turning conventions slightly on its head by having Lily planning her revenge on the innocent (in this case, on Ben's pregnant wife), a disturbing effect begins to loom over the proceedings. Our leading lady is fully focused in her distressing role, Ridley plays it weak which definitely fits but bad man veteran Karel Wong steals the film in yet another repelling act. Always with his clunky ass cell phone taped to his hand and after dishing out as much hurt as he can, through Wong we cringe at violence executed here. Be it his multiple scenes of raping Lily Chung, kicking other assorted women around or fighting brutally with Ridley, there's a cast effect over The Rapist Beckons that fits it firmly in the camp of films it belongs to. It stands out as a little bit more effective too.

Not epic by any means, this expected and convenient tale about triad blood being passed on through the generations, with barely any chance of redemption does nothing new or surprises. Tse Wai-Kit plays the cocky triad youngster who is encouraged to stay in school, quickly does that (a development glossed over by director Tso) but can't turn his back away from the hacks, slash and bloodshed of the gangster world. Adult counterparts in the form of Shing Fui-On and Wu Ma's characters doesn't aid and Carrie Ng's good-hearted prostitute represents nothing to the overall message of the film. Sylvia Chang is too good for this material but takes the film to watchable levels through her presence. The intense final brawl contains some worthwhile brutality however.

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Brothers Ming (Vincent Wan) and Kwong (John Woo) flees political turmoil in China in order to find a "new place" for the family to live safely in. That place is Hong Kong. In the mind of the rash Ming, this new life means taking chances and pursuing a criminal path. A choice largely condemned by loyal brother Kwong...

It's almost always easy to see that a drama template comes with potential but where Raymond Lee (Dragon Inn) goes wrong with Rebel From China lies in factors such as unsympathetic main character and dull proceedings. The desperation in Ming gets explained and there's certainly emotions to be felt concerning that but exploring deeper is not what Lee opts for or can do. Instead various gangster scenarios occupy our time and while action director Tony Leung brings his fine, hard hitting talents to a few action scenes, the film is still in dire need of air. John Woo, in his only large acting performance not directed by himself emotes...quite a lot. Yet he walks away with dignity, registering neither good or bad. Cecilia Yip is terribly wasted in a throwaway role however. Also with Tommy Wong, Patrick Tse, Ouyang Shafei and Lau Siu-Ming.

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The young female head (Ning Jing - Set To Kill, Divergence) of the Cai's fireworks factory falls in love with appointed painter Niu Bao (Wu Gang). Despite her top position, she is not allowed to break traditional values and these feelings equal one such "crime"...

He Ping (Swordsmen In Double Flag Town) brings out the thematic of innocence/individuality suffocated under authoritarian rule and values, an intriguing and noble concept. The film is consistently beautifully mounted and He Ping sticks with the reserved Mainland Chinese cinematic language throughout, punching only at select times when the narrative verges on threatening. The way the film is low-key, simmering in a way, does suggest an outburst later into poignant, masterful territory. Red Firecracker, Green Firecracker never quite gets to that point despite weight and substance being in its favour. Low-key could be gold for these films. He Ping's manages to be a bit of a yawner, meaning it's good but not reference material for those seeking a cinematic kick from other directors than Zhang Yimou.

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A grating comedy act by James Yi greatly contradicts the often chilling and violent slasher-nature to Kong Lung's The Red Panther. But as hard as it is to admit it, it's Hong Kong cinema after all so one either get with the flow or patiently wait until Kong Lung lets it rip with his violence. Much of it being competently staged even though the director tends the overemphasize the psychology of characters with the use of sound. The film has enough of the goodies, if it's horror you want. If constant toilet- and sex humour also floats your boat, you're in luck. Co-starring Margaret Lee, Chang Kuo Chu, Phillip Chan and Lawrence Cheng.

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From the producer of Centipede Horror, the aim and feel remains the same, only lacking a classic, climactic image such as a lead actress spewing up live centipedes (Margaret Lee, you're still our hero!). Still, Red Spell Spells Red is a fairly entertaining , irrelevant time with the horror genre, largely set in Borneo. A team of reporters from Hong Kong in their strife for the greatest report ever awakens the Red Dwarf ghost and its curse begins claiming each involved in the unearthing...

Director Titus Ho doesn't seem very interested, for probably correct reasons, to make refined cinema. It's the technique of throwing much to the wall and see what sticks that's used instead. For better or worse, the most vivid imagery concerns animal cruelty in various shapes of forms as we see pigs and chickens sacrificed (one chicken is even eaten alive at one point) and a slow motion cock fight certainly cements the not so upstanding morals of the filmmakers. But although not moving at a preferred full speed ahead, the film comes off as lively enough with a few select highlights. First off, characters of course behave totally irrationally but we wouldn't have a film had it been otherwise. So this stupidity leads into various gruesome detours such as scorpions crawling out of wounds, leaves ripping facial skin off, an arm being grounded down to a pulp and the climax features an exorcism wheel of sorts, with the lead actress transported through water as she goes round and round (which gives us gratuitous nudity to boot). With Ken Tong.

The sole directorial effort from frequent Jackie Chan screenwriter Edward Tang is ridiculously unfocused and you're almost thankful all sense of featuring a logical plot is ejected in favour of some actual nifty action during the latter parts of the film. With imprisoned big boss Hung (Waise Lee) and his lackeys (Valerie Chow and Lester Chan) trying to affect the justice system, we eventually get extremely far from this plot to the point where Waise Lee's character is totally forgotten. Kenny Ho and Yu Rong-Guang makes sure that there's some momentum eventually, much of it without director Tang's influence. Action highlights therefore include an entertaining chase sequence involving Ho on a bike pursuing and being pursued by a jeep and the warehouse finale flashes some good ol' acrobatic gunplay to make us happy for a select few minutes. Still, one of the most off-beat scenes has to be the solution to a ticking bomb problem. Just put it in a radio controlled helicopter. Also with Ken Lo.

Tackling the same true life crime but released theatrically after Cha Chuen-Yee's Legal Innocence, Clarence Fok's film stars James Pax as Billy Chan, a corrupter and of feeder on the weak. In this case, two desperate women, Judy (Carrie Ng) and Lisa (Jacqueline Law). They collide in his depraved world of sex and drugs, with Lisa ending up dead, hacked up and left to corrode in acid. Sentences are carried out but a retrial is on the horizon and a lawyer (Melvin Wong) re-examines the facts...

With less time spent with the young christian (Rachel Lee and played in Cha's film by Cecilia Yip) that falls in love with the manipulative Billy, Fok's film can be argued to be the least focused of the films. Yet neither Remains Of A Woman or Legal Innocence have perfect track records. Style is Fok's forte though, especially in the flashback sequences set in Billy Chan's decadent world. Of course his colours and sounds are escalated tenfold for the sake of cinema but it's thoroughly captivating in quite the distressing way to be part of Fok's vision of the crime. Much also thanks to Carrie Ng's intense, deep, deep descent as a character, effort that gave her a Taiwan Golden Horse Award. Melvin Wong, Dennis Chan (also co-writer) and Kenneth Tsang also appear.

It seems a little too short to be relevant but this Raymond To scripted drama is well-conceived and executed. It's a coming of age story celebrating both with the joys of growing up, newly found friendships and dreams of breaking free to pursue dreams. But director Cheuk Lei also throws in the sadder and darker consequences of wanting to rebel against the adult world and the Remember M Remember E is a rare balanced experience because of that inclusion. Broad comedy finds its way into the film but is usually a hoot, especially Lau Shun's priceless cameo. Lead Chu Kin-Kwan is a little to blank to carry the movie competently but he strikes up well-honed chemistry with Nicky Wu and the adorable Athena Chu. Lee Fung however brings superb dramatic weight as the strict mother of Athena Chu's Ching while O Chun Hung and Bonnie Fu appear in support.

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