Korean cinema has come a long way since the rise of the Korean Wave in the late '90s and early '2020s, peaking in XNUMX when the film "Parasites" director Bong Joon-ho noted at the Oscars ceremony. Of course, Koreans were present in Hollywood before "Parasites" attracted everyone's attention, and people like Lee Byung-hun (“Terminator Genisys”, “The Magnificent Seven”), Bae Doo-na (“Cloud Atlas”, “Jupiter Ascending”) and Choi Min-sik (“Lucy”) became important persons of the company TinselTown Productions... Himself Bong Joon-ho was at the helm of the English-language project “Through the Snow” in 2013, then, like his other colleague Kim Ji-woon, worked with Arnold Schwarzenegger в “The Return of the Hero”, Park Chan-wook с Nicole Kidman в “Vicious Games” (all in the same year).
However, few people know that Koreans were making films in the United States long before the Korean Wave began, back in the mid-70s. And even if they are far from the major blockbusters of recent years or even downright bad, they were! So if you are looking for a rare diamond like “To Parasites”, I'm giving you fair warning, you've come to the wrong place. But, if you like ninjas who take revenge on gangs who sing offensive songs about them, or how Bruce Lee jumping out of his grave when struck by lightning, or even CGI monsters that look like they were drawn on Commodore 64, then welcome!
Below we look at 25 films from the 70s to the 90s (plus 4 more films worth mentioning as a bonus) that were either directed by a Korean director or starring a Korean. So, join us on this exciting journey into the unknown world of Korean cinema made in the US in the 70s, 80s and 90s!
“Visitor to America”, aka “Bruce Lee Rises from the Grave” (1976)
Perhaps the most infamous of all Korean films made in the States. In 1976, director Lee Doo-young was already familiar with the genre of action cinema, having made a number of films with Han Young-cheol as the main star. While scouting talent in the United States for a film he intended to shoot there, Doo-young approached Jun Jonggu, a taekwondo instructor from Hollywood, and was impressed enough to sign him for the lead role. This film was “Visitor to America” (in which the young Sho Kosugi in a minor but combative role), and here we usually say: “And the rest is history.”
But not this time, because, despite the fact that “Visitor to America” became a hit in Asia, it was never shown where it was filmed. That was until some distributors looking to make a quick buck picked him up, believing that Chong had some resemblance to Bruce Lee. Even though it had nothing to do with Little Dragon, enterprising Western distributors simply added a few seconds to the beginning of the film with new footage showing the grave Bruce Lee, which is subsequently struck by lightning, causing “Bruce Lee” to jump out of the ground! Yes, with a new name "Bruce Lee Rises from the Grave" and Chong, who suddenly became Bruce K. L. Leigh, Doo-young’s film still found its audience in America (and maybe all over the world!).
“Mad” (1984)
The case when all paths lead to "Bruce Lee Rises from the Grave". Eight years later, a couple of students Zhong Chong - brothers known as Simon и Phillip Rea – will headline this truly bizarre avant-garde work of action cinema. “Mad” was shot in just a week in Southern California on a budget of $30000, and it's clearly a "you won't believe it until you see it" movie. In short, the plot centers on Simon Rea, who wants to avenge the murder of his sister. However, such a description does not reflect many of the nuances that this film abounds in. For example, there are evil magicians who shoot chickens out of their hands (and live ones!), and also aliens who control the astral plane.
Despite the blatantly low budget and the complete idiocy happening on screen, if we consider the film as an opportunity for the Rea brothers to express themselves for the first time, then it does full justice to their talents. Having gained control over the choreography and filming of fight scenes, the brothers recruited their own students to work as extras (including the young Lorena Avedona), as a result, taekwondo is shown here in all its glory. Along with musical inserts “Mad” looks so pretentious that if it included a song dedicated to taekwondo, we would not be at all surprised... But, alas, this honor will be given to another film located lower on the list.
"Chinatown" aka "Los Angeles Street Fighters" and "Ninja Territory" (1985)
This is the first film on our list to be directed by Park Woo-san, so I immediately warn you that he will appear here 5 more times. No other Korean director working in the US in the 80s and 90s was as prolific, and his name is synonymous with low (if not zero) budget martial arts films. And if this name doesn't mean much to you, it's probably because in America he was known as Richard Park. In Korea, he made low-grade but very funny kung fu films, for example “My name is Twin Legs”, also known as "Thunder Tiger Strike", or “The fourth largest Shaolin Temple”, aka “Shaolin: Bloody Mission”. But, if we talk about his American works, then usually Woo-san's crafts looked like he called everyone from the local Korean community in Los Angeles and attracted them to work on his films in one capacity or another.
“Chinatown” became his first film shot in the States, as well as the first film financed by Joon Chong's newly formed production company Action Brothers Productions. The story is about the rivalry between Korean and Chinese schools in Los Angeles Chinatown, where all the students look at least 30 years old. “Chinatown” is notable not only for the presence of Chong himself, there is also Phillip Rea, Lauren Avedon и Bill "Superfoot" Wallace. This was the first American film where a rabid Korean was in charge of the choreography Kwan Yun-mun, then just arrived in the States (he would later stage “Connection through Miami”). Further, “Chinatown” will set the standard for much of Woo-san's entire American filmography - poorly lit fight scenes, terrible dialogue and terrible production values. However, despite all the disadvantages, “Chinatown” Still, she has some kind of inexplicable charm of her own.
“The Manchurian Avenger” (1985)
Filmed in 1982 but not released until 1985, it is the first American film starring Bobby Kim, a taekwondo grandmaster who immigrated to Colorado in the late 70s. Also known as Asian Charles Bronson (you'll understand why once you see him), Kim has built a successful film career in Korea, starring in films such as "Viper" и "Death blow" (acting as an opponent Lo Lieu). And while the prospect of bringing the Korean style of taekwondo into a Wild West setting seemed quite exciting, it was a precursor to similar ideas that would be adopted in "American Adventure" и "Shanghai Knights" decades later, things look very different on screen.
“The Manchurian Avenger” pushes Bobby Kim с Bill Wallace 3 years before Wallace had a similar fight with Jackie Chan (and it seems to me that the way out "The Manchurian Avenger" already in 85, was associated with the appearance of Wallace in “Patron” the same year, and hardly had anything to do with "Chinatown"!). However, if we consider this work as a demonstration of talents Bobby Kim, then, perhaps, it will be difficult to film something worse "The Manchurian Avenger" (difficult, but not exactly impossible, since we haven’t gone through the entire list yet). An extremely mediocre creation from a director for whom this will be the first and last work, with the participation of actors mainly consisting of local Colorado residents. It is better to refrain from watching, unless you are an ardent fan, of course. Bobby Kim. Or would you like to see a sequel? “Death Wish”, released somewhere in an alternate universe.
“Dark Blue Night” (1985)
Although at first glance “Dark Blue Night” looks like a typical melodrama of that era, it is distinguished by the fact that it was filmed entirely on location in Los Angeles, and this is perhaps the only case in the career of the legendary Ahn Seong-gi, when he played a character who can only be described as an asshole. Dreaming of life in the USA, he leaves his pregnant wife in Korea to get a green card, he succeeds with the help of a rather cunning plan - to enter into a fictitious marriage with a Korean woman already living there, played by her Jang Mi-hee. After her own marriage fails, she begins to help Korean men entering the United States by entering into relationships with them, however, as soon as she develops feelings for the hero Song-gi, events quickly develop, leading to a tragic ending.
Director Bae Chang-ho debuted in 1982 with the cult film “Slum People”, which marked the beginning of his collaboration with Ahn Seong-gi, which would run for the next 10 years across 12 films. Despite the fact that “Dark Blue Night” - far from their best collaboration, it covers an interesting time period dedicated to how Korea perceived America in the mid-80s. Of course, there will be some ridiculous English dialogues, as well as phrases that are hopelessly outdated over these 35 years, but the drama and the disturbing tone of the narrative that permeates all this action definitely make the film worthy of attention.
“Miami Connection” (1987)
Park Woo-san, aka Richard Park returns (now, shining in front of the camera too!)! However, in this case he does not bear full responsibility for the classic formula “so bad it’s good”, which is what he is “Connection through Miami”. This is largely due to Kim Young-gun, a taekwondo grandmaster who is now known for promoting his self-defense programs on various American home improvement television channels. But in the 80s, he believed that the best way to promote his positive thinking to the masses would be to make a film for which he would write the script himself, produce it himself and star in it himself, subsequently almost going bankrupt. The story of a group of college friends (yes, thirty year olds playing teenagers again) who form the band Dragon Sound. The growing fame of the newly formed group and their songs about superiority over ninjas and the power of taekwondo (see, I mentioned this for a reason!) attracts the attention of the evil ninjas from Miami.
Impossible to fully describe “Connection through Miami”, limited to just a couple of paragraphs, so I won’t even try. In the end, Kim Young-gun He also became a co-director, because after all the distributors and studios on planet Earth began to advise throwing this film in the trash, a couple of years later he decided to make a more optimistic and action-oriented finale, reuniting all the actors. Well, almost everyone, the main villain Cho Si-yun, whom we remembered from his white ninja suit, was apparently too busy, because in the final fight, he unexpectedly transformed into a Caucasian. Ninja magic, no less!
“Silent Killers” (1988)
Three years after release “Chinatown” / "Street Fighters from Los Angeles", June Chong и Action Brothers Productions declare themselves in “Silent Assassins”. Getting rid of Park Woo-san, here Chong once again joins forces with director Lee Doo-young, in the film of which he made his debut 12 years ago. And again Chong pulls up his students to give a series of fight scenes, which, as they say, “drag,” diluting the overall dullness. Starring perhaps Chong's most recognizable student, Sam Jones - the guy who played Flash Gordon in the 1980 classic of the same name. Also joining the star cast is Linda Blair, playing his wife. And yes... this is the movie you never asked for - Flash Gordon, Regan from “The Exorcist” and resurrected Bruce Lee team up to fight, you guessed it, ninjas!
The production of this film will be better than that of the one that hit the bottom "Chinatown", and in order for you to understand how much better, I’ll assume that they managed to scrape together another 10 dollars and put it to work. However, there is plenty of typical B-movie entertainment here, which makes "Silent Killers" (which in fact are not in the film - in every scene where ninjas appear, they literally start tearing throats) is a good way to kill an hour and a half. As a bonus, Phillip Rea will appear here a year before the scene with his participation moves to "The best of the best" – his fight in the bathroom against his brother Simon is almost worth watching.
“Taekwondo Guy Ernie and Master Kim” (1989)
On IMDb the main character of the film is listed as Bobby Kim, aka the Asian incarnation Charles Bronson, in fact, this is the only screen appearance of a certain Bobby Jay Kima. He, appropriately, plays a taekwondo teacher, Master Kim, living in the United States, who takes a student named Ernie under his wing. And continuing the theme... the student is playing Ernie Reyes Jr. Yes, the same one. Here he is only 17, and in a year he will get a role in the film “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2: The Secret of the Emerald Potion”, which would later define his career. Here the taekwondo guy Ernie, along with Master Kim, gets involved in a drug trafficking operation headed by a dishonest businessman, and, of course, the heroes do everything possible to stop him.
In the director's chair is Nam Gi-nam, responsible for some of the most disgusting Korean kung fu films known to mankind, including the ones he starred in Bruce Le (“Return of the Red Tiger” - one of them, and that says it all). This film was released only in Korea, and how Gi-nam miraculously managed to film it in the USA will probably remain one of the greatest mysteries of the century, but what’s even more curious is where it went Bobby Jay Kim?
“Fatal Revenge” (1989)
While many of the Korean martial artists who made films in the United States in the 80s and 90s occupied their own little niche and were not known to the general public, it is safe to say that even those of us who know about the guys like Bobby Kim и Jun Chonga, might not have even heard of such an actor as Julian Lee. A taekwondo champion who moved to the States at the age of 14, Lee was a stuntman in a television project directed by Philip J. Roth. “Bad trip” 1988, and Roth was so impressed by Lee's leg-swinging that he decided to make a film with him as the main star. This is how it was born “Fatal Revenge”, and while I can confirm that the film was released on VHS, unfortunately, trying to find any reviews of it, or even clips from it, has proven to be an impossible task for me.
But what's even more surprising about “Fatal Revenge” and participation in this film Juliana Lee, is that the story does not end here (Y.K. Lee, hi), in the next 22 years, Lee will play the central character in 6 more films. So, yes, if the thought now flashes through your mind that this is not his last appearance on our list, you are absolutely right.
“Street Soldiers” (1991)
Third and final production project Jun Chong and his company Action Brothers Productions, considered his best film according to some (although, let's be honest, the quality is so-so). A kind of thematic approach to martial arts against the backdrop of West Side Story, with a characteristic feature of Chong’s films, when students are played by men over 30, and, of course, acting performances that you can’t look at without tears. A clear ace hidden up his sleeve "Street Soldiers", is the presence in the caste of a legendary master of foot fencing Hwang Jan-lee, playing the main villain's bodyguard. This will be Jan-li's only appearance in American cinema, which will be remembered by the viewer not so much for his trademark blows, but for the frankly fake cobra that wrapped itself around his neck throughout the entire film. It just needs to be seen.
By the way, Jan-li used his son's name for his American debut, so he is listed here as Jason Hwang. Well, as for the million dollar question, yes, we will actually see a fight Jun Chong и Hwana Zhang Lee. Looking much more frisky than we're used to seeing him, Jan Lee proves he's still got the chops, just don't expect anything comparable to his Hong Kong or Korean work. It is noteworthy that Chong will disappear from the film industry after "Street Soldiers" and will appear again 15 years later in 2006 to produce and at the same time take part in the film “Furious Cage Fight”. Oh, and for those wondering, no, the director Lee Harry not Korean. These names can be confusing!
“Look at Me, America” aka “Gangster Justice” (1991)
You can't kill a good man, so 5 years after “Miami Connections” (well, or those episodes that he filmed himself!) Park Woo-san, aka Richard Park, returns to the director's chair for the film “Look at me, America”, also known as "Gangster Justice"! Apparently impressed by the fight Joon Kim с Hwang Jan-lee в "Street Soldiers" the same year, here Woo-san puts Kim in the lead role, forcing him to take on a character who is constantly bullied for being the son of Asian immigrants. Woo-sang once again assembles a cast that appears to be made up entirely of members of the local Korean community, offering the viewer terrible acting and strange problems with narrative pacing.
However, the film is notable for the participation Erika Estrada, unexpectedly playing a “rich white man”, despite the fact that he himself is not white at all. Here Woo-san goes to such a gloomy ending that at one time he forced Kim Young-gun reshoot the ending “Miami Connections”, and there are far fewer action scenes here than in his other works, which, coupled with the poor production of the film, makes viewing completely unbearable. Perhaps the most interesting element of the film is the art work that graced various VHS editions in the States, released under the title "Gangster Justice". Thanks to images that had nothing to do with the film itself, and the complete absence of Jun Kima in any form, it is not surprising that video store patrons were clearly confused by the film they ended up seeing.
“Death Line” (1991)
"Line of death" completes our selection of films from 1991 and marks the return Bobby Kim, who is still trying to put Colorado on the map as the new home of taekwondo, and still doing it very poorly. Like "The Manchurian Avenger", filmed in 1982 but delayed until 1985, "Death Line" filmed in 1989, but released only a couple of years later. Having moved from the Wild West to a modern American small town, “Death Lines” we watch as Kim returns to Colorado after spending 10 years in prison for a crime he didn't commit. Fucked up by the inhabitants of the town and the sheriff, although to a lesser extent than the notorious John Rambo, Kim soon begins to give the locals a series of monstrously sluggish kicks and slaps, and so slowly that if you tried to reproduce them in slow-mo, you would end up with would be a whole movie.
Similar to the work of his contemporaries, Park Woo-san and Chung Chong, "Line of death" is an extremely low-budget production, and the only actor in this film with even an ounce of martial arts talent is himself Bobby Kim. The director is listed as mysterious Richard H. Kim, which except “Death Lines”, was not noted for other films. I remember in my review I suggested that this could very well be the pseudonym of Bobby Kim. Since denying the very fact of one’s participation in “Death Lines” It was pointless, changing his name, he could partially justify himself by the fact that at least he was not the director of such a terribly boring film.
“My Samurai” (1992)
As we promised, Julian Lee comes back with a movie “My Samurai”. This picture can rightfully be considered the most famous in his filmography (largely thanks to the 2019 Blu-ray release from MVD Rewind Collection). Apparently, during the filming process, Lee had the idea that Bobby Kim did an excellent job of putting Colorado on the world taekwondo map as Lee settled there as well, and began filming most of his films in Denver, continuing his predecessor's legacy.
The usual story is about a guy attending a martial arts school witnessing a murder committed by bandits, and Lee subsequently has to intervene to deal with them and save the day. It's annoying that the guy (played by John Callo, who never starred anywhere else) constantly refers to Lee as “My Samurai,” despite the fact that we are, in fact, talking about taekwondo. But hey, it's 1992, so let's not quibble too much.
It's interesting to note that Lee got the lead role because he was the film's executive producer. "Iron heart" с Bolo Yen, released the same year by the company Imperial Entertainment, who was just looking for a new B-movie star. As they say, I was in the right place at the right time!
“Three Ninjas: Knuckles Up” (1993)
There is perhaps no name more synonymous with Korean cinema than Shin Sang-ok, a director who has been in the industry since the early 1950s and is responsible for such classics as “Flowers in Hell” и “My mother and her guest”. Sang-ok was married to the most popular actress of that era Choi Eun-hee, who was kidnapped in Hong Kong in 1978 by North Korean agents on orders Kim Jong-il. Having flown to Hong Kong in person to investigate, Sang-ok was also captured, and after spending some time in a re-education camp after two failed escape attempts, in 1983 he began making films in North Korea under the direction of Kim Jong-il. The most famous of which was the North Korean kaiju film “Pulgasari”.
While promoting their films in Vienna in 1986, Sang-ok and Eun-hee rush to the US Embassy and, after receiving political asylum, eventually settle in Virginia and later move to Los Angeles in the 90s. Unwilling to return to South Korea, fearing that security might not believe his kidnapping story, Sang-ok pulls up Park Woo-san and changing his name to Simon Sheen, takes on directorial duties, releasing in 1993 “Three Ninjas: Knuckles Up”, a sequel to the 1992 children's film "Three Ninjas". As you can imagine, this film stands out from San-ok's entire filmography like a swollen thumb, although interestingly, he served as executive producer on the next two sequels in 1994 and 1998 before returning to South Korea.
“Angels with Black Belts” (1994)
In 1994 year Bobby Kim conquers the screens again in the film “Angels with black belts”, and this time he acts in tandem with the director Kim Hyo-chun (contrary to IMDb, where the director is listed as a certain Kim Chi, I can confirm that no fermented vegetables were actively involved in the directing of this film). I would venture to guess that Hyo-chon moved to California, where the filming took place, after he made his last film in Korea in 1984, and apparently one day, Bobby Kim decided to take a vacation, getting out of Colorado for a while, so, taking advantage of the opportunity, they made a film together. Ironically, Hyo-chon was the director of the only film actually shot in Korea in which he appeared June Chong (a guy who's sure to pop up somewhere on this list!), we're talking about the 1980 film, “Lone Star of Osaka”.
As you might guess, the plot "Angels" tells the story of a taekwondo school that is about to close and the students who do everything they can to prevent it. Naturally, their efforts provoke the wrath of the mafioso and his army of trained ninjas, but fortunately, our young heroines are black belt holders! What follows is a mixture of wildly drawn-out chase scenes on roller skates, dressing up in red, white and blue ass-kicking costumes, and just an outrageous amount of screaming “Kiya!” And of course, with an indispensable attribute of this film (like many others listed above) - the savory “duh-duh” coming from the speakers, but on the other hand, in the arsenal of the four main heroines, at least, there are a couple of real taekwondo techniques, which they convincingly demonstrate. The rest is pure shame and horror.
“Chinatown 2”, aka “Chinatown in America” (1995)
Ubiquitous Park Woo-san returns with a themed sequel "Chinatown", also known as “Street Fighters from Los Angeles”, released in 1985, this time his main trump card is his presence in the leading role Lee Tae-jung, grandmaster and son of the founder of the martial art of Hwarangdo (the man thanks to whom, according to Mickey Rourke, he was able to get his life back on track). Plus he will have company Robert Z'Dar, known from the film “Maniac Cop”. Cast “Chinatown 2” brings together all the Korean martial artists who made films (well, let's call it that) in America in the 80s and 90s - here you can June Chongand Bobby Kim and even Phillip Rea will flash on the screen. Straight Korean version “The Expendables”, and perhaps the film would have turned out quite well if it weren’t for Park Woo-san.
Apparently, Woo-san was determined to prove that in this country it was possible to make films for ten years in a row without doing the slightest bit of work to correct the mistakes, which is why “Chinatown 2”, can best be described as a test that you have to go through. As usual, the plot revolves around a martial arts master who, by the will of fate, turns out to be an orphan (but, unlike “Miami Connections”, here at least they don’t form a group), the main focus is on the developing romance between Tae-jung and the girl he one day saves. Difficulties arise when it turns out that the girl is the half-sister of the gang leader who raised him since childhood. If you're expecting a beautiful display of Hwarangdo from the film, you'll still be able to find something, but don't expect to see anything, thanks to Woo-sang and his patented technique of “filming in such pitch darkness that you can't see a damn thing.” Surprisingly, Woo-san will somehow miraculously manage to make another film in the USA.
“Best of the Best 3: No Turning Back” (1995)
In many ways, the film series is considered to have pioneered the path that the franchise would take a decade later. "Undeniable" with the character Boyka, but precisely Phillip Rea did it first with “The best of the best”. If the first two films with Robert Radler as director and Eric Roberts starring, follows the concept of the tournament, then in the third part, Ree himself makes his debut as a director, making his character, Tommy Lee, the main star of the show. Completely moving away from the tournament theme, which "The best of the best" adhered to until now, in "There is no way back" Ree's character returns to her rural hometown (to visit her previously unmentioned sister) and soon discovers that it has been occupied by Nazi skinheads swearing by white supremacy.
Also shining on the screen was the then-growing Gina Gershon in the role of the choir teacher and fighting friend of Ri. The anti-racist message that the first-time director seeks to convey to the viewer comes across, for the most part, as naive and stupid. However, if you are ready to accept the fact that these are already different "The best of the best", you'll get quite a bit of fun from watching Ri make his directorial debut with his own solo project. This is a normal “bashka” with the main character punching skinheads in the face. There are worse examples.
“Windy City” (1997)
Sometimes a movie comes along that literally baffles you, even in 2021. This fact is encouraging and surprising in equal measure!
"City of winds", just from this category. The film was shot in New York and later released on VHS in Korea by Han Cinetown, which usually specializes in erotic films. Apart from this information, there is nothing else. Nothing on Google and even on Korean search engines like Naver, as if the film never existed in nature.
VHS tapes “Windy Cities” are still passed through the hands of collectors of all kinds of products from this country, we can only provide you with a photo of one of them, as clear evidence that this is not a figment of our imagination.
“Korean Killers: Family List” (1997)
After starring in “Chinatown 2”, Grandmaster of Hwarangdo, Lee Tae-jung wanted to make a film about what it was like to be Korean-American in Los Angeles, and tell the story of two brothers who strive to become members of a gang of Korean hitmen (a real-life gang operating in Los Angeles). This film became “Korean Killers: Family List”, which began filming in 1995, and, most likely, having no other options, Tae-jun cast Park Woo-san into the director's chair, this fact clearly indicates that filming started immediately after finishing the sequel "Chinatown". However, only 70% of the material was shot, and only a couple of years later, the film was taken out from the dusty shelf and tried to be turned into a solid, finished product. And as we know, integrity is not Woo-san’s strong point, so it’s hard to say for sure whether anything worthwhile would have come out of it if the remaining 30% had been filmed.
“Korean killers” are interesting in that he plays the role of the second brother (his only role in American cinema) Shin Hyun-jun (“Bishunmo – The Flying Warrior”, “Phantom Sword”), while simultaneously starring in another film, “Ginkgo bed“. And he handles the English dialogue quite well, playing a character in a relationship with a now-deceased woman. Karen Kim (“Seal Team 2″). Like “Taekwondo Guy Ernie and Master Kim”, “Korean Killers: Family List” was released only in Korea, and the original material was lost. To date, the film is only available on Korean VHS tapes, and, despite its low budget and glaring flaws that have no end in sight, it still looks more interesting than the second "Chinatown" (besides our old friends, Bobby Kim и June Chong will also be noted here!).
“Best of the Best 4: Without Warning” (1998)
All obligations regarding the continuation of the franchise "The best of the best"by which Phillip Rea, maybe somehow connected in the 3rd part, are sent to hell in the 4th part, called "Without warning". In general, here we can already say with confidence that Rea borrowed only the name from his character Tommy Lee, since the script, apparently, was finalized in order to somehow weave this part into the franchise "The best of the best" (The script was co-written with Rea). Let's start with the fact that he is now a widower with a six-year-old daughter! And given the fact that the film “Best of the Best 3: No Turning Back” came out just three years earlier, it's clear that common sense came out for a smoke. Although who cares about this at all, when we have before us the most classic plot of an action movie of the 90s - Ree begins to be pursued by the Russian mafia when a stolen computer disk falls into his hands!
Here Ri is again the director and leading actor, and, as already mentioned, this time he also had a hand in the script! Obviously, here he positions himself as an action star of the level Seagal/Van Damme, and despite the fact that "Without warning" has all the trappings of a B-movie, Philip does a good job of kicking some bad guys' asses. It’s even a little disappointing that after this film he will disappear from the film industry for the next 17 years, and will return only in 2015 with “Losers”, where he will also act as a director, screenwriter, and play a prominent role.
“Tiger Street” (1998)
Julian Lee returns to screens after a 6-year break in 1998 in the film “Tiger Street”, coming face to face with the brainchild of Phillip Rea, “Best of the Best 4: Without Warning” in the battle for the best foot-swinging B-movie. Unsurprisingly, Lee plays - you guessed it - a taekwondo teacher, once again teaching children martial arts and keeping them away from the violent gangs of drug addicts that infest the area. The area in question is a drug infested cesspool located in Denver, Colorado. I'd bet that adult Taekwondo students have never been a requirement for this particular genre, but that's just my observation. The main highlight of the film is that here Lee plays a reluctant teacher. He previously taught taekwondo in North Korea, where this sport is outlawed, but as soon as Lee's henchmen find out about his activities Kim Jong-il, then, of course, without being inflamed with warm feelings, they throw him into prison.
The memories still haunt him and he hasn't taught since, but thanks to Lee's limited acting range, it won't take him long to overcome his fears and doubts and agree to teach again. Thanks to Lee's characteristic wooden acting, energetic kicks and, of course, a director for whom this film is the only one in his track record, like that very Tiger (yes, his character names a street after himself), Lee's return to the screen will satisfy all expectations associated with it.
“Night on the Water” (1998)
Okay, we admit that we cheated a little by including this film here since it takes place in Canada, but we still took the responsibility of including it on our list in case anyone wants to check it out. Initially banned in Korea, the film “Night on the water” became the only appearance Lee Seung-hee starring in a Korean movie. Former model Playboy, awarded the honor of becoming the first Asian woman to appear on the cover of this magazine. Here she plays a prostitute who tries to escape the memories of her abusive stepfather by seeking salvation in tequila, sex and drugs. She also dreams of turning into a whale, but I won’t go into details here. The main character's life doesn't get much better when she meets a Korean guy who loses his job at an investment company, subsequently falling into a cycle of drinking and gambling.
The guy is playing Yoo Ji-ha, for whom this film was the first and last in his career, which perhaps gives some idea of the level of his acting. The film was shot by the director Kang Jong-soo, who would later be at the origins of the Korean wave with the film “Running to you”but that's what it is “Night on the water”, it’s not entirely clear. Instead, we are left to watch how Lee Seung-hee и Yoo Ji-ha, engrossed in each other, have slow-mo sex, and discuss her obsession with becoming a whale. All this ultimately leads to a rather sad ending. The only consolation is that anyone who makes it through the film up to this point will likely already be miserable for some time.
“American Dragons” aka “Double Limit” (1998)
In the late 90s/early XNUMXs, Park Chun-hoon noted in several English-language roles. So, in 1997, he played the main role in the twisted comedy "Wanted", which was filmed in Australia, and in 2002 appeared in a supporting role along with Mark Wahlberg и Thandie Newton in the film by Jonathan Demme "The Truth About Charlie". But only in 1998 "American Dragons", he got the chance to star in the lead role with Michael Biehn. Here he plays a Seoul cop who travels to America on the trail of an elusive Yakuza assassin who killed his family years ago. The pairing of Chun-hoon and Bin as the American cop is surprisingly effective, turning what would otherwise be just another run-of-the-mill B-movie into something much more digestible.
IN many respects "American Dragons" can be considered as “Two Cops: International” (if this, of course, can be put on a par with “Men in Black”!), drawing a parallel with similar roles of Chun-hoon in "Two policemen" 1993 (where he worked in tandem with a frequent visiting guest, Ahn Seong-gi) and “Two Cops 2” 1996 (here he shared screen time with Kim Bo-sung). Due to the intense plot, in the center of which the main characters are drawn into a showdown between the Italian mafia and the Japanese yakuza led by Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, as well as a fair share of massacres, taekwondo strikes and whistling bullets, "American Dragons" occupy far from the last place in Chun-hoon’s filmography.
“Deep Cut” (1999)
Before John H. Lee became famous as the director who staged the film “I don’t want to forget” – a classic tear-jerker in the spirit of the Korean wave, as well as war dramas “71: On Fire” и “Operation Chromite”, he made his debut in 1999 with the film "Deep Cut". Trained at the Tisch School of the Arts in New York after moving to the States at age 12, Lee was inspired by classic gangster films Martina Scorsese, decided to tell his story about a simple guy, half Korean, half white, working as a food delivery boy in a Chinese restaurant, who, by the will of fate, crosses paths with the leader of a Korean gang. Their on-screen incarnations were Alexander Manning и David Lee McInnis, respectively. This film became the debut for both actors, and if Manning appeared in only a few minor roles before finally disappearing from the film industry, McInnis, on the contrary, continued a successful acting career (in particular, playing Raiden in the 2013 series “Mortal Kombat: Legacy” ).
"Deep Cut"is certainly a little rough around the edges, and the Scorsese influence is a little too obvious at times in the script itself, all coupled with some less than stellar acting, but Lee's talent nonetheless clearly shines through in the moody cinematography and lighting. It is therefore not at all surprising that upon returning to Korea, he began to shoot better and more expansively.
“Yonggary” (1999) / “Lizard” aka “Reptile 2001” (2001)
Comedian Shim Hyun-raemay not be as widely known in the west, but he was a very recognizable face in Korea during the 80s and 90s, starring in over 40 films, including the hit TV series “Vuroi-me”, a Korean tokusatsu franchise with giant robots, aliens and a fair amount of cheeky jokes. Hyun-rae himself has acted as a director more than once (and also appeared in many films Nam Gi-nam, who filmed “Taekwondo Guy Ernie and Master Kim”), and in 1999 he finally decided that it was time for him to go international, aiming, no less, at a remake of the Korean classic in the kaiju genre, “Yongary, Monster from the Deep” 1967 Here we also cheated a little, since the film “Yonggary” The 1999 film was filmed in Korea, but we've included it here because the cast includes American actors, giving it the look and feel of a Hollywood film with the ending supposedly set in Los Angeles (key word - supposedly).
After a successful local release, Hyun-rae felt George Lucas, and decided to play with the already finished film, adding new special effects and scenery, slightly changing the story, and introducing new characters. In Korea it was released under the title “Yonggary: 2001. Updated edition”, and the barrage of criticism that subsequently fell on the film was comparable only to its resounding box office failure. It's a bit ironic that it was the 2001 version that was eventually chosen for distribution in the US, where it was renamed "Lizard". Having shameful special effects, terrible acting from almost all the actors and just an exorbitant number of stupid moments, "Lizard" represents the quintessence of the crappiest movie ever, and it wasn't the last time Hyun-rae tried his hand at the kaiju genre.
Movies Worth Mentioning
The next four films were made in the late aughts, but we've added them to our list because the Korean talent at the helm of these projects got their start in the '80s and '90s.
“Dinosaur War” (2007)
After meticulous production “Yonggary”, Sim Hyun-rae returned in 2007 with the film “Dinosaur War”, which he was confident would bring him international recognition. Moreover, he was so confident of success that the Korean version of the film ended with him saying that "War of the Dinosaurs", he will certainly achieve success in the global market. This time he actually made it to Los Angeles, where about half of the film was shot, the plot of which tells the story of mythical creatures that visit the Earth every 500 years, causing chaos and destruction. Now they must be stopped by the brave guys represented by Robert Forster и Jason Behr... yes, unlike “Yonggary”In "War of the Dinosaurs" More experienced actors took part.
Despite significantly improved special effects that can rightly be called impressive, and a large number of spectacular scenes, Hyun-rae still could not overcome the same pitfalls that sank his previous film - ridiculous plot devices, a cringe-worthy script, and inconsistent pacing of the story. . “Dinosaur War”, at least made it to American theaters, but it wasn't enough to save Hyun-rae from bankruptcy in 2013 (after he failed to convince the bank that had provided 5 billion won for the film's production) that it was an investment and not a loan) and ten months in prison for failure to pay employees.
“The Last Godfather” (2010)
Now, looking back, and already aware of the fact that Shim Hyun-rae will go bankrupt just three years after exit "The Last Godfather", suspicions creep in that this film was clearly made in an attempt to make money from box office receipts that would pay off his considerable debt associated with the failure “Dinosaur Wars”. Such a theory (as, indeed, any other) has a place to be, since it explains the very fact of the existence "The Last Godfather", and this question, one way or another, was asked by almost everyone who had a chance to watch this movie. After big-budget epics “Yonggary” и “Dinosaur Wars”, which became the most expensive Korean films at that time, for his last American film, Hyun-rae decides to return to his usual comedy role, which brought him fame twenty years earlier.
The story is about a retiring mafia boss who is about to hand over the reins of power to his illegitimate son with the development level of a six-year-old child (please note, this is my personal opinion, not an actual plot detail), and he is played by Hyun-rae, which, in turn, turn, entails a whole carload of hilarious scenes. In an attempt to outdo himself for the role of his on-screen father, Hyun-rae initially planned to recreate Marlon Brando using computer graphics, but when it became clear that this would cost him a pretty penny, he used the services Harvey Keitel. We can only assume that Hyun-rae had real connections in the mafia to convince an actor of his caliber to sign up for this.
“Killer Code” (2011)
In the new millennium Julian Lee won the leading role in three films, including “The Dragon and the Hawk” 2001rd and “The Teddy Bear and the Master” 2008, but for our list we chose a film from 2011, “Killer Code”.
Lee's cinematic swan song will, after all, capture what everyone (“everyone”, meaning “no one” in this case) has been waiting for, as two Korean taekwondo masters from Colorado will finally share screen time. Yes, appearance Bobby Kim in this film, will be his first role since "Korean killers" 1997. Unfortunately for Lee, despite starring in his latest film, his name is not included in the marketing campaign at all, and this is most likely to blame Choi Min-soo, who plays the North Korean antagonist here.
One of the most recognizable Korean actors, who played leading roles in such films as "Seoul" и “Warrior Sword”, by 2011, Min-soo had developed a reputation for being difficult to work with due to his short temper, and I suspect that this was a key factor in his appearance in this film. It is Min-soo who gets all the honors in “Killer Code” (together with Hong Kong actress Tiffany Yee), which tells the story of a missing disk containing instructions for constructing a deadly rocket. Yes, even the plot is straight out of the 90s.
“Losers” (2015)
After the film “Best of the Best 4: Without Warning”, Phillip Rhee disappeared from the film industry, only to reappear 17 years later with “Losers”, which he described as his most personal project. Rea again sat in the director's chair, wrote the script and starred. The reason we contributed “Losers” to our list is that it looks like the whole old gang is back together here, since Ree also dragged his teacher into the film Jun Chong. And, as you remember, Chong opened this list with the film "Bruce Lee Rises from the Grave", so it seemed quite appropriate to us that he would close this list. In addition to Ri and Chong, other luminaries of combat cinema will be noted here: Dan Inosanto, Benny “Jet” Urquidez, Don "Dragon" Wilson и Richard Norton – just a dream cast.
Unfortunately, although perhaps expectedly, Rea's passion project can also rightfully be called his most difficult film to digest. Apparently, Rea was possessed by a spirit Park Woo-san, because the directing and editing are a complete mess, and the script is so sweet and primitive that it will be extremely difficult to master it without a vomit bag. Oh yes, as for Chong and company... not only do they have no action scenes here, they won’t even be allowed to say a word! Yes, this is a children's film about a group of kids learning martial arts in order to fight back against the sneaky Scorpios of Beverly Hills, however, even the most forgiving child is not immune from this.
Official source: cityonfire.com
Author of the article: Paul Bramhall
Date of publication: 23.05.2021
Translation: Black Dragon
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Tags: Underdog Kids, Bill Wallace, Bobby Kim, Gina Gershon, Julian Lee, June Chong, Kim Young-gun, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Lee Tae-jung, Lauren Avedon, Michael Biehn, Park Woo-san, Simon Rea, Sho Kosugi, Sam J. Jones, Phillip Rea, Hwang Jan-lee, Shin Hyun-jun, Ernie Reyes Jr.
Tags: Underdog Kids, Bill Wallace, Bobby Kim, Gina Gershon, Julian Lee, June Chong, Kim Young-gun, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Lee Tae-jung, Lauren Avedon, Michael Biehn, Park Woo-san, Simon Rea, Sho Kosugi, Sam J. Jones, Phillip Rea, Hwang Jan-lee, Shin Hyun-jun, Ernie Reyes Jr.
Awesome article! Great job!
A special like for comparisons and passages like:
Wave,
I agree. Excellent material and excellent translation that adorns our site! We are waiting for new translations from the Black Dragon.
Danil Chupakhin,
Thank you for your appreciation. I will continue to translate as soon as possible.
Black Dragon,
For the first time in a long time, an interesting interview appeared -> https://filmcombatsyndicate.com/a-love-of-the-fury-a-conversation-with-director-jesse-v-johnson/
If you have time, we will be grateful for the translation.
Danil Chupakhin,
Let's do it! True, I haven’t started Josh Mabey yet, but now I’m more or less free. So... I’ll start with this new interview then, otherwise I’ll translate it later.