"Actor: Chan Wai Lau"

• Gorgeous | DVD | (11/09/2000) from £8.99   |  Saving you £-3.00 (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  In between the Hollywood productions Rush Hour and Shanghai Noon, Hong Kong's most popular export, Jackie Chan, returned home to indulge his romantic side in this modern fairy tale. He plays a modern Prince Charming, a big business mogul and notoriously eligible big-city bachelor to dreamy teenager Shu Qi, a girl from a Taiwan fishing village. When a heartbreaking message in a bottle washes ashore, she traces it back to Hong Kong, where she meets Jackie in the midst of a mid-ocean brawl on a luxury yacht. Hong Kong heartthrob Tony Leung has a grand time spoofing his image, playing a gay fashion photographer who "adopts" Shu Qi and helps her woo her handsome dream lover. It's a pleasant change to see 40-plus Jackie discard his usual goofy lovesick fool to play a suave swinger, but next to giggly teen Shu Qi, who proves to be a spunky and winning actress, he seems a little too mature. There are still plenty of opportunities to see Jackie in acrobatic action with a subplot involving a boyhood friend turned shady business rival, but at heart it's a sweet, silly little love song full of unabashed romantic imagery, elegant art design, snazzy fashions and a gooey happy ending. Jackie doesn't provide his own voice in the English dubbed edition, which makes a minor dent in his charm but does little to affect the film as a whole. --Sean Axmaker, Amazon.com

• New Dragon Gate Inn | DVD | (31/07/2000) from £11.42   |  Saving you £8.57 (75.04%)   |  RRP £19.99

  New Dragon Gate Inn is the DVD title of the 1992 swordplay adventure Dragon Inn, producer Tsui Hark's follow-up to Once Upon a Time in China and Swordsman 2 (both 1991). In the wake of the huge success of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon it is a film ripe for rediscovery. A pair of warriors (Brigitte Lin and Tony Leung), who only admit their love when it is too late, have to rescue two children from the clutches of a corrupt warlord. Fleeing through the vast, highly pictorial desert, they seek shelter in the isolated Dragon Inn run by the man-eating Maggie Cheung (traveller's tip, don't try the "mixed meat"). The scene is set for intrigue, romance and exhilarating wirework, as our heroes wait for the enemy to arrive in what is essentially the classic High Noon scenario. The build-up isn't always coherent, though that may have something to do with the subtitles, which are unnecessarily crude. Despite this the production values and high-flying fights are first-rate and the two actresses make the film, particularly the devilishly sexy Maggie Cheung. The final showdown in a desert storm is breathtaking.On the DVD: In the cinemas this was an absolutely gorgeous 2.35:1 widescreen film, which here has been reformatted to 16:9 TV ratio, sacrificing important visual information at either side and significantly damaging the stunning cinematography. Enough survives to indicate just how beautiful the complete images are, and the anamorphically enhanced 1.77:1 transfer is sharp and clean on exterior shots, though some of the dimly lit interiors display considerable grain. Although only mono the sound is full and free from distortion, providing a good showcase for the atmospheric score. The film can be watched with the original Mandarin soundtrack and English subtitles, or dubbed. Included is an interview with Donnie Yen and detailed text biographies of the two female stars. The music promo is Hong Kong Legends' own trailer, included together with five further trailers for other releases. The original theatrical trailer is also present, and no matter what screen setting it is played at, everything looks vertically compressed. However, change the DVD player setting from widescreen to 4:3 letterbox and the trailer plays in the correct 2.35:1 proportions, confirming how the film was really shot. Though the DVD packaging bills this edition of Dragon Inn as the full-length original version though there is no explanation of what footage has been restored from previous releases. --Gary S. Dalkin

• Deadful Melody | DVD | (25/04/2005) from £18.88   |  Saving you £-2.89 (N/A%)   |  RRP £15.99

  Ancient China: the corrupt Six Clans seek the secret to the Demonic Strings a magical lyre of great power. It's up to one heroic individual to protect the secret as she seeks to avenge the deaths of her parents at the same time. Brigitte Lin adds only what she can to this over-the-top Kung Fu fantasy!

• Iron Fists | DVD | (21/02/2005) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £7.99

  Chen (Kong Ban) returns home from abroad only to find that his brother has become a collaborator to the occupying Japanese Imperial Forces. He is responsible for funnelling mining resources out of their town and into weapons factories. His brothers treachery causes the town to shun Chen until they realise he is not like his evil brother. The Japanese controlled East Asia Company sends a Samurai (Kurata) and many assassins to kill Chens whole family and kidnap his fianc. Soon Chen finds himself uncovering a conspiracy and defending himself from hard thugs in street brawls that are nothing short of murderous. All this ends in a marathon fight fest in which Chen must fight his way through the enemy and even his own family members to save his girl and keep weapons out of Japanese hands.