"Actor: Ko"

• The Gold Connection | DVD | (22/05/2006) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  When a group of Kung Fu friends accidentally uncover a stash of contraband gold bullion they become the target for deadly gangsters who will stop at nothing to retrieve their loot...

• Legend Of A Fighter | DVD | (25/09/2000) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  In the historically based Kung fu drama Legend of a Fighter director Yuen Woo Ping offers his version of the early life of martial artist Fok Yuen Gap (played by Leung Kar Yan). Set at the beginning of the 20th century, Fok is considered too weak to learn the family Kung fu style. Still, as his father can break eggs by growling, he probably considers most people weak. The teenager forms a bond with his humane Japanese tutor (Kurata Yusuaki), who secretly teaches martial arts. The story builds to a moving climax as 12 years later pupil and now ageing master are forced by honour into a deadly duel. The opening and closing acts are by far the strongest, the plentiful fight scenes being balanced by gentle humour and emotions torn between friendship and duty. Both lead actors are excellent, with Yusuaki being particularly fine as the noble warrior-teacher. The middle, a series of disconnected tableaux in which Fok establishes his stature as a Kung fu expert, goes on much too long to sustain interest. Nevertheless the story of Fok Yuen Gap, a genuine Chinese hero who was also the inspiration for Bruce Lee's Fist of Fury (1972), is fine and Woo Ping delivers the one-on-one Kung fu action with the touch of a master.On the DVD: The 1.77:1 image doesn't benefit at all from its anamorphic enhancement, the entire film being presented slightly out of focus so that by the end eyes are likely to be aching. The opening 4:3 Academy ratio archive footage has been distorted to 1.77:1, while the original trailer shows Legend of a Fighter was shot in an extremely wide format--possibly the Hong Kong equivalent of early 2.66:1 CinemaScope, or even 2.74:1 Techniscope--which means that large amounts of the original image are missing. This is very obvious as characters constantly vanish off the sides of the screen or are cropped in half. Additionally, and again compared to the crisp, sharp trailer, colours are washed out, while the mono sound distorts whenever the music gets loud. The film is available in Mandarin with optional English subtitles, or in an awful English dub littered with inappropriate obscene language. There is a nine-minute interview with Leung Kar Yan, and a 23-minute interview with Yuen Woo Ping, which is a slightly longer version of the conversation presented on the Magnificent Butcher DVD: it's notable how he expresses his love of science fiction and indicates he would like to make a SF Kung-fu movie, something he achieved with The Matrix (1999). There is a Hong Kong Legends' promo for the film, together with seven further new trailers. The photo gallery is pointless, simply cropping some shots even further than the main presentation. --Gary S Dalkin

• Code Of Honour | DVD | (21/04/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £6.99

• Rallycross 1995 - Official FIA European Review | DVD | (18/03/1996) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Rallycross Review 1995

• Legend of a Fighter/Eastern Condors/Iron Monkey | DVD | (08/07/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £32.99

  A must-have box set for any martial arts fan. Containing the martial arts best-sellers from the respected Hong Kong Legends label: 'Legend Of a Fighter' 'Eastern Condors' and 'Iron Monkey'. *Please see individual titles for full descriptions.

• Piercing Brightness | Blu Ray | (07/10/2013) from £33.73   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Preston is a hot spot for UFO sightings and also has the UK's fastest-growing Chinese population. This was the starting point for artist Shezad Dawood film - a woozy socially-conscious science fiction movie. Avoiding Northern clichés Piercing Brightness is a tale of alien emissaries and interracial love that has a real sense of place with wig-out moments provided by Acid Mothers Temple and a climax on the roof of the brutalist Preston Bus Station.

• Memories of Murder / Barking Dogs Never Bite | DVD | (23/11/2020) from £16.85   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Memories of Murder - A big-city detective helps two inept small-town cops investigate a serial killer. Barking Dogs Never Bite - An idle part-time college lecturer is annoyed by the yapping sound of a nearby dog. He decides to take drastic action.

• Der Große Krieg der Planeten - Uncut Kinofassung | DVD | (08/12/2023) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A