"Actor: Shu Ken"

• Dreamer | DVD | (13/02/2006) from £4.78   |  Saving you £16.47 (467.90%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Kurt Russell and Dakota Fanning star in this equestrian family drama.

• WOLVES, PIGS AND MEN | Blu Ray | (26/08/2024) from £17.95   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Ferocious, dynamic yakuza thriller from Kinji Fukasaku Eureka Entertainment to release WOLVES, PIGS AND MEN; Kinji Fukasaku's blood-soaked yakuza masterpiece. Presented on Blu-ray from a new 2K restoration. The first print run of 2000 copies only will exclusively feature a limited edition O-card slipcase. A standout yakuza film directed by a master of the genre in Kinji Fukasaku (Battles Without Honour and Humanity), Wolves, Pigs and Men is an uncompromising treatise on brutality and brotherhood starring Rentarô Mikuni (Harakiri), Kin'ya Kitaôji (Battles Without Honour and Humanity: Final Episode) and the inimitable Ken Takakura (Abashiri Prison). Kuroki (Mikuni), Jirô (Takakura) and Sabu (Kitaôji) are three brothers born into poverty. Kuroki, the eldest, finds an escape from his squalid beginnings by turning to organised crime - and soon both Jirô and Sabu have followed him into the yakuza lifestyle. But none of the brothers see eye to eye, each of them showing more loyalty to their criminal comrades than to their siblings. Following a stint in prison, Jirô convinces Sabu to help him pull off a potentially lucrative heist, leading to a series of betrayals and horrifically violent acts that will test the bonds of blood to their breaking point. Blending the staple themes of the Japanese gangster film with narrative and aesthetic qualities borrowed from the French New Wave and American film noir, Wolves, Pigs and Men stands as one of the finest yakuza movies of the 1960s. The Masters of Cinema series is proud to present the film on Blu-ray for the first time in the UK from a new restoration of the original film elements by Toei. 1080p HD presentation on Blu-ray from a restoration of the original film elements supplied by Toei | Original Japanese audio track (uncompressed LPCM mono) | Audio commentary track by Jasper Sharp | Interview with screenwriter Jun'ya Satô | Interview with producer Tatsu Yoshida | Interview with Kinji Fukasaku's biographer, Sadao Yamane | Trailer | PLUS: A collector's booklet featuring new writing by Japanese cinema expert Joe Hickinbottom

• Housesitter | DVD | (14/04/2003) from £9.43   |  Saving you £0.56 (5.94%)   |  RRP £9.99

  A slick, smart vehicle for Steve Martin and Goldie Hawn, Housesitter offers an acceptably daffy premise and enough inventive business to sustain it through to the, not unexpected, happy ending. Architect Martin builds a dream home for his childhood sweetheart (Dana Delaney) only to be rejected when he proposes marriage. After a one-night stand, Hawn--a daffy waitress with a gift for making up improbable but convincing lies--moves into Martin's house and tells his parents (Donald Moffatt, Julie Harris) and the whole community that she is his surprise new wife. When he sees how this impresses Delaney, Martin goes along with the charade, encouraging wilder and wilder fictions and doing his best to join in so that he can rush through to a divorce and move on to the woman he has always wanted. Hawn has to recruit a couple of winos to pose as her parents and impress Martin's boss into giving him a promotion, but we glimpse her real misery at his eventual intention to toss her out of the make-believe world she has created because her own real background is so grim. Its sit-com hi-jinx are manic enough not to be strangled by an inevitable dip in to sentiment towards the end, and Hawn, who always has to work hard, is better matched against the apparently effortless Martin than in their subsequent pairing in Out-of-Towners. Martin, often wasted in comparatively straight roles, has a few wild and crazy scenes as Hawn prompts him into joining her improvised fantasies. Director Frank Oz, a frequent Martin collaborator (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Little Shop of Horrors, Bowfinger), is the model of a proper, competent, professional craftsman when he sets out to put a comedy together--but the film misses streaks of lunacy or cruelty that might have made it funnier and more affecting. On the DVD: The disc offers a pristine widescreen non-anamorphic transfer, letterboxed to 1.85:1. There are no extra features to speak of, just text-based production notes, cast and director bios, plus a trailer and an assortment of language and subtitle options. --Kim Newman

• Shadows In The Sun | DVD | (26/06/2006) from £6.96   |  Saving you £6.03 (86.64%)   |  RRP £12.99

  In life each man must find his own path... A wonderful romantic comedy set in the stunning Italian countryside! Ambitious agent Jeremy Taylor (Joshua Jackson) is sent by his London publishing company on a mission to achieve what many others have failed to do: sign reclusive wildly eccentric author Weldon Parish (Harvey Keitel). Once in enchanting Tuscany however Jeremy instead falls head over heals for Weldon's beautiful daughter (Claire Forlani) and develops a friendship

• 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

• Victor/Victoria | DVD | (14/07/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £14.99

  One of the world's most talented and best-loved performers, Julie Andrews reaches new heights in the most challenging role of her career as a women pretending to be a man impersonating a woman! Filmed on the Broadway stage, the immensely popular VICTOR/VICTORIA is a warm, funny wildly energetic look at the nature of love, gender perceptions and the battle of the sexes. Written and directed by Blake Edwards with an unforgettable score by Henry Mancini and Leslie Bricusse, VICTOR?VICTORIA tells...

• Azumi 2 | DVD | (17/10/2005) from £9.63   |  Saving you £13.35 (201.05%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Picking up shortly after the events in the first film Jpop sensation Aya Ueto continues her foray into the cinema fold in reprising her role as Azumi the young ninja assassin charged with the burden of preventing her nation falling into civil war. However rival Masayuki Sanada (Mikijiro Hira) is the government official determined to upset the delicate balance of national unity and steer Japan away from its destined course... Set around the beginning of the Tokugawa Shogunate perio

• The Black Sheep Affair (1998) | DVD | (03/07/2000) from £9.94   |  Saving you £13.04 (187.63%)   |  RRP £19.99

  In The Black Sheep Affair special forces agent Yim Dong (Chiu Man Chuk--the brilliant wu shu marital artist star of 1995's The Blade) is transferred to the fictional ex-Soviet Republic of Lavernia, actually Hungary, where the explosive Now You're Dead (1998) was filmed. Soon he has arrested Mishima, played by Hoi Lin who delivers a chilling performance as a ruthless Japanese terrorist who believes he is Christ returned to bring bloody redemption. Before long Mishima's fanatical followers are causing mayhem, while in a bittersweet sub-plot Yim revives his relationship with the girl he loved in Beijing before the 1989 uprising. The comparatively low budget shows occasionally, and even in the Cantonese version all the Lavernians are dreadfully dubbed with American voices, one duplicitous official coming across like a camp Oliver Reed. Against that there is an attempt to offer some political substance, and the action--a mixture of martial arts and gunplay--is fast, furious and stunningly staged, so that even as it goes ludicrously OTT it remains exhilarating. The "shoot-the-hostages" finale reaches an emotional intensity and breaks rules no Hollywood action flick would dare, turning into a John Woo-like slaughterhouse which makes the likes of Die Hard (1988) look tame. On the DVD: The end titles carry the Dolby Digital logo, so why both the Cantonese subtitled and English dubbed versions of a 1998 film are presented in two-channel mono is a mystery. The anamorphically enhanced 1.77:1 image is good but not exceptional, and exhibits some clear compression artefacts. The "music promo" is essentially one of Hong Kong Legends' own specially-made trailers, and is accompanied by more trailers for a further five films. The photo gallery is pointless but the text biographies of the two main stars are detailed enough to be interesting. Two minutes of poor quality video show Chiu Man Chuk demonstrating some wu shu moves, while a four-minute interview conducted at the same time via a translator for French television does little more than reveal the star as an amiable chap. Several of the features are also present on the DVD of Chiu Man Chuk's Body Weapon (1999). --Gary S Dalkin

• Armour of God - Chinese Zodiac (3D Vers.) (Blu-ray) | Blu Ray | (31/01/2014) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

• The Stormriders Trilogy | DVD | (03/11/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  A triple bill of Hong Kong action classics from director Andrew Lau (Wai Keung Lau). The Stormriders: The most eagerly awaited Hong Kong movie event boasting Hong Kong's highest ever production budget and box office take. It is a visually stunning epic blend of swordplay explosive martial arts and breathtaking special effects to create the ultimate final fantasy. A Man Called Hero: Based on the comic book series by Ma Wing Shing 'A Man Called Hero' is a spectacular

• Ulterior Motives | DVD | (17/09/2001) from £6.55   |  Saving you £-0.56 (-9.30%)   |  RRP £5.99

  Ambitious and beautiful New York journalist Erica (Keller) has the scoop of her career: a Japanese businessman suspected of selling American secrets to Japan. When private investigator Jack Blaylock (Griffith) is hired to help her he finds himself entangled in a web of violence and corruption with a deadline whose fatal consequences leave no margin for error...

• Housesitter | DVD | (25/06/2001) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  A slick, smart vehicle for Steve Martin and Goldie Hawn, Housesitter offers an acceptably daffy premise and enough inventive business to sustain it through to the, not unexpected, happy ending. Architect Martin builds a dream home for his childhood sweetheart (Dana Delaney) only to be rejected when he proposes marriage. After a one-night stand, Hawn--a daffy waitress with a gift for making up improbable but convincing lies--moves into Martin's house and tells his parents (Donald Moffatt, Julie Harris) and the whole community that she is his surprise new wife. When he sees how this impresses Delaney, Martin goes along with the charade, encouraging wilder and wilder fictions and doing his best to join in so that he can rush through to a divorce and move on to the woman he has always wanted. Hawn has to recruit a couple of winos to pose as her parents and impress Martin's boss into giving him a promotion, but we glimpse her real misery at his eventual intention to toss her out of the make-believe world she has created because her own real background is so grim. Its sit-com hi-jinx are manic enough not to be strangled by an inevitable dip in to sentiment towards the end, and Hawn, who always has to work hard, is better matched against the apparently effortless Martin than in their subsequent pairing in Out-of-Towners. Martin, often wasted in comparatively straight roles, has a few wild and crazy scenes as Hawn prompts him into joining her improvised fantasies. Director Frank Oz, a frequent Martin collaborator (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Little Shop of Horrors, Bowfinger), is the model of a proper, competent, professional craftsman when he sets out to put a comedy together--but the film misses streaks of lunacy or cruelty that might have made it funnier and more affecting. On the DVD: The disc offers a pristine widescreen non-anamorphic transfer, letterboxed to 1.85:1. There are no extra features to speak of, just text-based production notes, cast and director bios, plus a trailer and an assortment of language and subtitle options. --Kim Newman

• A Man Called Hero | DVD | (21/05/2001) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  An example of Hong Kong action cinema at its most mainstream, A Man Called Hero owes perhaps more to the films of Steven Segal than it does those of John Woo. The tale of a mythical hero who borders on the status of superhero, the film is stripped of any potential credibility by some of the most appalling dubbing ever seen at the cinema. While the original Chinese cast may inject the movie with passion, their American voice-over replacements obviously never made it past the sincere section of acting class. Each line is delivered with such false earnestness that the film sounds like a cross between Days of Our Lives and an episode of Pokémon. No cinematic cliché is left untouched, suggesting that this is not just a case of something lost in the translation but just a bad film... in anybody's language. The world-wide success of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon has proved that there is a huge market for original Eastern cinema, even more reason to avoid the pointless rehashing of the worst of Hollywood that A Man Called Hero undoubtedly is. --Phil Udell

• Zipang | DVD | (14/06/2004) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £14.99

  Zipang is a sumptuous visual feast. Set in a kind of alternative Japan where modern technology meets ancient legend the film tells of the quest for the mythical Zipang land of gold. A motley band of renegades discover the keys to this magical kingdom. Unfortunately they also attract the attention of a beautiful female bounty hunter who has her sights set on their leader the handsome Jigoku. With supernatural ninja warriors astonishingly choreographed sword-play and wildly unpr

• Dreamer | UMD | (13/02/2006) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

• Man On Fire / The Transporter | DVD | (31/05/2005) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £15.99

  Man On Fire: Denzel Washington stars as a government operative/soldier of fortune who has pretty much given up on life. In Mexico City he reluctantly agrees to take a job to protect a child whose parents are threatened by a wave of kidnappings. He eventually becomes close to the child and their relationship reawakens and rekindles his spirit. When she is abducted his fiery rage is unleashed on those he feels responsible and he stops at nothing to save her. The Transporter: Rules are made to be broken! Ex-Special Forces operator Frank Martin lives what seems to be a quiet life along the French Mediterranean hiring himself out as a mercenary ""transporter"" who moves goods - human or otherwise - from one place to another. No questions asked. Carrying out mysterious and sometimes dangerous tasks in his tricked-out BMW Martin finds his latest assignment could well be his last after his package is revealed to be a beautiful woman (Shu Qi) at the centre of a human trafficking ring...

• Chinese Heroes / Undiscovered Tomb / King Boxer | DVD | (14/03/2005) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £20.99

  Chinese Heroes: At first they were blood brothers. In vengeance they were sworn enemies. Together they became heroes! Undiscovered Tomb: When the power of the Stone Warriors is coming back everyone will be crushed unless all unite! An expedition is embarked upon to uncover the tablets of Eternity which bear the promise of abnormally long lifespan. However with a prize as great as this many will fight and indeed kill for the treasure... Kingboxer: Two rival