this film looks and feels like a revenge kung fu movie should. where there is a lack of long, shallow action scenes, there is instead deep emotional meaning behind every shot. it is wonderfully directed and edited, and the acting is perfect. it's no wonder that Lady Snowblood was one of the main influences on Tarantino and his awesome Kill Bill.

for anyone who wants to explore the japanese kung fu saga, this movie is a great start. one of the best foreign movies i've ever seen.


This is one of those movies that have an all Japanese motivation. A girl is trained from childhood to avenge the death of her father and the brutal rape of her mother. Then she does it. Lots of blood and lots of sword fighting. Well, she does most of it, everybody else pretty much dies.

The movie is well done, although I think it is hard to watch for most of the people nowadays, since it has that 60's-70's feel to it. I can see how this could have been an inspiration for Kill Bill. If you liked Kill Bill for other reasons than that it had Uma Thurman and Lucy Liu in it, then you will love this film.

If you watch the movie, you will probably have fun, but if you look at the whole picture (pun intended) there isn't much to it other than the actual revenge and death of everyone. The girl is very nice, the acting is OK, the atmosphere, settings and soundtrack are good, but that's all. No strange twists of the story, nothing unexpected.


In turbulent Japan, in the 1870's, the political system was corrupt and often peasants and the poor suffered for their wicked ways of living. But, Yuki Kashima's(Meiko Kaji)mother was a victim of criminal swindlers who would thrive off villagers for protection against being drafted for war. Tsukamoto Gishiro(Eiji Okada), Takemura Banzo(Noboru Nakaya), Shokei Tokuichi(Takeo Chii) & Kitahama Okono(Sanae Nakahara)were responsible for Yuki's father's horrifyingly violent demise, proclaiming him a corrupt member of government just because he wore white(..he was actually an innocent schoolteacher on his way to teach in the village the four thieves had just swindled). Also brutally slain was Yuki's mother's little boy. Yuki's mother was able to kill Tokuichi, but before getting her retribution towards the others was imprisoned. Knowing that she would not have a chance to get revenge towards the others while stuck in prison, Yuki's mother continuously whored herself to any male she could just so she could become pregnant. Through the child could vengeance be dealt towards those who wronged her. Instead of a man-child, Yuki was born, but her mother died shortly after giving birth(..the birth was an extremely difficult one). Through the intense and difficult training with a Master(Kô Nishimura), Yuki would become a weapon of vengeance, her sword-fighting skills unmatched by her foes. But, those she seeks to kill aren't playing by rules, and will use whatever means possible to keep her from achieving the goal from her very birth. Conceived in hate and vengeance, Yuki couldn't merely just hide all emotion and live like a cold-blooded killer, she was fighting for a cause..the right wrongs caused by the ones who not only robbed her mother of a happy life, to die in a prison cell, but swindled her people as well.

Essentially, Toshiya Fujita's film is a four-chapter tale of revenge, with Yuki an unstoppable highly-skilled assassin whose sword(..which slides from it's umbrella holster, a perfect-hiding place for a beautiful female killer)opens many wounds that gush blood. Each chapter, "Vengeance Binds Love & Hate", "Crying Bamboo Dolls of the Netherworlds", "Umbrella of Blood, Heart of Strewn Flowers", & "The House of Joy, The Final Hell" displays Yuki targeting those who wronged her mother. Other sub-plots emerge as she blazes her trail of blood. Her first victim, Banzo, has a young daughter who prostitutes herself so that he can have booze and medicine for what ails him. The daughter herself will desire revenge towards Yuki, proving that vengeance begets vengeance. Yuki meets a newspaper reporter, Ryu(Toshio Kurosawa)who novelizes her story, provided to him by her Master, the Reverend. Later, Yuki will discover an unknown fact about Ryu regarding her final target, thought to be dead due to his tombstone, Gishiro. But, through Ryu's novel(..Yuki's exploits which are stirring up the village readers, as if she were a Christ-like figure inspiring them), a hidden adversary will seek Yuki's whereabouts, Okono. Okono has the police in her hip pocket, but no army of men will be prepared for what Yuki has in store. Thanks to a change in times of cinema in his country, Fujita's film is incredibly violent, the blood is actually used not only as a gore-device to display torn flesh spewing, but as an artistic symbol(..despite being grisly, there's something oddly spellbinding regarding Banzo's gushing body being battered by the waves of an ocean as the water slowly turns red, the way blood trickles from the tip of Yuki's sword, or the haunting river pool that flows from her mother's husband's decimated corpse, his ravaged suit barely white any longer). The battles, while not as long as you'd expect, are appropriately staged in grand style with victims falling to the sword in number, screaming from the agony as Yuki slices her way through them. We see Yuki's sword go through certain victims as she pulls it out very slowly. There's a really nifty sequence where one of her targets commits suicide with Yuki slicing the dead body in half with blood showering shortly after. But, Fujita does provide a backstory Yuki lives within, a land riddled in wickedness and corruption, and she is a symbol of justice, while her adversaries represent the evils that are sweeping the country. But, above all, this is an incredibly mounted tale of revenge, using a female assassin as the lead this time, who will stop at nothing to see that her mother's death wasn't in vain. Kaji's performance is stunning(..those moments where we actually see on her face how wrought in agony she is when facing the idea that one of her quarry possibly escapes the slice of her sword while alive, especially)and this is quite an iconic character.


this is kill bill 30 years ago before that douche bag milked it....the out fit Lucy lui wears in the snow garden and the music is from lady snowblood.

This movie is one of japans greatest. Meiko Kaji is stunning as the cold blooded yet high sympathetic character of lady snowblood. The action is bloodly and stylised and you get a let bit of a history lesson about japan in the 1800's The Music is beautiful and haunting and works well with the subject matter... A must see for all fans of Asian cinema.

And if you like this i recommend the Baby cart (lone wolf and cub)movies Unmissable! Believe me you well not be disappointed. Go on prove me wrong


Most people that see the Kill Bill films (especially Vol. 1) and then see a work that inspired Kill Bill, like Shurayukihime, feel let down some how that they didn't see the same exact film twice.

No, you won't hear the main femme fatal talk about cheeseburgers, and she doesn't go to China to be trained by Pai Mei (another lifted character, BTW). But what we do get with this film is pure excitement. Ultra-violent, blood-spurting, sexy lead woman excitement, all set in a period backdrop. We get to see the work from the originators, not the imitators.

If you like Samurai/revenge flicks, with authentic flavor, plenty of gore and some beautiful photography, check this one out. Heck, I recommend this to fans of KB Vol. 1 as well.

Just don't expect pop culture references.


This was an really good movie.

Acting: 8/10 For its genre pretty much as good as it gets. The lead actress Meiko Kaji is good and fits the part. The other actors are all alright also.

Story: 9/10 I liked this story though it was not so complex which it wasn't meant to be. The only lacking thing was all the plot twists that were not needed at all and just made the end a bit weird.

Action:10/10 I loved the action in this movie. I loved the sword parasol. And I loved the fountains of blood.

Overall:9/10 I really liked this. Easy to sit through unlike some other old samurai movies. I love the story I love the music I love the acting.


Mixed with snow? But seriously though: This movie is bloody violent (pun intended)! So not for the faint hearted then! And maybe that's why a Mr. Quentin Tarantino loves this movie and hailed it as inspiration for his Kill Bill movie(s).

This is also a story about revenge or avenge if you will. The title character is seeking some people ... why she does that? Well you have to watch the movie to see that. There's not much plot to speak of, so telling anything else will be spoiling the remaining story. Just bare in mind, that this is to be taken lightly. All the blood squirting on your screen for example! But it also has a sad undertone throughout. So it does have many emotions that it touches ... A good B-Movie then!


I saw this in the video store last night and the cover stated that this is the movie that influenced Tarantino's Kill Bill. After watching the film I think that the only way this could have influenced Tarantino is if he watched it and then said "this is terrible, I bet I can do this a million times better" and then did it a million times better.

I can't believe how high this movie is rated. Of course there's no accounting for taste and everyone has his/her own opinion but this is not a movie that should be rated 8.3/10. I give this movie 2 out of 10, only because there are worst movies out there.

It is clear I did not like this movie. People are talking about great direction and editing, good cinematography techniques and stuff like that. They must have seen a different movie because I didn't see anything like that. In most of the scenes the camera was out of focus, the picture was blurry and whenever a handheld camera was used I felt like I was in a boat in the ocean in the middle of a violent storm (ok I'm exaggerating but you get the idea). My eyes actually hurt at some point.

Now about the story

**********WARNING - SPOILERS ************

The story wasn't bad, especially the whole inner confrontation part, but it still left a lot to be desired. And the fact that there are some major holes in the script doesn't help either. Basically the story goes like this. 3 men and a woman murder a young woman's husband an then take her and torture and rape her for three days. One of them takes the woman with him and after a while she kills him for what he had done to her. She then sets out to kill the rest of the gang but is arrested and sent to prison. In prison she gives birth to a girl and we learn from the start that this girl only exists to avenge her mother. The girl begins training to be able to get revenge and after 20 years she sets out to find and kill the 3 remaining people that wronged her mother.

The first man Lady Snowblood kills is one of the 3 villains she has devoted her life to killing. Wait, no, he is just a gang leader whith no connection to the story whatsoever that just happens to be there. As she kills him she says that this is his punishment for the crimes he commited against people. So she is a vigilante out to punish criminals? But from that point onward everything we see suggests that her sole purpose is the punishment of the people that wronged her mother. Her whole life is devoted to this. So her first kill has no purpose and is totally out of place. Maybe they just needed one more action scene.

In search of the villains, she goes to a village in order to ask the village head about the whereabouts of the 3 people she is looking for. As soon as he says he probably can't help her she starts begging(!!!). Ok, maybe this is supposed to show her softer side but, in my opinion, a woman who is portrayed as a demon, not belonging to this world, and has devoted her whole life into becoming a killing machine in order to get her revenge, wouldn't beg in such a manner. Anyway, he finally agrees to help her.

So they find the first of the three and after Lady Snowblood saves his life she kills him herself. He has a daughter who, of course, wants revenge too. But this won't be dealt with till the very end. Then they locate the second villain but Lady Snowblood finds out that he has died and won't be able to kill him herself. She takes it out on his grave but this is noticed by a man who was there and he starts searching for her to find out what was this all about. When he confronts her it turns out he is the owner of a local newspaper and wants to write her story but she tells him to forget it and leave her alone.

Surprisingly, the next scene shows us the newspaper being printed with details of Lady Snowblood's quest. How did he find out? Well, he probably read the script. Actually people close to the heroine give him the story in order to set a trap for the last remaining villain - the woman. They explain to lady Snowblood that they know this newspaper man well and trust him. In fact they know him for more than 10 years, yet nobody knows that he is the son of the second villain that is supposed to be dead. I guess they know him really well.

Anyway, the trap works and the woman that they are searching for comes out of hiding. Lady Snowblood tries to kill her, she escapes, and while searching for her they find her hanging from the ceiling. So it seems revenge has been exacted but soon after we find out that the second villain who was supposed to be dead is actually alive. He goes to the newspaper man - who turns out to be his son - to tell him just that: that he is alive. Well that isn't a big surprise - it could not be any other way if Lady Snowblood is to fulfill her life's purpose - what is a big surprise is that a man who staged his own death and knows there is a woman out to get him just comes out of hiding to inform a man, who is obviously close to his enemy, that he is alive. He even tells him where he lives so that they don't waste time searching for him.

Then we go to the grand finale where the newspaper man sacrifices himself for Lady Snowblood to kill his father. And as Lady Snowblood leaves the building the first villain's daughter appears out of nowhere (how on earth did she know where to find her?) and kills her. THE END.

Throughout the movie characters which seemingly played a big part in the heroine's life just pop up out of nowhere (like the lady who trained Lady Snowblood to be a thief) and are as easily dismissed seconds later. And the worst part of it is than even the action scenes weren't any good. Short, void of any special skill, just plain boring. And Lady Snowblood doesn't convince that she is able to handle a sword - let alone be a killing machine.

This is the first time I feel compelled to write so many bad things about a movie. I usually try to find redeeming qualities in just about any movie I watch but this one has close to none. In short, avoid this movie. I'm certain there are much better movies with the same theme out there (come to think of it ANY movie with a similar theme is bound to be better than this one).


In World War Two, almost thirty million Russian soldiers and civilians were killed in the fight against fascism, a fact mainly ignored during the paranoia of the Cold War. In our attempt to demonize everything Russian, we also overlooked stories of individual heroism. In 1959, Russian director Grigory Chukhraj made a film attempting to describe "what happens when the world loses a single person" and it is a masterpiece. The beautiful and moving Ballad of a Soldier tells a personal story that illuminates how war can ravish both an individual and a country. The film is set in Russia in the midst of the war. Pvt. Alyosha Skvortsov (Vladimir Ivashov), a signaller, has earned a commendation by destroying two German tanks. Instead of accepting a medal, he requests to be granted a four-day leave to go home and visit his mother.

We learn early through the narration that this soldier did not survive the war so his journey home to visit his mother for one last time becomes all the more poignant. The film, however, is not about a destination but about a journey. The four-day trip encompasses a lifetime of experience. Before hiding out in a freight car, Alyosha encourages a soldier (Yevgeny Urbansky) who has lost his leg to go home to his wife. Along the way, he hitches a ride on a rain-soaked road with a woman deprived of sleep for 48 hours. He brings a present of soap to an unfaithful wife of another soldier but changes his mind and gives it to her father who longs for his son's return. He also meets Shura (Zhanna Prokhorenko), a radiant young woman who, like him, hides out in a freight car. Reluctant at first and fearful of Alyosha, the young couple experiences their first love in several sensitive scenes but it is to be short-lived.

Ballad of a Soldier, of course, aims to present Russian soldiers in the best possible light yet Chukhraj does not hesitate to show his characters as real human beings with flaws. A venal security guard is willing to grant the young soldier free passage in a freight car in exchange for cans of beef, and the wife of a soldier is unfaithful to her soldier husband, a sequence that landed the director in trouble with the Russian censors. In Alyosha, Chukhraj has created a good person: kind, loving, and noble but not larger than life, a soldier perhaps typical of millions of young men who gave their lives to protect their homeland. Their struggle and personal sacrifice has been immortalized in a great film.


Alyosha, a 19-year old private in the Soviet army, more or less by accident neutralizes three German tanks and is allowed to return home to see his mother and fix her roof on a six-day leave. On a train he meets another stow-away, the timid Shura, and falls in love. The movie depicts the people he meets on his way home through war-torn Russia.

This is an amazing film, a kind of shaggy-dog story and one you are not liable to forget. It is so extremely well-paced in a natural, flowing rhythm with a smooth, unassuming camera and lovely lighting. Be that all is it may, whatever the film's affinities with Pudovkin masterpieces such as 'Earth' and 'Deserter', 'Ballad of a Soldier' is all heart, empathy and sincerity, and it will clutch at your heart-strings.

The boy is not yet jaded in the grown-up fashion, and the people he meets stir him into immediate sympathy, Alyosha is simply one of the most likable characters you will encounter in a film, without being trite or cutesy. And the people he meets are hardly ever as sympathetic as he is, witness private Pavlov's girlfriend, whom Alyosha promised to bring the soap as a gift. When he gets there, she has a lover visiting her, and although Alyosha judges her, the film itself does not. Its description of budding young love is enchanting, but it has, finally, its own bitter irony.

Watch this whenever you get the chance. Do not let prejudice about what you think Soviet cinema is like detain you.


Gregori Chukhrai makes a very powerful, and poignant protest against the horror and futility of war. There is no whining, no accusing, only a very real, and believable, look at the effect that it has on some very ordinary people. People that each of us can relate to. I have to classify this as my all time favorite war movie. If you have a choice, watch it with the Russian language, and subtitles. The warmth is missing in the overdubbed voices, in the dubbed version. Although my Russian is as limited as possible, the emotion that is portrayed by the vocalizations of the actors, is powerful. One is certain to fall in love with either Vladimir Ivashov, or Zhanna Prokhorenko. This is one of those rare films, that each time one watches it, one gleans more from it, and feels that much closer to the film, the director/writer, and to the actors.


In the 1950s, 2 very critically acclaimed Russian films were made. The first film was "The cranes are flying" by Mikhail Kolotozov. It is true that it was a good film but it was more of a love story. If there is a film which all human beings must watch, it is "Ballad of a soldier" made by the great Russian cinéaste Grigori Chukrai. I still have vivid memories of this film, although I saw it in 1986 on India's only public television network called "Doordarshan". What I like the most about this film is that it has tremendous emotional power to move anyone regardless of that person's ideologies or beliefs. It talks of war without begging for kindness, mercy or pity. Such is the greatness of this masterpiece. In my opinion," Ballad of a soldier" is not only the greatest Russian film ever made, it is one of the greatest world cinema gems too. For those who have not yet seen it, one word of advice. Throw away all your Hollywood flicks and watch this humanist masterpiece. PS :10 out of 10 is a understatement. "Ballad of a soldier" would easily fetch 100 out of 10.


Ballad of a Soldier is a fine, humanistic view of war as experienced by a young Russian soldier. The young soldier is everything a Boy Scout should be: trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean and reverend. Well, maybe hold the reverend.

Having managed to save a bunch of his comrades from certain death at the hands of the Nazis, the young soldier is called to the general's hq. There, the general tells him he's putting the lad's name in for a medal of valor. Fine, says the boy, but could I please go home to see my mother?

The general hesitates, but encouraged by the soldiers surrounding him, he lets the boy go home, making him promise to get to see his mother and come back to the front within four days.

So the lad goes home, and along the way he does favors for some of his comrades, he helps a lovely young maiden in distress, and he generally spreads good will. He gets home in time to give his mom a hug - there's an incredible scene with him and his dear old mom (wearing a babushka) running toward each other through a field of wheat. Then he wipes away her tears, and tells her he's got to go back. Immediately. A promise is a promise.

What a film. If you can watch this one without crying over the human condition, you're just plain not human!


"Ballada o soldate" has one of the most poignant sequences of all war movies:when the mother holds only for a few minutes, her dear boy in her arms,it's impossible to hold back your tears .I saw the movie for the first time thirty years ago and I have never forgotten it.Far from politics ,"ballada o soldate" is an universal poem,enhanced by a magnificent grandiose score,which enhances the simple beauty of the pictures,climaxing on a symphony for the finale.

Aliocha's furlough is so short (48 hours) and it's such a long way to his dear home.His journey becomes an odyssey ,but ,unlike Ulysses,his happiness will be short-lived.He and the girl form one of the most touching,lovable and innocent couple you will see on a screen.Their simple joys ,particularly when they share the soldier's food,or when they meet again in the desert station,are the ones which make a life worthwhile,even in the hell which surrounds them.

Sometimes recalling Sirk's " a time to love and a time to die"(1958)from Erich Maria Remarque ,the great German pacifist writer,with which it shares the same disgust of war ("I wanted to film a subject which could condemn war",the director said),"ballada o soldato" is one of these rare movies that will reward you each time you watch it.


"Ballad of a Soldier" along with "Andrei Rublev" is one of my favorite Russian films ever and one of the great movies made in USSR during Khruschev´s so-called "thaw" period in the late 1950s and early 1960s when soviet filmmakers got a certain amount of an artistic freedom and were less controlled by the Soviet state.

Directed and co-written by master Russian filmmaker of a soviet era, and also a WW-2 veteran, Grigory Chukhrai, who was even nominated for this picture for Academy Award for Best Screenplay, the film is set during WW-2. It´s a story of 19 year old Russian soldier who as a reward for a heroic act in fighting with Germans given a 3 day leave home by his commanding officer. We follow the soldier´s journey home through ravished by war land where he meets different people and witnesses how they lives are affected by war and falls in love with a girl whom he occasionally meets on a train. The atmosphere created by this movie is quite unique, rarely before or after achieved on the film. A genuine masterpiece of a world cinema. A must see. 10/10


Chukrai has made a film that combines the great Russian visual style with the most human of filmmaking. Ivashov is superb as the soldier who knows his duty as well as his family. A movie that reaches and touches its audience for many reasons and on many levels. Of all the Russian films I've seen this is the one that touched my heart.


"A single death is a tragedy; a million deaths is a statistic" is the famous quote by Stalin. In this movie we see a marvellous illustration of the sentiment.

Don't worry; I didn't spoil anything. We learn from the opening narration that this is the story of a fallen hero. With that in mind, the atmosphere of impending tragedy colours the entire film despite the film's rather charming presentation. It's a wonderful irony, because the director opens with such a powerful & nihilistic statement, but then he follows with a sweet and inspiring presentation which you might even call "innocent".

I'm not exactly a fan of war movies, but I don't consider this to be one at all. There are very few details about the war, no politics, no propaganda. Essentially you can replace the Russian uniforms with British, German or Japanese, and the story would remain the same--"The Ballad of a Soldier". Oddly enough, it's the compelling portrayal of rustic life (which he encounters along his journey) that provides the backbone and theme of this film, a very human story.

It reminds me of the Italian classic "Bicycle Thieves" as well as the Japanese masterpiece "Ikuru" by Kurosawa. Each scene packs a lot of heart, and the grand finale brings it all together poetically and artistically. I won't mention any names, but I sure wish certain other artsy Russian directors could be as lucid and authentic in their presentations.

One more thing... I can't end this review without mentioning the SUPERB MUSIC. The composer is listed as Mihkail Ziv, but IMDb offers no biographical info on him. The melody is powerful and epic while being traditional and intimate at the same time. It really mirrors the theme of the film perfectly: things of great importance come in simple packages.

This movie gets 9 stars from me, which is about the highest rating I ever give. See it if you ever get the chance.


"Full Metal Jacket", "Platoon", "Apocalypse Now" - these movies have their rightful place in the history of cinematography, but if you want to have a refreshing look at what war really is on a personal level, you must see this movie. It will grab your heart, it will make you want to live each day to the fullest, it will reinforce the importance of love within you, it will remind you of one simple fact: 'memento mori' is a maxim we all need to keep in mind, but there is another one that is so much more important: 'memento vitae' - remember that you are alive! The love, the youth, the passion for living, the war - all come together in this extraordinary picture. I would recommend it to anyone, from any culture, with any background.


Fans of outstanding black and white photography will enjoy this film as that is the best feature.

It's a simple story. A young, fresh-faced soldier (Vladimir Ivashov) gets a couple of days leave to go see his mom, but runs into several adventures along the way.

First, he helps a one-legged soldier (Yevgeni Urbansky get home to his wife (Elza Lezhdey). Then he sneaks onto a train and runs into another stowaway (Zhanna Prokhorenko). One expected the Lieutenant (Yevgeni Teterin) to be "a terrible beast," but he was only a beast to the corrupt guard (Aleksandr Kuznetsov).

After he and Shura (Prokhorenko) get stranded, he goes to deliver a bar of soap to a friend's wife. She has set up household with another man, and this angers the private.

Insert beautiful music as Shura and Alyosha are on another train staring into each other's eyes.

He leaves her in her village and travels on. The train is hit less than 10 clicks from home and he is stranded with some Ukranians traveling to the Urals. He finds a raft to get home rather than wait as his leave is almost up.

He manages to hug and kiss his mother before he heads back to the front.


Comedians used to poke fun at Soviet movies during the Cold War era. The claim was that every Soviet film could be characterized by a single standard plot line"Boy meets tractor, Boy falls in love with tractor, Boy marries tractor". Now, I'm not sure how accurate the wags were since Soviet films were never shown here, nor ours there. But, given Soviet emphasis on collective farming, and their theory that art should follow politics, that sort of result wouldn't be surprising.

Nonetheless, Soviet-made or not, this 1959 humanist gem shines like a proverbial pearl in the night. Sure, the boy and girl are idealized, but were there ever two more charming performers; they even look alike. Moreover, it's that natural glow amidst the seediest surroundings that suggests what some might call a triumph of the human spirit. After years of slickly contrived Hollywood pairings, I was captivated by a warmth and chemistry seemingly so unforced and unrehearsed that I marvel at how it was done. In my book, it's one of the great compelling love stories of the big screen.

Just as importantly, the movie is anti-war, but subtly so. We do see some devastation and combat, but the real indictment lies elsewhere. It rests with all the potentials cut short by unrelenting demands of the war machine. The boy must return to his unit or risk being shot as a deserter. Thus he must abandon the injured soldier with whom he could have been friends; he must risk losing the love of his life because trains must run on wartime; he must leave his mother, without even time to fix the leaky roof. But most of all, war demands that he, like so many fine young men, must leave life with a personal potential that will go tragically unrealized. As one of Chukrai's effects brilliantly illustrates, war is indeed a world turned upside down.

Also, there are the stunning visuals. Those vast Russian steppes may be flat and boring. Nonetheless, the corresponding big sky makes a magnificent backdrop for heroic low-angle shots of those dwelling amidst the vastness. Then there's that long dusty road at film's end, leading off into a great unknown that Alyosha must now travel. In contrast are the teeming crowds at the railway station, looking nothing like Hollywood in their simple cloth dresses and shirts. And what concern with fancy hair-do's can the women have when their hair is bound down with knotted kerchiefs. All in all, it's a revealing look at what could be called the Russian peasantry of the time.

No, the movie clearly doesn't come from the ministry of propaganda. Still, there are concessions. Note how cooperative strangers become no matter how initially cranky they are. The army officers especially are portrayed as understanding and non-threatening. Nobody is depicted negatively, except maybe the disloyal wife. Not even the Nazi enemy responsible for 20 million Russian dead is mentioned, let alone, vilified. No, the real antagonist here is war itself; the point is not stated, but it is shown to an uncommonly moving degree. The dedication at film's end may be to the Russian soldier, but the subtext throughout aims at the universal, regardless of time, place, or nationality.

Thus 50 years later, the movie remains a timeless humanist classic. And with it, I think Chukrai deserves a place alongside the early masters of Soviet film, that is, before the Stalinist tyranny descended. Now, I have nothing against tractors. In fact, I wish Hollywood would feature more such life-affirming inventions than the exploding cars they so love and worship. Nonetheless, I guess I'm glad that here, there's not a single tractor in sight.


If one is to talk of genres in Russian film, then the World War II film is a genre all to itself. A good half (if not more) of Russian films deal with what Russians term the Great Patriotic War, and yet precious few of them are so profound and universally understood as Grigory Chukhrai's classic.

It's a simple story about a young soldier, Alyosha (Vladimir Ivashov), who has just 48 hours of furlough. Since Russia is so vast, he uses practically all that time to travel home to his mother. Along the way, he finds romance and lives a lifetime in limited time.

The film is exquisitely crafted, well-paced and deeply moving in its evocation of the bonds of love and family. Highly recommended.


Ballad of a soldier is a story of a Russian soldier and of his three day break from the war front which he has been granted (for his bravery) to visit his mother in hometown. There is something really beautiful about this movie that attracted me most. The story though very simple and common it is told in a most humble way (Just for instance the reason soldier want a break from war to visit his mother is to take care of the leaking roof that she wrote about in a letter), possibly very few movies are this strikingly simple. This soldier's journey is filled with fun, laughter, love, humanity and much more all beautifully balanced with scenes from war in the backdrop. Acting wise the lead actor is brilliant, his mother too in a small role ably depicted the longing for his son, and the actress (love interest for our hero) is good too, and she looks beautiful throughout. Direction is good; cinematography too is very good capturing the beautiful landscape of Russia well.

Although this is a war movie, not much of the war is depicted as in "Saving Private Ryan", neither is it "The Deer hunter" kind movie depicting the affects of the war on people but nonetheless for me it is a powerful and moving war movie with very human touch to it. Any moviegoer interested in quality cinema must see this.


This simple, sensitively handled love story with a WWII background is often bundled together with Mikhail Kalatozov's THE CRANES ARE FLYING (1957) - they were both issued simultaneously on R1 DVD by Criterion and will likewise be issued on R2 by Nouveaux Pictures next January - but actually they are poles apart in terms of stylistic approach. Director Chukhrai shows little of the overpoweringly visual virtuosity of Kalatozov's film (except for the superb sequence near the beginning which earns the main character his heroic status) preferring to capture the reality of the scene rather than its emotional core.

Even so, BALLAD OF A SOLDIER is a beautifully made film with winning performances from its youthful leads: a 19-year old boy who wins a much-coveted 6-day leave from the front after blowing up two enemy tanks single-handedly and the suspicious waif he befriends (and subsequently falls in love with) on his clandestine train journey. Events beyond his control contrive to make his visit to his farm-laborer mother a pitifully short one after which, the unidentified narrator tells us, he is once again drafted off to the front to his eventual death (which we never actually see); his misadventures during that train journey and visit to his village take up the bulk of the film as he meets a one-legged soldier coming reluctantly back home to his wife, a greedy train guard who is constantly demanding food from the soldier as a bribe against his telling his superiors that they are stowaways, the duplicitous wife of a comrade of his and his bed-ridden, ever optimistic father, etc.


The Director shows us a legendary war story,a ballad will be sing from mothers to sons. boy goes war as a kid.there become man.gain victories and self-trust. and turns back saw his mother just one second.and turns back with his love in his heart hopes. and missing of his mother. with a road journey he also shows the situation of Russia at 2nd world war. a film to clap every time you watch. and it is a white-black film because there are no choices for that time but it uses that as a specialty.as a foreigner for Russian culture and i didn't live in a war and i effected by their force to win the war despite they are poor and they are defeated from 2 villages they were telling we have to work more.and in the film the people meet each other very easy only the Suraa and Aliocha in the train.he-he that shows their great love.10/10


Grigori Chukhrai's Soviet film Ballad of a Soldier begins with a downbeat and downcast voice-over informing us of a situation in which a young boy's mother will never have the chance to have recited to her the rather epic story her fateful son has to tell. She gazes, ruefully, down a broad road leading off into the distance as she stands on the brink of where her town and general dwelling area meets wilderness; a longing look on her face and an uneasy establishment of power over a rather forlorn figure established within us. Just as you dread a Soviet era period piece set during The Second World War in which war heroism from the country's youngest and finest is at the very forefront; as the rest of those those poor, equally brave in some sense civilians stay at home and weep for the very soul of the nation; the situation and those on the front, Ballad of a Soldier actually opens up into one of the more interesting coming of age tales I've seen.

The young man at the forefront of the piece is a certain private by the name of Alyosha Skvortsov (Ivashov), a boy whose war exploits would indeed make a fine story to tell any mother; friend or friend of a mother in the sense that in the heat of conflict, two Nazi tanks are wiped out by the said young man who has both the reality and responsibility of fighting on the Easatern Front thrust onto him at this early age. Following these heroic acts, Alyosha is granted a six day leave and takes it upon himself to return home in hope to complete an errand that is embedded at his family's house in the roof requiring mending. Thus begins Alyosha's travels, a sort of circular journey as he leaves the front with the intent of coming back again blended with that of a straight, singular line journey or 'road movie' as he ventures from 'A' to 'B'; discovering and finding new experiences and emotions in the process. The film is decidedly anti-war, rendering it a soulless and empty experience if a young man's coming of age adventures are explored on the travels he makes inbetween exploits of a combative ilk, and thus gradually informing us that any prior 'dread' we may have had in what to expect from this period Soviet piece, was unnecessary.

The film will focus on Alyosha's travels in a minute and careful manner, observing one such instance in which the failure to identify the moment when it is apparently necessary to bribe someone, almost getting caught out and rectifying the situation before applying the said learning later on under different conditions. This trial and error process nestles in with the overall study, while Alyosha's naivety will see him, in a gleeful and euphoric mood at the time following the granting of the six day leave, happily take on the extra burden of delivering a gift from one soldier to their partner along the way; something that we will eventually come to realise merely delays the lead as well as put his life at needless risk. The extra burden of a chore is significant in the sense it is an odd job Alyosha is returning home for, and in preoccupying himself with one of someone else, risks the threat being unable to fulfil a duty set by himself - but it's all part of a learning process.

If anything, Chukhrai's film victimises the 'little guy', or the poorer and more grounded characters such as Alyosha and those he encounters - it pities them and presents their situation as less than desirable; whereas stately figures such as soldiers and others of various degrees of authority are hard-nosed, seemingly uncompromising and find it rather difficult to understand the true nature of human emotion. Without giving too much away, if a particular truck impatiently loitering nearer the end knew anything about what certain people had been through up to that point, they'd surely had more remorse than they actually exhibit. Chukhrai's representation of two classes of people, worlds apart, but bound within the same nation is both sly and inspired.

Rather, the film focuses on Alyosha's relationship with a young girl he meets whilst stowing away on a cargo train returning home: she is Shura (Prokhorenko). The ties binding the two of them see an immediate connection, items they have in common from the offset; capturing that sense of being able to bond with someone from the offset as you come to realise the two of you are sharing the same boat, so to speak. Both are boarding the goods train without warrant; both of them will suffer the same repercussions if caught and both of them are merely trying to get to a homely place. The initial thrill, at least for the audience, in these two coming together is part-cruelly, part-wonderfully interrupted by the train's large, wooden door being torn open by a guard on the outside who then engages in talk with Alyosha, before he himself is able to renew acquaintances with Shura.

The two bond as the train steams on ahead, before stopping at a number of stations, before slowly turning over and heading on out of them again. The cut away shots of the moving, travelling train representative of both characters' forward moving journey and furtherance of their development; the stop-start nature of the mode of transport in question as it pauses at regular intervals for whatever reason is representative of their initial on-off truce with one another, two stowaways in equal measure and two people forced into sharing a space throughout the development process together. The fact of the matter being that it cracks along at a tremendous rate, with, as cited by Chukhrai himself, the nervous energy from the amateur acting talent propelling what is a very beautiful and very natural progressive act caught magnificently.


During WW2, a young Russian soldier is rewarded for bravery by being given a leave of a few days to go meet his mother and fix her leaky roof. This beautifully filmed and superbly directed drama chronicles his long, enlightening journey back home, as he meets some interesting people and learns about life. Ivashov, in his film debut, gives a remarkably natural and free-wheeling performance as the soldier who is basically a good-natured country boy. Prokhorenko is beautiful and endearing as a girl he meets during his journey. This simple and moving film has some heart-wrenching moments, but its central message is simply to point out the the absurdities of war.


With the exception of Andrei Tarkovsky, Soviet cinema remains rather unknown this side of the Atlantic. For those who haven't yet indulged further, Grigori Chukhrai's 'Ballad of a Soldier' is a good introduction: more universal, less political, not as formally difficult, and quite a bit more fast-moving (demonstrated, quite literally, by sped-up shots of a tank near the beginning!) than most other Soviet fare.

In general, the film is a delicate, lyrical story about a young Soviet soldier who goes off to fight the Germans, and then gets just enough leave time to come back to his small village and see his mother. This return journey takes up most of the film, and along the way our hero meets a girl, falls in love, and sees a variety of characters affected, in different ways, by the war. Everything is presented in episodes, and the film feels, at times, like it's in chapters.

Although the DVD cover and title make 'Ballad of a Soldier' appear to be a war movie, be warned that, really, it's not. It's sentimental, about love, fleeting, decidedly poetic. However, it's never mush, and its poetry is often quite good. If you're in the right mood, I reckon this film can really hit the soft, nostalgic spots.

And, if your guy or gal is a bit eccentric, reads Dostoyevsky and Kundera, and is into foreign cinema, 'Ballad of a Soldier' even makes a decent date movie.


I saw this movie with my mother in 1960! I was but 10 and just happened to get drawn into this movie about a young Russian soldier trying to get home to see his mom, going through all kinds of foibles and silliness traveling and government red tape presents to him, in the meantime falling in love with a beautiful, kind fellow traveler, and then finally getting to spend a few very brief moments with his mom, with a flock of cackling neighbors standing a short distance away. If this movie doesn't wrestle a few tears from your heart no movie will. Wonderfully acted, beautifully photographed (albeit black and white), exquisite portrayal of what moves the heart. Unfortunately, this movie is seldom shown, so make sure to grab a video tape the next time it is shown.


There are 25 comments, if you take the time to read them all. Greatness in all aspects of film making. Epic score, masterful writing, directing, acting. This very moving film, is a documentary disguised as a drama. This is the only film that has several real tiger tanks in one scene. You are transported back in time, like a fly on the wall observing the real Russian people fight the great patriotic war. This great movie was band during the cold war and the United States role was greatly distorted. But that is politics right? Millions of Russians were killed civilians were killed without hesitation. The eastern front war between Hitler and Stalin was personal. They slaughtered each other. no quarter was given nor expected. Whole armies were destroyed. Cities bombed to ruins, then fought over to the last man. This movie records the pain, suffering, desperation, struggle, the sacrifice and most of all the character of the great Russian people.


After Stalin died, Khrushchev denounced him in started allowing more artistic freedom (this era was known as the "thaw"). Probably the two best results film-wise were "Letyat zhuravli" ("The Cranes are Flying" in English) and "Ballada o soldate" ("Ballad of a Soldier" in English). The latter portrays Pvt. Alyosha Skvortsov (Vladimir Ivashov) getting a leave of absence during WWII so that he can visit his mother. He travels across the countryside, meets various people, and falls in love with Shura (Zhanna Prokhorenko), a young woman whom he meets on a train.

One of the interesting things about this movie is that it starts by telling the audience that Alyosha got killed in WWII. Even though we know throughout the whole movie that he eventually gets killed (which the movie doesn't show), we always root for him. The movie in fact begins in the same place where it started. The opening shows a road in Alyosha's home town, and the last scene shows him walking down the road after seeing his mother. We don't find out how he gets killed, we just know that he is a hero for his country.

All in all, a great movie.


I have to start with the fact that this will certainly be one of the most compelling and most unforgettably sincerely romantic films that you have ever seen. The title does not suggest the true meaning and thought provoking power of one of the greatest films in existence. While the war is the backdrop and plays a strong supporting plot point, it does not suggest the feeling of love and the knowing that every moment counts that the film ultimately portrays. I hope that everyone who reads this will take the time to seek out this film. It is the quintessential example of a form of art that can really alter your outlook on life for the better.


This story of a Russian soldier on leave in the middle of The Great Patriotic War, as it's called in Russia, was directed by Chukhrai in 1959, a period of detente. I wonder if there are instances in which you can judge the political health of a nation from the quality of its films. When Czechoslovakia was loosening up ten years later, a number of quality movies were produced before the Soviet crackdown, and now that China is, if not being internally liberated, at least sliding sideways into the global village, we're beginning to see some admirably done Chinese films. Is there some causation involved? Probably not.

"Ballad of a Soldier" was one of a pair of films that showed up in America at about the same time, the other being "The Cranes are Flying." This one won an Academy Award nomination.

It deserved it too. The direction, acting, and photography are fine, and Mikhail Ziv's orchestral score is different from what we've become used to. Not necessarily better, but not Hollywood either.

Vladimir Ivashov is a nineteen-year old, handsome, innocent-looking soldier at the front who manages to knock out two German tanks by himself. The scene was stunning for 1959. Ivashov runs pell mell with the tank pursuing him across the fields. The camera is perched on a crane and the man and the tank run towards it. Then they run UNDER the camera and PAST it, and the camera turns upside down to follow them from behind. Now, we're used to all kinds of camera tricks but this shot was truly novel at the time.

Here's another incident from that same chase that would STILL be refreshingly innovative in an American war movie. The exhausted Ivashov finally falls into a trench, where he finds a primitive anti-tank rifle. The monstrous Panzer rises over Ivashov's trench, about to crush him, and he puts a huge bullet through its sensitive underside. Now, in any modern film, this calls for a stupendous explosion and a fireball ballooning upward. Here, the mortally wounded tank simply stops, groans for a moment, then whines as it slides slowly back down the berm and halts. A moment later, there is a plume of black smoke. That's it. That's how the tank is stopped. A second tank is disabled at a greater distance and with no more fanfare than the first.

Almost everyone in the movie is good natured. There are a few guards and an unfaithful wife to be met with along Ivashov's way home, but no one is bitter for very long. There is nothing about the dirty Krauts. The name of Stalin is never mentioned and no one has a speech about Mother Russia. The dirtier parts of the Great Patriotic War are absent: nothing about putting slackers in line and marching them towards the Germans to be mowed down, so that the enemy's positions would be revealed. It's not a NICE war. Good people die, or are betrayed or disabled. But it could be war anywhere at any time, in which the best thing that could happen in the war is that it ends.


This is a simple story. Alyosha Skvortsov, a private in the Soviet Army during WWII, destroys two enemy tanks and, in exchange for receiving official recognition for his accomplishment, asks for leave to see his mother and repair her roof. After some hesitation his commanding officer is taken by Alyosha's innocent sincerity and grants him a six day leave; the rest of the movie details Alyosha's journey home. Given how difficult travel was at the time, and the distance to be covered, it was not clear to me how Alyosha ever figured he could make it home and back in six days. I think it would have helped non-Russians to have had a map.

Alyosha travels by hitching and by hopping trains. In some of the most affecting and believable scenes Alyosha meets a depressed man who has lost a leg and is convinced his wife will not accept him on his return. It is Alyosha's genuine, gentle good nature that helps this man to have the courage to continue his journey, and the last we see of him he has been happily reunited with his wife.

The main event of the trip has Alyosha meeting a young woman on one of his train trips. Their relationship develops slowly and tenderly, but I ultimately found it too romanticized. The swelling music and soft close-ups were too conspicuous in trying to achieve their goal. And after the couple's unfortunate separation, their chance reunion seemed highly improbable.

There is some remarkable black and white cinematography. Director Chukhrai has taken a page out of Bergman's book by filming black figures silhouetted against gray skies and lonely backgrounds. The film stock does not seem up to the quality of a lot of black and white films of the time, it lacks in contrast and sharpness.

The reunion of Ayosha with his mother at the end tears at your heart, knowing from the beginning of the film that this will be their last brief meeting. The message of the toll that war takes on average citizens comes across clearly--there is no happy ending here.

I liked this movie, but it did not seem to touch me as deeply as others have testified to.


This is a wonderful movie from the Soviet Union that follows one simple soldier for the course of less than a week. Pvt. Alyosha Skvortsov is on the battlefield running from an oncoming German tank. He is scared half to death but manages, in his panic, to jump into a fox hole where he finds a bazooka-like gun and destroys the tank. Moments later, another German tank appears and he dispatches that one as well! The German tanks not hit are in a panic and make a hasty retreat. Later, the private is brought to the general where he is congratulated and told he would get a medal for his bravery. Skvortsov instead asks if perhaps he could have a pass to see his mother--and the general agrees.

However, the pass is only for a few days and despite Skvortsov insisting he could make it home in a day or so, there is a war on and it takes so much longer to get home than he anticipated. In fact, he is taken from touching vignette to touching vignette--all told marvelously and with such heart. One soldier who sees him heading away from the front begs him to stop on the way home and bring some soap to his wife and tell her he is okay. How this all works itself out was amazingly honest and touching. Even more touching was the one-legged veteran he meets who is also on the way home. The guy doesn't believe that his wife would like him back--particularly with the injury. But, Skvortsov is such a decent guy that he takes time out of his leave to force the guy to go home and not run away. This leads to one of the most touching reunions you'll ever see. Additionally, the young soldier also happens to meet a pretty young lady on a train and falls in love with her (reminiscent of the film THE CLOCK). Ultimately, he does arrive home for an all-too-brief moment where you'll likely shed a tear or two.

The film is marvelous and honest. Instead of the jingoistic propaganda film this would have been had it been made during the war, a few years had passed and the film has a more realistic focus. The extreme bravery, fear, decency and bad in people are all explored and as a result the film seems so real. Also, the whole look of the war was achieved so well. The German tanks are actually German tanks (thanks to countless tanks abandoned by fleeing Germans during the war)--something you just don't see in American films because they aren't available. The battlefields look stark and vivid. And, in a good nod to realism, one soldier eats canned meat that clearly has an American label on it (something Stalin NEVER would have allowed in a film--since he ALONE is why the Russians prevailed, or so it would have been portrayed if the film had been made before his death in 1953).

I can compare this film favorably to many of the great war films that explore real human beings--such as THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES or the recent film ENEMY AT THE GATES. A masterpiece of honesty and humanity.


Ballad of a Soldier is an exciting tale of a young soldier's adventure while returning home on leave. The cinematography is reminiscent of Truffaut or Bergman, and the pacing is excellent. Although not as shockingly realistic as Come and See, this film portrays the pain Russia was dealt during WWII. There does seem to be a good bit of propaganda for the Russian Army (the way all the commanding officers are big softies and frequently bend the rules), and this does seem rather disingenuous. Unilke the kindness and respect portrayed in Grand Illusion (Renoir's account of prison camp civility from WWI), Ballad of a Soldier leans a bit more toward Triumph of the Will in its seemingly unrealistic depiction of authority figures. Having said that, I thoroughly enjoyed this film and would say its criticisms are dwarfed by its triumphs.


Alejandro Jodorowsky is doubtlessly one of the most unique directors in the history of motion pictures. I guess I am not alone by stating that his brilliantly bizarre midnight movie milestone "El Topo" of 1970, the surrealist masterpiece "The Holy Mountain" (1973) and the stunning "Santa Sangre" (1989) all rank among my favorite films, and that there is hardly another living filmmaker I respect as deeply as Jodorowsky. Made eleven years before his impressive feature length debut "Fando y Lis" (1968), Jodorowsky's first film "La Cravate" (aka. "Les têtes interverties"/"The Severed Heads") of 1957 is a delightful surrealist silent short, which was long considered a lost film. While this film may not be as essential as "El Topo" and "The Holy Mountain" it is definitely a highly memorable film for lovers of surreal avant-garde cinema and Jodorowsky fans in particular. Jodorowsky made this film when he was in Paris, where he had joined the troupe of celebrated pantomime Marcel Marceau in 1954, and become a part of the surrealist movement.

I don't want to get into detail about the plot, so I'll just say this much - the film is a surreal mixture of Fantasy and bizarre love-story which revolves around the possibility of exchanging one's head... The film is set in (a painted) Paris, the characters are entirely bizarre, and some of them very lovable. Jodorowsky himself plays the leading character, and, in his comical costume with a huge collar, has barely any resemblance to the full-bearded gunslinger he would play in "El Topo". The film also stars Jodorowsky's future wife Denise Brossot and American actor Saul Gilbert. Gilbert died shortly thereafter, and his wife, who was from Germany, took the only copy home with her after his death. The film then disappeared in an attic for almost half a century, until it was rediscovered in 2006. How lucky for us! Compared to Jodorowsky's later films "La Cravate" - the original title refers to the tie worn by Jodorowsky's character - is very harmless and innocent, which also makes it a nice contrast to his other films. While his feature length debut "Fando Y Lis" of 1968 is in black and white, this 1957 debut short is very colorful, by the way. All things considered, this is a worthy debut of a cinematic genius, a great short film, and an absolute must for my fellow Jodorowsky-fans.


This is quite the rare case: a story performed entirely in mime-form, where everything is silent but done so for a very physical effect by the actors/performers, that actually works. Usually mimes can be a little irksome (maybe not, depends on who's miming and how well the audience can take it), but Alejandro Jodorowksy, in his first attempt at film-making, makes this as experimental as something like Un Chien Andalou yet with an emotional core that can be understood by viewers open to it all. It's based on a novella by Thomas Mann about a woman who wants both her husband and lover back, and somehow gets their heads put into the wrong bodies!

There's a constant sense of both a dream in the scenery and body language, but disillusionment in what the characters are feeling back in their not-quite selves. There's the woman in particular, acted very well (she's the one sprawled out on a couch or other, with black hair, at least I *think* it's her), who responds to the Jodorowsky character at first with disdain, but then noticing his body changes her attitude. This is a brilliant little scene that calls back to those captivating, surreal moments in film-making of the silent era, and just in performing arts in general, where things were meant to be performed to be understood by the audience intuitively to an extent, not necessarily explained exactly.

It might be just as well; some moments in here call to the strengths of Jodorowsky's wild-man cinema even this early on, as figures in a 'city' environment pass by the disheartened husband, faces coming always close to the screen like it's meant to be fleeting but always impressionable via make-up and elaborate costumes. La Cravate, or the Severed Heads, also carries some unique traits as a Jodorowsky effort; the advantage of color is ever powerful and varied in tone from head to environment (different than what I expected from an underground director, especially as a precursor to Fando & Lis), but it's also a work that's usually more light than dark and more amusing than laugh-out-loud funny in its stabs of absurdism. One can't help but chuckle at one of the heads looking up and giving a wink and a smile to the helpless Jodorowsky or his counterpart, or in merely seeing the process of 'transposing' a head.

The music by Edgar Bischoff is also a factor for how sweet it is, contrasting the oddball mood of the material with melodies that sound like happy walks in the park. In short, it's a find that is quite a stroke of luck; the film was believed lost until rediscovered just in time for the DVD collection set, and for fans it's a minor delight. 8.5/10


I finally saw this sequel and it was better than what many people say. Murphy has some very hilarious moments and Reinhold and Ashton were just as good. Also, the action scene's were decent too, though the chase with the cement truck was'nt as good as the chase in the first with the transport truck. I did notice that the film lacked the freshness of the first one but still it was fun to watch.


"Beverly Hills Cop II" is the entertaining sequel to the 1984 smash hit. Of course, this sequel can't top the original, but it's still pretty good. Eddie Murphy returns as Axel Foley and returns to Beverly Hills to help avenge the attack of a friend. This movie isn't as fresh as the original movie, but I found myself laughing alot throughout. Plus, the action scenes are well done. Judge Reinhold, John Ashton, Ronny Cox, and Paul Reiser all reprise their roles from the first film along with Murphy. "Beverly Hills Cop II" is a movie that's loud and noisy at times, but it's funny and entertaining. And it's much better than the disappointing third movie in the series, "Beverly Hills Cop III".

*** (out of four)


The original Beverley Hills Cop is one of those films that remains a cult classic because of the fact that it's such a product of the time it was made. This quintessential eighties style is carried over to the sequel, made three years later, and although part two; like many sequels, never quite manages that same verve as the original film - it still offers a good time, and anyone that enjoyed the first instalment (and who didn't?) will probably have a good time with this sequel too. All the main players from the original film have been rounded up once again, with Eddie Murphy heading a capable ensemble cast, lots of wisecracks and some gratuitously over the top action sequences. The plot is, as you would expect, superfluous to the style of the film; and much of the movie is simply tailored around it; but anyway, it follows maverick copper Axel Foley and his two California police cronies as they are pulled into a case known as the 'alphabet murders', which involves a robbery, a tall blonde woman and a gun shop owner.

I've got to say that Eddie Murphy's wisecracks were a lot funnier in the first film. While they were still over the top, they were at least sort of believable. Here, however, Murphy goes massively over the top, and it's hard to imagine how anyone that obnoxious doesn't end up with a cracked jaw. Anyway, Murphy obviously enjoys himself; and if you can get by the complete lack of logic, you probably will too. True to style, the action is completely over the top too; with several ridiculous sequences combining to make the movie the entertaining blockbuster that it is. The film lacks any kind of themes or substance, meaning that it will both not please serious film fans, and that this reviewer is running out of steam; but I will say that this movie does have a point to make, and that is simply entertaining it's audience. It may be completely silly, illogical fun; but some movies need to be there just to entertain, and this is one of those. I wouldn't recommend sticking this movie at the top of any must see lists, or going into with huge expectations; but it's a good time, that's for sure.


Eddie Murphy stars in Beverly Hills Cop II.I think the first one was a tad bit better than this, but not by much.I think this is a great sequel.Eddie Murphy is funny as usual and so is Judge Reinhold.It also stars Brigitte Nielson and there is even a small cameo from Chris Rock.The film has Axel Foley returning to solve another murder with the help of his two friends from the first film.I think Beverly Hills Cop II is a good sequel to a good action/comedy film and I recommend it if you enjoyed the first one.

Rated R

8/10


Beverly Hills Cop was a runaway hit despite being panned by the same established critics that gave Speed 2 and Anaconda 2 thumbs up. The second installment has Axel Foley trying to solve a case involving a criminal who goes by the name "The Alphabet Killer"(played by Jurgen Prochnow) after LT. Bogomil is shot by the Alphabet Killer's hench woman Sally, played by Brigitte Nielson. Later on Axel stumbles on a plot involving oil and a lot of guns. Beverly Hills Cop II is just as funny as the first one but is more visually pleasing. Whether it is the streets of Beverly Hills or an oil field out of town, the picture is sharp. Eddie Murphy and Judge Reinhold's character, Billy, provide most of the laughs. John Ashton's Taggert is okay on this one. Brigitte Nielson probably played her best role in here as The Alphabet Killer's partner in crime. The action scenes are pretty good but what made Beverly Hills Cop II interesting the most was the suspense. I mean Axel gets so involved in a case that he almost cost, Billy, Taggert and himself a job and he still succeeds. What a cop! Plus under the direction of Tony Scott this movie was bound to be a thrill. You cant do wrong with this sequel to Beverly Hills Cop, pay no mind to the snooty critics who panned it and stay away from Beverly Hills Cop III.


This movie is widely acknowledged as being one of the worst sequels ever. It's the same movie all over again, but without the intelligence, humour and charm that made the first film such a winner.

Eddie Murphy returns as fish-out-of-water cop Axel Foley and he's at his loudest and most annoying here, shouting at the top of his lungs and speaking so fast that it's difficult to understand what he's saying (Nutty Professor 2 had the same problem, with those two and "Another 48 Hours" Eddie seems to make a mess of sequels).

Director Tony Scott was hired to direct the sequel. He was hot off "Top Gun" the year before, but he's not a comedy director. He gives "Beverly Hills Cop II" his usual glossy look, but he mistimes all of the humour and it shows.

You can tell a movie franchise is in trouble when it starts killing off its main characters and that's what happens here when Ronny Cox is shot (Foley's foul-mouthed boss, Inspector Todd, would be killed off in the next movie).

Brigitte Nielsen, for the 5 minutes she was on Hollywood's A-list, is in among the cast. She only got the part after Sylvester Stallone invited Eddie Murphy over for dinner (Sly apparently fell under the table laughing at Eddie's Rocky impression).

The screenplay for "Beverly Hills Cop" was nominated for an Oscar and that just goes to show you how good the original movie was. This movie got no such recognition. Actor and director Mel Smith once saw this movie at a Royal Premiere in London and he said: "That is the biggest load of cr*p you will ever sit through in your life, I would have left, but you couldn't as there was royalty there." I couldn't agree more. You should only watch this film at gunpoint. Otherwise, don't waste 2 hours of your life that you won't get back.


A terrible and unpleasant sequel to the surprise hit from 1984.

Though it reassembles most of the cast from the original, including Eddie Murphy in the role that made him a big-screen movie star, all of the other elements that made the first one so enjoyable are gone. Director Tony Scott seems to be absolutely clueless about what made the first one so popular and fresh -- in other words, the comedy -- and instead focuses on aggressive violence and action.

The song "Shakedown" was nominated for an Academy Award, but otherwise the film doesn't even boast as good a soundtrack as the original.

Grade: D


Unfortunately, my video store that I rent at does not have the second Beverly Hills Cop or the third, so when I stopped by Best Buy and saw the sequel for $6.99, I thought it might be worth a buy. After watching this, I was very glad that I bought it. It was great to see our favorite Beverly Hills cop back in action! Eddie Murphy is just so great and hilarious, he can make Charles Manson laugh!

Basically, Axel has heard of some horrible crimes going on in Beverly Hills once again, so he comes back to help out the force. With his two favorite cops, Billy and John, only this time, they're a little more gutsy. Now they are after the alphabet crimes, a group of thieves led by the 7 foot tall Bridget Neilson. But it's going to be hard with the chief of Beverly Hills always getting on the trio's butts.

I loved Beverly Hills Cop 2, I hope I do find the third one, I know it doesn't have as good of a rating like the first or the second one, but still I love Eddie Murphy. Who could resist that great chuckle of his? Beverly Hills Cop 2 is filled with just as many laughs as the first one and I don't see how anyone could not laugh at least a few times.

7/10


This is an excellent sequel that's very entertaining. It's loaded with great humor, lots of laughs, exciting action, and it had 3 excellent main leads but it can't quite match the original. The 2 main villains are very menacing, even though we hardly see Jurgen Prochnow, he was still very menacing when on screen. It's somewhat of a rehash of the 1st, but that's okay Murphy is still funny as hell, and The finale is excellent. One of the funniest parts in the film is, Reinhold's sudden obsession with huge guns, and it had some pretty powerful moments, especially when Capt Bogomil gets shot. The Direction is very good. Tony Scott does a very good job here, keeping the film at an exciting pace, injecting lots of great humor, good camera angles, and doing a great job overall!. There is some blood. but lots of very bloody gunshot wounds is all we get. The Acting is awesome!. Eddie Murphy is wonderful here, once again he is HILARIOUS, very likable, had great chemistry with, Ashton and Reinhold, and was lots of fun to watch!. Judge Reinhold, is also wonderful here, he is also HILARIOUS, seemed to be having a lot of fun, plus he he had a lot more to do this time around, and was very likable. John Ashton is excellent here once again, he is also quite funny at times, and very likable, and also had more to do. Jürgen Prochnow does good as one of the main villains, but didn't really have that much screen time. Ronny Cox is fine here again, but also didn't have that much screen time. Brigitte Nielsen is good looking, and did excellent here as one of the main villains, and man was she big!, she was also very menacing. Allen Garfield is very good here, but he was EXTREMELY unlikable,, and yelled to much and i just wanted to slap him!, he did his job well though. Dean Stockwell, has a small role here, and did fine with it.Paul Reiser is good here, once again. Gilbert R. Hill is great again as the tough inspector. Robert Ridgely is decent as the mayor. and Alice Adair is okay as Bogomil's daughter. And look out for a cameo by a very young Chris Rock!. Overall a must see! **** out of 5


At the time of its release Beverly Hills Cop was the highest grossing comedy of all time, so it works out perfectly that its first sequel would be directed and produced by the juggernaut Hollywood crowd-pleasers Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer (and directed by none less than Tony Scott). The formula is exactly the same (and man I really mean exactly), although it follows all of the usual rules of an action sequel, which state that it must have a much bigger budget (Axel still does his police work by his own rules, only this time he uses precinct money to drive around in a Ferrari), more deaths, faster and funnier jokes (it clearly shoots for this one, anyway), and at least one more 6-foot platinum blonde.

Let's take a little trip, shall we? Beverly Hills Cop 2 was released in May of 1987, and so came just after things like Top Gun, Police Academy 3, The Color of Money, To Live and Die in L.A. (which was sort of an anti-buddy cop movie with a mean streak that is clearly reflected in Cop 2), Eddie Murphy's own The Golden Child, and the original Lethal Weapon, which was released just a few months earlier and may have been sharing theaters with it. Needless to say, there was no shortage of police movies and whatnot, and no time is wasted in attempting to stand out from the crowd.

The movie starts with a violent robbery pulled off in broad daylight by a highly organized group of criminals headed by the statuesque Bridgette Nielsen, who plays the curiously named Karla Fry. She's involved with a ruthless organized crime syndicate that is running firearms to Central America, and when police chief Bogomil is gunned down, Foley decides he's going to head on back to southern California to solve the case himself again.

Everyone is friends now after the events of the first movie. Taggart and Rosewood are no longer spying on Axel but have all become good friends, as they have with Bogomil, who sided with them against the Commissioner or Chief or Mayor or whatever at the end of the last movie. Unfortunately, the new police chief is a total jerkoff and has been firing everyone in sight and replacing them with all of his own people, so once again Taggart and Rosewood and Foley are forced to go against direct orders in order to do what needs to be done.

The movie has been almost unanimously slammed by critics, and I would certainly hesitate to say that it's as bad as all that. In more recent years I have not always been the biggest fans of people like Jerry Bruckeimer (the mega-producer who we have to thank for such highly polished cheesefests as Armageddon and Gone in 60 Seconds and Pearl Harbor, not that he hasn't had his better movies), but if you are just looking for a fun popcorn action flick, you could certainly do worse than this one.

If nothing else, it was great fun picking out the hilarious 80s pop culture references, some of which were light-hearted jabs at the competition, such as the posters for First Blood Part II and Rambo in Rosewood's "stress-free" apartment, and maybe my favorite, Bridgette Nielsen's (Stallone's wife at the time) earrings, which were these bizarre little metallic arrows that made her look like a Klingon.

It's true that some of the jokes and situations are a little too unoriginal, even only in the first sequel, such as Foley's remarkable ability to come up with crazy stories on the spot (although the best one is where he pretends to be a gay prostitute to get into a ritzy club and harass the bad guy) and his loud-mouthed streams profanity. But again, not necessarily something that I would criticize the movie for just for being there. It gets a little cheesy at times though, like when he gets into the bad guys' office by pretending to be a delivery boy delivering highly unstable plutonium capsules in - get this - a brown paper bag, but overall it stays in the same vein as the original and may even be better in a lot of ways.


The 1988 sequel to one of the most successful movies of all time finds Eddie Murphy reprising his role as Detroit police detective Axel Foley, and once again playing a fish out of water as he tries to solve a series of heists in Beverly Hills that may be connected to the attempted murder of his friend, a Beverly Hills police captain (Ronny Cox). Constructed in a much flashier and faster-paced visual style than the first film, the song still remains the same as Foley tries to keep his job in Detroit while solving crimes for the Beverly Hills cops. Murphy again makes the most of culture shock for comic effect, and the easy rapport between Murphy and Billy (Judge Reinhold), now a cheerfully over the top Rambo-esquire figure, is still the centerpiece of this series. While not the least bit original, director Tony Scott (Crimson Tide, Top Gun) puts his own stamp on this installment and keeps the action and the laughs coming


Set approximately two years after the original film, Captain Bogomil (Ronny Cox), Billy Rosewood (Judge Reinhold), and John Taggart (John Ashton) are trying to figure out who is behind the "Alphabet Crimes", a series of mostly high end store robberies (and one shooting) distinctive by their monogrammed envelopes with an alphabetical sequence the assailants leave behind. Complicating matters is the new "political" state of the Beverly Hills police, headed by temperamental new police chief Harold Lutz (Allen Garfield), doing everything he can to stay on the Mayors good side.

While investigating a lead, Bogomil is shot by Karla Fry (Brigitte Nielsen), the chief hench woman of Maxwell Dent (Jürgen Prochnow). Finding out about the shooting over a news report, Axel (Murphy) immediately flies out to Beverly Hills (covering his absence from his actual job in Detroit by telling his commanding officer he was going "deep deep deep DEEP undercover" on the credit card fraud case he had been assigned to) to help find out who shot Bogomil and why. Posing as an undercover FBI agent to get past Lutz, Axel soon starts making the connection between the robberies and Dent, who is financing his gun trade to Central America. Having foiled a robbery attempt at a bank depository, Axel soon uncovers that Dent is planning on making his getaway. Axel, Billy and Taggert track Dent to where he's making his final arms deal and take everyone down, including Dent and Karla.


Eddie Murphy's come back to film that had made him to inflict more great action and comedy up on us!

Axel Foley is back and more dangerous than ever in his mischievous ways. The film plots around the fact of new criminal's in Beverly hills and that after every crime they do they leave an envelope marked with a letter of the alphabet leaving the Beverly Hills Police department with giving them the name of "The Alphabet Crimes" the criminals start there crime by robbing a jewellery shop and leaving an envelope marked with "A" then secondly they shoot Capt. Andrew Bogomil (Ronny Cox) for getting way too close to finding the Alphabet criminals and in turn they leave a envelope marked with "B". Jan Bogomil (Alice Adair) who is a new character added to the film as Andrew Bogomil's daughter, she phones Axel in Detroit about her father being shot and obviously Axel rushes straight to Beverly Hills to team up with once again Det. William Billy Rosewood (Judge Reinhold) and Det. Sgt. John Taggart (John AShton)to bring us great action and comedy in following the foot steps of Andrew Bogomil to find the criminals who had shot Andrew. The criminals include: Maxwell Dent (Jurgen Prochnow), Karla Fry (Brigitte Nielson) and finally Charles Chip Cain (Dean Stockwell). This film also introduces for the first time comedy genius Chris Rock.

This film is a master piece and is a must buy DVD


This Movie Beverly Hills Cop 2 is a very funny and action packed movie. Not as good as the origanal though but very entertaining. This was a big hit at the box office. But then all of a sudden they made NO3 which is the worst one out of the series.


'Beverly Hills Cop II' is an utterly obnoxious movie that epitomises the worst aspects of flashy '80s action and serves only as a monument to Bruckheimer and Simpson's lack of interest in anything besides cars, guns, tits and swearing. Sandwiched between the enjoyable original and the underrated third movie, not only is this sequel soulless, abrasive and boring, it's entirely lacking in laughs. Eddie Murphy's Foley comes off as a rude, selfish jerk this time round, and it's the fatal flaw of the movie than none of his shtick is remotely inventive. He just talks and talks and talks and talks and talks. Meanwhile the overly complicated plot relies on moronic coincidence to drag itself from one empty set piece to another, and the gaps in logic are filled with unmemorable pop songs, orange filters, Harold Faltermeyer's keyboard/electric guitar/bin lid/biscuit tin score, shoulder pads, bright red lipstick and big sunglasses. Diabolical.


I've got to admit first off that I much prefer Universal's Frankenstein series to the Dracula one (same goes for Hammer Horror), but this third showing for the count isn't bad at all. The films following Tod Browning's 1931 original are not as professionally done - but so long as you go into them knowing that you're watching a B-movie, that shouldn't be a problem. Son of Dracula is better than Dracula's Daughter in my opinion, albeit only slightly. The story in this film hits home harder and while it lacks the sensuality of the previous Dracula sequel, that's made up for in several other areas. Unlike the last film, this one doesn't really follow on and is pretty much a solo entry in the Dracula series. We follow a morbid, yet naive heiress, who invites a man named Count Alucard (Dracula spelt backwards) to her U.S. home. Her boyfriend is suspicious of the newcomer, and this suspicion turns to jealously when the Count and the heiress are married. This then turns to tragedy when he accidentally shoots the heiress...

Despite being famous for the role, Bela Lugosi actually only played Dracula once; which is unfortunate, as the rest of the series could have benefited from having him in the lead. Lon Chaney Jr (a man who has played all of Universal's main villains) is a worthy replacement, however; but the Count just doesn't seem as sinister with him in the role. Robert Siodmak takes the director's chair and does a good job with it. The atmosphere isn't as thick and foreboding as his later film, The Spiral Staircase, and the tone is typically Universal in that it's 'fun' - but the film is continually dark and sinister, which is nice. The special effects are good considering the time that it was made, and seeing Alucard change into a bat or appear from a shroud of mist is always a highlight. The story takes in themes of love and selfishness, and the characters are actually rather well done. I can't say that either the characters or the film itself is a patch on the original Dracula book and film, but it was never meant to be and this film is a worthy addition to the Dracula series.


Count Alurcard (Lou Chaney Jr.) comes from Hungary arrives in the southern part of the U.S. in Lousiana. He seeks the blood of a woman named Katherine (Louise Allbritton) who is obsessed with the Gothic and supernatural, she falls under his spell to be in love with him but her fiancée Frank (Robert Paige) gets suspicious of what she's become and now must join with Dr. Brewster (Frank Craven) and Professor Lazio (J. Edward Bromberg) to stop this creature of the night and Katherine.

So far an improvement over "Daughter of Dracula", this third installment of Universal's "Dracula" series is a very worthy successor to the 1931 masterpiece. This is the first vampire film to show a bat to vampiric man transformation and has good performances even though Lou Chaney Jr. isn't too bad as a vampire as much as he is as The Wolf Man, it's not as excellent as the first one but it's a great sequel.


A descendant of Dracula(Lon Chaney Jr), using the fake title Count Alucard, is in league with the daughter of a rich plantation owner in a Louisiana swampland called Dark Oats. The daughter is Katherine "Kay" Caldwell(Louise Allbritton, in a creepy performance, eerily photographed throughout the film..she plays Kay as a manipulative sneak, cunning and dangerous)who has a fear of death and is deeply involved spiritually with the occult..she is often referred to, when others are conversing about her, as morbid. Kay's life long love(..and to whom she has been engaged for some time before traveling to Budapest where she actually met Alucard)is Frank Stanley(Robert Paige)and he has to stand uncomfortably idle as his woman marries Alucard trying to figure out what is going on. Kay has concocted a scheme behind Alucard's back..she's merely using him as a tool to gain eternal life as an immortal and will plan to persuade Stanley to murder the Count so that they can live together forever. However, Kay has an adversary in Doctor Brewster(Frank Craven), a friend of the family who knows something is not kosher with the circumstances involving Alucard and Kay. Alucard had bitten Kay's father and upon his death, the plantation was signed over to her exclusively with the other daughter Claire(Universal mainstay Evelyn Ankers, lovely as always)getting the money. When Frank tries to kill, with a pistol, Alucard for what he's supposedly done to Kay, he is shaken when the bullets go completely through the Count hitting Kay. Count nearly kills him before Stanley hits for paydirt luckily making it to Brewster's home. This will set in motion Brewster's calling on help from Transylvania's own Professor Lazlo(J Edward Bromberg)who understands the vampire ways for his own homeland has become a desolate wasteland because of the bloodsucking & death. Will Kay succeed in not only having Alucard killed, but Stanley being her undead lover?

Most people who dislike this film hone in on Lon Chaney Jr., but in the film 80 minute running time, he might be in it for fifteen minutes tops. Actually, despite his name carrying the title, it's actually Kay who is the villain of the picture. She stirs the pot and I'm pretty sure was an indirect influence in the death of her own father just because she feared the idea of death. I think this is a more interesting approach and fairly original. Dracula is merely a used tool and the woman, who is normally the innocent victim being stalked, is the one actually pulling the evil strings. I love the idea of having an Universal vampire film set in the Louisiana swampland..one scene has Dracula's coffin emerging from the swamp water! Rarely seen in many other Universal Dracula films, the two vampires of this picture often appear from a vaporous cloud. Atmospheric and moody photography..the script is quite talky so this might put off many.


"Son of Dracula" is another fine movie from the Universal Studio horror series. Although I wouldn't rate this as high as "Dracula's Daughter", the film does have it's moments. It has a good cast, including Lon Chaney, Jr. as Dracula. Yeah, he seems miscast but he portrays a menacing vampire. J. Edward Bromberg and Frank Craven also stand out as they hunt down Dracula.This was the first vampire film to use Alucard as an anagram of Dracula. I thought it was pretty cool. There are some good scenes where Dracula and his bride turn into mist and the bat transformations were also well done. The story has Dracula being invited to a plantation. He really is securing a home to start to bleed our country dry. An interesting touch was Dracula's coffin floating to the top of a swamp and Dracula coming out as a mist and transforming into his form as a man. This was really original. His destruction is typical vampire stuff. The ending where Dracula's bride is killed is very touching. A nice film to add to your vampire collection.


"So Close" is a terribly unremarkable and uncharismatic title for a movie that should have been called, simply, "Sexy Action Chicks!". There's a lot of cool action and style, mostly to do with wire-aided martial arts and the three immensely appealing leading ladies, who were obviously having fun doing this. So if you like Asian action and kick-ass heroines, this is a must-see.

The premise with two girls being an action team, one a computer whiz and the other a field agent, is extremely similar to the comic book "Birds of Prey", which was also a short-lived (but abominably bad) TV series recently. Being martial arts assassins, the characters can also be compared with other comic book action chicks like Elektra or Lady Shiva, or, for that matter, Danger Girl. This movie seems very comics inspired.

Unfortunately, there is also some bad news: the story is pretty awful. In fact, you hardly notice it. The film-makers almost appear to have forgotten about it. Once again Asian producers do not realize the importance of having a proper plot. This is formulaic assassin/police/revenge clichés ad nauseam, with nothing even remotely original or surprising. One of the girls has a crush on the female police officer, and while that's sure-fire fodder for male fantasies, it's also gratuitously voyeuristic. Oh well, peace be with that - I admit I enjoyed it! Also, this was the first time I saw Karen Mok (outside of cameos), and she made a great impression. She's not drop-dead gorgeous, but she makes what she has go a long way! And she's a very sympathetic kind of person.

The CG effects were a little grating, esp. all the smashing glass. You'd think it would have been cheaper to just use real glass - but I guess they didn't wanna clean up afterward! Some of the other effects, like the elevators and many of the shots of the office building, were very well made.

I would have liked to rate this movie very highly, but at the end of the day it doesn't have much substance. It does however have beautiful women, some cool fight scenes, and great style. The entertainment value is definitely not bad, but I can't rate it higher than a 7 out of 10.

(Edit: Actually, yes I can! In hindsight I think it has enough intriguing elements, also story-wise, to warrant an 8 rating, and that is what I have now revised my rating to.)


Immediately one of my favorite movies. Excellent action, great use of CGI, a few jarring "impossibilities", but overall an excellent action-thriller.

Here's the thing: I didn't know who Vicki Zhao was, so she didn't impress or disappoint me. I had seen Shu Qi in "Gorgeous" and didn't like her much in that, so she impressed me with her range of acting in this movie, to tell the truth. In fact, all three female leads were impressive in some of the thoughts and emotions they communicated in nothing more than a quirk of an eyebrow or a twitch of the lips. But I came away totally impressed with Karen Mok. I know her as a singer, and have always considered her a little arrogant or conceited. I don't consider her half as sexy as she seems to be generally considered. But I *liked* her character in this movie, and that must be largely attributed to her acting and scene presence.

I think they played up the "sexy" angle of the girls too much. They are all quite attractive, yes, but the attempts to take advantage of that sometimes distracted the movie...to me, inadvertent sexiness has far more impact than when it is shoved in your face. Still, an excellent movie. Well worth seeing.

...and for what it's worth, I liked the sound-mixing on the gunshots. Excellent heavy/punchy sound that really communicated what it might feel like to get shot.


Directed by Corey Yuen (The Legend) and starring Qi Shu (The Transporter) as the deadly assassin Lynn, a.k.a. Computer Angel; Vicki Zhao (Shaolin Soccer) as Lynn's spunky younger sister Sue; Karen Mok (Shaolin Soccer) as Hong Yat Hong, the ambitious cop set on catching the two; and the oh-so-dreamy Seung-heon Song as Yen, Lynn's doe-eyed love interest.

The story starts off with a beautifully shot and choreographed action sequence where Lynn gets into a crime lord's uber-command center and kicks some major butt in a flurry of glass shards as "Close To You" by The Carpenters plays in the background.

At first I thought Lynn was our star, the dark assassin seeking love/redemption. Then it seemed as though Hong Yat Hong may have been our main character, the woman-cop who knows only that these two are hired killers whom she must catch. Then the story focuses on Sue and her inner-angst/possible sexuality issues. It feels like it may have been a flaw on the writer/director's side that there was no clear protagonist, which would have been better for a film like this, but it still worked well.

The movie had amazing action scenes, a great sister on sister bubble bath battle, and some really fun characters. The romantic scenes between Lynn and Yen are painfully entertaining and at times the film's score sounds like it comes off of a music library CD, but even at its worst So Close is unendingly endearing.

In the end it felt like a cross between Charlie's Angels (the movie) and those bad Chinese restaurant Karaoke videos. I definitely recommend this film to fans of cheesy action flicks or campy female leads.


The writers get no points for creating a cohesive or logical plot. It's all over the place. A guy creates a worldwide spying device and then he's killed in an attempt to steal it. Years later his two daughters use the device to become hired assassins and get away with all their crimes. One of the sisters falls from some Korean sex symbol and decides she wants to stop killing people for money. The other sister wants to keep going and so she tries to do a job on her own and she screws up. There's a rookie cop who pretty much figures it all out and she's hot on the sisters' trail. One of the guys who paid for a hit decides he wants to wipe out the sisters and the cop and then it's all kicking and shooting and wire fu for the last exciting 20 minutes or so. Like I said, the story is pretty poorly put together but you will enjoy almost every moment any of the sisters or the cop is on the screen. Karen Mok is brilliant as the tough, smart, sassy and sexy cop. Shu Qi and Vicki Zhao make for the cutest sisters you'll ever see on screen. Whenever any of these characters are fighting with good guys, bad guys, one another or each other, you will be amazed at the stylized kung fu artistry. Yes, there's a lot of wires and camera trickery but it never takes away from the enjoyment. And how many movies can turn "Close To You" into a action theme? Don't watch the English dubbed version if you can avoid it. Watch it either in Mandarin or Cantonese for full enjoyment.


[WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS]

I can't recall the last time I had this much fun watching an action film.

Sometimes it's good for the soul to watch mindless, yet enormously entertaining, popcorn movies. That's exactly what Corey Yuen's "Chik yeung tin sai" is.

The plot's preposterous, but no more than most Hollywood blockbusters. It's just that "So Close" - the film's English title - provides tons more fun than any recent Hollywood actioner. And Yuen and screenwriter Jeff Lau still toss in a doozy of a plot twist that most American action filmmakers wouldn't have the chutzpah to do.

The plot: Two sisters, Lynn (a tremendously sexy Shu Qi) and Sue (Zhao Wei) turn assassins after their parents get gunned down by gangsters seeking the girls' father's invention - technology that can infiltrate every closed-circuit monitoring system in the world. Lynn, the brawn, and Sue, the brains, now use that technology to fight bad guys. Tracking them after their latest hit is female cop Hong Yat Hong (Karen Mok).

Although it's occasionally referred to as Hong Kong's "Charlie's Angels," comparing the two American films to Yuen's work is akin to likening a Pauly Shore movie to "Pulp Fiction." Charlie's Angels got nothing on the three women in "So Close." These heroines would mop the floor with Charlie's Angels.

The film's charm is that it doesn't delude itself by pretending to be something it isn't. Yuen set out to make an action film brimming with sensational stunts, exciting gunplay and cheeky humor and starring three attractive women. Lau's script espouses a feminist message, not only with the sisters' high-kicking independence, but also with Hong's struggle in a male-dominated police force. But feminism isn't the film's main goal. Dazzling us with awe-inspiring action is. And Yuen packs his film with plenty of it.

One particularly astounding display of gunplay features Lynn, clad in a tight white body suit, calmly eviscerating an army of bad guys in a shiny high-rise. The sequence features the most novel pair of stiletto heels and quite possibly the best and cheekiest use of Burt Bacharach's "Close to You" I've heard in a movie.

There's also a rousing fight between two handcuffed women within the claustrophobic confines of a parking garage. No wisecracks, no expressions of bravado. No dialogue whatsoever. Just the grace and beauty of a magnificently choreographed action sequence.

Yuen clearly is having fun. A three-person brawl with swords, guns, knives and bamboo seems like a tribute to himself  the scene's reminiscent of a fight featuring Michelle Yeoh and Cynthia Rothrock in Yuen's "Huang gu shi jie" (1985), aka "Yes, Madam" and "Police Assassins."

The music's often cheesy and dialogue doesn't exactly zing. But "So Close," nevertheless, enthralls because it's so unpretentious in its aim.

American action films would be so much better if their filmmakers were half as imaginative as their Hong Kong counterparts. Is it any surprise that Hollywood now actively courts Asian filmmakers and stunt coordinators? Of course, thanks to studio meddling, they've wound up making mediocre stuff here.

Yeah, Hollywood makes popcorn actioners, too. But they're rarely as thrilling or enjoyable as "So Close."


Let's talk about prerequisities first.

If you hate American action flicks, if you don't revel in nerve-wrecking psycho-dramas too badly, if you can appreciate style over substance and if you're into asian cinematography, pick So Close.

Rest assured there's plenty of nonsense in this movie, even cliches from time to time, but there's not enough of it to prevent you from enjoying it. Really, even acting was fine with me. Action is exquisite, girls are lovely, effects are cool, plot is trivialized but sufficient I guess. It was meant to be easy and fun and you know what? It's easy and fun alright.

8/10