Action Movies
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Action Movies
Do you like gladiator movies? War movies? Gangster movies? Kung fu movies? Swordfight movies? Alien invasion movies?
This is a community for any movie with a punch, a kick, a stab, a shot or an explosion, or preferably all of the above and plenty of 'em.
Everything from Armour of God to Zulu, from Above the Law to Zatoichi.
Feel free to post:
- news
- reviews
- licensed streaming or downloads
- questions & polls
- recommendations
- memes
- etc.
Rules
In addition to piefed.social's instance rules.
- Let's be nice to each other
- Let's keep it legal (e.g. licensed streaming)
- Let's stay on topic
founded 6 days ago
MODERATORS
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a.k.a Soldier of Fortune
Tagline
The Future of the world rests on just one man!
Elevator pitch
I... can't even imagine. The "James Bond Holiday Special"?
Summary
Freelance secret agent has to retrieve a kidnapped laser scientist before the bad guys use him and a stolen diamond to develop a superweapon.
Trailer
Personnel
- Director: Beau Davis
- Writers: Phillip Guteridge, David A. Frank
Cast
- Brandon Lee
- Ernest Borgnine
- Debi A. Monahan
Info
Opinion
This, and Legacy of Rage, were the only movies starring Brandon Lee I still hadn't seen. So when I saw it available on (legit) free streaming, I went for it.
I don't think it's unfair to say it's terrible: the story, the editing, and oh my god the accents! Whether it's so bad it's good, or so bad it's just bad is up to you. Personally, I found it entertaining enough, and Brandon Lee irrepressibly charming enough, to stick through it. (The trailer is Lee being all "grim serious hero", but for much of the film he's winkingly delivering one-liners on a par with Connery or Schwarzenegger.)
I refer to it as the James Bond Holiday Special, because, like the Star Wars Holiday Special, it's incoherent, at times inexplicable, and probably the result of people doing way too much coke.
If you want quality drama and a sensible plot, this ain't it. If you want to see a guy sidekick a baddie into a guillotine, this is your jam!
Here are two reviews, one on each side of the debate:
- So bad it's good: https://talkfilmsociety.com/columns/schlock-value-laser-mission-1989
- So bad it's bad: https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/bad-movie-diaries/laser-mission-bad-movie-diaries
A Little Bit of Politics...
A whole different issue, though, is the political context of its production. About 10 minutes in, it dawned on me this might be another Red Scorpion.
If you don't know, Red Scorpion, featuring future Brandon Lee co-star Dolph Lundgren, is a 1989 action movie about a hero who fights against assorted Communist baddies in a fictional Portuguese-speaking country in southwestern Africa, that was shot primarily in South Africa and then-South-African-occupied Namibia. Laser Mission ticks all the same boxes.
And Red Scorpion, despite being a "US" movie, turned out to have been produced in part using money secretly funneled from a propaganda wing of South Africa's apartheid regime (thanks to Jack Abramoff of the MPA, later the central figure in multiple Washington corruption scandals).
The fictional southwestern African country was a thin veil for Angola, where South Africa (and, indirectly, the US) was involved in a war against the Communist government there (supported by Soviet, East German and Cuban advisers and troops), which in turn supported liberation movements in Namibia and South Africa.
Whereas Red Scorpion stays relentlessly on message about the need to defeat communism in Africa, meaning the need to support the apartheid regime, Laser Mission doesn't bang on much about the poltics of the situation, and the central casting Soviet baddie does have another agenda. But still...
Movie
All full movie links I post are for free, no account required, licensed (AFAIK, IANAL) streaming VOD in English (or original language with English subtitles) and work at time of writing in my location, Mexico. Availability and language options may be different in your location. Asterisk by the one I watched.
- Tubi - Laser Mission (1989) *
- FreeMovies+ - Laser Mission (1989) (in the web browser, unfortunately nav bars at top and side, also black bars top and bottom)
Legal stream finders
- https://nobraincellsleft.github.io/JustWatch-Search/title/tm156953
- https://www.justwatch.com/uk/movie/laser-mission
- https://reelgood.com/movie/laser-mission-1989
- https://en.kinorium.com/91420/
Screenshots
As you can see, I still need to improve my screenshooting skills without triggering Tubi's interface.
Tubi's interface disappears but FreeMovies+ in a web browser has all that stuff visible all the time. (On a Roku, FreeMovies+ doesn't do this, it gives you proper full screen.)
"¡Soy el capitán Brownface!"
#actionmovies, #legitfreemovies, #brandonlee, #ernestborgnine, #bmoviebonanza
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cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ca/post/44048482
Everyone knows about Bruceploitation, that wave of martial art films starring Bruce Lee lookalikes with names like Bruce Li/Le/Lai etc.
But did you know about Bronsploitation? Action movies starring people who look like Charles Bronson. Director Mike Malloy has made a documentary about three Bronson-lookalikes who went into the movies:
- the Korean Bobby Kim https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0453374/
- the Chilean Fenelón Guajardo (I can't find IMDb for him)
- the Hungarian Robert Bronzi https://www.imdb.com/name/nm8459909/
Article:
Trailer:
I didn't know about Bronsploitation before, but given that he was the biggest movie star in the world for a while, it seems only logical that there were producers trying to cash in using lookalikes. In fact, full disclosure :D, I had a distant cousin who looked like Bronson and used to make some extra money in the 70s and 80s doing things like opening supermarkets!
I never would have guessed that Bronsploitation would still be a thing in the 2020s, though!
A more in-depth article on Bronzi:
Bronzi fares better in Once Upon a Time in Deadwood, the best of the Bronzi/Perez collaborations. The production values are still abysmal, with nearly every actor looking like they’re participating in a hastily organized Wild West re-enactment, but the story is more substantial, and Paré brings charisma to his role as the villain. The movie piggybacks on both Bronson Westerns and the HBO series Deadwood, with most of the action set in the Dakota Territory town of Deadwood, where Paré plays a local kingpin named Swearengen.
Obviously, Paré is no Ian McShane, and Perez is no David Milch. The dialogue and acting are mostly stiff and awkward, and Bronzi comes up against the limits of his range when he’s called upon to express pain and anguish. He’s a remarkably inexpressive actor, and it doesn’t help that Perez insists on having someone else dub his lines, to cover for Bronzi’s thick Hungarian accent. In From Hell to the Wild West, that voice comes closest to sounding like Bronson, and in other Perez movies it just sounds like a bored voiceover artist in a recording booth.
Trailer for Once Upon a Time in Deadwood:
And this line :D
Bronzi’s latest film, Escape From Death Block 13, is his first without Perez, and it’s easily the most movie-like movie he’s ever starred in.
Trailer for Escape From Death Block 13:
FULL MOVIES
Exorcist Vengeance (2022)
Horror starring Robert Bronzi and Steven Berkoff
Trailer:
Full movie (uploader claims to be the official channel for Uncork'd Entertainment, so I think it's legit):
The Manchurian Avenger (1984)
Martials arts Western starring Bobby Kim and Bill 'Superfoot' Wallace
Trailer:
Full movie (uploader claims all their movies are licensed and copyright-compliant; they also have the great Dolph Lundgren actioner Joshua Tree. If you haven't seen it, check it out!):
#fullmoviesonyoutube
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In the year 2043, an evil crime lord is trying to take over the world. Only one government official stands in his way, and plans to send him to prison. The General and his minions travel back to the year 1993 to kill the official before he has a chance to get into office. Future Cops Lung, Broom Man, Ti Man, and Ah-Sing hear of the evil plan and decide to travel back in time themselves to protect the official.
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Tagline 1
A $50 million heist
A ski resort held hostage
A cop with nothing to lose
Tagline 2
Jack take a vacation? Not on his life.
Elevator pitch
Die Hard at a ski resort (but without any skiing, that shit's expensive!)
Summary
Troubled loose cannon cop Jack Wild (yes, really) is persuaded by his brother and sister-in-law to take a break from it all and accompany them on a ski trip... only to find a mobster at the resort. And then a team of baddies take over the place to get the mobster's diamonds.
Trailer
Personnel
- Director: Michael Mazo
- Writers: Micheal Bafaro & Jonas Quastel
Cast
- Thomas Ian Griffith
- Nastassja Kinski
- Christopher Plummer
- Plus several actors you've seen in stuff shot in Vancouver (X Files, SG-1 etc) over the years
Info
Opinion
When I say this is Die Hard at a ski resort, boy, do I mean it!
Die Hard checklist
- Unmarried cop on vacation: check!
- Family member/s on site for higher stakes: check!
- Assorted Euro baddies taking over a buildingful of hostages: check!
- Led by a respected, international actor playing a well-dressed, well-spoken East German killer: check!
- Cop talks to himself sarcastically about how well his vacation is going: check!
- Cop disbelieved when reporting the hostage crisis to the authorities over the radio: check!
- Cop takes out baddies one by one: check!
- Cop and lead baddie exchange snappy repartee via stolen walkie-talkie: check!
- Baddie threatens to kill hostage unless hero gives himself up: check!
- Baddies already prepared for the inevitable response from the cavalry: check!
- Bye bye, cavalry: check!
- Baddie identifies the cop and cop's family member/s: check!
- Baddies have a plan to kill all the hostages and make it look like they're dead, too: check!
- Baddie reveals his motive is not what he made it seem: check!
Just about the only thing they didn't include was comic relief or a Christmas theme. And the snow was right there, fer crying out loud!
But given just how many Die Hard rip-offs there have been, and how bad most of them are, Crackerjack comes off as one of the better ones, especially given its low budget ($4 million Canadian, which is, what, a buck fiddy in real money? ;). Plummer's accent is not in Rickman's league, Kinski doesn't get to make us care much about her, and it lacks the little comic touches of its role model.
On the other hand, things move along at a fair pace (once the trouble starts), and when it comes to the hand-to-hand combat, it feels genuinely punishing, with Griffith pulling off some sweet moves. (I thought he was an actor!)
Spawned two more movies: in 2, Jack Wild is played by a different actor. And 3 has no other connection to the other two apart from the title. Always a sign of quality! :D
Movie
All movie links are for free (no account required), legal & licensed (AFAIK) streaming VOD in English (or original language with English subtitles) and work at time of writing in my location, Mexico. Availability and language options may be different in your location. Asterisk by the one I watched.
Screenshots
#legitfreemovies
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Paul Taggart of City On Fire (a site about East Asian & martial arts movies) reviews Taiwan gangster/exploitation flick World of Desire (情慾世界) (1992 or 1993). (EnjoyMovie.net in Chinese)
In these days of boutique labels releasing Asian cinema hits and relative obscurities, there are still those who swim in murky waters where even Godfrey Ho fans wouldn’t swim. It’s a strange place, full of bottomless pits of crappiness, tonal whiplash, fountains of sleaze, geysers of violence and the detritus of cinema. It is the land of the Taiwan exploitation film.
You would think World of Desire is a cheapie 74-minute {soft-core} film from its poster and title, but it’s actually a cheapie gangster film with nudie bits. The plot is pretty basic, concerning three night club hostesses and a hoodlum who end up on the run from a gang after an incident at a hotel involving an old man, one of the women and a pistol. Various shenanigans ensure for the rest of the run-time mostly set around a night club the quartet end up running whilst trying to evade the local mobsters gunning for them.
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Aki Aleong, long time actor, musician and more, has died. Even at 90, he was working and there are still a few releases pending.
You may remember him from:
- Braddock: Missing in Action III (1988) with Chuck Norris
- Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story (1993)
- The Quest (1996) with JCVD & Roger Moore
- Martial Law (TV, 1998) with Sammo Hung
and many more movies and shows.
Info
Bio (copied from Plex)
Aki Aleong's career has spanned more than 60 years as an actor, singer, writer, producer and activist. He has served on the National Board of the Screen Actors Guild, appointed National Chair of SAG'S EEOC and was a member of the President's Diversity/Affirmative Action Task Force. Aki has also been Executive Director of AIM (Asians in Media), Vice President of The Media Coalition of Los Angeles and President of MANAA (Media Action Network for Asian-Americans). Among Aki's numerous awards is an Honorary Doctorate from New Dimensions University in 2013.
Aki's legendary career started on Broadway in "Teahouse of the August Moon" and "The Interview." He went on to star in more than 50 movies and 150 television shows and has worked with Academy Award-winners Frank Sinatra Jr., Marlon Brando, Faye Dunaway, Joanne Woodward, Steve McQueen, Ben Kingsley, John Mills, Ernest Borgnine, Jennifer Connelly and Martin Landau. Aki has worked with Directors William Wyler {3 time Oscar winner}, John Sturges and Martin Ritt. Other notable stars with whom Aki has worked include Roger Moore, Bill Cosby, Peter Lawford, Tony Randall, Gina Lollobrigida, Chuck Norris, Olivia Hussey, Pierce Brosnan and others, many of whom have been the recipients of Golden Globes, DGA, WGA, SAG, Cannes and similar prestigious awards. Aki's career also includes working with prominent Writers/Directors, including John Milius, Lionel Chetwynd, Philip Yordan, Mark Rydell and Nobel Peace Prize Winner Pearl S. Buck.
Aki also has experience as a record executive producer/artist. He was Chairman of FORE (The Fraternity of Recording Executives), an organization dedicated to bringing Executives of Color into the Music Industry. His other affiliations include President of Pan World Records and Golden Dragon Publishing companies. He was the National Director of Black Promotion for Polydor/Polygram Records and also worked with Liberty/UA Records and Capitol Records. He also produced records for Columbia Records, Capitol, Liberty/UA, Artista and other prominent labels. Aki, in fact, is the first Asian American to have a Top100 record, which he wrote and co-produced, on the National Charts in the US.
Aki's other accomplishments include NAAAP ( National Association of Asian American Professionals) membership, an Advisory Board Member of the US China Aids Foundation and a Judge for the Asian American Teens 2007-2008.
Aki is President of MANAA (Media Action Network for Asian Americans), Senior Advisor for Ace Studios Hong Kong and President of Mustard Seed Media Group, for which he wrote, directed and starred in "Chinaman's Chance: America's Yellow Slaves." Aki's extensive background in the entertainment industry also includes the production of a wide variety of movies, videos and documentaries.
News articles
- https://theactionelite.com/r-i-p-aki-aleong-1934-2025/
- https://cityonfire.com/aki-aleong-actor-singer-activist-and-action-film-star-passes-away/
- https://www.express.co.uk/celebrity-news/2073618/aki-aleong-dies-dementia-bruce-lee
Videos
- Trailer for The Quest (Aleong at 47")
https://youtu.be/uGrJ4s1HPdQ - Aleong and Tia Carrere on General Hospital
https://youtu.be/R8UtfhvmPQQ
Aleong also worked in the music industry in various roles, including as a recording artist. Here's a surf record he did:
- Aki Aleong and the Nobles - Noble Surf
https://youtu.be/uGrJ4s1HPdQ
Movies & Shows
Tubi
- Sci-Fighter (2004) with Don "The Dragon" Wilson, Lorenzo Lamas
https://tubitv.com/es-mx/movies/100020212/sci-fighter
Plex
- all Aki Aleong movies
https://watch.plex.tv/person/aki-aleong
(currently Fit To Kill (1993), Robowoman (2019), IN3DRAGON: The Unseen Fist (2022), etc)
YouTube
-
Farewell to the King (1989) with Nick Nolte
https://youtu.be/WX_vq_2bUv4 -
Out for Blood (1992) with Don "The Dragon" Wilson
https://youtu.be/7QE0neZJRto -
Hong Kong (1960) with Rod Taylor - Episode 3 - Pearl Flower
https://youtu.be/QPnO4AfUoLs
EDIT: streaming movie links work in some locations, but may be different for yours. E.g. Out for Blood is available on Tubi in the US but not on Tubi in Mexico.