way of the dragon
Added 7/17/2009
This is without a doubt one of Don "the Dragon's" best movies, and trust me, i've seen them all. I know what to really look for in one of these movies,things like a swift pace, decent or better production values and, of course, the martial arts. We are here to see violent action involving fists and feet, if we want fine acting might I sugest Howard's End or Driving Miss Daisy. And this one delivers on that front, big time, as our hero Don "the Dragon" is pited against fellow martial arts master James Lew for a number of excellent and exciting action scenes.
Don "the Dragon" plays a Japanese cop with a flawless American accent, well he's only half-Japanese (guess the voice box and vocal chords are from the American side), he's come to the California to escort back the gangster who killed his partner. Enter James Lew as an assassin with the death touch (a/k/a the five point palm exploding heart technique), his misssion is to help the gangster in his escape and give Don "the Dragon" a worthy nemesis. Don "the Dragon's" paired with the gorgeous Terry Farrell (from Star Trek: DS9) as a cop who's a lot tougher than she looks. Also the always welcome Mako co-stars as Don "the Dragon's" master, a former monk, now living the good life of wine, woman, and song in Cali, but still has a lot of expertiece especially about the death touch.
Top notch production values, this one could've been a theatrical release. Great martial arts action, in fact some of Don "the Dragon's" best, James Lew is very underrated. Plus, a great supporting cast of well known B-actors, Mako steals the show as always, plus Michael Ironside, Edward Albert and Soon Tech-Oh also put in appearances. For fans of martial arts movies, especially those of the 1990's, this one will work for you, it even could've been a vehicle for a bigger star like Van Damme or Norris.
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Red Sun Rising: A Detailed Review
Added 3/6/2009
Undoubtedly, "Red Sun Rising" is one of the best films that Don `The Dragon' Wilson has done. Yes, it's an HBO premiere, but it's one of his best. Yes, it's about the controversial Dim Mak technique and will have a lot of people jeering "Oh, come on!", but it's one of his best. Yes, it fails to stand out at all when pitted against other action movies, but the fact that it's not a significant step below other mid-'90s TV action fodder that makes it one of Wilson's best. I'd go as far to say that this is one of the films that new fans should watch to acquaint themselves with their hero with, seeing as it's one of Wilson's least flawed pictures. Indeed, most of the man's movies are graded by way of what they've done wrong, but "Red Sun Rising" can thankfully be critiqued by what it does right, and that alone makes it more special than the rest of The Dragon's filmography.
The story: Thomas Hoshino (Wilson) is a Japanese-American policeman who is disgraced by the death of his partner at the hands of a Yakuza crime lord (Soon-Tek Oh, Missing in Action 2 [VHS]) and a mystical assassin (James Lew, American Ninja 5). He follows the killer to Los Angeles, where he's paired up with the hotheaded Det. Karen Ryder (Terry Farrell, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: The Complete Series (Seasons 1-7)) to help bring in the criminals - only to find his quarry pitting American gangs against eachother so they may benefit from the ensuing bloodshed.
Let me start with the most interesting aspect of the movie: the assassin Jaho. Plainly, I'm sure that he seemed a lot more awe-inspiring in the script, but when put to celluloid by James Lew, he comes off as a bit of a laugh: he's a semi-magical killer, so not only can he fight like a demon and administer the fatal Dim Mak via two fingers and animated red lightning, but he can also hypnotize people with a glance, mimic voices (even Farrell's!), cause smoky explosions without the use of ninja ping-pong bombs, and bring the folks he's Dim Maked back to life. This introduces a supernatural element to the film that feels very out-of-place and kept me from taking the movie seriously. Figure in that Lew is not a great actor, and you're left wishing for a better villain.
The rest of the cast is a mixed bag. Don Wilson does nothing out of the ordinary, so his disgraced character trying to find redemption is pulled off. Terry Farrell's Karen Ryder, however, is a highly unlikable racist whose poorly-explained bigotry only relents when she must enter into a forced romance with Wilson. Michael Ironside (Total Recall) makes a showing as the police commissioner, but he gets in on next to none of the action. Soon-Tek Oh makes a passable but totally unremarkable villain. The only truly impassioned performance is that of the indispensable Mako (Conan the Barbarian) as Wilson's mentor: wearing a shirt reading "I am the big banana", he expertly transitions between the party animal and the old master, and supplies his usual infectious enthusiasm that can make a bad movie decent.
Don Wilson fans have come to accept that their hero will never be Jet Li or even Jean-Claude Van Damme, and even though Wilson himself choreographs the fights alongside Art Camacho (who's done the same job for a third of Wilson's filmography), these encounters are in no condition to amaze, even though they're some of the better brawls that The Dragon has been a part of.
The opening fight is between Wilson, his partner's family, and Jaho and his minions: a nice combination of kung fu and weaponry, it's probably the best fight of the film despite revealing that Wilson sucks with a sword. The next encounter between Wilson and a handful of gang members and is much shorter and much less remarkable. The bar scene in which Wilson takes on more gang members and a Capoeira fighter is more like it, though it's followed by a silly beat-`em-down in the police station, a disappointing gang/police brawl, and an absolutely atrocious Wilson/Lew encounter. There are no shootouts or car chases, but a somewhat interesting training sequence between Wilson and Mako.
The movie's production is solid but held down by its budget and some uninspired cinematography; director Francis Megahy (Taffin) did the best with what was given, but it certainly wasn't good enough to have his name remembered by more people. Still, how many directors can honestly say they've made a decent Don Wilson movie (one with its own theme song, no less)? Plainly, as far as our favorite Dragon is concerned, it doesn't get much better...and that's a bit of a shame.
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another average don wilson film
Added 11/6/2007
Red Sun Rising looks good to the eye compared to most films that Don Wilson is in - like Ring of Fire and Bloodfist. The action is entertaining in Red Sun Rising and the mixed cast is recognizable, but the story and script were just not all that interesting. This is an average martial arts film in the end, where the most fun lies in several matchups of Wilson against James Lew (Perfect Weapon, Showdown, Timecop).
In Japan, Thomas Hoshino's (Wilson) partner is killed by the Yakuza and their deadliest killer, (James Lew) who kills with a method known as the death touch. The Yakuza gang escapes to L.A., where they and a system of corrupt police trigger a war between opposing gangs throughout the city. Hoshino travels to L.A. to track down the Yakuza, but has to make peace with his new L.A. partner (Terry Farrell) and American culture. Hoshino is also trained to learn the methods of the death touch by a comical, yet wise man played by Mako (Balance of Power, Perfect Weapon, Battle Creek Brawl).
The mixed cast of decent B movie actors is welcoming in Red Sun Rising - Don Wilson, Mako, Michael Ironside and James Lew. The action is also pretty decent, even though it may be sparse throughout the film. This is not the best outing by James Lew as the villain, but its definetly one of his better ones. He gets plenty of screentime and takes part in most of the good fights. The final fight is Wilson and Lew in a parking lot at night, that lasts a good 4 minutes. It isn't the best fight I have seen for sure, but the use of beautiful kicks both from Wilson and Lew kept it entertaining.
Red Sun Rising has its good and bad moments, and in the end it all averages out. It's worth a watch, but the recognizable actors and mildly-entertaining fights are all that make this worth it.
1 out of 1 people found this helpful.
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Mediocre
Added 12/30/1999
What a mediocre martial arts film. Don Wilson is a great marital artist, but his acting skills need serious work. In fact, most of the story was so lame, the films only saving grace was Terry Farrell. Not a great part for her either, but she did the best she could with the material and what she was given. Her performance was...ok. But in the end nothing could save this film from becoming a horrid direct to video B-movie release compared to superior action/martial arts movies.
1 out of 3 people found this helpful.
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One of the Dragon's best...
Added 12/16/1999
Here Wilson prtrays a half-Japanese(ainako)cop at odds with the Yakuza ,himself, and American culture.Featuring a touch of the supernatural,other real life masters such as James Lew and a funny and excellent performance from Mako and also Michael Ironside this is a very satisfying martial arts thriller.
1 out of 1 people found this helpful.
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way of the dragon
Added 7/17/2009
This is without a doubt one of Don "the Dragon's" best movies, and trust me, i've seen them all. I know what to really look for in one of these movies,things like a swift pace, decent or better production values and, of course, the martial arts. We are here to see violent action involving fists and feet, if we want fine acting might I sugest Howard's End or Driving Miss Daisy. And this one delivers on that front, big time, as our hero Don "the Dragon" is pited against fellow martial arts master James Lew for a number of excellent and exciting action scenes.
Don "the Dragon" plays a Japanese cop with a flawless American accent, well he's only half-Japanese (guess the voice box and vocal chords are from the American side), he's come to the California to escort back the gangster who killed his partner. Enter James Lew as an assassin with the death touch (a/k/a the five point palm exploding heart technique), his misssion is to help the gangster in his escape and give Don "the Dragon" a worthy nemesis. Don "the Dragon's" paired with the gorgeous Terry Farrell (from Star Trek: DS9) as a cop who's a lot tougher than she looks. Also the always welcome Mako co-stars as Don "the Dragon's" master, a former monk, now living the good life of wine, woman, and song in Cali, but still has a lot of expertiece especially about the death touch.
Top notch production values, this one could've been a theatrical release. Great martial arts action, in fact some of Don "the Dragon's" best, James Lew is very underrated. Plus, a great supporting cast of well known B-actors, Mako steals the show as always, plus Michael Ironside, Edward Albert and Soon Tech-Oh also put in appearances. For fans of martial arts movies, especially those of the 1990's, this one will work for you, it even could've been a vehicle for a bigger star like Van Damme or Norris.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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Red Sun Rising: A Detailed Review
Added 3/6/2009
Undoubtedly, "Red Sun Rising" is one of the best films that Don `The Dragon' Wilson has done. Yes, it's an HBO premiere, but it's one of his best. Yes, it's about the controversial Dim Mak technique and will have a lot of people jeering "Oh, come on!", but it's one of his best. Yes, it fails to stand out at all when pitted against other action movies, but the fact that it's not a significant step below other mid-'90s TV action fodder that makes it one of Wilson's best. I'd go as far to say that this is one of the films that new fans should watch to acquaint themselves with their hero with, seeing as it's one of Wilson's least flawed pictures. Indeed, most of the man's movies are graded by way of what they've done wrong, but "Red Sun Rising" can thankfully be critiqued by what it does right, and that alone makes it more special than the rest of The Dragon's filmography.
The story: Thomas Hoshino (Wilson) is a Japanese-American policeman who is disgraced by the death of his partner at the hands of a Yakuza crime lord (Soon-Tek Oh, Missing in Action 2 [VHS]) and a mystical assassin (James Lew, American Ninja 5). He follows the killer to Los Angeles, where he's paired up with the hotheaded Det. Karen Ryder (Terry Farrell, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: The Complete Series (Seasons 1-7)) to help bring in the criminals - only to find his quarry pitting American gangs against eachother so they may benefit from the ensuing bloodshed.
Let me start with the most interesting aspect of the movie: the assassin Jaho. Plainly, I'm sure that he seemed a lot more awe-inspiring in the script, but when put to celluloid by James Lew, he comes off as a bit of a laugh: he's a semi-magical killer, so not only can he fight like a demon and administer the fatal Dim Mak via two fingers and animated red lightning, but he can also hypnotize people with a glance, mimic voices (even Farrell's!), cause smoky explosions without the use of ninja ping-pong bombs, and bring the folks he's Dim Maked back to life. This introduces a supernatural element to the film that feels very out-of-place and kept me from taking the movie seriously. Figure in that Lew is not a great actor, and you're left wishing for a better villain.
The rest of the cast is a mixed bag. Don Wilson does nothing out of the ordinary, so his disgraced character trying to find redemption is pulled off. Terry Farrell's Karen Ryder, however, is a highly unlikable racist whose poorly-explained bigotry only relents when she must enter into a forced romance with Wilson. Michael Ironside (Total Recall) makes a showing as the police commissioner, but he gets in on next to none of the action. Soon-Tek Oh makes a passable but totally unremarkable villain. The only truly impassioned performance is that of the indispensable Mako (Conan the Barbarian) as Wilson's mentor: wearing a shirt reading "I am the big banana", he expertly transitions between the party animal and the old master, and supplies his usual infectious enthusiasm that can make a bad movie decent.
Don Wilson fans have come to accept that their hero will never be Jet Li or even Jean-Claude Van Damme, and even though Wilson himself choreographs the fights alongside Art Camacho (who's done the same job for a third of Wilson's filmography), these encounters are in no condition to amaze, even though they're some of the better brawls that The Dragon has been a part of.
The opening fight is between Wilson, his partner's family, and Jaho and his minions: a nice combination of kung fu and weaponry, it's probably the best fight of the film despite revealing that Wilson sucks with a sword. The next encounter between Wilson and a handful of gang members and is much shorter and much less remarkable. The bar scene in which Wilson takes on more gang members and a Capoeira fighter is more like it, though it's followed by a silly beat-`em-down in the police station, a disappointing gang/police brawl, and an absolutely atrocious Wilson/Lew encounter. There are no shootouts or car chases, but a somewhat interesting training sequence between Wilson and Mako.
The movie's production is solid but held down by its budget and some uninspired cinematography; director Francis Megahy (Taffin) did the best with what was given, but it certainly wasn't good enough to have his name remembered by more people. Still, how many directors can honestly say they've made a decent Don Wilson movie (one with its own theme song, no less)? Plainly, as far as our favorite Dragon is concerned, it doesn't get much better...and that's a bit of a shame.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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another average don wilson film
Added 11/6/2007
Red Sun Rising looks good to the eye compared to most films that Don Wilson is in - like Ring of Fire and Bloodfist. The action is entertaining in Red Sun Rising and the mixed cast is recognizable, but the story and script were just not all that interesting. This is an average martial arts film in the end, where the most fun lies in several matchups of Wilson against James Lew (Perfect Weapon, Showdown, Timecop).
In Japan, Thomas Hoshino's (Wilson) partner is killed by the Yakuza and their deadliest killer, (James Lew) who kills with a method known as the death touch. The Yakuza gang escapes to L.A., where they and a system of corrupt police trigger a war between opposing gangs throughout the city. Hoshino travels to L.A. to track down the Yakuza, but has to make peace with his new L.A. partner (Terry Farrell) and American culture. Hoshino is also trained to learn the methods of the death touch by a comical, yet wise man played by Mako (Balance of Power, Perfect Weapon, Battle Creek Brawl).
The mixed cast of decent B movie actors is welcoming in Red Sun Rising - Don Wilson, Mako, Michael Ironside and James Lew. The action is also pretty decent, even though it may be sparse throughout the film. This is not the best outing by James Lew as the villain, but its definetly one of his better ones. He gets plenty of screentime and takes part in most of the good fights. The final fight is Wilson and Lew in a parking lot at night, that lasts a good 4 minutes. It isn't the best fight I have seen for sure, but the use of beautiful kicks both from Wilson and Lew kept it entertaining.
Red Sun Rising has its good and bad moments, and in the end it all averages out. It's worth a watch, but the recognizable actors and mildly-entertaining fights are all that make this worth it.
1 out of 1 people found this helpful.
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