Rating: NR
Genre:
Action
Release Date: 11/21/2006
SubTitles: English
Dubbed: Mandarin
Sound: DD5.1/DDM2.0
Run Time: 104 min
Flags: Violence, Adult Situations
Distributor/Studio: Image Entertainment
The director of
Killer Snakes returns to terrify viewers with this tale of a fallen boxer whose quest for an omen with the power to break a long-running family curse leads to an
action filmed
adventure through a horrific land of nightmares and death. When the punches start flying and the creatures of the underworld come out to play, the battle is on to defeat the powers of evil, and free his family from the evil hex that binds them.
Bolo Yeung and
Lung Wei Wang star in a classic supernatural
martial arts film from the prolific
Shaw Brothers.
~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
The Boxer's Omen has long had a reputation for outrageousness with horror addicts and Asian film fans alike. Those unfamiliar with the film will be happy to know that the film truly lives up to that reputation, delivering a string of jaw-dropping magic-oriented horror sequences that deliver a few films' worth of creatures, bloodcurdling transformations and psychedelic gore. It also boasts a unique plot built on not one but two revenge scenarios and some kickboxing filmed in a style reminiscent of
Raging Bull. That said, the film is built on the ebb and flow of its horrific moments and director
Kuei Chih-Hung handles these moments with a deft touch, making excellent use of grandiose sets and colored lighting to create a mood of candy-colored surrealism for all the scary goings-on. The characterizations are a bit simplistic and the story starts to drag a little bit in its last third but any complaints are wiped out by the finale, which presents a uniquely Buddhist slant on the concept of a battle between two wizards. Ultimately,
The Boxer's Omen might be a little too eccentric and intense for some viewers but horror fans looking for their equivalent of a "head movie" will adore this film for its singular mix of Western horror-movie shocks and Asian mysticism.
~ Donald Guarisco, All Movie Guide
;)
