Reviews (2)

Billy Blanks is very physical - don't like his haircuts
Back in Action is a lot of physical action - which is great if you are looking for that kind of film. Billy and Roddy look good beating people up - and they make a good duo. Always hoping for something more emotional - like - Billy risks life to fight international martial arts expert to save mom from cancer...Billy is very talented in a pow - martial arts way - I just can't get into his haircuts - but having said that - the guy can jump higher in the air than most anybody -

Billy Blanks makes an action movie and action movie
Billy Blanks is the man who keeps thousands maybe millions of people in great shape. Combining that with the fact that he is a seven time world karate champion and has been in twenty movies all together it is exciting to watch. I don't have much to say really except for BILLY BLANKS, I LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Hard To Say
This film is definitely not what you'd call good. It's like a cheap porno flick without the sex.

Johnny ( Eric Thal ) is a hitman who's never made a hit. On his way with his mob buddies to " whack " someone he meets up with a beautiful bartender ( the luscious Naomi Campbell ) in a jazz club and falls instantly in love with her. The two set a date but complications arise in their relationship when Johnny stands up Tracy ( Campbell ) to complete the hit he was supposed to do in the first place. Tracy witnesses the murder. When his Uncle Walt orders Johnny to kill Tracy he decides to lock her up in a dingy warehouse until the heat cools down. All the while Tracy is begging for freedom while Johnny goes off performing unsuccessful mob duties. Of course, as suspected good wins over bad and Johnny comes out as the good guy after all. He and Tracy reunite at the end of the film and proclaim their love.

This film is slighty entertaining but nothing to watch unless you observed the chemistry between Thal and Campbell and could fully appreciate it. They have excellent chemistry but for a romance movie there is no romance. Tracy and Johnny spend their scenes whining about the mob instead of brewing an interesting love story. By the middle of the film you'll get sick of that warehouse and end up not caring if Tracy gets out or not. This may not be the worse film in the world but it's certainly not good. And you'll spend most of it wondering why you decided to watch it in the first place. But who knows? You may like it.

A MUST for MST3K fans
The DVD version is a rare gem. Of course, the movie is as bad (or worse) than you imagine from the hackneyed copy. But played with the commentary by the yahoo writer (replete with catty comments about the Director's girlfriend)--this treat transcends the awful to acheive Enlightened Idiocy.

1 Star goes for the camera work for remaining in focus throughout (for the most part).

Heck it's even cheaper than the new Boyz2Men CD--go for it.

Movie: ok / Menu Graphics: Great!:)
The overall movie was just ok. The storyline and premise were a bit weird and the acting was mediocre. But the menu graphics were very cool. ... Read more

Amazon.com

John Woo directed this surprisingly lighthearted caper tale for TV as a pilot for a series that never materialized. The forgettable leads--Ivan Sergei, Sandrine Holt, and Michael Wong--play adoptive siblings who have been trained by their father, a Hong Kong crime lord, to be master thieves. Then circumstances pit Holt and Sergei against Wong; the two of them have been co-opted as undercover cops, tracking his big score. The movie doesn't amount to much, but Woo comes through with a couple of terrific, imaginative (and funny) action sequences, including one particularly inventive one that has them literally hanging from the chandeliers. Even Woo diehards may have a hard time swallowing the smirky, callow Sergei as a romantic action lead. --Marshall Fine ... Read more

Reviews (14)

Forgettable.
What do you get when you have John Woo direct a movie in which bloodshed is not allowed, the actors are all terrible Canadian nobodies, and the general feel is that of a TV-show pilot?

That's right, you get Blackjack.

Well, you also get this weak little remake of his 1989 Hong Kong film, but without Chow Yun-Fat and Jacky Cheung.

When will they release the whole series on DVD?
They SO need to release the whole TV series on DVD. Hurry up John Woo some of us were disappointed that the series got cancelled!

Warring: this film [is bad]
Warring this is not a good film. The screenplay is bad, the acting is bad, and about every thing about this film is bad. John Woo is a good director; this is not a good film. Woo's Hollywood success with BROKEN ARROW and FACE/OFF emboldened FOX TV to remake Woo's Hong Kong action comedy hit ONCE A THIEF (1992) for TV. Wath we got was nothing more then a movie that rips off Woo's (good) Hong Kong films (a little bit of HARD BOILED can be seen in the film) with a no name TV movie stars (like Nicholas Lea) who wood bee better off acting in plays or something like that. This film was also to be a pilot for a TV program it looks like they got the ratings in this film [is bad] (you may know that by now, but I hate this film). The story (if there is one) is set in Hong Kong and then in Vancouver but that is all I wath to put to words, the rest is too dumb (or has been used before in the 92 film). Look for the 1992 film. The video is a "Never before Seen R-rated Director's cut", but there is no blood or nothing in it. A much better Woo U.S.A. made film is HARD TARGET.

1997. TV Film. ??? MINS.

Rated R For Violence.

Fun start to an even better series
While I won't call this movie high art, it was a lot of fun to watch. And ignore the...comment. While the show has not yet aired in the States (but will be on many ABC stations next fall), it was turned into a series that was much better, including episodes that satirized everything from Waiting for Godot and the Maltese Falcon to James Bond and X-Files.

Disappointing
Ok let me say that I saw this movie on TV a few years ago and I was intrigued when it was called "John Woo's Once a Thief" because the original (Chinese version, 1990)with Leslie Cheung and Chow Yun Fat is one of my favorite movies. This movie had none of the slapstick laughs and rapport that Cheung, Chow, and Chung had in the original. The acting quality was also very poor. So for all of you seeing this washed out and weak version, do yourselves a favor and see the Chinese version. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Hard To Say
This film is definitely not what you'd call good. It's like a cheap porno flick without the sex.

Johnny ( Eric Thal ) is a hitman who's never made a hit. On his way with his mob buddies to " whack " someone he meets up with a beautiful bartender ( the luscious Naomi Campbell ) in a jazz club and falls instantly in love with her. The two set a date but complications arise in their relationship when Johnny stands up Tracy ( Campbell ) to complete the hit he was supposed to do in the first place. Tracy witnesses the murder. When his Uncle Walt orders Johnny to kill Tracy he decides to lock her up in a dingy warehouse until the heat cools down. All the while Tracy is begging for freedom while Johnny goes off performing unsuccessful mob duties. Of course, as suspected good wins over bad and Johnny comes out as the good guy after all. He and Tracy reunite at the end of the film and proclaim their love.

This film is slighty entertaining but nothing to watch unless you observed the chemistry between Thal and Campbell and could fully appreciate it. They have excellent chemistry but for a romance movie there is no romance. Tracy and Johnny spend their scenes whining about the mob instead of brewing an interesting love story. By the middle of the film you'll get sick of that warehouse and end up not caring if Tracy gets out or not. This may not be the worse film in the world but it's certainly not good. And you'll spend most of it wondering why you decided to watch it in the first place. But who knows? You may like it.

A MUST for MST3K fans
The DVD version is a rare gem. Of course, the movie is as bad (or worse) than you imagine from the hackneyed copy. But played with the commentary by the yahoo writer (replete with catty comments about the Director's girlfriend)--this treat transcends the awful to acheive Enlightened Idiocy.

1 Star goes for the camera work for remaining in focus throughout (for the most part).

Heck it's even cheaper than the new Boyz2Men CD--go for it.

Movie: ok / Menu Graphics: Great!:)
The overall movie was just ok. The storyline and premise were a bit weird and the acting was mediocre. But the menu graphics were very cool. ... Read more