Friday 27 January
Detective Dee: Mystery of the Phantom Flame
11:10pm, SBS VICELAND
M
China, Hong Kong, 2010
Genre: Action, Crime, Thriller
Language: Mandarin
Director: Hark Tsui
Starring: Andy Lau, Carina Lau, Li Bingbing, Tony Leung Ka Fai
What's it about?
Andy Lau stars in this stunning and hugely entertaining Sino-centric spin on an Indiana Jones adventure as Detective Dee, an exiled detective with psychic superpowers. When a series of deaths by spontaneous combustion threaten to delay the inauguration of Empress Wu, Dee is fetched from his prison and enlisted to solve the mystery.
Friday 3 February
K-20: The Legend of the Mask
11:15pm, SBS VICELANDWatch now at SBS On Demand
M
Japan, 2008
Genre: Action, Adventure, Crime
Language: Japanese
Director: Shimako Sato
Starring: Takeshi Kaneshiro, Takako Matsu, Toru Nakamura, Kanata Hongô
What's it about?
K-20: The Legend of the Mask is a fun and stylish pulp adventure set in 1948, in an alternate reality where World War II didn't happen, and where Japan is ruled by a handful of wealthy and uncaring aristocrats while its citizens are mired in poverty. It follows circus acrobat Hekichi Endo (Kaneshiro Takeshi, House of Flying Daggers), who after being finds himself framed for crimes he didn't commit, takes on the guise of his enemy - K-20, the "Fiend with 20 Faces" - to clear his name and seek revenge.
Friday 10 February
The Last Dragon
11:15pm, SBS VICELAND
M
USA, 1985
Genre: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Drama
Language: English
Director: Michael Schultz
Starring: Taimak, Julius Carry, Vanity
What's it about?
In this splashy '80s homage to Bruce Lee, martial arts expert Leroy Green (who even wears the iconic yellow jumpsuit) seeks to achieve the "final level" in his craft. But for that, he needs to find his inner glow (literally). On his quest, Leroy falls in love with a beautiful singer and DJ, Laura Charles (the late Vanity, who was revealed by Prince). Together they confront a power-hungry record producer bent on revenge against the young singer, as well as a bloodthirsty egomaniac Shogun determined to fight Leroy. Sparks will fly...
Friday 17 February
Merantau
11:10pm, SBS VICELANDWatch now at SBS On Demand
MA15+
Indonesia, 2009
Genre: Action
Language: Indonesian, English
Director: Gareth Evans
Starring: Iko Uwais, Sisca Jessica, Christine Hakim
What's it about?
Merantau marks the first collaboration between director Gareth Evans and martial artist Iko Uwais, who later joined forces again on box office hits The Raid and The Raid 2 and helped popularise Indonesian martial art pencak silat around the world. Uwais stars as Yuda, a young martial arts master sent to a relative's house in the city as a rite of passage. After a series of setbacks leave Yuda homeless and uncertain about his new future, a chance encounter results in him defending a young orphan from a human trafficking ring led by the wildly psychotic Ratger.
