Mr. X

Remember the US cinema versions of the early Godzilla films? The one's where they'd carve out the character driven elements of the plot and substitute unconvincing shots of American actors gasping, talking technicalities and giving running commentaries on Big G's moves? This is that kind of deal but instead of Raymond Burr we have ex-karate champ and stunt dude Joe Lewis inserted into an over the top Godfrey Ho directed Hong Kong b-movie that desperately wants to be 'A Better Tomorrow 2' but fails due to lack of class or talent. Apparently someone thought that the addition of cardboard cut-out Joe and friends through the medium of shot-on-video extra scenes (that stand out wildly from the grainy HK film stock) would enhance the experience and lend the film wider appeal. They were wrong, instead it becomes the kind of bizarre experience that only I and a handful of other enlightened individuals on the entire planet would sit through in its entirety. As it's unintentionally funny and, for 80 minutes at least, made me forget I have no life between mondays and fridays I have awarded 'Mr. X' a bizarre 3 out of 10.

Astonishingly this is now available on DVD in the UK.