Finnish director who moved to Hollywood and ended up in China. Harlin follows the money, but he actually manages to make entertaining films with it. If you want solid/expensive genre fun, his oeuvre's a real boon.
Solid pieces
A simple but capable thriller that plays a little like Die Hard in a Chinese hospital. It's nothing too original or out of the ordinary, but the execution is on point, the actors do a decent job and there are a few scenes that do manage to get the juices flowing. Not a very memorable film, but extremely solid filler nonetheless.
The inoffensive
Legend of the Ancient Sword
Renny Harlin, the man who follows the money. The Finnish director spent a long time in Hollywood, but moved to China when he saw opportunities in their budding movie industry. He directed a handful of Chinese blockbusters so far, and like most of his films, they aren't the greatest, but offer decent blockbuster fun for those who care for such things.
Three warriors are looking for a unique ring, which supposedly leads the way to a lost martial arts master. When the ring is auctioned, they all show up, but they're not alone as an evil power also wants the ring for himself. The three vow to work together and learn that the ring is part of a legendary sword.
The CG is hit-and-miss, and the fantasy elements feel a bit random, other than that this was a fun and entertaining ride. The film's universe is creative enough, the action is pretty decent and the pacing hardly ever slows down. Exactly what you can expect from a Harlin blockbuster.
Worthy but flawed
A cheesy but dedicated horror film. It's a shame that Harlin is too busy courting horny teenagers, because behind all the tweeny nonsense hides a fun and amusing witch flick. The cinematography is nice enough, the visual effect are okay and the fights are adequate. There's some fun to be had here, but only if you can ignore the cheese.
Dubious filler
Mediocre action flick that has a few tense scenes, but consists mostly of bad filler. Poor performances, dull cinematography and a boring villain make this a tough film to love. Typical 90s mainstream fodder that appears tepid, underwhelming and unnecessarily slow nowadays, but at least there are some decent moments.
Big nopes
