“Iron Angels 3” Theatrical Poster

Director: Teresa Woo San
Cast: Moon Lee Choi-Fung, Alex Fong Chung-Sun, Kharina, Ralph Chan Shing-Gwai, Mark Steinborn, Katy Hickman, Marco Lo Chi-Fung, Bill Rockloff
Running Time: 91 min. 

By Z Ravas

1989’s Iron Angels 3 was the third Iron Angels film in as many years, which makes one wonder whether these movies were a smashing success in the local Hong Kong market or else Teresa Woo’s production company Molesworth simply hit a groove in the late 80’s that saw them turning out these Girls with Guns flicks with efficient ease. Either way, I must once again sing the praises of distributor Vinegar Syndrome for bringing together the entire trilogy in one attractive hi-def package, albeit in a limited number (they apparently sold out of the initial 5,000 print run in a matter of days).

For those of you just joining us, the Iron Angels series is a loose trilogy of Hong Kong action films about a co-ed Charlie’s Angels-like group of mercenaries; the Angels are the team that get called in when a terrorist or criminal threat is simply too much for local law enforcement to handle. I say ‘loose’ trilogy because continuity is not exactly a priority here; the purported leader of the Angels, portrayed by David Chiang, doesn’t show up in any of the sequels, and the lead actors are often playing characters named after themselves (Moon Lee stars as Moon, for instance), suggesting our protagonists are not so much fleshed out characters as they are mere avatars for our highly qualified cast of martial artists. In other words, you could probably get away with watching these Iron Angels films in any order without feeling lost.

While my recent rewatch of the original Iron Angels helped to solidify that film as one of my favorite Hong Kong action films of the 1980’s, I had to ding the sequel a little bit for bumping up Alex Fong’s bland character Alex to the lead—sidelining Girls with Guns icon Moon Lee in the process—and saving most of the rewind-worthy action for the ending. Fortunately, Part Three gets the series back on track by bumping up the action quotient and giving Moon Lee much more to do, even if it commits the almost unforgivable sin of dropping Elaine Lui from the cast. (I can’t find any information about why Elaine Lui was absent after being such a highlight of the first two Iron Angels; one suspects it may have simply come down to scheduling issues).

Iron Angels 2 saw the Angels on vacation in Malaysia; in their final outing, there’s no time for R&R as our heroes-for-hire are busy tracking the operation of a deadly criminal organization in Thailand. Once the Angels are boots on the ground, Alex teams up with some new compatriots, including a tech wizard gweilo who’s literally named Computer, while Moon Lee gets the juicier role of attempting to infiltrate the gang as an undercover agent. This leads to several standout action sequences for Moon, including a sensational fight in which she fends off an army of black-clad henchmen with nothing but her nunchaku and dynamic kicks.

Though perhaps it’s true that no film in this series except the original has been able to get the formula 100% correct, as Moon Lee proves conspicuously absent during the big finale here. It would have been preferable to see Moon get in on the action with Alex and his ally Kwai (played by Ralph Chen), but I can’t say too many bad things about the climax of Iron Angels 3. In fact, I don’t want to say too much about it at all for fear of ruining the surprise; let’s just say Teresa Woo takes a little bit of inspiration from Thunderball era James Bond and veers close to science-fiction territory in the process. The relentless, ‘infinite ammo’ shoot-em-up action of the finale was taking me back to those Time Crisis arcade cabinets, you know, the ones where you held a big blue or red plastic gun and mowed down wave after wave of disposable bad guys. The conclusion to Iron Angels 3 is a lot of fun if you can get on its ridiculous wavelength, ending the series on another high note, exempting our M.I.A. Moon Lee.

And I absolutely must mention an earlier scene where Alex Fong steps into the ring with a Muay Thai Boxer—their fight seems to rage on for a solid 10 minutes, but more importantly that Thai boxer is played by none other than the late, great Panna Rittikrai, mentor to Tony Jaa and a damn fine martial arts filmmaker himself. It’s a treat to see Rittikrai in his prime, delivering what look like some devastating flying knees to poor Alex Fong’s midsection.

Rare is the trilogy in which the sequels manage to top the benchmark set by a beloved original; even if the first Iron Angels remains the gold standard, director/producer Teresa Woo deserves credit for maintaining a level of quality throughout the series and for making sure the climax to Iron Angels 3 met expectations for a delirious action high.

By Z Ravas’s Rating: 7.5/10

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“Iron Angels” Japanese Poster

Director: Teresa Woo San
Cast: Saijo Hideki, Elaine Lui, Yukari Oshima, Alex Fong Chung Sun, David Chiang, Hwang Jang Lee, Peter Yang Kwan, Wang Hsieh, Lam Chung, Chiang Tao
Running Time: 93 min. 

By Z Ravas

I can’t say this period of history has many consolations for those of us living through it, but getting to experience obscure Hong Kong action films via terrific looking and sounding boutique Blu-ray releases is most assuredly one of them. The first time I saw Iron Angels, it was on a crappy Region 0 DVD that I ordered off of Ebay; I say ‘crappy’ mostly because the disc kept skipping during the final twenty minutes of the movie. (If you’ve seen Iron Angels, you know some of the film’s best action is crammed into the final twenty minutes. You don’t want to miss that part!). What a difference a few years make: now I have the privilege of watching Iron Angels with a pristine hi-definition transfer, courtesy of Vinegar Syndrome.

And if you’re unfamiliar with this series, it’s absolutely worth springing for Syndrome’s recent 3-film box set. The first film ranks up there alongside Royal Warriors and She Shoots Straight as one of the finest examples of that Hong Kong subgenre fondly remembered as Girls with Guns. The movie has the brilliant idea to ask, ‘What if Charlie’s Angels were co-ed and Charlie was played by Shaw Brothers legend David Chiang?’ The story opens with a sequence that could mislead you into thinking you’re in for a military-themed actioner, as the Thai army unleashes machine guns and flamethrowers on a massive opium-harvesting operation in the Golden Triangle. Back in Hong Kong, a lead subordinate of the drug operation—played by Japanese martial artist Yukari Oshima—swears revenge and begins targeting various Interpol agents around the globe. With their backs to the wall, the Hong Kong police decide to enlist the help of the mercenary service known as the Angels.

And you really don’t need much more justification than that to string along 90 minutes of go-for-broke Hong Kong action, though the film has a capable cast to lean on. The Angels are led by Hideki Saijo, an actor primarily known for his singing career in Japan (he did a chart-topping cover of the “Y.M.C.A.”) but who comes across as a tough martial artist here; Moon Lee, a veritable icon in the Girls with Guns genre thanks to her appearances in films like Fatal Termination and Devil Hunters;  and Elaine Lui Siu-Ling, who would go on to co-star in fan favorite Hong Kong titles like The Bride with White Hair and The Red Wolf.

I have to single out Elaine Lui Siu-Ling in particular because at first you assume her role is kind of the party girl of the trio, you know, the gal with big hair who’s more into her wardrobe than taking the mission seriously—but about halfway through the film, her character makes a sharp pivot, diving into battle while strapped with grenades and bullet clips like a pint-sized Rambo. Elaine Lui totally sells you on the transition too, displaying a wealth of onscreen moxie. It’s one of the greatest examples of the Hidden Badass trope that I can recall seeing.

Director Teresa Woo Ann is immediately interesting as one of the only women filmmakers in the Hong Kong action space during this time. I should note that Raymond Leung and Ivan Lai are also sometimes listed as co-directors or Executive Directors on the film, but Woo would seem to be the driving creative force behind this project, having also served as producer and sole credited screenwriter. The action is attributed to the great Tony Leung Siu-Hung (Bloodmoon, Ip Man) and it’s undeniably spectacular stuff, despite the obviously thrifty budget, including a sequence where Hideki Saijo is hanging from a helicopter’s ladder as he fires his machine gun into a McMansion’s worth of bad guys. (As an example of the budgetary limitations: expect liberal use of stunt dummies for some scenes). The final clash between Moon Lee and Yukari Oshima is brief—in fact, I don’t think it’s much longer than a minute or so—but the two combatants go at each other with such ferocity that their bout has rightly become the stuff of legend.

There’s a short list of the top Hong Kong action movies of the 1980’s, the ones that a casual viewer can sample to get a feel for the genre and witness the industry operating at its peak; no doubt well-known titles like Righting Wrongs and In the Line of Duty IV would have to be on there, but I could imagine making a case for Iron Angels as well. While it’s not quite as technically polished as what filmmakers like John Woo and Yuen Woo-ping were producing at this time, when it’s firing on all cylinders, the movie delivers some of the most electrifying action of its decade.

Z Ravas’ Rating: 9/10

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“The White Storm 3: Heaven or Hell” Theatrical Poster

Director: Herman Yau
Cast: Louis Koo, Lau Ching-Wan, Aaron Kwok, Caiyu Yang, Gallen Lo, Tse Kwan-ho, Alex Fong Chung-sun, Power Chan, Timmy Hung, Lam Suet 
Running Time: 125 min.

By Paul Bramhall

Ten years after the release of 2013’s The White Storm, the late Benny Chan’s divisive homage to the heroic bloodshed genre, it’s a safe bet that no one was expecting it to become a trilogy. However in 2023 The White Storm 3: Heaven or Hell makes it exactly that, with Herman Yau returning to the director’s chair following the 2019 sequel The White Storm 2: Drug Lords, and of course the one constant through all 3 of the entries – co-leading man Louis Koo (Warriors of Future, Paradox). In fact The White Storm movies have made it a theme to have a trio of leading characters – in the first Koo was paired with Lau Ching-Wan and Nick Cheung, in the second it was Andy Lau and (an admittedly barely there) Michael Miu, and in the third instalment Lau Ching-Wan (Detective vs. Sleuths, Shock Wave 2) returns to the franchise, with one Heavenly King swapped out for another in the form of Aaron Kwok (Project Gutenberg, Port of Call).

Notably none of the entries are related, so both Koo and Ching-Wan are playing different characters from the previous entries they appeared in. What does connect them is the theme of drugs, with the title itself originally being a reference to cocaine (and the whole ‘storm’ verbiage was simply a biproduct of Hong Kong’s infatuation with its usage in the mid-00’s – see also 2013’s Firestorm and 2014’s Z Storm). While the sequel took place mainly in Hong Kong, for the third entry Yau makes a stronger call back to the original by having most of it play out in northern Thailand, specifically the highlands that border Myanmar and are considered part of the infamous Golden Triangle.

Ching-Wan plays a Thai-Chinese drug lord operating out of Hong Kong, however little does he know that 2 of his closest subordinates, played by Kwok and Loo, are both undercover cops waiting for the right moment to take him down. In the opening dockland set scene that chance presents itself when Ching-Wan and his crew return from collecting a drug haul retrieved from the seabed, however things go awry when cops confront them and a bloody shootout ensues. Koo compromises his cover in a failed arrest attempt, and Kwok is caught in the crossfire, rescued by Ching-Wan who sees him as a loyal brother. Despite Kwok’s serious injuries Ching-Wan brings him (along with the rest of his surviving crew) to Thailand where they intend to lay low indefinitely, and Kwok is left to be nursed back to health by a villager played by Caiyu Yang (Legendary, Youth).

With no way to contact the outside world, Kwok is left to fend for himself while becoming increasingly involved in Ching-Wan’s plans to challenge the local military commander, a ruthless tyrant overseeing all drug production in the area. As if that wasn’t enough, he also has to deal with growing romantic feelings for Yang, who he sees as a victim of circumstance. On paper at least bonds of brotherhood, doomed romance, and opium production make The White Storm 3 sound like your average late 80’s to early 90’s heroic bloodshed flick, and in many ways Yau has successfully captured the tone of those productions as well as anyone reasonably could in 2023. Such classic heroic bloodshed staples as the dockside shootout, the basement carpark ambush, and brotherly characters chugging bottles of Johnnie Walker together are all present and accounted for, and all of them take place before the title has even appeared onscreen.

Director Yau seems to know he’s on to a good thing by getting Lau Ching-Wan, Aaron Kwok, and Louis Koo to appear in the same production, so he wisely has them share the screen from practically the first scene, a combination which by default can’t help but hark back to a brighter time for the Hong Kong action genre. Amazingly, despite Ching-Wan and Kwok being in the film industry since the 1980’s, this is only the 2^nd time for them to appear onscreen together, with the first ironically also being in the 1992 slice of heroic bloodshed The Shootout more than 30 years ago. Similarly for Kwok and Louis Koo, despite their leading man status in Hong Kong, The White Storm 3 is also only the 2^nd time for them to work together, with the first being the comparatively more recent Throw Down from 2004.

The onscreen chemistry between the trio, especially that of Ching-Wan and Kwok, is part of what makes the third entry a particularly enjoyable throwback. Yau utilises a series of flashbacks during the first half to provide the audience an insight into their backstories, as we learn that Kwok has been undercover for 3 years, initially given the job as a replacement for Koo’s cop who sustains an injury so has to be deselected. The flashbacks vary in their timeframes ranging from 4 months ago to 3 years, and Yau’s decision to convey certain plot points via exposition occasionally feels a little stilted and clunky, none more so than the way we learn that Kwok is also a cop. After he and Koo arrive home drunk after spending the evening with Ching-wan, Kwok says in a fit of drunken laughter “imagine if Suchat (Ching-Wan’s character) finds out we’re both cops!” Like in Yau’s Shock Wave 2, sometimes the art of show don’t tell is sourly missing.

However any heroic bloodshed movies backbone is ultimately its action, and while The White Storm 2 swapped out the originals action director Nicky Li for Hon Ping, here Yau brings Li back into the fold. It’s a wise choice, with the first sequel showing a willingness to choose practical effects for the most part over the painful CGI many recent entries in the HK action genre have come with. That decision carries over into The White Storm 3, and Li’s experience on the similarly Thailand set actioner Extraordinary Mission places him in good stead to craft several set pieces in a familiar environment (filming here was actually done via sets in China due to pandemic travel restrictions, but it’s unnoticeable). CGI is still present, however for the most part its unobtrusive (if anything, the opening shot of a pair of helicopters flying over the sea at night is the worst it gets), and most of the money shot action beats are done for real. 

While it may sound far fetched to feel joy at seeing real muzzle flashes, in an era when so many of them are added by CGI in post, there’s an undeniable pleasure to be had in seeing the real deal in-camera. Maybe it’s just me since I’ve been watching action movies for far too long, but I can always tell a fake muzzle flash, and it always bothers me! Similarly the amount of vehicular mayhem on display is admirable, and even though we don’t get cars smashing into a thousand pieces like we did in the 80’s, that’s arguably more to do with vehicles in the 21^st century being more sturdily built. As if to compensate, in at least 2 of the set pieces explosions send vehicles flying across the screen in every direction to entertaining effect, obliterating (the always welcome sight of) bamboo huts and causing plenty of other collateral damage. By the time you throw in a pair of fighter jets for the finale, it’s hard not to smile. 

If anything, the biggest issue The White Storm 3 has is its runtime, which clocks in at a hefty 125 minutes. Half an hour could easily have been shaved off, and if something had to go, then it’d be hard to argue that the budding relationship between Aaron Kwok and Caiyu Yang would be missed if it was left on the cutting room floor. That would also mean that the narrative loses its only female character, however their relationship never entirely convinces, even if it does throw back to the kind of sub-plot we’d frequently see in heroic bloodshed flicks of yesteryear (Yang even gives Kwok a “lucky stone” that’s supposed to keep him safe, just for that added cheese factor that only Hong Kong cinema can get away with!). 

This is really a minor gripe though, and in a movie which feels like such a distinctive slice of Hong Kong style action for the first time in a long time, it almost feels wrong to bring up its over 2-hour runtime as a complaint. While it may not be the 2^nd coming of Hong Kong action cinema, The White Storm 3: Heaven or Hell would comfortably sit alongside the likes of Thunder Run and Angels 2 on the shelf, throwing in a healthy amount of machine gun fire, rocket launchers, exploding bamboo huts, and bodies smashing through windscreens. In the final line before the credits roll Aaron Kwok’s character says, “I miss Hong Kong.” It’s hard to disagree.

Paul Bramhall’s Rating: 7/10

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“All U Need is Love” Teaser Poster

Director: Vincent Kok
Cast: Louis Koo, Tony Leung, Eric Tsang, Francis Ng, Gordon Lam, Philip Keung, Julian Cheung, Louis Cheung, Fiona Sit, Alex Fong, Cecilia So, Cheung Tat-ming, Michael Hui, Chin Kar-lok, Jackie Chan, Yuen Qiu
Running Time: 102 min. 

By Paul Bramhall

If there are 2 movies that show the differences between Mainland China and Hong Kong cinema, then it has to be Chinese Doctors and All U Need is Love. Both came out in 2021, and both put the COVID-19 pandemic front and centre, but that’s where the similarities end. While one is a stirring straight faced story of medical heroics on the front line, the other is a light-hearted comedy involving an ensemble of characters quarantined in a luxury hotel. While one may look to pluck on the heart strings, the other is more concerned with jokes about cleavage and being gay. What both productions were likely banking on was that the pandemic would be in its final stages, or perhaps even over, by the time of their release. The expectation being that audiences could kick back, knowing that whatever’s onscreen is no longer the reality that awaits them beyond the cinema doors. As the expression goes – best laid plans.

Essentially a charity production created to raise funds for out-of-work members of the Hong Kong filmmaking community, All U Need is Love features what may well be every Hong Kong actor who’s currently active onscreen in some capacity, all of whom agreed to appear for free. Much like 1992’s The Twin Dragons was created to raise funds for the Hong Kong Director’s Guild, and featured cameos from a who’s who of HK cinema at the time, so All U Need is Love provides a similar star spotting experience for fans of the territories output old and new. In the directors’ chair is Vincent Kok, his first time helming a movie since 2018’s Keep Calm and Be a Superstar, and a frequent supporting actor himself since the late 80’s (although here he stays behind the camera).

Kicking off with an exhilarating action sequence set in Kai Tak Cruise Terminal, an arriving passenger played by Alex Fong (Kung Fu Cyborg: Metallic Attraction, Legendary Assassin) is eyed suspiciously by numerous masked men decked out in black suits. When they fail to seize him after going through immigration, a high energy chase breaks out encompassing 80’s style stunts, and a seemingly re-generating number of men in suits. Eventually Fong is captured and finds himself in the back of a medical van – his captors explain he may have been in contact with a COVID-19 case, and he has to self-isolate for 2 weeks. This opening sequence is as good as All U Need is Love gets, as the remaining 90 minutes settles into a series of loosely connected comedic vignettes that frequently struggle to find a worthy punchline. Only brief moments of mild amusement serve to do their part in maintaining a sense of misguided hope things may get better.

There’s a feeling of guilt associated to being too hard on a production created to make money for those in the already struggling HK film industry, now exasperated even more by the pandemic, however there’s a distinct feeling that with just a little more care All U Need is Love could have at least been passable fun. The concept revolves around the ensemble cast being caught in a snap lockdown, which sees them facing the next 14 days quarantined in the Grande Hotel. Amongst the guests there’s a pair of rival gangsters, played by Julian Cheung and Louis Cheung, a pair of elderly men looking to have some fun away from their wives, played by HK legends Tony Leung Ka-Fai and Eric Tsang (clearly reprising their characters from 2003’s Men Suddenly in Black), and a bride and groom to-be played by Luk Wing-Kuen and Cecilia So. 

There are various other characters thrown into the mix – the hotel owner, played by the iconic Michael Hui (who’s clearly having fun), spends the entire time attempting to escape with disastrous results. The hotel manager, played by Carlos Chan, finds himself becoming closer to a recently fired co-worker and single mother whose daughter (who I admittedly spent 90% of the runtime thinking was a son) wants to find the “perfect father” for a school assignment, in a vague sub-plot that feels decidedly nonprogressive. As a director Kok has worked on ensemble pieces more than once with the likes of All’s Well Ends Well 2009 and Hello Babies, and has even staged them in a hotel setting before thanks to 2013’s Hotel Deluxe, so he clearly knows the ropes, perhaps indicating that the challenge here was time.

The COVID-19 jokes wear thin quickly, with classic HK gangster tropes like the arms deal revealed to be for handheld temperature checkers, and a sequence involving Julian Cheung and Louis Cheung strutting down a corridor avoiding multiple hotel staff trying to take their temperature. Perhaps such sequences will become funnier once we’re fully out of the pandemic, but it’s debatable. Most surprising is the appearance of Jackie Chan, who’s long fallen out of favour on Hong Kong shores, and hasn’t been seen in a local production since 2012’s CZ12, almost 10 years ago! Chan plays a member of the Pandemic Task Force, and foils one of Michael Hui’s escape attempts by fighting it out with Ken Lo set to the Police Story theme. Sounds like it could be worth checking out just to see the pair exchange blows? Don’t get your hopes up, it consists of a single punch and is over in less than 10 seconds, which is basically Chan’s total screen time.

The succeeding discussion that takes place though, that has Mui complaining to Chan that the glass Lo (or more specifically his stunt double) ends up smashing through is Venetian Blown and ridiculously expensive hits the right comedic note. It’s the kind of scene that I wish All U Need is Love had more of. Hat’s off to Kok though for managing to bring Chan onboard, as he’s clearly a fan, having directed Chan himself in 1999’s Gorgeous, and put the Police Story theme to good use in Keep Calm and Be a Superstar. It’s just a shame that Sammo Hung and Yuen Biao are both missing in action, as it’s unlikely we’ll be seeing Chan in another Hong Kong production anytime soon. 

For those looking for glimpses of Hong Kong’s brighter days, a door knocking activity in the hotel manages to raise a smile, as one of the guests is played by a cameoing Yuen Qiu decked out in her landlady threads from Kung Fu Hustle. Michael Ning also shows up to riff on his character from Port of Call, a visual gag that I’m still not sure really worked considering how horrific the acts committed by his character are in the 2015 thriller. The biggest problem with All U Need is Love though is its indiscriminate approach to placing scenes of juvenile humour (I really don’t need to see Julian Cheung and Louis Cheung singing and dancing to ‘Baby Shark’ ever again) next to scenes practically overflowing with sentimentality. Sure tonal shifts are a mainstay of HK action cinema’s golden age, but here they don’t work, with jokes that are too frequently not that funny, and emotional scenarios with characters we hardly know being completely unearned.

In-between the comedy and sentimentality there are sometimes bizarre scenes which are completely standalone, and don’t appear to be connected to anything else, almost as if whichever direction they were intended to go was abandoned, but the decision was made to keep what had been filmed in there anyway. Louis Koo plays some kind of Pandemic Special Agent keeping suspected close contacts in a giant glass bubble (who include Gordon Lam) in a handful of scenes which I’m still scratching my head over. Of course none of this matters in the end, as all the plot threads come together for a predictable happy ending, including the punchline of Miu’s constant escape attempts of course ending up in him contracting COVID-19 (another one of those scenes that would probably be funnier if the pandemic wasn’t ongoing).

In the end I’m glad I purchased All U Need is Love because I’m all for supporting HK film and those who work in it, and as a way to raise funds slapping together a quick movie with a whole bunch of familiar HK faces undeniably makes a lot of business sense. Was it too much to ask for the movie to actually be good? Perhaps the answer is that it doesn’t matter. To go back to my earlier comment, there’s a feeling of guilt attached to panning what’s ultimately for a good cause, but at the same time, it also can’t be denied that All U Need is Love is guilty of being a poor attempt at entertainment.

Paul Bramhall’s Rating: 3/10

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“Guns of Dragon” Theatrical Poster

Director: Tony Leung Siu Hung
Cast: Ray Lui, Bill Lui Cho Hung, Mark Cheng, Patrick Lung Kong, Yvonne Yung Hung, Jackson Lau, John Sham, Tse Ning, Alex Fong, Henry Fong Ping
Running Time: 91 min.

By Paul Bramhall

During the early 90’s there was a spate of Hong Kong movies that were shot on location in either the US or Canada, perhaps an indication of directors assessing the feasibility of continuing to make movies overseas ahead of the 1997 handover back to China. 1990 gave us Joe Cheung’s Return Engagement, 1991 offered up Stephen Shin’s Black Cat, in 1992 Kirk Wong helmed Taking Manhattan, and in 1993 David Lai delivered Women on the Run.

Tony Leung Siu-Hung also jumped on the bandwagon in 1993, and headed over to New York to make Guns of Dragon. One of Hong Kong’s most celebrated fight choreographers, Siu-Hung stepped into the director’s chair for the first time in 1984 for the latter-day Shaw Brothers production (and still criminally unreleased on Blu-ray or DVD at the time of writing) Thunderclap. Despite being an entertaining slice of wuxia, all indicators looked like his foray into directing would be a one-off, and for the rest of the decade he’d stick to action choreography, lending his talents to genre classics like Angel. Notably he’d also take on fight choreography duties for the Seasonal Films US co-productions No Retreat, No Surrender 3: Blood Brothers and The King of Kickboxers, which perhaps planted the seed for his eventual return to stateside.

In 1993 though, after an almost decade long break, Siu-Hung would return to the director’s chair with a vengeance, kicking off with the horror flick Insanity and followed up by the supernatural thriller Vendetta. It would be his final movie of the year that resembled the genre he’s most closely associated, with the grammatically challenged Guns of Dragon. Made 2 years before Siu-Hung would pick up the baton for Seasonal Films return to US co-productions with 1995’s Superfights and 1997’s Bloodmoon, Guns of Dragon sees him re-team with his leading man from Vendetta, Ray Lui (To Be Number One, Thunder Run), for the tale of a Hong Kong cop who travels to New York to meet his wife and son.

Lui’s cop has spent the last few years undercover living apart from his wife, played by Yvonne Yung (A Chinese Torture Chamber Story, Lover of the Last Empress), who’s been wanting him to quit the force so they can be together. Now that they’re planning to relocate from New York to Canada, Lui’s finally joining them to make amends for being apart for so long, and start a new life. Apart from the fact that the thought of any guy voluntarily living apart from Yvonne Yung stretches the bounds of believability, this being a Hong Kong action movie, naturally things don’t go according to plan. Lui’s ability to take down the bad guys has earnt him a lot of enemies, and when a typically wafer thin plot emerges involving a counterfeit money scheme, it turns out that pretty much everyone involved in it would like to see him dead.

With the latest meeting of various criminal gangs also taking place in New York, it isn’t long before a trigger happy Mark Cheng (Godfather’s Daughter Mafia Blues, Tai Chi Boxer) spots Lui on the street and takes aim (right after putting a bullet through a homeless guy asking him any spare change!). To make matters worse Cheng is there with the even more volatile Jackson Lau (Fist of Legend, Vanguard), who during his last encounter with Lui got shot in his crown jewels. These become a point of contention during one of the most hilarious sex (or at least attempted) scenes ever committed to film, which has a ravenous Lau literally looking like he’s going to devour a blonde moll on a bar, only for her enrage him by complaining that “It’s not even hard!” Their crossing of paths means Lau has an unexpected opportunity to take revenge on the one responsible for his forced incompetence, resulting in a left of field but certainly welcome motivation.

Both Cheng and Lau are there to meet with a character called the General who’s the mastermind behind the whole operation, and is played by Patrick Lung Kong. Appearing at the tail end of his varied 40 years in the industry, Lung Kong had been acting since the late 50’s and was himself an established director, helming the likes of The Story of a Discharged Prisoner (which inspired John Woo’s A Better Tomorrow) and The Fairy, the Ghost and Ah Chung. Lung Kong’s General requires a walking stick to get around, thanks to another of Lui’s bullets from a previous encounter, marking one more character who has an axe to grind against the cop from Hong Kong. With bullet riddled crotch shots and hobblings, you have to wonder if Lui just enjoys maiming the bad guys who end up in his line of fire, or if he simply has a bad aim.

The American setting is used well, with the decision to play down the whole fish out of water angle preventing the narrative from getting bogged down in the usual tropes. Lui’s wife Yung has been staying with another couple played by John Shum (I Love Maria, Pedicab Driver) and his then wife Tse Ning (Three Against the World, A Fiery Family), and as expected, Shum plays a comedic relief role which should be out of place, but he makes the role work well and never outstays his welcome. It also helps that he (along with almost all of the cast for that matter) handles his English line delivery exceptionally well, seamlessly switching between English and Cantonese in the same sentence and still delivering the intended comedic beats. Similar to Danny Lee and Rosamund Kwan in 1990’s Undeclared War, here the requirement to speak English causes no detriment to the overall tone.

The only native speakers come in the form of Steven Darrow and an American Chinese actor who frustratingly doesn’t seem to be credited anywhere (presumably Michael Wong wasn’t available). Guns of Dragon is Darrow’s only film credit, however he does an amicable job as the archetypal shouty New York (pronounced “Yoyk”) cop who’s had it up to here with the Chinese gangs, and his partner is mainly there to bond with Lui over their shared Chinese heritage. Of course what anyone who’s clocking into a Tony Leung Siu-Hung movie for is to check out the action, and like all of his directorial efforts here he also takes on the role of action director. 

Siu-Hung had a gift for making non-martial artists look good onscreen, and it’s on display here as everyone comes across as a competent screen fighter. The action goes for a mix of gunplay, fisticuffs, and vehicular stuntwork, and while there’s nothing to match the likes of John Woo’s output at the time, every action sequence is solid. A standout sees Mark Cheng and Jackson Lau raiding the house that Lui and co. are staying in, and its subsequent destruction in a hail of bullets. The usual stuntman falls and bodies crashing through windows are all present and accounted for, and there’s a healthy quota of blood squibs in use that don’t hold back on the red stuff. Special mention has to go to a death scene that involves a ceiling fan and delivers the required wince worthy moment, proving just how wrong Jackie Chan could have gone in Dragons Forever!

The finale relocates to Puerto Rico where the pace gets a little bogged down in the villains discussing their nefarious plans, however it’s soon brought back on track with Lui mowing down a small army of bad guys, and facing off against Chin Ho (The Last Blood, Wonder Seven) playing the mute bodyguard of Lung. The budget even stretches to a 3 way face off that sees Lui up against Jackson Lau with each behind the wheel of a speedboat (4 years before Face/Off!), while Lung Kong attempts to get away in a sea plane. The sequence ends in an interesting special effect that looks like an early attempt at greenscreen, but without going into spoiler territory still offers up a satisfyingly real explosion, making Guns of Dragon a lean action flick bolstered by its New York setting and solid performances (and look out for Yvonne Yung’s Die Hard moment in the final scene!).

Siu-Hung has said in more than one interview that Guns of Dragon was a particularly challenging movie to make due to the overseas shooting conditions, and several mishaps that happened along the way, however the end product proves the perseverance he showed was ultimately worth it. Featuring more than enough vehicular mayhem, gratuitous gunfire, HK style stuntwork, and Alex Fong with grey highlights, Guns of Dragon proves that Siu-Hung’s decision to return to directing was the right one.

Paul Bramhall’s Rating: 7/10

The post Guns of Dragon (1993) Review first appeared on cityonfire.com.

“Double Tap” Japanese Theatrical Poster

Director: Lo Chi-Leung
Cast: Leslie Cheung Kwok Wing, Alex Fong Chung Sun, Ruby Wong Cheuk Ling, Monica Chan Fat Yung, Vincent Kok Tak Chiu, Joseph Cheung Man Kwong
Running Time: 95 min.

By Paul Bramhall

There can be no denying that the Hong Kong film industry was in a miserable place at the turn of the century. There were 2 key factors behind the slump, the first being that many of its biggest directors and stars were still trying their hand in Hollywood, having made the jump based on the uncertainty of what the 1997 handover would bring. The second, and arguably bigger problem (little did we know at the time, but the fear of closer ties to China wouldn’t really manifest until the 2010’s), was that movie piracy was ravaging the film industry to the point of extinction. Despite this, there were some directors who rose to prominence during these dark days. The first who many will think of will likely be Johnnie To (and specifically his Milkyway Image Production house), but there’s also a solid case to be made for Lo Chi-Leung, who made his solo directorial debut with 2000’s Double Tap.

Chi-Leung was a frequent collaborator with Derek Yee, having worked in the capacity of assistant director on Yee’s C’est Le Vie Mon Cheri and Full Throttle, before rising to co-director status for 1996’s Viva Erotica. For Double Tap Yee would step into the producers chair, and gave Chi-Leung the opportunity to direct from his own script. Re-uniting with megastar Leslie Cheung from Viva Erotica, Double Tap follows the relationship between Cheung and Alex Fong (Angels 2, Thunder Run), who play a champion marksman shooting instructor and police inspector respectively. Fong is also no slouch in the shooting department, and there’s an underlying competitive streak between the pair, with Cheung known for his execution of the double tap – the ability to fire off 2 shots consecutively that hit the same mark.

Much of the first third of Double Tap takes place at the shooting range, with an equal amount of time spent on the intricacies of gun maintenance, as Chi-Leung’s script keeps its cards close to its chest and doesn’t appear to be aiming for anything more than a shooting range rivalry. This section of the narrative could be accused of threatening to test the audience’s patience, as there’s only so many times you can watch a bullet be shot at a stationery target. However the plot takes a sharp turn during the eventual competitive face off between Cheung and Fong, as a disgruntled cop barges in with a hostage at gunpoint. When Cheung’s girlfriend (played by Ruby Wong – Where a Good Man Goes, Running Out of Time) is placed in danger, it’s he who takes the shot while Fong hesitates, placing a bullet straight between the eyes.

The competition is left unresolved, and Cheung is sent off to a psychologist to deal with the trauma of killing someone. It’s in a quiet scene between Cheung and Wong that sets Double Tap off into far more interesting territory, as he reveals there’s something he’s been keeping a secret from the psychologist, which is that killing someone made him feel really happy. Skipping forward 3 years, Cheung’s skewered mental state has seen him become an assassin for hire, and when Fong is assigned to a multiple murder scene, the double tap shots convince him that it was Cheung behind the trigger. While there’s no evidence to bring Cheung in legitimately, instead Fong sneakily finds a way to hold his girlfriend, which sets the pair on a bloody collision course.

Firstly let’s be clear that there’s some suspension of disbelief required to enjoy Double Tap, a statement that could be applied to a lot of Hong Kong cinema, but which doesn’t make it any less valid. The question of why Cheung uses the double tap shot when he’s known to be one of only a few shooters in Hong Kong capable of it is never clearly addressed, and what’s more baffling is why Wong has decided to stay with someone who obviously has a dangerous mental illness. But such contrivances do little to impact the overall quality that Chi-Leung achieves here, crafting an effectively taut thriller that weaves in some suitably bloody action sequences throughout its runtime.

This was the first time for Cheung to take on what’s essentially a villain role, having spent most of his career up until this point in either heroic, comedic, or straight drama roles. Scenes which reflect his characters troubled mental state take on an extra level of poignancy watching Double Tap 20 years later that could never have been foreseen at the time, as the star suffered from clinical depression which led to him taking his own life just 3 year later. The role is certainly a vast departure from the Leslie Cheung audiences were used to seeing, a reminder that his breakthrough role as Ti Lung’s brother in 1986’s A Better Tomorrow (when he was 30) was a long time ago, and his appearance here is suitably chilling.

Alex Fong is more one-note as the cop on his trail, and easily the less interesting of the pair. What keeps the plot simmering away so effectively though is the moral ambiguity Chi-Leung incorporates into it. Even though we know Cheung needs to be taken down, as the lynch pin of the plot involves Fong unfairly keeping his girlfriend as collateral, a large part of the audience’s emotional investment goes to wanting Cheung to get her back. It’s a clever bait and switch using the characters perspectives to gain our buy-in based not on what’s the right thing to do, but rather the injustice of separating a couple who just want to be together (regardless of if one has become a mentally unstable killer!). 

The action is handled by Venoms alumni Philip Kwok, for which Double Tap marked his return to action directing after a 5-year hiatus, and there are times when proceedings get surprisingly bloody. Kwok and Cheung had worked together before, having collaborated on Once a Thief, The Bride with White Hair, and The Phantom Lover in the capacity of action director and actor, but it was probably Double Tap which saw them work together most closely. Kwok himself at this point was no stranger to adapting his talents to gun fights after working on the likes of The Big Heat, Hard Boiled, and Love, Guns and Glass (his last movie before going on hiatus), and the action here leans more towards Johnnie To style realism than the bombast of John Woo.

While the initial shooting range scenes serve their purpose, it’s when Cheung lures the cops who are on his tail back to the range that Kwok’s action direction really shines, as he clinically takes them out one by one. Events culminate in a sequence that has everyone converge in a crowded shopping mall for the finale, as Cheung and Fong finally get to pit their skills against each other. There’s a technique on display here that’s probably best described as an updated version of Ringo Lam’s bullet perspective action aesthetic in Full Contact, aided by CGI at a time when the technology complimented action scenes rather than being the action scene. It’s a fitting finale to an underseen slice of 2000’s Hong Kong action cinema, proving that it was still possible to make quality cinema that had both star power and high production values during an era that was particularly bleak.

Double Tap would get a thematic sequel a decade later with 2010’s Triple Tap, which saw Derek Yee sit in the directors chair and featured Fong as a supporting character in the same role (as an interesting sidenote, he also shows up as the same character in Yee’s One Night in Mongkok). Compared to Double Tap the sequel is a terminally dull affair devoid of any tension or excitement, serving only to highlight what an underrated director Lo Chi-Leung is. While Chi-Leung continues to deliver solid genre efforts, most recently with his double whammy of The Bullet Vanishes and The Vanished Murderer, if you’ve yet to see directorial debut, it’s time to check it out. 

Paul Bramhall’s Rating: 8/10

The post Double Tap (2000) Review first appeared on cityonfire.com.

“Thunder Run” DVD Cover

Director: Hsu Hsia
Cast: Ray Lui, Alex Fong Chung Sun, Ha Chi Jan, William Ho Ka Kui, Jason Pai Piao, Fung Hak On, Tony Liu Jun Guk, Ho Pak Kwong, Wan Seung Lam
Running Time: 117 min. 

By Paul Bramhall

At the time of writing in 2021, Ray Lui returned to screens in (the ironically titled) Heroes Return, in which he plays a former soldier that ventures into the Thai jungles to rescue Yuen Biao, who’s being held prisoner. It sucked. However it’s worth noting that, exactly 30 years earlier, Ray Lui also ventured into the Thai jungles to make a rescue, although instead of it being Yuen Biao it was Alex Fong, who similarly was being held prisoner. That movie was Thunder Run. Perhaps the most striking comparison point between both productions, is that Lui doesn’t look all that different in either, clearly indicating he knows something that most of us don’t when it comes to anti-aging.

Thunder Run is somewhat of an anomaly for the year that it was made, as almost any Hong Kong action flick being shot in Thailand during the late 80’s and early 90’s exclusively belonged to the Girls with Guns genre. Angel 2, Angel Force, and Dreaming the Reality to name just three all use Thailand’s cheaper filmmaking conditions and game stuntman community to create cheap and cheerful mixes of fisticuffs, pyrotechnics, and unlimited machine gunfire. Swap out Moon Lee for Ray Lui (not something many of us would do voluntarily I’m sure), and it gives you some idea of what to expect.

In the directors’ chair is Hsu Hsia, one of the great unsung talents of action choreography, especially during his time at Shaw Brothers. Hsia choreographed the likes of Five Superfighters and The Master, before trying his hand at directing with the 1981 Lo Meng vehicle Lion Vs Lion, which he co-directed with Chin Yuet-Sang. He’d go onto helm the likes of Kid from Kwangtung, Ghosts Galore, Fast Fingers, and I Will Finally Knock You Down, Dad! for Shaw Brothers, before the studio wound down its film production department in the mid-80’s. Thunder Run would be the last time for Hsia to sit in the directors chair, made the same year he’d helm the Donnie Yen flick Crystal Hunt, which was also shot in Thailand, making it not entirely improbable that both productions were shot at the same time   

Here Thailand doubles as its neighbouring Laos, and the plot concerns a couple of hotshot special forces agents played by Ray Lui and Alex Fong. Hsia had a particularly quirky trope for both of his final movies, which involved kung fu cinema legends from his Shaw Brothers days appearing in the opening scene (in both instances involving some kind of raid style setup), then disappearing. In Crystal Hunt we get a cop played by Leung Kar-Yan raiding a den of villains, one of whom is played by Gordon Liu. 5 minutes later and the scene is over, with neither of them to appear again. Thunder Run presents us with an opening scene which has a group of hostages being held to ransom by Fung Hak-On, before facing off against a special force’s unit led by Jason Pai Piao, after which they both disappear. At least Hak-On directed the classic Godfather’s Daughter Mafia Blues the same year, where he put in more of a worthy appearance.

Lui and Fong are part of the special force’s unit, and after the raid concludes in dangerous fashion, the 2 are told to take a break for the next couple of weeks. Naturally, they decide to go to Thailand together, with Lui using it as an opportunity to hunt down a drug dealer who’s known to be hiding out in Laos, and Fong only worried about contracting AIDS from the women (c’mon, it’s a 1991 HK movie, this stuff was standard). After meeting with Lui’s friend upon arrival, played by Ha Chi-Chun (Eastern Condors, Aces Go Places V – The Terracotta Hit), the pair attempt to find the drug dealer, leaving Fong to relax in the hotel. In true HK fashion, it’s Fong that unknowingly stumbles across the drug dealer, played by Tony Lou Chun-Ku (the director of Killer Angels and the aforementioned Dreaming the Reality).

The pair get into a furious fight in Fong’s room as Chun-Ku attempts to escape a police raid on the hotel, and ends up plunging to his death through the window. When the police arrive on the scene, Fong is left with a suitcase full of drugs and a dead body to his name, which promptly sees him sent off to a notorious prison in the middle of the jungle. With their claims to be part of the Hong Kong police force carrying no weight in the local environment, Lui makes it his mission to infiltrate the prison and get Fong out, but with a jungle full of booby traps, heavily armed guards, and a sadistic warden, it’s not going to be an easy task.

For the most part, Thunder Run plays out exactly how you’d expect a HK prison movie shot in Thailand to play out, however when it comes to an early 90’s HK action flick, unlike in most other genres, that’s actually a positive thing. The same sentiment also applies to the plot, which is to say, not everything makes a whole lot of sense. Lui decides that the best way to get Fong out of prison, is to be sent to prison himself, which is kind of dumb. Perhaps to distract from the fact, once in Lui befriends a midget who knows his way around, much to the chagrin of the prison bullies (led by Kawee Sirikhanerut – who turned up in almost every early to mid-90’s Thailand shot HK flick as the local action talent, amongst them Fire Phoenix and Mission of Justice). To show their close bond, soon Lui is carrying the midget around like he’s his child, or they’re walking around holding hands together. Frankly it’s a little weird.

Thankfully action beats are never too far away, with fights breaking out frequently, and choreography duties go to both Hsia and frequent collaborator (and fellow Shaw Brothers stalwart, naturally) Chui Fat. Hsia and Fat choreographed together on several occasions during their time at SB, including on The Boxer from the Temple and Coward Bastard, and they’d continue to work together, with Fat also applying his talents to the action in Crystal Hunt. An action highlight has Lui and Fong team up to take on Sirikhanerut, with plenty of wince inducing impacts and falls (thanks to their doubles), and full of the kind of ferocious back and forth exchanges which were particularly prevalent during this era.

The finale is particularly entertaining, as Lui goes John Rambo, and takes to the jungle armed with a bow and explosive tipped arrows (although in fairness, they just look like sparklers attached to the end of the arrow). Ha Chi-Chun, who gives us a brief glimpse of her action credentials earlier on when she’s harassed by 3 guys while waiting for Lui and Fong at the airport, here gets a 1 on 1 with who I can only assume is a local Thai femme fatale, as she’s not listed in the cast anywhere. Similarly for Fong who also gets to take on a Thai stuntman, while Lui gets to do the heavy lifting by facing off against the sadistic prison warden, played by the prolific William Ho (a role he’d return to in The Story of Ricky the following year). Their fight is heavily doubled, but its intense and acrobatic, with power hits sending whoever’s on the receiving end into trees and whatever other immovable objects are in the vicinity.

Naturally, the Thailand setting means it wouldn’t be complete without the appearance of rocket launchers for some gratuitous explosions, and Thunder Run doesn’t disappoint (although the fact that none of the prison watch towers get blown up somehow feels like a missed opportunity). If that isn’t enough for you, then we also get Ray Lui demonstrating what to do if you’re being restrained and having a venomous snake waved in front of your face (hint – it involves using your teeth), plus a butt clench inducing cavity search just for good measure (and we’re not even watching a Chang Cheh movie!). While Thunder Run has largely found itself overlooked thanks to the sheer volume of Hong Kong action movies that were being cranked out during the late 80’s and early 80’s, for a healthy mix of prison movie meets HK action, it’s definitely worth a look.

Paul Bramhall’s Rating: 6/10

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TXV23hiimWY

The post Thunder Run (1991) Review first appeared on cityonfire.com.

“Kungfu Cyborg: Metallic Attraction” Theatrical Poster

Director: Jeffrey Lau
Cast: Hu Jun, Betty Sun, Alex Fong, Ronald Cheng, Wu Jing, Stephy Tang, Gan Wei, Law Kar-ying, Eric Tsang, Chin Kar Lok, Hong Jun-Jie
Running Time: 102 min.

By Paul Bramhall

Kungfu Cyborg: Metallic Attraction opens with the onscreen text “If God created humans, and they created robots, should we not question our maker the way humans question theirs?” Deep stuff, and one may expect the next 100 minutes to be a rumination on that very question. Until that is, you remember that this is a Jeff Lau movie. It’s been 10 years since KFC: MA (as I’ll refer to it from now on) was released, and a burning curiosity (ok, a slight curiosity) to see how Lau’s cinematic oddity holds up in 2019, saw me recently revisit what at the time was promoted as Hong Kong’s answer to Transformers.

Hong Kong cinema was in an interesting place in the late 00’s. Having started the millennium practically dead on its feet thanks to the ravages of piracy, and many of its biggest stars jumping ship to try their hand in Hollywood post the 1997 handover, it spent most of the decade clawing its way back to relevance. Thanks to solid thrillers like the Infernal Affairs trilogy, and the pairing of Wilson Yip and Donnie Yen reviving the action genre with the likes of Sha Po Lang, Dragon Tiger Gate, and Flash Point, by 2009 Hong Kong cinema felt like it was in a good place.

It was a year that also produced the likes of the big budget blockbuster Bodyguards and Assassins, the culinary kung fu flick Kung Fu Chefs, and the legendarily bad Murderer. Looking back, the end of the 00’s was also the final era that Hong Kong cinema still truly felt like Hong Kong cinema. By 2010 the Mainland had already established itself as a box office juggernaut, and the appeal of the audience size compared to HK saw the gradual increase in co-productions, along with the shift to Mandarin from Cantonese. The very franchise that KFC: MA was inspired by, Transformers, itself became a China co-production by the time of its fourth instalment in 2014, with Transformers: Age of Extinction.

For all of the promise a title like Kungfu Cyborg: Metallic Attraction holds, audiences should be warned that Lau’s focus is very much on the ‘Metallic Attraction’ rather than the ‘Kungfu Cyborg’. Hu Jun, who appears here between his appearances in John Woo’s Red Cliff 2-parter, plays a morally righteous cop in a countryside town, and it’s this unflappable character that makes him the perfect candidate to babysit a cyborg that a secret government agency is testing out. Played by swimmer turned actor Alex Fong, the cyborg in question is jokingly referred to as being modelled on Andy Lau, although I challenge anyone that witnesses the coiffed hair and dewy complexion not to assume his look was based on Jude Law in 2001’s A.I. Artificial Intelligence.

What exactly is the plot beyond the above? You’d be hard pressed to tell. Fong fixes various computer problems by sticking his finger in them, and resolves a mountain of minor unsolved cases in less than a day, while Jun does the bare minimum to interact with his robotic partner. It’s when a fellow cop and neighbour, played by Betty Sun from Fearless and 2008’s Painted Skin, enters the picture that proceedings begin to get complicated. Sun finds herself immediately attracted to the mysterious Fong, not knowing that he’s a cyborg (and to add more drama to the mix, one that’s programmed to be incapable of love), which enrages Jun, who’s harboured an unrequited love for Sun ever since her late father asked him to look after her. Throw in the local geek (played by Ronald Cheng), who also has a crush on Sun, and Sun’s kooky sister (played by Gan Wei), who thinks she might like Cheng, and what do you get?

Well, for the first 40 minutes it’s essentially a romantic dramedy. As usual with Lau, he does create some genuinely funny moments of humor, however they’re quickly overshadowed by the constant insertion of lingering glances the camera requires from its romantically forlorn cast. Will Hun get over his jealousy towards a cyborg? Can Fung override his programming and feel real love? Will Sun realise that the man who loves her has been next to her this whole time? Where the hell are those kung fu cyborgs the title mentions? I won’t spoil the answer to the other questions, but we do indeed eventually get some cyborg kung-foolery. Secretive government official Eric Tsang arrives back in the picture to explain that one of their previous cyborgs has gone rogue, and has developed a personality of its own (the opening onscreen quote is from the cyborg in question), leaving it up to Hun and Fong to take out the renegade robot.

The cyborg in question is played by Wu Jing, who at this point in his career was still 6 years away from becoming the poster boy for the Chinese military with 2015’s Wolf Warrior. I mentioned earlier that it was the collaborations between Wilson Yip and Donnie Yen that put the HK action genre back on the map, and Wu Jing was an integral part of their first collaboration, 2005’s Sha Po Lang. Playing a sadistic assassin who’s weapon of choice is a knife, the alley way fight between Yen and Jing is one of Hong Kong cinema’s all-time classics, and Jing would became a regular go-to as an ass-kicking bad guy. Following on from 2007’s Invisible Target and 2008’s Fatal Move, here he’s again in villain mode (inexplicably decked out in race-driver get up), however unlike the previously mentioned titles, his talents are woefully underused.

In Wolf Warrior 2 he may have been able to stop a missile mid-flight with just some wire mesh, but the scene here still beats it, for the simple fact that he swallows a missile whole. Jing’s appearance heralds the long overdue appearance of the kung fu cyborgs, as both he and Fong transform into oversized robots that take to the air and battle it out. While action director Yuen Tak’s kung fu aesthetic is a welcome one – Fong flies around on a pair of Na Cha style spinning wheels and wields a pair of nunchucks – the CGI somewhat calls to mind Michael Jackson’s transformation in 1988’s Moonwalker. The battle is also distractingly set to a Canto-rock soundtrack, which does more harm than good. One element that is enjoyable though, is that once Jing returns to humanoid form, he keeps the oversized sword from his transformed state, which if nothing else makes for a cool screenshot.

Lau’s madcap creativity also rears its head in the finale, when a gigantic cyborg is created out of various vehicles and pieces of junk to turn into a gigantic hopping vampire (complete with the yellow talisman!). Robo Vampire would be proud. The real highlights of KFC: MA are neither the strained romantic shenanigans nor the bombastic action sequences, but instead they’re the briefly inspired moments of humour that Lau occasionally allows to shine through. A joke involving a cyborgs imitation program and a nearby can opener and can of tuna is genius, as is a sequence involving Fong’s ability to fire ‘motion depressants’, which result in the person being hit moving in slow motion while everything else remains in real time. However these come few and far between.

As with any Jeff Lau movie, the tone of KFC: MA is all over the place, at once asking us to laugh at someone attempting to smoke through their eye balls, while also wanting us to resonate with a cyborg who’s beginning to understand what it means to love. The handling of such disparate elements is a car crash, and at its worst culminates in a final scene containing one of the most overly histrionic outbursts ever committed to film. It may not have been Hong Kong’s answer to Transformers, and retrospectively (beyond the trailers) it arguably was never intended to be, however even taken on its own merits neither the ‘Kungfu Cyborg’ nor the ‘Metallic Attraction’ elements of the plot make for a good movie. Wu Jing has of course earned some sci-fi redemption points thank to the recent The Wandering Earth, for everyone else though, perhaps the lesson here is that sci-fi and kung fu are best left as separate genres.

Paul Bramhall’s Rating: 4.5/10

The post Kungfu Cyborg: Metallic Attraction (2009) Review first appeared on cityonfire.com.

“Project Gutenberg” Chinese Theatrical Poster

Director: Felix Chong
Cast: Chow Yun-fat, Aaron Kwok, Zhang Jung-Chu, Joyce Feng, Catherine Chow, Alex Fong, Liu Kai-chi, Yao-Qing Wang, Alien Sun, Carl Ng, Leung Kin-Ping
Running Time: 130 min.

By Paul Bramhall

When a trailer gets released for a movie, it has one job – to make people want to come and see it. Most trailers do that through editing together some of the key moments in order to grab the viewer’s interest, and make them want to see more. But sometimes, trailers don’t play by the rules .Such is the case for Project Gutenberg, which featured a trailer proudly teasing a scene of Chow Yun Fat lighting a dollar note on fire, recreating the famous moment from the seminal A Better Tomorrow. While the 1986 classic was the movie responsible for putting Chow on the map, and credited as creating the Heroic Bloodshed genre, Project Gutenberg is a production being made in a very different era. So different in fact, that it’s now deemed acceptable to swindle your audience, as director and writer Felix Chong later admitted the scene had been filmed especially for the trailer, and is nowhere to be found in the movie itself.

The title, so called after Johannes Gutenberg, the German who introduced printing to Europe with the printing press in the 15th century, is director and writer Felix Chong’s first attempt at directing solo. Usually paired with Alan Mak, together they wrote and co-directed the likes of The Overheard series, and perhaps most famously wrote the Infernal Affairs trilogy together (which Mak co-directed with Andrew Lau). Most recently Chong penned the script for the excellent Extraordinary Mission (which Mak co-directed with Fletcher Poon), so Project Gutenberg marks the first time to truly strike out on his own in the capacity of both director and writer, and brings with him some major Hong Kong talent in front of the camera.

Chow Yun Fat marks his first time to star in a movie which isn’t a sequel since Johnnie To’s 2015 musical Office, and as always it’s a pleasure to see him onscreen. He plays the mysterious ‘Painter’, the leader of a counterfeit currency operation, who takes an interest in the forgery skills of a lowly artist struggling to make ends meet in Canada, played by his Cold War 2 co-star Aaron Kwok. While Chow gets to stretch his rarely used villainous acting chops (2006’s Curse of the Golden Flower feels like a lifetime ago), Kwok appears to be channelling Louis Koo’s performance in 2013’s Drug War. I like Kwok, but he needs a good director to guide his performance, one that can reign in his legendary tendencies to overact. Chong for the large part keeps him in check, with his sullen demeanour only occasionally offset by his jitterbug reactions to the violence he has to witness, in which you can almost feel the effort he’s putting in to restrain himself.

While the performances may be commendable, the pacing is less so. Taking place in the 1990’s, Project Gutenberg’s narrative is told using the same framework utilised in the likes of The Usual Suspects. Kwok, who we meet being transferred from a Thai prison to Hong Kong, tells his story from the interrogation room in flashback. His arrest is seen as a major breakthrough for the father and daughter cop team of Alex Fong (Angels 2) and Catherine Chow (Husband Killers), and they leverage his ex-lover (Zhang Jung-Chu, The Adventurers) to make him start talking about his relationship with the Painter, who no one has ever seen. While Kwok’s own art may not have made the cut, his talent for imitation soon sees him responsible for creating the ‘superdollar’ – the ultimate counterfeit $100 bill – and it’s this process which sees the pace come to a grinding halt.

The main issue is that Fong spends so much time dedicated to Chow and Kwok figuring out how to create the perfect counterfeit, it almost begins to feel like a documentary on true crime. There’s no real threat to keep the suspense simmering, it’s not clear what the end game is (apart from, well, making the perfect counterfeit), and none of the characters have a particularly engaging motive for doing what they do. Instead, an inordinate amount of time is spent watching shots involving paper and ink, set to a mildly exciting score, as if this is considered to be sufficient to keep the audience’s attention. It’s kind of like if A Better Tomorrow was 30 minutes longer, with a bunch of additional scenes detailing the counterfeit process, before Chow and Ti Lung get to their iconic dollar burning scene together. While the level of research Chong’s done is admirable, every last detail of it didn’t necessarily need to make it to the screen.

The biggest elephant in the room with Project Gutenberg though, is also its biggest asset – Chow Yun Fat. To put it bluntly, he’s miscast, the irony being that it appears to be a character written specifically for him. On paper his role is one of a ruthless villain driven by greed and little else, however onscreen, there’s a burden to recall his days of being the Heroic Bloodshed genres most iconic thespian. There are three shootouts, and two of them feature Chow front and center, however it’s only the one where he has the least involvement that feels like a natural part of the narrative. The first one literally starts in the middle of a road with zero build-up, and finishes with Chow brandishing a handgun in each fist. I’m sure it’s supposed to be a crowd cheering moment, however onscreen it comes across as a gratuitous and unnecessary piece of fan service. Like the scene in the trailer, it would have been better to leave it out altogether.

Then there’s an awkwardly inserted flashback within a flashback, which almost feels as if came from another movie entirely. Decked out in a white suit, and laying on the charm that’s made him such a legend of HK cinema, Chow and his cohorts visit a general in the Golden Triangle (do characters in HK movies ever go to there for any other reason!?) to negotiate a deal. However there’s a side motive – the General is also the one responsible for the death of Chow’s father. Cue a completely over the top action scene, which has Chow brandishing an assault rifle in each hand like a one-man army, and even throws in the patented flying through the air while shooting at the same time shot (only performed with wires, he is 63 after all). Again, it’s a scene in which you feel obliged to be excited because, well, it’s Chow Yun Fat shooting people. But it’s so disconnected from the actual plot, it becomes impossible to connect to as an audience.

It also has to be pointed out that Hong Kong cinema hasn’t improved much in portraying Canada since the likes of Return Engagement and Women on the Run (ok, admittedly there’s no thugs playing soccer with a puppy here). It’s ironic that the best English line delivery comes from its Asian cast, in the form of David Wang (Wine War) and Carl Ng (Operation Mekong), with the delivery and lines attributed to the ‘Canadian’ cops best described as an assault on the ears. You would think that if the budget allowed for a whole village to be rigged to explode in spectacular fashion, it could also stretch to hiring a gweilo actor that could enunciate their single line of dialogue correctly.

Project Gutenberg opts for a big twist in its final reel, not all of which is completely believable. I have a theory that Chong had probably watched Kwok in 2009’s Murderer, and figured if they got away with what they did there, then even the wildest twist they could come up with can only pale in comparison. He’s partly correct. However even the big twist can’t escape the newly re-branded NRTA (formerly known as SARFT – China’s censorship board for media). With an even more stringent set of regulations of what is and isn’t considered acceptable to be shown introduced in 2018, the closing moments resort to a generic, safe, and entirely predicable conclusion. The kind which make you let out an audible groan, combined with an involuntary rolling of the eyes.

It’s something we can expect to see more of moving forward, as the more a story focuses on criminals and moral ambiguity, the more the ending will need to emphasise that they all got punished accordingly. Project Gutenberg ticks those boxes like it should, but with such predictability making these tales a foregone conclusion, the real punishment is inflicted on the audiences that watch them.

Paul Bramhall’s Rating: 5/10

The post Project Gutenberg (2018) Review first appeared on cityonfire.com.

“Integrity” Chinese Theatrical Poster

Director: Alan Mak
Writer: Alan Mak
Cast: Lau Ching-Wan, Nick Cheung Ka-fai, Karena Lam, Anita Yuen, Alex Fong, Deep Ng
Running Time: 114 min. 

By Martin Sandison

Alan Mak’s Extraordinary Mission really slipped under the radar a couple of years ago; for me it was one of the best action films of 2017, with the ending reaching insane heights of over-the-top action. Unfortunately, the film under-performed in all territories, and Mak’s new film Integrity is a complete left turn. An anomalous Hong Kong thriller, Integrity features no action and concentrates on a complex plot and star turns from Lau Ching-Wan (Call of Heroes) and Nick Cheung (The Trough). While the film should be applauded for this approach, the end result falls flat, despite there being some aspects to enjoy.

King (Lau) is a member the ICAC (The Independent Commission Against Corruption) and is investigating a case involving cigarette manufacturing, which Jack Hui (Cheung) is involved in as a witness. Multiple characters and plot lines pile up as the case becomes much more complex than King realised, with little respite for his perpetually gurning mug.

As an advert for the ICAC, the film certainly pushes all the right buttons to please the Mainland Chinese Government. Ten years ago, shlock-meister Wong Jing made I Corrupt All Cops, a seeming history of the ICAC. Having not seen the film I can’t pass much comment, but by one account it pleased the Chinese Government, while also serving up lashings of Hong Kong film-style violence and corrupt cops. Oh, how times have changed. In Integrity, all of the members of the ICAC are seen as clean-cut, obedient, government-serving folk who will do anything to solve the case with the minimum of violence. Perhaps this is one reason why there is such a dearth of action in the film. The only car chase is over before it begins – not a punch is thrown or a clip emptied. Certainly a bold approach, and those who like to use their brains to work out mounting plot strands and complex plotting will have a field day. Until the ending.

The ending is very weak, and despite tidying up the plot, is a complete anti-climax. While I like a tangled-web plot as much as the next person, there was little to hold my interest here. I guess it’s because I love aesthetics in movies, and when there is a combination of style and substance we get classics like Mak’s co-directed masterpiece Infernal Affairs. The style of Integrity is beyond bland. Without Lau and Cheung, the screen would go dead for the majority of the running time. Most of the film is taken up by people talking in rooms, with little dramatic emphasis or visual interest. At times the over-egged soundtrack, which attempted to punctuate scenes with drama, was laughable; as they were about as dramatic as watching an egg boil.

While these aspects bug the sh*t out of me because of Mak’s track record, it’s great to see Lau and Cheung cut loose with their performances, as both get to play characters with some depth. It’s interesting to observe how they develop throughout, with Lau realising by the end he can’t take on the world and must accept his place. Cheung’s character is intriguingly two-faced, who at first seems as if he wants to help the cops and is a decent man, by the end is a different beast all together.

One of the highlights of the film is a pair of flashbacks showing Lau and Cheung in college. Yes, they are computer enhanced to de-age them. And… it’s actually surprisingly decent. It looks as if the Chinese have finally realised they were far behind Hollywood in effects, and if advance word of The Wandering Earth is anything to go by, they have learned this lesson.

The less said about peripheral characters and the actors performances in Integrity the better. Especially Karena Lam (Dragon Blade), whose flatness in her role as King’s wife and colleague would make a flat-earther blush. Only the perennially great Alex Fong (Drink, Drank, Drunk, one of my favourite movie titles of all time) comes away with anything approaching credence in a token part as King’s colleague.

While not a complete turd, Integrity doesn’t do enough to hold the viewers attention, and serves as a blip in Lau’s otherwise mostly wonderful filmography. The mullet he sported in Police Story 2 gives Van Damme a run for his money, as an afterthought. Those who like their movies cerebral will find something to enjoy; those who love their Hong Kong movies of the Golden Age will again have their head in their hands. The remedy: search out a classic, in that seemingly neverending supply, and avoid new HK cinema, unless the films are getting uniformly good reviews. It’s interesting to note that the best Hong Kong cinema by new voices recently takes the form of low key drama, especially my favourite Mad World. And it’s lucky I like that genre, or my misery would be complete.

Martin Sandison’s Rating: 5/10

The post Integrity (2019) Review first appeared on cityonfire.com.

“Kung Fu Jungle” Chinese Theatrical Poster

Director: Teddy Chen
Cast: Donnie Yen, Bai Bing, Charlie Young, Wang Baoqiang, David Chiang, Alex Fong, Zhang Lan Xin, Stephen Tung Wei, Chin Kar Lok, Xing Yu, William Chan, Raymond Chow, Nicky Li, Deep Ng, Yuen Bun, Andrew Lau Wai-Keung
Running Time: 100 min.

By Paul Bramhall

After initially being called Last of the Best, and then Kung Fu Killer, Donnie Yen’s fourth and final starring role of 2014 arrives in the form of Kung Fu Jungle. Ironically, both of the movies initial titles are more representative of what it’s about than the final choice, but as Shakespeare once said, “What’s in a name?” Most kung fu cinema fans will be familiar with the 1997 Seasonal Films HK-US co-production Bloodmoon, in which Gary Daniels plays a cop on the tail of Darren Shahlavi, a serial killer going around challenging martial artists to death duels. While Bloodmoon was a simple kung fu flick with no higher ambitions, Kung Fu Jungle takes the same idea, and tries to incorporate extra meaning into it by adding in the concepts of martial arts philosophy and principals.

Yen always shines brightest when he’s working with a director who knows his stuff, and here he’s once again paired with Teddy Chen, who he collaborated with on 2009’s Bodyguards and Assassins. The pair make a good team, and Yen’s performance somewhat echoes that of his role in Wu Xia in that his character is one who’s turned away from fighting, rather than the hot headed roles he’s most famous for in his career.

In Kung Fu Jungle, he plays a prisoner who’s been jailed due to accidentally beating an opponent to death. When the news gets to him of a martial artist he once knew being murdered in mysterious circumstances, Yen insists that he knows who the killer is and that the police, led by Charlie Young, should let him out so that he can help to find the culprit. It should come as no surprise that before long, they agree to do just that, however what may come as a surprise is exactly how closely Yen sticks to only helping them out.

Kung Fu Jungle arguably marks the first time when he noticeably takes himself out of the action spotlight with, save for a couple of brief skirmishes, the only real fight he plays a significant part in being the finale, but we’ll get to that later. With Yen taking a sideline on the action front, it’s left to the kung fu serial killer to deliver what most of the audience for this type of movie will be checking in for – the fights. Thankfully this role is played by Wang Bao Qiang, here facing off against Yen for the second time in the same year after they both starred in Iceman 3D together.

Bao Qiang trained in the Shaolin Temple as it was his dream to be a kung fu movie star, and after his career has seen him starring in mostly non-martial arts roles, it seems that 2014 is the year that his dream is finally coming true.  His murderous rampage has him taking on kung fu masters using whatever martial arts they’re proficient in, which translates to a brief but intense kicking showdown with Xing Yu, a weapons duel with Fan Siu Wong, and of course a showdown with Yen himself. With his character having a handicap of being born with one leg shorter than the other and a tragic past, Bao Qiang plays an effectively menacing antagonist to Yen’s peace seeking prisoner, and the two roles play off each other well.

While the fight scenes do employ some wire work, it’s mostly used to accentuate falls rather than being used for any gravity defying kicks, and as a result its use is never particularly jarring. For the audience that like their fight scenes grounded, the good news is there’s nothing here that comes close to the absurdity of the fights in say, Legendary Assassin, for example. While Yen gained wide acclaim for successfully merging the flow of Hong Kong choreography with the grappling style of modern MMA for movies like Sha Po Lang (aka Kill Zone) and Flash Point, many felt that his work in Special ID moved too much towards the MMA style – a style which is particularly difficult to translate into something that looks exciting onscreen. For the final duel in Kung Fu Jungle, he fully rectifies this, ending the movie with a bang thanks to an impressively lengthy duel with Bao Qiang on a busy highway which throws in everything from fists, feet, grappling, and weapons. It’s so good that even a small dose of dodgy CGI doesn’t detract from the impact.

In many ways Kung Fu Jungle plays like a tribute to not just the Hong Kong movie industry of old, but also the current Hong Kong talent making movies now. Scattered throughout its run time is an almost endless list of cameos from talent both old and new: from Raymond Chow to Bruce Law (suitably playing a truck driver!); Derek Kwok to Andrew Lau; even Jackie Chan and Lau Kar Leung make appearances, albeit on the TV screen. Cameo spotting hasn’t been this much fun since Twin Dragons. Plenty of choreographers are in the mix as well: from old school hands like Yuen Bun and Stephen Tung Wei; to new school faces like Chin Kar Lok and Nicky Li, and I’ve no doubt they all contributed to the action along with Yen who acted as the principal action director.

Of course in true to form style for a Hong Kong movie, there’s also some unintentional goofiness on display that reminds us not to take anything too seriously. One scene has Bao Qiang using his phone in the middle of a steaming hot sauna, as if it’s the most normal thing in the world; another has us believe that the whole cast and crew of a film set would run away in order for two guys to fight each other to the death. My personal favorite moment came when Charlie Young asks Yen if he knows why the killer is committing the murders, and Yen responds back with a perfect poker face, “Because he’s a kung fu maniac!”

However, mixed in with these are enough homage’s to old school kung fu movies that the sum of all its parts equal to a highly enjoyable experience. Chen successfully transplants old kung fu movie tropes, such as Jimmy Wang Yu’s skin toughening technique in movies like Chinese Boxer, into a modern day setting, and the way in which it’s done can’t help but bring a smile to the face. Kung Fu Jungle is a smart movie, one which knows enough about the audience it needs to appeal to, as well as the audience that it wants to appeal to, and it’s a balancing act that not many recent movies have been able to pull off.

Things get effectively meta in the final moments, with Yen’s character delivering a coda that’s not only reminiscent of many of the Shaw Brothers wuxia pian movies, but by extension also seems to reflect his own beliefs of where he’s at in his career. It’s an excellent close to what comes close to being an excellent movie, thankfully washing away the memory of his cringe worthy jumping for joy moments that closed out Special ID at the beginning of 2014. It’ll be interesting to see the type of reviews Kung Fu Jungle receives a few years later when it can be looked at in the greater context of Yen’s filmography, but for now, the movie delivers a worthy high note for both his career and for Hong Kong cinema in a period when they’re few and far between.

Paul Bramhall’s Rating: 8/10

The post Kung Fu Jungle | aka Kung Fu Killer (2014) Review first appeared on cityonfire.com.

“Angels 2” Japanese Theatrical Poster

Director: Teresa Woo San
Cast: Alex Fong Chung-Sun, Moon Lee, Elaine Lui, Gary Siu Yuk Lung, Sin Ho Ying, Jackson Ng Yuk Su, Yuen Tak, Thomas Sin Ho-Ying, Chan Man-Ching
Running Time: 90 min.

By Paul Bramhall

The ‘Girls with Guns’ genre is generally considered to have been kicked off by the 1985 Corey Yuen movie Yes, Madam!, which introduced us to the femme fatale coupling of Michelle Yeoh and Cynthia Rothrock. The rest of the 80s were spent introducing us to a bevy of dangerous ladies – in 1986 we were given the ferocious pairing of Moon Lee and Yukari Oshima in Iron Angels, and in 1987 we were given yet another deadly duo with Cynthia Khan and Michiko Nishiwaki in In the Line of Duty 3.

Despite the talent of these ladies, the genre arguably always remained a tier below the output from their male counterparts. As time went on the action seemed to increasingly move to countries which had cheaper production costs, such as the Philippines and Malaysia, and by the mid-90s the ‘Girls with Guns’ genre had all but disappeared. For the few glorious years that these movies were getting produced though, the sheer number that got cranked out pretty much guaranteed at least a few minor classics. Often filled with copious machine gun fire and cheap and cheerful pyrotechnics, interspersed with moments of intense fight action, it’s easy to see why these kick ass gals gained a sizable following.

The original Iron Angels delivered a strong cast, apart from the aforementioned Moon Lee and Yukari Oshima, they were ably backed up by Alex Fong, Elaine Lui, and Shaw Brothers legend David Chiang, who essentially filled the role of Charlie in a Hong Kong version of Charlie’s Angels. Throw in Japanese star Saijo Hideki and Korean boot master Hwang Jang-lee, and it would be difficult not to have a good time. The movie is considered a classic of the ‘Girls with Guns’ genre, and spawned two sequels, the second of which has frustratingly yet to be released on DVD in any English speaking country.

It’s a shame, as while Iron Angels 2 is hardly a contender for an Oscar, it is a worthy addition to the genre. The three principal members of the original return in the form of Moon Lee, Elaine Lui, and Alex Fong, who essentially make up the team of angels. Why one of the angels has to be played by a guy is anyone’s guess, but in the pantheon of questions that could be raised out of Hong Kong’s movie output from the 80’s, this is probably one of the lesser ones.

The story concerns the angels being distracted from their holiday in Kuala Lumpur, when the host with whom they’re staying turns out to be an insane revolutionary. This is revealed in a wonderful speech when he explains that he wants to make “an Asia for the Asians”, and we get to see him kick back in the evening with a whiskey on the rocks, while watching videos of Hitler parading through the streets of Germany. Of course in an effort to flesh out the plot a little bit more, Elaine Lui becomes romantically involved with him, unaware of his extreme ideals, and if that wasn’t enough to push the run-time to a suitable length, the rest is padded out by travelogue like shots of Kuala Lumpur city.

While Iron Angels was hardly a big budget affair, it did get by on the merits of having a pair of strong adversaries in the form of Yukari Oshima and Hwang Jang-lee. Oshima seemed to relish her role of the vicious gang boss, and the whole movie stayed true to its genre origins by having Moon Lee and Elaine Lui ultimately have to rescue the captured Fong from her lair.

The sequel loses points somewhat in the fact that if anything, the shift in focus seems to be away from the ladies, and instead Fong is now the image of the macho 80’s Hong Kong action hero, seemingly able to beat up anyone who crosses his path. After playing the deadly leading lady in the Shaw Brothers classic Come Drink With Me, Cheng Pei Pei suffered a similar fate in its sequel Golden Swallow, when she played second fiddle to Jimmy Wang Yu. The only problem here is Alex Fong is no Jimmy Wang Yu, and director Teresa Woo is no Chang Cheh.

While I’m sure a more academically minded critic would be happy to draw comparisons between the notions of feminism between the original Iron Angels and its sequel, let’s face it, at the end of the day we’re all here for the action. Moon Lee would go on to make several movies together with Yukari Oshima, so the real question is how does she fare here with no promise of a final throw down with the Japanese beauty. Thankfully the answer isn’t a disappointing one, in large part due to the showdown that she has with the movies action director Yuen Tak.

Tak is one of the more unsung heroes of Hong Kong action cinema. Originally cast as a kind of Jackie Chan clone in the 1980 Shaw Brothers movie The Master opposite Chen Kuan Tai, he went onto to have a successful career as an action director, working on such movies as Dragon from Russia, while still occasionally making onscreen appearances, most notably returning as the villain in the 1997 version of Hero. Here Tak serves as action director and plays the head henchman, who happens to face off against Lee in a munitions hut in the finale. While their fight is frustratingly brief, what’s there is gold, as the two exchange a lightening fast flurry of feet and fists.

The fight is so good that it makes you realize that she’s just spent the majority of the movie wasted in what for the most part is a non-action role, while it’s Fong who gets given the majority of the movies action beats. While Fong is a passable screen fighter, the fight between Lee and Tak makes his scenes look like rehearsals. This is made even more glaringly obvious when straight after the showdown he’s given the final confrontation of the movie, which while not particularly bad, simply doesn’t stand up compared to the few seconds of excellence we’ve just bore witness to.

There’s also a whole lot of obligatory but satisfying machine gun fire and explosions in the finale, but despite it all, Iron Angels 2 remains a notch under the original. Later that same year Lee would be seriously burnt when she was caught in an explosion, which detonated early while escaping from a building on the set of the movie Devil Hunters, but like the strong female characters she portrayed on screen, she didn’t stay down for long. Hopefully movies like both Devil Hunters and Iron Angels 2 will some day make it onto DVD, and everyone can enjoy watching the ladies of Hong Kong cinema kick just as much ass as the men.

Paul Bramhall’s Rating: 7/10

The post Angel 2 | aka Iron Angels 2 (1988) Review first appeared on cityonfire.com.

“The Lost Bladesman” Chinese Theatrical Poster

Director: Felix Chong
Co-director: Alan Mak
Cast: Donnie Yen, Jiang Wen, Chin Siu Ho, Andy On Chi Kit, Betty Sun Li, Dong Yong, Alex Fong Chung Sun, Calvin Li Zong Han, Shao Bing, Wang Bo Chieh, Nie Yuan
Running Time: 107 min.

By HKFanatic

Hong Kong’s biggest superstar Donnie Yen teams up with the filmmaking duo behind the “Infernal Affairs” sequels, Felix Chong and Alan Mak, for this Three Kingdoms-era action romp. While “The Lost Bladesman” lacks the epic scope and ‘cast of thousands’-style appeal of John Woo’s “Red Cliff” films, it more than makes it for it with Donnie Yen’s top-notch action choreography and a compelling performance from Jiang Wen (“Let the Bullets Fly“) as the brilliant military strategist and real life historical figure, Cao Cao.

Donnie Yen himself steps into the role of the fearsome God General Guan Yu. Some Chinese audiences criticized Yen’s casting since Guan Yu has always been thought of as a giant of a man, but such quibbles seem silly when you consider that, no matter his real size, Donnie has always dominated the big screen. He’s perfectly adept at bringing Guan Yu to life, even if you might grow weary of just how ridiculously stoic and righteous the character is. Yes, this is another role where Donnie plays a character who has no discernible flaws whatsoever. It’s almost like one of those old 80’s Chuck Norris movies – Donnie is so invincible here that the bad guys are constantly trying to drug or poison him just to level the playing field.

If Guan Yu comes across as frustratingly one-note, then that’s exactly why Jiang Wen is in the film. The qualified character actor brings Coa Cao to life in a multi-faceted performance. Cao Cao knows how to work the room with snake-like charm, and at the same time you can never truly tell if what he’s doing is for his own personal interest or for the greater good. Without Jiang Wen’s presence, “The Lost Bladesman” would have likely been a simple fist-pumping action movie, but his role gives the film much needed dimension and intrigue. There is a complexity to his character that is rarely explored in these Chinese historical pictures.

Of course, if you just want to tune out and enjoy the action, then “The Lost Bladesman” delivers in spades. I’d complain about two particular sequences – one bathed in darkness, the other set behind closed doors – where the fighting is obscured, except that the rest of the flick is so stuffed to the gills with action that I didn’t even mind. Donnie Yen is listed as Action Choreographer and the fights here bear his imprint all over them. Impossibly wide camera angles cover every inch of the action, no matter how constrained the environment becomes. A scene late in the film features Donnie literally dodging arrows as they’re fired and recalls the World War I battle that opened “Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen.” But the real highlight here is the fight between Donnie and Andy On (“Black Mask 2: City of Masks,” “King of Triads“). Their showdown is destined to go down as one of the finest bouts of either man’s career.

When it comes to “The Lost Bladesman,” it’s likely that the presence of Donnie Yen and the promise of spear-slicing action are what will get most people to park themselves in front of the TV. However, I’d wager that Jiang Wen’s superb acting and Felix Chong and Alan Mak’s multi-colored cinematography will prove equally as memorable for viewers by the time the credits have rolled. Donnie Yen has been enjoying a career renaissance as of late, there’s no doubt about that, but “The Lost Bladesman” stands out as one of his finer efforts. Even if you think you’ve seen every Chinese historical epic under the sun, Donnie’s unrivaled flair for action direction ensures that “The Lost Bladesman” has plenty of impact.

HKFanatic’s Rating: 8/10

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“The Stormriders” Chinese Theatrical Poster

AKA: The Stormriders
Director: Andrew Lau
Cast: Ekin Cheng, Aaron Kwok, Sonny Chiba, Kristy Yeung, Michael Tse, Lawrence Cheng, Wayne Lai, Roy Cheung, Shu Qi, Jason Chu, Alex Fong, Anthony Wong
Running Time: 128 min.

By Sergio Martorelli

Lord Conquer (Sonny Chiba) leads the greatest clan of medieval China, the creatively named Conquer Clan. He collects rare, funny-named swords like a kid amasses Pokémon cards, and only wants two things from life: a good marriage for his pritty daughter Charity (Kristy Yeung) and a duel to death with Sword Saint (Anthony Wong dressed as Gandalf). Ah, if only things were just as easy! The evasive Sword Saint keeps postponing the duel (he follows the “why can’t we be friends?” motto), and seer Mud Buddha (Yiu-Cheung, the inspector Tang from Gen-X Cops) foretells that, to secure his post as The Big Pumbaa of Da ‘Hood, Conquer must bring to his side the kids Wind (Ekin Chen) and Cloud (Aaron Kwok). That’s what he does, by ordering the killing of the boys’ fathers and raisin’ em as his own offspring. Of course Conquer omits the murder bit, so Wind and Cloud are loyal to him. But as usual when you have some skeletons in the closet, someday the bones will rattle for everybody to hear.

Cut to ten years later. The now grown-up lads gained powers beyond those of mere mortal men. Wind commands the wind (not THAT wind, but the kind that inflates sails!), Cloud controls water (something as useful as Zan’s powers from the Super Friends cartoon, judging by a later sequence), and a third boy, Frost (Michael Tse), freezes his enemies with punches. Cool! But naughty Mud Buddha conveniently lets out the second part of the prophecy – you know, the BAD part – and hauls ass before Conquer finds out he was duped. Prophecy says that when Wind and Cloud unite for the same goal (so far, they’ve spent all the movie bickering), Conquer’s ass will be grass. Obviously bad news, but powermad Conquer thinks he can control his own destiny. Poor sap.

Since both boys have the hots for Charity, Lordy arranges her marriage with one of ’em. And just like in any chapter of “Days of Our Lifes”, that’s not a good move – but Conquer is counting on that. BTW, for a girl named “Charity”, Conquers’ daughter is very giving indeed. She likes both stepbrothers, but we know who we’re rooting for. Wind, the romantic one, takes Charity on “Superman: The Movie”-like fancy flights, poetry readings, firefly-watching and other sissy stuff. Cloud, the tempestous one, just storms Charity’s bedroom and fucks her silly. Atta boy! So far, we’re barely over the first hour. There’s plenty more to come, including self-mutilation, grave robbery and a cool fire monster, but I don’t wanna spoil the surprises.

Let’s talk about the cast instead. Kwok and Cheng are China’s answer to Justin Timberlake, and they do a fairly decent job as leading lords (well, Cheng does; Kowk isn’t that talented, but he tries). Sonny Chiba, as expected, puts the movie in the breast pocket and runs with it; his performance is operistic and kabuki-like, a perfect choice for a comic book villain. The guy was 59, but look at his muscles when he rips off his shirt; rrowwrrr! Yu Rong Guang shines on his cameo as Cloud’s dad, omnipresent Anthony Wong has a (very) small but striking part, and soft-porn starlet Shu Qi repeats the same schlap-schtick from Jackie Chan’s lamest film, “Gorgeous”. Granted, she’s cute, but her character is more annoying than Scrappy-Doo. A Valley Girl in medieval China? Sorry, me no buy it. About the flick: eat your heart out, Goku! Run and hide, Vegita! Super Sayan, schmuper shmayan! Wind, Cloud, Frost and Conquer are the real deal! Thanks to lots of computer wizardry, our heroes fly around, move faster than a Keystone Cop, shine from inside with pretty colours and exchange body parts at will. All this insanity came from the minds of director Andrew Lau (Wai Keung Lau, NOT Andy Lau Tak-wah) and Ma Wing Ping, creator of the comic book used as basis for the screenplay (some critics label the comic as Manga, but aren’t Manga supposed to be japanese?).

All the sound of fury made this the Hong Kong blockbuster of 1998, and deservedly so. The Storm Riders may have an uneven story, but is pretty exciting when watched with the right frame of mind – meaning “check your brain at the door”. The reviewed DVD is the Brazilian edition by China Video, with the same transfer and extras from Tai Seng’s version. There are portuguese subtitles on the making of (Tai Seng’s has none), so if you have a friend who speaks spanish, that can help cuz both languages have similarities. Also included are non-subtitled trailers for Running Out of Time (dubbed in english), A Man Called Hero, The Storm Raiders (dubbed in portuguese), The Duel, Double Tap, Once Upon a Time in China and America (dubbed in english), High Risk (dubbed in english and full frame – eeep!!!) and Full Contact.

Sergio Martorelli’s Rating: 7/10

By James H.

Andrew Lau’s “The Stormriders” begins promisingly enough with an impressive title sequence, showcasing digital animation and some good music. From there, the film goes down hill. It features a remarkable cliched and convoluted plot, and it was very easy to tell where the producers put the money. Summarizing the plot would be a waste of my time, and yours.

Like many of today’s Hollywood summer films, the real focus of “The Stormriders” is the special effects. The effects in the film, while being undeniably good, do not look overly convincing, proving Roger Ebert’s “Toupee Effect” rule.

Lau’s directing has the combined style and grace of a “Mortal Kombat” game and a Madonna video. It even looks like it was shot on video, and not film. Perhaps this overabundance of style is to compensate for the giant lack of substance. I’m not condemning films that showcase style over substance, they can be and are good when done right, like Sam Raimi’s “The Evil Dead” and John Woo’s “A Better Tomorrow II”.

The film also has a very choppy editing style to it. Not like the oddly smooth flowing editing of Steven Soderbergh’s films (like “The Limey” and “Traffic”), but the sloppy and abrupt editing of Michael Bay’s “Armageddon”. It ended up giving the movie an episodic feel to it, like a series of television shows edited together to make a movie.

There were several fight scenes in the film, all involving characters with the kind of powers found in a (gasp!) “Mortal Kombat” video game. In fact, one character, named Frost, has abilities, which are strikingly similar to those of (gasp!) Sub Zero of the (gasp!) “Mortal Kombat” franchise. But, I digress. There is nothing really wrong with the fights, but the came across in a rather unexciting fashion; lacking a certain “kick”, so to speak.

Unfortunately (or fortunately, who knows?), the version I saw was what appears to be a heavily cut American version, which ran a grand total of 88 minutes. Perhaps the dubbing also lent a hand to my distaste for the film. No matter, I do not think making this picture any longer would have made it any better.

James H’s Rating: 3/10

By Dave Bell

No goofy joke, no silly references to sitcoms or politicians. This movie deserves better. An amazing film of epic quality, that weaves lush cinemtography with some of the most breathtaking – and seamless – special effects put on film. The story moves at steady pace without bogging down, at no point will the viewer wonder how long have they been watching and when is the end coming. The characters stay true to themselves and not a single performance rings sour. Kwok, Cheng and Chiba are marvelous but most underrated may be the actor playing Frost. He brings a quiet dignity to the role and when he admits his unrequited love for Chastity it rings painfully true. If you’ve only seen this movie on video, buy a DVD player to see it again. If you’ve seen it on DVD, beg your theater owner to show a 70 mm print. This is the best movie since Scorcese’s Goodfellas.

Dave Bell’s Rating: 10/10

By Vic Nguyen

Based on a best selling comic, this big budget, special effects laden production features a cast of all stars and was helmed by premiere filmmaker Andrew Lau Wai-keung. Pop singers Aaron Kwok and Ekin Cheng star as the title characters Wind and Cloud, brought together to bring down the evil Lord Conqueror, played by Japanese cinema legend Sonny Chiba. Despite the presence of big name actors and actresses, the real star of this film are the special effects by Centro, which set new standards for the future of Hong Kong Cinema. That, along with a keen visual flair by former cinematographer Andrew Lau Wai-keung, makes the Storm Riders a worthwhile film worth tracking down. Released in 1998, The Storm Riders was king at the box office, edging out headline productions such as Jackie Chan’s Who Am I? and Chow Yun-fat’s US debut The Replacement Killers.

Vic Nguyen’s Rating: 7/10

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“Mob Sister” Chinese Theatrical Poster

AKA: Ah Sou, A Sao
Director: Wong Ching Po
Cast: Annie Liu, Karena Lam, Tony Leung Ka Fai, Simon Yam, Eric Tsang, Alex Fong, Anthony Wong, Chan Chung Yung, O Chun Hung, Lau Yip, Yuen Wah, Lawrence Cheng, Him Law Chung Him, Liu Kai Chi
Running Time: 90 min.

By Owlman

After watching Jay Chou mangle the Cantonese dialect in Initial D, I put in Ah Sou and watched Anne Liu do the same.

And that, unfortunately, was all I got out of this movie.

But in the interest of fleshing out this review more, I will tell you why I think Anthony Wong needs to take a break. Out of the couple of hundred movies from Hong Kong that I’ve watched over my lifetime, I think Wong’s been in about 95% of them. I don’t know whether he’s got some kind of drug or gambling habit that he has to nurture, resulting in him taking on project after project after project. What I do know is that there is the law of diminishing returns to consider here. As he takes on more stuff, he’s really lowering the quality of his work. While we can praise him for work done in Hard Boiled or The Mission, we can’t overlook his digressions in The Twins Effect or Cat & Mouse.

His performance in Ah Sou as the fancy-pants Whacko isn’t going to win any more fans. But then again, none of the other performances are worth looking into. All of the male characters phone in their attempts at cookie-cutter “cool” personas and Karena Lam tries her hardest to be a nutbuster but fails miserably.

But back to Wong. I find myself hoping that one day, he’ll have a heart condition that forces him to remove himself from the entertainment industry for a while. I’m beginning to see him more often that I see my parents and it’s become just as painful.

Owlman’s Rating: 2/10

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“Cheap Killers” Chinese Theatrical Poster

Director: Clarence Ford
Writer: Wong Jing
Cast: Sunny Chan, Kathy Chow, Alex Fong Chung Sun, Henry Fong Ping, Stephen Fung Tak Lun, Lilian Ho Ka Lei, Ku Feng, Michael Ian Lambert
Running Time: 94 min.

By Raging Caijin

“Cheap Killers” springs forth, guns blazing, from the twisted imagination of writer/producer Wong Jing. It’s a sweaty ode to machismo and bullets that at times plays out like “Happy Together” with guns. Fortunately, whenever any of Wong Jing’s excesses threaten to sink the entire endeavor, some solid performances and the stylish direction of Clarence Fok are there to redeem the picture. If you can handle the blatant homoeroticism that simmers just below the movie’s surface, then you may enjoy “Cheap Killers” for the stunning return to HK cinema’s glory days that it is. That’s right: this is a genuine ‘heroic bloodshed’ flick and one of the best in years.

The story follows Sam Cool and Yat-Tiu, two of the most successful hitmen in all of Hong Kong. They’ve got the house, the cars, and the women. Well, only Yat-Tiu is into the women but we’ll get to that later. Of course, his penchant for the ladies gets both men into a lot of trouble. Yat-Tiu falls for a femme fatale and it ends up his undoing; betrayed and left for dead, the two men have little choice but to pick up the pieces of their broken lives…and plot their revenge. And you can bet it’s going to be a sweet, bloody revenge.

This is all pretty standard HK action stuff, but what separates “Cheap Killers” from other movies of its kind is the relationship between the two lead characters. When you first load up the DVD and see the menu with both actors dressed in flowing white clothes, shirts open to expose their chiseled abs, looking like two male models – it is merely a hint of what is to come. To put it simply, Sam Cool and Yat-Tiu are close. Very close. The nature of their relationship is ultimately left ambiguous by the filmmakers, but be prepared for many scenes where the two men hold each other in their arms and cry together. And watch out for that scene where Sam Cool bathes Yat-Tiu. But don’t worry; there is good reason for these moments: something happens to Yat-Tiu and Sam Cool must take on an almost paternal role for his friend. To me, these scenes imbue the movie with more emotion than your average triad flick – or at least, as much real emotion as a Wong Jing movie can have.

There are strong themes of brotherhood and loyalty at play here. It’s unfortunate that Wong Jing has to ruin it by making the female characters either manipulative or weak. He seems to be saying “all men are brothers” and “all women are bitches”. Thus, it’s not surprising that some parts of this movie resonate and others do not. At one point, a character even says “Never trust a woman” without a hint of irony. While I wish Wong Jing had reigned in his misogyny a bit, I must say that in this case the woman-bashing helps make “Cheap Killers” even more a guilty pleasure. This is a trashy movie but the filmmakers know it – hell, it was directed by Clarence “Naked Killer” Fok, after all. It’s best just to sit back and enjoy it, without taking it too seriously.

And if you’re just looking for action, “Cheap Killers” is sure to please. This movie is violent as hell. People are shot, stabbed, cut in half, chopped by shears, impaled with harpoons; others have their eyes cut out or plummet to their death. It’s all delivered with a visual punch from Clarence Fok, who knows this kind of grimy neo-noir like the back of his hand. His kinetic pacing, unique camera angles, and excessive use of slow motion mean that “Cheap Killers” is a feast for the eyes as well; which is good because the eye candy tends to take your mind off of some of the plot holes, implausibility, or sleaze in Wong Jing’s script.

Sunny Chan does a decent job as the womanizing pretty boy Yat-Tiu, but the full depth of his acting talent isn’t realized until half-way through the film. He’s very convincing as someone on the edge of sanity. That said, this movie belongs to Alex Fong. His portrayal of Sam Cool is one of the most complex and fascinating characters out of HK in years. Honestly, an exploitation movie doesn’t deserve a performance this good! He comes across as tough and vulnerable all at the same time; he projects an impossibly macho attitude while still showing tenderness and love to his male friend. He does a consummate job and makes up for Kathy Chow and Henry Fong, who are content to mostly ham things up. They’re not bad performances per se; they’re just more typical of the genre (femme fatale and sleazy gangster) than Alex Fong’s three-dimensional portrayal. Stephen Fung shows up in a supporting role as a nice guy cop. His turn is nothing to write home about but he’s a welcome presence in the movie. His character is an honest beacon of righteousness in a movie otherwise consumed with debauchery and murder.

Overall, if you can’t already tell, I loved “Cheap Killers” . It’s not a good movie at all but it’s a hell of a lot of fun to watch. It’s a trashy b-movie, an exploitation flick, and tasteless to the extreme. But guess what? They just don’t make ‘em like this anymore. When was the last time you saw a movie where the heroes armed themselves to the teeth to exact their vengeance in a rousing finale of choreographed ultra-violence? While “Cheap Killers” cobbles together elements of “A Better Tomorrow” and “Bullet in the Head” , it stands on its own thanks to the strong chemistry between the two main characters as well as some stylish cinematography…and the fact that there hasn’t been anything like it since the year it came out.

What I love about “Cheap Killers” is summed up entirely by the final shot of the movie. I’m not going to ruin it for you but once you see it, there’s no way you can resist from shouting out “Hell yeah!” It’s just one of those moments that gets your blood pumping and reminds you of the good old days of Hong Kong action. The moment, just like the entire movie, is completely unrealistic, impossibly over-the-top, and stylized to the hilt – and that’s exactly why I love it. I’m not scoring this film higher because it’s admittedly just a guilty pleasure with little artistic merit; and I can’t help but think how much better it would have been if produced by someone like Tsui Hark instead of Wong Jing. But if you’re like me and you have a soft spot for the heroic bloodshed genre, then watch this movie as soon as friggin’ possible.

Raging Caijin’s Rating: 7.5/10

The post Cheap Killers (1998) Review first appeared on cityonfire.com.

“2002” Chinese DVD Cover

Director: Wilson Yip
Cast: Nicholas Tse (Ting Fung), Stephen Fung Tak-Lun, Law Kar-Ying, Sam Lee Chan-Sam, Danielle Graham, Rain Li (Choi Wah), Alex Fong (Nik Sun), Anya
Running Time: 96 min.

By Ben Poppel

Do you want to watch a movie about ghouls and goblins? Well maybe more like ghosts. Whatever the case, this is not your traditional actioner. Sure it’s got fighting, shooting and chases. But it also has flying spirits, crazy demon ladies and plenty supernatural beings. It also has the re-teaming of the cool Nicholas Tse and “I will try to be cool” Stephen Fung. Their on screen chemistry together works pretty good. The settings, costumes, music and atmosphere are also very slick and polished. But all that can’t save the bland substance that surrounds the whole scenario. Take two guys who like two girls, throw in an old man, and a bunch of cops who are all trying to stop bad ghosts, but the two guys are the only ones who can stop the wicked spirits while saving their girls and not trying to die, but end up dying and living and killing bad ghosts and helping good ghosts… whew… I lost myself… what , what was I saying…

Well, the point I am trying to make is that this movie has more style and showiness than substance and story. For some reason when the credits started rolling, I didn’t feel completely satisfied. Kind of like going to a party, enjoying yourself, but not waking up with a hangover the next day – well actually that is a good thing. So I guess really this movie wasn’t all that bad. Just enjoy the ride while it lasts because you may not feel any wow-ness after it’s over. Or maybe I’m just freakin’ crazy and don’t know how to write reviews!

Ben Poppel’s Rating: 7/10

The post 2002 (2002) Review first appeared on cityonfire.com.