The year is 1421 and Thailand is in turmoil. The Ayuthaya Army is quickly conquering as much area as they can. Young Tien sees his mother and father, a provincial ruler, assassinated right before his eyes. One of his father’s bodyguards saves the young boy’s life by escaping by horseback. When it’s clear that they are outnumbered, Tien jumps from the horse and hides in a brush. The horse and rider are felled by numerous arrows.
Tien doesn’t get to rest for too long. He is soon captured, put in a cage and led to an alligator pit. Tien doesn’t go without a fight and does all that he can for a kid. When thrown in the water, one of the spectators makes a signal and a rescue is attempted. Once beaten to submission, the leader, who is King of the Pirates, throws Tien a knife and says what happens next is up to him. Tien kills the alligator and is given a choice. He can learn martial arts or go his own way. Tien walks around the camp and sees all those training and gets a glimmer in his eye. This is what he has always hoped for.
Tien excels at his training and passes every all his tests. He is made the new king of the pirates but is told if he has some unfinished business, then he is free to complete it and come back. Ten sets off to avenge his parents.
ONG BAK 2 exceeded all of my expectations. Tony Jaa’s previous movies, where great showcases for his fighting talents. The stories were simple and the directing and cinematography were serviceable at best. That was OK because Tony carried the movie with the action scenes. It’s like a song where you remember the guitar riff but not the words or other instruments. In ONG BAK 2, everything clicks. The directing is more patient. The story develops slowly but it creates much more of an emotional payoff when the action scenes occur. Tony Jaa’s character is a tortured soul and he successfully portrays this. The camera work gives you enough time to digest what is happening before cutting to something else. The tone of the movie is darker than ONG BAK or TOM-YUM-GOONG. There’s no comic release to diffuse the impact which makes a scene where Tony rescues those who where enslaved like himself so much more powerful.
This time there are a lot less “standing still so you can land the foot on the back of my head" scenes. The fight scenes are wonderfully choreographed and edited. The moves are deliberate and never start to look like a dance. Tony dispatches his enemies just enough so they stop fighting, It’s a big difference from ONG BAK and TOM-YUM-GOONG where there were sometimes too much attention to finishing moves just to show how painful they were. This makes the action flow smoothly. Tony also performs Drunken Kung Fu in one scene. What makes this different is that he doesn’t play it for laughs. It fits the mood and adds to the emotional impact of the scene.
There’s also an assortment of weapons used. I almost expected a title card to appear stating what each one was but this isn’t that type of movie. The weapons look real. The chains appear to have weight. They look like they hurt. There always a sense of danger.
ONG BAK 2 really needs to be seen if you are a Tony Jaa fan. Watching ONG BAK 2 after ONG BAK and TOM YUM GOONG is like a Jet Li fan watching THE MASTER, KUNG FU COLT MASTER, and then HERO. This is a good step up for Tony Jaa. I look forward to the story continuing.
Rin (Kou Shibasaki) has just completed 3000 days of training at the Shaolin Temple. When asked what she will do upon completion, she tells the masters that she wants to spread Shaolin Kung Fu. Upon returning home, she finds her old dojo rundown and abandoned. When she finds her former teacher, he has given up Kung Fu and runs a restaurant. Employed at this restaurant are two who who we've seen before in SHAOLIN SOCCER., Iron Shirt (Kai Man Tin) and the not so Litte Brother (Lam Tze Chung). Rin undeterred, joins a lacrosse team with hopes of teaching the other girls Shaolin Kung Fu. Shortly there after, Rin's teacher joins as the coach of the team. Unfortuneatley, Rin isn't much of a team player and while very powerful she ruins the game and leaves the team. Little by little Rin learns to work with a team and the other girls open up to learning Shaolin Kung Fu. But life isn't perfect. Rin learns that she has a hidden power. If she can't control it, it will destroy her. The teacher wants Rin to never fight so that the power won't be unleashed. This is beyond her control when a friend is kidnapped and she is forced to fight to get her back.
SHAOLIN GIRL may not be a direct sequel to SHAOLIN SOCCER but it's in the same universe. There are nods to many movies including SHAOLIN SOCCER, KUNG FU HUSTLE, KILL BILL, and also a few Bruce Lee movies for good measure. There are some moments of comedy but this is mostly an action movie. The pace isn't as fast as SHAOLIN SOCCER, and while Kou Shibasaki is great as Ren, most of the other actors don't command the screen the way she does. Even the main bad guy , Toru Nakamura, just doesn't seem threatening.
I really wanted to like this movie. I mean, a movie called "SHAOLIN GIRL", with links to SHAOLIN SOCCER, what more could you want? I was left disappointed because with all the build up, it doesn't deliver. The movie is a little too "cute" for its own good and sometimes makes it feel like a kid's movie. This is very apparent at the climax of the movie.
I won't say the movie is horrible; but leave any expectations at the door and you may wind up enjoying SHAOLIN GIRL just enough to say you didn't waster your time. Now, no matter what I say fans of SHAOLING SOCCER will want to see this and to be honest, I would have wanted to see this regardless of any review.
Eye For An Eye [2008] (product link) Action/Adventure / Crime
Noon-e-neun noon I-e-neun I (EYE FOR AN EYE).
Capt. Baek Sung-chan (Suk-kyu Han) is all set to retire from the police force to go in business with his friend exterminating bugs. The bugs don’t get out once you catch them and once you kill them they stay dead. An armored car heist brings him back in. The armored car company was owned by the captain’s nemesis who he has been trying to bust for years but never had enough evidence. A cat and mouse game begins with the person behind the robbery, Anh (Seung-won Cha). Anh isn’t as straightforward as the Captain. His motives are somewhat mysterious until the Baek Sung chan puts the pieces of the puzzle together. Anh has created a very intricate plan to exact revenge against the captain’s nemesis and has purposely put him in the middle.
EYE FOR AN EYE is an above average thriller but leaves the viewer a little unsatisfied at the end. Han Suk-kyu plays the part of the captain great and much of the film time is spent on him. The viewer doesn’t get to know Ang (Seung-won Cga) the same way. Much time is spent on Ang’s crew without really seeing too much of him. By the end of the film you know what Ang is all about but you wind up wishing the movie was from his point of view. With all the twists and turns, Ang is exactly what he looks like.
On a scale of 1-10, I would give this a 7. The acting is very good and the characters are portrayed very realistically.
HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS is Zhang Yimou's follow up to the immensely popular HERO. In comparison, HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS is a much smaller movie. The relationships of the characters are the central focus and the political climate is but a backdrop. While the story itself isn't groundbreaking, it is very well executed with some unexpected plot twists.
Leo (Andy Lau) and Jun (Takeshi Kaneshiro) are government deputies and find the new leader of The House of Flying Daggers, a militia group sworn to fight the corrupt government. Leo sends Jun on a mission to befriend the blind daughter of the former leader of the group. This takes Leo to a brothel where the daughter, Mei (Zhang Ziyi) works. While Jun gets drunk and disorderly, Leo shows up and arrests both him and Mei. Mei is quickly exposed as a member of the House of Flying Daggers.
Mei is threatened with torture if she doesn't disclose the location and leader of the House of Flying Daggers. She is left bound in a cell. During the night she is rescued by Jun and they are off to see what he assumes will be the new leader of The House of Flying Daggers.
Jun and Mei encounter government troops early on but this is only to convince Mei that Jun is for real. The coming battles turn real but Leo is powerless to help because it has been ordered by the General. Jun's feelings for Mei grow even though during his preparation for this mission he was warned that he would only be acting a part. Jun wants to quit the mission but it doesn't stop the troops from hunting him and Mei...
I really enjoyed HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS and recommend it. Andy Lau puts in a great performance as Leo. He really nails the character. Takeshi Kaneshiro is also very good but I am used to him being in movies set in the present so it was odd at first to see him in a period film. I always am reminded of his characters in FALLEN ANGELS and CHUNGKING EXPRESS. Zhang Ziyi also gives a great effort as Mei. For those who were disappointed that she had little screen time in HERO will be happy to know she is in this movie a lot more.
There is a liberal amount of computer effects but they are very well done and really enhance the movie. They hold up after repeat viewing. There are some action scenes that are very creative and couldn't be done any other way.
I actually recommend that this is watched twice because after seeing it once you really pick up on things the second time around. It's almost a different movie.
If you are in the mood for some classic Old School Kung Fu, MASTER OF THE FLYING GUILLOTINE is the way to go. When his pupils are killed, an evil blind man seeks revenge on the rebel One Armed Boxer who murdered them. Disguised as a monk, he takes with him his Flying Guillotine, a device that he throws over his enemy's head and decapitates them. When he arrives in town searching for the One Armed Boxer, he recruits some foreigners who have gathered for a tournament to help him. Along the way, he decapitates anybody who has one arm. Even though he is greatly skilled, The One Armed Boxer does not join the tournament so he doesn't bring attention to himself. Unfortunately, he attends as a spectator and is spotted. He must use his Kung Fu as well as his wits to defeat his opponents. The final showdown is a battle between THE MASTER OF THE FLYING GUILLOTINE and the ONE ARMED BOXER.
It is a treat to see a movie like this presented in its original aspect ratio and original language. The music playing over the beginning credits sounds very modern but according to the commentary it was added for it's 1977 release. This is definitely a fun movie to watch. Jimmy Wang Yu is great as the One Armed Boxer. It's not because he is greatly skilled in Kung FU (he's not), but because of the ways in which he sets traps for his enemies. The movie is also funny because for being blind, the Master has no trouble aiming his flying guillotine. There also seems to be a lot of one-armed men walking around town. One of the oddest characters is the Yoga Master. He is able to extend his arms to attack his enemies. I never pictured Yoga being used to fight but it works for this guy. Other than this instance, the Kung Fu is more traditional except for Jimmy Wang Yu being able to walk up walls.
The picture quality is probably the best it can be all things considered. The movie is old and different sources were used in order to restore the print to its original running time. The movie is perfectly watchable but the print does have some damage. There are times when the picture gets very bright or a little blurry. Luckily, none of the flaws last very long. The transfer looks decent on the 47 inch screen even though its not anamorphic. The picture isn't great, but its better than most other Old School releases.
The audio is either Mandarin or English. The Mandarin is the original language that was used for the movie. According to the commentary, this film was made when Mandarin was the predominate language being used in the movies. The actors spokes different languages while making the film but the intended language was Mandarin. Once again, considering the films age, the sound quality is good. There are some minor flaws like background noise but nothing too distracting. There is also an English soundtrack that reverts to Mandarin when the soundtrack is too damaged. Subtitles appear at these times.
Speaking of subtitles, they are easy to read and I didn't catch any spelling errors. They are timed well. The lettering is in a reddish orange color so they stand out against all backgrounds. It is also possible to read them while zooming in on the picture so you won't have to worry if you have a widescreen TV.
There are some decent extras on this DVD. The commentary by Wade Major & Andy Klein is informative and gives a background of the movie and the time in which it was filmed. They give a lot of background information on Jimmy Wang Yu. Of course, nobody's perfect so they welcome e-mails telling them mistakes they may have made. There are also trailers, biographies, and a still gallery. This DVD restores 12 minutes of footage that hasn't been seen in a very long time.
If you are a fan of Old School Kung Fu movies, you know the deal. You buy a DVD and hope it's watchable. Many are pan and scanned, dubbed, and look like they came from a VHS master. That said, you will really appreciate how this DVD looks and sounds. It's not a perfect print, but it's the original aspect ratio and it's uncut. The flaws in the print are easily forgivable. The commentary is a plus. If you are a fan of this movie, the DVD is definitely worth getting. If you aren't into old style Kung Fu but like Jackie Chan's older movies, give this a shot. Jimmy Wang Yu isn't exactly Jackie Chan, but his unique way of defeating his enemies is unintentionally funny.
MASTER WITH CRACKED FINGERS is a very early Jackie Chan movie. The story is about a young boy who cannot afford to take kung fu lessons so a man who appears to be a lowly beggar offers to teach him. The beggar is actually a master himself and schools Jackie through adulthood. Jackie is eventually sought out by the man who killed his father, because he has beaten all of his henchman, for a blindfolded deathmatch.
MASTER WITH CRACKED FINGERS is only recommended for diehard Jackie Chan fans who must see everything he has done. Many scenes look like a double was used. The box says this was originally given a different title and shelved but when Jackie Chan got popular, extra footage was shot with a double and the movie was released...
...I have to admit, when I got this movie I expected exactly what I got so I can't really complain about it. If you are a completist when it comes to Jackie Chan, you'll at least want to watch this one. Everybody else should pretty much avoid it. It's great seeing a young Jackie Chan but the movie is a mess. Sometimes it looks like scenes were added from other movies and it is also extremely obvious when a double is used for Jackie.
NOTE: This review refers to the DVD release by Celestial/IVL in Hong Kong.
THE HEROIC ONES is the story of 13 sons of a Mongol King. All are incredibly skilled in martial arts but among them all, two stand out. These two are portrayed by David Chiang and Ti Lung. Resentment is felt by two of the other brothers and a falling out ensues. The two brothers somewhat unknowingling lead the King into a double cross. This sets the stage for a climatic battle of brother against brother.
THE HEROIC ONES features lots of blood during the sword fights as well as some gory demises. The action is almost nonstop and it is very big in scale. At just about 2 hours long, the movie never lags.
Undoubtedly, if you have read other reviews on any of the Celestial Shaw Bros. releases you will see that people have very strong opinions on these. Some feel that these are the best that these movies ever looked while others look at them as a missed opportunity to get the perfect versions. So why the contrast of opinion and will you care? I'll state all the facts from what I know so you can make an educated choice before you make a purchase.
The first issue the detractors have is that these DVD's are not anamorphic. If you don't have a widescreen TV or plan to get one in the future, this doesn't affect you. You will be perfectly happy with the picture quality. I watched this on the 47 inch Panasonic TV and while the picture is good, it could have been even better. I believe the mastering could have been slightly better regardless of the TV setup because shots where the camera pans develop some kind of blurry effect. I saw this while watching it on my computer as well as the TV.
The film print that is used is remarkably free of specs and damage. The colors are also vibrant. I didn't see any artifacts. THE HEROIC ONES is presented in its original aspect ratio which really shows off the elaborate sets and sword fights. THE HEROIC ONES features some great cinematography. Everything is grand in scale and you wouldn't see scenes like these today without the use of computer generated graphics. The picture is good but the mastering could have been better. If you like this movie, the picture quality should be good enough for all but the most demanding technophiles. I would have preferred an anamorphic transfer but I might never see this movie if I wait for one. There is no guarantee if and when these movies are ever released for region 1 that they will be uncut.
Another issue detractors have is that the sound is a remix and on some Shaw Bros. titles, music and sometimes sound effects have been replaced. The original soundtrack is always preferred. I would much rather have an original mono soundtrack than a 5.1 remix with all the bells and whistles. This is the first time I have seen THE HEROIC ONES so I can't say whether there is any music or sound effects replaced. There is nothing out of place that distracts you from the movie. The sound mix is good though it's not necessary. This won't be your demo DVD to show off your sound system but for a film of its age, the sound is very clean and free of pops. From what I have read on various forums, THE HEROIC ONES should have it's original music. Overall, the remix is tastefully done and this DVD sounds better than some more recent movies.
The subtitles are placed well and stay on the screen long enough to read. There are some spelling errors but nothing that disturbs the flow enough to distract. For all the work done on restoration, the subtitles could have been a little better but they certainly aren't all that much worse than most other imports.
The extras on this disc range from the standard film notes to a commentary by Bey Logan. There are other features that I was a little disappointed with just because I thought behind the scenes meant a featurette instead of text. That's not a big deal, though. What is probably worth the price of the DVD alone is Bey Logan's commentary. The wealth of information is amazing especially about the background of the Shaw Bros. studios. If you are new to the Shaw Bros. films, Logan brings you up to speed pretty quickly. He also gives a lot of information about the actors as well as filming techniques.
If you are a fan of the movie, or a Shaw Bros. fan, THE HEROIC ONES is a must have. You'll have a great time noticing actors that are still in movies today, such as Ti Lung. You'll see Bolo Yeung's first performance. This is probably the best we will see this movie for a long time. There are rumblings of Region 1 releases but they will most likely be cut and missing the original soundtrack
I think what bothers people the most about the Celestial releases is that for all the trouble they went to towards restoration, it wouldn't have been all that much more trouble to make these releases perfect. As for THE HEROIC ONES, other than not being anamorphic and slight mastering problems (see section on picture quality), I think Celestial did a very good job. I would definitely recommend this DVD. Just don't forget that this is coded for Region 3 so depending where you live you will need a region free player.
Taipao (Leung Kar Yan) and Yipao (Yuen Biao) are brothers who are small time con artists. One of their schemes go wrong when the person they try to swindle gets the better of them and beats them up. The brothers decide to learn this man's Kung Fu so they can eventually use it to beat him and take revenge. The man reluctantly agrees to train the brothers. When the man tells Taipao and Yipao that they can now beat "ordinary men", the brothers set out to do just that. They go to town and see a merchant getting harassed so they step in and help. They get money from one of the bad guys and give most of it to the merchant. The brothers soon find that their master is being sought by two men. With their help, the master defeats them. The brothers soon learn that the master is a criminal and that the two men were his former partners. When the master realizes that the brothers know, he tries to kill them. Taipao gives his life so that Yipao may get away to someday get revenge. Yipao seeks training from a beggar (Sammo Hung) who is really an undercover detective. The beggar teaches Yipao "Garbage Kung Fu". Yipao learns a lot but the beggar tells him he is still missing something. Yipao gets to try out his newly learned "Garbage Kung FU" when he runs into the Master again. With help from the beggar, Yipao gets his revenge.
KNOCKABOUT starts slowly but give it some time and you will see why so many people hold this movie in such high regard. This is a must see for fans of Old School Kung Fu. Why is that? The talent involved. The whole movie is just an excuse for Yuen Baio to show what he can do. The guy is amazing. You get to see him jumping rope while kicking somebody's ass. Of course, this isn't a one man show. Sammo Hung and Leung Kar Yan also get some great scenes. When the three are fighting together, the syncronicity is incredible. The fight scenes more than make up for some of the comedic elements that some may feel are just silly. If you like movies like DRUNKEN MASTER and DRAGON LORD, this movie should impress you.
The picture quality is pretty good for a film that is so old. The film print has very few specks and the colors are vibrant. The transfer is also on the good side. There are few if any noticeable artifacts and the picture doesn't look soft like so many older movies. Although non-anamorphic, the picture is more than watchable on the 47 inch TV. The film is presented in its proper 2.35:1 aspect ratio so you don't miss any of the action.
The audio is 5.1 Dolby Digital but it seems more like a stereo mix. The music and sound effects never overpower the dialogue and the sound is in sync with the action on the screen. The soundtrack is very clean and is free of any hiss or pops that plague some older movies. The overall sound quality is surprisingly good.
The subtitles are easy to read although they do contain the occasional grammatical and spelling errors. They are timed well with what is being said and they appear long enough to read. The subtitles appear on the bottom of the screen, below the image. If you have a widescreen TV, this means that you will most like not see the subtitles unless you have a zoom feature. I was able to zoom in with the Malata but only a little bit because the subtitles are pretty low in the bottom bar. If you don't have a widescreen TV, you won't have any problems.
Extras consist of a trailer which is very 70's-ish. I love these types of trailers because they usually make ridiculous claims as to how good the movie actually is. In the case of KNOCKABOUT, they are absolutely correct. There are also trailers for EASTERN CONDORS, DREADNAUGHT, PICTURE OF A NYMPH, and ZU : WARRIORS OF THE MAGIC MOUNTAIN.
If you are a fan of this movie, you will be very happy with this DVD. The only slight problem I have with it is the placement of the subtitles. If you don't have a widescreen TV, this shouldn't be a problem. If this is a major issue for you may want to wait for the Hong Kong Legends DVD if you can play Region 2. There is no release date at this time so it may be a while before it is released. For the time being, this DVD is the one to get.
While Stephen Chow Sing-Chi may have become an international superstar with Shaolin Soccer, in Hong Kong he's practically been a one man industry with a string of hits throughout the '90s. With his unique delivery and amazing charisma he has established his own style of 'nonsense' comedy that has made him the undisputed 'king of comedy' and left a permanent mark on Hong Kong filmmaking. However, even the best can have an off day. While Forbidden City Cop is not as bad as some of Chow's worst films (that distinction is shared by the execrable 60 Million Dollar Man and Out of the Dark), it's no where near as good as the hysterical God of Cookery or the epic Chinese Odyssey.
A mild box office hit, Forbidden City Cop opens with a parody of Gu Long's famous duel between the swordsmen Sai Moon Chui Suet ('Simon the Snow-blower) and Yip Gu Shing. Chow suddenly interrupts the fight as secret agent Ling Ling Fat (a pun on 008). As a member of the Emperor's personal guards it's his job to protect the peace, unfortunately he's terrible at it and allows them to escape. Fired for his incompetence, Fat returns home to his loyal wife Kar Ling, played wonderfully by Carina Lau Kar-Ling and starts his new practice as an incompetent gynecologist. Actually what he's best at is concocting crazy devices and gadgets (not unlike 007's doodad supplier, Q) that drives his wife nuts, such as a human powered kitchen fan and a novel use for rodents. Alas, Fat remains a loyal retainer and when he hears of an assassination plot against the Emperor, he and his wife sets off into the dangerous territory of their enemies in the Gum Kingdom to save the day. Those who think I've given away too many gags or plot, don't worry, you'll see the set-ups a mile away and the scenes will drag on so long you'll forget what you were watching anyway.
One of the reasons for the film's popularity is the presence of Carina Lau, an underrated actress who gives a lovely performance. She shines in every scene she's in, but unfortunately she just doesn't have any chemistry with Chow who sleepwalks through his role as the bumbling husband. His silly mugging and shtick is just too well worn and does nothing to distinguish Fat from the countless other goofy heroes he's played a hundred times. The supporting cast does their best to generate some laughs with the comical Law Kar-Ying as Fat's hapless sidekick who's forced to demonstrate a number of his ill-fated experiments. Television star Cheung Tat-Ming does an amusing turn as the selfish Emperor, as does the director himself, Vincent Kok Tak-chiu briefly playing a doctor with sharp knife and an ego to match. The other stand out is of course the stunning Carmen Lee as Gum Tso, a woman so alluring that she may even come between Fat and his wife. But even with these fine performances, they can't make up for a bored Chow, whose lack of manic energy or charm left me snoozing.
As this is primarily a comedy, there aren't a lot of action scenes, but the ones that are there are typical wire-fu with quick cuts and fast moving camera work. A few of the villains are unusual enough, but the battles just aren't interesting. Action director Poon Kin-Gwan's pedestrian choreography with Kin Lee Kin-Keung's poorly shot cinematography add up to an unremarkable visual experience.
Forbidden City Cop is a mediocre comedy that despite some good performances fails to match the verve and spunk of other Chow vehicles, like his James Bond-inspired romp From Beijing with Love and the costumed Royal Tramp...
If you like smart comedies with a good dose of drama then look no further than Men Suddenly in Black, billed no less then 'The Coolest Black Comedy of the Year.' Pulling it off with box office and critical acclaim, and a host of film awards was no mean feat for writer-director Edmond Pang Ho Cheung, whose sophomore effort is a comedic fusion of gangster thriller and goofball farce.
The ridiculous premise starts with 'Godfather' solemnity as four men meet clandestinely at the back of a dark-lit pool hall. Brother Tin (Eric Tsang) has gathered together Dr. Lee Wing Cheung (Jordan Chan), Tsui Kiu (Chapman To) and the novice Paul (Spirit Blue) for a mission. For the next 14 hours while their wives and girlfriends are away, the men will embark on a quest of ultimate carnal debauchery and for Tin, the opportunity to fulfill a long-held promise to a fallen friend.
Set up as a series of missions, not unlike a heist flick, the men get closer and closer to their objective with each scene. Hilarity ensues as we witness the bungling lengths to which the men will go to achieve their immoral ends and the even further lengths they'll go to remain uncaught. And if the whole affair is ethically challenged right from the get go, then at least the women don't necessarily get the moral high ground. Their wives may not be as naïve as they appear and may be just as ruthless as the men when it comes to showing who's really in charge of a relationship. The game of cat and mouse is on, and in this battle between the sexes, no one emerges totally unscathed.
The performances are uniformly excellent and because they're played completely straight, the characters anchor the film with their believability. Their concerns become real to the audience, so as they move from gangster parody to prison drama, and then buddy bonding flick the tension is never lost. Even when something as ludicrous as a fight with water hoses and camera flashes play out like a major gun battle, the laughs don't overcome the drama. A major feat and a credit to Pang's sense of mood and atmosphere.
In his career Eric Tsang has made the remarkable transition from laughable doofus to dramatic heavy and his portrayal of Tin is no different, by turns authoritative and in control, but crumbles when he gets out-bluffed by a stuck-up young woman. Despite being back in a guy gang, Jordan Chan moves away from his role in the Young and Dangerous series with a sensitive doctor whose pride may not allow him stop, but his feelings for wife might. Male-bonding is a staple of action cinema anywhere, but with Chapman To for comic relief and Spirit Blue as the immature greenhorn their camaraderie is infectious and carries them through tests of honour, loyalty, betrayal, and even a maudlin stroll down memory lane of their adolescent conquests. And watch out for Tony Leung Kar-Fai in a side-splitting bit as the self-sacrificing Uncle Ninth.
While the women are a force to be reckoned with, individually they aren't quite as well fleshed out as the men, except for Teresa Mo whose tough lawyer is every bit the match for her husband Tin. Tiffany Lee and Candy Lo somewhat make up for their sketchy characters with their distinctive personalities, but as the soft-hearted wife of Chan's Dr. Lee who fears finding out the truth more than anything else, Marsha Yuen may affect the most....
Men Suddenly in Black is a terrific comedy with great performances, a clever script, and a DVD that's more than worth your time. While the plot may seem unoriginal, the film is brimming with such fresh comedic set-ups and inventive gags that the only let down is a short ending that seems rushed. Having invested so much in the characters we want to see what happens to them, but only two couples get closure on-screen. Nonetheless this is only a minor quibble as you can certainly figure out the rest. With panache and assurance Edward Pang has put together an outstanding film and is definitely a talent to watch.
NOTE: This review refers to the region 3 DVD by IVL/Celestial in Hong Kong.
COME DRINK WITH ME opens with a group of bandits capturing a Governor's son in hopes of having their leader released from prison. The Golden Swallow (Cheng Pei Pei who you may recognize as Jade Fox from CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON) is dispatched to either negotiate a return of the son, or rescue him, whichever is needed. Golden Swallow finds this task is slightly more difficult than she expected. She begrudgingly befriends a drunken beggar who has his own reason for fighting the bandits, and the Monk who assists them.
If you are only familiar with more recent Kung Fu movies, than the fights in COME DRINK WITH ME may seem slow. There is also some wire work and you will notice that many of the editing techniques used for the fights are still used today. You have to remember that if it wasn't for movies like COME DRINK WITH ME paving the way, movies would be very different now. I just wanted to mention this because sometimes expectations are raised too high. COME DRINK WITH ME is definitely a classic and continues to influence movies made today.
Celestial gives a decent but not perfect release of COME DRINK WITH ME. After viewing THE HEROIC ONES, I am slightly disappointed with this DVD.
The picture quality is pretty good even though dark scenes are sometimes a little too dark. The colors overall are very rich and vibrant. The transfer shows off the famous Shaw Bros. cinematography seen here in it's original aspect ratio. The condition of the film print that is used is free of specs and damage and looks incredible for its age. Unlike THE HEROIC ONES, I didn't see any of the distortion in the picture during quick camera pans. The image holds up well on the 47 inch TV but it would have been wonderful if it was anamorphic.
The sound mix, is a 5.1 remix and the original mono track is not included. There is an option for the Mandarin soundtrack as well as one with a commentary by Bey Logan, Cheng Pei Pei, and her daughter. The Mandarin track is mixed well. The dialogue is never drowned out by music or sound effects. The soundtrack is very clean for a movie of this age. No hiss or pops anywhere. The commentary could have been mixed much better. Cheng Pei Pei's voice is a little low while her daughter is much louder. Logan's voice is a good volume but in order to hear everybody, you need to put the sound up a bit. The problem with this is that you have to lower the volume every time Cheng Pei Pei's daughter laughs because it's very loud.
The subtitles while readable and just about free of grammatical and spelling errors, they have a unique problem. Lines of text repeat every so often. This does not seem to be player dependent and It appears that these duplicate lines replace what should have been appearing next. Once or twice this would be forgivable but it happens several times. The problem is tolerable but annoying. Occasionally the characters "!K" appear in the text but it's not too distracting.
There are a lot of extras on this DVD. The commentary is interesting and it's great to have somebody who was actually in the movie be involved for a change! Logan as usual gives good insight into the movie. He seems to learn as much from Cheng Pei Pei as I did! There are also interviews that are sometimes pretty lengthy and a lot more interesting than I would have imagined. There are also two trailers. One is old and the other is a new one that shows what a difference the restoration made on the presentation of the film.
COME DRINK WITH ME is a classic movie and I would hesitantly recommend this DVD only because some may have a lower level of tolerance for those subtitles than I do. Much has been said on the various DVD forums about replaced sound effects and music on some of the Celestial Shaw Bros. movies. I did not notice that to be the case hear. The sound effects did not seem out of place. These are just some things to keep in mind if you are considering a purchase. Also, like all the Celestial Bros. DVD's, COME DRINK WITH ME is coded for Region 3.
Two contract killers. One, O (Takashi Sorimachi), is the best. He gets the job done with little attention and gets paid well for it. He takes every precaution to not arouse suspicion and even has a cleaning lady to take care of an apartment he doesn't even live in. The second killer is Tok (Andy Lau). Cocky, flamboyant, and good at getting jobs for "shit money" because he quickly wants to get a name for himself so he can have his dream kill, the order to kill O. His first move is to befriend O's cleaning lady. They both are obsessed with O but for different reasons. Simon Yam portrays the cop who is determined to catch both of them.
Most reviews I've read about FULLTIME KILLER seem to have a love or hate opinion of the movie. This is very similar to how many people felt about TIME AND TIDE. Much like Tsui Hark, Johnny To is associated with some great films. This means that expectations are raised with every new project. FULLTIME KILLER doesn't rank with the best Johnny To films but it is still a decent movie with some good action scenes. There isn't much in the way of character development but Johnny To's answer to this is in little moments here and there that give a glimpse of who the characters are. O is a master killer but he takes the time to collect miniature Snoopy figures from each place he travels for a job. This says something about him. Tok is a movie buff who frequently tells of scenes from some of his favorite movies. This sometimes works very well and sometimes doesn't. Tok also has one tragic flaw that I won't mention so it doesn't spoil the movie for you. While the cleaning lady doesn't have too much of a back story, she talks a little more of her motivations. The cop, has a more robust story even though it isn't apparent until the ending. FULLTIME KILLER hits more than misses and is worth a watch. It may not be your favorite Johnny To movie but I would recommend it...
FULLTIME KILLER isn't perfect, but it is entertaining and has some good actions scenes. If you are a Johnny To fan, you will want to check it out. The DVD is worth getting if you like the movie.
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