 |  |  | | 
| If this is supposedly an inside look at Triads, one must wonder after watching this yawnfest how they have managed to stay in power for so long. Every character in this movie is just so wishy-washy, it was near impossible to find someone to care about, much less root for. The basic story has Chow Yun-Fat coming to Hong Kong after his father's (Tin Fung) death at the hands of a rival gang headed by perpeptual smarmy villain Kelvin Wong. For some reason, even though Chow wants nothing to do with the Triads, the old-timers (led by Michael Chan and Shing Fui-On) eventually push Chow into becoming the leader. This angers some of the younger guys, including Roy Cheung, playing one of the first (but certainly not the last) of his "hot-headed hooligan" roles.
The result of all this is a bunch of choppers being produced, some people getting killed, and just general boredom to be had by the viewer. Everything moves at too much of a slow pace, and when events do happen, there's no explanation given to them, so that the viewer is not only bored, they're confused -- not a good combonation. It doesn't help matters any that most of the actors give pretty poor performances. It's really not a good sign when Shing "Big Silly Head" Fui-On does a better job in a Triad movie than Chow Yun-Fat (who also hampers matters further by strangling a cat, er, "singing" some of the songs in the movie). Actually, it is a pretty good sign -- a sign to stay the hell away from this stinker, that is. |
| | LOG IN TO COMMENT ON THIS REVIEW! |
| |  | |  |
| | | |
| The plot? A triad kingpin (no idea) is murdered. The associates try to persuade the dead man's son (Chow Yun Fat) to take over, but his vacillations and inappropriate decisions lead to in-fighting and chaos.
Why would I like this movie? Fun talent-watching, aside from Chow Yun Fat's disappointing performance -- Roy Cheung is great, and there are lots of other familiar faces (Shing Fui-On as one of the triad associates, Kenneth Tsang Kong as a police officer, etc). Also, there are some interesting depictions of triad rituals and culture -- though it's usually hard to figure out the finer points of what's going on. For example, at the dad's funeral one triad associate, "Master Biu" (no idea), comes up to Chow Yun Fat to shake hands, and there's a close-up of his fingers folded in a particular way. Then another character, Ping (no idea) steps forward and grabs Biu's wrist to prevent the handshake, Biu backs down, and the scene continues. It's all very interesting, but what does it mean, exactly?! Lastly, Chow Yun Fat gets to sing over the closing credits ... always a hilarious treat. ;)
Why wouldn't I like this movie? Irritating triad boosterism & moral pontificating; boring dialogue & characterizations; Chow Yun Fat sleepwalking through the film. |
| | LOG IN TO COMMENT ON THIS REVIEW! |
| | | | |
| | | | 
Hung Hing family boss Lee Qun was ambushed on his way to Macau. His heir Lee Mun-Ho (Chow Yun Fat) flew back from the States for the funeral. Amazingly, through his intelligence and managerial skills, he turned Hung Hing into a well organized business structure and crushed Chow's schemes.
HKFlix Rating: 5/10: (Arthouse Rating: 3/5. Entertainment Value: 2/5.) | | LOG IN TO COMMENT ON THIS REVIEW! |
| | | | |
|
