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| Again, is it unbelievable... definitely! But is it fun to watch... OH YES! Here's the third, and last, and the BEST of the JORDAN CHAN "super-crooks and capers" films I've recently seen. Directed by WILSON YIP, this one's loaded with star power including LEON LAI (pop singer turned actor from BULLETS OF LOVE), wacky SAM LEE (from countless Hong Kong horror flicks), the oh-so awesome, punk-rock orange-haired MICHELLE SARAM (the sinfully sexy schoolgirl of BULLETS OVER SUMMER), popular bad guy ALEX TO (from the action packed DANIEL WU film HIT TEAM), long time Chan partner KEN WONG (from DOWNTOWN TORPEDOS and THE CHEATERS), and sultry lipped SHU QI (porn star turned actress from A MAN CALLED HERO and BORN TO BE KING). Wow, what an actor list, huh? Anyway, this is the Hong Kong Cinema trying to be "Hollywood" because it's simply bursting at the seams with big budget, over-the-top, super hi-tech Mission Impossible wanna-be action that's incredibly breathtaking to behold. Chan, along with Lai, Lee, and Saram are, once again, high profile commercial thieves that get caught up in a web of betrayal, double agents, and mysterious setups when they're hired to retrieve a cancer vaccine that could revolutionize the medical industry as we know it. The original creator has been murdered and a new company steps in, steals the formula, and tries to take credit for the cancer-ridding wonder themselves. The police know the truth but they can't go public until they have the vaccine in their possession so it's up to our group of professional rogues to snatch up the vaccine, root out the bad guys, watch their own backs, and get away with the cash. As always, things never go as planned and in the end, our "heroes" must dodge enemy bullets, avoid well-planned traps, and figure out the who's behind the big scam before it's too late in what can only be described as an assault to the viewer's vision of totally unbelievable action and espionage sequences, insanely choreographed stunts involving people as well as vehicles, futuristic technology and gadgets so far-fetched that they probably haven't even been invented yet, and frenzied fight scenes that can only exist in the made-up environment of a movie set. Yes, I know, I know but all this is exactly why we watch these kinds of movies to begin with. They allow us to escape the normality of our lives and the real world and give us the chance to forget ourselves in the make-believe surroundings of the Hong Kong Cinema. So with that said, I rank this film... Thumbs WAY up! |
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| "Skyline Cruisers" is an action movie in search of a script. Wilson Yip's flash in the pan direction felt overly rushed. With one of the poorest film treatments I've seen in some time, Kwok Chi-Kin's shallow script has all of the familiar plot lines, but totally forgets about the character development. The movie is nothing more than an outline. All of the of eye candy and the producer's money could not save this shell of a movie from being a big dud.
In this loose sequel to "Downtown Torpedoes," Leon Lai heads up a hi-tech group to steal/retrieve a newly developed drug. The super group goes about its business and gets duped and double-crossed. The extremely slick action is set up from the start of the film, but it cannot hide the fact that none of the characters are fleshed out. All of the actors looked uncomfortable on screen. Each one's role was as thin as rice paper. There was no chemistry generated by the cast, because there weren't any scenes written for the members to define themselves. The film numbingly transitions from one action scene to the next. Viewers can suspend their disbelief for only so long. Adding insult to injury, viewers are presented with flimsy exposition as to why things happen, and are given short shrift by the filmmakers.
Following "Juliet in Love," Wilson Yip's work on this film is very disappointing. The director appears to have been overwhelmed and too distracted by the stunts. Wilson didn't put in enough work with the actors to build up their poorly defined characters. We only get the run-of-the-mill plot contrivances and lethal doses of inane, high-tech stunts that are presented in such a frenetic pace that they don't have any cathartic or emotional payoff. The film's seemingly empty action can only take the viewer so far. We don't know enough about any of the people in the film, so we don't care what happens to them. Instead of cheering for the super team, we end up yawning. |
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 |  |  |  | | At first, I choose to watch this movie because I heard so many bad reviews and comment about it. However, after seeing the movie, I think we should not just focus on the stars. Certainly their performance where very good! But we should also pay attention to how the director pictures the movie, how the photographer handles the different scenes... etc. So I think this movie is recommendable and worth watching!!! And not just for fans of Leon Lai. | | LOG IN TO COMMENT ON THIS REVIEW! |
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