REVIEW:
This film is quite the anomoly. I've never heard of it prior to ordering it, but I did some research and found a few comments that marked the film as something of a cult classic in the triad genre. While I can't say that STREET OF FURY is a "classic," it sure is offbeat enough to be enjoyed. Released in 1996, STREET OF FURY comes to us straight from the twisted lens of Billy Tang, who is responsible for some of Hong Kong's more disturbing Category III films (DR. LAMB, RED TO KILL, BROTHER OF DARKNESS) and also a couple gems (SHARP GUNS, INTERACTIVE MURDERS). STREET OF FURY is a little more subdued than Tang's Cat. III efforts, but it's definitely just as crazy.

For one thing, it was pretty interesting to see Louis Koo in this film as rascal Dragon. Koo's one of my favorite HK actors today, though by seeing STREET OF FURY you'd never know it. Everyone does have to start somewhere. The second half of the two main characters, Tiger, as played by HK B-actor (you're going to get a lot of these in this film) Michael Tse. He's as bland here as in anything else I've seen him in which, thankfully, hasn't been many films. The sad thing about this movie is that the two main characters just aren't interesting. Koo and Tse do nothing that's interesting enough to hold the audience's attention. When a movie's lead characters aren't likeable, you're going to have some problems from the offset. That's alright though, because the supporting cast makes up for the utter vanilla that is Koo and Tse in this film.

The supporting cast is where much of the (intentional?) comedy comes into play. Remember: STREET OF FURY is really quirky for a triad film, almost bordering on parody at times. Whether or not this was intentional, we may never know. Cat. III superstar Elvis Tsui appears as the Portland Street triad boss who befriends Dragon and Tiger. As usual, this guy is a riot. I'm not sure who the geniuses were behind his character, but I can vouch for him as being the only triad boss I've ever seen in a movie sporting Bob Marley dreadlocks. Next is a veteran of bad HK films (the whole cast is really, besides Koo), Simon Loui. His character is great because he's such an over-the-top charicature of any number of countless triad bosses on film. Loui does a great job overacting as well. Jerry Lamb (what do you know...my least favorite HK actor) shows up for a few scenes and I thank him for not doing much.

In the female department, there are a couple lookers here. Teresa Mak, who's been in nothing good (really), plays a triad honey who falls for Dragon. She's pretty cute here, so I can easily overlook her lack of acting talent. Teresa also marks the first time I've seen a girl get her head shaved (!) in a Hong Kong movie. Gigi Lai plays Tiger's frequently abused girlfriend. Gigi's cute, but she's no Teresa, so I couldn't forgive her nearly as much for her lack of talent.

Directing is pretty messy here. Billy Tang has shown us that he's capable in the past, but he seems asleep at the wheel half the time in STREET OF FURY. Like many triad films, the massive street brawls are filmed in choppy slow motion with the camera hardly ever catching the action. To me, this is just a lazy excuse, showing us the lack of any effort put into these fight sequences.

OVERALL:
An intersting film, to say the least. A mish-mash of sometimes serious (apparently Billy Tang really likes to see women getting raped), oftentimes absurd (Chinese Bob Marley, anyone?) ideas. We do get to see Louis Koo before he got good, but that hardly makes the film worth seeking out. If you're a Billy Tang fan or someone who absolutely must have every film in the Triad genre, get STREET OF FURY. All others need not apply.