| After working as action director for a number of years, Stanley Tong got the chance to helm his own feature in 1991. The result was this jungle adventure starring Elaine Lui (Angel) and Nina Li (Tiger On The Beat) that, judging by the outtakes, was not an easy going and glamorous shoot for anyone (Lui and Li has several very real encounters with the wild and its animals here).
Aside from some lagging pace initially, The Stone Age Warriors settles in nicely after a while, giving us equal amount of low brow humour, slight detours into sleaze and competent action directing. The latter being the standout and is supposed to be a standout in a movie such as this. Tong doesn't create overly complex set pieces but plus points goes to the fair brutality of it and the fact that stars Lui and Li are most of the time performing themselves. If any style is evident in Tong's early work as a narrative director, it's that of giving us a piece not only set outside of Hong Kong but amongst several exotic locations. Something that would be very true for his subsequent collaborations with Jackie Chan on Police Story III and First Strike. Fan Siu-Wong co-stars (and gets a fine fighting showcase) and Dick Wei appears in a cameo during the intro. |
Quick Takes:
