Torgo Tours Hong Kong While Dodging Bullets

Looking forward to your thoughts on Riki-Oh.

I dropped a review in my thread. I think it lacks the physicality of my favourite Hong Kong action movies, but there's enough crazy shit happening that I didn't mind, and I think the live action cartoon quality is executed pretty effectively. Yukari Oshima MVP, obviously.

__________________

Agreed! I went with the obvious choice and selected Yuen Biao. That was before I had the boldness to choose a baddie as the MVP. Even though I've seen it, and maybe it slipped my mind, but I didn't know until I read your review that it was based on a manga. That explains why it's so cartoonish, which is definitely more feature than bug.

Righting Wrongs has Cynthia Rothrock too? Sweet! Might have to spring for the VS DVD or put it on my Christmas list. I just hope they follow 88's lead and put out The God of Gamblers as well.

If you have a region-free player, I think the 88 Films release is a bit cheaper and is similarly loaded with special features, but it also comes with the risk of getting hit with duties.

Magic Crystal -



This is a bonkers Kung Fu movie that is pretty close to what would happen if Spielberg made one. I would describe it as E.T. meets Police Story, with super-powered investigator Andy Lau (also Andy Lau) and loyal, bumbling assistant Pancho (Jing Wong, who also directed) coming across the titular MacGuffin in Ancient Greece, which happens to house a magical space alien. As soon as they take it home, the alien bonds with Andy's nephew, Pin Pin (Bin Bin). As luck would have it, they become the target of evil KGB agents who are after the crystal, led by the imposingly tall Karov (Richard Norton).

If you like variety and unpredictability in your Kung Fu movies, this is the one for you since it switches gears and tones as much as the typical Monty Python episode does. It jumps from Lau, Cynthia Rothrock's Interpol agent and company kicking KGB butt to Pin Pin bonding with the crystal to goofiness like the pair humiliating a sleazy roommate in a nightmare fuel moment where the hand is on the other foot. The gear shifts are more feature than bug, though, and while there's a lot of swerving, it doesn't go off the rails. Regarding the good stuff, it's as solid you would expect with this cast, my favorite moments being the "found object" fights that earn its Police Story similarities. While Lau is no Jackie Chan (but who else is), he has a strong and likeable presence, and with his comic timing, Wong makes for a good foil. Luckily, it concludes with a finale that fulfills the intrigue of Pin Pin's best bud, especially when it takes cues from another Spielberg classic, Raiders of the Lost Ark. Despite its twists and turns, it ultimately resembles many MacGuffin-based action movies I've seen and not just ones from Hong Kong; also, some of the comic relief goes from silly to dumb. With that said, when it comes to light, comic Kung Fu fare, you could do a lot worse, and that goes for movies that reference E.T. as well (it's leagues better than Pod People, for instance).

My guy (or gal): Pancho, who may not be the brightest fellow or the best fighter, but he's as loyal of a sidekick that anyone could hope for.

Yeah, that’s a fun one. How did you see it? I watched a crappy YouTube upload, would like to see it in a better transfer.

I also watched a crappy YouTube upload via Master Le's Movie Dojo. There is a good collection of schlock on that channel, including some Bruce Le movies, but I can't vouch for the quality.

One thing I meant to add to my writeup but couldn't is that Cynthia Rothrock has mad Kung Fu skills, but with the possible exception of Yes, Madam, her characters don't have a lot of personality. More often than not, they're just doing their job. Are there any movies like these in which her character is a little more three-dimensional?

I suspect the language barrier plays into the lack of personality, although I suppose there are ways around it. I thought she had a decent amount of personality in Undefeatable, which is made in America but by a Hong Kong director (Godfrey Ho).

As for YouTube channels, I found that the Wu Tang Collection has a lot of schlocky martial arts movies, usually in terrible prints, but sometimes in HD. A bunch of those are on Tubi as well, but sometimes in worse presentation (I.e. wrong aspect ratio) for whatever reason. That’s how I watched a bunch of a Bruceploitation flicks earlier this year.

Death Duel -



This philosophical and contemplative Shaw Brothers wuxia movie examines the cost of fame. Shouldered with what the movie deems a burden is the Third Master (Derek Yee Tung-Sing), who wields a sword better than anyone. He copes by changing his name and laying low, but challengers still manage to discover his true identity and challenge him for the title. The Master finds love while doing this, but a stable life gets even further out of his reach when one challenger gets through to him not with a weapon, but with a poison that leaves him with three days to live. While seeking a cure, the movie asks another philosophical question: what would you do if you knew the day when it would all end?



Stories about the cost of fame intrigue me - The Gunslinger, which is sort of the Western equivalent of this movie, is another very good one - and this one maintains my interest in them. It manages to explore this in more than one way during its lean running time, mostly via others who are also burdened with being good with a sword. I wish the movie spent more time considering its other question, but what it does is amusing, especially in a scene at a tea shop where a so-called intellectual reveals the sordid way he'd spend his last days. This is one of the studio's most beautiful movies, its most pivotal scenes occurring in the kind of serene forest clearings that are ideal for pondering the questions it asks. As for the good stuff, i.e., action, it's a bit one-sided for obvious reasons, but it has surprises when it matters, features a variety of weapons in addition to swords and ultimately lives up to the studio's standards. Oh, and that “ding” noise when the swords connect is so satisfying. While Amazon's cut, which trims a few minutes, may be to blame, I wish the movie had more room to breathe, especially since it's a little convoluted. If you're craving a Shaw Brothers movie with swordplay and a fantastical vibe, though, it's worth seeking out, especially if you want to be left with plenty to think about afterwards.

My guy (or gal): Not to spoil the movie too much, but he may or may not be named Yen Shih-san and may or may not be a friend to the Third Master.

Snake in the Eagle's Shadow -



This would be a good movie to kickstart a Hong Kong movie obsession because its combination of high-flying stuntwork, comedy and of course expertly timed fighting helped take Kung Fu movies in the direction that made them even more beloved. While it's not Jackie Chan's first movie, it's the one that evinced his talents at all of the above and it also happens to be the directorial debut of the legendary Yuen-Woo Ping. It's not far from being a Cinderella story: we first see Jackie Chan's orphaned Chien Fu scrubbing the floors at the Kung Fu school where he lives and works, with "works" deserving of quotes since he's also their punching bag. His luck changes when he meets kindly beggar Pai Cheng-tien, who we already know is no mere beggar since he's introduced with an amusing fight scene involving a bowl and chopsticks. To repay Chien's kindness, he teaches him the Snake style of Kung Fu of which he is one of the few remaining masters due to rival clan Eagle Claw and its leader Sheng Kuan's desire to make them extinct. Pai's teachings make Chien make him stronger and more confident, but they also make him a fellow target.



It didn't take long for me to realize that this movie has a lot of fighting, so much so that I wouldn't be surprised if there are more fight scenes than...well, every other kind of scene. This is not a complaint since they're all meaningful and feature some of the best fight choreography I've seen, not to mention clever (and funny) use of everyday objects. The same goes for the equally entertaining training scenes, especially the one where Chien tries to grab a bowl from the top of Pai's head. If that sounds crazy to you, that's the point because the movie is just as intent on making you laugh as it is exciting you, and it succeeds at both. The charisma and comedic timing that made Jackie a star are responsible, but Yuen Siu-tien is no slouch either, who makes Pai memorable in the same ways that Pat Morita made Mr. Miyagi memorable. On that note, their bonding scenes provide the movie with what may be the real secret to its success: its heart. Nonetheless, a good movie like this has villains that are as memorable as the heroes, and it succeeds here as well thanks to Hwang Jang-lee's menacing, moustache-twirling Sheng Kuan as well as Roy Horan's towering, Russian would be-missionary. As fun as the movie is, it's also rough around the edges - sometimes in adorable, but mostly in not-so-great ways - and it doesn't quite reach the heights of Jackie's best or what the Shaw Brothers were up to at the time. I still had a great time and obviously not just because of what's in it that made Jackie a star. Oh, and the version you view may have a different soundtrack from the one I saw, but any movie that uses Jean-Michel Jarre's "Oxygene" more than once is great in my book.

My guy (or gal): Pai Cheng-tien, who is just as good of a teacher as he is a friend. Just don't call him "teacher."

Hater! Natalis Chan having his feet and hands swapped is one of the funniest scenes ever shot!!!

__________________
Look, I'm not judging you - after all, I'm posting here myself, but maybe, just maybe, if you spent less time here and more time watching films, maybe, and I stress, maybe your taste would be of some value. Just a thought, ya know.

To be fair, regardless of the context, feet gross me out. I'm close to the opposite side of the Quentin Tarantino spectrum, in other words.
I laughed hard when he put socks on them as if he accepted his fate, though.

The Mission (1999) -



Can friendship bloom in the criminal underworld? Johnnie To's slick, exciting and often quite funny entry from 1999 will make you wonder if that’s possible. Five contractors, each from a different walk of life, must protect the life of the head of a gang who's been targeted. While on the job, they bond despite knowing they're employed in a world where saying or doing something beyond expectations leads to (literal) termination.



Like Reservoir Dogs, this is also a story about strangers assembled to do a not exactly legal job, but To takes a less Tarantino-like yet just as valid and entertaining approach of letting behavior and the images do the talking. We learn just about everything we need to know about our "heroes" while watching them sit together for the first time and without hearing them debate the meaning of "Like a Virgin," in other words. While the movie makes the bodyguards seem cool, I like what it does to keep them off of "if you idolize them, you missed the point" starter packs. The scenes where they're waiting around for something to do effectively deglamorize the gangster life and are responsible for some of the movie's biggest laughs, such as when they improvise a game of soccer with a crumpled piece of paper. As for the moments when they get to do something, the action arrives without warning and with the kind of style that keeps me in love with this genre. Speaking of style, To and company likely had to make do with the locations in which they had permission to film, but the look and feel of the oddly empty malls and restaurants where the action takes place give the movie a pleasant vaporwave-like vibe. Like I said, To lets the images do most of the talking and only uses dialogue when necessary. The not-so-great subtitles in the version I watched may be mostly to blame, but this approach made me feel out of the loop at times, so much so that I had to pause and consult the movie's Wiki page to check if I missed something. Other than that, the movie is as good of proof as any that just because a director is prolific like To is does not mean that quality suffers as a result.

Oh, and Chi Wing Chung's score is fantastic. Just try and get the main theme out of your head.


My guy (or gal): It's hard to choose one since there are reasons to like all the bodyguards. I'll just give it to Mike (Roy Cheung) since he has the best hair.

Yeah, it's amazing. Exiled is even better.

Johnnie To is a master.

I'm eager to see more of his work. I've also watched and enjoyed Breaking News, Election and Vengeance.
What did you think about The Heroic Trio? I hope to see that one next.

A wonderful duology. Among the best superhero movies.

The Heroic Trio -



If you're no longer interested in Marvel and DC's output or just want to see an "alternative" comic book movie, you may not be totally satisfied with this one, but you'll at least have a fun and zany time. The three heroes have very different backgrounds and skills: there's Anita Mui's martial arts expert and blade-loving Wonder Woman, Maggie Cheung's rifle and dynamite-toting vigilante Thief Catcher and Michelle Yeoh's Invisible Woman. While their descriptions may seem ordinary, and despite his moniker, their target is definitely not: he's the Evil Master (Yen Shi-Kwan), who has cooked up a scheme to raise a new Chinese emperor by kidnapping babies and taking him to his lair in the sewers.

It’s not a spoiler to reveal that the trio is hardly the cohesive team that the Avengers and X-Men are. In fact, the Invisible Woman spends most of the movie doing the Evil Master's dirty work! Their walks of life are as different as their abilities: Wonder Woman is a cop's wife, Invisible Woman is a runaway and Thief Catcher is a bounty hunter. You could slap a "superhero origin story" label on this movie, but this disparity combined with the uncertainty of whether the trio will form at all makes it more unpredictable than a lot of them. That it stars actresses who are still revered to this day like Mui (R.I.P.), Cheung and Yeoh in the same movie likely made Hong Kong movie lovers' dreams come true in 1993. With the possible exception of Yeoh, who doesn't truly shine until the finale, they get to do enough of what turned these audiences into fans. Clearly having the most fun is Cheung, whose prowess with assault weapons and apparent glee at seeing her enemies explode made me laugh while also scaring me a little. The Evil Master's enforcer, Kau (Anthony Wong) and his nightmare fuel-inducing weapon of choice, on the other hand, come close to putting this in the horror category, which is a good thing, as does the "did that just happen" finale, which I will definitely not spoil.



As my repeated mentions of "finale" indicates, this movie has a bit too much setup and not enough payoff for me to fully embrace. It is not totally bereft of action until the third act, but despite a scene with a flying motorcycle, too much of the other "fun stuff" is about establishing character first, providing payoff second and seems like it’s over as soon as it starts. Also, integrating babies into an action movie is not easy, and I don't think I'm being prudish by saying that I wish To and company hired John Woo as a consultant since he pulled it off in Hard Boiled better than they do here. With that said, I'll likely never tire of Hong Kong action movies featuring cops, Kung Fu experts and sword masters, but if you have, this movie may feel like a breath of fresh air. Just don't be surprised if you find yourself browsing for neck braces afterwards (I will say no more).

My guy (or gal): The Thief Catcher, who I would pay to protect me in this universe.

I've been evangelizing for years that The Heroic Trio is the movie to watch while the normies are creaming over Marvel.

It is on the Criterion Channel and I see it mentioned frequently on Letterboxd lately, so your influence is spreading!
...or they're capitalizing on the success of Everything Everywhere All at Once, but you never know.

The other day I was messaged by a random guy who said that he found a post of mine years ago and has been following me on RYM and Letterboxd since then, starting his film journey and finding great movies thanks to me.

Very flattering to hear that and I know of many more people who use my ratings for guidance. Kinda a part of my mission as a cinephile, too.

But I'd totally say nobody cares about my ratings of Hong Kong cinema.