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This is a pretty good Ringo Lam effort that I would describe in one word as "sleazy." Besides mostly taking place in strip clubs and dive bars, one of our ne'er do wells is the scantily clad Lau (Bonnie Fu), who wants to get her rocks off all the time. The star of the show, however, is Godfrey (Chow Yun-Fat), the smartest and of course coolest member of his band of thieves. The rest soon learn that he's also the one least likely to take being betrayed and left for dead in stride.
Since it's set in the seediest parts of Bangkok and has a soundtrack reminiscent of a Steven Seagal movie from its era, it's as if Lam and crew wanted to ride his extensive coattails (there are even scenes set in Buddhist temples). Luckily, the byproducts of all this sleaze result in aesthetics and moments that are cool in any era, especially the introductory neon-soaked exotic dance set to Extreme's "Get the Funk Out." I tolerate Seagal's output more than most, but the action is at least better (and less one-sided), not to mention unique since there is more knife than gun play. The coolest action, however, features guns in a sequence where the camera follows bullets as they zip from barrel to target.
All of this makes this sound like a sleaze action masterpiece, but I was bored more often than I would like. While the action is good, there is more cake than frosting, i.e. more buildup and not enough of it to pay it off. The main problem, though, is that it's hard to root for anyone. Chow Yun-Fat is his usual cool and professional self, but despite being more okay with him playing an anti-hero than Hong Kong audiences were while the movie was in theaters - in other words, it flopped - Godfrey is no Mark (or Ken, for that matter). I did enjoy Anthony Chau-Sang Wong's performance and its redemptive arc as Godfrey's hapless ally Sam, but I still had to strain to truly care. There's also some dated and embarrassing homophobia involving thief and would-be magician Judge (Simon Yam), including an eyeroll-inducing moment with a hot dog. Again, it's not a bad movie, so if you're a fan of Hong Kong action and/or stories that question if there is honor among thieves, you could do worse. When it comes to Chow Yun-Fat movies, though, you should check out that other one from 1992 first.
My guy (or gal): I'm giving it to the movie's real hero: the cute Boston Terrier who Godfrey rescues.
This is a pretty good Ringo Lam effort that I would describe in one word as "sleazy." Besides mostly taking place in strip clubs and dive bars, one of our ne'er do wells is the scantily clad Lau (Bonnie Fu), who wants to get her rocks off all the time. The star of the show, however, is Godfrey (Chow Yun-Fat), the smartest and of course coolest member of his band of thieves. The rest soon learn that he's also the one least likely to take being betrayed and left for dead in stride.
Since it's set in the seediest parts of Bangkok and has a soundtrack reminiscent of a Steven Seagal movie from its era, it's as if Lam and crew wanted to ride his extensive coattails (there are even scenes set in Buddhist temples). Luckily, the byproducts of all this sleaze result in aesthetics and moments that are cool in any era, especially the introductory neon-soaked exotic dance set to Extreme's "Get the Funk Out." I tolerate Seagal's output more than most, but the action is at least better (and less one-sided), not to mention unique since there is more knife than gun play. The coolest action, however, features guns in a sequence where the camera follows bullets as they zip from barrel to target.
All of this makes this sound like a sleaze action masterpiece, but I was bored more often than I would like. While the action is good, there is more cake than frosting, i.e. more buildup and not enough of it to pay it off. The main problem, though, is that it's hard to root for anyone. Chow Yun-Fat is his usual cool and professional self, but despite being more okay with him playing an anti-hero than Hong Kong audiences were while the movie was in theaters - in other words, it flopped - Godfrey is no Mark (or Ken, for that matter). I did enjoy Anthony Chau-Sang Wong's performance and its redemptive arc as Godfrey's hapless ally Sam, but I still had to strain to truly care. There's also some dated and embarrassing homophobia involving thief and would-be magician Judge (Simon Yam), including an eyeroll-inducing moment with a hot dog. Again, it's not a bad movie, so if you're a fan of Hong Kong action and/or stories that question if there is honor among thieves, you could do worse. When it comes to Chow Yun-Fat movies, though, you should check out that other one from 1992 first.
My guy (or gal): I'm giving it to the movie's real hero: the cute Boston Terrier who Godfrey rescues.