Director: Terry Tong
Year: 1982
Country: Hong Kong
Alternate Titles: Shu chu xi ying pan
Genre: Action
Plot:
After refusing to carry out a hit, a veteran assassin finds him and the rest of his team targeted by a mysterious group of killers that leave him as the sole survivor from the gang. Tracing the activities back to a former boss of his in the local Triad gang, he sets out to get back at his former bosses for what he suspects is a setup in a power struggle but becomes increasingly concerned with a determined inspector on his trail to stop the series of activity in town. Heading out to the countryside where he meets a local girl who nurses him back to health, he sets out on a final quest to seek revenge and stop the Triad gang from finishing him once and for all.
Review:
For the most part, this one serves as a stylish action film. Among the more impressive qualities is the general air and attitude of the lead assassin we’re following for the majority of the film. Despite being presented as the leader of a gang of assassins, the main guy is a skilled, competent professional in this environment that includes backstabbing friends, cold-blooded thugs, and ruthless police officers looking to get to the bottom of the crime spree around them. Bringing together these grimy personalities in this kind of film where they’re not at all ashamed to shoot each other in the back due to a higher boss giving them the order to do so, locking away the assassin for minor indiscretions, and forcing him to seek revenge on the gang that killed his team. It’s quite different from the majority of the roles we’ve seen him play over the years and creates a fascinating antihero to see on-screen.
On top of that, this creates a real sense of immediacy among the brutal encounters which are quite enjoyable. The first attack in the apartment complex with the roller-blading rival assassins creates a wholly impressive sequence offering some dynamic tactics of the group using this skill to their advantage and some ingenious escape methods. Likewise, the brief skirmishes with the motorcycle gang on the highway, a surprise assassination at a bathhouse, and several shootouts in a parking garage bring about some high-energy confrontations offering the kind of brutality that the genre would become more famous for several years later. This becomes carried over into the finale where the shootouts become quite vicious and thrilling including various gunplay and hand-to-hand combat. The stunt-work isn’t over-the-top but kept to a more realistic state with the exploits being more modest yet still energetic and engaging, creating that realistic tone quite easily which makes for a fun film overall.
There isn’t much wrong with this one and what flaws are here merely serve as nitpicks. The main issue is that the film had been doing incredibly serving as this subtle exploration on how age catches up with everyone but to introduce a series of unnecessary subplots on top of that is rather unnecessary. While the relationship with the girl is necessary to get him back to health, this serves more as a distraction to the revenge motive that had been built up previously. Moreover, the relationship runs its course and never even gets a proper send-off with her missing from the final twenty minutes of the film, making her inclusion in the film and especially as a romantic partner all the more curious. As well, the film does keep things gritty and more realistic which loses a lot of the grandiose spectacle that would become commonplace in the style later on and ends up making the film appear cheaper than expected. Still, neither of these are detrimental or damaging in the slightest.
Overview: ***.5/5
Generating a lot of fun in terms of a strong, stylish crime thriller that sets the stage for the genre to come, the film becomes a solid example of a genre that would be better served with the lessons learned from this particular piece. Viewers with a particular interest in the genre or looking for something different from its stars are well-advised to check this one out while other viewers that don’t take easily to this genre may not find a lot to like here compared to other genre efforts.
This review was originally published on Asian Movie Pulse and is gratefully reprinted with their cooperation.
Comments
Post a Comment