Chik loh goh yeung

Yeah, I just finished this brand new DVD of the highly-acclaimed, sexy Hong Kong action thriller... and looking over the trailer after it was over I was thinking, "Man, I don't remember that scene... or that scene... or that camera angle..." Sure enough, I check out the running times online and it seems that the US version is 11 minutes shorter than the Hong Kong version. Which seems weird in that there is all kinds of explicit gore evident in the movie... I mean, if they can show a close-up of a fellow getting shot in the family jewels... what in the heck are they AFRAID to show? Probably just some female nudity (since there doesn't ever seem to be anyone really "naked" in this movie... just the suggestion of nudity). One scene seemed to be a direct take-off (homage? copy? ripoff?) of the famous interrogation scene in "Basic Instinct". Maybe it was a more faithful re-creation in the original cut? I guess I'll never know... since it's unlikely I'll ever want to sit thru this again. I just wish I'd had the chance to see the complete version the first time... or at least have a big WARNING on the packaging that the movie is NOT complete.

NAKED KILLER is a landmark film in Hong Kong cinema, one that was successful enough to help kick-start a whole wave of 'erotic' thrillers that would fill cinema screens for the next decade. Despite the sexiness in this one, it's more of an assassin thriller, albeit with lots of erotic interludes, near-nudity, and saucy shenanigans between the cast members.

I wanted to enjoy the film, and indeed on a superficial level it is enjoyable. However, the thing that lets it down is Clarence Fok's choppy direction. This guy's films always seem incredibly dated to me because of his over-stylised editing and the like, and NAKED KILLER is no exception. I actually enjoyed NAKED KILLER 2 (directed by Andrew Lau) more because of this, not to mention 2004's SO CLOSE.

Still, NAKED KILLER provides some things of merit for Hong Kong movie fans, not least an amusing role for Simon Yam as a disturbed cop who vomits every time he draws his gun. Chingmy Yau garners all of the attention as the impossibly beautiful young woman who becomes an assassin, and she's well supported with a knowing performance from Kelly Yao as the older professional. I also spotted Jackie Chan's bodyguard, Ken Lo, playing a sleazy businessman.

As is usual for these films, the movie is surprisingly light on nudity, with the main actresses teasing throughout but delivering little; only the unknown supporting actresses are willing to strip off. Carrie Ng has a minor role as a ruthless hitwoman. The action scenes come out of nowhere and are way over the top, with the shoot-out in the car park being a particular favourite of mine, although the ending is also fun. NAKED KILLER is certainly no classic but it passes the time for fans of this sort of stuff.

If you're into so called 'chinatown' action movies then this is one to watch. I was fortunate to see the director's cut of this and it was great. There is a romance side to this but it's the guns and guts that is the main feature. Interestingly, and I what thought was good was the choice of the 'baddies'. When you see this you will find some cliches in it between some of the characters, following a well worn path, but the story and action more than make up for it. I gave it an 8 but then generally I prefer Hong Kong and Japanese action movies to American ones.

NAKED KILLER admittedly has some very cool and stylish action going on, but that's about it. The storyline is convoluted and goofy at times, and it just didn't really hold my interest.

A girl is taught to become a female assassin and the cops are out to get them. The main cop has a thing for the newly-trained hottie/assassin because of a previous run-in with her. The cops are trying to nab the assassins, the assassins are trying to not get nabbed by the cops, etc...etc...

Not much in the way of anything too sleazy or "rough" to really warrant much of the CATIII rating on this one. An OK action-film but nothing really extraordinary. If you're a fan of the "harder" CATIII material, then this one may not do too much for you. There are some hot ass chicks who show their tits a few times, and again - some well staged action sequences, but nothing for me to really write home about. May be worth a look to the CATIII enthusiasts or action-junkies, but there's better material from both genres out there. 6.5/10

"Naked Killer"/"Chiklo Gouyeung" is a typical example of Hong Kong vicious action cinema.It has plenty of bloody violence-the action is fast-paced and never lets up.There are some energetic fight scenes reminiscent in style to John Woo's explosive action flicks.All women contained here are beautiful and deadly.The film actually reminds me similarly-themed Hong Kong thrillers like "Black Cat" or "Beyond Hypothermia".The acting is decent-the performances by Chingmy Yau and Simon Yam are especially worthwhile.So if you're an action buff give this title a look-you won't be disappointed.7 out of 10.A perfect film for fans of highly energetic action stuff!