Gwok chaan Ling Ling Chat

One of Stephen Chow's finest works, so many iconic dialogues and characters. Yes, it is a little derogatory, but it reflects the views of many Hong Kong people at the time, but it is done mostly as comic relief. At the heart of it, I don't think Stephen was being racist, but more as a poke at the system. The movie is only a little less than 1.5 hours long, it's amazing how such a simple film can get so much done in such a short period of time with enough plot and character development to make it a classic. Watching the movie so many years later, I get to see a lot of things I couldn't understand as a kid, and appreciate this film even more. It serves as a token of the past, and in a way reflects how society and perception have changed over the years.

In the grand tradition of Get Smart, we have here a wonderfully wacky send-up of 007 action films. For the first roughly 2/3 of the movie, I was literally rolling out of my seat laughing with this film's ontarget, brilliant skewerings of spy film cliches. As much as I hate to say it, though, at the 2/3 point the film begins to lose its focus. It starts to concentrate too heavily on creating the Bond mood, and consequently ends up being far too serious. Up until that point, though, it was really something special. The only other qualm I have is that it is far, far too violent. You have fingers getting sliced off, a man getting glass shoved into his face, necks being slashed, etc. Heck, just as the movie is building its comedic potential, a minor character gets brutally stabbed in the head. Had this been done in an over-the-top manner, it could have been very funny, like the Black Knight scene in Holy Grail. But they instead opted for a hyper-realistic look, that, when introduced into a heavily comedic environment, presents an uncomfortable clash of styles and makes the often startling violence uniquely disturbing and grotesque. Still, if you can overlook its flaws, this is definitely a movie worth seeing.

"From Beijing With Love" (aka "Gwok chaan Ling Ling Chat") turned out to be a very enjoyable Hong Kong action comedy that stars Stephen Chow.

Needless to say that a movie that stars Stephen Chow is bound to be enjoyable. There is just something about his movies and the characters he portrays that is highly enjoyable and entertaining. And "From Beijing With Love" was no different.

This is a wonderful spoof on the "James Bond" movies, but with a Hong Kong comedy twist to it. And it works out quite well, truth be told. It is a combination of a good storyline, interesting characters and nice acting performances that really brings this movie to its potential.

There is a good amount of comedy in the movie. Of course there is, as this is a movie with Stephen Chow in the leading role. But "From Beijing With Love" also has enough action and drama to make it interesting. And the mixture works out quite well in favor of the movie.

"From Beijing With Love" definitely is a remarkable movie from actor Stephen Chow, no doubt about that.

My rating from this 1994 movie from directors Stephen Chow and Lik-Chi Lee lands on a seven out of ten stars. I was highly entertained by the movie and was enjoying what transpired on the screen. High recommendable if you have an interest in the light-hearted side of Hong Kong cinema.

When I first saw this film I didn't know what to make of it - is it a Chinese James Bond or is it a Chinese Austin Powers. Well its neither and both at the same time if you get the drift.

Nevertheless it is totally insanely funny with its very silly plot and characters that had no credibility and I really enjoyed watching it. Fairly violent - but what else would you expect from a Hong Kong action film.

Caught this on DVD the other day...and I was laughing and smiling until the shopping mall sequence...where it abruptly shifted gears and positively reveled in cruelty and heartbreak...and then went back to being a goofy(but still blood-soaked) spoof. Well , I guess that 's part of the craziness of Hong Kong cinema that we all love....and I'm still smiling about the hilarious weapons and gadgets...the "solar flashlight" is priceless. Well worth seeing. Bond fans will love the riotous imitation of Maurice Binder's main title visuals...opening action sequence is as good as anything you'd see in a Bond film and Anita Yuen makes an adorable foil/adversary/partner for Chow. (But as I said, it is pure Stephen Chow nutball fun...like the guys who made "Shaun Of The Dead" and "Hot Fuzz", Chow takes no prisoners when he's out to bend a genre inside out and backwards.)