Run and kill

Run and Kill is an excellent example of what the Chinese do so well - a violent revenge thriller, in the vein of MAN WANTED and RETURN ENGAGEMENT (both also starring SIMON YAM). Kent Cheung plays a mild-mannered man who accidentally involves himself in the murder of his wife when drunk at a nightclub one evening. When he sobers up and realizes what has happened, he goes to the police, headed by DANNY LEE, who find his tale somewhat hard to believe! He soon goes home to find the gang leader who wants his payment for the murder of his wife, and when he can't pay, gets beaten up for his troubles. The plot thickens from here on, but I wouldn't want to spoil it for you. Suffice to say there are a few nasty moments involving a lead pipe, and a burning child....you find yourself really rooting for the hero (?) of the piece as he comes up against the lunatic Simon Yam. This film is based on a true story, which makes it all the more gripping if you can stand the gore and violence on display. Unfortunately, this movie isn't available in the UK, but if you get the chance, it comes highly recommended.

RUN AND KILL (1993) - When returning home from work one day, Cheung (Kent Cheng) finds his wife having sex with the local grocer. In a state of shock, Cheung walks out and ends up at a sleazy bar to drown his sorrows. Having one too many, he unintentionally hires a local gangster to kill his wife. When he comes home the following day, men attack and kill his wife and her lover, leaving him in the frame for the murders. Cheung doesn't remember hiring the men but is soon reminded when they come calling for the rest of the money.

Fleeing his apartment, Cheung hides out at the old family home in china, only to find his old neighbour and a group of professional killers held up there. The neighbour agrees to help Cheung with his trouble back home but proves to be a fatal mistake, leading to events that are far worse than he could imagine.

Run and Kill is a bleak and gloomy CAT III classic from the 90's starring Kent Cheng as the extremely unlucky fatty Cheung who inadvertently runs into Simon Yam's psychopathic ex war veteran character, played here with his usual great charm. I did find Kent Cheng kind of annoying at first, and Danny Lee barely even has a role in the movie but still, Run and Kill deserves it's place as one of the CAT 3 classics from this period in HK cinema. Not wanting to spoil it for anyone who hasn't seen it but ending is worth watching the film for that scene alone, even if the dummy corpse looks more like a statue of a monkey!

Just after directing Dr. Lamb, Hin Sing 'Billy' Tang, made this action flick. I didn't like Dr. lamb but what I did like was the performance of Simon Yam who played Dr. Lamb. Here he is again as Ching Fung.

Again for a CAT III flick it is low on everything. Okay, they do fight and slash and blood is sputtering around but again, scriptwise it sucked a lot for me. Again some situations looked ridiculous just like Dr. lamb. The most disturbing scene must be the one were a kid is being burned alive while the father is watching, but he ran away with the burned corpse and loses it's head, again, it looks ridiculous.

I had so many expectations for a CAT III flick, sadly they weren't fulfilled.

Gore 2/5 Nudity 0/5 Effects 2/5 story 2/5 Comedy 0/5

A strange little Category III and one of the more notorious of its kind. Watch it and you'll soon see why. Kent Cheng is cast against type as a likeable petrol station owner and family man who discovers his wife cheating on him. Before you can say STRANGER ON A TRAIN, he's up to his neck in vengeful gang members and sadistic violence, captured unremarkably by director Billy Tang. The first hour feels cheap and cheerful, enlivened slightly by tough guy actors like Danny Lee, Melvin Wong and Johnny Wang Lung Wei, although Simon Yam deserves mention as a truly crazy character. However, in the last half an hour, this really heats up (!) with some extremely disturbing scenes and frenetic moments you'd never find in Hollywood. It makes an impact, that's for sure.

Yes, I applauded the TV. That is how impressed I was with this movie. This is definitely no cliche HK movie as it is spontaneous and unpredictable throughout. It is very violent as well. Not gory per say, but bloody and violent like hell. Plus, the acting was superb. Simon Yam is just detestable and I love it and Kent Cheng is the quintessential of sympathetic because, my god, none has suffered more than he. And on a final note, when I say unpredictable, I mean unpredictable as this movie does push beyond its boundaries. Maybe not to the level of, let's say, The Untold Story but good enough for me. Run And Kill is sombre and depraved throughout but it's excellent story, action, violence, acting and unpredictability makes it a must watch for HK fans.