San tau chi sai doi

Well, you would assume that you would be in for something worthwhile when you sit down to watch the 2000 Hong Kong action movie "San Tau Chi Sai Doi" (aka "Skyline Cruisers"), as the movie has a pretty interesting and good cast ensemble.

You would assume so. But that is actually not the case with "San Tau Chi Sai Doi" from writers Clement Sze-Kit Cheng, Chi-Kin Kwok, Greg Mellott and Kam-Yuen Szeto. Sure, this movie is watchable enough, if you don't mind a movie where the laws of physics and gravity apply to nothing and no one, and also where the storyline is just a random series of shots put together.

I have to say that the storyline in "San Tau Chi Sai Doi" is not among the best of storylines to ever grace the Hong Kong cinema. In fact, it is so far out there in terms of being silly, unrealistic and laughable, that it is perhaps a guilty pleasure movie to some if you enjoy movies that don't take themselves or the audience serious. I however, was expecting a bit more seriousness from director Wilson Yip, especially given the cast ensemble that starred in the movie.

And yeah, the cast ensemble was impressive with the likes of Leon Lai, Jordan Chan, Shu Qi, Sam Lee, Alex To and Terence Yin on the cast list. Lots of familiar talents and faces in the movie, but why they opted to star in a movie as spaced out as "San Tau Chi Sai Doi" is simply beyond my comprehension.

Sure, "San Tau Chi Sai Doi" can be watched for what it is a campy action movie that just went astray. But don't get your hopes up for this movie.

My rating of "San Tau Chi Sai Doi" lands on a very generous four out of ten stars.

Prior to seeing this, I'd already seen the Wilson Yip movies 2002 and Bio-Zombie, so I kind of knew what to expect. Skyline Cruisers delivered, and did not disappoint me. It is a bit confusing at times, but it's never anything to put you off watching the rest of the film. All of the cast were good aseptically Jordan Chan who played Bird, and if you watch the film, I'm sure most of you will say the same thing.

All in all this is one of the better Hong Kong movies on the market and has everything an action and Hong Kong fan could possibly want.

No amount of ultra-cool cinematography can hide the fact that Skyline Cruisers is a vacuous affair, devoid of real excitement or drama. For the most part, it exists as an exercise in aesthetics - from the good looking cast (including babes, Shu Qi and Michelle Saram) to the slick high-tech gadgetry, style is paramount. The result is a good looking but turgid and confusing mess.

A gang of cool thieves are enlisted by a scientist to help retrieve a stolen cure for cancer. Using an array of amazing spy gadgetry (the likes of which make the invisible James Bond car seem possible), they attempt to break into a top security lab – but all is not as it at first seems.

The film starts with an unbelievable (and I mean that in a bad way) heist that piles the nonsensical upon the absurd. Once this tone is set, it continues for the majority of the running time. Unfortunately, instead of acknowledging and embracing the downright absurdity of the plot, the cast seems to be taking things far too seriously. Only in the closing scenes do the proceedings get crazy enough to become truly entertaining. If director, Wilson Yip, had ignored all attempts at being cool, and had made the whole film as ridiculously gung-ho and over-the-top as the last few minutes, he may have had something of a cult hit on his hands – instead, the end result is yet another disappointing HK actioner.

I don't think I've seen another film with as much action as Skyline Cruisers. It is relentless, and there are no lulls. While some sequences are silly, they blow by so fast that before you have time to reflect, you are onto the next one.

Despite the non-stop action, the characters are developed. Each actor provides a sense of personality. Character development occurs through action and facial expressions, rather than dialogue. Skillful direction and editing makes the slightest eye movement meaningful.

The film makers are relying on the audiences' knowledge of action films. They assume we know the basic rules and stereotypes: the hero and his sidekicks, internal team struggles, the femme fatale, the double-double-cross, etc. Thus, they don't bog down the action with setups and explanations. They only provide the key details we need to understand their hero, or the current sub-plot. They assume the viewer is intelligent, and knows the genre. No time is wasted overexplaining the details. This is not a shortcoming but a strength of Skyline Cruisers.

The film is also stylish. Sets are glass and steel. Cold, grey colors dominate. The camera is always in motion, adding to the kinetic energy. The cinematography and lighting is crisp and glossy. The whole package gives Skyline Cruisers a high-tech, state-of-the-art action film look.

Skyline Cruisers is not a big-budget film: there are no huge, expensive "set pieces". But, they are not needed. Intelligent planning, good casting, and understanding of the genre and its audience has replaced spending. Hollywood can learn from Skyline Cruisers. Perhaps they will stop making $100,000,000 turkeys and make some movies like Skyline Cruisers: smart, entertaining, and full of action.

What a great action flick!

This movie tries to follow generic Hollywood high-tech action thriller guidelines, but gets thrown off track by good acting, a complex story, beautiful trick-cinematography, awesome spy gadgets, incredible special effects, and a healthy dose of kung-fu. It's simply a very well thought out, very well made film along the lines of the Matrix but with a slightly less exotic location. (Kuala-Lumpur and Australia)

The characters are complex and introspective if you use your imagination a little. Emotion is implied. Rather than saying one word about their feelings throughout the film, the characters let their actions speak for them. It's definitely possible to view this movie on two different levels- the first of pure enjoyment, the second of discovering motives behind the story.

I wouldn't say this movie changed my life, but there's almost nothing better I can recommend for assured entertainment. The year 2000 has shown Hong Kong catch up to and surpass Hollywood even in the big-budget thriller genre. What's next? If Skyline Cruisers is any indication, a Chinese live-action 'Gatchaman' film can't be too far behind.