Week-end à Taipei

I am a fan of this action movie genre, but there are so many below average action movies that I didnt expect much at firsthand, but after having watched it I can confirm that this movie is quite an enjoyable action flick.

The good: I NEED riveting action, chases and fights. And THAT is exactly what I got. Not the best, but good enough for me to have a fun time watching it.

More good: what's even more to like is that the characters are credible. The acting is solid (not earthshattering good, but solid) and it has got characters and a storyline I can believe in. THAT matters to me, because even in an action flick like this I WANT the characters to be credible.

Any bad? Dont expect action heaven, this is just another action movie but a really solid one. Recommended for the fans of this action genre.

Years ago, committed DEA agent John Lawlor (Luke Evans) fell in love with Joey Kwang, a Taipei-based transport driver working in the criminal underworld, but was forced to flee due to tragic circumstances. Now, the duo reunites when Lawlor blows his cover as a chef and takes an off-the-books weekend mission to Taipei to bring down a billionaire drug kingpin (Sun Kang)... who just so happens to be Joey's (Lun-Mei Gwei) new husband. There John will rediscover a past that he thought he had left behind 15 years ago. Pack for a long weekend !. From the creators of Taken and The Transporter, Weekend in Taipei hits theaters this November 8th !.

After their time in the 'Fast and Furious' saga, Luke Evans and Sung Kang share the lead roles on screen again in another adrenaline-fueled film, in this violent thriller of action and high-voltage romance. Resulting to be an over-the-top and nail-biting thriller that will leave you emotionally and and physically drained due to constant fights, car chases and violent shootings. Intriguing and suspenseful thriller about a three attractive roles who become involved into a triangular drama, including a a brave son in the middle. There's also a charming love story in which the two main roles revisit their romance during a fateful weekend in Taipei, unaware of the dangerous and fateful consequences of their past.

The trio of protagonists give decent performances. Luke Evans is acceptable as John Lawlor, a drug agent who heads to Taipei with the objective of tracking down Kwang - well played by Sung Kang - the leader of the drug cartel in Taiwan, along with t.he Taiwanese star Lun-Mei Gwei as the third in discord and cause of dispute .

Lavishly produced by Luc Besson, winner of the Cesar for best director for 'The Fifth Element', and the script is by Besson himself together with the film's director George Huang. Although professionally directed by George Huang (Trojan War, Swimming Sharks, How to make a monster, The Invisible Man), this film is clearly a work of Luc Besson, as evidenced by his usual trademarks and ordinary visual pyrotechnics, such as: unstoppable action, luxurious sets, exotic environments, twisted romances and clever crime dramas. Besson often features fully enclosed sets with no natural lighting and typically, during the opening-titles, the camera moves towards something important for the movie, but looks down until the important part of credits was shown, then swings up, now looking at a place or character. Luc often casts Jean Reno and music always by Eric Serra. Besson is the greatest producer and director from France with hits as ¨Leon¨ , ¨Joan of Arc¨ , ¨The fifth element¨ , the ¨Taxi¨ series , ¨Big blue¨ , ¨Lucy¨, ¨Malavita¨, "The lady¨,¨The extraordinary aventures of d'Adèle Blanc-Sec¨, "Arthur and the Minimois¨, ¨Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets ¨, ¨Anna¨ and , of course , ¨Nikita¨, among others . Rating Weekend in Taipei (2024) 6/10 . Well worth watching . The pic will appeal to action movies fans.

The visuals - Colour, Composition, Editing - Were beyond my expectations for a simple action movie. At times the scenes resemble paintings, and the respect for emphasis and symmetry is endearing to see on the big screen.

The audio work was similarly very thrilling, and the soundtrack, while not melodic or memorable, was very accurate and worked well with the tone of the visuals. The textures of certain parts are very lovingly rough and reminiscent of the sound of car engines and tires scraping the floor, which compliments the central theme of driving well.

If there were one thing that could be so repulsive that it shoots down the rating from a Nine or Ten star, it would wholly be the writing. The dialogue is dry and surface-level, almost child-like, and not for any aesthetic purpose. It is childlike because it struggles to enter the minds of the characters that push the story forward. The way events are structured are almost ridiculous, and the motivations for the antagonist are so flimsy I almost caught myself talking out loud, to the two other people in the cinema. As if a kind of Ironic "Divine Joke" from god itself, the only place where the Child-Like writing ability is appropriate is... The child actor himself. Frankly, the only saving grace for this film is if modern technology could remove the dialogue in it's entirety, perhaps it will even earn itself an extra star!

In summary: To enjoy the film in it's entirety requires an extensive lobotomy.

Part martial arts, part "John Wick," part romance, and part "family" film; this movie tries to be too many things at once and, not surprisingly, fails. Considering this flick contains the seeds of at least four separate movies, the result was a competent one, even if the "family ending" leaves you scratching your head (but with a smile on your face) for what is, in the last analysis, an "action" flick. After an absence of thirteen years, a DEA returns to Taipei, the Republic of China, to confront the drug lord who cost him the love of his life. What he doesn't know is that very same woman is now the pampered wife of said drug lord, and that he has a son he never knew about. Sound interesting? It is. Whether that is enough for you, you have to see the movie to find out.

The director and producer Luc BESSON still stands for French genre cinema that aims to reach a global audience. This is also the case with this English-language WEEKEND IN TAIPEI, which BESSON produced with his company EUROPACORP.

It all begins with a Taiwanese Holly Golightly, who treats herself to breakfast at Ferrari and turns out to be an excellent racing driver (Lun-mei GWEI as Joey). At the same time, an undercover agent (Luke EVANS) in Minneapolis uncovers a drug ring based in Taiwan and run by Joey's nasty husband (Sung KANG). What connects these three people becomes clear during a weekend trip to Taiwan. And then there is Joey's precocious teenage son (Wyatt YANG), who will learn a lot about his family.

Fast-paced action, solid shots from an exotic location! This is how the GERMAN ADVENTURE FLICKS worked 60 years ago in the tradition of the KOMMISSAR X films with Tony KENDALL and Brad HARRIS. And like in the films of the Roman CINECITTA, an English-speaking B-star was hired to appeal to a global audience. The fact that the plot is not particularly original doesn't hurt either. After all, the film is primarily intended to lure a teenage audience into the cinema seats. But the film is certainly fun, even if it's better to switch off your brain.

The French film industry of the Paris CINECITE, especially in the form of Luc BESSON, manages to produce a genre film every year that has what it takes to appeal to young moviegoers and to work in cinemas around the world.