Lian shou jing tan

(1991) Red Fists (In Chinese with English subtitles) ACTION

Low budget actioner with some bad acting but some of the action scenes have their moments which has something to do with a briefcase and some metal counterfeit plates which were stolen from some Chinese gangsters and then retrieved again. Yu Rong Gong/ Rongguang Yu (Iron Monkey) plays an undercover cop making attempts to infiltrate the plates from being used working with a female sergeant cop Sharon Kwok. Quite boring with the action the only thing going for it except that some of it are not that good for they're sometimes cut down too short, probably because people who were performing those falls stuntmen got hurt but it still has it's moments though.

'Red Fists', a.k.a. 'Lian Shou Jing Tan' is a prime example that shows that Yu Rong Guang and Sharon Kwok Sau Wan, in my opinion, are two of Hong Kong's underrated actors from the late 1980's and early 1990's, even if this film isn't top-notch quality. The plot is muddled at times, some of the acting is sub-par, and the film feels run-of-the-mill in comparison with the likes of 'Police Story' and 'Yes, Madam'. Yu Rong Guang portrays a Mainland Chinese cop who goes undercover in Hong Kong to bust some criminals who are attempting to get their hands on stolen currency plates. While infiltrating the crime family that's trying to acquire the plates, a Hong Kong cop(Kwok) blows the Mainland cop's cover, placing the Mainland cop and his son in danger. 'Red Fists' contains some solid, 'Police Story'-influenced fight scenes, gunplay, explosions, and stunts. With his background in Chinese Opera, Yu Rong Guang shows his stuff during the fight scenes. On the other hand, Sharon Kwok isn't a martial artist or a screen fighter, but she manages to hold her own during the action scenes and non-action scenes with her solid acting abilities, girl-next-door beauty, warm smile, and nice physique. The rough production values and muddled, hackneyed plot bog down 'Red Fists', but the film deserves credit for trying to be a b*#^s-to-the-wall, high octane actioner.

Yu Rong Guang and Sharon Kwok team up as, respectively, a Chinese mainland security officer working undercover and a Hong Kong cop, to crack a counterfeit ring. Nothing about "Red Fists" is particularly outstanding, yet it does its job fairly well. Yu Rong Guang has a good showcase for his spectacular skills here; Sharon Kwok doesn't get the same amount of action, but she looks great with a gun - her cutie-pie face makes a fascinating contrast with her utter seriousness when she's shooting people. There are some painful-looking stunts in the film, and the action doesn't lack ambition despite the fairly small budget. But for someone just getting into the Hong Kong B-action genre, there are better examples of it out there (just to mention one again featuring Sharon Kwok, though in a smaller role: "Outlaw Brothers"). (**)