Should have been so much better.
This Australian/Hong Kong co-production stars martial arts greats Jimmy Wang Yu (One-Armed Swordsman) and Sammo Hung (Eastern Condors), has a James Bond (George Lazenby) for a villain and Toecutter (Hugh Keays-Byrne) from Mad Max as a cop, boasts stunning locations (Ayers Rock and Sydney Harbour), is directed by Ozploitation legend Brian Trenchard-Smith, and features a catchy theme song to boot ('Sky High' by Jigsaw). With all that, one might reasonably expect something rather special, but this isn't the case: a run-of-the-mill plot, unexceptional fight scenes and mediocre car chases make for a frustratingly average movie, despite all the right ingredients.
Wang Yu plays Hong Kong police inspector Fang Sing Leng, who travels to Australia to extradite a drug dealer (Sammo Hung). When the criminal is assassinated, Fang Sing Leng investigates, suspecting the involvement of Sydney crime-lord Jack Wilton (Lazenby).
What follows is a succession of silly escapades for the fish-out-of-water renegade cop, including lots of punch ups (choreographed by Sammo Hung, but not his best work) and vehicular stunts (of the sort that always end up with a car crashing and immediately bursting into flames). The silly ending sees Fang Sing Leng hang-gliding onto the roof of Wilton's penthouse, abseiling down the side of the building and smashing his way in through the window, where he takes on the machine-gun toting villain. The HK cop gets a full confession and blows the penthouse (and its owner) sky high, to the amusement of his Aussie counterparts.
Best scene: Fang Sing Leng's bloody fight against numerous martial artists (after which our hero gets his wounds patched up by a country vet and thanks the helpful fellow by screwing his tasty daughter).
5.5/10, generously rounded up to 6 for IMDb.
Wang Yu plays Hong Kong police inspector Fang Sing Leng, who travels to Australia to extradite a drug dealer (Sammo Hung). When the criminal is assassinated, Fang Sing Leng investigates, suspecting the involvement of Sydney crime-lord Jack Wilton (Lazenby).
What follows is a succession of silly escapades for the fish-out-of-water renegade cop, including lots of punch ups (choreographed by Sammo Hung, but not his best work) and vehicular stunts (of the sort that always end up with a car crashing and immediately bursting into flames). The silly ending sees Fang Sing Leng hang-gliding onto the roof of Wilton's penthouse, abseiling down the side of the building and smashing his way in through the window, where he takes on the machine-gun toting villain. The HK cop gets a full confession and blows the penthouse (and its owner) sky high, to the amusement of his Aussie counterparts.
Best scene: Fang Sing Leng's bloody fight against numerous martial artists (after which our hero gets his wounds patched up by a country vet and thanks the helpful fellow by screwing his tasty daughter).
5.5/10, generously rounded up to 6 for IMDb.
- BA_Harrison
- 8 apr 2019