Another meltdown

"The Blacksheep Affair" was not one of the better Hong Kong action movies, though it wasn't a total waste of time either.

I picked up this movie from Amazon because Shu Qi is in it, and I am a fan of hers, and she did a great job in the movie, despite having a small supporting role only. The lead role was held by Chiu Man Chuk, and he was actually also doing a good job.

The story in "The Blacksheep Affair" was a bit too silly for my liking. It didn't have much continuity in it, and there were some holes in the plot here and there. But still, not the worst Hong Kong movie I have seen, but there are a lot far better Hong Kong movies available.

I found two things odd in this movie. The first was why people would be speaking English in this fictional country, Lavernia. And not just English, but poorly dubbed English with a strong lack of emotion and commitment. It was just hilarious, and it brought the movie down a notch. The second thing was the out-of-touch-with-reality-sounds that was used whenever people were throwing punches, kicking stuff and using swords. Those sounds were so bad.

One of the best things in "The Blacksheep Affair" was the ending, that was actually a nice surprise, and that made it up for the lack of proper storyline throughout the entire movie.

The storyline is basically about an exiled HK cop living in a fictional ex-Soviet country, and sounds like something from a Jackie Chan film. The action comes thick and fast yet theres something missing...

However the swordfight at the end is definitely the best I have ever seen and it is a shame that it's so short as it really shows the talent of Chiu Man Chuk.

The dubbing is absolutely dire, so I would recommending watching the DVD version with subtitles.

One of the most moronic HK films ever. Even the original Cantonese dialogue is horrendous. The hero is dull and the love interest is excessively annoying.

The gunplay is also ridiculous, filled with scenes where 10 gunmen miss the 2 heroes despite them being out in the open. In John Woo movies (The Killer, Hard Boiled), the heroes at least pretend to hide behind something. There's also one scene that has to be seen to be believed. A bad guy shoots a bazooka, and we see the missile come out. Then the explosion happens *behind* the target, as though it magically passed through. I can suspend belief for action films, but this is just sloppy choreography.

The martial arts is okay, but overemphasizes flashy acrobatics over real fighting or tactics. The lead actor seems talented enough, but is wasted in this action fluff. I would only recommend this movie if you've seen every other HK action movie already.

3/10

A little bit like Die Hard/Executive Action, only much better because it's Hong Kong produced. Great fight scenes. Especially in the end, kung fu/sword fight sequence was just unforgettable. A must see for Hong Kong action fans.

These comments are based on watching the film in Cantonese with English subtitles; it was clear from viewing that characters had been given Anglicised names in the subtitles; I'll stick to those names.

This Hong Kong action film is centred on Arthur, a Chinese soldier. After disobeying orders, to stop a plane hijacking, he is posted to the fictional country of Lavernia... apparently an ex-Soviet nation somewhere in Eastern Europe. Almost as soon as he arrives he witnesses a terror attack being committed by Mishima; the leader of a Japanese cult. He manages to catch Mishima but local forces take credit for the arrest. Soon afterwards he bumps into his old flame Tammy, who fled China after the events in Tiananmen Square. Mishima may be in jail but he had previously been working with a traitorous Lavernian minister and he plans to use the Chinese by having them escort him back to Japan, where he is facing terror charges, and then ambush them leaving no witnesses... this leads to a confrontation in the Chinese embassy as Arthur faces Mishima while the Laverian arm shoots at anybody leaving the embassy compound.

If you want plenty of exciting martial arts action then this film delivers; especially during the climatic fight in the embassy. Unfortunately some of the other action isn't so good; when characters are shot with automatic weapons they stand jiggling in an almost comical manner and several explosions look fake. A degree of comedy is added by the fact that none-Chinese characters talk in not so brilliantly dubbed English. The story is decent enough; it provides a good excuse for action although the sub-plot involving his girlfriend is a bit of a distraction. The cast is solid enough most obviously Chiu Man Cheuk as Arthur and Andrew Lin as Mishima. Overall I wouldn't call this a must see but if you like martial arts action it is worth watching.