Confronto Arriscado

"...The film is like a battleground. Love. Hate. Action. Violence. Death. In one word...emotion." -Samuel Fuller, "Pierrot Le Fou"

Before "Kung-Fu Panda" there was Sammo Hung, who is a burly martial arts action star, and in "Pedicab Driver" a five star director who knows how to throw his weight around without missing a beat. Like Jackie Chan (who he choreographed fight sequences for), Hung combines physical comedy with self propelled stunt work, showcasing both the fury and the funny.

In 1930's Macau, China two rival groups of pedicab drivers negotiate how to split up the cities work, half will take passengers, and the other half will take cargo, and civil war is nearly averted until a chef chases a cat into the room and all hell breaks loose. The subsequent battle seamlessly recalls both "Star Wars" and "The Three Stooges", without loosing any of it's frantic energy or becoming a parody.

Pedicab Driver is first and foremost a Hong Kong action film, but while watching it you don't get the sense that each scene is designed to introduce a new excuse to fight. Some sequences, like the battle in the gambling den, do seem non-sequitters, as we never return to that set or it's characters, but the execution of this scene is so flawless that you rarely ease back from the edge of your seat long enough to mind let alone gripe. Sammo and his friend "Malted Candy" are passenger drivers, who both fall in love in with different girls at the same time. Sammo has to compete with a lecherous baker to win the heart of his girl in classic slapstick fashion.

While Malted Candy's story, which is minimized early on but expanded later, takes the form of a romance, and then a tragedy once it's revealed that his love interest is not all she seems. This does not have the makings of a great tale, but it is very much a great movie, that handles these stories with a poise that genuinely enhances the action sequences, which are almost submerged under the story and characters (a rarity if not a freak, for an action film of this caliber).

Yes, the bad guy is ugly, the good guy is handsome which is all very obvious, but Sammo is big ol kung fu teddy bear, whose agility and lightening fast speed belie his Chris Farely physique, and it's his performance which elevates the movie into something amazing. The comedy is funny, the romance is sweet, and the action is one of a kind combining the best of martial arts cinema, with an easily accessible drama that makes us care about the characters and their pains, joys, and inevitable revenge.

Pedicab Driver is badass and brutal at times, but never sacrifices the charming lightness that makes the movie so enjoyable and gratifying in a way few of it's exciting peers (then and now) permit themselves to be. It's the type of film that gives the impression that everyone involved was enjoying themselves by effortlessly doing what I do best. This joy pours from the screen, and it's hard not to become immersed in it.

I recently watched another HK action film featuring Sammo called "Zu: Warriors Of The Magic Mountain" and though it had similar sizzling combat (though largely artificial; wire or animation driven), it lacked a humane element, like reading a dry translation of an ancient myth. Pedicab Driver has a face, and a heart, and a fist, and watching them collide is a true joy to behold. I challenge anyone to not be entertained by this movie. Go on, I dare you!

This was pretty great. I'm a little embarrassed I didn't know this movie existed until yesterday, but it's better late than never. Pedicab Driver begins as a lightweight martial arts movie, but takes a shift toward melodrama in its second half that actually worked pretty well. There's one kind of comedic scene earlier on that I didn't like, but then when contrasted against something more serious that happens later (keeping things as vague as possible), it ends up being justified.

Sammo Hung starred in this and directed it, and the action's largely stellar. There are shots where the camera lurches back and forth, following the impact of a punch or a kick, and those shots work. The effect doesn't look silly or forced, and makes key moments of impact hit harder. I also appreciated how there were a few more close-ups used in some fight scenes, but never in a way that felt like it was disguising poor fight choreography. Those moments largely worked to make certain parts of certain fights more intense, and while lots of close-ups in fight scenes can make a fight harder to follow, that wasn't something I found with the fights here.

There might be some other things that can be nitpicked here, but much more of Pedicab Driver works than doesn't work. It's pretty underrated, and the finale plus a one-on-one fight with poles early on (the one with Lau Kar-Leung... and no, it doesn't matter if that conflict isn't hugely important to the rest of the movie) are all-timer martial arts set pieces, and are reasons enough to watch this one.

Good movie that combines action with romance.

Tung (Sammo Hung) is a pedicab driver. He has a pretty girl (LI Chi) that he gets attracted to that works at the baker next door. Malted Candy (Siu Ching Mok) who's also a pedicab driver runs into (literally) a girl (Fannie Yuen). Upon seeing her, he's instantly in love with her. He tries to mend the wrong, and his sincerity catches her heart too. There's a gang boss that's running a prostitute ring, and she works for him. Malted Candy's attempt to marry her, and get her out of the influence of the gang boss gets them in deadly harms way.

This is how a kung fu action movie should be. The actresses are good looking, and fight scenes are pretty awesome. There's humor to the side stories, and the supporting casts puts in a good performance. Nina Li Chi (Who's now Jet Li's wife), and Fannie Yuen looks really good in this movie. They were the actual focus of this story.

Bitter Sweet romance between Fannie Yuen, and Siu Ching Mok was nicely written.

This is one of Sammo Hung's best movie and is recommended for viewing.

You know your film is off to a strong start when you aren't even 5 minutes in and it's already staging its own lightsaber fights, albeit with fluorescent bulbs. Marking the end of Sammo Hung's greatest period as both star and director with a mighty bang, Pedicab Driver exemplifies the type of cinema that Hong Kong loved during the 80s. What that means is it's a mismatched series of bizarre comedy, heightened emotions, sudden tragedy and yes, incredible fight scenes. The extended fight between Sammo and Lau Kar-Leung in the gambling den stands as one of the film's most memorable moments, despite its complete irrelevance to the plot. Although it seems a little overambitious at times in its storytelling, with several seemingly unrelated threads running parallel, the film does manage to hold it all together in a way that only Hong Kong cinema can. While the story threads are certainly only diversions from the main spectacle, they do enhance the film somewhat, thanks largely to the cast's terrific performances and great music. It all starts happy-go-lucky but by the end, revenge is the name of the game and it is one Sammo delivers tenfold with some fantastic direction. For its uneven mishmash of genres and tones, Pedicab Driver succeeds wholeheartedly thanks to its easily empathetic and loveable characters and their plights, it's as entertaining as they come and features something for everyone. While not quite a masterpiece it is well worth seeing.

This, "Prodigal Son" and "Eastern Condors" are my favourite Sammo Hung films. The Fat Dragon is fatter in this outing than he was in "Condors", but he's no less sure-footed as director or actor. He is, in fact, at the top of his form and delivers a devastating, brutal actioner that boasts half a dozen amazing sequences and manages to tell a compassionate, sweet love story also. Love and romance are not the director's priorities here, but they serve as curious adjuncts to the action, and insure that viewers don't hit the fast-forward button between the physical clashes.

The opening scene, which features a funny light sabre duel, sets a solid but deceptive tone. A sequence in which Sammo's pedicab is chased by a car is beautifully staged and sweetened with a sharp, comic tone. The fast and furious stick fight between Sammo and Lau Kar Leung is a model of dazzling choreography and sharp, superb direction, and easily one of the best ever of its type. The film's violence escalates slowly until, finally, when the climactic showdown comes, we are subjected to some of the most brutal altercations ever seen in a Sammo production. The director/actor's assault on Billy Chow and a house filled with angry, menacing opponents is a bone-cracking, physically punishing delight.

Terrific on every level and one of the best martial arts movies ever made.

Great score, too.