À Flor da Pele

I just can't say enough about Full Contact...the film is your typical Hong Kong revenge play, set against a backdrop of low-rent gangsters and seedy relationships. But it's the little things that really set this film apart: Ringo Lam is one of the few HK directors who has a decent grasp on how to use music in his films, not being as obsessed with Canto-pop inanities as his contemporaries; the body count is much lower than the typical bullets-n-bloodshed HK gangster film, thus giving each action scene an edge above other movies that end up reducing the impact of each death by trivializing them; Simon Yam's "viper queen" is a truly...different...kind of villain, one who makes you laugh while you're hoping he dies; the bit characters are better realized...I could go on and on.

In short, Full Contact is a real shock to the action fan's system: it has a visceral quality that so many action movies try for and miss. Ringo Lam's work is not for everybody, but if you're looking for the true edge of HK cinema (keep in mind that movie-goers in Honk Kong didn't like this film, as it was considered TOO dark and nasty by an audience used to this sort of thing, and not a soft, Western audience), here it is. Full Contact is the perfect English title for this brutal trip.

Long ago I heard about an "ultimate Hong Kong action film" called "Full Contact". It starred Chow Yun Fat and was directed by Ringo Lam ("Maximum Risk") who is not as well known over here as other Hong Kong directors but with a good action script could be up there with John Woo and Tsui Hark. So while visiting a new video story in my area, low and behold there was a copy of it sitting there on the shelf calling to me. After watching it the first aspect of the film that struck me were the outrageous villains. There were three of them, a homosexual magician who could make guns appear out of nowhere, an over-the-top rock star looking guy that reminded me of a pro-wrestler, and a nymphomaniac female companion that........well let's just say she had problems keeping her clothes on. Chow Yun Fat plays a role fit for Stallone. It's got that '80s style "Cobra" look to it. He's kind of like an outlaw or desperado type, who must avenge his near death by the hands of the deadly trio. If you are a fan of any '80s action movie, then you'll love this. Keep your eyes open for the shootout at the end in the bar, with the bullet P.O.V. shots. Great stuff. **1/2 stars.

Another entry into the "cheer for the most likeable bad guy" series of Hong Kong action flicks. "Full Contact" tells the oft-told tale of betrayal and revenge, served up as a potent cocktail of Western convention mixed with the trademarked Hong Kong style. When Jeff's (Hong Kong superstar Chow Yun Fat in true hard-case form) friend Sam (Anthony Wong) steps on the feet of a local loan shark, Jeff comes to his rescue, creating a powerful enemy in the vengeful gangster. Seeking to skip town and make good, the two hatch a plan to hijack an arms shipment with the help of Sam's flamboyant and malicious cousin Judge (a delightfully sleazy Simon Yam) and his gang of dysfunctional thugs. What Jeff doesn't know is that he's being double-crossed by the wild group of brutal killers, who plan to bury him as they make their getaway. Judge forces Sam to off his loyal friend Jeff, but Sam botches the job, leaving Jeff to return for bitter revenge after dealing with an emotionally painful betrayal and a physically challenging rehabilitation. Lam foregoes the melodrama of Hong Kong counterpart John Woo and goes straight for the jugular with unremittingly stark and graphic violence. At the same time, the characters retain a certain amount of sympathy. Frequently outrageous and over the top, "Full Contact" is nonetheless a well made film suffering from a fairly weak script. Though comparisons to Woo are inevitable, especially because of Chow Yun-Fat in the lead role, Lam is a different kind of director and, accordingly, "Full Contact" is a different sort of beast. Although it opens with a robbery that rapidly turns into a shoot-'em-up, there's none of the balletic, elegant violence that characterizes Woo and his imitators. When the camera lingers over the carnage, it's not a lovingly choreographed sweep. Unlike in Chow's films for Woo, for which he is best known in the West, there's little that's noble about Chow's character in this one. He's heroic only by comparison to the psychotic gangsters he takes down one by one. Fortunately, Chow is up to the challenge of portraying a character of questionable morals in an honorable light, and Anthony Wong and Ann Bridgewater, respectively playing his best friend and wife, are equally top-notch. Lam's direction is excellent as well. His fine control of the action and pacing keeps the film from peaking too soon, and even a bullet's-eye view during a climactic shoot-out in a nightclub works in the movie's favor. The level of violence makes most of what Hollywood produces tame by comparison.

A truly incredible film. Chow Yun-Fat has to be one of the greatest action stars ever. And Ringo Lam's camera work was top notch. The action sequences were second to none. I highly recommend this film to anyone who is a fan of action.

Action films are a dime a dozen. Many really suck. A few stand out. Of all the action fims I've ever seen in my life, this one held me as much as any not directed by John Woo. The gun battle toward the end of the film is exhilarating. Any action fan that thinks "Matrix-style" slow motion bullets are the end-all, be-all of effects should check "bulletride" effect at the end of this film. And to its amazing credit, this film was made without the help of Hollywood digital effects. I haven't even mentioned CHOW YUN-FAT. He is AWESOME in this film. The man is as bad-ass as Mel Gibson any day. "Full Contact" is based on the same book as "PayBack." Let me tell you this film runs ring around payback in areas of acting, directing, violence and coolness. There is no substitute for Chow Yun-Fat. If you're dying for a style filled actioner and have exhausted your John Woo collection, then check out "Full Contact."