Goo wak chai: Yan joi gong woo

Young And Dangerous was a big boxoffice hit in Hong Kong and is the first movie in a series that this far contains six parts plus five spin off movies, not counting the many imitations and rip offs, so it could be worth checking out. If you like it there is the whole series to watch.

Y & D is an action movie (more than a gangster drama) about young triad gangsters and the importance of good friendship. It is purely entertainment, it is not an art film and has no important messages to the audience. The story is simple and we are not getting any deeper knowledge about the triads and how they function, even though the funeral and the punishment scene are interesting and well made. But simplicity does not have to be only bad, this is action and it is good that the story is not confusing. Also, the story contains the element of revenge and revenge tends to be involving.

The pacing is good and Y & D never gets boring, on the contrary, it gets more and more involving. Some scenes are unnecessary though, especially those with the priest and the female car thief that seems aimed to provide some not needed comic relief. But those scenes does not ruin the movie, it would just be better without them. Otherwise the tone is serious and Francis Ng, as the villain, gives a strong performance that actually lifts the film.

Y & D is superficial, but there is a lot of action, even though it is mostly the usual gang fighting. Y & D does not belong to the Heroic Bloodshed genre, there is not much gunplay and bloodsquibs. If it had been more brutal with more on screen violence it would have been a better movie. Even though it is a serious movie I would have preferred a grittier tone, but this is aimed for a younger audience. Some of the young rascals does not seem tough enough to be gangsters, but Cheng is OK as their groupleader (Ho Nam) and Chan is good as his right hand (Chicken). Simon Yam has only a small role as their highest boss. You will be entertained even if it is not the best you have seen. 7 / 10

The "Young and Dangerous" movies are a series of films about the experiences of young triads in Hong Kong's criminal society. They are based on a Hongkongese comic book known as "Teddy Boy", a fact which would be unknown if not for the movie often cutting to hand-drawn images, revealing how closely the film resembles the comic book.

The film's structure seems to be fairly episodic; there's not much of an overarching narrative that I could detect, and thus the scenes only have power based on the performances. The stand-outs for me were Ekin Cheng as the protagonist and the stunningly beautiful Gigi Lai as his love interest.

Despite being a HK crime flick, "Young and Dangerous" isn't heroic bloodshed; there's very little gunplay and none of the violence is shot in balletic fashion.

Unfortunately, with little cohesion to each scene, "Young and Dangerous"'s power feels muted, especially in its climax; however it is entertaining for most of its run-time.

"Young And Dangerous" is one of those films that is known about by anyone even vaguely familiar with Hong Kong movies, and for one reason. It's excellent.

The characters, the actors (Francis Ng is an excellent villain), the story, even the musical score all combine to make this one unforgettable film. Themes like loyalty, trust, and friendship in general figure heavily into the plot - which really makes for a strong narrative.

As in most movies concerning the Triads, there is a lot of violence. The thing is, in "Y&D" it isn't extremely glorified, nor is it downplayed. It's just there - for you to judge on your own. Surprisingly, the violence in this film actually serves to move along the story, not just for a "wow" factor like in many other HK features.

At any rate, if you're new to HK movies, or are just looking for a good gangster action/drama, then by ALL means rent (or buy) a copy of "Young And Dangerous." You'll thank me later.

YOUNG AND DANGEROUS (Gu Huo Zi: Zhi Ren Zai Jiang Hu)

Aspect ratio: 1.85:1

Sound format: Mono

The end of Hong Kong's 'New Wave' revolution - initiated by Tsui Hark's THE BUTTERFLY MURDERS in 1979 and consolidated throughout the 1980's by the likes of John Woo, Ringo Lam, et al - was signalled by the inexplicable commercial success of Andrew Lau's YOUNG AND DANGEROUS, a visually frenetic melding of teen idol actors and old-fashioned Triad sensationalism, adapted from the graphic novels by Niu Lo (aka Kau Man). Ekin Cheng (known at the time under the English name Dior Cheng) plays a rising young star in the Hung Hing society who falls foul of rival gangster Francis Ng (GEN-X COPS), a psychotic killer who covets the Hung Hing leadership for himself. Betrayal and murder ensue, until Cheng and his loyal friends mount a counterattack against Ng, leading to a redemptive finale.

Director Lau also serves as cinematographer on this dog-eared potboiler, adopting a hand-held camera style which simply emphasizes the impoverished budget and hurried production schedule, and the decision to print key action scenes in the 'jerky-cam' style popularized by Wong Kar-wai in the likes of CHUNG KING EXPRESS (1994) is profoundly irritating. Manfred Wong's screenplay takes too long setting up the basic premise, and the film's opening half is almost derailed by needless comic set-pieces involving Cheng's relationship with Gigi Lai (playing the tough cookie sister of another gangster) which threaten to sink the entire production until events take a turn into dark-hearted melodrama, culminating in a dramatic showdown between Good and Evil.

Actor/pop singer Cheng is a bland leading man (it's doubtful he'd amount to very much without the floppy fringe and Lau's complimentary lighting scheme), and he's upstaged throughout by Ng as the monstrous psychopath who ruins the hero's life whilst murdering everyone who opposes his methods, innocent and guilty alike. The movie's only real claim to fame, however, is that it kick-started the career of second-billed Jordan Chan (KITCHEN), an unlikely heartthrob whose natural acting ability atones for a lack of movie star good looks, and who has since emerged as one of HK cinema's shining lights; his performance in YOUNG AND DANGEROUS as Cheng's loyal, hare-brained best friend is charming and unaffected, and seemingly effortless. HK movie veteran Simon Yam (BULLET IN THE HEAD) makes a brief appearance as head of the Hung Hing group, and Spencer Lam plays a former triad-turned-priest whose Christian piety doesn't prevent him from landing a few well-aimed kicks on Ng during one of the film's more bizarre episodes! Director Lau went on to better things (including the recent "Infernal Affairs" series), though not before directing SIX sequels to YOUNG AND DANGEROUS, the first of which appeared in HK theaters mere months after its predecessor!

(Cantonese dialogue)

Y&D is the best HK Triads Movies ever, even to this day IMO. Y&D 1,2 and 3 are wicked must-see movies that any fan on HK cinema should watch. If you can watch them one after the other, the better.

Unforgettable characters and surprisingly good soundtrack. Standout actors/characters include Ekin Cheng (Lam), Jordan Chan (chicken), Gigi Lai (the gf, especially in Y&D 3) and Francis Ng (the villain from Y&D 1).

Contrary to some ppl's opinion on the lack of plot, I thought that it was quite good, definitely interesting and not boring. The twists were unexpected and the pacing was really good.

I had no problems following the story. My one complaint would be to the translators because it could have been so much better! The subtitles only convey a little more than half the depth and expressions~

Even so, these are still movies that are very entertaining and it's quite an accurate portrayal of HK gangsters. Don't ask me how I know this ;) lol