Week-end à Taipei

Part martial arts, part "John Wick," part romance, and part "family" film; this movie tries to be too many things at once and, not surprisingly, fails. Considering this flick contains the seeds of at least four separate movies, the result was a competent one, even if the "family ending" leaves you scratching your head (but with a smile on your face) for what is, in the last analysis, an "action" flick. After an absence of thirteen years, a DEA returns to Taipei, the Republic of China, to confront the drug lord who cost him the love of his life. What he doesn't know is that very same woman is now the pampered wife of said drug lord, and that he has a son he never knew about. Sound interesting? It is. Whether that is enough for you, you have to see the movie to find out.

Marketed as a "throwaway" foreign action film with veteran action/thriller star Luke Evans, I went in with low expectations. To my surprise, this was a better than expected action flick with great action sequences.

What with an assassin-like lead in a foreign country, with heavy family theme overtones, the movie had heavy Taken vibes. Similarly, prominent car action sequences in a foreign country - including Fast and Furious regular Sung Kang by the way - clearly gave off Fast and Furious vibes.

The first and last quarter of the movie had top-notch edge of your seat action, gratifyingly up to the standards of legendary co-writer and co-producer Luc Besson.

The middle 50 percent of the movie, unfortunately, does get bogged down in complicated relationship entanglements between Evans, the bad guy Kang, and Kang's wife. In an almost James Bond-ian, if not Gilda-esque, plot point, the -ex of the good guy is now the wife of the bad guy - which is always a problem.

The movie relies heavily on a series of massive and incredulous coincidences and contrivances, yet, to be honest, I was willing to overlook these flaws in deference to the overall entertainment value of the flick.

If you're looking for a light action flick, perhaps only a notch below a Jason Statham flick, then you will like this movie.

Picture a guy who shoots faster than a Call of Duty sniper and drives through Taipei's streets like he's in a Need for Speed DLC. That's Luke Evans in Weekend in Taipei. Seriously, the man's a machine. He's so intense even red lights seem to give him the right of way.

Opposite him is Gwei Lun Mei, a driver so skilled she could drift circles around Vin Diesel and leave him in the dust. Her character, Joey, is a whirlwind of style and speed, giving you chills with just the sound of her car starting. But don't be fooled-she's got a Kill Bill side to her: soft yet deadly.

Luc Besson, true to form, serves up an explosive cocktail of action and romance. He's firmly in his comfort zone, but honestly, that's all we want. It's cinema that hits hard, packed with chases, explosions, and dialogue as subtle as a rocket in GTA. The plot? Simple. But let's be real-who's here for the plot?

The real star, though, is Taipei. The city is filmed like a character in its own right. Neon lights everywhere, narrow alleyways, and buildings practically screaming, "Come have a car chase here!" Between the fights, you could almost believe you're in an open-world Yakuza game.

The film's strength lies in its explosive blend of action and romance. One moment, you're hooked on a fight scene where Luke Evans is smashing jaws; the next, you're hit with a ridiculously cheesy exchange between two ex-lovers still hung up on their breakup. It's so cliché it's brilliant.

Weekend in Taipei is like a four-cheese pizza at 3 a.m.: you know it's not gourmet, but damn, it feels good. With punchy action scenes, a visually stunning city, and a romance running on pure adrenaline, this film is a guilty pleasure at its finest. Don't expect a Palme d'Or, but buckle up for a hell of a ride.

Years ago, committed DEA agent John Lawlor (Luke Evans) fell in love with Joey Kwang, a Taipei-based transport driver working in the criminal underworld, but was forced to flee due to tragic circumstances. Now, the duo reunites when Lawlor blows his cover as a chef and takes an off-the-books weekend mission to Taipei to bring down a billionaire drug kingpin (Sun Kang)... who just so happens to be Joey's (Lun-Mei Gwei) new husband. There John will rediscover a past that he thought he had left behind 15 years ago. Pack for a long weekend !. From the creators of Taken and The Transporter, Weekend in Taipei hits theaters this November 8th !.

After their time in the 'Fast and Furious' saga, Luke Evans and Sung Kang share the lead roles on screen again in another adrenaline-fueled film, in this violent thriller of action and high-voltage romance. Resulting to be an over-the-top and nail-biting thriller that will leave you emotionally and and physically drained due to constant fights, car chases and violent shootings. Intriguing and suspenseful thriller about a three attractive roles who become involved into a triangular drama, including a a brave son in the middle. There's also a charming love story in which the two main roles revisit their romance during a fateful weekend in Taipei, unaware of the dangerous and fateful consequences of their past.

The trio of protagonists give decent performances. Luke Evans is acceptable as John Lawlor, a drug agent who heads to Taipei with the objective of tracking down Kwang - well played by Sung Kang - the leader of the drug cartel in Taiwan, along with t.he Taiwanese star Lun-Mei Gwei as the third in discord and cause of dispute .

Lavishly produced by Luc Besson, winner of the Cesar for best director for 'The Fifth Element', and the script is by Besson himself together with the film's director George Huang. Although professionally directed by George Huang (Trojan War, Swimming Sharks, How to make a monster, The Invisible Man), this film is clearly a work of Luc Besson, as evidenced by his usual trademarks and ordinary visual pyrotechnics, such as: unstoppable action, luxurious sets, exotic environments, twisted romances and clever crime dramas. Besson often features fully enclosed sets with no natural lighting and typically, during the opening-titles, the camera moves towards something important for the movie, but looks down until the important part of credits was shown, then swings up, now looking at a place or character. Luc often casts Jean Reno and music always by Eric Serra. Besson is the greatest producer and director from France with hits as ¨Leon¨ , ¨Joan of Arc¨ , ¨The fifth element¨ , the ¨Taxi¨ series , ¨Big blue¨ , ¨Lucy¨, ¨Malavita¨, "The lady¨,¨The extraordinary aventures of d'Adèle Blanc-Sec¨, "Arthur and the Minimois¨, ¨Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets ¨, ¨Anna¨ and , of course , ¨Nikita¨, among others . Rating Weekend in Taipei (2024) 6/10 . Well worth watching . The pic will appeal to action movies fans.

The director and producer Luc BESSON still stands for French genre cinema that aims to reach a global audience. This is also the case with this English-language WEEKEND IN TAIPEI, which BESSON produced with his company EUROPACORP.

It all begins with a Taiwanese Holly Golightly, who treats herself to breakfast at Ferrari and turns out to be an excellent racing driver (Lun-mei GWEI as Joey). At the same time, an undercover agent (Luke EVANS) in Minneapolis uncovers a drug ring based in Taiwan and run by Joey's nasty husband (Sung KANG). What connects these three people becomes clear during a weekend trip to Taiwan. And then there is Joey's precocious teenage son (Wyatt YANG), who will learn a lot about his family.

Fast-paced action, solid shots from an exotic location! This is how the GERMAN ADVENTURE FLICKS worked 60 years ago in the tradition of the KOMMISSAR X films with Tony KENDALL and Brad HARRIS. And like in the films of the Roman CINECITTA, an English-speaking B-star was hired to appeal to a global audience. The fact that the plot is not particularly original doesn't hurt either. After all, the film is primarily intended to lure a teenage audience into the cinema seats. But the film is certainly fun, even if it's better to switch off your brain.

The French film industry of the Paris CINECITE, especially in the form of Luc BESSON, manages to produce a genre film every year that has what it takes to appeal to young moviegoers and to work in cinemas around the world.