Bobson_94
Joined Jun 2005
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Bobson_94's rating
Have you seen Bruce Li/Ho Chung Tao in a movie of reasonable calibre? To make an educated guess, I'd say probably not. However, this vehicle is arguably Li's best effort in a tainted career. Ironically, this is one of the only films where he doesn't ape Lee's mannerisms - although this stars Little Dragon Li, it cannot be considered Bruceploitation.
Li and his friends find a box of gold whilst on a diving adventure, and the events thereafter leaves them fighting for their very survival in this, one of few contemporary films by any of the Bruce Lee imitators.
Once one recovers from the dubious fashion sense of our leads, and the typically poor dubbing/soundtrack, it is possible to appreciate this effort. A very gritty film, it manages to maintain an extremely heavy (and somewhat bleak) atmosphere right from the off. There is little of the "humour" which plagued late-70's Hong Kong action films, and indeed, the realism (of one torture scene in particular) may well leave the viewer reeling. The fight choreography is good, but the "real-world" nature of the fights leaves very little room for spectacular stuff.
Overall, this film is a surprisingly enjoyable effort, and a chance to watch Li as his own character, rather than as a plethora of Bruce Lee characteristics.
Li and his friends find a box of gold whilst on a diving adventure, and the events thereafter leaves them fighting for their very survival in this, one of few contemporary films by any of the Bruce Lee imitators.
Once one recovers from the dubious fashion sense of our leads, and the typically poor dubbing/soundtrack, it is possible to appreciate this effort. A very gritty film, it manages to maintain an extremely heavy (and somewhat bleak) atmosphere right from the off. There is little of the "humour" which plagued late-70's Hong Kong action films, and indeed, the realism (of one torture scene in particular) may well leave the viewer reeling. The fight choreography is good, but the "real-world" nature of the fights leaves very little room for spectacular stuff.
Overall, this film is a surprisingly enjoyable effort, and a chance to watch Li as his own character, rather than as a plethora of Bruce Lee characteristics.
This is an abysmal film, whose only saving graces are the ripped-off music (from better films such as Chinatown), and a few unintentional moments of humour.
One such example would be a "threatening" phone-call to the police office asking for a purse. My 4 year-old brother laughed for about 10 minutes in a badly cut scene where Lee Man Tai puts his trousers on (having thought he had slept in the Charlie Chin's bed). Go figure.
There are few films more exploitative in their packaging, as Chan only appears fleetingly throughout the film, and in those scenes, there are no moments at all where Chan shines in this movie.
As the lead, Chin is wooden and unconvincing, he is put to better effect in his later collaborations with Chan. All in all, it is advised that you seek the films that the title apes, namely Police Story and Rumble In Hong Kong.
One such example would be a "threatening" phone-call to the police office asking for a purse. My 4 year-old brother laughed for about 10 minutes in a badly cut scene where Lee Man Tai puts his trousers on (having thought he had slept in the Charlie Chin's bed). Go figure.
There are few films more exploitative in their packaging, as Chan only appears fleetingly throughout the film, and in those scenes, there are no moments at all where Chan shines in this movie.
As the lead, Chin is wooden and unconvincing, he is put to better effect in his later collaborations with Chan. All in all, it is advised that you seek the films that the title apes, namely Police Story and Rumble In Hong Kong.