The Blacksheep Affair
 

Director: Lam Wai-lun
Year: 1998
Rating: 5.0

This film should really be categorized in the action section as it primarily stars Vincent Zhao as a SWAT type mainland cop. In the opening scene, he saves some hostages from hijackers but in doing so he disobeys orders. So as punishment he is ordered to serve in the Ambassador’s guard in the imaginary Eastern European country of Livernia where everyone speaks English, and no one can act and in which somehow there are Chinese boat people offshore. Huh ? ? Now what exactly was their route I wonder.


There is a Japanese religious terrorist (Andrew Lin) that Zhao does battle with and Hsu Chi shows up as Zhao's old girlfriend who left China after the Tieneman massacre. He condemns her for deserting China during this time. A definite bow from the filmmaker to the authorities. Even politics aside though, this is a dreadful film full of huge holes, terribly staged action sequences (now just how do the terrorists keep missing at 30 yards with a rocket launcher), and at times an incomprehensible plot. There is though a large body count and one decent action scene in a subway station. Hsu Chi does not have much to do except act stupidly, look lovely and end up in the wrong place at the wrong time.