Midnight Express in the Orient
Director: Billy Chung
Year: 1996
Rating: 5.0
Well, its good that
Diana Pang Dan is draped all over the front and back covers of the VCD because
she is nearly invisible in the movie itself. She has perhaps five minutes
of screen time as she pops in from time to time. At least when she does drop
by she wears some alluring outfits – but still the cover leads to expectations
that are not remotely met.
The film is really a male version of Thelma and Louise as two men – Yu Rong
Guang and Vincent Wan are on a road trip with the police in close pursuit.
Wan is married to Pang Dan and she treats him like an errand boy. Considering
how Pang Dan looks perhaps it is understandable that he accepts this behaviour
– but when his friend Yu Rong Guang invites him to go along for a few days
to Shenzen (in the Mainland) for fun and games – Wan accepts.
Trouble comes soon in a big way as Wan brings
a girl back to his room – and then changes his mind – only to discover that
it is a scam and that her “husband” is now in the room demanding to be paid
off. When Wan refuses a fight ensues – Yu Rong Guang soon joins in – and
both the girl and her accomplice are accidentally killed. The boys panic
and are soon on the run in a large truck through the Chinese countryside.
They quickly pick up a female hitchhiker who is also on the run - from
triad moneylenders in her case. The boys have a number of adventures on their
journey from getting caught in a wild shootout between the cops and a Bonnie
and Clyde couple and then helping a group of farmers battle off some thugs.
On the way, both men grow up and begin to learn somethings about themselves
– but the cops are closing in.
Though the film has some interesting themes and a few good scenes, it is
generally very poorly executed and very slow moving at times. There are a
number of action scenes involving Yu Rong Guang – but the choreography is
extremely weak and uninteresting. And of course there is not nearly enough
Pang Dan.