License to Steal
Director: Billy Chan
Year: 1990
Rating: 7.0
This film has a real
slapdash two-week production feel to it – but it still manages to have
enough action and charm within to be a small but pleasurable treat. I suppose
anytime, you throw in the services of Yuen Biao, Ngai Sing, Billy Chow,
Joyce Godenzi and Agnes Aurelio – under the watchful eye of producer Sammo
Hung – the chances are that you will have some fun and it delivers that
in bite size pieces.
In this same year – 1990 – Sammo also produced the classic She Shoots
Straight which is perhaps most famous for the match up between Joyce and
Agnes. Here again they find themselves at odds with one another – and have
not just one fight – but go at one another four times! None of them perhaps
contain the brutal thrills of the one in She Shoots Straight – but watching
these two very intense individuals go for the jugular is riveting stuff.
I always find it amazing to think that before Joyce got into films she had
no training in the martial arts or dance. Though she may be a bit stiffer
than some of the other female action stars – she still performs some terrific
action moves – but what I really like about Joyce is her no nonsense approach
– deadly serious with a cool look in her eyes that could blow out a candle
at twenty feet.
Joyce, Agnes and Alvina Kong have been brought up by their adoptive father
– Lau Shun – to be professional thieves. And they are very good at it –
but both Joyce and Alvina want to get out of the life. Agnes feels under
appreciated and so on their next job she sets Joyce up to take a fall –
paralyzes Lau Shun – and sets up her own gang with Billy Chow.
A few years later Joyce gets out of prison and wants to stay clean, but
Agnes drags her back in by trying to frame her for another crime. At the same
time, cops Richard Ng and Ngai Sing are investigating Agnes. Ng is his typical
goofy character and Sing is all choirboy charm – with a hell of a kick behind
it. Yuen Biao drops in from time to time – literally. In a character that
feels like a cousin to that in Dragons Forever, Yuen is a sweet eccentric
kung fu artist – who often appears at opportune times from nowhere – gives
a few minutes of incredible acrobatic artistry and vanishes again.
Behind this fairly flimsy plot lies some good action – not only the Joyce
and Agnes fights – but Yuen tussles with Agnes as well – has a good set
piece against Ngai – and a vicious fight with Billy Chow. These are the
kind of enjoyable mid budget action films – good actors – a few laughs -
very competent action choreography – that Hong Kong used to be able to knock
off like clockwork in the early 90’s – but seem to be nearly nonexistent
in the Hong Kong of today. For cameo watchers – look for a quick glimpse
of Sammo in nearly the very last frame of the film.
