Don't Give a Damn
Director: Sammo Hung
Year: 1995
Rating: 6.5
What is one supposed to make of this Sammo Hung
directed film? Sammo was involved in so many classic Hong Kong films as an
actor, director, action choreographer or producer that it is hard not to
come to the conclusion that along with Tsui Hark, he was one of the most
influential people in Hong Kong films from the late 1970s on. Some might
say what about Jackie Chan? Nah. Some great individual films but outside
of himself he didn't contribute that much. Same with Wong Kar-wai. Sammo
was a remarkably collaborative force helping all those around him and jump
starting new genres - Hopping Vampires and Girl with Guns among others. But
between the classics, Sammo also made a number of smaller modest films like
Pantyhose Hero, Slickers vs Killers, Ghost Punting and My Flying Wife that
all have their pleasures within. Sammo has a great sense of humor and nearly
all his films are dotted with it - some more than others. This film is basically
a farcical comedy with action breaking out from time to time and much of
it is charming as he and his friend Yuen Biao try and romance two female
police officers (Kathy Chow and Eileen Tung).
But the film has received a lot of fire
over the years from Westerners (not sure if Hong Kongers feel the same way)
for another aspect. This is Sammo's racist film. Towards blacks, Japanese
and whites or as he refers to them as crackers. Pretty much against everyone
who is not Chinese. At one point he says "I'm Chinese. We're all racist".
And many Hong Kong films are guilty of this. Ours too of course by 100 fold.
If there is a black character in a Hong Kong film, you can bet he will be
called a racist epithet. Clearly, there was no social outrage about this
as it was a constant. The Japanese never get off very well either. Or South
East Asians. But this film has really been blasted for it perhaps because
Sammo is held in such high regard that Westerners were very disappointed
and upset. Me admittedly less so. After years of watching American films
filled with racism, this felt sillier more than insulting. Yuen Biao and
Kaneshiro Takeshi put on black face - not to make fun of blacks but to infiltrate
a gang of foreigners with a few blacks among them. Yes, silly especially
when no one can tell they are not black - not even the brother of the fellow
they are pretending to be.
Even without that though, this is an oddball
film. There are some fierce backbreaking action sequences but they are sporadic
in a film filled with juvenile humor mainly from Yuen and Sammo who are slightly
nuts and psychotic. Sammo goes on these insulting tirades when he loses face
and the one he hits Kathy with is really weird and misogynistic. "I want
to fart on your face". Sammo and Yuen meet in the first scene of the film
when they get on a bus - then another group of men at the next stop - then
another at the next stop - and poor Blacky Ko who gets on the bus to mug
someone (Richard Ng). It is a drug deal between Sammo (with a mullet ponytail)
and Yuen (a distinguished Van Dyke beard and a three-piece suit). But it
turns out they are each there to arrest one another = Sammo as a cop and
Yuen as a Customs officer - and all the other men are cops or customs. Back
at police headquarters the two of them have a locker room slugfest. The Commander
calls them Beardy Weirdy and Fat Fuckwit. Yuen gets the come-on eye from
Eileen while Kathy Chow (who in my opinion has one of the nicest faces in
Hong Kong film) seems interested in Sammo. A whole lot of insulting goes
on. Sammo is assigned to Inspector Tang, a hot shot young officer - played
by Takeshi.
It's not all romance and comedy though as
they are out to get a Japanese drug operation run by Yamamoto (Kelvin Wong).
This leads to three action set pieces that are all well done. Hard hitting
as hell. Yamamoto has hired a group of rappers to steal drugs (Robert Samuels
- Red Wolf). In the finale the rappers have taken the drugs for themselves
and kidnapped Kathy and that is when we get the blackface to rescue her -
but we also get a terrific three way fight between the HK cops, the rappers
and the Japanese - at one point Sammo and Ngai Sing and Samuels are all fighting
one another. Sammo sort of saves the best for last as the film seems
to end with a freeze frame but then continues as the camera keeps going to
see all the crew cheering and celebrating and the cast as well. In the film
in small parts are Wu Ma, Timmy Hung, Dion Lam. Eddie Maher (who disappointingly
doesn't have a fight), Yvonne Yung Hung as the prostitute, Natalis Chan as
the crazy cop, Lau Kar-wing, Leung Kar-yan, Melvin Wong, Michael Miu, Vincent
Wan, Chin Siu-ho as Spider Man, Teddy Yip, Peter Chan Lung as the rapist
and Billy Lau. All of Sammo's friends.
