Enter the Phoenix
Director: Stephen Fung
Year: 2004
Rating: 6.0
This is a silly
but generally enjoyable slick action comedy - with the emphasis very much
on the comedy - that plays around like a wet sponge with Hong Kong triad
conventions. At the time it was filled with a bunch of young rising stars
including director Stephen Fung in his debut. His next film was the fun House
of Fury with The Twins but I am surprised at the paucity of his directing
credits since then. Perhaps that is due to his long courtship and then marriage
to actress Shu Qi. I would rather be home too.
Two triad leaders (Yuen Biao and Michael
Chan) are both friends and rivals but after Hung (Yuen) takes a bullet for
Lui Fai (Chan), they declare peace and to never attack one another. A young
boy looks on whose father was killed by a man from Yuen's group - Red Honor
- and swears vengeance some day. Twenty-five years later when Hung passes
away that day has come. As does the comedy.
To replace Hung as the Big Boss the father/son
combination (Law Kar-wing and Chapman To) have to locate Hung's son who disappeared
years ago when he was a boy and all they know is that he is gay. But apparently
an old Chinese saying is "For girls go to Mongkok; for boys go to Bangkok"
and off they go. They locate his address but mistakenly think his friend
and roommate Sam (Eason Chan) is the prodigal son and that he is gay. He
is neither but he persuades Georgie (Daniel Wu) who really is gay to pretend
to be Sam and vice versa because Sam always wanted to be a triad boss. A
typical dream of a child in Hong Kong.
So here they come. Just wait. Ah yes, this
being a Hong Kong film there are loads of gay jokes coming down the pike;
no political correctness here - so be prepared for them. Most of them are
just plain silly (watch the trailer). Once back in Hong Kong the daughter
(Karen Mok) of Lui Fai - still alive and still Michael Chan - falls for -
ok - Georgie who goes by Sam while Sam who goes by Georgie falls for her.
This isn't exactly He's a Woman, She's a Man but there is some sexual confusion
as the daughter tries to convert Sam - oh hell Daniel Wu by taking him to
a gogo and the father/son try to convert Georgie - Eason - by tossing two
girls into his room because they think he is gay. Make Yin into Yang as the
father says. Got all that?
Meanwhile, that young boy is now Stephen
Fung and he figures it is time to honor mom and dad. You do that of course
by killing everyone if you can. Unfortunately, the big action scene at the
end is pretty badly done with wires swinging the opponents around like a
video game gone awry. The comedy is juvenile but often admittedly funny but
the melodrama which kicks in around the hour mark brings the film to a screeching
halt like getting stuck in a swamp up to your neck.
This being a film produced by Emperor they
get cameos for no particular purpose from Sammi Cheng, Nicholas Tse, Sam
Lee and good old Jackie Chan.
