Tsui Hark had his Jean-Claude Van Damme moment as well. Like John Woo and
Ringo Lam before him already had. Give Van Damme credit - he wanted to work
with the best action directors in the world and he did with these three. There
was a lot of wailing and gnashing of teeth when Tsui directed two films for
Van Damme - mainly I would guess from Western Hong Kong film fans. Tsui Hark.
He is royalty. Responsible as director or producer for many of the best films
ever out of Hong Kong (or anywhere). It is an astonishing list - the Chinese
Ghost Story trilogy, the Swordsman trilogy, the Once Upon a Time films, the
A Better Tomorrow trilogy and one-offs like Peking Opera Blues, Shanghai
Blues, The Green Snake, The Blade - just to ponder his cinematic accomplishments
is breathtaking. What would Hong Kong film have been without Tsui showing
up in the early 1980s with Zu. And now Van Damme. But there were reasons
- money was one I am sure, an opportunity to break into the American market
and of course the 1997 Handover, which plays a prominent role in this film.
Everybody in the film industry was getting edgy - what would it mean - well
as we have found out in recent years and more so in recent months quite a
bit but it took a while. Time will see where it goes.
The thing about this and Double Team is that on one level they are stupider
than a piece of glazed fruit with plots that are messes and barely make sense
- but on another level they are enormously entertaining. Just packed with
action. With Double Team Tsui went with over the top ridiculous- I mean tigers
in a coliseum and Dennis Rodman - but in this one he just fills every nook
and cranny with action. I think he basically wanted to try some things - and
I think you can see him taking it further in his next Hong Kong film, Time
and Tide. It begins with a wonderful rickshaw race through the mid-levels
of Hong Kong and it rarely stops. The final 45 minutes is non-stop action
set pieces that fold into each other ending with the huge one. Who needs a
credible plot? As I said the mid-levels - he shot this in his hometown and
the location shooting is wonderful and all over - even the Big Buddha on
Lantau Island which is the headquarters of the CIA! And they blow it up. Glad
I got there before they did!
Quickly - because it really is the action - Van Damme and his partner played
by Rob Schneider - who the best you can say about him is that he is
only a minor irritant - have set up a business making jeans for an American
company. Meanwhile, the rickshaw race is broken up by a Russian gang that
tries to kidnap a friend of Van Damme's. A big fight breaks out in which
policewoman Carman Lee participates. I was hoping she would have a larger
role but she fades out pretty quickly - not so for Michael Wong who is heading
a team to get the Russians and has a large part especially in the finale.
The Russians have created these very explosive miniaturized bombs that can
easily be smuggled in anything. The CIA headed by Paul Sorvino are after them
too. And Lela Rochon shows up supposedly from that American company. And
that is all you need to know if that much. Action action and more action and
well-choreographed by Yuen Bun. In a way this is really a Hong Kong film with
a few gweilos in the main parts. That finale is huge and Van Damme, Wong,
Rochon and even Schneider get to do Chow Yun-fat imitations. Good fun. Take
off your thinking cap.
