this was cheesier than my uncle’s jokes at thanksgiving. way too fast paced, almost every scene felt like it was going 200 mph. although the action sequences were pretty sick and the lead performances were really strong, so i still had a decently fun time

this was cheesier than my uncle’s jokes at thanksgiving. way too fast paced, almost every scene felt like it was going 200 mph. although the action sequences were pretty sick and the lead performances were really strong, so i still had a decently fun time

REALLY FUN!! Really well shot and really good choreo and really epic deaths

REALLY FUN!! Really well shot and really good choreo and really epic deaths

The relatively generic plot is definitely elevated by the cast. I had a good time watching this.
Also the gore is insane.

The relatively generic plot is definitely elevated by the cast. I had a good time watching this.
Also the gore is insane.

Another installment of 'Sundays on Fire' at the Nitehawk and one I'd not seen before, which was nice.

The film credits two directors, though there were at least three (and wiki even suggests a fourth) and, though I wouldn't presume to imply I could tell who directed what specific scenes, it is pretty clear that the production was, let's say, complicated -- the film is all over the place tonally and there are plot setups which  are abandoned in favor of set-pieces, some of which are legitimately incoherently filmed. On the other hand, it's cool to see Waise Lee playing a good guy (even if he's a dick about it), some of the set-pieces are actually pretty great, and it keeps its half-baked romance subplot under control (something many films of the era don't manage to do, preferring to wallow in their sentimentality). Interestingly, it's also got an elevator shaft sequence not too dissimilar from the one in 'Die Hard' (also a 1988 film). Plus, there's an amusing Tsui Hark cameo at the end.

Also, there's something else worth pointing out about the plot: for an 80s film, particularly an HK one, it handles its homosexuality plotline with a little more finesse than usual. Let me first say that, yes, some of the film's characters, particularly the police ones, are happy to exploit someone's sexuality for their own gain and the way they do this is horrible, but I don't believe the film share this homophobia; it's absent both the squeamishness and the weak attempts at humor that would be in attendance in most films of the era. It's not a shining paragon of tolerance but, given the way the industry as a whole was operating, it is noteworthy.

The print we saw looked pretty clean, though there were some choppy reel changes and I see that others at the screening have implied there may have been missing scenes -- I'm not sure about that but, to be honest, given the number of hands involved in the making out, it seems just as plausible that it wasn't fully finished. But, again, I don't know.

It's gory, but more so in the shocking way, rather than the bloody one (though it is bloody), it's convoluted, it doesn't quite make sense, and it was fun to see in a cinema.

Oh, it has a chase scene where one character picks up a child and literally throws that kid at the guy pursuing him, so there's that....

Another installment of 'Sundays on Fire' at the Nitehawk and one I'd not seen before, which was nice.

The film credits two directors, though there were at least three (and wiki even suggests a fourth) and, though I wouldn't presume to imply I could tell who directed what specific scenes, it is pretty clear that the production was, let's say, complicated -- the film is all over the place tonally and there are plot setups which  are abandoned in favor of set-pieces, some of which are legitimately incoherently filmed. On the other hand, it's cool to see Waise Lee playing a good guy (even if he's a dick about it), some of the set-pieces are actually pretty great, and it keeps its half-baked romance subplot under control (something many films of the era don't manage to do, preferring to wallow in their sentimentality). Interestingly, it's also got an elevator shaft sequence not too dissimilar from the one in 'Die Hard' (also a 1988 film). Plus, there's an amusing Tsui Hark cameo at the end.

Also, there's something else worth pointing out about the plot: for an 80s film, particularly an HK one, it handles its homosexuality plotline with a little more finesse than usual. Let me first say that, yes, some of the film's characters, particularly the police ones, are happy to exploit someone's sexuality for their own gain and the way they do this is horrible, but I don't believe the film share this homophobia; it's absent both the squeamishness and the weak attempts at humor that would be in attendance in most films of the era. It's not a shining paragon of tolerance but, given the way the industry as a whole was operating, it is noteworthy.

The print we saw looked pretty clean, though there were some choppy reel changes and I see that others at the screening have implied there may have been missing scenes -- I'm not sure about that but, to be honest, given the number of hands involved in the making out, it seems just as plausible that it wasn't fully finished. But, again, I don't know.

It's gory, but more so in the shocking way, rather than the bloody one (though it is bloody), it's convoluted, it doesn't quite make sense, and it was fun to see in a cinema.

Oh, it has a chase scene where one character picks up a child and literally throws that kid at the guy pursuing him, so there's that....