Hey, this thing is pretty long! But it has Sammo Hung, which means I'm obligated to watch it sooner or later. It's also set in Kowloon Walled City, which means I'm obligated to watch it sooner rather than later since I'm trying to write up a Call of Cthulhu campaign set there.
I like it! It feels a bit long at times, but it's also really cool, sentimental, funny, etc. There's most of the stuff one would presumably look for in a modern day blockbuster, including an improbable coincidence at the center of the plot. I do wish there was more action, but a nice portion of this film's runtime has to go to the plot, an unfortunate necessity of the modern blockbuster. There are some nice chases, and some good old man fights. He throws hammers around and they somehow come back to him like he's a fucking Marvel character. Also, the finale of the film begins during the Hungry Ghost Festival, which is kind of COOL, as is the entire final battle. At one point, the bad guy hits a double backdrop on two of the heroes, featuring what would in pro wrestling be a very nice head bump. The spirit of the gang's dead boss helps them out, and our main character hits Cyclone's signature strike. Neat!
I have to kind of assume that you know whether you like this based on the poster.
Weirdly, the best bit of filmmaking here is the credits sequence, which features a legitimately touching look at all the ordinary people of the city living their lives in peace and happiness for just a little bit longer. It nets this movie the half star bump.
"You're with me from now on. You go wherever I go. Do you hear me?"
Hey, this thing is pretty long! But it has Sammo Hung, which means I'm obligated to watch it sooner or later. It's also set in Kowloon Walled City, which means I'm obligated to watch it sooner rather than later since I'm trying to write up a Call of Cthulhu campaign set there.
I like it! It feels a bit long at times, but it's also really cool, sentimental, funny, etc. There's most of the stuff one would presumably look for in a modern day blockbuster, including an improbable coincidence at the center of the plot. I do wish there was more action, but a nice portion of this film's runtime has to go to the plot, an unfortunate necessity of the modern blockbuster. There are some nice chases, and some good old man fights. He throws hammers around and they somehow come back to him like he's a fucking Marvel character. Also, the finale of the film begins during the Hungry Ghost Festival, which is kind of COOL, as is the entire final battle. At one point, the bad guy hits a double backdrop on two of the heroes, featuring what would in pro wrestling be a very nice head bump. The spirit of the gang's dead boss helps them out, and our main character hits Cyclone's signature strike. Neat!
I have to kind of assume that you know whether you like this based on the poster.
Weirdly, the best bit of filmmaking here is the credits sequence, which features a legitimately touching look at all the ordinary people of the city living their lives in peace and happiness for just a little bit longer. It nets this movie the half star bump.
"You're with me from now on. You go wherever I go. Do you hear me?"
