Before he reached a modest amount of stateside success with the television series "Martial Law," Sammo Hung was something of a legend in China and Hong Kong. Hung was a member of the Seven Little Fortunes, a Peking opera troupe, whose former members also include Yuen Biao, Corey Yuen and Jackie Chan, among others. Hung was also among the group of filmmakers that spearheaded the Hong Kong New Wave during much of the 80´s and early 90´s.
One of the films that further solidified Hung´s multi-hyphenated career (as a director, fight choreographer and actor) was the western, martial arts, comedy, adventure movie "Shanghai Express." While not easy to pigeonhole the film is full of some great comedy, wonderfully staged action sequences and the great over the top energy that made films from Hong Kong during this time so enjoyable.
The story centers around Chin Fong-tin (Hung), an oddball of an outlaw who hopes to bring some much needed wealth to his home town. Chin hopes to do so by blowing up a nearby railroad forcing the wealthy passengers off a train to hold up in the town and spend their money until the line can be repaired. However, a plan by a group of thieves who are bent on stealing from the passengers throws things off. Now, the whole town is in trouble and Chin must band together with some of his some of his cohorts and try preventing the worst from happening.
The film contains a few other plot threads that somehow manage to converge near the end of the film. While the transition between all of them may not be the smoothest, they do add some interesting elements to the film. Hung directs himself and a great cast of characters, many of them recognizable Hong Kong movie stars, in a fine foray of mayhem that could only come out of Hong Kong during the 80´s.
Along with Hung, the film features performances from Yuen Biao, Yuen Wah, Richard Ng, Lam Ching-Ying, Eric Tsang, Rosamund Kwan and Cynthia Rothrock. There is even a nice little nod to legendary Hong Kong folk hero Wong Fei Hung in the film. The movie´s schizophrenic nature allows it be more than just a run of the mill entry from Hong Kong. However, it´s the action scenes that make it a little more memorable. Consider a stunt where Yuen Biao cart wheel/flips off of a three story building and then gets up and walks away, in one single take as if nothing happened. It´s this level of insanity and bravado that makes most of the performers from the Seven Little Fortunes so impressive.
Still, the numerous plot threads can get to be a bit overwhelming and the Hong Kong humor may just be too big a pill for some to swallow. It keeps the film from really elevating itself to a place where it won´t be forgotten. It´s not a great film from the Hong Kong New Wave but a good one given the circumstances.
One of the films that further solidified Hung´s multi-hyphenated career (as a director, fight choreographer and actor) was the western, martial arts, comedy, adventure movie "Shanghai Express." While not easy to pigeonhole the film is full of some great comedy, wonderfully staged action sequences and the great over the top energy that made films from Hong Kong during this time so enjoyable.
The story centers around Chin Fong-tin (Hung), an oddball of an outlaw who hopes to bring some much needed wealth to his home town. Chin hopes to do so by blowing up a nearby railroad forcing the wealthy passengers off a train to hold up in the town and spend their money until the line can be repaired. However, a plan by a group of thieves who are bent on stealing from the passengers throws things off. Now, the whole town is in trouble and Chin must band together with some of his some of his cohorts and try preventing the worst from happening.
The film contains a few other plot threads that somehow manage to converge near the end of the film. While the transition between all of them may not be the smoothest, they do add some interesting elements to the film. Hung directs himself and a great cast of characters, many of them recognizable Hong Kong movie stars, in a fine foray of mayhem that could only come out of Hong Kong during the 80´s.
Along with Hung, the film features performances from Yuen Biao, Yuen Wah, Richard Ng, Lam Ching-Ying, Eric Tsang, Rosamund Kwan and Cynthia Rothrock. There is even a nice little nod to legendary Hong Kong folk hero Wong Fei Hung in the film. The movie´s schizophrenic nature allows it be more than just a run of the mill entry from Hong Kong. However, it´s the action scenes that make it a little more memorable. Consider a stunt where Yuen Biao cart wheel/flips off of a three story building and then gets up and walks away, in one single take as if nothing happened. It´s this level of insanity and bravado that makes most of the performers from the Seven Little Fortunes so impressive.
Still, the numerous plot threads can get to be a bit overwhelming and the Hong Kong humor may just be too big a pill for some to swallow. It keeps the film from really elevating itself to a place where it won´t be forgotten. It´s not a great film from the Hong Kong New Wave but a good one given the circumstances.
Before he reached a modest amount of stateside success with the television series "Martial Law," Sammo Hung was something of a legend in China and Hong Kong. Hung was a member of the Seven Little Fortunes, a Peking opera troupe, whose former members also include Yuen Biao, Corey Yuen and Jackie Chan, among others. Hung was also among the group of filmmakers that spearheaded the Hong Kong New Wave during much of the 80´s and early 90´s.
One of the films that further solidified Hung´s multi-hyphenated career (as a director, fight choreographer and actor) was the western, martial arts, comedy, adventure movie "Shanghai Express." While not easy to pigeonhole the film is full of some great comedy, wonderfully staged action sequences and the great over the top energy that made films from Hong Kong during this time so enjoyable.
The story centers around Chin Fong-tin (Hung), an oddball of an outlaw who hopes to bring some much needed wealth to his home town. Chin hopes to do so by blowing up a nearby railroad forcing the wealthy passengers off a train to hold up in the town and spend their money until the line can be repaired. However, a plan by a group of thieves who are bent on stealing from the passengers throws things off. Now, the whole town is in trouble and Chin must band together with some of his some of his cohorts and try preventing the worst from happening.
The film contains a few other plot threads that somehow manage to converge near the end of the film. While the transition between all of them may not be the smoothest, they do add some interesting elements to the film. Hung directs himself and a great cast of characters, many of them recognizable Hong Kong movie stars, in a fine foray of mayhem that could only come out of Hong Kong during the 80´s.
Along with Hung, the film features performances from Yuen Biao, Yuen Wah, Richard Ng, Lam Ching-Ying, Eric Tsang, Rosamund Kwan and Cynthia Rothrock. There is even a nice little nod to legendary Hong Kong folk hero Wong Fei Hung in the film. The movie´s schizophrenic nature allows it be more than just a run of the mill entry from Hong Kong. However, it´s the action scenes that make it a little more memorable. Consider a stunt where Yuen Biao cart wheel/flips off of a three story building and then gets up and walks away, in one single take as if nothing happened. It´s this level of insanity and bravado that makes most of the performers from the Seven Little Fortunes so impressive.
Still, the numerous plot threads can get to be a bit overwhelming and the Hong Kong humor may just be too big a pill for some to swallow. It keeps the film from really elevating itself to a place where it won´t be forgotten. It´s not a great film from the Hong Kong New Wave but a good one given the circumstances.
One of the films that further solidified Hung´s multi-hyphenated career (as a director, fight choreographer and actor) was the western, martial arts, comedy, adventure movie "Shanghai Express." While not easy to pigeonhole the film is full of some great comedy, wonderfully staged action sequences and the great over the top energy that made films from Hong Kong during this time so enjoyable.
The story centers around Chin Fong-tin (Hung), an oddball of an outlaw who hopes to bring some much needed wealth to his home town. Chin hopes to do so by blowing up a nearby railroad forcing the wealthy passengers off a train to hold up in the town and spend their money until the line can be repaired. However, a plan by a group of thieves who are bent on stealing from the passengers throws things off. Now, the whole town is in trouble and Chin must band together with some of his some of his cohorts and try preventing the worst from happening.
The film contains a few other plot threads that somehow manage to converge near the end of the film. While the transition between all of them may not be the smoothest, they do add some interesting elements to the film. Hung directs himself and a great cast of characters, many of them recognizable Hong Kong movie stars, in a fine foray of mayhem that could only come out of Hong Kong during the 80´s.
Along with Hung, the film features performances from Yuen Biao, Yuen Wah, Richard Ng, Lam Ching-Ying, Eric Tsang, Rosamund Kwan and Cynthia Rothrock. There is even a nice little nod to legendary Hong Kong folk hero Wong Fei Hung in the film. The movie´s schizophrenic nature allows it be more than just a run of the mill entry from Hong Kong. However, it´s the action scenes that make it a little more memorable. Consider a stunt where Yuen Biao cart wheel/flips off of a three story building and then gets up and walks away, in one single take as if nothing happened. It´s this level of insanity and bravado that makes most of the performers from the Seven Little Fortunes so impressive.
Still, the numerous plot threads can get to be a bit overwhelming and the Hong Kong humor may just be too big a pill for some to swallow. It keeps the film from really elevating itself to a place where it won´t be forgotten. It´s not a great film from the Hong Kong New Wave but a good one given the circumstances.
No comments:
Post a Comment