A very interesting film (1982). I admit, it was odd to think of Beardy (Leung Kar-Yan) and Chow Yun Fat working on screen together in co-starring roles, yet its an enticing proposition nonetheless. I'm hardly a CYF completist, but I always enjoy a flick with him up front and center. PSB is really Beardy's flick, but Chow's easy charisma is never overshadowed - if anything, that 'grin and a toothpick' charmer is well forshadowed here - and as we see him do a few martial moves, even an early Mu Bai of sorts is glimpsed (he not only fights but uses darts that shoot from his wrist!!!).
Yuen Woo Ping's touch is also evident here and so the choreography is decent and fairly fast, though the movie is more on 'conspiracy' and 'plot' than 'action' per se. The characters are low-key and a bit somber, but this, I feel, is a reflection of the movie's intended mood. Having said that, Beardy et al deliever some tight moves, when we get them. I noted while watching this, that
many of the characters smoke: Chow is constantly smoking and Beardy smokes a lot. The excellent outdoor scerey further removes this from anything resembling a standard chop-socky flick, and yet, its not yet hong kong's 'modern era' - this movie seems to exist in its own somber (not depressing!) place and time. I can't say it feels "original," yet it wasn't ever boring, imo.
"During the Republican era, an evil warlord instructs his right hand man to find four suitable candidates to transport his valuable gifts across dangerous grounds. He recruits four men; a postman (Leung Kar Yan), a thief (Yuen Yat Chor), a dynamiter and a conman (Chow Yun Fat). The only instructions they are given are to never open the cargo and to deliver it within seven days. After numerous ambush attempts the group begin to become suspicious but they have no idea of the horror that awaits them and the consequences of completing the mission successfully." (Dragon'sDenUk)
I'm not sure who the villain is (an arms-selling ninja believe it or not - it works), but I've seen him in several films. This movie sets a tone of uncertainty and the lead players
feel as cold and distant as the beautiful and still snow-covered lands that often serve as a backdrop. Theres a little love, a little betrayal a little rvenge and some bitter-sweet, like most hong-kong dishes and that will leave you satisfied if you love the genre. The film is at least a three star, but wants that extra half star too, so at 3.5 stars you should check it out.
Another winner from Hong Kong...
During the Republican Era in China, the country became divided by warlords and there was constant bloodshed. Needing able-bodied men to join their factions, warlords paid a hefty price. However, the one man that they all wanted could not be bought. Features a breathtaking chase on ice!
THIS MOVIE IS DIFFERENT THAN ANY OF CHOW'S MOVIES, IT'S A PERIOD PIECE, AND ONCE YOU GET IN TO IT YOU WILL LIKE IT. IT HAS A FUNNY ROMANCE STORY THAT'S VERY UNUSUAL AND THE FEMALE LEAD WAS GREAT FOR CHOW'S CHARACTER! THE ENDING IS SOMETHING YOU REALLY CAN JUDGE FOR YOURSELF, HOWEVER YOU WANT TO INTEREPT IT!! More Info about this DVD Director(s): Ka-Fai Wai DVD Release Date: Released the 05 December 2000 Special Order
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Filmmaker Ross McElwee turns his cameras inward when his proposed documentary on Northern Civil War General William Tecumseh Sherman, perhaps the single most hated Union officer in the South, becomes a witty and unexpectedly engaging meditation upon his own ailing love life. As McElwee retraces Sherman's 19th-century march through the South, where his blazing trail left smoking ruins of Georgia's cities and towns in his wake, he can't seem to help but train his camera on a succession of Southern women he meets along the way, using the documentary as a sly method of meeting girls. (Aspiring filmmakers take note: it works surprisingly well.) Sherman's March evolves into an introspective meditation on love, happiness, the fear of nuclear holocaust, and the meaning of life. McElwee's... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Ross McElwee Director(s): Ross McElwee DVD Release Date: Released the 06 April 2004 Usually ships within 24 hours
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There's some spectacular airborne fantasy action in the style of director Ching Sui-tung's A Chinese Ghost Story, and effective shape-changing special effects, in this otherwise ludicrous supernatural romp about the evil that dwells in the deepest, darkest heart of Southeast Asia. Chow Yun-fat is an advertising man vacationing in Nepal who is drawn into a conflict between a princess (a native shaman with prodigious magical gifts) and a vicious local warlord. Chow has supernormal abilities thrust upon him by an amulet known as "The Testicles of Power." There is some mildly steamy sex, but the fight's the thing, especially when the forces of primitive evil follow the ad man back home to Hong Kong. Showing off a cornucopia of supernatural ickiness against a backdrop of high-tech... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Yun-Fat Chow Director(s): Siu-Tung Ching DVD Release Date: Released the 15 August 2000 Special Order
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I'm a big fan of both Chow Yun-Fat and Joey Wang so buying this DVD was a no brainer for me. For those who are looking for a Hong Kong action movie, look elsewhere. You won't see much in the way of martial arts action in this film. But if you're open to other types of movies, keep reading.
To give you a quick plot synopsis: Joey Wang plays May, a woman who was born with one leg longer than the other. Chow Yun-Fat is Joe, a taxi driver who accidentally hits May and thinks he's crippled her for life. Joe comes to work for May's family partly because he blames himself for her condition and partly because his insurance ran out 2 days before the accident and he has to pay them back somehow. Once the two are together romance blossoms but there are complications along the way, ranging from a... More Info about this DVD Director(s): Chung Wang DVD Release Date: Released the 26 October 1999 Usually ships within 2 to 3 days
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This is the first picture directed by Johnny To, who went on to become a major director and producer of flashy urban action films. It's a lackluster 1989 weepy, equal parts Kramer vs. Kramer and A Man and a Woman, and it was one of superstar Chow Yun-Fat's biggest hometown hits. Chow's certainly in his element as a motor-mouthed truck driver with a shoulder-length mop of hair who lives in affectionate squalor with his smart-mouthed 9-year-old son. Dad's also a former motorbike champion who had to retire after a crash; he walks with a limp and the doctor warns that even one more serious injury could be his last. (Talk about telegraphing a finale!) Sylvia Chang is the boy's long-lost mom, a yuppie expatriate who returns to Hong Kong and tries to pry her son away from his dad.... More Info about this DVD Director(s): Johnny To DVD Release Date: Released the 14 August 2001 THIS TITLE IS CURRENTLY NOT AVAILABLE. If you would like to purchase this title, we recommend that you occasionally check this page to see if it has become available.
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