Flash Point (2008)
Long-time Hong Kong action movie star Donnie Yen ("Hero") acts in and action-directs this soon to be released flick. (I got into a press screening during the SF Asian Film Fest.)
The action scenes are pretty tight with Mixed-Martial Arts (MMA) style fighting. There are a lot of holds and other moves where people are lying on the ground, using their legs to crush ribs and things. There's also traditional high-flying kung fu, as well as agitated boxing and the times when they use your clothes as a weapon against you. In a word, awesome.
The problems with the fairly short film are in the plot, which takes a while to unfold. Some comedic moments break it up, like a slow-mo shot of elderly bathers running from the beach into polluted waters, saying "We're going to die anyways," or something like that. The English subtitles were a bit strange at times and the cuts not the greatest, but maybe those will smooth out for the March 14 U.S. release.
But there were clearly things I did not pick up on, like the history of Vietnamese refugees in Hong Kong and their gangs. I failed to realize the main couple were from mainland China. Basically, there was a bit too much talking, and I got confused who was who. Arguably, that's cuz I'm not a HK action aficionado.
Still I recommend it for any audience. It's a refreshing look at how to make an action movie without x-treme sex scenes, gadgets or Rambo but with a hardcore bit of ass-kicking.
The action scenes are pretty tight with Mixed-Martial Arts (MMA) style fighting. There are a lot of holds and other moves where people are lying on the ground, using their legs to crush ribs and things. There's also traditional high-flying kung fu, as well as agitated boxing and the times when they use your clothes as a weapon against you. In a word, awesome.
The problems with the fairly short film are in the plot, which takes a while to unfold. Some comedic moments break it up, like a slow-mo shot of elderly bathers running from the beach into polluted waters, saying "We're going to die anyways," or something like that. The English subtitles were a bit strange at times and the cuts not the greatest, but maybe those will smooth out for the March 14 U.S. release.
But there were clearly things I did not pick up on, like the history of Vietnamese refugees in Hong Kong and their gangs. I failed to realize the main couple were from mainland China. Basically, there was a bit too much talking, and I got confused who was who. Arguably, that's cuz I'm not a HK action aficionado.
Still I recommend it for any audience. It's a refreshing look at how to make an action movie without x-treme sex scenes, gadgets or Rambo but with a hardcore bit of ass-kicking.
Labels: hong kong
posted by Pete @ 12:19 PM
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