Jiang Hu

Super Strong Cast + Interesting Premise = One Disappointing Movie

Jiang Hu sounds really really really badass. The cover looks badass, the posters all look badass, and the cost is pretty badass also. So how could something that holds so much promise be so bad? What exactly went wrong?

To begin, let's introduce the characters. Andy Lau is a super mob boss and something is trying to assassinate him because he is thinking about quitting the triad. Jacky Cheung is his best friend and is he trying to figure out who wants him dead. Eric Tsang, Norma Tsui, and Miu Kiu-Wai are the three suburbanites of Andy Lau and are in question of whether the assaults are coming from one of those three if not all three. While on the other side of the film are Shawn Yu and Edison Chen, two young kids trying to get into the triad world by receiving an order to kill some boss.

There is nothing wrong with the character and what each of them are trying to accomplish, what is lacking is the "acting" part. All the actors, including Andy Lau, feel very generic and fake. They lack the feel of the criminal world and it feels forced. Also, Andy Lau and Jacky Cheung are the stars of the movie with Shawn and Edison as co-stars, but it should really be the other way around. Andy and Jacky barely do much and their conversations are not very interesting.

Although there is a twist in the movie, which is not very surprisingly, the real downfall to this film is the script. The cinematography is good and the art style is very triad-like if not too hip-hoppy. The bad part is the dialogue that each character has to say. Now some of the lines are good, but most of them seem almost childish.

Someone watching this movie may feel like they've been engulf into the underground world of crime in Hong Kong, and the fact that there's no sun till the end really makes the atmosphere feels special. But the film just turned out way worst then expected probably due to the huge cast and the hype. If the film stars less-popular actors, then maybe the audience would be more forgiving, but with such a huge cast of talented actor, they would really feel let down.

(Oh and Jacky Cheung's hairstyle in this film is beyond bad, it is a crime to have such hair)

Year: 2004
Director: Wong Ching-Po

5/10

A Moment of Romance

The film that kicks started Andy Lau's cinema career.

This movie was the ultimate romance triad genre film in the early 90's. Andy Lau plays Wah-Dee, a triad who has no direction in life and even less purpose. Andy was asked to be the driver of Trumpet, a triad boss, in his bank robbery heist, and it was during the run that Andy took a hostage, Jo-Jo, but soon the two begin to bond. Trumpet wants her dead because she has seen his face, but Andy insists that he will handle everything. Things started to get worst when the head triad leader is dead and Trumpet is trying to take over his possession. All the while Jo-Jo and Wah-Dee starts a very close relationship with each other.

The film is a classic because it is one of the most imitated movies in Hong Kong cinema. The final scene where Wah-Dee and Jo-Jo rides to a church together in his motor-cycle dress in bride clothes is very memorable and copied dozens and dozens of times by other films. The genre is certainly nothing new, but the way Benny Chan and Johnnie To execute their characters are very special. Everything is handle quietly with action and little talk, it perfectly personifies the meaning of "show and not tell". Andy Lau's performance was spectacular because he actually act as an actor instead of reading lines. Ng Man-Tat also won a best supporting actor playing has a weak and poor car washer in the streets of Hong Kong.

A Moment of Romance is certainly one of the best romance triad dramas in Hong Kong cinema and will always be remembered as Andy Lau's first step into international stardom.

Year: 1990
Director: Benny Chan

8.3/10

Needing You

Needing You is a very satisfying romance comedy with exceptional production values and unforgettable scenes.

In another Andy Lau film, Andy plays Wah-Sui, a womanizer business salesman in the busy Hong Kong electronic industry. Sammi Cheng plays as Kinki, one of her most memorable and beloved character who has some psychological and emotional problem about dating, but she's full of heart and very likable.

On the bear bones, the film is about the typical office romance, but Johnnie To and Wai Ka-Fai managed to create something both fresh and fun to watch. Andy Lau and Sammi Cheng are definitely one of the best couples ever to grace the Hong Kong silver screen; the chemistry they share on screen is very lovable and entertaining with solid identifiable characters. Sammi Cheng performance is better than Andy's not because Andy's character is lacking in much areas, but because her character is so much more demanding. Sammi has a very pure goofy and girl-like feel to her character and it easily makes her character one of the more memorable over the years.

Romance comedies are essentially not meant to revolutionize the industry but more to do with having fun at the movies. In that regard, Needing You perfectly captures the essences of romance comedy and it is a movie that should not be miss.

Year: 2000
Director: Johnnie To and Wai Ka-Fai

8.8/10

Initial D

Another Hong Kong movie base on popular Japanese animation of the time. However, this one is good, not great, but good.

Initial D (if you haven't heard of it already) is base on the super popular Japanese manga and anime. The series is about Takumi, a tofu delivery boy who discovered his knack for driving like a madman down the Akita Mountains using the now famous technique of "drifting." He then challenge everyone in his apathetic way but soon falls in love with driving and even joined a group of top drivers in Project D to challenge and break all timed mountain road records in Japan.

The movie takes place in the beginning, with Jay Chou as Takumi, Anthony Wong as his dad; Chapman To as his best friend, Kenny Bee as Chapman's father; Edison Chen, Shawn Yu, and Jordan Chan has his three rivals. So the cast is strong, and that's certainly not the problem. The problem is, it only semi-follows the plot of the story. Edison Chen's character has an awesome brother that is a necessity in the Initial D universe, and he's not even in the movie. Also, some of the events like the final race felt like an unnecessary plot to make things more exciting.

The race sequences are very well done and the art direction is wonderful. The acting, especially Jay Chou's needs some work (He's a good singer... but he's not a very good actor. And no, he will not become the next Andy Lau, I'm sorry). The film seems to be a first in a long list of installment, so hopefully we'll get to see the progression of not only the storylines, but the actors' potentials as well.

Year: 2005
Director: Andrew Lau and Alan Mak

7.4/10

Full Throttle

Extremely entertaining movie staring Andy Lau, David Ng (Wu), Gigi Leung, and Chin Kar-Lok.

Andy Lau plays Joe, a pro motorcycle driver/racer and his pursue to enter and win at the Macau Grand Prix. Joe meets David Ng, a younger driver who recently arrived in Hong Kong and like Andy, tries his luck in the GP race. However, an unforeseen crash and a stubborn father forces Andy to stop racing until his best friend, Chin Kar-Lok dies in a crash.

Full Throttle is all and all a guy movie. Girls will still enjoy the movie and of course, Andy Lau, but it is the guys that will eat it up. The story is about a man's fight against his limits and his obstacles; something all the men in us can relate to. The film is quite predictable until the end, but the good news is, Andy Lau does not die in this movie (finally)! The acting is quite emotional at certain times and Chin Kar-Lok's acting was just impressive. Also, the flashback after a certain crash in the movie was done with perfection and displays all of the hardship and emotional conflict of the character.

However, it is the racing scenes that truly steal the show. They are both intense and symbolic and completely capture the feel of the underground motorcycle-racing scene. The only downside to this movie is Gigi Leung's performance. She is by no mean by, but most of the time she feels too robotic and fake. Andy and Kar-Lok's performance on the other hand was just spectacular and it is nice to see them both nominated in the 15th annual Hong Kong Film Award (sadly, neither of them won).

If you are a guy, you really should go and watch this movie NOW. If you are not, still watch it!

Year: 1995
Director: Derek Yee

9.1/10

Shanghai Grand

Violent and entertaining movie base on the TVB classic.

The orginial Shanghai Grand on the TVB was the end all and be all of superb Hong Kong series. It was the definitive role for Chow Yun-Fat and Ray Lui. Leslie Cheung takes Chow Yun-Fat's role as Hu Man-Keung, an ex-Tawian soldier fighting a war against his Japanese enemies. Andy Lau plays Ding Lik, a poor waste dispenser in the city of Shanghai. After Andy saved Leslie, the two embarked as a team to make fortunes and a name for themselves in Shanghai.

Shanghai Grand is a very bloody and grisly movie. If it was rated in America, it would no doubt be an R-rated movie. Dispite all the gore, the movie is film beautifully with wonderful works on the camera, the filtering, and the lighting. The acting is of course superb and this was the time when Andy Lau truly becomes a force in the Hong Kong cinematic front.

Shanghai Grand did to Hong Kong what the Godfather did to America. It is still considered to be the most important and best series in Hong Kong media. The movie took things a bit quick but that's because they were trying to fill an entire series into just under two hours. If you don't mind the violence, this is certainly one film to watch.

Oh and yes, Andy Lau does indeed dies in this movie also...

Year: 1996
Director: Stephen Tung

8.5/10

The Three Swordsmen

The movie had so much potential, but in the end, it was too much to live up to.

Smiling Sam (Andy Lau), Samurai (Brigitte Lin), and Big Knife (Tsui Kam-Kong) are three of the best swordsmen in the nation of China. Upon finding out that the best of the best is, someone disguised as Smiling Sam and killed the prince. Andy then embarks on an adventure to see find out who framed him which ends in a duel to see who the best swordsmen is.

The movie has a very interesting plotline and good actors to back them up, but the way it execute is just plain horrific! Someone needs to fire the camera guy along with the editing guy because various scenes pop up out of nowhere for no apparent reason. The finale of the film isn't half bad, but it is predictable. It's just a shame that a film with so much potential ended up so bad.

Year: 1993
Director: Taylor Wong

4/10

Future Cops

A Street Fighter inspired movie that is so bad that it is almost good!

The story is like this, M. Bison is about to be trial by a judge (Dicky Cheung) so Ken (Ekin Cheng), Toyota and King goes back in time to input a computer chip in the judge when he was 28 years old in high school in the year 1993. Vega (Andy Lau), Guile (Jacky Cheung), and Dhalsim (Simon Yam) [Aaron is Ryu be he is pretty much inexistent in the film].then follow them and help the future-to-be judge and ends in some hilarious results. And no I am not making this up.

The film already has a cult status because of the large cast of familiar names. The comedy of typical early nineties Hong Kong film fashion and the plot is just ridiculous. Sometimes, it really seems like the actors are desperate for money because some of the scenes are just down right distasteful. However, I must say that this rip-off of the Street Fighter franchise is still better than the uber terrible Hollywood version. Wong Jing, the director, uses lame special effects, slapstick comedy, laughable plot lines, and big unnecessary explosions to carry on with the film; and in a weird way, it succeeds.

Future Cop is just so bad that it is entertaining to watch. Some scenes like Jacky's singing lesson and the school Olympic event are very fun to watch, but overall, it is still a bad film at heart.

Year: 1993
Director: Wong Jing

6.1/10