This wonderfully watchable martial arts movie is
hard to classify, but think Quentin Tarantino meets Jackie Chan and you’ll
get an idea of what to expect.
Stephen Chow stars as Sing, a disillusioned young
man who wants to join a gang because baddies are cooler. In the process he
sparks a war between a poor community and the notorious Axe gang and
initially on the side of the gangsters, comes to his senses, (or rather is
beaten to his senses) and decides to help the poor community.
Fight scenes are fantastically over the top and
bloody, but not gruesome, and filmed with great artistic flair. The fight
scene between the three masters and the two assassins in the courtyard is
very reminiscent of the Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon style, while the
action sequence at the end between Chow, the Axe Gang and The Beast
reminds one of the Matrix fight scene between Neo and the army of Mr
Smiths. Amazing CGI effects are bountiful and very well produced.
Fighting aside, the film has some great comic
moments, intriguing characters and even a love story. This is one of those
rare films you can’t label as just an action flick, but a combination of
action, comedy and drama.
|
