Action Member: Corey Yuen Kwai

‘The Bodyguard From Beijing’ had the potential to be remembered as a classic action film, but Corey Yuen has failed miserably compared to his other wonderful classics.

‘The Buddha Assassinator’ offers little new in terms of storyline or narrative twists. What it does offer though is some top-quality action from a very able set of actors and another classic stand-off between hero and villain.

Any production that brings together a cast of this nature is worth watching, but the fact of the matter is that this isn’t as good as it should have been.

There’s little room for Chow’s trademark “fast speak” here, and it’s definitely more ‘Three Stooges’ than ‘Monty Python’.

What could have been a classic is rendered merely enjoyable by the prominence of some very weak comedy.

The plot is paper thin, with little characterisation taking place in the short running time. In its place are a number of special effects set pieces and action clichés leading up to the ultimate showdown.

‘The Top Bet’ is that very parochial fusion of gambling and ‘nonsense comedy’ (mo lei tau) that many of us are still baffled by after all of these years.

All in all, this is a solid action flick that should appeal to those who enjoyed ‘Kiss of the Dragon’ and similar adrenaline-fuelled fare.

As Donnie Yen says at the film’s conclusion “The future is in the hands of these young people” – on the evidence of ‘Twins Effect II’, this isn’t a comforting thought.

It has a fairly optimistic aim of being a comedy ‘Detective Dee’ and while it might not quite achieve a happy union between its components this is an undemanding distraction.

The problem with ‘War’ is that there just isn’t enough grit and oomph to make it a tough thriller and not enough action to make it a fun action movie.

Long gone are the days of high-impact fight scenes; now protagonists, even those as skilled as Vincent Zhao, bounce off of each other like playmates in a wind-tunnel.