High Impact Reviews: CJ7 (2008)

2008, Columbia Pictures/The Star Overseas Ltd.
Genre: Fantasy/Comedy

Directed by:
Stephen Chow
Produced by:
Chui Po-Chu
Han Sanping
Stephen Chow
Written by:
Vincent Kok
Tsang Kan-Cheong
Sandy Shaw
Fung Chih-Chiang
Lam Fung
Stephen Chow
Cinematography:
Poon Hang-Sang
Editing:
Angie Lam
Action Choreography:
Ku Huen-Chiu
Yuen Shun-Yi
Cast:
Stephen Chow (Ti)
Kitty Zhang (Miss Yuen)
Xu Jiao (Dicky Chow)
Lam Tze-Chung (Boss)
Huang Lei (Johnny)
Fung Min-Hung (P.E. Teacher)
Lee Sheung-Ching (Mr. Cao)
Yao Wen-Xue (Storm Dragon)
Han Yong-Hua (Maggie)

Hong Kong actor-director Stephen Chow (Kung Fu Hustle) delivers us a very heartwarming tale with a science fiction edge, in which an alien teaches a poor father and son a lesson about life.

Chow plays Ti, a construction worker who lives in a lowly shack with his son Dicky. Dicky, played by actress Xu Jiao, is the laughing stock at a private school. Always being ridiculed by both his teachers and fellow students, the only two who confide in him at the school are teacher Miss Yuen (newcomer Kitty Zhang) and fellow student Maggie (actor Han Yong-Hua). Dicky wants to be like the other kids and have the best things, but the reality is that Ti can only afford so much and it is not enough.

However, things begin to change for the father and son when Ti looks for a toy for Dicky in the garbage and comes across a strange ball with what looks like an antenna sticking out of it. At first, Dicky seems somewhat unimpressed by the toy, but one night, while Ti scolds the kid for getting into a fight at school, Dicky pushes the “antenna” in. The ball changes shape and becomes what looks to be an alien puppy. This puppy would go on to be the catalyst in how the complexity of the relationship between Ti and Dicky changes in a major way.

One would never imagine that the king of Mo lei tau (brainless comedies), Stephen Chow, would do a family film of all things. There is more to the story as well. A talent known for spoofing or satirizing major films in both Hollywood and Asia, Chow gets to poke fun this time at someone close to home…himself! In a dream sequence, Dicky flies up in the air using rocket-booster sneakers and when they run out of gas, he is falling in mid-air and jumps off an eagle. This is a famously funny scene taken ring out of the House of Chow in his previous successful film, Kung Fu Hustle (2004).

The film’s storyline concentrates on the relationship between Ti and Dicky. Ti only wants what is best for Dicky, while constantly telling him that even though they are poor, he should only study and stay out of trouble. Ti may be seen as a mean fatherly-type, but it is the stress of the job and working as hard as he can so he can give his son a good education and not end up like him. Ti wants only better things for his son and it is seen. However, a shocking twist in the story changes the complexity of the relationship forever and it gives both Ti and Dicky a sense of closeness in the end.

There aren’t many action sequences in the film, but they were surprisingly well executed. In one very nice short fight scene, Dicky’s “dream” sequence has him going hand-to-hand with the physical education teacher. Choreographers Ku Huen-Chiu and Yuen Shun-Yi did a superb job with this scene and a very nice “exaggerated” fight sequence in which Maggie gets to defend Dicky by taking on the school’s bully and judo team captain Storm Dragon, played by Yao Wen-Xue. Even our resident alien CJ7 gets in on a little action as he takes on a dog, showing some kung fu forms before taking on the vicious mongrel.

In conclusion, CJ7 is truly a delightful film from the usually wild imagination of Stephen Chow. Proving that he does have a sense of humor by having himself spoofed and bringing one of his most original films to date, Stephen Chow is truly a filmmaker who can define “versatility”.

Rating: 9/10

-Albert Valentin

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High Impact Reviews: Undisputed 2 – Last Man Standing (2007)

2007, Nu Image/New Line Cinema
Genre: Fighting

Directed by:
Isaac Florentine
Produced by:
Boaz Davidson
David Varod
Written by:
James Townsend
David N. White
Cinematography:
Ross Clarkson
Editing:
Irit Raz
Action Choreography:
J.J. Perry
Cast:
Michael Jai White (George “Iceman” Chambers)
Scott Adkins (Yuri Boyka)
Ben Cross (Stevie Parker)
Eli Danker (Crot)
Mark Ivanir (Gaga)
Ken Lerner (Phil Gold)
Daisy Lang (Svetlana)
Ivailo Geraskov (Alexi)
Valentin Ganev (Warden Markov)
Silvio Simac (Davic)

Walter Hill’s 2002 prison boxing film Undisputed pitted Ving Rhames’ former boxing champion against Wesley Snipes’ prison champion. This time, under director Isaac Florentine (U.S. Seals II), Rhames is replaced by Michael Jai White and instead of boxing, we have martial arts fighting to the extreme.

White takes over for Ving Rhames as George “Iceman” Chambers, a former heavyweight boxing champion who goes to Russia to shoot a vodka commercial. Upset that he has to do commercials to restore his image, Chambers is about to head for the biggest nightmare of his life. When he is framed by a group of thugs for carrying drugs in his Bible, Chambers is sent to the toughest prison in Russia.

It is here where Chambers soon learns that he is a wanted man from the beginning. He becomes the target of Yuri Boyka, played by British martial arts ace Scott Adkins. Boyka is the prison’s top fighter and champion of the ring. However, it’s a totally different ballgame as Boyka is an expert in various styles of martial arts from tae kwon do to grappling. In fact, the film was released as the fad of mixed martial arts action, seen in the Ultimate Fighting Championship and EliteXC, have become very popular in the United States. As Chambers constantly is challenged by Boyka, Chambers constantly refuses only to learn that he has been set up from his agent and the head of the Russian Mafia, who want to see the former boxing champ take on the current prison champ.

After a nail-biting defeat at the hands of Boyka, Chambers learns he was drugged during the fight by cellmate Stevie, who was forced by Boyka’s thugs to drug Chambers’ water. However, Boyka learns of the incident and kills his men for making him look like a fool. Boyka has challenged Chambers because he is setting himself up to become the pioneer of the evolution of fighters. Meanwhile, Chambers, having a thirst for revenge, finds a new mentor in the wheelchair-bound Crot (Eli Danker, Special Forces), who tells Chambers he must adapt to Boyka’s martial arts style while keeping his trademark boxing techniques.

Michael Jai White, a black belt in seven different martial arts styles, gets perhaps his best role since starring as the titular character of Spawn in 1997. Replacing Rhames as former champion Chambers, White shows a tenacity and bad attitude that is reminiscent of Rhames in the original film. According to director Isaac Florentine, Rhames wanted to return to the role for this film, but his schedule conflicted with his starring role on the short-lived redux of Kojak. Without a doubt, White makes a suitable replacement due to his experience with martial arts films and fight choreography, even appearing in the Hong Kong film Silver Hawk in 2004.

If one man is going to be the breakout star here, White only comes in second to British martial arts ace Scott Adkins. Collaborating with director Florentine on 2003′s Special Forces, Adkins was able to showcase his talented martial arts skills and kicks it up a major notch with his role of prison champion Yuri Boyka. Boyka is seen as the bad guy of the film, but in actuality, he is not exactly a villain, but rather a respected fighter who only wants to take on the best to see if he can become the next evolution in champions. At first, it may seem like Boyka is the complete villain, but in the scene where he kills two of his own men for drugging Chambers, it becomes proof that Boyka may not look sympathetic, but he has some sort of respect for Chambers as a champion.

In terms of the film’s fight sequences, fight choreographer J.J. Perry (who got some help from director Florentine, a Shotokan-karate stylist himself and one time fight choreographer) adapted to the Hong Kong school of hard knocks and utilizes the style to full effect, even taking a page out of Donnie Yen’s recent collaboration of mixed martial arts and fast and furious kicking. What helps when it comes to shooting a fight scene is the cinematography and with Australian-born Hong Kong cinematographer Ross Clarkson behind the camera, the fight scenes, especially with Adkins showing off his most impressive kicking to date on celluloid, they are truly a delight to watch.

As the original Undisputed didn’t get much fare, Undisputed 2 is definitely a well-hyped martial arts action packed film loaded with excellent performances from the cast plus some of the best martial arts-filled fight sequences seen in an American film to date.

Rating: 9.5/10

-Albert Valentin

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High Impact Reviews: The Warlords (2007)

2007, Media Asia Films/China Film Group Co./Beijing Jingyigma Movie & TV/Beijing Polybona Film Publishing Co./Stellar Megamedia Group Ltd./Morgan & Chan Films Ltd./TalentAid International Ltd.
Genre: Historical War Epic

Directed by:
Peter Chan
Yip Wai-Man
Produced by:
Andre E. Morgan
Wong Gin-San
Peter Chan
Jojo Hui
Written by:
Xu Lan
Chun Tim-Naam
Aubrey Lam
Wong Gin-San
Jojo Hui
Hoh Kei-Ping
Guo Jun-Li
James Yuen
Cinematography:
Arthur Wong
Peter Ngor
Lai Yiu-Fai
Tony Miu
Jimmy Wong
Editing:
Wenders Li
Action Choreography:
Tony Ching
Cast:
Jet Li (Pang Qingyun)
Andy Lau (Zhao Erhu)
Takeshi Kaneshiro (Jiang Wuyang)
Xu Jinglei (Lian)
Wei Zong-Wan (Lord Chen)
Gu Bao-Ming (Lord Jiang)
Wong Fooi-Wing (Lord Di)
Guo Xiaodong (Suzhou Castle Lord)
Zhou Bo (Lu Dashen)
Sun Jian (Xiao Wu)

Three of the biggest names in Chinese films, Jet Li, Andy Lau, and Takeshi Kaneshiro, star in this blistering historical tale of three warriors brought together by fate who rise to become the most prominent warriors in history only to collapse at the height of their success.

When Army General Pang Qingyun, played by Jet Li, arrives to a small town in somber and grief as his entire regime has been massacred. With nowhere to go, Pang faints but is nursed back to health by a young woman named Lian, played by Xu Jinglei. Pang soon meets bandit Jiang Wuyang, who at first intends to kill the general after recognizing him. However, as the two fight, Pang becomes the victor. This leads Wuyang to introduce Pang to his older “brother”, Zhao Erhu, played by the always talented Andy Lau.

Zhao has a plan to steal from a military convoy so the people of his town can survive. Pang joins the bandits and in the midst, kills the convoy leader. Gaining respect from the townfolk, Pang soon learns that the young woman who helped him, Lian, is the wife of Zhao. However, this does not stop Pang as he soon begins an affair with Lian. Meanwhile, the Qing Army learns of the attack and retaliates by attacking the village. With no option, Pang convinces Zhao and Jiang to join the Army and work side-by-side with him, with support by military lords Chen, Jiang, and Di.

This leads to a very well shot battle as Pang, Zhao, and Jiang lead a regime against a more quantiative Qing army. However, overcoming the odds, the trio are their troops ultimately win the battle and earn the respect by the lords, who promote Pang into a general once again. However, Pang feels it is not enough and his arrogance gets the best of him as he intends to take over both Suzhou and Nanjing. The lords agree to the bet but deny Pang and his men any valuable reinforcements and food. What should have been a turning point for Pang’s troops turns into a year-long siege with both sides suffering badly. Zhao enters Suzhou to make a truce with the other side. The Suzhou leader sacrifices himself on the condition that his troops are not to face any harm.

Zhao agrees to the terms, but Pang does not. Feeling that he cannot capture the entire Suzhou army because of a shortage of supplies, he has them all executed. This begins the downfall of Pang, Zhao, and Jiang as truths are soon revealed and egos gets the best out of them. What started as a blood pact between three brothers turns into dysfunction and ultimately, death.

This is perhaps one of the most powerful historical epic films to come from Asia in a long time. The impact the film has caused could have possibly came in the midst of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon had it been released in the United States around the time of its release in Hong Kong and China. Beautiful cinematography combined with realistic battle scenes, as opposed to computer generated battles as seen in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, shows why the film would win the Best Film at the 2008 Hong Kong Film Awards.

After proving that he can act in 2005′s Unleashed, Jet Li brings out perhaps one of his best performances in the role of the arrogant General Pang. Seen as a failure, Pang gets his shot at redemption and not only lives up to it, but abuses it at the same time. Some may even say that in a way, Pang is the antagonist of the film as he indulges himself in ruthlessness during battle, engages himself in an illicit affair with the wife of one of his “blood brothers”, and virtually shows no mercy when it comes to the opposition. However, Pang does have a conscience yet he doesn’t know how to show it. In the scene involving the execution of the Suzhou warriors, Pang is seen in a close up, shedding a tear as he feels bad for what he had done. Yet, he does not let anyone else see this but the viewer. This shows that he has no intention of having a conscience at least to his brothers and let his destiny await him.

Andy Lau and Takeshi Kaneshiro, last seen together playing rivals in Zhang Yimou’s House of Flying Daggers (2004), take on the roles of “blood brothers” Zhao Erhu and Jiang Wuyang. First seen as bandits who only do what they do to help their village, they look scruffy and dirty. However, upon joining the Army, they become more refined yet they still have the “killer instinct” of their previous life to help them overcome the obstacles that await them. Unlike the arrogant Pang, Zhao is more of a kindhearted fellow who has a conscience while Wuyang is seen as the “little brother”, nothing more than following orders, whether it is from Zhao or Pang. Yet, he has more loyalty to Zhao as not only has he followed Zhao longer, but Zhao returns respect unlike Pang, whose ego is more important to him.

In the genre of historical epics, or even the epic film, it is clearly safe to say that The Warlords matches or in terms of its battle scenes, fares even better than a film with the caliber of Lord of the Rings. It is clear why Jet Li won the Best Actor award at the Hong Kong Film Awards for his role here as he is a borderline hero/villain with magnetic performances by Andy Lau and Takeshi Kaneshiro. If you have not had the chance to see it, The Warlords is definitely a must-see film.

Rating: 10/10

-Albert Valentin

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January 2009: The Return

January 1, 2009 marks the return of HIGH IMPACT CINEMA, the place where the best of the East and West mix it up.