LoveHK.com reader's rated it as the 38th best HK movie made in the 80's. Kozo called it a "must see for any true fan of Hong Kong film". But a question remains. Is it any good?
The Good: The Fights. Sammo brings. Yuen Biao brings it (his flying scissors attack is probably what they had in mind when they coined the term "poetry in motion"). Cynthia Rothrock brings it. Dick Wei brings it. Even the Japanese (who are clearly able to benefit from the inverse ninja rule) bring it. The combatants all bring virtuoso skill-sets but go at it with reckless abandon.
The Gags. The humor is inserted into the story-line through a series of set pieces and even though many of them don't do anything to help tell the story (many in fact do just the opposite) some of them are pretty funny.
The Bad: The Gags. In good comedies the humor is a natural consequence of the narrative. A lot of the humor in ME is gratuitous silliness that is a drag on the narrative. The Story-Telling-Incompetent even by HK's low standards. Extraneous characters eat up precious screen time and then disappear having contributed nothing to the story's resolution. The protagonists and antagonists have no meaningful relationship to each other
and relationships between the protagonists are established through expository dialogue rather than dramatic action. The Timing. The first forty minutes are utter tedium. Also, Lam Ching-Ying does not get a chance to bring it.
The Skinny: It's crap, but it's the kind of crap that I like, and I will recommend it to everyone who likes the same kind of crap that I do.
+++Moderator Note+++
Designated official topic. w/country of origin & production/release date. Tagged.
The Good: The Fights. Sammo brings. Yuen Biao brings it (his flying scissors attack is probably what they had in mind when they coined the term "poetry in motion"). Cynthia Rothrock brings it. Dick Wei brings it. Even the Japanese (who are clearly able to benefit from the inverse ninja rule) bring it. The combatants all bring virtuoso skill-sets but go at it with reckless abandon.
The Gags. The humor is inserted into the story-line through a series of set pieces and even though many of them don't do anything to help tell the story (many in fact do just the opposite) some of them are pretty funny.
The Bad: The Gags. In good comedies the humor is a natural consequence of the narrative. A lot of the humor in ME is gratuitous silliness that is a drag on the narrative. The Story-Telling-Incompetent even by HK's low standards. Extraneous characters eat up precious screen time and then disappear having contributed nothing to the story's resolution. The protagonists and antagonists have no meaningful relationship to each other
and relationships between the protagonists are established through expository dialogue rather than dramatic action. The Timing. The first forty minutes are utter tedium. Also, Lam Ching-Ying does not get a chance to bring it.
The Skinny: It's crap, but it's the kind of crap that I like, and I will recommend it to everyone who likes the same kind of crap that I do.
+++Moderator Note+++
Designated official topic. w/country of origin & production/release date. Tagged.
