On lok jin cheung

I was given the chance to sit down and watch the 1990 Hong Kong / Philippines movie "Fatal Vacation" (aka "An le zhan chang") here in 2021. Sure, I hadn't even heard about it prior to watching it, but the fact that it was a Hong Kong movie that I hadn't already seen was more than enough to make me find the time to sit down and watch it.

First of all, I must say that I was surprised to see Eric Tsang in a movie such as this. And while he was out of his usual element, then he was actually putting on a fair enough performance in an action thriller, though at times it was hard to forget that he is usually a comedian. It was fun to watch Victor Wong in a Hong Kong movie, as I have only seen him in American movies, so I was surprised to see him here.

The storyline told in "Fatal Vacation" was pretty straight forward, and actually have some hold in some reality, as tourist kidnappings actually do happen in the Philippines. Sure, the movie was cranked up somewhat for entertainment purposes, but writer Yin Nam actually concocted an interesting enough storyline and plot. I didn't know that it was Eric Tsang whom directed the movie, so that was a nice surprise.

The acting in the movie, was for the most parts, actually adequate enough. Though some scenes had some pretty badly and over-exaggerated acting performances, which seemed so out of place and just dumbed down the movie unnecessarily.

Visually then "Fatal Vacation" definitely bears witness to being from 1990s, so you shouldn't be expecting to be impressed by the special effects in the movie. They served their purpose well enough, but haven't withstood the test of time all that well.

"Fatal Vacation" is good enough entertainment for what it turned out to be, however this is hardly a movie that you will watch more than once. I know that I will not be returning to the movie a second time, as there just wasn't enough of solid contents to the storyline for a second viewing.

My rating of "Fatal Vacation" settles on a five out of ten stars.

I may not have seen that many movies from Hong-Kong, but in the ones I have there's always the same thing annoying me tremendously. I'm referring to the sudden, abrupt, and extreme leaps in tone and atmosphere. One moment, you're looking at something that almost feels like slapstick, then the next you're in the middle of a sadist and disturbing thriller. It's also like this in "Fatal Vacation".

I almost turned off the film after half an hour because it felt like a lame comedy about uptight and eccentric tourists from Hong-Kong traveling around in The Philippines. The first half hour only features idiotic situations (like males dancing in bikinis) and stereotype comedy-characters, like an over-enthusiast tour guide, a dancing midget, an overbearing grandmother, and an adulterous husband. Then, practically out of nowhere, the group is taken hostage by a violent band of guerillas, and there isn't anything to laugh about anymore. The tourists are brutally executed, regardless of age or gender, raped and beaten up. It may just be me, but my autistic brain short-circuited due to this sudden shift in tone. The half hour of comedy is quite annoying, but the barbaric half isn't much better. It's unoriginal, raw, and deeply unpleasant.

Bizarre detail, this extremely obscure (at least, I assume it is) stars the recognizable American - although with obvious Chinese roots - actor Victor Wong, known from cult hits "Big Trouble in Little China", "Prince of Darkness" and my personal favorite monster-movie "Tremors". This guy was the inventor of the name "Graboids", I'll have you know!

A fast-paced actionfest about a group of tourist who are kidnapped by some local terrorists while on vacation on the Philippines. Who will survive and what will be left of them? FATAL VACATION is a great and very violent (and I do mean VERY violent) action movie with some sequences that are pretty hard to watch. The bodycount is incredible (mostly of the bodies-riddled-with-bullets variety) and though it's not so gory one doesn't shy away from the violence either. Recommended. The HKMDB states a CAT IIb rating, but my VCD is rated Category III.

Eric Tsang directed and starred in this vacationer's worst nightmare of a movie, Fatal Vacation. This Hong Kong film tells the story of group of Chinese people that are on vacation in the Philippines and their tour guide is funny and optimistic Bob, played by director Tsang. Soon the group is kidnapped and taken hostage by some local revolutionaries who have their member in prison. They will free the tourists if their member is freed by the Philippines government. After many killings and rapes by the kidnappers, our group gets a chance to fight back and so they do.

This is a routine Hong Kong heroic bloodshed action with plenty of humor elements, but not too much, fortunately. As an action film, this is only mediocre and offers nothing special when compared to the real masterpieces made in Hong Kong. Photography is nothing special this time, but at least the action scenes are fairly interesting and explosive. There is one harrowing scene that reminds me of similar scene in John Woo's Bullet in the Head and its savage war camp segment, that is still far more disturbing than the scene in Fatal Vacation. The scene in Fatal Vacation ends in one of the more memorable "heroic death" scenes in Hong Kong cinema, and that is a must see for fans of the genre. Otherwise, as mentioned, this is pretty mediocre Eastern actioner, pretty violent but never as powerful and masterful as the real classics made in Hong Kong. Still, this is worth checking out for fans of Hong Kong cinema.

There are many scenes that depict the fears of future and what will happen to Hong Kong in 1997. That was a topic in many Hong Kong films made before 1997 so Fatal Vacation is among many others to criticize and depict these fears. The humor is sometimes too stupid as Eric Tsang tries to be funny (he succeeds also) but still this is not any slapstick Stephen Chow film, fortunately.

I give Fatal Vacation 6/10 and recommend it for fans of the genre only. If one has seen masterpieces of Ringo Lam, John Woo and Mak brothers among others, then this feels pretty tame, but still watchable film.

This one did not look promising, mainly because no 'name' Hong Kong actors were in it. but it turned out to be a pretty decent thriller. some scenes were pretty intense and violent, but realistic. acting was overall OK, i just wish Hong Kong actors wouldn't shout so much.