The movie starts with a not so big holdup. The crime is committed by men with no criminal experience and is so easy that they needed no experience. To be fair, though titled "The Big Holdup" the movie is not about the crime, it is really a social drama not an action thriller. The crime is easy, getting away with it is the hard part. Brian Camp's excellent review leaves little for me to add, except for my own opinions.
I am not a fan of these movies. I am a fan of martial arts movies. Shaw Brothers was the golden source of this genre in the 1970s. I watched this movie for that reason and the stars had appeared in martial arts movies. All I was hoping for was a good fight scene or two. Of course, I am open to any other quality the film might offer.
Unfortunately nothing works in this movie. From the start it is not clear if I want these guys to get away or the cops to catch them. The backstories that make them sympathetic come out as flashbacks. "Show don't tell" flops. The movie tells you they are good guys then the scenes show them as bad guys. The result is "I don't care".
The only surprise was that this nonsense held my attention for 90 minutes. I give the cinematography full credit for that. The pictures were pretty and they moved. Lin Chen-Chi is beautiful. Having watched it once I am sure I will never watch it again. I cannot recommend it for any fan of any genre and rate it below average.
