After almost a decade of churning out flick after flick, Daniel Lee delivered this drama heavy, boxing flick set in Thailand before taking a break and releasing films every few years after that. It also happens to be Andy Lau's 100th film, which is quite amazing considering it took Jackie Chan another 11 years to (theoretically) reach his...
Star and producer Andy Lau, who had had a very busy 1999 - is great as Tiger, the ex-con kick-boxer who aims to become dad of the year after finding out he has a daughter to the (now dead) girlfriend he met before prison. Because it's set in Thailand, we get to see him jump between Cantonese and English, and deliver a great performance as a more mature character haunted by regrets, redemption and his feelings for the beautiful Takako Tokiwa who starred in Daniel Lee's, Moonlight Express, from the previous year.
As a Hong Kong flick, A Fighters Blues may be slow-burning to some, but I quite enjoyed its pacing with the story it had to tell. Co-written by Lee, it carefully blends drama with action, romance with darkness, with great performances from all involved - especially from Andy Lau, who gives one of his best performances. Its also very neatly directed, and could be mistaken for a Johnnie To movie in fact, which is far from a bad thing!
The action is directed by Ridley Tsui (Pantyhose Hero, Red Trousers), and while not amazing or overly memorable, fits the tone of the film with its realism for the most of it...
Even though it carries a simple plot, and the fact that Muay Thai or life-in-the-ring has never interested me, you can't deny that A Fighters Blues is a film full of heart and may well be one of director Daniel Lee's best films. Don't expect a hard hitting action flick, but do expect a very well made film with an emotional (although expected) ending.
Overall: A nice change of pace and beautifully made, A Fighters Blues is worth the watch!
