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George Huang’s “Weekend in Taipei” (2024) is the stuff of old, familiar action movies. The narrative is jaded, the characters tiringly dull, action formulaic. There’s not even a shard of pretense to serve up something alluring or formally captivating. The story is dead on arrival. There are molls, figures returning from the past, and an excessively smart kid who pokes into matters he should leave cold. To top it all, the acting seems to belong to some overly sincere league, trying to inject meaning and intention into empty gestures and stiffly boring narratives.

There’s an influential tycoon at the center with a syndicate at his beck and call. The rival has to cook his goose and bring him to account for his many crimes. Luke Evans gives a valiant effort, fully committing to his role, but the screenplay offers little depth to his character or to those he interacts with,...

Weekend in Taipei is an action-drama that revolves around an undercover DEA agent John Lawlor, who falls in love with a mercenary driver, Joey in Taipei. Fifteen years later they crossed paths, and they had too many secrets to uncover. Joey was married to a Taiwanese drug lord, Kwang, and most of her days were spent shopping and driving high-speed cars. She was unhappy in her marriage, and even though it had been almost a couple of decades since she met John, she was still in love with him. Kwang had adopted her son, Raymond, but the boy had never accepted him as his stepfather. He knew that Kwang was a criminal, and he could not figure out why his mother chose to marry him in the first place. Joey always told him that Kwang helped them when she did not have anyone to turn to, but what had happened...

Who doesn’t love a fun action movie? With John Wick and The Fast Saga changing the game for what audiences have come to expect from big-budget action movies, other movies are often relegated to second-class efforts. Luc Besson, the creator of The Transporter and Taken franchises, has cemented his own brand of action movie that has been around for decades. Partnering with co-writer and director George Huang, Besson has produced the new movie Weekend in Taipei, which mines the classic style of nineties-era action movies for a fun, brisk movie experience (check out our review Here).

Weekend in Taipei follows DEA agent John Lawlor (Luke Evans) as he returns to Taiwan after fifteen years away. The last time he was there, he had a romance with criminal transporter Joey (Gwei Lun-mei). Lawlor is in town to pick up evidence to take down drug kingpin Kwang (Sung Kang). Unbeknownst to John,...

“Weekend in Taipei” is a thrilling action movie that flashes back to the 1980s and combines family drama, foreign intrigue, and action. It was directed by George Huang and written by the famous action movie writer Luc Besson. The movie takes viewers on a thrilling ride through Taiwan’s busy streets and criminal underworld.

The main character is John Lawlor, a DEA agent played by Luke Evans, who goes to Taipei against his boss’s orders to complete a personal task. His goal was drug lord Kwang, who Sung Kang played scarily. This isn’t just another simple chase story, though. John meets up with Joey (Gwei Lun-Mei), an old friend now married to Kwang and has a teenage son named Raymond. This changes the story in a complicated way.

The story has many different parts, including a bad agent’s search for justice, a difficult love story, and the...

In 1982, Prince urged everyone to “Party like it’s 1999.” Aiming to party somewhere roughly in the middle of that timespan is “Weekend in Taipei,” a throwback in the sense that it recalls the unpretentious — if also unmemorable — pleasures of many boilerplate action movies released in the peak Vcr era. Luc Besson is both a co-writer and producer on this French-Taiwanese enterprise, which provides George Huang his first directorial feature in some time, 30 years after his very different debut, “Swimming With Sharks.”

With “Fast & Furious” alumni Luke Evans and Sung Kang as the male leads, this tale of a DEA agent venturing East to battle a crime syndicate raises expectations of flashy chase and fight scenes. Those are duly met, even if the script Huang and Besson have devised is flimsy stuff. These 100 minutes offer the kind of energetic, no-brainer fun you may remember little of the morning after — but...

It is almost fitting that George Huang’s Weekend in Taipei comes out nearly 30 years after his razor-sharp and ruthless black comedy, Swimming with the Sharks. You just have to wonder what took his son so long to make another movie. That biting, back-stabbing comedy still holds up and showcases the talents of a filmmaker who can embed comedy within any genre.

I mention this because Weekend in Taipei is a comedy wrapped in an action film. This doesn’t mean the movie’s tone is uneven or unsure of itself—far from it. While Huang’s script occasionally stumbles into a few tropes, like Luc Besson’s mysterious character arc or a Parent Trap-esque subplot, the experience is refreshing, super cool, funny, and ultimately one hell of a ride.

Luke Evans in Weekend in Taipei | Image via Ketchup Entertainment Related 6 Times Actors Nailed It as Zeus in Hollywood Weekend...

Plot: On a deep undercover assignment in Taipei, DEA agent John Lawlor was doing everything right… until he fell in love with his informant, beautiful Josephine “Joey” Kwang, one of the Asian underworld’s best transport drivers. Compromised and cover blown, John was forced to flee. Now, years later, John is back in Taipei for the weekend. But is he here to finish the job? Or to win back Joey’s love?

Review: Luke Evans is one of those actors who I always thought deserved to star in an action franchise. His James Bond-esque good looks and debonair stature made him a natural in The Hobbit franchise and The Fast Saga. Having appeared in supporting roles over the last few years, his last significant lead being 2017’s Professor Marston and the Wonder Women, Evans makes a case for headlining more action vehicles with Weekend in Taipei. Co-written by The Transporter and Taken creator Luc Besson,...

A new trailer for Luke Evans upcoming action movie has been released!

The 45-year-old actor plays an American Drug Enforcement Administration agent opposite Gwei Lun-mei in the new movie Weekend in Taipei, written and directed by George Huang.

Here’s the synopsis: “On a deep undercover assignment in Taipei, DEA agent John Lawlor (Evans) was doing everything right… until he fell in love with his informant, beautiful Josephine ‘Joey’ Kwang (Lun-mei), one of the Asian underworld’s best transport drivers. Compromised and cover blown, John was forced to flee. Now, years later, John is back in Taipei for the weekend. But is he here to finish the job? Or to win back Joey’s love?”

Keep reading to find out more…The movie also stars Sung Kang and Wyatt Yang.

In a recent interview, Luke addressed all of the rumors and speculation that he’s going to play the next James Bond.

"I'm not gonna lose you again!" Or will he? Ketchup Ent. has debuted a second official trailer for Weekend in Taipei, an action comedy meets romantic thriller arriving in theaters in November. The original working title was Weekend Escape Project, but now it's in Taipei - directed by a Taiwanese-American filmmaker and starring a Taiwanese actress. From the creators of Taken and The Transporter - Luc Besson co-wrote and produced this in Taiwan. On a deep undercover mission in Taipei, DEA agent John Lawlor was doing everything right... until he fell in love with his informant, beautiful Josephine "Joey" Kwang, one of the best transport drivers. Compromised and cover blown, John was forced to flee. Now, years later, John is back in Taipei for the weekend. But is he here to finish the job? Or to win back Joey’s love? Starring Luke Evans as John, Gwei Lun-mei as Joey,...

Stars: Sung Kang, Lun-Mei Gwei, Luke Evans, Wyatt Yang | Written by George Huang, Luc Besson | Directed by George Huang

The poster for Weekend in Taipei bills it as “From the creator of Taken and The Transporter”. That’s another way of saying Luc Besson, who co-wrote both of those hits with Robert Mark Kamen, co-wrote this film’s script. However, his co-writer this time is the film’s director George Huang, who seems like an odd choice having not directed since he helmed several episodes of American Heiress in 2007. His last credit as a writer was the faux sequel Hard Target 2 in 2016.

In Taipei, mob boss Kwang is going on trial. At the same time that he’s proclaiming his innocence to the gathered reporters, his wife Joey is buying a new Ferrari. After a suitably fast test drive through the streets of Taipei, of course.

In Minneapolis, Agent John Lawlor...

“Weekend in Taipei” is a France-produced non-stop live-action ‘shoot-em-up’ set in Taiwan, directed by George Huang and co-written by Luc Besson, starring Luke Evans, Gwei Lun-mei and Sung Kang, with an international theatrical release August 21, 2024:

“…‘DEA’ agent, ‘John Lawlor’ (Evans), reunites with Taipei-based mercenary driver, ‘Joey Kwang’ (Gwei), and becomes entangled in a romantic relationship with her.

‘Lawlor, a committed ‘Drug Enforcement Administration’ agent, previously fell in love with Kwang, a Taipei-based ‘transporter’…

“…but was forced to separate due to the disruption of criminal and corruption activities.

“Now, 15 years later, the duo is reunited, but there is no rest for the wicked…”

Click the images to enlarge…...

I’m a sucker for a good kitchen fight scene, and the recently released trailer for Weekend in Taipei opens with a doozy. After his restaurant cover is blown, John Lawlor (Luke Evans) makes use of knives, pans, and even a blowtorch to take down a legion of baddies. I love it.

Weekend in Taipei was written by Luc Besson & George Huang, with Huang directing the action movie. “John Lawlor is a pit-bull DEA agent married to his job – there’s not a bad guy he can’t stop, nothing he won’t sacrifice to close out a case,” reads the official synopsis. “Joey Kang is a top ‘Transporter’ in Taipei – fast-driving and fast-thinking, she’s difficult to pin down, impossible to catch. The two of them weren’t supposed to fall in love, but fate brought them together… before forces of crime and corruption tore them apart. Now, 15 years later,...

Exclusive: Ketchup Entertainment has acquired North American rights to the action film Weekend in Taipei, produced by EuropaCorp’s Luc Besson and Virginie Besson-Silla, and starring Luke Evans (Murder Mystery), Gwei Lun-Mei and Sung Kang (Fast & Furious franchise).

The film from director George Huang (Swimming with Sharks) has been slated for a wide theatrical release this year, with further details on the worldwide roll-out planned by EuropaCorp still to come.

Co-written by Huang and Besson, Weekend in Taipei follows John Lawlor, a pit-bull DEA agent married to his job. There’s not a bad guy he can’t stop, nothing he won’t sacrifice to close out a case. Joey Kwang is a top “Transporter” in Taipei — fast-driving and fast-thinking, she’s difficult to pin down, impossible to catch. The two of them weren’t supposed to fall in love, but fate brought them together…...

Disney Entertainment co-chairman Dana Walden is among the business executives named to the President’s Export Council, which advises Joe Biden on international trade.

Walden was appointed along with two dozen other executives, including Qualcomm CEO Cristiano R. Amon, Citi CEO Jane Fraser, Ford CFO John Lawler and Cvs Health CEO Karen S. Lynch. The council also includes union leaders and legal experts. Another media industry appointee was Michelle W. Singer, senior vice president for political engagement at Comcast.

According to the White House, the council “advises the President of government policies and programs that affect U.S. trade performance; promotes export expansion; and provides a forum for discussing and resolving trade-related problems among the business, industrial, agricultural, labor, and government sectors.”

Walden was elevated along with Alan Bergman to co-chairs of Disney Entertainment earlier this month as part of a management restructuring under CEO Bob Iger, who returned to...

And now for your moment of nostalgic zen: Jon Stewart is joining Live In Front of a Studio Audience, TVLine has learned.

The Daily Show‘s former host will take part in the Facts of Life half of the upcoming special, which also will reenact an episode of Diff’rent Strokes. But what role will he play? That’s the big question; right now, ABC is only saying that Stewart will appear in a “surprise” role during the broadcast, which is slated for Tuesday, Dec. 7, at 8/7c.

More from TVLineAmerican Idol, Jeopardy! College Competition Get Premiere Dates at Abca Million Little Things' Gary and Maggie,...

Tr!CKST3R: San Diego, which runs concurrent with Comic-Con, specializes in creator-owned work, and on Saturday, July 20th, Anders Holm ("Workaholics," "The Mindy Project") will debut and sign his new comic Echo Island at the event.

Echo Island, with art by John Lawlor, is about some kids who go away to camp and do all the normal camp things… hooking up with girls, smoking weed, etc. And then they find out there is a killer on the loose. It's described as "Dazed and Confused meets Jason."

Here are the details for the signing and a sneak peek of the book:

Saturday, July 20th

Time: 5pm-6pm

Location: Tavern Bowl, 930 Market Street, San Diego

For more info visit the Tr!CKST3R website, and follow Echo Island Project (@EchoIslandProj) on Twitter.

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