The Delinquent

THE DELINQUENT is another in Shaw's angry young man sub-genre of filmmaking, following on from similar entries with Ti Lung and David Chiang. This one's a lesser piece despite the involvement of Liu Chia Liang in the action stakes and the assured direction from Chang Cheh, who brings a real on-the-street vibe to the proceedings. The story sees the underrated Wang Chung playing the usual aimless young man who finds himself drawn into the wiles of a robber gang planning the ultimate heist. For the most part this is a slow and ponderous production in which Chung isn't quite enough to hold your attention. However, the last twenty minutes are electrifying, a wonderfully intense mini-revenge saga, and the ending is classic stuff. If only the whole film could have been like this!