Just Heroes

"Yee dam kwan ying" (aka "Just Heroes") is a fairly generic late 1980s Hong Kong over-the-top action movie, for better or worse, from legendary action director John Woo.

Now, I wasn't familiar with "Just Heroes" before now in 2021, when I was presented with the opportunity to sit down and watch it. And of course I did so, given the fact that this was a Hong Kong movie that I hadn't already seen.

And I will say that "Just Heroes" proved to be adequately entertaining. It wasn't a particularly outstanding or overly memorable action movie though, as the storyline was a little bit cluttered and all over the place, which lead to the characters sort of drifting into one another and making it a bit hard to tell them apart.

The action sequences in the movie were nicely executed and there was a great abundance of action throughout the course of the movie - as it usually was with John Woo movies.

However, I must admit that the somewhat flawed and generic storyline made the movie suffer. My interest in the movie was slowly abating as the movie progressed and there seemed to be a stalemate in the movie's actual progression in story.

"Just Heroes", a title that absolutely makes no sense for this particular type of movie, nor serves any purpose in relation to the contents of the storyline, actually had a fair enough cast ensemble, with the likes of Stephen Chow, Kuan Tai Chen and Fui-On Shing.

Ultimately then "Just Heroes" was a watchable late 1980s Hong Kong action movie, but it was at the same time also a very forgettable movie as well. It just proved to be too generic and bland. As such, I am rating "Just Heroes" a very mediocre five out of ten stars.

John Woo gangster pic that involved the direction of a couple other people including Ma Wu and Danny Lee. Really the last Triad picture John Woo would do in his career because for one, The Killer is a hitman portrait film. Also, Bullet in the Head uses different genres to move the story along. Even Hard-Boiled which includes a triad gang war is a film that is looking from the outside. Yi Dan Qun Ying/Just Heroes(1987) is the last film for John Woo that focused on the insides and mentality of the triad organize crime society.

Closer in plot to Rich & Famous(1987) than the A Better Tomorrow films by John Woo. Very good action crime flick by John Woo that although flawed is much better than his Hollywood films of Broken Arrow(1996) and Mission:Impossible 2(2000). Suffers from some of the same flaws that was apparent in Heroes Shed no Tears(1985). Includes inconsistency in story, acting, and direction. Still Just Heroes(1987) is a worthwhile John Woo pic because of the excellent action set pieces.

Does bog down during the dramatic scenes but only in small doses. I find it interesting to see people who are supposedly close start setting up affinities with whoever will be the new boss of the gang. Deals with a gang war that begins after the elder boss abdicates his position of power due to being assassinated. The opening of Just Heroes(1987) sets the tone for what will happen for the rest of the film. Just Heroes(1987) is a Triad take on the King Lear story although not as grandeaur or magnificent as Akira Kurosawa's treatment of the same subject in Ran(1985).

At certain times the film becomes a satire of A Better Tomorrow(1986) and A Better Tomorrow 2(1987). In fact I feel that some of the ideas used in Just Heroes are left over from ABT and ABT2. One of the characters who is a protege of Wai(triad turned fisherman) fantasizes about being like Mark Gor from A Better Tomorrow(1986). He even recites some of Chow Yun Fat's famous lines from John Woo's breakthrough motion picture. The best parody is when the young man puts hand guns in flower pots just like Mark Gor during the resturant shootout in ABT.

A rare dramatic role for Hong Kong Comedy king, Stephen Chow who passes with flying colors. The main characters in Just Heroes(1987) like in the director's post ABT and pre Hollywood films are looking for spirital ablution in order to start anew. One of the few times in a Hong Kong film where Danny Lee does not portray a Police officer. The version of Just Heroes(1987) on video is missing the scene where before the ex-girlfriend of Wai dies she whispers to him of who is responsible for the death of the gang's late boss. Yi Dan Qun Ying/Just Heroes(1987) contains an awesome gunbattle that is one of John Woo's best in one of his HK films.

Like i say before the review this movie is a old fashioned Hong Kong action crime movie directed by John Woo with many familiar face of golden age of Hong Kong cinema like:David Chiang,Kuan Tai Chen, Lung Ti the holy trinity of kung-fu movie,Danny Lee from Woo masterpiece The Killer and surprisingly Stephen Chow whom used to play comedic role.It sometime get a little chessy with the dialogue,some homophobic aspect but the acting is good and some character actually very well written to the point that i really care about them in the end.The highlight of the movie still the John Woo violent shootout that you will see plenty of it although it not long and action heavy like Woo previous work but when it happen it very satisfied and awesome.Definitely not Woo best work but if you a fan of John Woo you will love it

Just got done watching Just Heroes (1989) and it was a blast. Yeah it's not as great as The Killer (1989), but I never expected the movie to do that.

Positives for Just Heroes (1989): The movie's premise is a very interesting one in that there's also a mystery as who the main villain could be. It was also great to see Danny Lee in his second straight John Woo Movie after The Killer (1989) and of course he is excellent in this movie. The action sequences and shootouts are spectacular in this movie.

Negatives for Just Heroes (1989): The movie isn't as engaging or emotional as The Killer (1989) but then again that's a hard movie to follow up.

Overall, Just Heroes is yet anothr fantastic movie in John Woo's filmography.

Just Heroes is far from John Woo's finest hour, but even then there's a lot to love about this minor classic, with Woo's trademarked heroic bloodshed coming out in full force during the finale. Commissioned by Tsui Hark to raise retirement money for a broke Chang Cheh, John Woo's main influence and tutor, Cheh then spent said money on making another film instead. Woo only directed about 60% of this and his style is plainly obvious when compared to the 40% helmed by Wu Ma. It's the kind of film that desperately needs another 20-30 minutes to let all its ideas flow, it feels rushed which doesn't surprise me given how quickly it was thrown together, the pedestrian script could have done with some tightening up. Despite this, Just Heroes boasts a funky musical score, some great performances from David Chiang, Danny Lee and a young Stephen Chow and is packed full of intrigue even in a routine-like mob world with elements that feel like they belong to a Takeshi Kitano yakuza thriller.