From Beijing with Love

One of Stephen Chow's finest works, so many iconic dialogues and characters. Yes, it is a little derogatory, but it reflects the views of many Hong Kong people at the time, but it is done mostly as comic relief. At the heart of it, I don't think Stephen was being racist, but more as a poke at the system. The movie is only a little less than 1.5 hours long, it's amazing how such a simple film can get so much done in such a short period of time with enough plot and character development to make it a classic. Watching the movie so many years later, I get to see a lot of things I couldn't understand as a kid, and appreciate this film even more. It serves as a token of the past, and in a way reflects how society and perception have changed over the years.

"From Beijing With Love" (aka "Gwok chaan Ling Ling Chat") turned out to be a very enjoyable Hong Kong action comedy that stars Stephen Chow.

Needless to say that a movie that stars Stephen Chow is bound to be enjoyable. There is just something about his movies and the characters he portrays that is highly enjoyable and entertaining. And "From Beijing With Love" was no different.

This is a wonderful spoof on the "James Bond" movies, but with a Hong Kong comedy twist to it. And it works out quite well, truth be told. It is a combination of a good storyline, interesting characters and nice acting performances that really brings this movie to its potential.

There is a good amount of comedy in the movie. Of course there is, as this is a movie with Stephen Chow in the leading role. But "From Beijing With Love" also has enough action and drama to make it interesting. And the mixture works out quite well in favor of the movie.

"From Beijing With Love" definitely is a remarkable movie from actor Stephen Chow, no doubt about that.

My rating from this 1994 movie from directors Stephen Chow and Lik-Chi Lee lands on a seven out of ten stars. I was highly entertained by the movie and was enjoying what transpired on the screen. High recommendable if you have an interest in the light-hearted side of Hong Kong cinema.

Caught this on DVD the other day...and I was laughing and smiling until the shopping mall sequence...where it abruptly shifted gears and positively reveled in cruelty and heartbreak...and then went back to being a goofy(but still blood-soaked) spoof. Well , I guess that 's part of the craziness of Hong Kong cinema that we all love....and I'm still smiling about the hilarious weapons and gadgets...the "solar flashlight" is priceless. Well worth seeing. Bond fans will love the riotous imitation of Maurice Binder's main title visuals...opening action sequence is as good as anything you'd see in a Bond film and Anita Yuen makes an adorable foil/adversary/partner for Chow. (But as I said, it is pure Stephen Chow nutball fun...like the guys who made "Shaun Of The Dead" and "Hot Fuzz", Chow takes no prisoners when he's out to bend a genre inside out and backwards.)

When I first saw this film I didn't know what to make of it - is it a Chinese James Bond or is it a Chinese Austin Powers. Well its neither and both at the same time if you get the drift.

Nevertheless it is totally insanely funny with its very silly plot and characters that had no credibility and I really enjoyed watching it. Fairly violent - but what else would you expect from a Hong Kong action film.

As many of Stephen Chow movies this movie is some sort of parody. This time James Bond has to answer. The way Stephen Chow makes fun of the perfect Bond is something you have to see for your selves. In stead of being a skilled shooter Stephen Chow is skilled in using a butcher knife. He has all sort of gadgets which aren't very useful. As a spoof it isn't entirely perfect. Most of the jokes were lost to me since you have to know Chinese to understand. The subtitles that came with the movie weren't good translations. The comedy in this movie isn't as visual as most of Stephen Chow's work but it is still funnier than other movies like this. There are some brilliant scenes that are typical of Stephen Chow's talent (as a comedian). This movie is nice enough but not quite up to the level of Chows's usual work. (I give this 6,5 out of 10)