Another Meltdown

This movie was my first encounter with any Hong Kong film. I watched this movie back in 1999 (on a VCR cassette).

The story line is like many other holly wood movies produced at that time: "A patriotic cop in a difficult and life saving situation". Action is sloppy sometimes but the martial arts is quite good.

Acting of lead cast both hero and villain is convincing (except the female lead because her performance was over-loud and not up to the standards).

Dubbing could have been more better. Over all 6/10.

If you can bear the 90's action, it is a good movie to watch.

....and a goofy, half-baked plot it is. When you set your movie in a fictional country named Lavernia (?) and expect people to take it seriously, you've definitely started off on the wrong foot. But when the film is not slowed down by its story, it does have some very good action scenes. It is mainly a showcase for Chiu Man Cheuk, who has a likable screen presence and is a graceful, impressive fighter; although he's not quite "the next Jet Li", why he never became a bigger star in the field is a minor mystery. The fight choreography is brutal and efficient, and the main villain (Andrew Lin) is impressive in his own right, but the final showdown goes too over-the-top for my tastes. The beautiful Shu Qi is mostly wasted, but she does have a great scene where she fiercely stabs a man to death. (**1/2)

A little bit like Die Hard/Executive Action, only much better because it's Hong Kong produced. Great fight scenes. Especially in the end, kung fu/sword fight sequence was just unforgettable. A must see for Hong Kong action fans.

Ever since SONY/Columbia/Tristar/(Disney)(silent partner) decided to release the Jackie Chan canon, it's become more and more clear that 1) they want a monopoly on redistributing Asian films on secondary markets (e.g. DVD); 2) they have no intention of allowing these films to go before an American audience without alterations; 3) they want to confuse Americans concerning the nature of these films by giving them spurious titles (most obviously "legend of this" or "legend of that" - almost none of these films have the word "legend" in their original titles).

Here's yet another example. This film is not and never claimed to be (in its original title) a sequel to the Jet Li film "Meltdown". Whereas "Meltdown" is really a very dark satire in the draping of an ultra-violent action film, the present film is a dramatic confrontation with a troubling event in Chinese history - the massacre in Tianemen Square; in fact it's the only Chinese film I can think of that explicitly addresses that terrible event; and the fact that the government allowed production of a film that admits the primary responsibility for the massacre was the government's - and that the government was mistaken - indicates that China has come a long way since Tianemen Square. But of course SONY/Columbia/Tristar/(Disney) doesn't think a film of this nature ought to be viewed with any sympathy, so they gave it a title and a promotion package sure to confuse - and disappoint- many American audiences.

On its own merits, the film is really quite good; the dramatic moments are well-handled and neatly performed. The action sequences - choreographed by the great Ching Siu Tung - are fast, high-impact, innovative. And they help move the plot along, they're not just tossed in to make this an action film. The dialog is just so-so, but the actors are determined to raise it above mediocre, and accomplish this in several key moments. The direction is solidly professional and we are left knowing that we have witnessed both a dramatic film AND an action film.

It's not the among China's best, but it is worthwhile entertainment on its own terms.

Hopefully SONY/Columbia/Tristar/(Disney) will one day realize that people who come to a film made in Asia want to see a film made in Asia, and not a re-interpreted "legend". However, there's still the hope for an anti-trust suit to break their bank....

The storyline is basically about an exiled HK cop living in a fictional ex-Soviet country, and sounds like something from a Jackie Chan film. The action comes thick and fast yet theres something missing...

However the swordfight at the end is definitely the best I have ever seen and it is a shame that it's so short as it really shows the talent of Chiu Man Chuk.

The dubbing is absolutely dire, so I would recommending watching the DVD version with subtitles.