Dangerous Encounters of the First Kind

This is an interesting oddity if ever I saw one. It starts off admittedly lousily with a number of sequences that appear completely unconnected and which make little to no sense – so much so in fact that I initially was under the impression that this was a cut and splice film ala Godfrey Ho!

However, don't turn off just yet for things do pick up admirably as it goes on.

The basic story concerns three nerdy students who during a night of drunken revelry accidentally run over and kill a pedestrian. This act is witnessed by an strange and somewhat sadistic girl who's brother happens to be a cop. Following the incident the girl (who tortures mice in her spare time!) bribes the students to aid her indulge in her criminal fantasies or else she will inform the police of the fateful nights events.

Matters take a dramatic turn for the worse when the group of would be miscreants inadvertently take possession of some Japanese bank orders which are the property of some particularly sadistic American militia sorts. Added to this the Triads get wind of the scheme and want a piece of the action for themselves. The end result is pretty gruesome and riveting stuff, especially the movies climax which is handled with some not inconsiderable flair by the movies director.

Fans of shock and exploitation cinema should certainly give this a go….just don't expect a sequel anytime soon….

Our film features a sociopathic girl, who practically dominates and manipulates three students. We see a few scenes of horror, which reflect a dark comedy theme. The film then shifts to a noir theme, reaching a high point with the action theme in the final scenes. The actress who plays the sociopathic girl, our lead character, performed really well. After that, there were some very ironic scenes with the girl dating. I recommend it. Of course, the film moves towards a point where it deciphers the crime flow, showing you the themes of Hong Kong's neighborhoods and schemes that reflect past events in Hong Kong, reminding you of them through its scenes. The terrorism scheme it covers is precisely this aspect of the film.

If you like black comedy, definitely check it out, but it will take you towards a theme that transcends boundaries.

Note: the bus scene, the house scene, the cat scene...

Three friends out for a night of fun in daddy's car accidentally kill a pedestrian. The only witness is young, psychotic girl who decides to blackmail them. She forces the boys to participate in her misanthropic deeds, which eventually bring them into some Japanese bank notes for 800 million yen that belong to some illegal arms dealers. Wow, this is one psychotic movie! DON'T PLAY WITH FIRE (aka DANGEROUS ENCOUNTERS: 1ST KIND) is Tsui Hark's third film and it is one angry movie. Opening with the scene of a mouse having a pin shoved into its head (sadly, for real), Hark makes modern day Hong Kong look like hell on earth with its grimy streets and claustrophobic apartment buildings. I'd like to think he is making a statement on class warfare, but Hark just seems like he wants to destroy everything in a wave of nihilistic fury. A final shootout in an equally crowded cemetery is the film's highlight. The score is stolen from all over the place. Tracks I identified were from Goblin (off the DAWN OF THE DEAD soundtrack), Jean Michel Jarre, and the disco band The Mike Theodore Orchestra. I actually wish Hark made more modern day stuff like this as I got tired of his costume kung fu drama porn rather quickly.

DANGEROUS ENCOUNTERS OF THE FIRST KIND is a searing political thriller and an unforgettable debut from first-time director Tsui Hark. The storyline follows a fan of amateur anarchists who decide to terrorise Hong Kong by setting off home-made bombs in various places such as a cinema. Their fortunes take a turn for the worse when they meet up with a young girl who proves to be even more of a maniac than they are, and when they steal a wad of Japanese cash their adventures turn deadly.

Be warned: I would have given this film a higher rating if it wasn't for the real-life animal cruelty that plagues the production. In order to show us that the protagonist is a psychopath, Hark has her committing real-life cruelty by torturing mice with pins. These are horrible scenes and a bit with a cat, although less realistic, is equally disturbing.

Otherwise, the film itself is fine: a slow start, plenty of tension, building to a breathtaking all-out climax set in a hillside cemetery. The cast give effective performances, particularly seasoned pro Lo Lieh, thankfully not cast as a bad guy for once but instead the cop brother of the main character. Scenes of the main characters going on bombing rampage were censored by nervous distributors but they remain the most interesting part of the production. Watch out for the soundtrack, which borrows heavily from the likes of Jean-Michel Jarre and the music from DAWN OF THE DEAD.

I never believed in rebirth, but italian freak cinema of the 70ies lived on in a lot of Hong Kong flicks of the 80ies. If you like animals, human life or are a fan of political correctness you should NOT watch this movie. If you like explotation movies, italian cinema and have mental problems like me, GO FOR IT. It really has a good script, lot of twists, overall good acting and is very well made. What I really missed are car chases between Alfa Romeo's and BMW's, Tomas Milian, Henry Silva and a score from let's say Stelvio Cipriani, then it would be perfect, but you can't have it all. Hardcore entertainment par excellence (really).