Pedicab Driver

Good movie that combines action with romance.

Tung (Sammo Hung) is a pedicab driver. He has a pretty girl (LI Chi) that he gets attracted to that works at the baker next door. Malted Candy (Siu Ching Mok) who's also a pedicab driver runs into (literally) a girl (Fannie Yuen). Upon seeing her, he's instantly in love with her. He tries to mend the wrong, and his sincerity catches her heart too. There's a gang boss that's running a prostitute ring, and she works for him. Malted Candy's attempt to marry her, and get her out of the influence of the gang boss gets them in deadly harms way.

This is how a kung fu action movie should be. The actresses are good looking, and fight scenes are pretty awesome. There's humor to the side stories, and the supporting casts puts in a good performance. Nina Li Chi (Who's now Jet Li's wife), and Fannie Yuen looks really good in this movie. They were the actual focus of this story.

Bitter Sweet romance between Fannie Yuen, and Siu Ching Mok was nicely written.

This is one of Sammo Hung's best movie and is recommended for viewing.

This was pretty great. I'm a little embarrassed I didn't know this movie existed until yesterday, but it's better late than never. Pedicab Driver begins as a lightweight martial arts movie, but takes a shift toward melodrama in its second half that actually worked pretty well. There's one kind of comedic scene earlier on that I didn't like, but then when contrasted against something more serious that happens later (keeping things as vague as possible), it ends up being justified.

Sammo Hung starred in this and directed it, and the action's largely stellar. There are shots where the camera lurches back and forth, following the impact of a punch or a kick, and those shots work. The effect doesn't look silly or forced, and makes key moments of impact hit harder. I also appreciated how there were a few more close-ups used in some fight scenes, but never in a way that felt like it was disguising poor fight choreography. Those moments largely worked to make certain parts of certain fights more intense, and while lots of close-ups in fight scenes can make a fight harder to follow, that wasn't something I found with the fights here.

There might be some other things that can be nitpicked here, but much more of Pedicab Driver works than doesn't work. It's pretty underrated, and the finale plus a one-on-one fight with poles early on (the one with Lau Kar-Leung... and no, it doesn't matter if that conflict isn't hugely important to the rest of the movie) are all-timer martial arts set pieces, and are reasons enough to watch this one.

"Qun long xi feng," directed by the legendary Sammo Hung, is a thrilling, complex, and, at times, masochistic ride through the underbelly of Hong Kong. It's a film that wears many hats, blending martial arts, action, comedy, romance, and drama with a hint of social commentary. While it has its flaws, it's an underrated gem that deserves a wider audience and a proper release.

The story follows our hero, Sammo, as he battles evil villains, fights for love, and revolts against exploitation, particularly that of women. The film has an impressive range, seamlessly shifting from romantic moments to extended, brutally choreographed brawls. One scene, in particular, stands out: Sammo, covered in bruises, shares a tender moment with his love interest, a stark and touching contrast.

The villains are truly despicable and ruthless, and you'll love to hate them. They are nasty, relentless, and deserve every bit of the punishment Sammo dishes out. The finale, however, feels rushed, and an extra ten minutes of comeuppance would have been satisfying. The film also struggles with tone, with extreme shifts that may turn off viewers who prefer a more consistent pace.

"Qun long xi feng" is a unique entry in the Hong Kong action genre, offering more than just impressive fight scenes. It has a compelling narrative, an anger toward social injustices, and an emotional core that will leave you surprisingly moved. It's a shame that this film is hard to come by, as it is one of Sammo Hung's greatest achievements, and with a few minor tweaks, it could have been an undisputed classic.

This, "Prodigal Son" and "Eastern Condors" are my favourite Sammo Hung films. The Fat Dragon is fatter in this outing than he was in "Condors", but he's no less sure-footed as director or actor. He is, in fact, at the top of his form and delivers a devastating, brutal actioner that boasts half a dozen amazing sequences and manages to tell a compassionate, sweet love story also. Love and romance are not the director's priorities here, but they serve as curious adjuncts to the action, and insure that viewers don't hit the fast-forward button between the physical clashes.

The opening scene, which features a funny light sabre duel, sets a solid but deceptive tone. A sequence in which Sammo's pedicab is chased by a car is beautifully staged and sweetened with a sharp, comic tone. The fast and furious stick fight between Sammo and Lau Kar Leung is a model of dazzling choreography and sharp, superb direction, and easily one of the best ever of its type. The film's violence escalates slowly until, finally, when the climactic showdown comes, we are subjected to some of the most brutal altercations ever seen in a Sammo production. The director/actor's assault on Billy Chow and a house filled with angry, menacing opponents is a bone-cracking, physically punishing delight.

Terrific on every level and one of the best martial arts movies ever made.

Great score, too.

You know your film is off to a strong start when you aren't even 5 minutes in and it's already staging its own lightsaber fights, albeit with fluorescent bulbs. Marking the end of Sammo Hung's greatest period as both star and director with a mighty bang, Pedicab Driver exemplifies the type of cinema that Hong Kong loved during the 80s. What that means is it's a mismatched series of bizarre comedy, heightened emotions, sudden tragedy and yes, incredible fight scenes. The extended fight between Sammo and Lau Kar-Leung in the gambling den stands as one of the film's most memorable moments, despite its complete irrelevance to the plot. Although it seems a little overambitious at times in its storytelling, with several seemingly unrelated threads running parallel, the film does manage to hold it all together in a way that only Hong Kong cinema can. While the story threads are certainly only diversions from the main spectacle, they do enhance the film somewhat, thanks largely to the cast's terrific performances and great music. It all starts happy-go-lucky but by the end, revenge is the name of the game and it is one Sammo delivers tenfold with some fantastic direction. For its uneven mishmash of genres and tones, Pedicab Driver succeeds wholeheartedly thanks to its easily empathetic and loveable characters and their plights, it's as entertaining as they come and features something for everyone. While not quite a masterpiece it is well worth seeing.