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Acclaimed Hong Kong director John Woo's first film to gain a following among western audiences, this pulp melodrama involves the unique relationship between a hitman (Chow Yun Fat), a singer he blinds by accident (Sally Yeh) and the cop (Danny Lee) hot on his trail. Fat must also deal with the mob, who have welshed on a deal they made with him and now want him out of the picture.I tell you, you'd have to look far and wide to find any better action scenes than the ones in this film. Good characters, a suspenseful story and fantastic action set pieces put most American action pictures to shame. Fat, Woo's frequent star, gives an hypnotic performance in the title role, and that finale rivals The Wild Bunch's.
Note to readers: Keep watching this week for further reviews of John Woo, who some have called "the successor to Peckinpah".
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The umpteenth adaptation of the adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn, it's also one of the dullest. Jonathan Taylor Thomas (Home Improvement) and Brad Renfro (The Client) play the title characters, and we follow them around as they search for buried treasure and outsmart the famed Injun Joe (a seriously outdated character).Disney has really gone too far on this one. The story is only marginally faithful to the original Mark Twain novels. Needless slapstick is added in, because somebody thought that Thomas and Renfro were supposed to put on some kind of contemporary Laurel-and-Hardy act, instead of staying true to the characters more interesting traits. As for the kids, for whom this seems to be geared, get those bedsheets ready. Because they'll be bored to sleep after the first 10 minutes into the movie. If you really want to experience the adventures of Tom and Huck, here's a novel idea (no pun intended). Read the books!
A recent indie hit, this hilarious mockumentary (in the line of This is Spinal Tap) follows the campaign of Vermont farmer Fred Tuttle in his bid for the state congressional seat. Tuttle decides to do this to pay off the debts owed on his farm, not to mention his 95-year old father's hip operation. His opponent, William Blachley, attempts every mudslinging trick in the book to put a stop to Tuttle's campaign. But, oddly enough, Tuttle still seems to be winning, thanks in part to his charismatic charm and his wily sense of humor.A brilliant blend of reality and fiction (Tuttle's real, the campaign is not) make this a very winning sleeper from director John O'Brien. There are some hysterical moments that take a stab at making fun of the government. It also tries to prove a point about the sick circus recent politics and political campaigns have become. And the filmakers, I'm sure, had a great time doing it. The real star, Fred Tuttle, is outstanding and a fascinating person to watch and is full of humorous, homemade anecdotes about American Politics today. This may not be an easy one to catch, but if it comes to your town, don't miss the opportunity to see it.
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The American debut of action director John Woo, this Jean Claude Van Damme vehicle isn't half bad. The "Muscles from Brussels" plays a sailor, who comes to the aid of a woman (Yancy Butler) being hunted by sadistic millionaire Lance Henriksen and his crew. Van Damme eventually turns the tables on Henriksen and shows him what it's like to be the hunted.Though not on par with some of Woo's Hong Kong efforts, this is ultimately one of Van Damme's better vehicles. Woo's usual flare for good action sequences, and his ability to coax a decent performance out of Van Damme, brings this up a notch from the usual run-of-the-mill action fare.
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Director John Woo's second American action effort, this involves a battle of wills and muscle between a young air force pilot (Christian Slater) and his treacherous superior (John Travolta), over two armed nuclear bombs. Assisting Slater in his mission to snatch the two weapons out of Travolta's hands is a spunky park ranger (Samantha Mathis), who helps him make his way across the Utah desert. Along the way, Slater and Mathis must dodge the attempts by baddie Travolta to thwart them in their pursuit.A fine showcase for Slater and Travolta, whose acting helps you through this rather standard action picture. Don't get me wrong, the action sequences by Woo are good, but nothing amazingly new. But that doesn't mean you can't have a good time watching this. It just mean's that you shouldn't expect anything original and unique.
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I know it's a little late for a scary Halloween review. That's why I chose this instead. One of the dumbest horror sequels, this makes the Friday the 13th series seem logical by comparison. Leatherface and the gang are back, terrorizing a young radio D.J (Caroline Williams) who must fight for her life against these crazed cannibals. In the meantime, a bizarre Texas ranger (Dennis Hopper no less) is in hot pursuit of the bunch. Who will triumph in the end? Do you really want to know?I think you can stop with sequels all together, if this is the best that cinema has to offer. Some rotten attempts at black humor just add to the weight of this sinking ship. For those of you who thought the first one was vile and disgusting, I think you'd change your mind about that choice after seeing this!
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John Woo's breakthrough film in Hong Kong (and one of the country's highest grossing films), this exciting tale takes a look at two brothers, one an ex-gangster (Ti Lung) and the other a cop (Leslie Cheung), who still blames Lung for the death of their father. Cheung is pursuing one of Lung's old cohorts, who is now a major Mafia boss. Lung is induced by his old friend (Chow Yun Fat) to participate in taking revenge upon their old cohort. Fat has realized he is being used as a footstool by this old accomplice, when at one time Fat believed he was a friend. Things get a little more interesting as time goes along.Although this isn't as good as some of his later efforts, mainly because it's marred by some mediocre melodramatics, it's still full of Woo's outstanding action scenes and his usual messages about honor, loyalty and friendship. John Woo may be the successor to Sam Peckinpah, like many have said. I think I agree, after seeing his incredible body of work.
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