Rosa
Director: Joe Cheung Tung Cho
Year: 1986
Rating: 7.0
I am going to try and occasionally re-watch some
of the Hong Kong films that I first came across some 25 or more years ago
and have not seen since. There was a HK video store in Chinatown and I used
to go down there and just pick films by the cover because I knew next to
nothing. Like everything else there is a learning curve. I knew who Yuen
Biao was and that was enough to choose this film but other than him the only
other actor I was familiar with was Kara Hui-ying. The review I wrote back
then was three sentences long. No mention of Dick Wei, Lowell Lo, Paul Chun
Pui, Charlie Cho, Chung Fat, Peter Chan, Tai Bo, James Tin-chuen and a bunch
of other now familiar faces. Because I didn't know any of them back then.
The action choreography is from Yuen Biao, Yuen Wah and Lam Ching-ying. Too
bad Lam and Yuen Wah didn't show up for a few bang ups. Produced by Sammo
Hung for his good friend Yuen Biao. Wong Kar-wai is credited as one of the
writers! Can't even imagine which part that would be.
Yuen Biao never had the solo career that Jackie or Sammo had though physically
some would argue that he was the most talented but he made some fine and
fun solo and collaborative films in the 1980s and into the 90's before leg
injuries caught up with him and his career stalled out a bit. Time to re-visit
some of those. This film is a goofy delight with just enough action to call
it an action-comedy-romance. It is mainly comedy though as it goes off in
all sorts of directions - to its benefit I think - but considering the actors
mentioned that could be a shame. But this is really a showcase for Yuen to
shine with his charm and sweetness. He is close to adorable here and smiles
throughout. Even frozen in ice. But definitely don't go in expecting an action
bonanza - it isn't here. But what action there is will light up your kung-fu
soul for a few minutes.
Paul Chun Pui is the police supervisor of Biao and Lowell Lo and he has it
in for both of them because of their screw-ups. They are not the most competent
of cops. In one of those classic hide in a room scenario they keep missing
the bad guy they are after as they keep looking the wrong way. They are assigned
to find Charlie Cho who is a snitch and has some photos of James Tin and
Dick Wei killing some folks. Their only lead is Rosa, ex-girlfriend of Cho.
She is played by the well-figured Lu Hsiao-fen which struck a memory chord.
She had been a big star in the Taiwanese Black Movies at the beginning of
the decade - in particular in The Avenger. It made her a star but also notorious
for her scenes in the film and now she was in Hong Kong. She is great in
this - sexy, flirty and fun.
At this point the film veers off course as our two boys basically forget
their assignment and go after the girls - Lo after Lu and Biao after Lo's
sister, Kara. There is even one of those silly videos played (sung by Lowell
Lo) as a montage is shown. They spend what felt like a lifetime playing mahjong
and practical jokes on one another. Lowell even does the sleepwalking routine
as he tries to grab Lu's assets. It feels at times like a Lucky Stars movie.
But there are two solid action set-pieces. One in which Biao and Lo dress
up as American gangsters from the 1930s - I think Lowell is attempting black
face but hard to say - and get into a rip-roaring fight with a money lender
(Fung Ging-man) and his gang of knuckle draggers and then they save the big
one for last. This is pretty fabulous with stunts galore and high octane
rocking action between Kara and Biao against Dick Wei, Chung Fat and about
twenty minions. Some great moments in this. Another action set-piece would
have been favorably received by me but this wasn't really meant to be an
action film. It is all about Yuen Biao.