Burning Ambition
This is an unrelenting and somewhat downbeat action
film that doesn’t receive the attention it deserves. It has an interesting
plot that is often punctuated with violent gun and kung-fu action.
Nearly everyone in the excellent cast gets some prime time on the screen
and an opportunity to get involved in the action. Though it takes place
within the structure of a triad film, it is nearly Shakespearean in its
themes of family against family, brother against brother and finally son
against father.
Roy Chiao heads a large triad family composed
of various factions. At a family dinner he announces that when he soon
moves to Canada his youngest son Simon Yam will take over the business.
Though he is not aware of it, he is also signing his own death warrant
with this pronouncement. One of the senior members of the triad, Uncle
Hsiong, decides that this is the time to make a power play. During an assassination
attempt, Hsiong kills Chiao while pretending to protect him. While the
body is still warm, Hsiong makes an alliance with the oldest son and promises
to put him in charge of the family.
The matriarch of the family though realizes what
is happening and almost immediately goes gunning for Hsiong. Soon the lines
are drawn and it is an all out war. On Hsiong’s side are his children –
Yukari Oshima, Kara Hui Ying-Hung, Frankie Chan and numerous minions. Chan
also brings five friends/killers from Amsterdam to help out. On the matriarch’s
side is Simon Yam, Eddie Ko, various minions and five imported professional
gweilo killers.
As one might imagine this leads to a lot of action
and a lot of killing. One scene in particular is a classic. Uncle Hsiong
and three of his children are dining at a Japanese restaurant when the
other side tries to kill him. His three children surround and protect him
like an impenetrable barrier. The fight tumbles out into the parking garage
where Yukari and Kara kill off waves of attackers with their feet, hands,
bats, knives and whatever else is at hand. Uncle Hsiong and his children
are in their bare feet due to having been eating in a Japanese restaurant
and the other side sees this and breaks glass all over the floor. In a
stunning scene, Kara first fights in agonizing pain on the broken glass
and then lays her body down on the glass so that her father can walk on
top of her. Watching Kara turn from this demure sweet young daughter to
a fighting warrior determined to protect her father at any cost is stirring.
The intriguing thing from the viewer’s point of
view is that you really don’t know whose side to take in this internecine
war. Uncle Hsiong’s children are very honorable – fighting to save their
father – and of course Yukari and Kara are two of my all time favorites
– but Hsiong started the entire war and as the film progresses his evil
ambitions become all too clear. Even his children are only pawns in his
thirst for power. On the other side is the wife, Simon and Eddie trying
to revenge Chiao, but it soon becomes clear that they are not strong enough
to lead the triad. This makes it all fairly interesting. Just don’t expect
all of your favorites to still be standing when all the blood settles and
the gun smoke clears.
The only complaint I had was that Frankie Chan
who also directs the film focuses a bit too much attention on himself –
I would have preferred much more of Yukari and Kara – but even so this
film has some excellent action and a number of good one on one fights.
My rating for this film: 7.5
Reviewed by YTSL
Although this 1989 effort is quite a ways from
being an absolute masterwork, it does have an excellent action sequence
that really has to be seen to be believed; and not just because two of
the people in the thick of the pretty intense battle are members of "the
weaker sex". In all honesty, I think that the sensational fierce
fight which involves many bodies, guns, knives, a baseball bat, bare knuckles,
shoeless as well as shod feet, and broken glass is so good (to watch) that
no written description can spoil it or do it justice. Thus, I'll
content myself with stating that: This remarkable five minute (or
thereabouts) segment would have a place in any Hong Kong movie highlights
video compilation I were to put together; its featured participant, veteran
actress Kara Hui Ying Hung, gained herself another fan here; and a second
woman, Yukari Oshima, acquitted herself rather well too.
If only director cum producer Frankie Chan could
get himself to look as impressive (and natural) in his starring role in
this film. Better yet, if only he had been content to stay behind
the camera. As it is, BURNING AMBITION goes downhill in quality at
precisely the moment that he appears on screen. It is bad enough
that his face is apt to be blanker than Ekin Cheng or George Lam's have
ever been. What's worse is that whatever fight sequences he figures
in -- be it a friendly sparring match between him and Yukari Oshima, that
which pits him and his gang against Eddie Ko (this being a Hong Kong movie,
it isn't only a solitary good guy who finds himself being confronted by
many opponents), or one against a "gweilo" mercenary which takes place
amidst jingoistic and racist pronouncements by both parties -- is way too
obviously choreographed and enacted to make him look good (at the expense
of others and also the overall quality of the event).
Another gripe I have involves the director-producer's
continuing to introduce new characters into the story even after the movie
was already two-thirds along. Perhaps he felt a need to do this in
light of quite a few individuals -- some of whom had looked like they were
going to figure way more prominently and longer in BURNING AMBITION than
they in fact did -- getting killed even before the film's reaching its
half-way mark. But substituting able actors and actresses (This movie's
cast includes the woman -- whose name I do not know -- who portrayed the
steely matriarch of one family as well as industry stalwarts like Simon
Yam and the late Roy Chiao) with little more than minimally speaking hulking
help surely was not the right thing to do.
All this is a particularly great pity because
BURNING AMBITION really looked for a while to have the potential to be
much more than your standard piece of medium budget production. While nothing
else quite approaches the heights of the spectacularly staged -- and poignantly
resolved -- first seeking of revenge (on behalf of a triad boss' widow
and designated heir) against a rival and his family, the film possesses
other standout segments like: A dramatic confrontation between two
brothers with little love for each other (which is made particularly emotionally
fraught by its taking place in front of an unwilling witness who they do
not know is there in the shadows); a harrowing flashback to a murder remembered
by a father and his son; a boardroom showdown between the movie's designated
hero and the most obvious villain of the piece; along with a visually cool
chase through the tubes and chutes of long waterpark rides (that look like
they would be lots of fun to try out!).
Since it contains all that, BURNING AMBITION
can hardly be a bad piece of work. Still, it is somewhat disappointing
that a film that (additionally) appeared to have enough gray moral areas
and interesting characters to be a very intriguing as well as powerful
drama ultimately got reduced to being an action -- as opposed to action-filled
-- movie which, if it really were trying to send any social statements,
ended up presenting ones -- about the lot of children (vis a vis their
parents) and on what grounds friendships and alliances are formed -- too
nihilistic and consequently stupid for anyone to seriously consider.
My rating for the film: 7.