Best of the Best
This 1992 Herman Yau directed effort plays out
like Romeo and Juliet on the bloody streets of HK and Macao. For the most
part it is pretty standard fare as it mixes competent but uninspired action
scenes among the predictable melodrama - but some fine performances gives
it some flair and makes it more involving than it should have been.
Ng Man-Tat and Jacky Cheung have a father and
son relationship whose gaping rift goes back to a childhood incident when
Ng accidentally killed Jacky's older brother. At the time Ng was a cop
with a strong dislike for his supervisor Paul Chun Pui. Now twenty years
later Jacky is a member of the elite S.D.U., Ng is a peacemaker in a hostess
bar and Chun Pui has switched sides and is now one of the top criminals
in HK. The mamasan of Ng Man-Tat’s bar is Carrie Ng and her friendship
with Ng is nicely drawn out and one of the stronger parts of the film.
A group of hostages are taken in a shopping mall
and Jacky and his fellow S.D.U. members rescue them - with Jacky saving
the life of the lovely Sammi Cheng (in her film debut). Needless to say,
when two Canto-pop stars collide - love blooms. Though I can't say Sammi
gives the role any more depth than is called for, her charming personality
is very much in evidence. It turns out – all too coincidentally - that
she is the daughter of Chun Pui and both parents warn their child to stay
away from the other - Chun Pui a little more forcefully than Ng Man-Tat.
In fact, he threatens to cut off Jacky's hand if he sees his daughter again.
But kids will be kids and this leads to the inevitable conflict.
It's really the acting from Ng Man-Tat that is
interesting here. Though far from restrained, he does a fine job of portraying
a father tortured by the death of one son and the distance between him
and another. Though in a smaller role than I would have liked, Carrie is
in fine form as well and looks terrific.
My rating for this film: 6.0
DVD Information:
Distributed by Mega Star/Media Asia
The transfer is excellent.
Letterboxed
Cantonese and Mandarin language tracks
Subtitles: Chinese , English, Nil
9 Chapters
It includes it's own trailer plus Carry On
Pickpocket, Return of the Lucky Stars and Fatal Vacation.