09-30-2017, 09:31 AM
Based on real events of gangstas fighting for control of British-controlled Hong Kong in the 1960s onward. Crippled Ho (Donnie Yen with a mustache) rises up through the ranks using duplicity, cunning, and ruthlessness.
Nice to see Donnie Yen in a darker, more conflicted role, showing his acting chops; but this is a grim movie full of unpleasant people in an ugly place. There's a few good fights in the first half, but then... Well, there's a reason he's called Crippled Ho. One of those fights has Donnie Yen squaring off against DM's buddy Philip Ng, which impressed me with its utter ugly mayhem.
There's some tragic and emotional scenes, but these are sickeningly saccharine for the most part. As for the villains, they are unpleasant to watch, with no charisma, just dumb, loutish, nearly invincible, and overly sadistic.
The cinematography and set pieces were solid, but for whatever reason the camera movement was just blurred enough to ruin many of the long, complex shots. Did they have inadequate equipment? How can you put so much time and effort into some of these ambitious shots and the camera can't handle it?
I was squirming towards the end, wanting it to wrap up. But it went on and on, taking forever for the worst villains to be dealt with because the fucking director kept letting them escape in ludicrous ways. Then finally it was over and there was text telling the fates of various characters; but each of these subtitles only lasted an eyeblink so I could only catch the character's name but not what was said about him.
A respectable audience at the Cupertino AMC, maybe 80.
Nice to see Donnie Yen in a darker, more conflicted role, showing his acting chops; but this is a grim movie full of unpleasant people in an ugly place. There's a few good fights in the first half, but then... Well, there's a reason he's called Crippled Ho. One of those fights has Donnie Yen squaring off against DM's buddy Philip Ng, which impressed me with its utter ugly mayhem.
There's some tragic and emotional scenes, but these are sickeningly saccharine for the most part. As for the villains, they are unpleasant to watch, with no charisma, just dumb, loutish, nearly invincible, and overly sadistic.
The cinematography and set pieces were solid, but for whatever reason the camera movement was just blurred enough to ruin many of the long, complex shots. Did they have inadequate equipment? How can you put so much time and effort into some of these ambitious shots and the camera can't handle it?
I was squirming towards the end, wanting it to wrap up. But it went on and on, taking forever for the worst villains to be dealt with because the fucking director kept letting them escape in ludicrous ways. Then finally it was over and there was text telling the fates of various characters; but each of these subtitles only lasted an eyeblink so I could only catch the character's name but not what was said about him.
A respectable audience at the Cupertino AMC, maybe 80.
I'm nobody's pony.
