Somewhat of a true definition of how Hong Kong cinema strings together their movies on the spot. What Frankie Chan highlights early is a quick walk through of emotions for Danny Lee's character, culminating in the murder of his wife and baby. You should but probably won't realize this is very much an indication of what's to come. What becomes a not so distinctive buddy comedy with Danny Lee's cop getting aided by a prison informant (Eric Tsang), soon turns into an experience that is all over the map. A really destructive combo of not only comedy, so-so banter between the leads (Tsang is at his annoying worst), fairly brutal action but also extreme emotions of almost the disturbed kind (we're not that far from necrophilia in one of the dramatic "highlights") in a way is unashamedly entertaining. Never tugs at any heartstrings or possesses any care-factor, it's Hong Kong cinema of the era doing its "best" and Frankie Chan is hardly interested in any statements as a narrative director. If so, mission failed. The Criminal Hunter has its actual colours though despite disjointed content, most notably in quite an electrifying villainous performance by Dick Wei who is the epitome of callous in the film. Also with Nina Li, Kwan Hoi-San and Shing Fui-On.

Long before the era of the early 90s where filmmakers were scouring the newspapers for grim, real life crimes to depicts and spicing it up tenfold due to the freedom of the Category III rating, Shaw Brother's started a long running series called The Criminals, containing 3 short stories in 1 feature. Reportedly shooting in and around the same locations of the actual crimes (might as well been a promotional gimmick), first out of the gate is "Hidden Torsos", directed by Ching Gong (also the helmer of another based on a true life crime feature at Shaw's called Kidnap). Shih Szu plays a woman on the run from an abusive relationship but is trapped in her apartment by that abuser, played by Antonio Ho (Ghost Eyes). Ching Gong's experimental and in your face cinematography is reminiscent of Kidnap but he still achieves tension and an engrossing, grim tone. A silly voice over conclusion leaning towards the supernatural could've been left out however.

But the narrator continues guiding us through dark facets of society, continuing with adultery in "Valley Of The Hanged". Hong (Chiang Yang - The Spiritual Boxer) is a lowly, mining worker whose wife (Lau Wai-Yue - The Bamboo House Of Dolls) finds what she needs in De (Tin Ching). Marriage bitterness turns to hatred and to murder. Cinematography continue to do well but Hua Shan's (The Super Inframan) narrative lacks flair and possesses predictability instead. Certainly the most risque of the pieces as Lau sheds her clothes on several occasions.

The final piece "The Stuntmen" chooses the setting of the Shaw Brother's studious, partly but in reality is a standard gangster tale crammed into 38 minutes. Director Ho Meng-Hua (The Mighty Peking Man) seems to feel this pressure as he quickly takes Lo Lieh's Zhong from down on his luck, through the gig as a stuntman, being a pimp for a Tanny Tien look alike (naturally played by the sexy Tanny Tien herself) and ending up as a higher ranked triad boss. Triangles is a recurring symbol throughout these short stories and therefore no element of surprise really exists anymore when we arrive at this story. The Shaw's connection within the narrative doesn't even matter either. Summing up The Criminals, Ching Gong wins this round. Appearing in the various stories are also Wong Yue, Chan Shen, Ku Feng, Yueh Hua and Ha Ping.

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KENNETH'S REVIEW: Odd concoction despite a straight narrative, David Lai's second feature manages to hold your attention by not being expected. The story template is easy enough, starting with Kenny Bee being let out of prison but soon on a criminal path again, heading towards a possibly last, big job. He encounters club singer Sally (Sally Yeh) in the process but she is under the watchful eye of club owner Paul King (Michael Chan) and in love with her is cop Pow (Melvin Wong). It comes down to the notion of who is less messed up in the eyes of Sally and it leans towards the criminal...

Much of the interesting aspects of Crimson Street is directed towards Arthur Wong's splendid cinematography that manages to make the flick quite slick as well as employing shot- and lightning solutions that are highly atmospheric. But within a flick that either can't seem to find a grip of its simple story or has decided to not use expected beats, we feel like a pinball watching this mess that feels far from being a mess actually. For instance a rather intense and funny bar room brawl between Kenny and Michael Chan has the latter showing us his weird, surreal AND psychotic side. He even goes to the lengths of channeling buddha's palm in a drunken rage. So when at home, he goes really postal on Sally Yeh in an unpleasant sequence and the effects of respective mood is there. It's just tough to accept the multiple choices of Lai's. Also included, Melvin Wong as the cop with some slight psychosis of his own, montages of bliss between what should logically be the happy couple of the film and a nifty action sequence at a hockey rink sums up the picasso tableau of moods and emotions Crimson Street has. Not art but not totally unworthy strangely enough.

KENNETH'S REVIEW: A crap time for all, including the audience but this time we're not on board with hellish fate dealt to to good characters. Evans Chan (The Map Of Sex And Love) may deepen things somewhat in his director's cut (once available on VHS in America) but the 90 minute Hong Kong version doesn't reveal that much of an engaging tale. Anita Yuen is Mo-Yung, who's fallen head over heels in love with Benny (Simon Yam) and is asked to deliver a package for him to New York where he's waiting. Very hard to reach, in the meantime Yo-Mung befriends clinic worker Rubie (Lindsay Chan) who uncovers the darker truth to Benny. With Yo-Mung having put everything on the line, including family, the world certainly isn't smiling at her...

Through the various characters being generally unsatisfied with the geographical location they're in and the situation they're in, Evans Chan is venting pessimism that bores rather than involves. The writing is pretty clear cut, only not walking the tightrope of creating actual valid, hellish cinema. When dealing the worst hand to Anita Yuen's Yo-Mung, it doesn't say anything about the world we can't figure out without a movie experience. Certain sections towards the end are heartbreaking and ominous but it's not enough to flash a wee bit of excellence only. A solid cast and performances fail to elevate the material and the wide eyed psycho played by Ted Brunetti ends up being an unintentional funny moment for the film. Watch Farewell, China instead.

KENNETH'S REVIEW: Shot on the Mainland, Chang Cheh's most prolonged period post-Shaw's, in terms of settling on his troupe of actors (Dung Chi-Wa chief among them) goes from uneven to downright sloppy and also to top it all off, bad. It's operatic to the max as it centers the plot around an opera troupe with select characters about to become heroes of their time as they rise up against oppression in 1930s China. Many sequences of performing are included, many of which are shot with little flair and the trek gets even worse when basic plot isn't conveyed particularly well. Just because you have your characters talking of what to do, doesn't mean it travels to outside the screen. But extended opera leads to extended action for almost the full latter half of the film. Acrobatics and guns makes very much sense and the very tail end of the climax is set at a fireworks storage facility so literally we've got fireworks, that is watchable to boot. With the audience caring little for the heroism of characters, Chang Cheh may end his flick with attempts at poetry and style and it just shows there was life in him still. Life that unfortunately was leaving him for each movie that went by.

Wellson Chin produced this murder-mystery that appears generally solid but thinks it's smarter than it actually is. Extremely expository but less coherent and barely riveting, The Crucifixion is living proof that sometimes movies appear complex only to make themselves look good on that fashion statement catwalk of the genre. On the plus side, the mood is appropriately dark with equally appropriate lightheartedness coming from Michael Chow and Hilary Tsui's double act. Chow carries the clothes of the intuitive cop with little social skills but he gets the job done. Tsui as the spunky partner sidekick does little damage despite those dangerous traits. Also with Ivy Leung, Liu Kai-Chi, Mike Ng, Teresa Ha, William Ho and Shing Fui-On.

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While some may consider Ringo Lam's initial output to be no indication of what was to come through the On Fire films, knowing what we know, I think it's definitely easy to see the filmmaker early on looking for an outlet to explore cracks and darkness in humanity. It surfaces little by little through his work, more so in this, the last his fluff films if you will. Cupid One more or less seems to represent an attempt to remake Swept Away (not the Guy Ritchie remake obviously) and Ringo, re-teaming with Cinema City, showcases a confidence in working his actors (Mark Cheng and Sally Yeh, the latter still in slight Shanghai Blues mode to fine effect) that are to perform this largely two man show. The plot goes through the motions you expect but Lam subtly infuses an edgy atmosphere during brief moments. We're not quite sure what destruction will manifest itself or if it will at all but by the end, for a romantic comedy in essence, there's some fairly deep character psychology on display, even if it's in hysteria mode. It's even distressing watching the final reel. Joe Chan's attractive indoor- and outdoor cinematography is an asset as well.

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Rila is a woman who's now paying for sins in a past life and marriage after marriage leaves someone dead. Can she battle back against the black magician who's hellbent on making her pay?

Thoroughly dreadful and poorly made, you really need to switch to the C-movie sensibilities to get anything out of Curse. If that's possible, there is a good amount of hokey fun to be had, in particular in regards to the poor, even by Hong Kong standards, animated ghost effects (as laughable as it is, the rape sequences involving the animated ghosts are not pleasant). The opening is a frantic piece of work as well, feeling more like a finale and therefore is never topped. Kwan Hoi-San co-stars and was a recurring actor in director Paang Leng's short directorial career. Writer of this mess is Sze Ton On who penned several of the Kwan Tak-Hing Wong Fei Hung movies as well as The Magic Blade and Shaolin Mantis for Shaw Brother's.

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Phillip Ko & Luk Chuen decides via cheap means to make the Cyprus atmosphere that is automatically sunny rub off on the tone of the flick therefore. What this means is Hong Kong cops Simon Yam and Conan Lee acting up a clownish storm for 80 minutes + a subsequent 10 is devoted to action, if that. The latter lead grates especially (and comes with the awful name of Climax) as he goes after girls whenever he can, among other places on the nude beach where he's equipped with binoculars. Ending up in a gay porn video along with Yam's character probably doesn't help. A typical counterfeit plot is hatched to actually inject danger into the film but there's rarely any effect when doing anything in The Cyprus Tigers. Family drama comes via a crudely inserted Hong Kong segment where Joey Wong pops up but the minor action elements springs the flick to life a bit. In mentioned Hong Kong part of the film, Joey Wong is thrown between car hoods extensively and the fighting/gunplay finale offers up some fast paced intensity. Watch out for the black bodyguard of Phillip Ko's acting like an ape in a very dumb, politically incorrect and shamelessly amusing bit. Robin Shou also appears.