One of the very best movies Rarescope unearthed for release on dvd, the excellent cast, plentiful action and a truly engaging trip down familiar plotting makes The Face Behind Mask a previously lost winner. Yueh Hua, Hsu Feng and Lo Lieh play characters that are in the service of clan leader Chi Tien-Wei and have to spend their days as assassins or avoiding sneaky attempts on Chi's life. The opposition always hide arrows in boxes with decapitated heads or use deadly, projectile hands but this trio usually saves the day. It does become clear there might be a spy within the clan though and the attempts at sniffing the one out results accusations directed towards the wrong person...

In the best of ways combining a first half with non-stop swordplay and a second of mystery and intrigue, director Chen Chi-Hwa (Snake And Crane Arts Of Shaolin) isn't providing newly thought of material but the simplicity of the beats is a great tool. It just goes to prove that if you put effort in aspects outside of production- and action-design, you can make this often made genre stand out quite a bit. Combining the excellent presences of its trio of stars is a major factor as well, with top honors going to Lo Lieh.

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Wing Cheong (Emil Chow) and wife Kitty (Cecilia Yip) are planning migration, she more intensely than him and the pressure is on to make career out of his dubbing job before following her move to Canada. Trusting her husband of course, he relives pressure (not necessarily sexually) from all hassle, bureaucratic or otherwise, when he engages in an affair with his new boss (Christy Chung)...

Wearing its 1997 concerns on its sleeve, Faithfully Yours is a case of sound, current issues turning into just a better acted soap opera. Emil Chow is fitting as the slightly lowly and not very career-driven Wing but his affair with Christy Chung's character reeks more of someone's dream coming true rather than being a true fit for the story. Neither actor is embarrassing, just the pieces are and they are ringing false. Cecilia Yip is a terrific actress and probably a fair fit as well for the self-demanding Kitty but several outbursts into tears cracks the surface of the film in a bad way, reducing it again to that better than average soap status. When writer/director Victor Taam also ties up the film via a Canto-pop montage and an all too neat ending, his Faithfully Yours ends up merely speaking but not well. An odd device is featured near the end where the actors turn to camera to explain their characters. In case we slept through the flick... Lau Siu-Ming, Cheung Kwok-Keung, Bowie Lam and Kingdom Yuen also appear.

I guess it makes sense that Dean Shek directing a drama would somewhat equal the manic energy he puts forth when on-screen. While no one can claim he's not being sincere in this story about children wanting to reunite their parents, every single mood is in typical Hong Kong cinema overdrive to the point of being genuinely irritating. One half of the kids is so obnoxious you want to strangle him, Dean Shek's supporting role as the warm grandpa generates annoyance instead and the melodramatic turns in the story are on the verge of hysteria so it's really hard to feel when everything is right up in your face. Still, it's a recipe of its time and A Family Affair became another success for Cinema City. Best part for the rest of us is another fine Sam Hui theme song and Olivia Cheng in a bikini. Melvin Wong co-stars.

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The two sons, Big But (Kenny Ho) and Small But, of a father in the bra business decides to revolt in order achieve freedom and independency away from their family. Without an heir to the business therefore, the stern father disowns their sons but complications doesn't stop there as the entire family seems to be falling apart. Big But teaches his brother his knowledge about wowing women, making him act as a movie producer in order to get somewhere with a colourful, spunky and aspiring actress (Karen Mok). Meanwhile Big But's girlfriend (Vivian Chow) fails in her singing career and their unsteady relationship may lead her to try her luck in Category III films...

There's some warmth and heart amidst the rather standard comic complications that occur but while Family Affairs is pretty much safe, non-offensive material, it doesn't grow out of its premise at all really. Frankly, it's a bit of a bore that happens to move fast enough by you.

A family of firm and loose connections as well as bad and poor influence is bound to begin sliding down the spiral at one time or another. Director Norman Law (A Hearty Response) makes sure the cop of the family (Wilson Lam) understands the bad lottery ticket he has drawn in regards to this as well as how much appreciation he should have towards his wild triad brother (Shing Fui-On).

For what it's worth, Law does create a fairly watchable family drama from this template, focusing more on Lam and Shing's characters but still with worthwhile content to carry it. Joey Wong is pretty much haphazardly inserted into the narrative as the image of love besides the honor theme so obviously sloppiness exists. The film is otherwise also not at all your most originally scripted triad actioner from this era but changing perspective, all of the above can be viewed upon as a springboard for action director Tony Leung's work. In that regard, Family Honor is a rousing success. Having displayed signs of being a master of hard, gritty violence, Leung doesn't disappoint and is a major contributor to the dark atmosphere that escalates throughout. All culminating in a hard hitting warehouse finale where we might not care about themes or drama but just the rush of seeing Hong Kong cinema at its tough as nails best. Also with Dick Wei, Miu Kiu-Wai, Richard Ng, Max Mok and Chiao Chiao. Brief appearances by Ben Ng, Ronald Wong, Lam Chung, Barry Wong and Lo Lieh.

Yu Chiao (Maggie Li) flees her wedding with swordsman Meng (Kenneth Tsang) as she believes he's the masked rapist she's previously come across in the woods. Seeking a more suitable husband in the world of swordsmen, there are wicked forces out there and Yu Chiao is soon in need of help from the likes of Meng. Although threatening to be an early Wuxia piece flirting with exploitation as we get gratuitous nudity at the start and the plot seems simple enough, Famous Swordsman is quickly buried under an avalanche of huge disinterest. The twisty-turny plot, multiple characters isn't something even two directors can juggle either. Kenneth Tsang in a variety of disguises is fun sporadically. Paul Chun Pui and Kwan Hoi-San also appear.

Back in human-ghost romance territory for Joey Wong for the umpteenth time since a certain classic called A Chinese Ghost Story, look for the pairing of her and lead Tony Leung Chiu-Wai in the third installment in the classic series instead. Taylor Wong's modern day take on matters is largely useless thanks to his trademark tedious direction rearing its head again. It's the commercial machine at work and failing (box-office figures were low at the time), thinking that echoing worn genre themes and using acclaimed leads will mean automatic work done. If work done equals a boring feature done, Fantasy Romance thoroughly succeeds. Leung is a comic book artist acting all wacky along with supporting characters essayed by Wai Lei and Paul Chun. Therefore ejecting all form of star power, charisma and attraction, merely Joey escapes unharmed by the virtue of being her beautiful self while acting as the rather playful spirit. Merits like that can't add up though to an experience worth noting in the wake of a classic film. Although the ending takes place within the animated confines of Leung's comic book, an unusual step like that barely registers as a footnote in moving pictures-history. Besides, Norweigan pop sensation a-ha made it a lot more fun in their famed music video using the same tool. Also with Deannie Yip.

Not surprisingly, the critical and financial success of Derek Yee's C'est La Vie, Mon Cheri triggered this production, centering on terminal disease. Writer/director Chan Hon gives us a well performed package in Farewell My Dearest though. Achieving excellent chemistry between stars Simon Yam and the luminous Alice Lau is a big key to make this epic 100 minute drama come to life for one. Starting out in the 70s, we're "treated" to a not so convincing youth version of Yam's character (patterned after Sam Hui at this point) but Alice pulls off the youth and gradual aging with aplomb. Emotional to a pretty high degree but deservedly so, some missteps are taken as Chan punishes all too much but in the end, he bounces back and nails his heartfelt message concerning persevering and making sure what's best for your perfect love. It takes something to avoid failing with a storyline and message like that. Chan Hon certainly does not. Appearing in support is Lau Siu-Ming and Ann Mui, who like her sister Anita Mui also tragically past away after losing her battle to cancer (in 2000).

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Drug dealer Tung (Dion Lam) is caught by Hong Kong police but lost when he's supposed to be handed over to the authorities in the Philippines. Hong Kong cop Dragon (Robin Shou) and his partner (Yukari Oshima) has to fight through the bureaucratic tape but is aided by one the local officers (Phiilip Ko). Uneasy alliances, psychotic criminals, a lame view of the high class gangster world plus multiple excursions into gunplay, Phillip Ko for once gains a whole lot of momentum when turning to the Philippines. Before we had a way too straight, static and basic action frame, something Fatal Chase is supposed to know how to put in overdrive. Change locale and matters are still equally flat, laughable BUT a few times more fun in its attempts to be creative. Ko loads up the squibs with a healthy amount of blood, features a male and female tag team of assassins that loads guns for each other and oodles of poor editing in attempt after attempt to create acrobatic gunplay. But the key is energy, intensity and there is evidence of matters being played for laughs so Phillip scores a good amount of hokey points whatever his intentions across the board were. Also with Waise Lee and a villain looking like Wayne Newton.

Daughter of Darkness and Brother Of Darkness actor Hugo Ng got his wife Lily Chung from the same films to act in his AIDS drama and not so much due Chung's, Ng fails at creating enough of assured content out of a solid dramatic template. Bobby Au is Wah, a newly married truckdriver and father. After his sexdrive goes into overdrive, indeed a fatal encounter takes place in Mainland China. An unnamed beggar (Hung Siu-Wan) offers her services and since skipping on the condom bit, Wah is infected with AIDS. Doing his blood test prematurely and seemingly in the clear, months later Wah's positive diagnosis is confirmed. It all goes to hell from there...

The effect of showing real photographs of young AIDS-victims is evidence of Hugo Ng preaching but the story is certainly filled with the type of aspects in need of re-telling. His other sensible decision is to shoot in synch sound but nothing else in Fatal Encounter registers. In fact, there really is a rookie feel to the drama and ultimately Ng's severely trips over his drawbacks. The gloomy atmosphere is in Mainland China where soldiers and characters overall are no less than evil. On the flipside, Hong Kong is bright and about to be tainted, a possible symbolism in Ng's frame but an ultimate example of him trying to create something relevant comes during his own role as a gay (and very flamboyant) insurance salesman. Making sure to inject prejudice towards homosexuals therefore, this all would of course be difficult for any filmmaker but the fact of the matter is that Hugo is reaching way too high. Not even the grave darkness and tragedy matters despite not being overdone soap-style. Even though final emotions are better aimed, Fatal Encounter is way too ambitious for only your second movie.

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