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Operation Red Sea (2018, Dante Lam)

A massive success in China for Hong Kong director Dante Lam, he feels very comfortable slotting Operation Red Sea into the loud and bombastic of a Jerry Bruckheimer production and there are traces of Tony Scott-efficiency and Black Hawk Down here as well. And despite not containing a ton of clear characteristics and instead focus on battle scenes, the momentum is tremendous and loud noises and explosions is a winning formula. Although there's a rough stretch leading up to the main setting (shot in Morocco) that involves warfare at sea and questionable CGI, Lam gets past this as well as our inability to truly identify characters all dressed in similar uniforms throughout. Because when he gets to showcase hardware, tension and brutality the film finds its flow. It is also very straightforward as written, being an extraction mission (loosely based on real events) and an early example of a convoy being ambushed confirms Lam can rise above any Western comparisons and produce extensive, pulse pounding set pieces where even shots of vehicles heading out to mission is exhiliaring. There's an audio/visual balance present and he crafts an understanding of characters and geography within the set pieces which is needed for our engagement in the spectacle of it all. It's also refreshingly free of computer generated mayhem despite Lam's big ideas and the movie takes the viewer back to the 90s where the practical still reigned to a degree. Lam stages impressive destruction when vehicles are attacked, flips his props, reactions of actors and stuntmen of such simple things such as impact gets you the clinched feeling of being pummeled for over 2 hours and the longer the movie runs, he is also not afraid to remind us of the gory horrors of war. It's not a poignant statement. It's just that such immense firepower and danger means bloodshed too, not solely through CG but practical make up and aftermaths as well. Within all of this there's of course a patriotic statement but nothing more obvious than what you would see in an American movie. Dante Lam has a mission. So does his characters and it doesn't seem his Mainland Chinese producers dictated content needed to be intensely political.

Option Zero (1997) Directed by: Dante Lam

With Dante Lam's debut feature, it's hard not to head into it thinking it's standard, generic SDU, or in this case, Special Branch-action. That expectation is something Lam takes advantage of as he instead offers up a cop soap opera where the action and police plotting in a way becomes secondary. Something that really is a theme that runs through the film as well as the characters inner wishes, in this case the other halves of the various relationships that are left in the background in favour of the work, is to become primary. Heck, even the title Option Zero rings true of some poignancy.

What saves Lam's movie from becoming sappy to a nauseating degree is also a refreshing quirky stance towards the material (even within the action directing), mostly thanks to Anthony Wong (here seen as his larger self during his sickness). Option Zero ultimately falls short of its goals though as it's a little bit too scattershot to be thoroughly great as a quirky action-comedy or as a serious love drama. A bland Julian Cheung in the lead doesn't help either as he simply lacks the chops to carry the movie. It comes to the point where it's hard to distinguish him from any other of the cop characters.

Dante Lam's debut effort is very much appreciated and unexpectedly good though. However hard it is to admit. Also with Carman Lee, Monica Chan and Michael Wong.

Buy the DVD at:
HK Flix.com
Yesasia.com

Osaka Wrestling Restaurant (2004) Directed by: Tommy Law

Generating no laughter and trying desperately to do so, Tommy Law's over the top comedy about two brothers (Timmy Hung & Wayne Lai) opening up a wrestling themed restaurant follows the template this rise and fall (and then rise again) story usually contains. Along the way it tries to populate the proceedings with a cartoon sense that simply better actors and comedians probably would've elevated. Here instead we get a bland Timmy Hung, an ocassionally energetic Wayne Lai with Japanese actress Ueno Miku, Sammo Hung, Law Kar-Ying and Sam Lee also appearing. Watch The Chinese Feast or Kung Fu Chefs instead.

Osmanthus Alley (1987) Directed by: Chen Kun Ho

Splendid Taiwanese drama, telling the biographical tale of Tihung (Lu Hsiao-Fen - Rosa) and her seemingly predestined choices in life being filled with grief and unjust bad luck. Losing her parents and brother at an early age as well as her husband Ruiyu (Emil Chow - Purple Storm), she wanders between resigning to fate and looking for hope that not only her sons life will turn out prosperous but her own as well. Writer/cinematographer Chen Kun Ho asks his characters and us all eventually if we actually have lived a full life and should our hearts therefore be fulfilled? It's definitely a cruel and dark story, shot within a static cinematic landscape with the low-key style working well as an advantage to director Chen. He never is clear with his intentions, such as the jarring time jumps in the story, but doesn't have to resort to that kind of exposition to affect through the theme of the film. Therefore Osmanthus Alley is highly affecting but never on the weepie scale, which is an intention that does work. Anchoring all this and embodying Chen's intentions is Lu Hsiao-Fen, displaying a much needed professionalism in her performance, ranging from a sweet innocence to the authoritative leader figure in the Hsin family with an inner emotional turmoil throughout most of her life.

Simon Yam appears briefly as a small but ultimately important character for the full circle of the film as well as Emil Chow. As Raymond Chow was the executive producer, the injection of Hong Kong talent was probably a decision on his behalf.

A Chinese subtitled dvd has been released in Taiwan but those in need of English subtitles will have to hunt down the Hong Kong laserdisc by Winson.

Buy the DVD at:
Yesasia.com

The Other 1/2 & The Other 1/2 (1988) Directed by: Clara Law

Clara Law's feature debut is largely lighthearted and at times typically overly broad for the genre. However Law (working from partner Eddie Fong's screenplay) venturing deeper into theme of financial crisis in the light of the 1997 handover and emigration issues in the end creates a tale that springs to life as a human and real story, with humans and real issues. Helping along are leads Kam Kwok-Leung (in a rare screen appearance far from the sadistic side of him in The Killer Snakes or Purple Storm) and Tien Niu, with chemistry between them that grows nicely alongside Law's more somber directorial choices. The Other 1/2 & The Other 1/2 makes relatively little impact overall but is worth the effort for the times it breaks out of genre staples to deliver poignancy. Also with Eric Tsang and Cora Miao.

Buy the DVD at:
HK Flix.com
Yesasia.com

The Other Half (1990) Directed by: Jeffrey Chiang

The romantic comedy template and even its outcome can be spotted miles away but that's alright for The Other Half. Carol Cheng's Sue is married to woman zing and cheating jerk (Mark Cheng), starts working for a buddy of his (Eric Tsang) and develops feelings for the little, sweet guy over the course of the movie. Although Tsang's superior is both mean and manipulative at the start, the beats signaling change and more easy going bonding between the characters also signals a flow for the movie. All due to good chemistry between Carol and Eric. Thoughts of predictability lingers but not constantly thanks to stars getting the basic job done along with director Chiang (The Killer Has No Return). Also with Ellen Chan.

The Other Side Of Gentleman (1984) Directed by: Ringo Lam

Jojo (Brigitte Lin) and a group of intellectuals are about to perform a sociological experiment where they set up her with care free jeans salesman/plastic jacket fan Alan (Alan Tam) to basically direct a relationship. Along the way, she begins having doubts and develops feelings for Alan...

Maybe someone at Always Good Film told Ringo Lam that fluff sans darkness and downer endings is the only way to go for their Barry Wong scripted project. The master, in early, early development instead was brought onto a project of light proportions and delivered the film. However the end result of The Other Side Of Gentleman is not only a step down from the entertaining/eerie/felt debut of Lam's, Esprit D'amour, it's completely empty in all areas of romance and comedy.

It could be argued that Barry Wong's script leans heavy towards the broad hysterics of the local comedy and at the same time being a form of satire of the youth of that era. Regardless, Wong and Lam comes up painfully short and at best the film is a showcase commercially for its star Alan Tam. All well and good if he had possessed any charisma or sparks with Brigitte Lin but he instead drains much life out of the romance. Lin has never looked more uninspired and clearly is too good for this particular project. When it all culminates in the final reel partly set in a church, proceedings turn downright embarrassing as it's the typical example of characters feeling everything emotionally but the audience never being convinced at all.

Buy the DVD at:
Yesasia.com

The Other Side Of Romance (1994) Directed by: Go Yik-Chun

Se-Wai (Vincent Wan) lives marriage bliss with wife Kei Kei (Amy Kwok, Lau Ching-Wan's real life wife), whenever he's home from the factory work in China that is. Se-Wai injures his finger at work and through dire circumstances later contracts AIDS after being tended to by immigrant Sung Tim-Yuk (Rain Lau - Queen Of Temple Street). They are quickly separated and so is Se-Wai from his wife who won't believe any other story than the fact that he's cheated on her. Both Se-Wai and Tim-Yuk are looked after by off-beat Dr. Lo (Cheung Chi-Gwong) who plays the keyboards and violin in his little office but is a positive life force on the two...

Director Go Yik-Chun seems rather hellbent to punish bad and good people any way there is, just because there is a will to do so. While that's a choice for cinema I can agree with, the execution needs to be tended to. The Other Side Of Romance may display a thoughtful nature in the long run but several sloppy, preachy and naive aspects go by us as well. For instance what looks like a government controlled experiment carried out on Tim-Yuk in her opening scene is never explained and feels more like a fantasy sequence at first. This is how bad Mainland China is? Officials are also quite obsessed by condoms and when out of this slightly odd part of the film, various detours into prejudice and ignorance surrounding AIDS are featured but are more like Public Service Announcements than felt surrounding character choices. Proceedings do get less dumb as we move along and Amy Kwok shines quite well in the wife role but being quite ordinary and not particularly devoted emotionally hurts the chances for The Other Side Of Romance. Meg Lam appears in support.

The Other Side Of The Sea (1994) Directed by: Raymond Lee

Raymond Lee's colours as director without the aid of Tsui Hark remains interesting to follow. Police Confidential had plentiful cool style while The Other Side Of The Sea sees Lee in action-drama territory. In an emotionally felt and ass kicking performance, Michelle Reis stars as Yip, a contract killer fleeing to Tai O island, injured and secretive about her past towards the friendly villagers, one of which she falls in love with. With her issues unresolved, violence draws closer to the united group of villagers and Yip is forced to take action...

Lee's threatens to go sledgehammer with the melodrama in an earlier scene but mixes the acrobatic gunplay with a decently executed subtlety with characters trying to start anew after diving deep down in the spiral of violence. He provides direction that is filled with fine touches, not just the most vivid ones but it's a satisfying ride nonetheless. Also with Lau Siu Ming, Hung Yan Yan and Vincent Wan.

Out Bound Killing (1994) Directed by: Sek Bing-Chan

Cheung Kwok-Leung steals money during a transaction between gangsters, leading to chase involving them, the Hong Kong and mainland police. Poor on every front, Out Bound Killing can't elevate itself from the low budget but instead the small means comes off as sparse and small on screen. Dull cinematography, no snap to the pacing or the chase-scenario at hand, it puts all its stock into action and fails there as well. Admittedly, some flow and power crop up for a few seconds but weak and tired spells doom for a movie as well as this commercial element. Also with Kara Hui and Billy Chow.

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