|
Cast:
Donnie
Yen
Sibelle
Hu
Carrie
Ng
Ken
Lo
Michael
Woods
John
Salvitti
Action:
Tsui
Fat Stunt Group
Donnie
Yen
Producer:
Tsui
Fat
Director:
Tsui
Fat
Score:
 
|
CRYSTAL
HUNT
AKA:
China Heat
Year:
1991 Reviewer: Tony
Ryan
This
is the first of two films filmed back to back, the other being
'Cheetah
On Fire' featuring an almost identical cast and similar
Thai and HK locations. They are both clearly low budget
affairs and one could be mistaken for wondering what some of
the cast members are doing in such a film, as they are
unlikely to have been paid much, and neither was ever likely
to succeed commercially!
The
plot is light and full of holes, as we follow various groups
of gangsters looking for the 'golden crystal god' for its
magical powers. Donnie and Sibelle Hu are trying to find it to
save an old man’s life and inevitably get caught in the
thick of a lot of action along the way. Plotlines are not what
these films are about, and it would be foolish to expect
anything intelligent or even coherent! As a result, it is the
action that holds your attention, as we move from one set
piece to another.
Unfortunately,
the action here is not quite as good as 'Cheetah on Fire' and
the first hour is fairly disappointing, and although many of
the stars appeared in 'Tiger
Cage 2' and 'In
the Line Of Duty 4', this film is not in the same class.
The final 30 minutes is superb however, and a real showcase
for the talents of all involved. Donnie is superb as always,
while his close friends and frequent Gwailo villains John
Salvitti and ex-Navy Seal Michael Woods are as good as in all
their other outings. Thankfully the under-cranking is kept
down to a minimum leaving only the poor camera work to
distract us.
If
you are a big Donnie fan, or loved 'Tiger
Cage' and the 'In the line of duty' films, then this will
surely be a welcome addition to your collection. If, however,
you like your films polished, and not just an excuse to watch
people fight for little or no reason, then I suggest you look
elsewhere! 2 stars for the film, but 4 for the fights.
A
note to those who may buy this film: If you see the UK Eastern
Heroes VHS, be aware that it is only wide-screen for the first
5 minutes or so. After that it is full screen, which cuts the
end off some of the subtitles! Not that it makes a lot of
difference to the coherence of the story!
|
